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Ryan your link to vote for KICentral takes us to a thank-you for voting page.

I am so happy to hear it was sold intact with plans to reopen, with that price hopefully the new owner can make a serious go at it. This is is a good day for amusement park enthusiasts.

We used to come to Kings Island on sunny or rainy days because we knew it would clear up and if it was a light rain or it did not lightning. Since Cedar Fair took over and changed the weather and operating ride procedures, we do not make that 1:45 minute ride over to take the chance anymore. I agree with safety and wonder how we lived to tell about riding in the weather stories. I think of it as being behind a very old person who sits to long at an intersection for my liking; I remind my self would I rather them push themselves into traffic that they are uncomfortable with or would I rather both of us and the oncoming traffic all get to where we are going by waiting on that person just a bit longer.

I can not wait to see the end result with the landscaping around Diamondback and would love to know who is doing it. Thanks RailRider and IChase, "expertise" no just one of those projects you always wanted to do, then got into it and learned as I went along (mistakes and all). The larger pond in the back was a preform that started the whole thing and was given to me. I will never do that again (preform) to much of a hassle the flex liners are much better in all areas (lasting and installing). I added on to the waterfall last spring, it runs down the 25 foot stream and right now empties into a small pond, which hopefully will be turned into a much larger pond this year or next.. To get from the patio gazebo to the hot tub enclosure there are steeping stones and hopefully a rock bridge by this summer. If you like bird watching, I highly suggest a stream, we often take the laptops out and enjoy the sights and sounds. It is one of those things that we make harder than it is, the reward is so great that I have often question myself why it took me so long to do it. Anyways I am giving you a link to an album of mine that shows three sections the first one is just a pond tour we took last year and the second is the class I took at Cool Ponds last year too. The third section is of Cricket Ridge (my pond) and has more pictures and videos in it. http://albums.phanfare.com/isolated/p6wnIBRr/1009485/2118361

In my opinion, from the size of the splash down area I don't see the splash from the trains spraying really high or out but rather a nice controlled picturesque splash. With a train coming through about every couple minutes depending on how many trains are running it probably would be enough, but during the post season and evening hours it would not hurt to have another more consistent system in place. I am only discussing as a fanboy and not someone in the know. I have built my own backyard pond complete with a 7 foot long waterfall and a 25 foot stream, then took a hands on class to learn what I did wrong and to learn some tricks of the trade. So trust me I know very little about it but feel I know enough to offer an opinion on a discussion board.

Looks like The Beast is working today! I have always wondered when The Beast came out of hibernation. Now we know how they do that.

A stream at least but given the slope of the grade there it would be wasted opportunity not have the water flowing over those rocks they are placing in. I am not taking Niagara Falls but that slope is perfect to have a/few short drops. Edited to add: Having drops in man made streams helps control water flow but smaller ones to help prevent splash out. With that slope the water would run really fast down hill and wash out potentially smaller rocks at the bottom. Plus it would require a larger GPH pump to keep a fast moving stream flowing. Verses a steady flowing water stream with a few drops to keep the water from moving too fast down hill. Plus it just looks better with drops. I don't know how it will end up but from the pictures I have seen I would be surprised if it did not have any over the rocks drops.

I am very pleased to see them putting a water fall that empties into the Splashdown area of Diamondback. I know recirculating the water helps keep down mosquitoes and the falls will help oxygenate the water to help keep the allege down. I have always liked the stream in River Town flowing under the bridge, it helped give character to the area and using it to recirculate the Splashdown area is a bonus. Mr. Licastro spoke highly of KI landscape department and many landscaping business offer water features as options in their services. Water features are fairly easy to do other than dealing with the weight of the rocks and being a bit of a back breaker (bending over a lot). I wonder if the new falls is a inside job or is being done from an outside company?

Kidding Right?

I don't think the web cam being out is too over blown either. If someone was being disrespectful about it then yeah, but I am glad there is a place for some to come to share there feelings in a respectful way. Besides if no one expressed their disappointment about the web cams then the park my think no one cares. I worry about the air traffic in the area if the lights are off at night. The web cams have become pretty popular especially the live streaming web cams at various sites. For those of you who like to watch the web cam and are wanting something to fill the void, may I suggest Orlando Attraction Magazine live web cam. http://www.attractionsmagazine.com/blog/ Hollywood Studios is opening their new attraction American Idol and have quit the line up. Also one I like is EyesonEars.com. They stream live video from Disney Resorts and on weekends live park walk around. http://www.eyesonears.com/

Allen H. From Texas has bid $100 for seats 65 through 96 and he has 2 bids at $500. Have fun Allan H

That is great news, I hope it works out this time.

In what category? It sure won't be for theme... cause I am sure both Superman and Indian Jones the ride have heard the saying "sticks and stones will break my bones but words will never harm me" I have thought about KI winning some type of award for Diamondback; Best Steel Coaster or Best New Ride. Keep in mind Universal Studios Florida is opening a new steel coaster "HollyWood Rip Ride Rocket and Sea World Orlando is opening Manta. If they base the award off of extreme thrill then Diamondback probably will get it but if they base it off of the total ride experience then I think Diamondback has some serious competition.

