CoastersRZ

Having worked at Coney for six years, I have never witnessed anything out of normal at Coney, or my Moonlite Gardens. And when the rides are open until 9pm, I walk by and around Moonlite Gardens. Never once have I witnessed anything "paranormal".

Actually, I believe that the third train for Flight of Fear is not used for "service/parts". Instead, I believe they use it to how they used to use the third train for Son of Beast, before they got the new trains for it. In other words, they will have two trains on the track. The third train goes through its off season tear down during the summer season, when the park mechanics have more time on their hands. That way, when the busy offseason rolls around, they only have to tear down on Flight of Fear train in the winter months, since they will have rebuilt one in the summer. So they essentially rotate a train out of service every year and rebuild it during the regular season.

I actually witnessed someone smoking in line for the Dodgems on Sunday. He was the second person in line. Once the ride was started, the ride op told him he had to put out his cigarette as there is no smoking in any ride line at Kings Island. The guest complied, and the operator got a thank you from several people in my group when we boarded the ride!

What: Appalachian Festival When: May 9th: 9am-9pm May 10th: 10am-9pm May 11th: 10am-6pm The 39th Annual Appalachian Festival will be held at Coney May 11th through 13th. Admission is $8. Senior Citizens (55+) are $4.00, Children (4-11) are $2.00, and Children (3 and under) are free. Parking is $5. For more information about the Appalachian festival, visit their website at http://www.appalachianfestival.org/. Additionally, this will be the first weekend that Coney`s Classic rides will be in operation! Unfortunately, the new River Runner will likely not be open for the Appalachian Festival. For the latest news and information on Coney Island, be sure to check out www.coneyislandcentral.com

Yes. Just wait until its ninety degrees out in mid afternoon, and the park is open for twelve hour days. That will be the true test of the employees. I speak from experience running the rides at Coney. On really slow days at Coney, you can sometimes go up to ten minutes without running your ride! But since I have only worked on weekends the last three years, I`ve only had to deal with running the rides on the busiest of days, which means putting up with disgruntled guests. Sometimes you can meet the nicest people in the world, while other times, it seems as if there is a devil who wants to ruin your (and everyone else within earshot) day. But, even if you are having a bad day, good park workers will still smile, be courteous to park guests and have a good time. After all, some guests only visit the park once a year, so a positive experience with a park employee can leave a lasting memory. One of my fondest memories from Coney, happened on a slow weekend. It had poured early in the afternoon, but the rides stayed open because the Boys and Girls Club was coming to ride the rides that evening. There was literally no one at the park until a couple hours before park close. Then the Boys and Girls club arrived. I was working the Spin A Ree. Some kid get in line for my ride, and as I let him in he says "Hey, I remember you from last year. You were the nice guy running the helicopter last year that led us ride it more then once in a row!" It is little moments like that which make working at an amusement park so thrilling for me, and well worth the low pay, long hours, and hot weather conditions!

Some of those larger plush toys that are given away at Kings Island are certainly more then $10. However, in order to win most of those, you have to "trade in" smaller prizes. I know that some of the games I have seen at Ohio amusement parks include the "fish pond" game, where guests pick floating ducks out of a moving trough of water. Depending on the color of the dot underneath the duck they may win a prize. That game is certainly not a game of "skill". And on the subject of gambling, I won`t even bring up all the various activities that occur at church festivals every summer!

The Cincinnati Flower Show was at Ault Park until 2003, when it moved to Coney. The primary reason for the move, was that Coney had more parking then what Ault Park had, not to mention a larger infrastructure (like restrooms), to handle the crowds that come with the flower show.

The music plays both during loading and during the actual ride. I`m not positive, but I believe the music changed/different songs once the loading was complete and the ride actually started.

Don`t expect to see Weird Al at Timberwolf at Kings Island any time soon. This year, he is playing at the new National City Pavilion at Riverbend Music Center, located adjacent to Coney Island.

