dare-to-fly

Why stuck? I'm 6'3" and comfortably ride in whatever seat I wish. Does two inches make that much difference. I could relate on Vortex and Flight Deck about the back seat of any car. The jury is still out on which seat is better on FoF. As an afterthought, the left side of The Beast is better anyway due to the helix, so at least that's in your favor. I have noticed that rides on The Beast vary wildly depending on everything under the sun. Factors that I have noticed include but are not limited to time of day, dampness or dryness of the track, temperature of the air, and most of all...how full the train is. Throw trim strength in there, and that gives you a range of about 35-40mph depending on when you ride it. Most of those are unpredictable. So, yes, there have been many times that I have had a number of different experiences on The Beast even within the day.

Do you need some cough syrup so that you're well again in time to ride all of Cedar Point's coasters at Coastermania? (preferably trim free) ...And just like that, back on topic. We didn't stray too far.

Oh goodie. Another coaster ruined with a trim brake. I'll add that to my now extensive list. I agree with you that TLC on a wooden coaster is a major need to keep them smooth. I also agree that coasters need to be maintained well so that they are as smooth track-wise as they can be. Apparently I'm just easy to please because I expect some roughness on a wooden coaster whether it is the violent type or the rough type. I just don't care as long as it's fun, which trims take away from...ergo the trim-hater attitude. Sorry if you took that any other way, and it was not a personal slam. Rather it was a question for all to ponder.

Yikes. How did I miss that opportunity? I almost begged them to turn off the brakes on it for ERT at Coaster Craze last year, but all I got was "they're always on...we never turn them off...ever...the maintenance guys make more than you have to bribe them with...etc." Oh, fun times! I should mention the mid-course on Wild Thing while we're at it. Even with that, it's still my current #1 in steel - somehow - (second hill). There are very good odds that Diamondback will steel that with no problem, but that depends on the you-know-whats in the you-know-where. I probably just feel sorriest for High Roller because it was built without trims and therefore is not able to give the riders nearly the awesome ride that it could. I had several frequent Valleyfair! attenders that mentioned just how much airtime the ride had prior to being trimmed. A time machine would be appreciated. Anyone have one handy?

That's not altogether true. We've already discussed other coasters (in another thread) that run smoother when they run faster...Hurler. This is true on The Beast as well from the area of the train I ride in, at least as of late. Faster rides fly over the bumps rather than running into them. I've ridden The Beast enough to be qualified to say that whether anyone agrees or not. But...in the case of Mean Streak, it might be a little bumpier, but I bet it would be a whole lot more fun. One thing that I like to point out is this. If you have a ride that is rough, and trim it, what's left? A bumpy ride alone. If left untrimmed, you have a perhaps slightly bumpier ride that has a whole lot of fast and furious fun involved too. That's just my opinion, but if no one else wants to ride Mean Streak without the brakes, they can go ride another feature during that ERT session and ride Meanie when he's trimmed to a crawl during the regular day. Also, you may be forgetting about the supposed re-tracking of Mean Streak. As another point, perhaps some new trains that don't shuffle would completely change the ride experience. Some of us are hoping for that in the future too. Ultimate point: If you can't stand the bumps, get off the roller coaster. (Couldn't resist.) This is of course spoken from someone who is the ultimate enemy of trims and mid-courses. If you don't agree, that's your privelege. It probably will do you well to be as you are. It gets depressing after a while when you see so much potential ripped from coasters. ...poor High Roller

The correct response to fit here would be "YEAH!!!!!" Besides Jackson, just because you like trim brakes doesn't mean the rest of us have to. Just messing with you.

I'd say the same on any wooden coaster. On the other hand, that's freqent during the season anyway provided you go on the right days. Those fabulous wonderful days! (Frequent except of course, on SoB. I wish they'd get rid of that rule.) How about a camp-out on Diamondback! I'd love to ride it several times in a row without moving. (Yes I know this is unlikely.)

You can say that again. But...not as much time as in the station or on the ride. I'd prefer to keep it that way. The only time I stand outside the entrance is when it's closed for weather or maintenance. My personal best is 35 rides in one day. A LOT of time is correct.

Hurler is currently my #6 in wood. The design is fabulous as far as I'm concerned. I will admit, I did ride Hurler toward the beginning of the season and it was cool, but sunny. I can't believe that it would ride that much rougher in the hot sun of the summer (comparing it to the roughness of other wooden coasters during said times). Besides, does it have to be perfect? Have we really gotten that nit-picky that we can't take a few bumps on a wooden coaster? I'll blame this on the steel coasters and trim brakes...something else that Hurler doesn't have AND doesn't need.

I thought the "you pick the ERT" part was interesting. My vote is trimless rides on Mean Streak. It should have been re-tracked by then! Who's with me? ...Anyone?

Me too! Beech Bend Park had an event sort of like that, and it included the Kentucky Rumbler. The New Year's Eve event included fireworks at midnight. They dispatched the train so that it would crest the lift at midnight. That was a very memorable experience...riding the Kentucky Rumbler to start off a new year watching fireworks in the 20s. Cold, but a BLAST! For the record, it was 31 degrees when the park opened at 5. You can imagine how cold it was at midnight, and KY Rumbler was running, with passengers (including me 30 times) all night! Can't you imagine riding The Beast on New Year's Eve in the cold?