Standbyme – One of the best qualities about you is your honesty and the realistic way you view life in general. That quality comes out in your post, conversations and your unique perspective trip reports. If you have ever asked someone for an honest opinion, you know most find it hard to express their negative opinion in fear of hurting your feelings, that then leaves little room for constructive criticism so that we may improve. If anyone wants an honest opinion trust me J.D. will give that to you in a very respectable way, keep it up J.D. that quality has been disappearing in a political correct world. I had forgotten about that answering machine call thanks for the laugh, your sigh on the other end was worth it though. I am glad you asked for a ride otherwise the trip over and back would have been a bit boring and besides I truly enjoyed our conversations and as you said there were no quite stretches. Often members complain after an event that they did not get to visit with other members longer, I am glad we had that time to get to know each other better and to share out thoughts about KI, KICentral, KIExtreme, Disney and oh yeah the “real world”. I enjoyed your report and surprised to see it posted so soon after your trip. You took good pictures and I enjoyed seeing so many members in yours. I hope your trip south went well and would be interested in seeing a honest report about that, I think, LOL. BTW feel free to ask for a ride anytime, your friend Jesse

Correct it is an Elephant Ear and to be honest I can not believe there is someone who has never eaten one or even knows what it is. For the record it is a thin piece of dough that is deep fried then brushed with butter and sprinkled with cinnamon sugar. You can find them at the shop called “Worlds Greatest Funnel Cake” #42 on last years map. It is located next to the White Water Canyon entrance and has covered seating to the side. The picture below shows the menu from last years opening day, and all,the items and prices they offered at that time.

Few years back my a@@. I think you meant to say way back on my 21st B-Day. Hope we see the trains soon.

Good Luck XGator. I had entered to win the Disney trip too, as Disney has several things going to ramp up there reservation. A new Disney contest entry that was e-mailed to me last night offers 3 vacations over three years. So if you want to see the details and enter that one just follow the link below. http://family.go.com/sweeps/family-vacatio...FOB_DVCSweeps09 Disney today expanded their pay for 4 and get 3 free promotion to August 15 ( which usually mean check in by 8/15) I have received two offers from Disney by e-mail last week to give me free dinning if we check in between August 16 and October 1. We are already booked with that same deal back in September our dates are from September 26 – October 11. the e-mail is code sensitive (meaning my name has to be tied to the reservation) or I would offer it to anyone here. I think the Free dinning is the best deal for Value and Moderate resorts and you can pick the length of stay from 3-14 nights. The 4/3 deal is a 7 day deal. I truly think the free dinning promotion will be available to everyone in late March or early April (I'll let you know) the only difference is they usually shorten the offer by one week on both ends. Example August 23 – September 24 If anyone is thinking about going to Orlando and can afford it this year with the economy, this year looks to be the best as far as doing it on the cheep. Airfare, resorts and gate tickets are being offered at some of the lowest prices we have seen in a long time.

I love the old Wurlitzer music. BTW another great thing about opening weekend at Kings Island is; the taste of the first bite of an Elephant Ear! Better yet seeing the reaction of your children getting that first bite.

One of the great things about going to Kings Island on opening weekend and is often overlooked by many, which is too bad because it only come around once a year. The Tulips around the Royal Fountain.

With the new design of The Beast putting the Paw prints out is almost a given oh matter what. If they were to do something special for The Beast it would be nice to see the water feature come back in some way as you are heading up into The Beast line. But seeing the priority of theming lately and lack of theming for Diamondback I don't think this will happen. A new show is what I hope for such as the clown band, they add so much atmosphere. The Nickelodeon parade would be nice but I think we would have heard something by know. The International restaurant would be great and with them adding new carpet who knows. I think that place would be a wonderful place to get a danish and coffee in the morning or evening.

Coasters they where advertising on the Superbowl to enter. it also includes both parks Universal and IOA. Terpy started a thread about the promotion here, http://www.KICentral.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=16208 here is the letter I received this morning at

I guess I will be seeing you there too! We had no plans to go to Universal this year during our fall trip but free tickets, yeah we'll be there and will spend some of our vacation money while there to show our appreciation.

Where do we start, I guess the obvious would thank Gabe for the great pictures and all the effort and cost that is incurred to so that we may enjoy them. I always love seeing SOB from behind and wish SOB was turned around so those up in the tower could get a wonderful view. Next to answer someones questions about when the pictures were taken, all I can say is I can see my van and where I parked it. Which brings me to my next question............ Thanks for the pictures again you are an asset to KIC

Honestly – I don't think it is that bad. Sure it is below expectations but keep in mind they are still turning a profit while others are not. The biggest problem is in the DVD sales which Igar thinks may be a long term problem and that they should not just blame the economy for weaker sales. The other big problem is the Ad sales at ESPN and ABC plus a charge loss from a bankrupt customer. They had some positives such as their parks and even increases in their resort reservations over 2007. They plan to extend their resort promotion till mid August because of it's success. All in all Disney is a large conglomerate and is able to keep things a float while other division are suffering and they are able to adjust across the board to keep themselves able to turn a profit as a whole..

Oh, I thought teachers have a license to teach and seniority then usually backed by a union. So they all must be excellent right? To back up what you are saying CedarPointer my daughter goes to what is nicknamed as a year round school. In actuality the go the exactly the same number of days as the traditional school schedule, except they just distribute the days/weeks off more throughout the year. The test scores have sored since they adopted that schedule 4 years ago. I am not advocating one way over another, but I feel a one size fits all approach is doomed from the start