markr

Another reason you will see empty rows is when a person cannot ride because of size. Rather than calling for rider(s) to take their place, the ride operators go ahead and dispatch the train with the empty seat(s)- I am sure in the long run this moves the line a lot quicker.

Enjoyed sharing part of the day with you.

KI allows you to bring fanny packs on rides which is very efficient for securing your belongings. ( As Terpy said, not allowed at Six Flags parks which don't provide free lockers as Holiday World does. )

^I agree with you, Angie-one of the most underrated coasters.

I missed the new menu at Chuck Wagon. Love Montgomery Inn Ribs-will have to have some at Coastermania.

Because of Intimidator 305.

The only other CF parks I have been to other than KI and CP are KD (once 16 years ago ) and Dorney Park. ( Once 2 years ago. ) I remember KD being a really pretty park with nice theming, especially the old Virginia section. However it gets very hot and humid down there in August-I remember we spent a lot of time at the water park. Loved Dorney Park also especially the old flat rides like The Whip and Wild Mouse. The park is very hilly ( being in PA ) and it could get tiring walking around the park. The burgers at Dorney were out of this world and the food prices very reasonable.

Dragster is my fav.

My friends Derek, Brian, and myself decided to treat ourselves to a day trip at CP. Derek was doing the driving.( I would have to stay overnight if I was driving.) We started off with ERT on Maverick. When we got to the ride, there was a mechanical delay. Finally at 9:30AM the line started to move-we ended up waiting just about 20 minutes. Maverick just seems to get better and better everytime I ride it-those sudden, sharp turns just can't be beat. Next we hit Millenium Force. By this time ERT was over and it was about 10:20. The line was snaking out to Frontier Trail and Brian didn't want to ride because he thought it would be about a 2 hour wait. After assuring him that most likely they were just filling up the queues, we got in line-this turned out to be a good move as I was right, they were just filling up the queues. We ended up waiting just over 40 minutes. Millenium Force just cannot be beat when it comes to continuous speed. An added plus is no break runs or trims. Right now Millenium is listed as my number 3 fav behind DB and I am thinking of switching them. Although the airtime on DB can't be beat, it would be nice if there was continuous speed without the break run-of course we probably would have to sacrifice the wonderful ride capacity of DB. The drawback of Millenium is the capacity since 2 trains cannot run at the same time. Oh well, suffice it to say I love both Millenium and DB. Next we met up with a couple of friends of Brian, Ryan ( Coasterkid ) and Ryan's friend, Dustin. We rode Disaster Transport-just about a 20 minute wait. There was a slight delay because of the ride staff having to deal with someone who had a camera on the ride. Won't people ever learn? I used to think DT was a silly ride but it has grown on me over the years-love the quick, sudden turns in the dark. Next, we had lunch-we hit the fried chicken stand at the front of the park. Got a 2 piece chicken dinner ( breast, wing, a huge portion of mashed potatoes, and biscuit ) for just $6.89 plus tax. Brian and I ate there last year during Holloweekends and the food was great. This year, it didn't seem as good. At any rate it filled me up. ( Not the best thing for me- I guess its back to the tred mill to work off those pounds or before I know it I won't be able to fit in those rides. ) After lunch, when it was a little before 1PM Derek and I went off on our own while Brian went off with Dustin and Ryan. We first hit Raptor. With all the queues full it was about a 1 1/2 hour wait but always well worth it. After 16 years, Raptor is still one kick a..ride. There is nothing like the sudden change from one direction to the other, especially on the cobra roll. Next, we decided to see if Dragster, my fav, was operating. It was down ( Surprise, surprise. ) so we went to Magnum. It would only have been about a 15 minute wait but for a mechanical delay which took about an extra 10 minutes. My main complaint about Magnum over the years is how rough it tends to be on my legs on the bunny hills going back to the station. There didn't seem to be those problems on this ride. I still love the clangy sound of the lift hill as you are climbing. Some people think it sounds like Vortex but Magnum seems to have a lot more jingly sound-I definately can tell the difference. I have always loved the view of Lake Erie from Magnum and how you can feel the lake breeze on your face. Next up was Gemini. Although the sign said a 45 minute wait, we only waited about 10-15 minutes-although the line snaked out close to the entrance only 2 rows of queues were open. Gemini has always been one of my favs and, in my opinion, the Arrow coaster with the best staying power. ( At least of all Arrow coasters I have ridden. ) Best of all they were racing the trains and I got about 4 good high fives from the neighboring train. Next Derek and I checked out Mean Streak and there was a line, probably about 30 minutes-Mean Streak just isn't one of our favs so we passed. Right after we entered the line for Skyhawk, we saw Dragster running so we decided to head there. Dragster ended up being about a 1 1/2 hour wait. It would have been under an hour but for a roll-back which caused about a half hour delay. We ended up riding the second seat from the back. The back part of the train really pulls a punch when you go over that hill-it just whips you over. Also, part of the thrill of the back is not knowing if you are going to make it over. I have had 1 roll back on dragster which of course is a blast. Although another roll back would be nice, I was glad we made it over the hill as I had to go to the bathroom. Next we met up with Brian, Ryan and Dustin at Raptor. By this time it was close to 6:20pm. This time just half of the queues were open so it was just about a 40 minute wait. After we got off Raptor, by this time it was about 7PM and time to leave so Derek wouldn't be too tired driving home. Despite a busy day and many mechanical problems with the rides, a wonderful time was had by all. Hope to see many of you at Coastermania.

