Thrill_Biscuit

A cherry picker ride from 264 feet up would be scarier than the drop!

I would think that these are videos of the last ride for the day (if not the season) for these 'heroes' !

I know, right? "First Riders' Club" sounds more accurate.

Hey, I'll take billion-dollar version of Diamondback! That would be 45.454 times bigger, making it either 45 miles long, 2 hours and 27 minutes long, and/or 10,454 feet tall or something! How fast would it be? Terminal Velocitaaaaaaaah! (I don't know how it would apply on a coaster, but somewhere in the neighborhood of 120 MPH?) ...but with $1B, I'm sure they could afford to get creative with some linear induction motors...

Hey, I'll take billion-dollar version of Diamondback! That would be 45.454 times bigger, making it either 45 miles long, 2 hours and 27 minutes long, and/or 10,454 feet tall or something!

Everyone gets along harmoniously in utopian 2013, where cheating and line-jumping are a distant memory. Just like cars with wheels, there is no more need for a separate, special entry. Seriously, I didn't understand the single rider line concept; I thought it was for riders who have special needs. Is it really just for riders who aren't part of a pair or group?

I overheard someone call SDATHC KI's haunted house. It's a castle, people...a castle! ...

I'd say in an arc over the top of the circle, unless you have a particularly long screen name.

On Viking Fury: "Does this ever splash the water?"

I admire the outstanding 'sportsmanship' during this contest! Every post was encouraging and selfless! Even the critical responses were of a level, friendly tone. Even with only 3 votes, It was a joy to participate! [edit] I'm speaking of the contest itself, prior to the results. I didn't see any post-results criticism as sour grapes; just honest commentary.

Move over, Hollister... The KIC's got talent!!! Congratulations, winners! Well-deserved! Great job everyone else, too!

And I thought "airtime" on cell phones meant something completely different!

Flame war and/or anti-troll debris can be hilariously confusing... Thank goodness for the old edit and report buttons! Welcome to KIC, Army!

"Half Poncho Half Army Dude". I'm still laughin' at that one! Great pics! Excellent narration, too. The faces are priceless!

Really? That's awesome! ..and a big relief! When I went through Nickelodeon on Opening Day, they were blasting a bunch of 70's-era rock songs, many of which had sad chord progressions and lyrics that had absolutely no place in that area of the park [edit] in my opinion. I know the managers didn't intend for this, and I'm glad to hear that you noticed the more appropriate music on Sunday. I hope it will remain for the regular season!

I have a scary feeling that all theming is going away (and not just from Nick Universe!); that the NU rides will be renamed to some royalty-safe, neutral trade names ("Green Dinosaur", "Belly Fliers", "Bike Copters", "Log Flume")... , and that all the other themed areas of the park will vanish from signs, maps and brochures. They've already started playing the same music in every area (and some queue lines). I really hope they'll stick with special theming (both visually and with sound!)

Close. Nice red spacesuit, though!

My goal is to ride Beast 40 times, to celebrate my 40th year on planet earth !!!

Actually, it is pretty funny, so you're not off-topic. Granted, it would be pretty sad if all three trains were running on SOB at the same time, and two whole trains flew off the track and died. The SOB trains do have some anthropomorphic character to them, but to have two of them fly off and die would be tragic. Can anyone really rock a train? Dear Heavens, I love this site!

I noticed some things: -park maps are handed out by an associate, not available in a dispenser rack; -The Beast flies through the MCBR; doesn't seem to slow down much at all! -more speakers throughout the park, playing loud, classic rock everywhere; -no water at all at the end of BLSC; -no water at all in Tower Gardens (maybe a seasonal thing) -seatbelts on SR&R (don't think I've noticed that before) That's about all...

Like telling n00bs that: 1. There's a huge drop at the end of the last AE tunnel... 2. That the temple dude is going to pour water on everybody... 3. That that huge lift hill is part of this ride (from AE, looking at SOB)... 4. That Viking Fury is going to flip like Berzerker 5. They should brace for the elevator 'drop' from the Eiffel Tower... ...etc.

The padding on the restraints is weathered, like a Nerf football that has been left out in the elements for a couple of years.

I heard that you can see ejected water dummies in the woods below Diamondback.

I'll keep it short, because there's one main point I wanted to make about my experience on Opening Day: Don't get me wrong, I like all kinds of music, when it's in the right place...however, the music blasting through the park on opening day was uninspiring, inappropriate, and almost insultingly lacking in diversity! As we were walking through the Golden-Ticket-Award Winning Nickelodeon Universe, the very sad, psychodramatic "Hey You" by Pink Floyd was blaring over the speakers (this is a song containing a line about worms eating into the protagonist's brain)!!! Not only was this out of place in a kids' area, but it really takes away from the entire Kings Island experience. The loud, way-outdated hard rock was everywhere, and some of the selections were downright annoying, in my humble opinion! The Royal Fountains used to be awe-inspiring when the right music was playing. I kid you not, as I left the park, "Finding My Way" by Rush was playing so loud that the speakers were overmodulating, and the song features the lead singer at his screachiest! Man, I hope they bring back area-appropriate music again soon! Enough ranting. On with the quick PTR: Gina and I enjoyed our 4 hour wait in line, and even made a couple of friends. The splashdown never got old to watch, and made the wait bearable. By the time we got to the base of "Mt. Helbig," we got this now-familiar perspective of the ride to come: Finally, someone has designed a coaster that lets me fear roller coasters again! The first drop looks like the track is missing for about 2 seconds! The acceleration is smooth, fast and stomach-squeezing! The second hill will be as legendary as Beast's Double Helix. The turn-around is a wow. The MCBR is unnoticable! The final helix is roller coaster perfection, with just the right approach into the splashdown! Loud applause at the end! This is an excellent addition to KI! I spent Opening Day Eve painting this shirt (I forgot to add KIC to it, but I will before my next visit): ...and we met KIC member AngryBeaver, who pointed out FF EKU dawg 4 life and others, who were at Coney Mall. I didn't meet many others, but hope to perhaps see other KIC members throughout the summer. Some other quick observations: Gina thought The Vortex sounded too squeaky (new paint) so we didn't ride it. We rode The Beast, and I don't know what they did over the off-season, but that coaster books! I don't know if they took away some brakes or what, but man, that was my best Beast ride ever!! Other rides: Delirium (showing its age, but still fun as ever!); AE, Monster, SR&R, BLSC, Eiffel Tower. We had our traditional Blue Ice Cream, then later Fresh Cut Fries, and then much later LaRosa's. It was a great trip on account of Diamondback, but the music took a lot away from the experience.

AngryBeaver struck up a nice conversation with my wife and me by the Shrimp Shack (I was wearing a hand-painted "Tb" shirt with the Eiffel Tower "blasting off" for the season.) He pointed out a couple of other KIC members to me, but like the tired bonehead I was I didn't walk over and say "hi" Sorry FF EKU dawg 4 life and others! Belated 'Hello!' I didn't mean to be rude. Next time I'll be more awake... Cheers!