Ogrmac

Welcome! This is a great group of people, and an excellent way to pass the dreaded off-season.

That was beautiful. Fantastic post! The Beast was my first coaster, and my niece's first as well so I will always have an emotional attachment to it.

I am jumping on board for the T-shirt or button idea. I would recognize some of the members after going to the second coming, but it would be nice to be able to spot a fellow member by the shirt. If you had them, I would certainly purchase one!

Avatar, phenomenal report so far! I am enjoying it so much and anxiously awaiting your next installment. I've been to Disney once when I was 18, and the trip left me with some not so fond memories. Three of my friends and I went for 3 days, and we DROVE. The people I was with mostly complained the whole time about the lines, crowds, and walking. Nobody could agree on what we would do, so we ended up only spending one day at Magic Kingdom and one day at Universal Studios. I ruptured my eardrum putting on 3D glasses for one of the shows. (The earpiece slipped off my thumb as I was putting them on and snapped right into my ear. Totally my fault, and such a "me" thing to do. I'm accident prone.) When we arrived back in Ohio, I swore that I would never go back. However, your report has totally changed my point of view. Watching your pictures and videos has made me see that with some actual planning and the right people to attend the parks with, Disney might just be magical for me again. Thank you, and keep the report coming!

Forgive me for not knowing, but what purpose does the light curtain around the Royal Fountain serve? I thought it was to shut down the fountains in case of an idiotic stunt like that, but in the pictures the fountains are still going so I am assuming I am wrong.

Wow. Just wow. Pretty soon roller coasters are going to look like prisons with all the fencing that will no doubt be going up around them. Just glad that someone saw him in time and got him to safety.

Eleven visits for me this season. I'm hoping for one more, but I am not sure that will happen. This season I managed to get more visits in than all other seasons combined, and made many memories in the process. Makayla (who is going to sign her name on posts from now on, because even I know "Ogrmac" is a little strange )

My favorite memory of 2008 was taking my 8 year old niece on her first coaster ride ever... The Beast. When we walked into the queue, I steered her to the very back of the train because I wasn't sure if she would get sick or not. I figured that if she did, she and I would be the only ones needing hosed off, LOL. We had about a 2 train wait and as we were standing there she looked over at a train climbing the lift, looked back at me wide-eyed and said "Aunt Makayla, that's really tall." I smiled at her and said "That's kinda the point, isn't it?" (For the record, she didn't look convinced. ) When the ride was over, she climbed out and said "That was AWESOME!! I wanna do it again, but not right now." One look at the giant smile plastered across her face made the entire trip worthwile. She had been bitten by the coaster bug. I can't wait until Christmas when she opens her 2009 season pass.

I have been going through the list nodding as well. I also have a CD of Kings Island songs that I listen to in the car frequently. Here's my list... You might be a KI addict if you... Have skipped several family get-togethers including a wedding to go to KI. Think nothing of a 2 1/2 hour drive one way to get to KI. Can't sleep at night and imagine you are on one of KI's coasters instead of counting sheep. Have your 8 and 6 year old nieces exclaiming "Kings Island is the BEST place on earth!!" (I'm so proud!!) Respond with "A 2009 season pass to Kings Island" when asked what you want for Christmas, and also fully intend to give a few passes as gifts.

On FoF, just like most coasters, I find the front seat of any car to have more space in terms of leg room. The seatbelts on FoF don't go over your lap, they come from the outside and hook to a clasp on the lapbar. Vortex and Flight Deck have restraints that come over your head and a seatbelt that comes between your legs and buckles to the restraint. If you fit on Delirium and The Crypt, I wouldn't think that you would have much trouble fitting on the other coasters. I honestly can't remember what the restraints on SoB are like. When one says retractable, think like a seatbelt in a vehicle that doesn't have a shoulder belt, just a lap belt. You pull on it, and it comes out of the side of the seat, goes across your lap and hooks on the other side of you. Hope this helps!! Also, If you are unsure is you will fit on any of the rides, I believe that you can go up through the exit of the ride and ask to sit in one of the seats before you wait in line.