Very true. It's like not protecting a somewhat significant investment if they didn't put a roof over it. There is no roof on the ones for SoB's trains. Just pointing that out.

I'm not sure what policies Cedar Point has that would result in an improvement. I've noticed that they seem faster at Cedar Point sometimes, but other than that, they do some things there that really irritate me. I.e. taking a train off of Blue Streak to make the line longer, forcing people to go to certain rows on Millennium Force...etc. (Hopefully there will be no seat assigner for Diamondback.) Now, why does KI need a new entrance? The entrance is usually nicely maintained and, with the exception of the metal detectors, looks nice. Once you go through the line, and sometimes as you are going through it, the International Street fountain always takes my eye. I also love the Kings Island logo in front of the fountain. In my opinion, KI has one of the nicest looking entrances of amusement parks I've seen. Maybe I've just been to the wrong ones. As to the topic of what would I change? The location of the carousel is the answer. Where it is currently located, it hardly receives any riders. While it is in a pretty location that fits the beauty of the carousel, it is off the beaten path. My solution is to take out the basketball game, Coke Oasis, ladder game, and simulator to clear out the area next to The Racer. The latter two I don't remember the last time I saw them open. Then insert the carousel, as well as the gazebo that encloses it, into that area between The Racer and Adventure Express's exit. In my mind, it fits the area very well and would add to the nostalgia of the area around The Racer and the beginning of Coney Mall. That would leave the carousel area and the former Paramount Story area open for complete re-development. Now for a non-realistic change, I would put a wooden twister from Gravity Group or GCI in the Carousel/Paramount Story area and the grassy area behind Backlot Stunt Coaster. You would then be able to walk under the coaster by using the pathway where the worksite has been during Halloween Haunt.

Mine came through too! I'm always the one looking around at the view on lift hills (including looking behind me watching the train go up, and looking straight down), and not paying attention to how close the train is to the drop.. like "Wow, look, you can see ______ .. aaaAAAAAAAHH!!!" Ever been to Holiday World? If they see you doing that there, they come on the microphone and tell you to face forward. We heard it a couple times at Holiwood Nights last year, along with seeing a Raven train stopped on the lift instructing someone that glasses must be worn on your face. I hope they never get as strict at Kings Island about loose articles, etc. They're strict enough.

Good luck! Sorry!

Unless it leaves a bruise, what would be too hard?

As long as my legs hit the lap bar at the tops of the hills, I'm happy!

Leap the Dips is great just for historical reasons, but the real gem of the park is the Skyliner. Ride from the back seat. There is just a buzz bar with no seat belt, and the airtime on the first drop is wicked...not to mention the following two or three hills.

In that case, you are correct. It is included in the pay-one-price admission. That didn't mean longer lines when I was there, though. It was a walk-on the entire time I was there, as was the Skyliner.

Trim brakes? On The Beast? There are no trim brakes on The Beast. At least that's what Gordon Bombay and Captain Nemo seem to claim. Those four sets of them are just your imagination at work. Pfffff! Yeah. It didn't work with me either! The same thing happened to me on Vortex with a cell phone in early May of this past year. Well...at least it was found on Vortex. I can't say where. Kings Island was nice enough to call one of my contacts so that it would be returned to me! Which means if you have the same attitude as me, the tops of all hills MUST be at least slightly less than 9.8.

It was operating when I was there in 07. I must admit I spent most of my time in the backseat of the Skyliner, where the air is still experienced the way it's supposed to be.

Don't scare me like that! Skyliner is my #3.

Memorizing layouts is certainly easy enough for me. At opening this year, I'll be able to recognize things as small as a missing bump in the track. As for wandering, I so agree. It is fun to learn the layout of a new park. I have to admit, I don't wander very long. I'm good with maps, and I usually find where I need to go for the wooden coaster I'm looking forward to the most, and by the first 3 hours or so, I usually have a park pretty much figured out in terms of where things are. Even the parks with weird layouts...i.e.SFKK.

The Beast is certainly my preference for ERT, and not to mention it would be convenient most likely (due to the location). Upon reading this thread, I did realize something that no one seems to have pointed out, so allow me. While I agree and believe that morning ERT on Diamondback was announced along with SPPN, ERT on another ride was not. Unless I'm forgetting something major, that is an extra add-on. The traditional Beast Walkback brought you to the entrance in time for the first ride of the day, but that was usually at or close to opening. This way if/when (hopefully most of the time) The Beast is up for ERT, that means quite a bit of extra rides before the general public makes its way to the back of the park. For those that enjoyed The Beast Walkback, that's quite a bit of extra rides. If you throw in Diamondback on top of that, you have a great morning line-up to get you ready for a day of fun at the island. Now doesn't that make it sound better? Those who were planning to attend are going to be disappointed, yes. I am too. I'm disappointed just because I was looking forward to an extra day without having to wait in as long of lines. Let's look on the bright side here too. According to the operating calendar, there is a public operating day the following Friday from 5-10. Join me in line on that day, as it should be somewhat similar. (Please don't let them take that one away!) Not to mention, the calendar shows even more days that KI is open this year as compared to the previous ones. Overall, I'm still happy so far! Join me, it'll be a more fun adventure if you start out happy!

That remains to be seen... ...don't count your rattlesnakes before they're hatched! Spoken as someone partial to wood and who couldn't resist.