CoastersRZ

The Wilrd Thornberrys was designed by Arrow (at the time known as Arrow Development). In the 2000 season, the ride was renovated by O.D. Hopkins, replacing most of the old wood and fiberglass trough with stainless steel. However, the station area, both lift hills and the final drop and splashdown remained original with some TLC. The layout remained unchanged when Hopkins renovated the ride for its reincarnation in 2001 as the Wild Thornberrys River Adventure. And on the subject of testing things, it is not uncommon for large skyscrapers and building to build full scale tests of their curtain walls (the cladding that keeps the elements out of the building). The reason for the mockups can be many. From ensuring that it meets the specified performance standards (keeping enough water out, thermal resistance, etc), to figuring out tolerances and how the construction process will work and what trades will be involved and when. Often building a mock up, while there is an upfront cost, can result in changes to the design that save money on repairs that would have been necessary had the mock up not been constructed. It also can save time in the construction process by ironing out any potential clearance issues between the different systems of the curtain wall.

No, Kings Island never had an adult version of the Whip. I do not know why that ride was not relocated from Coney, but it wasn`t. And the Skydiver ride is a ride that once resided at Coney in the 60s as well. And on the subject of red Tilt-A-Whrils, Coney`s Tilt-A-Whirl is green and purple. No red whatsoever on it. Great trip report.

The tram circle was removed for the 2005 season as a way to "free up more space" outside the main entrance. Then for the 2006 season, the old ticket booths were removed, freeing up even more space. I have to admit, that the front entrance is a lot nicer now then when the old ticket booths were there. 2005 was also the year, that they planted trees in the parking lot.

I was not able to find any place on Kings Island`s website at this time where you could purchase a picnic voucher for the Backyard BBQ. They did have the Scout Fun Days picnic voucher online for the selected dates that they have the Scout fun days at the park. Your best bet would be to call the park directly and ask about it if you are interested in it.

Ok. I stand corrected. I did not know that was back. As a general rule though, the majority of the people that visit the large picnic grove will be from groups and company outings. If you are partaking in the backyard barebeque, you must purchase your ticket in advance. (IE either at the ticket windows or online). You will not be able to buy your ticket at the entrance to the picnic grove.

And hard as it may be to believe, you`d be amazed how many people line jump at Coney, where the lines are usually short. I`ve witnessed this multiple times at Coney, where the offenders are usually teens or preteens. But I`ve witnessed a few adults do it as well. Particularly at the Rock O Planes last year. And they would cut in line right in front of my own eyes when I was looking at them and try and deny they just cut in line.

No, the picnic grove is NOT open to any one from the general public. I believe you might be thinking of the Back Porch Picnic Grove (I believe that is what they were calling it last year.) That was the picnic area that was located behind Wings in Rivertown. I believe that picnic area was open to pass holders and members of the general public who wished to pay to eat there. However, with the construction at the former Swan Lake area, this picnic grove is no longer around.

Line jumping is not a sporting event at Kings Island. If you see someone line jump and are near a ride op, tell them about it. They can kick the people out of line, and if need be, security can come. Kings Island defines line jumping as "cutting in front of other guests who are already in line, saving a place in line for someone, or leaving a line and attempting to re-enter at the same point. Since this includes reasons such as using the restroom or purchasing food or drink, we suggest you make all stops before you enter the line. Any guest who line jumps, regardless of the reason may be asked to: Go to the end of line in question; leave the ride entirely; or leave the park with no refund given." The above is verbatim from the park map.

I`m sorry that you feel Coney is just a "permanent carnival with a glorified water park". There are several rides at Coney that cannot be found at other nearby amusement parks (KI, Stricker`s Grove, Kentucky Kingdom, Holiday World, and even Cedar Point). How many parks have a Tempest ride? That thing can give some wicked crazy rides! Also, of the parks that I mentioned above, only Coney still has their bumper boats (after Holiday World removed theirs this year for their Carousel). Additionally, how many parks have a Super Slide left? Or how about a Trabant, or a Flying Bobs? And lets not forget the awesome Rock O Plane or Eli Bridge Ferris Wheel. Or the new for this year River Runner. Yes, Coney does not have all the mega rides and coasters like Kings Island has. But Coney has charm and history to it. After all, Coney has been pleasing people now for more then 120 years! It has more of a family friendly atmosphere to it, due to the fact that it is a little more intimate and smaller then Kings Island. If you haven`t visited Coney in a while you do not know what you are missing! I`m in my seventh year there as a ride operator, and have had a blast every year! I highly recommend that if you have the time to spend a couple hours or a day at Coney that you do visit. The price is not bad. All day rides wristband will set you back $10.95, or a pool and rides ticket will set you back only $19.95. And, for discounts on the admission price, visit this page on Coney`s site to save some money!

Wow! Thanks for posting and sharing some of your experiences in the Kings Island Clown Band!

Actually, at Coney if there is lightning and Thunder in the area, we automatically close all high rides (Wheel, Round Up, Scream Machine, Coaster, Rock O Plane, Super Slide, Pedal Boats and Bumper Boats.) If there is a lot of lightning, or heavy rain in the area, all rides will get shut down. If there is light or steady rain, everything should stay open with the exception of the Wheel and Rock O Plane. Those two rides are driven by cables, and if it is really wet out, the cables will slip in the drive wheel, making it impossible for the ride to properly operate.

