johnjniehaus

Does anyone know where he was laying when sighted? I'm assuming he didn't make it to far from the point of impact. If it was in the PRETZEL SECTION he was very deep into restricted areas

I was curious about possible injuries amongst riders but I guess no news is good news? Hopefully none of the riders were injured because getting hurt on a ride due to someone else's stupid decision would just really suck.

That's probably true. I would just think that adults would be less willing to risk their lives over lost items. Teens typically have a won't happen to me attitude but maybe it's true that adults think they are smart enough to not get hit.

I just don't know what goes through people's heads when they decide to risk their lives for lost articles? And this was someone who was nearly 40 years old not some dumb teenager. If he is still alive, hopefully he doesn't have any long term affects but I can't see where he won't get some sort of ban from the park for entering a restricted area. Also, if a rider sustained an injury from the impact, I hope they are ok and are compensated. No rider deserves to be hurt because of someone else's stupidity and/or park negligence in the case the park is somehow found at fault.

I'm glad to see a new coaster for KD! Such a great park and they really do not a replacement for volcano. Love the color scheme and the layout looks pretty solid too. It's also been a bit since the chain added a winged coaster and there isn't anything else like that in the VA amusement park market. Will definitely be going back down there next year!

I understand that there are circumstances and reasons that rides and attractions are not ready for opening day but it doesn't make it any less annoying. As has been pointed out here, this is something six flags has been criticized for over and over and Kings Island historically has held I higher standard in the industry. For example, major coasters additions such as Banshee and Mystic Timbers were open for pass holder preview day and opening weekend. Orion probably would have been ready but unfortunately covid delayed the season for two months. If I had to choose between no new rides or new rides opening late, of course I'd always choose new ride opening late but the point here is that it doesn't have to open late and when parks get comfortable opening rides late all the time and it becomes the norm you get six flags. When I was at SFSL on Memorial Day they had only poured the concrete pad for their Joker Carnival of Chaos frisbee... How about SFGA only now getting their Sky Striker open? I'm just saying if you can delay till Memorial Day, and lower the standard where does it end?

While I still really want to see a new coasters, Don has a great point which is if you can't operate what you already have, maybe you shouldn't be adding more. I totally agree that The Racer not racing is a cheap, unacceptable move. Food and beverage stands should also be open seeing as when operations are limited the lines are extremely long to get a drink or food. I also don't like the fact that two years in a row the park has not been able to get the new additions open for opening weekend. The shows also seem a bit lacking this season. I did enjoy the country crossroads in the festhaus but other shows just don't seem to grab my attention this season.

So I have long wondered if shake, rattle, and roll is our original troika from 1975 or if it was secretly replaced by a different troika? I remember that somewhere around 2015-2016 (can't remember the exact year anymore) that shake rattle and roll went missing and it was supposedly removed for refurbishment. The fact that in 2017 other parks in the chain (Carowinds, World's of Fun, Dorney) that previously didn't have troika received a troika as their new family ride addition for the season. I believe that the Carowinds and Dorney troika rides were relocated from other parks but I can't find any information about where the one at WoF came from. Is it possible that HUSS built a new troika rides for KI hence the complete removal of the ride for an entire season? It honestly doesn't matter to me because it's a great ride regardless but I've just always kinda wondered if it was the same ride or not ...

I've always kinda thought RTH is what put this park on the map for enthusiasts and vacationers. Definitely seems more like a family park from anything I've ever read or watched on the park. The dark ride does sound pretty cool... your description reminded me of Ye Old Mill at Rye Playland though I'm not sure if that would be an accurate comparison.

Sounds like an interesting park for sure! You mentioned that Big Thunder Mountain was Vekoma but isn't the one at Disneyworld Arrow? I'd be curious how they compare if they were indeed built by two different manufacturers...?

I don't see why they wouldn't stick around for another ten years. They have had their share of maintenance but so have other rides. For example, every time Drop Tower gets struck by lightning it's usually down for a few weeks if not months.

That's what I'm talkin' about! 48" height requirement for a great ride is dynamite! One reason millennium Force is such a great one. My little sister rode that at 7 years old and then was saying how she wished she could do "the big rides" at Kings Island referring to Dback and Orion which she was still too short to ride for a few more seasons. I love B&M don't get me wrong and the general public will love another B&M but I personally hope it's something more unique and special... something that other parks around us don't already have.