Nope. It has been purple since at least the 2005 season. The above is an image I took at the park on a very rainy day in October of 2005. The whole reason I went to the park that day was to take some pictures of WinterFest preparations (including the Christmas tree barge that appeared in the now defunct Swan Lake). You can clearly tell that the LaRosa`s in Rivertown is purple in that image.

Well, keep in mid that most of these school groups have to leave the park mid afternoon. While the park may be extremely busy from open until 2 or 3 in the afternoon, it should lighten up a little as some of these school groups leave. Keep in mind that the park is open until 10pm all Fridays in May. Also, keep in mind that because it is still a school day, staffing will certainly be an issue, and not all rides and attractions will be open.

As far as thematic elements and all encompassing ride experience goes, TR:TR wins. But as far as overall thrills and a fun ride, The Crypt wins head over heals. So my vote goes to The Crypt. I can`t wait to ride it again!

To be honest, I thought the same thing. Especially considering how deep the hole appeared to be. (It looked like it was a good twenty feet deep.) However, most soil around the Cincinnati area consists of clay near the surface. Clay is not the best type of dirt to use as fill material. They could have been excavating to get beneath the clay to get to better quality soil that could be better suited to use as fill for the Swan Lake area.

Well, I didn`t use them today. I put my keys, wallet, and cell phone in my zipper pocket on my shorts instead!

Yes, the gray zipper pouches are still located in front of every seat.

Well, if I had to guess, I`d say that the "construction" over by Son of Beast is actually related to the work over in Rivertown. How, you might ask? They might be digging up some dirt to use as fill at the Swan Lake location, since it appears that they have raised the grade down by the International Showplace quite a bit higher then what it used to be.

Yes, I`ll agree with you Ryan. There are certainly some very high g moments now on the crypt. I think that with this new program, this ride will be the surprise hit of the year! I know I`m already looking forward to my next ride on it! Yes, the Rivertown Pizza building has had a purple paint job for several years now. In fact, I want to say it was painted purple back when Tomb Raider was installed in 2002.

Well, tearing down a building isn`t exactly cheap. Not to mention that when the weather gets to be 90 degrees with a heat index of 100+, I`m sure many people will be glad to take a breather inside in the air conditioning. Although, the ride is certainly a lot more intense then it had been in years past. However, I can honestly say that I can`t wait to get back on it and ride it again! It was intense but it was also a lot more fun then what TR:TR had been. While the ride no longer relies on the theming for the storyline, the overall thrill that comes by letting the ride do what it was designed to do makes the ride, in my opinion, a lot more thrilling and fun.

Well, Coney`s rides will be open for the season before you know it! In fact, the first weekend for some of the rides at Coney is only two weeks away!

I was able to ride the Crypt today, and I really like the new ride program. Yes, it is a lot more intense then the old ride program, but it is also a lot more fun, in my opinion. And with regards to the construction progress. Several more trees have been removed from behind the Antique photo building. Additionally, more trees have been removed near The Crypt`s exit/ train tracks.

The Crypt was in fact open today! I waited about forty five minutes to ride it. The new program is a LOT more intense then the old one. But it is also, in my opinion, a lot more fun then the old program. I debated riding it a second time, but didn`t want to wait, as the line had grown much longer. The ride will flip you upside down about nine or ten times. It was hard to tell exactly, because the ride room is not lit very brightly. But you do perform several "topspins". After my ride, The Crypt went down for about thirty minutes but was open later in the afternoon.

No, you are right, and to each their own. I would simply rather ride Flight of Fear over Adventure Express if given a choice between those two attractions.

I don`t know. I`d put Flight of Fear on the must ride list at Kings Island. It definitely would go on a must ride list before Adventure Express in my opinion. The thrill factor and speed of Flight of Fear makes it a much more thrilling ride then what Adventure Express is.

Wooden coasters always receive some new wood every offseason (usually anyway). Retracking is when the park replaces some of the eight layers of wood that make up the actual track, and replace the steel running rails. That being said, the park will often replace wood that makes up the structure, the handrails, the batter braces etc. Wood often deteriorates when it is exposed to the elements. Especially on rides like The Beast, and Racer which are 29 and 36 years old respectively.

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