Oldiesmann

While in line for Flight of Fear yesterday, someone behind me in line said "This had better be better than Disaster Transport!". Whether they thought it was or not, I have no idea.

I not only know what one is, I had one when I was a kid! So much fun, until you lost a part or found that your set didn't have all the parts for what you wanted to build

Really hard to tell from that camera. We either need one closer to the construction zone or one with better resolution.

Yesterday's train ride was by far the best one I've had all year. The guy doing the spiel (I believe his name was Bret but I don't remember) decided to ad-lib the standard script and make it quite funny. Highlights: He made some comment about a "rickety old wooden bridge" and hoping it didn't collapse when we went over the wooden bridge shortly after leaving Rivertown Apparently the train is powered by "Kings Island magic" and we were running low until everyone on the train yelled "choo choo", which replenishes the supply of magic The bear in the woods is a vegetarian and is on a diet, so he won't eat you, but he will eat your salad if you bring him one, especially if it's got ranch dressing, but since he's on a diet it needs to be low-fat dressing. The crossing guard is a trained bear wrestler He made Soak City sound like a luxurious beach resort He pointed out the "electrical outlets cleverly disguised as tree stumps", mentioning the old animatronics, and also joked about how realistic the blue stumps looked He made some comment about a "big pile of rocks" being one of KI's greatest attractions, along with a couple of bad rock-related jokes ("they sure do rock" and "don't take them for granite") He said that the western town is real (in comparison to the tree stumps), then added "real fake" After mentioning Old Fort Coney and Missouri Jane, he said you might want to bring your Boo Blaster with you if you come that way at night I also noticed that there's now a stuffed Pikachu wearing a bandana and cowboy hat sitting on the rocker at the store in the town along the route. Not sure when that was added but I thought that was funny as well.

A couple others I've heard lately: "Rumor Has It" by Adele "Losing My Religion" by REM Sent from my Samsung Galaxy S3 using Tapatalk 4

What is the flavor? Blueberry or something? I believe it is blueberry. Sent from my Samsung Galaxy S3 using Tapatalk 4

Here are construction pics from today And for those without Flash: Banshee Construction 8/20

Cincinnati is not in Sprint's rollout list for LTE, but that's just how their PR works for some reason. They'll announce that 'these cities' (usually about a dozen) have just completed the update, and 'these cities' (half dozen or so) will be completed in the next few months. For the first time, I picked up LTE in Sharonville and then again I'm Ft Wright, KY. It may be a little late, but it's coming... It's also available in the North College Hill area and in part of Mt. Healthy. Sent from my Samsung Galaxy S3 using Tapatalk 4

When I was at the park last week, the ride op at Zephyr kept calling it by names of other rides in Coney ("welcome to the scrambler", "enjoy your ride here on the Dodgem" and ending with "I hope you enjoyed your ride here on the Firehawk"). He followed that up with "Enjoy the rest of your day here at Cedar Point - America's rockin roller coast!". I didn't see other guests' reactions, but I thought it was funny. Sent from my Samsung Galaxy S3 using Tapatalk 4

Also theme from "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly" (though the version actually used for the movie is rarely heard these days) Sent from my Samsung Galaxy S3 using Tapatalk 4

No, I was referring to Train Stop Inn. I've known about the cartridge plant for years :-) Sent from my Samsung Galaxy S3 using Tapatalk 4

I actually wouldn't expect huge crowds on Sunday. Many people in this area will be partying on the riverfront that day (for those who aren't locals, look up Riverfest...) Sent from my Samsung Galaxy S3 using Tapatalk 4

I actually stumbled across that place last month while driving around on my way to KI. Looks like an interesting place, though I couldn't tell you how to get there again. It's one more thing that makes me want to follow that bike trail its entire length (from near Terrace Park all the way to Yellow Spring). Sent from my Samsung Galaxy S3 using Tapatalk 4

How many rides has everyone ridden the day it opened to the public? I can only think of 2 myself - Firehawk and WindSeeker. I didn't plan on being there for WindSeeker's first day, but it just worked out that way. Sent from my Samsung Galaxy S3 using Tapatalk 4

I've gone alone many times and don't mind it. I can do what I want at my own pace, and being a single rider has its perks at times - such as being pulled ahead of the line to fill one empty seat on a ride. Sent from my Samsung Galaxy S3 using Tapatalk 4

Another reason older rides remain popular is that they offer an experience you don't find on newer rides for various reasons. There's a reason that Beast remains the longest wooden coaster after nearly 35 years, and nobody else has come close to breaking that record (Voyage, in 2nd place on the "longest wood coaster" list, is 6442 feet - 917 feet shorter than Beast).

I actually remember the old "employees only" section, which was here when I joined as an employee back in 2005. It was fun, but definitely an issue (many things posted there would not have been allowed in other sections, and even then, the park did question you about posting information that wasn't public knowledge - I even got written up for a mistake I'd made after I had posted about it in an "employee screwups" topic). Looking back, I'm actually surprised such a section ever existed, as it would be a logistical nightmare for everyone involved.

Here is the video for those who haven't seen it yet:

There's been a lot of talk about Celtic music, so why not a Celtic tune called "Song of the Banshee"? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UZpCUer5qvI

Starship 4000 is fun (I rode the one at Beech Bend a couple years ago), but doesn't add much and would get old fast. In my opinion Coney could use some more "classic" flats like some of the ones at Coney Island. Sent from my Samsung Galaxy S3 using Tapatalk 4

Any of the classic flats in Coney. They may not be as big or as exciting as other rides in the park, but I still love riding them. Sent from my SPH-L710 using Tapatalk 4

You are still disappointed that you didn't get to ride everything even though you're visiting the park about once a week and have a gold pass.

I guess the park assumes a bouncing basketball is a bigger draw than an uninflated one, but it's highly irritating. One time a few years ago I saw someone hop a fence along The Beast exit ramp in order to retrieve a ball that had bounced into the grass just outside the station. I've also almost been trampled by guests running to retrieve a ball that got away from them.

My sister and I are also on Sprint, and have also experienced problems with Sprint all season. Data speeds are terrible, roaming or "1x" data for me (1X is slower than 3G - not sure what the official technical term is), random dropped connections (I'll have 3G then as soon as I try to use an app that requires a data connection, I suddenly don't have any data connection at all), etc. Even on slower days it's been bad, but as soon as you get out of the park, it's not bad at all (I didn't have any trouble checking in on Foursquare at the BP on 741 just west of I-71).

A few quick notes... 1. They are now starting to pour footers near Adventure Express. 2. I had to stop for gas on the way home, so I left through the north exit. As I was heading north on KI Drive, a semi truck from Art's Rental was heading south on KI Drive with a large forklift on the trailer. 3. To answer the question about fog machines at night - KI (probably Don, but possibly someone else in KI's marketing department) stated on Facebook that "the ride experience at night will include special effects". It's one of the comments on the initial post about Banshee.