Rivertown Rider

I'm looking forward to riding it in a couple weeks. It is hard to believe that opening is almost here. As a big fan of Thunderhead, I have high hopes for Mystic Timbers even though they have some different elements.

The sad part about the removal of a ride like Les Taxis or KCKC is that they aren't rides that move ticket sales or merchandise but they are rides that really help the overall park. Current rides like Scrambler, Monster, Dodgems, Zephyr, and Shake, Rattle, and Roll fall into that same realm. The benefits of rides like Les Taxis and KCKC are that they helped with capacity. It is a shame with a park that has as much land as Kings Island has that they made some of the decisions that they did. I really enjoy BLSC but it would have fit in better in Action Zone. TRTR was a great ride as well but would have fit in better in Action Zone as well. Paramount made two short sighted moves and now you have a low-capacity, fun coaster that sticks out in the wrong area of the park and you have an empty box where a fun water ride that fit the area used to be (admittedly because of licensing issues with TRTR). Paramount didn't understand the popularity and goodwill that attractions that Les Taxis and KCKC and Phantom Theater and The Eagles had. Hopefully in the future years of expansion that CF (and by extension KI) looks at ways to bring more flats to the park including bringing the 'Tiques back. It always amazes me the line that BBoBH gets but there are only a couple attractions that families can do together (not everyone is going to do coaster and wild flats) and by taking out Les Taxis they lost that.

This is a really fun look back on KI in yesteryear.

Not sure if anyone noticed or not but Reds HOF Grille is listed under the dining plan options again from visitkingisland.com: Reds Hall of Fame Grille In Rivertown Handbreaded chicken tenders with Saratoga chips Homer burger with Saratoga chips Buffalo chicken salad Chicken sandwich

Glad to see the test run video. I'm looking forward to having a GCI at my home park.

An article about the truck inspiration.

Looking forward to riding those Millennium Flyers.

Another couple pics of Mystic Timbers.

So when do we think the KI website will get the new layout that CP, KD, CGA, and Carowinds have gotten?

I hope they add a few more flats in that area but I hope it remains named Coney Mall.

I think it is certainly possible that they'll re theme Action Zone. I would love to see kind of a Halloweenish/Spooky theme to the area.

Another pic posted today.

One of the first commercials I remember as a kid was for WaterWorks. I'm not sure this is the exact one but it is probably around this same time.

After seeing the fog this morning I can't wait to ride it on the some of those foggy nights in the fall.

Looking very Mystic today.

Another pic was just posted on Twitter.

It really is a shame that more of the rides did not get relocated. One of my big regrets with theme parks is not riding Screechin' Eagle. Serpent was one of the first coasters I ever rode and I still feel like Raging Thunder was one of the best flume rides I ever rode.

While the ride is not as smooth as it used to be, I would only want to see it torn down if something else great went in its place. It has always done a good job of moving capacity and while it is not as popular as it used to be, it only makes sense to tear it down if it is cost-prohibitive to keep it up and running. It still has a great first drop and (when painted) is one of the most beautiful rides in the park. The funny part about Vortex getting replaced has been a rumor since the late 90's when I first found amusement park discussion boards. One of these days it will happen but I think it still has several years left in it. The great thing about KI is the amount of space the park has gives it the benefit to keep rides like Vortex open when smaller, space limited parks might have to make a decision to tear down a less popular ride.

I would definitely like to see some flats as well. Some high capacity flats would be really good for the park.

The last I heard on Toy Story was 2018. Supposedly Disney wants Star Wars done in 2019 so we'll see. I think either way a name change will happen at the park.

I had a dream last night that Kings Island replaced the Dinos Alive area with an area called The Grove in tribute to Stricker's and put a lot of flats like the Tilt a Whirl and Tip Top back there.

My wife and I went to Pittsburgh back in 14 and had an enjoyable time. We also went to Kennywood for a day while we were there as well. Pittsburgh size wise reminds you a lot of Cincinnati. We stayed in Bethel Park which is only about 20 minutes outside of the city. I would recommend trying to do the stadium tour when you go to PNC as it is nice to see the behind the scenes of the ballpark. It is a really nice ballpark and it is a good town to walk downtown and sight-see. As far as Kennywood, I was really impressed with the park. Phantom's Revenge is a really great coaster and I liked it better than Diamondback. I also really enjoyed Jack Rabbit and Exterminator. Thunderbolt and Racer were also good. I see a lot of people rank Thunderbolt and Racer higher but I preferred Jack Rabbit to those. All five are solid coasters. They also have some nice things like Noah's Ark that are very unique. We were there on a weekday in June and it was not that busy. Hope you enjoy your trip.

From KI's instagram.

I also agree that they need to have more dedicated drink stands. They also need to try to keep the one by the train open all the time. That area of the park is always busy and it will surely be busier this year with Mystic Timbers.

^ Thunderhead is the only one that I have been on which I would classify as ejector air.