I'm there Friday and Saturday! I cannot wait! I haven't been down since KIC day. It's been waaaaay too long.

Sadly, there are probably 2 more openings now. Robin and I were going to go, but now she's sick and I don't know about driving 2 1/2 hours each way to spend the day by myself at the park. I only have 1 other friend that would be available to go Sunday, and she's about to go into labor, so I doubt that would be a good idea, LOL.

I emailed too, but I haven't heard anything either. I'm hoping to hear something soon!

Yes!!! Going through Nick U is some form of torture if you are just trying to get from point A to point B. I never realized how much I used that path before. I guess you really don't know what you've got till its gone!

I'm kind of nervous, but I am more excited. Being nervous won't stop me from riding though!

I am definitely in for a trip for HH as long as it's a Saturday. My work schedule and the 2 1/2 hour drive one way prohibits me from joining up any other time. Let me know!

Last month I took my 8 year old niece for her first trip to KI. She said she wanted to ride The Beast first because her cousin rode it and said it was fun. Poor kid didn't know what she was getting herself into because she had never rode a coaster before, but I obliged. She was a little gun shy for the rest of the trip, so I started explaining things to her mid-ride so she would know what to expect. For example, on AE as we were going up the hill I told her we were going to curve down the hill, not just drop straight down. On BLSC, I told her we were going to go in a tunnel and it would be really dark, but we were just going to swerve back and forth. It really seemed to help her to know what to expect. BLSC ended up being her favorite because there was no big hill. I also told her that we would only ride once and if she didn't like it, we wouldn't ride it anymore. After she saw that the rides weren't as bad as they looked she was fine. She was even willing to go a second time on The Beast by the end of the trip. Sorry to write you an entire essay on the subject... long story short, maybe if you build him up slowly and help him know what to expect, he will soon be riding the bigger coasters right beside you!

Excellent TR iChase! We didn't really get to talk, but I rode Invertigo across from you. It took me a little while to start talking to people, I'm kind of shy sometimes. Glad you had a great time! I think we all did!

Very nice pics! It sure is beautiful there, but I don't know about that lift chair...

1) Firehawk will have people running to it, be careful you don't get mowed over. Also, the ONLY items they will hold at the station are prescription glasses and flip-flops or sandals that may fall off during the ride. If you have anything else with you, you will need to get a locker for 75 cents at FOF before getting in line. Unless you have pockets that zip, I wouldn't trust wallets, cell phones, etc to stay in during the ride. Many people on here have stories of losing things on the ride. 2) Like everyone else, I feel it is worth riding only if the line is short. 3) Depends on if you prefer going up or down really fast. 4) The giant funnel slide is definately a must-ride. Hope this helps!

When I was 16 I worked in our local ice cream shop and accidentally made a banana split... and forgot the banana. The gentleman brought it back and I made him a new one, with banana. I apologized, he laughed about it and it was done. I don't understand when some people get so fired up about a simple mistake. The mistake was fixed, free of charge. What more do people want? The workers are human, just like you and I, and sometimes mistakes are made. A formal complaint seems a bit much to me.

Avatar, I enjoyed talking with you during the Diamondback construction tour. It was really nice to meet some members face to face. This is the greatest group of people around. I hope to post my trip report soon, but like you, I don't want to have the same report as everyone else, so I am going to have to think about it for a while. I am glad you enjoyed yourself, I know I sure did!

While on the subject of "Thank You", I would like to thank everyone that planned this event and made all of the special activities possible! This was perhaps my best trip to the park ever and it makes me feel very special and honored to be part of such a fantastic group of people. I had a really great day and got to put some faces with names. Thanks so much to everyone for the best trip ever!

Personally, I think they should throw a big party and have a cake made to look like The Beast by Ace of Cakes. Maybe I watch too much TV, LOL.

A hair with a split end! You can see it hanging off the headrest.