Thrill_Biscuit

I've noticed something about the growing trend in disrespectful behavior (line jumping, rule-ignoring, entitlement mentality, etc.). The best way to illustrate it is to note some differences between "then" and "now". For example, in 1981: 1. Parents did not fear correcting their children in public; 2. Much of the WWII and Great Depression-era generation was still alive and teaching values to their offspring; 3. Politeness, Respect for Parents, Teachers, Elders, and the concept of waiting one's turn were taught in schools, and paddlings in the hallway were still legal when needed to drive home the point! Now, nobody wants to bruise anyone's ego. Pity.

The Vortex is not sinking. It only beats me up when I don't get enough sleep the night before.

I'd turn the KIMVRR into a lush arboretum with exotic plants, waterfall effects, and arrangements worthy of many a photograph and wide renown... keeping the trains, of course... I'd light the Eiffel Tower from all angles, instead of just the 'front'. I'd re-theme the ugly parts of BLSC with colorful, 3-D facades of buildings. I'd restore the Glockenspiel at Festhaus, and the Band Organ on Grand Carousel. ...and other things...

Argh, it be the ghost ship of the Flying Dutchman. Sounds like Beast has been slowed down considerably since opening day. It was really cruisin' last time I rode it. Oh, well.

My UA Illusions are my official KI shoe. Perfect for standing in long lines, and for "power hikes" back and forth between Delirium and Beast.

I think he meant 'lame', which would indicate that the kid either: A. Has never ridden Diamondback; B. Has ridden Diamondback, but has also ridden along with the Navy Blue Angels; C. Is just jealous of your artistic talent; D. Is a fan of "South Park."

Thanks for posting that! Awesome memories!

The lights were on well before the park opened in April.

Diamondback has large lights what looks to me like every 15 or so feet apart going up the lift hill. To me, it resembles a leaning candy cane at night. For the last few nights, one of them seems burned out. They look like the kinds of lights you might see at an oil refinery.

Beast, because it's mostly in the woods, and feels more adventurous than SOB.

A young mother, loudly trying to brag about being a local, to her little child: "Ashley, it's nice that we only live a mile away, and can come here anytime we want, unlike some people who have to drive a long time and can't come everyday." Little girl: "Mom, quit saying that! You've told me that three times already!" Mom: "Shhh!" Nearby Crowd: "Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha."

Like that 314' tall 'Paris' theming and all those useless fountains. Juuusssst kidding!

Diamondback's 230 feet of sheer tallness surpasses the height of all coasters I'd ever ridden previously (or since). Whenever I break my life-long drought of Cedar Point visits, I'll give the magnificent Millie a whirl. [slaps cheek] why am I talking like this today?

It's sad to see it in its present condition. Like the Grand Carousel's band organ, it's another sound of Kings Island that is, at least for now, silent. The last time I saw it working was in 2007 as well.

Pun: Someone took my shiny jewel; I want my diamond back! Fun: I'd rather jump a snake than jump a shark. Run: Clip clop clip clop slam! -Tb, in a rare mood today.

Thanks! Yes, she makes it all fun.

So I get home from work and my wife has all my KI gear laid out on the couch. Time for my first-ever after-work KI trip! So I gear up with my best cargo pants, put the neck strap on my glasses, put on the sun block and set out with great anticipation of an exciting afternoon of coaster bliss, only to find that my dear, beloved wife had been bitten by the SDATHC bug. So, arriving at the park with only 45 precious minutes of operation left (I forgot it closes at 8... I'm used to 10 PM), we two adults of 37 and 40 went "unaccompanied" into the dark, air-conditioned halls of SDATHC. It was a walk-on.. . Well, almost. The ride op asked us to wait as an empty mini-MM went by, because someone had stolen the fright lights out of it(!). We got on board, and I was surprised at the number of clicks there are on the restraint. Good thing I had my glasses strapped securely in place... On all four consecutive rides, my fright light didn't work, and my wife's performed beyond the mathematical possibilities of the attraction (she had scores like 3900 to my 30). I got frustrated, and found a way to make mine sound like the machine guns on BLSC. The rapid fire didn't work, however, as I couldn't activate a target even at point-blank range. Oy. When she finally had enough Scoobyliciousness, we decided to head towards DB, only to see an ominous storm approaching from the south(!). It was then that I realized it was almost 8, and time to go. At least I caught up on any dark-ride count deficits from the last few years in one afternoon! Ride summary: SDATHC SDATHC SDATHC SDATHC Almost had a marathon going.

I'm impressed by all you well-travelled coaster conquerers! I'll never catch up to you. My meager list: Diamondback, Beast, Vortex, Invertigo, Racer, Adventure Express, Flight Deck, Flight of Fear, Back Lot Stunt Coaster, Reptar, um, that's pretty much it (didn't overcome my fear of coasters until I was 34!). I plan to add to my count Firehawk and FOC (which I've never ridden) this season. Then we plan to visit Dollywood, Kings Dominion, and of course, Cedar Point over the next 24 months... Kudos to all you true Ride Warriors!

SERIOUSLY?? Wow. I heard Closer to the Heart there recently, which is much more likely to be heard than Finding My Way. But I guess if this is satellite radio, then anything's possible. Seriously! And timely, too, because it was about the time everyone was finding their way to the parking lot. I'm a huge Rush fan, so I know that was the song. The level at which they were playing it did no justice to the song. The Geddy Lee screech becomes unnerving when overmodulated.

I was tired when I read this thread's title. I was thinking "whose airport code is DB?" Then I drank some coffee, and... They let us go on our first ride with only 2 clicks on my wife's restraint. She, for good measure, held on to my right wrist with what I now call the "loving grip of fear". -Tb, DB's fifth level of redundancy.

When I was a teenager, music that was 20 years old really sounded "old" because stereo recording technologies hadn't "leveled off" yet. I couldn't enjoy 60s music (except the Beatles, who were using such different chord progressions and harmonies than many of their contemporaries) because it sounded tinny and "AM Radio"-ish. It makes me wonder if teenagers today can pinpoint whether a song was recorded before or after they were born just by the sound of the mix? I can listen to "Cult of Personality" by Living Colour (1988), "All of My Love" by Led Zeppelin (1979), and "Cyanide" by Metallica (2008) all in order, and it sounds like they could all have been recorded in the same year, but put in "Paint it Black" by the Rolling Stones (1966) and it sounds out of place among the rest.

That is sad. Things we think are going to be around forever disappear suddenly, and all-too-often unexpectedly (unless it is long-telegraphed, which only cushions the shock). The cliché, "The bigger they are, the harder they fall" applies here in a similar form "The older they are, the more bitter the loss." My dad had similar feelings when he saw his beloved Island Queen on the cover of the newspaper on the morning of September 10, 1947. Seeing restored pictures nowadays puts perspective on the passage of time, and the vain wishes of returning to the days when things were (or at least seemed) so much more grand.

I've never ridden Son of Beast, because all I have ever heard about that ride is that it beats/shakes the ever-lovin' tar out of you, and that it's the worst roller coaster on Planet Earth. I've never ridden Drop Tower. I've scaled cliffs, jumped out of helicopters, heck, I've even watched 'Ellen', but I just can't get myself to ride that thing. Ever! Other than those, I've ridden all the other ones many times.

Why should it cost a fortune, when Nick Universe can be rethemed for, um, ...peanuts. -Tb, doing a classic Snoopy dance...

In line for Diamondback on opening day, the girl in front of us said that Ashton Kutcher had ridden the ride the day before during the press event. That's the only time I heard anything about it.