faeriewench

Kings Island 5-19-2013 (Brady Bunch day) This will be an extremely short TR since the Brady Bunch thing was the only reason for going today with my mom and brother. Plus I am kind of in a hurry, lol. Since it was quite apparent nearly everyone wanted to see the Brady Bunch, we mainly hung around KI Theater for about 2 1/2 hours for the 5pm showing. My brother decided to go off and do some coaster riding while me and mom stuck together for the most part. My mom was one of those moms who always picked "Peter" as her favorite when they were kids, so obviously she was looking forward to seeing him. I'll be honest...I don't think I haven't gotten reacquainted with Ohio humidity YUCK! It was a relief to be inside the Theater. I LOVED the show they did, cool seeing Barry/Greg again. They all look like they are doing well which I was glad to see. too bad I didn't get to ask the question I wanted. Oh well, lol. Yes, I did take pics...of course I did. When do I not? IMG_1978 by ki_faerie_wench, on Flickr IMG_2000 by ki_faerie_wench, on Flickr IMG_2014 by ki_faerie_wench, on Flickr IMG_2016 by ki_faerie_wench, on Flickr IMG_2041 by ki_faerie_wench, on Flickr My ride count for the day? One ride on Flight Deck. HECK YES! How cool am I? Anyway I got a feeling this my last major post till I get back from Vegas.

So I was looking for something else and it brought me all the way back here... the bold are the removed rides....Gas was $2.57? Wow I thought I still had some time to go before I got to pull this out.... Like PKIDelirium I remember a time of even lower gas prices quite vividly. I can just imagine what grandpa be saying now about current prices...come to think of it I rather not. Never mind. I feel old.

It actually is kind of weird to me saying its almost time to get ready for my next adventure...

As far back as 2003...

Back to the topic on "if" Firehawk opens on time. (cause it does happen from time to time) If you do decide on FOF/Firehawk as the first ones and you find Firehawk isn't ready yet, but FOF is open, then do FOF for the first ride. Cause you probably be lucky to find Firehawk is just opening up when you are done with FOF. Just speaking from my personal experiences. Hope you have a good visit!

Since it being your first time ever at KI, I back up those who mentioned Firehawk and FOF for first rides. Firehawk (if it opens on time) line can get ridiculous fairly quickly and its a real slow moving line to boot. For food, I seldom ever eat at the park, but when I do, its generally Skyline on International Street or Graeters which is also on International Street (hey, they actually make decent shakes). I recommend Skyline honestly.

Of all the years I worked at the park and then going as guest, I honestly can't think of anything that was embarrassing for me at Ki o_o I have a couple moments from CP though but this thread is about KI so