Does anyone know the height requirement on the new vekomas? I'd prefer not to see another B&M seeing as they have a 54" height requirement and I'd really like to see the younger guests be able to ride the new attraction as well. Vortex was 48" height requirement and it would be nice if the new coaster was the same

Coming back to The Vortex plot, I'm hoping we see a replacement in 2026. I really really hope that the park was happy with SSBR and they decide to partner with Vekoma again for a Vortex replacement. I would enjoy seeing a coaster like Fonix as our new loopers successor to Vortex. If they are going for a dive coasters, why not do a vekoma tilt model just to make it unique from what other parks in the chain already have? Oh but really wild idea, maybe they can give us one of those new Vekoma lunched Flying Coasters... So many possibilities! But I'm also 100% behind a Mach Extreme Spinner. (Full circuit, not a shuttle coaster due to capacity issues). I have never ridden time traveler but I hear so many amazing things about it and ride to happiness and it would be something so special and unique for that prime plot of land which currently sits vacant and silent... One day the wind will blow again taking the park by storm and The Vortex will have its revenge in a new form... coming to Kings Island spring 2026!

I finally got a ride on SSBR and it was definitely a fun coaster. I rarely ride Flying Ace Arial Chase (Woodstock AirRail) but I do usually ride Woodstock Express a few times throughout the season and while I still slightly prefer it to SSBR I will definitely be getting on SSBR multiple times each season as it is a fantastic coaster for younger guests and families. I rode the back row and it really gives you an amazing view of the park and a good whip through those turns. Going backwards is also a wonderful sensation! Love the area and the theming. I was definitely critical of the camp Snoopy addition at first but as Micky Dolenz sang in the 1960s "now I'm a believer"

Maybe this has been addressed already so I apologize if this is a double post but has the Eiffel Tower been closed the entire season so far? I've been to the park 5 or 6 times over the past two months and it's been closed every time. So if it's been closed the entire season, does anyone know why? Staffing, maintenance/waiting on parts, or is it just closed for the sake of being like Kings Dominion?

Took three of my friends who have only ever been to KI up to Cedar Point for a day. We were able to get all the major coasters credits along with a few rides - Valravn: Second train of the day. Everyone really enjoyed this one and had it placed in their top 5 in the park. Millennium Force: 30min wait. While everyone agreed this was a fantastic coaster, 1/4 said Orion was better because it has more airtime. Myself and the other two enjoy the feeling of speed that milli always delivers Gemini: 20 min wait. The red side was trimming extremely hard near the end which resulted in the race not being very close at all. Still a fun ride and everyone thought it was pretty smooth for it's age. Steel Vengeance: 1hr 30min wait. After an hour it broke down and they evacuated trains on the break run. We left the line and returned later waiting 30min. All 3 of my friends put this as the greatest coaster they have ever ridden. (My favorite is I-305 at King's Dominion) Maverick: 1hr wait. Everyone placed it in their top 3. Such a great ride and actually seemed to be running very reliable all day. I didn't notice any breakdowns or closures Cedar Creek Mine Ride: 15min wait. All the friends bashed this as the worst coaster in the park for being uncomfortable and boring. I personally think corkscrew is "worse" but it is true that this is not a very good mine train. Magnum XL 200: 10min wait. My #2 in the park was one that I probably talked up too much to my friends as they all were expecting Diamondback at KI when I used the term hypercoaster. Most of them rank magnum around the middle of the pack either saying it was painful, just average, or good but not elite. I personally still love this ride and it's still in my top 5 of all time out of over 200 credits. Corkscrew: 15min wait. Surprisingly my friends liked this one saying how much they missed Vortex and that riding this brought back memories. I personally am not a big fan but they all thought it was pretty fun. Power Tower: 20min wait for the launch side. Everyone agrees this is way less terrifying than the Drop Tower at KI. Iron Dragon: 20min wait. I have a soft spot in my heart for arrow suspended coasters. We rode back row to try to get maximum acceleration and swinging but all three of my friends were unimpressed and said that was the second worst coaster in the park. It actually does crack my top ten for CP but it was nowhere close for them. Rougarou: 15min wait. It has been a few years since I rode this and I was curious if my memory serves me well. I was once again disappointed by the roughness and headbanging. My friends all put this in the middle of the pack while I rank it towards the bottom of the list. Skyride: 10min wait. We caught the skyride back to the front GateKeeper: 30min wait. My friends and I all agree that GateKeeper reminds us a bit of Banshee with the oversized sprawling elements and it is a top 5 ride in the park for us Wild Mouse: 20min wait. This was my time riding this and I did enjoy it quite a bit. Not going to beat any big coasters but I think families will enjoy this one. We all ranked this around the middle of the pack. Cedar Downs Racing Derby: Wait time 5min. One of my favorite flats was a must ride and everyone got a big kick out of it and how the horses move during the ride to simulate racing. Raptor: 20min wait. This had been down nearly all afternoon and thankfully they got it back up for the final hour. I still say it's better than Banshee but all my friends disagree and say while raptor is good, nobody touches Banshee. Blue Streak: 5 min wait. Was running decent and I also was surprised how much my friends enjoyed this. This was the oldest rollercoaster any of them had ever ridden. There you have it. While I do disagree with my friends a bit about how they rank the CP coasters, for the most part we agree. We all had a wonderful time and can't wait to do it again.