While we were waiting at the Marina entrance at the beginning of the day, one of the ticket attendants said that there was a scanning problem with the passes that they were trying to fix. He also said in jest not to worry, the park was open until 10p so we had the whole day. This really rubbed me the wrong way as I did not want to be cheated out of our ERT. When the time on my cel phone said 9:01AM, I walked up to the ticket takers and told them in no uncertain terms that I woke up very early to make sure I made it for ERT time and expected our full hour of ERT. They said that there would be no delays. Less than a minute later they proceeded to let us in. I can't remember if they scanned our passes in or just let us show our passes. ( Of course only got one ERT ride on Maverick because of mechanical issues. )

I was at CP yesterday but I didn't see you and Tom. Of course it was pretty crowded. I agree with you about the Tilt A Whirl: I hate it. Congrats on your Dragster rollback. ( You and Tom are tied with me with 1. )

If you want good La Rosa's pizza, go to a location outside the park ( the closest location is in the Landen area. ) The LaRosa's at KI is expensive and the portions are stingy compared to the old days when you got a big slice of pizza for your money. If you want a good value at KI I also recommend Outer Hanks-huge portions at a reasonable price. I always get water with my meal as the soft drink prices are even more outrageous.

Just a helpful suggestion to you Selective. I feel your overall trip report was positive. I think XGatorhead8904 made a good suggestion that if you have positive things to say, highlight them in the title of your post instead of just the negative. Otherwise, I really enjoy your posts.

When I first started taking my niece to KI when she was 6, before taking her on a ride I would try to show her the ride in action before taking her on the ride. If she said, "I think that's too scary for me Uncle Mark" ( she was so adorable when she said that!)I would respect her wishes. Gradually as she got bigger she started to experience the bigger rides of her own free will-now at the age of 18 she loves coasters.

No, you're not crazy-Race for Your Life Charlie Brown is indeed the old log flume. Also, I want to extend a big, hearty welcome to KI Central.

I think your child will have a wonderful time in the Planet Snoopy section. You state that you are concerned about your child being " chicken " about certain rides like you were at her age. Many people, children and adults included, have their physical and mental limitations regarding thrill rides. While I love roller coasters, my sister cannot stand them as she gets very sick when she rides them. No one should ever be ashamed of expressing these limitations and I feel it is important that we respect others limitations and not force or shame them into experiencing rides that they are absolutely terrified of. Perhaps your child will eventually enjoy thrill rides but, I implore you, do not force your child into riding anything of which she is absolutely terrified. This will almost assure that she will hate thrill rides in the future.

Yeah. Play alone and you get 2010. Play with someone you don't even get 1000. I agree. It seems like my score is a lot higher when I have a car to myself.

Such memories will always be priceless to both you and your son.

Wonderful way to honor our brave men and women in the armed forces.

Its just as well that Shoot The Rapids will open at the end of May as it tends to get kind of chilly during the early weeks at CP. I would only want to ride it on a warm day anyway.

I remember always hearing that song on The Ed Sullivan Show when that guy was doing the tricks with the plates.

Firehawk by its nature is a low capacity ride. All the more reason to be vigilent in maximizing the train capacity. I agree with Selective-6-10 empty seats is unacceptable especially on a busy weekend. The solution is simple-have more riders available on the platforms leading to the stations-then you have a ready reserve of riders needed to fill a train, ie singles, doubles, etc.

I feel that most of Selective's trip report was very upbeat( Look at how positive he was about his experiences on DB, Beast, Racer, Drop Tower, especially his praise of the ride crews.) I really enjoy your posts, Selective. Hope I get to meet up with you soon at the park.

Enjoyed reading your trip report. I think you were very much on the mark on Crypt.

Woman on seat behind me on DB today to her riding partner: " You mean we didn't go through a loop? " Of course she said her eyes were closed, so she may not have realized there were no inversions. At any rate, I thought it was cute.