Thanks Tb!!! IMG_5247 by ki_faerie_wench, on Flickr Well had 4 spectacular days at SeaWorld, despite the rain the first couple days. Shockingly? I managed roughly around 5,000+ pictures, and as one of my LA friends put it "for you when it comes to SeaWorld that's not enough" Gee thanks, dude. The first day we pulled up to a quiet and extremely rainy SeaWorld. The rain did make seeing the animals more interesting as the dolphins and orcas love it when it rains anyway... they were all playing in the rain. During one of the morning breaks from rain I got my first ride on the Manta and oh my goodness I loved it! It started out kind of meh, but after the second launch is where it actually got me, and there were some great moments of airtime too which I loved. By afternoon it started to clear to partly cloudy and warmed up considerably, and I remembered my biggest gripe with SWC, and that's lack of shade. This was also the only day I did Wild Arctic, not a fan of the ride itself, the belugas at the exit I always find more interesting, and from a photographer standpoint I like the SWC exhibit better cause its has better lighting than the Orlando park. On the other hand though....belugas naturally love dark arctic waters so the exhibit at Orlando in that aspect is best, but its such a pain in the arse to get any decent shots at This was also my first time seeing the "baby" luga named Pearl and she was stinkin' cute. XD The One Ocean show was really good, kind of sucks though the SWC show is a couple minutes shorter than SWT and SWF, it was good to see Shouka again too (have not seen Shouka since she was living at SFWoA) and she looks great. I do like the Blue Horizons show better here than Orlando's, much more improvement, albeit SWF had theirs for about 5 years longer but I still prefer the San Diego's show. Was kind of bummed they didn't bring out Argo (the male Pilot recently transferred from Kamagowa SeaWorld Japan) in the show, been dying to see him in person, thankfully they brought him out after the show for a couple behaviors while patrons exited the stadium! Pilot whales are among my favorite cetaceans. The second day wasn't as rainy as it only drizzled and lasted bout an hour after park opening. By noon I was even getting bit of a sunburn...I had a reservation with Dine with Shamu on this day so 1pm was at that. last time I got to partake in a DWS was 2009 at Orlando so this was my first time at San Diego. I actually do love SW's food in some ways better than KI's o_o I had totally forgotten there was a Skyride at this park! Before Manta was built that was kind of real dead area of the park so I never usually ventured there too much, and is it just me or are there fewer of these rides now? Didn't go on it that day, but I took some pics of it. One Ocean show was better because Kasatka and her new 3 month old baby got to participate in it! I hadn't seen a killer whale calf that young in well over a decade which made it so neat watching him mimic momma, big brother, and sister. Before leaving the park for the day I caught a showing at the Sealion and Otter Stadium, and those guys never cease to amaze me, was dying of laughter. I always loved seeing the Clyde & Seamore Shows at the Ohio park growing up, California sea lions are really smart animals. SeaWorld seems like they are trying to make Oppa Gangnam Style popular again with that show... *facepalm* The third day I got my rides in at Skytower (made me miss Space Spiral), Skyride, final ride on Manta and the Journey to Atlantis. I have mixed emotions for JTA, kind of prefer Orlando's personally. I loved the view of the marina's from Skyride, having grown up in the Lake Erie region, so we spent a lot of time around the lake itself and the boats, I was loving the view entirely. The One Ocean show was interesting. Looks like they installed news gates at the Shamu facility so the trainers no longer need to open the gates by hand anymore, it appears the gates had gone wacky considering while they were setting up the shows with orcas they were using for it. At one point after sending mom, calf, Orkid and Kalia to the back the gate reopened and every orca at the park zoomed into the show pool minus Corky. It looked like a party there for a moment. The gates reopened, everyone went back...the gate opened again, the baby went into the show pool alone and the gate closed right behind him! Didn't take long for miss Kasatka and Kalia (calf's big sister) to notice he was missing so both girls sat at the gate screeching and vocalizing. After a couple minutes they started to get really PO'ed and Kalia began to ram into the gates which created a loud rattling noise that echoed in the stadium. They finally got the gate to open and the calf returned to them. Kasatka is one female that is not accustomed to being away from any of her kids for a lengthy period of time so you could see the semi angry and worried looks on the trainers faces. The entire stadium was filled with "aawwwwww"'s over the calf swimming and leaping about at the gate by himself and then it became loud gasps when Kalia smacked the gates.The show was primarily carried by the bulls when the family got reunited so it was nifty seeing giant bulls doing this show xp After One Ocean we went to Pets Rule, and out of all the shows in the park, I think this one delivers one of the best messages. It always upsets me how people dump kitties and doggies off at shelters once they outgrown the kitten/puppy stages, in other words....no longer are cute. All the animals featured at Pets Rule were basically victims of that as they are all shelter animals. The story attached to Kelsey (one of the kitties) was a rather touching one, she been calling the San Diego park home for the last 6 years and they brought her out to be petted by patrons after the show. I saw a happy kitty there, with little to no assistance from her trainer allowing all them hands to stroke her and loving every minute of it. That's one very tolerant cat. A side note...I got a nifty sunburn on my face, shoulders and arms from the trip Anyway....that's what I remember more clearly, LOL. Here are some pics: IMG_6427 by ki_faerie_wench, on Flickr IMG_7901 by ki_faerie_wench, on Flickr IMG_9084 by ki_faerie_wench, on Flickr IMG_0722 by ki_faerie_wench, on Flickr IMG_0589 by ki_faerie_wench, on Flickr Shouka by ki_faerie_wench, on Flickr Calf by ki_faerie_wench, on Flickr Angry mom and sister, see Kalia up against the gate Kasatka and Kalia by ki_faerie_wench, on Flickr

Belmont Park Didn't get to spend as much time as I would have liked with this one due to it being a downpour of rain the entire time :/ But I did get the ride Giant Dipper though! Not as bad as I was expecting, certainly find its lift hill quite unique to listen to...kind of like how SOB was but not as painful to the ears, lol. Anyway, for those who probably never heard of this park, its a seaside park with only a classic woodie and several flat rides and its not far from SeaWorld. Had the weather been nicer I would have stuck around longer honestly. IMG_5536 by ki_faerie_wench, on Flickr IMG_5541 by ki_faerie_wench, on Flickr IMG_5542 by ki_faerie_wench, on Flickr IMG_5567 by ki_faerie_wench, on Flickr Now to bed and to work on the SeaWorld TR when I wake up (which I'm expecting to be a long one)

One of my British contacts has just told me the back two rows on the Swarm been turned around so you can pretty much have a chance to ride it backwards and forwards, and there are pics of that. Pretty epic looking. Anyone know when that change was made? I just imagined Gatekeeper like that (Though I'll just keep dreaming there).

^ Knott's did do something like that for awhile (see Grudge and Quarantine). And personally, I'm glad the movie mazes were done away with, leave that with Universal.

Oh ok, didn't know that about CW, perhaps that's something KI should do with all the complaining about Sunday following opening day

Nothing wrong with that Shoot Knott's already begun hiring for Haunt build so now I have some halloween-ish thoughts going through my head at times currently. Great seeing you too!

Man, that's all the more reason to check hours. Sort of living in KI's vicinity, its easier to know the parks seasonal habits, (opening weekend, P&G weekend and such) coming from out of area should double check. I checked SWC's hours, this time of year its shorter days. I always check Knott's even though I usually have a good idea on what's up there when it comes to operating hours but still never hurts to check.

Mean testing? I thought CW doesn't even open till May... ._.