Was at CP today and saw some guys uncovering a TT2 train but there was no testing or anything.

I'll be there on Thur...watch them open it on Fri for coaster mania and I'll miss it by one day. That would be so painful it would make me laugh

There must be some way to put something there and keep the drones too, right? I'm no engineer but that's a pretty big empty plot of land to only use it for a small drone launchpad...

So here's my thoughts. I grew up watching Song of the South (my grandparents had a copy of it somewhere in their basement) Yes it has it's issues, but so do Peter Pan, Dumbo, and half of the other Disney movies made during Walt's lifetime. I think that older films should still be accessible because they are a part of history. You can agree or disagree with history and how it was portrayed but the important thing is preserving and learning about and from history and you can't do that when it's not accessible. It's also worth noting that James Baskett who played Uncle Remus was an amazing actor and was given an honorary academy award for his performance. I don't feel like that should be erased from history. I understand that Song of the South is a problematic film and that the ride was bound to change at some point. I enjoyed many good rides on splash mountain and will always have those wonderful memories but I looked forward to seeing what the imagineers had cooked up for us... Then came the POV... it fell short of my expectations. I agree that there seems to be a lot of blank "dead" spaces where animatronics once delighted guests. The ride seemingly was a hodge podge and lacked a real storyline which is what makes so many other Disney rides so good! This is a 10 minute ride literally you could have made the best story ride in the park and you had a good film with great characters to do it...lazy? Rush job? Lack of creativity? Not sure what happened here. Also, when will amusement parks just stop with the screens? Real animatronics are ALWAYS more realistic and better than a screen based ride. So will I ride it and enjoy it never time I'm visiting the magic kingdom? Yes of course, but I do think it could have been so much better.

Oops I'm sorry that was a typo. Yes Cedar Fair has 3 and once the merger goes through it'll be 4. I love The Bat but I also remember really loving the ninja at SFMM. The lift hill ending isn't great but I remember getting some incredible swinging action in the back row. Also a genuinely fun layout down the side of the hill, through the trees, and over the flume ride/pond area.

Yes definitely. I hope that through the years Cedar Fair can keep at least one of their 2 arrow suspended coasters running for the next generations.

I personally am a huge fan of the gondola style trains and hope they never switch them out for anything else

Alright so first of all I was surprised to see two train ops on all the coasters capable of running multiple trains with the exception of The River King Mine Train which was closed the entire day. They ran some test cycles at one point and had maintenance walking the tracks near the third lift but it never opened. No clue what the issue was but it was disappointing as I have always loved getting on one of my favorite childhood coasters. The Boss: Two train ops. Is definitely still running a bit rough but not unbearable. I am still against an RMC conversion and think that it could easily be the best coaster in the park with a gravity group refurb and some new trains. (Also, restore the helix finale) Even in it's current state it's still a one of a kind terrain twister woodie that I hit the final breaks saying "that is a great ride!" Screamin' Eagle: One of my favorite PTC coasters. Such a long layout for an out-n-back and the trains are super comfortable to me (lots of padding in the seats). They have obviously done some re-tracking on the second half which is running amazing. The first half still has some hard jolts so if they ever get around to re-tracking the first drop and the following three hills, it would be nearly perfect. Ninja: Got to ride twice and once was in the front row. I've never really understood the hate for the this coaster. Sure it's not the best looper out there but it's still a fun ride with an amazing headchopper moment. I personally like the Vekoma vests on this ride as it doesn't bang your head as much on the turns. Batman the Ride: Waited in line and after about 15 min, the train stalled on the lift and they announced extended downtime. A few hours later it was back up and we practically walked on. I'm always surprised how much of a punch of positive G's the Batman clones bring to the table. Overall running well but unfortunately the ops weren't the best. They constantly had trains stacking and they also felt the need staple you with the shoulder harness making for a very tight ride experience. Pandemonium: Still such a fun family coaster! American Thunder: after all these years it's still running smoothly and is a fun mid size woodie that families can definitely enjoy. Mr Freeze Reverse Blast: absolutely a gem at this park! I love the reverse launch and then facing down the vertical spike as the booster kicks in to push you further up the spike before allowing you to essentially frefall. Probably is my favorite coaster in the park. River King Mine Train: Closed due to maintenance issues Boomerang, Rookie Racer: closed due to weather Justice League Battle of Metroid: Reminds me how much boo blaster sucks because this is actually a very rood right now so I no complaints here.