And the reason they have nothing on their website is that for the most part, the picnic grove is reserved for company and group outings and not directly open to the general public. In the past, they have had a Fourth of July picnic for passholders in the picnic grove, but beyond that, you have to either be a part of a company or group outing to grab a meal back there.

You mean in Clermont Steel Fabricators lot? B&M does not have their own production facility in the States. They contract with Clermont Steel to do all their steelwork in North America.

OK. I`ve been good for a long time and haven`t mentioned this recently. But I have to just once. The correct terminology is footing. And no, we don`t know exactly what Kings Island is building for 2009. But what is clear from the concrete work that has been done on the former Swan lake site, is that it appears some sort of water element/feature will return to the site. Exactly what and how it interacts with the 2009 attraction remains to be seen. At least they will be returning some water to that site!

No, there were some skee ball machines in there last Friday.

I agree, something needs to go into that space on Coney Mall, The Eurobungy does not attract enough people to that side of the midway. In fact, that refreshment stand that is next to the speed pitch game and skee ball building has had all of its windows boarded up. Likely a result of not enough foot traffic passing by it to justify opening it.

But Marketing Express, when I was at the park it wasn`t very busy. Most of the school groups had left or were on their way out the door when I arrived. I knew several other people that were at the park earlier in the day and said wait times for the rides were being measured in the hours. Ie, The Beast had close to an hour and a half wait. Why then, were they only running two trains? There was a sufficient amount of people in the park to justify running three trains on The Beast. Now of coarse, there could have been something wrong with the third train. However, that doesn`t seem likely as Vortex and Adventure Express were also only running two trains as opposed to three. The only other three train ride at the park (Backlot Stunt Coaster) was running all three of its trains.

Well, I`ll certainly take the more intense ride over the old TR:TR without all the theming working like it was the first part of its first year in 2002. Not to mention that the scene where you were held over the lava pit was just painful. Speaking of that, it would be nice if they put water back in that and lit it up. I mean, its not like that is in direct reference to the movie, and can provide some visual excitement to the giant ride in a box.

And this accident occurs on the heels of Rep. Ed Markey`s call for federal oversight of fixed amusement park attractions. Carnival and temproary ride attractions in the US are already regulated by the US Consumer Product Safety Commission. The International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions issued a press release denouncing this proposed legislation. And of particular interest in that press release is the paragraph that I quote below. This accident just proves that even with federal oversight, it does not make portable attractions safer. These are mechanical devices. No amount of federal oversight will prevent freak accidents from happening. Things can and do go wrong, even with the best maintenance and regulatory procedures in place.

The problem I have with the train situation is this. By all accounts I`ve heard, the park was fairly swamped during the day. With hour long waits for some attractions. So why were rides like The Vortex and Beast only running two trains? It used to be that unless predicted crowds were light, or the weather forecast was bad, they would ALWAYS run three trains, no matter what. Yesterday I was at the park from 5:30-10. Invertigo, the Crypt, Delirium, and Monster were near walk ons. However, both Vortex and The Beast had about a ten to fifteen minute wait, as a result of their two train operation as opposed to three train op.

Well, there was sound going in the Crypt today. As much as the techno music didn`t fit the theme as well as this current music, I actually liked the techno music better, because you could actually hear it when the ride was running. And to say that the general public thinks the new Crypt is a flop is incorrect. Both times I rode it tonight, there were several people clapping and cheering when the ride was over. Between the old program with all of its theming and the new program with its theming and music as is, I`d take the new program hands down. Heck, I rode it twice today. I don`t think I ever rode TR:TR two times in one day before.

From WCPO.com, The Beach Waterpark, located in Mason, across I-71 from Kings Island opens this weekend. They open tomorrow at 10am. And as an added benefit, pass holders get to bring a guest to the park free this weekend, and the park is serving up a complimentary continental breakfast. The weather is a bit cold still to be going swimming this weekend, but this is a sure sign that the full summer season is just around the corner.

Hey, there is a reason why I am the history writer here on Kings Island Central! The Sky Ride was removed at the end of the 1979 season. (The Bavarian Beetle, and Haley`s Comet [a Round Up ride] were also removed at that same time.) Low ridership, and replacement parts were becoming harder to locate were some of the prime reasons for its removal. Although, the fact that the ride jammed for several hours due to wind, with people aboard in 1977, was also a large contributing factor to both its decreased ridership, and removal from the park. The Tumble Bug, and Skylab used to reside where the Coca-Cola cool zone/ Jacob`s ladder/ virtual reality area are currently. The Flying Dutchman used to sit on where Adventure Express`s entrance is. In fact the curved portion at the start of Adventure Express`s line is part of the old ride area from the Dutchman. The Der spinning Keggers were located between Outer Hanks and the air brush T-shirt stand. The Ferris Wheel used to sit behind the Age and Weight guessing game which is located between the Festhaus and Delirium`s queue. You are correct in remembering there being two ice rinks for the original WinterFest. One was in the Royal Fountain, and the other was placed in the Boulder Bumpers area (now Jimmy Neutron`s Atom Smashers).

There are two remains of the ride still left. The biggest one is in Nickelodeon Universe. The large gift shop in Nick U. used to be one of the two stations for the skyride. The other remain is a little less obvious. Over by the Outer Hanks Back Porch bar and seating area, there is an overturned row boat. This rowboat is actually sitting above an old sky ride footing. You can see that image below. The other station used to be approximately where Slinghot now sits.

It wasn`t just a group of clowns playing music. They would run around and act plain goofy. It was fun to watch and added quite a bit of spontaneous entertainment to International Street.