It was great seeing you too! Btw....thanks everyone for the weight loss compliments

Kings Island opening day IMG_5164 by ki_faerie_wench, on Flickr My younger brother and his friend (they were part of the KIC group) were in the walkathon so we, as well as my dad, got there pretty early. While my bro was away doing the walk, me and my dad stayed back and watched the park wake up, I used to always love opening day at CP and yesterday felt that same excitement after months of staring at the empty parking lot. Personally, I kind of wished I took part in the walk but then I started to see some of the first participants out with all the wild coloring...my first thought was "looks like a rainbow light brite", with that in mind I don't think it would have been wise to go into work later with pinkish red hair. Looks like everyone had a good time though! The park got crowded real fast at opening, Diamondback's line was even stretched around one of food stands in Planet Snoopy (I forget the name of the one on the opposite side of the walkway from the restrooms). My only rides the entire day were Dback, Adventure Express and Flight Deck while the rest of my time was spent strolling the park. My dad got to ride Adventure Express, it was his first coaster ride since 2002 and that last time was Millennium Force. For those who didn't know, I did go to midday KIC meetup at Tower Drinks, with my scattered mind I actually was there for about 45 mins before everyone got there (I knew would have forgotten about it so better early than not at all...). Even had to txt malem earlier in the morning to find out again what time to be there >_> It was great seeing those I had not seen in awhile! It was also really great finally meeting a few others, and to those and as well as the ones who came up to me to introduce themselves, it was a pleasure. Hope to see you all again some point during the season. After the meet up I caught the Peanuts party, noticed now we got a Woodstock costume character (I'm assuming he's new this year?) By 3:30 I was gone as I had to be at work, but it was a great opening day IMO at KI despite the crowds and at times hideous cloud covering. I think my only gripe about the day was it felt like (besides the absences of Sonny, Thunder Alley and the water tower) there was fewer trees around... Now the best part......some PICTURES!! IMG_5167 by ki_faerie_wench, on Flickr IMG_5187 by ki_faerie_wench, on Flickr IMG_5207 by ki_faerie_wench, on Flickr IMG_5287 by ki_faerie_wench, on Flickr ^THIS is the kind of random crap that easily grabs my attention. I love the detail in it though which is my favorite part. IMG_5255 by ki_faerie_wench, on Flickr IMG_5322 by ki_faerie_wench, on Flickr IMG_5214 by ki_faerie_wench, on Flickr IMG_5425 by ki_faerie_wench, on Flickr I'll be busy over the next day and a half with going through my pictures, so if you get bored feel free to check the album! Thanks for reading this post, I think I'll just leave this here for the moment...... hehe Kasatka2006 by ki_faerie_wench, on Flickr

Oh yes. Tillikum will do what Tillikum wants.

You are welcome! Marine mammals have always fascinated since I was kid happily visiting CP's dolphins and SWO as well. On the topic of ages of current captive orcas, Tillikum and Ulises (the mature bull at SeaWorld San Diego) are believed to be about in their thirties now, so they should be interesting to observe in the coming years as they are in that age bracket where quite a few of the bull males often go missing in the wild. Tillikum has been refusing to perform as of late, but that seems more of a spoiled brat personality on his part than old age as he decided to do a show as recently as two days ago.

What's yolo? I am being serious.

As far as I know still a 20% discount at Knott's, haven't heard anything different yet. Though the taxes bit of a pain there.

Corky is a she Besides being in the care of man for 44 years, she is also pretty much blind in one eye and no teeth (the aquarium she was at before going to SW removed her teeth). Even with the technology now nothing has been made where any surgical work can safely be done for these guys. :/ Corky is about 47 years old, Lolita was captured only a year later but believed to be even older than Corky, (because she was larger) so that's a possible 50 year old gal right there at Miami Seaquarium. I wanna buy some SW stock just so I can argue with Peta. lol... We truly don't know what a life expectancy of an orca is in the wild. There are some certain individuals that's believed to be over 60 years old, but most seem to disappear between the ages 25 to 35 and are just never seen again. Very rarely bodies wash ashore when it comes to the massive ocean which makes it hard to tell, so several months to a year goes by before they declare that an individual is presumed dead. Transient orcas are especially hard to keep track of because they are generally loners and don't travel with large groups (unlike the Resident orca populations), travel farther distances, which allows them to disappear for years at a time before a next confirmed sighting happens. Before captivity us humans were still killing the killer whales because they were going after fish we were catching, as a result they were heavily regarded as nuisances by fishermen. We know a lot about these guys thanks to captivity but still so much to learn obviously.

Is the discount really 10%? Cause I remember getting 20% discounts at Knott's last year unless that was changed.

Has it really been 15 years since Pirates demise? I remember a time where that serpent thing popped out of the treasure chest on that ride scared me

Picture 398 by ki_faerie_wench, on Flickr Yes, the baby in the pic is me. Most senior citizens I know are not interested in riding coasters (one sweet lady who is a regular at KI comes to mind as a rare exception), that's why my grandparents fell in love with CP when they did. We all go in as a family beginning of the day to ride either train or Paddlewheel Excursions or both before everyone went their separate ways for the afternoon. I know grandpa loved to get his usual beer and a sandwich while watching shows at Red Garter.