silver2005

I was fortunate to have ridden Tomb Raider in its glory days and it was a spectacular ride. I had no idea what it was, and before then, I wasn't much of a flat rides person, though, Delirium was starting me down the path. I didn't care for Top Spins mainly as they made me sick just watching them (I got to see NJFTP's version in person prior). Tomb Raider kind of got me into riding high thrill flats. The theming was superb for a seasonal park's ride. I wish CF would have kept a similar program to TR:TR and went with a mine or cave theme to compliment Rivertown. I hope KI does get another Top Spin at some point.

You could also start a coaster in X-Base and send it behind Firehawk, Flight of Fear, and Adventure Express and into the old SOB area not taken up by Banshee if you're going for something of more substantial size like a giga coaster.

There is a lack of flat rides on the Rivertown side of the park. A flat package with a wild mouse on top would be great for the old WWC queue area, especially being by Planet Snoopy. EDIT: Or, if my hopes are answered, a GCI.

1 month left and still no phone call...

Well golly, you'd think there was a few major DC movies or something coming out or something to elicit this change.

Additionally, with going taller, you have to go faster. We've already reached 150 mph on a coaster, but I have to think being in an open air vehicle at high speeds gets uncomfortable at some point unless you add windshields or enclose the cars. The g forces for launching that fast over a relatively short distance would come into question as well. Any sort of bump will be magnified. Going taller also means thinner, cooler air. The average human body (thinking of GP here) can only go through so much and be comfortable.

I too think KI needs to improve food quality and service quality before adding new things. Its been pretty bad and getting worse for the last few years. As I've learned at Skyline, you can do both speed and quality- it just requires the proper training and mindset. However, once they do get their act together, I hope they add BLT's somewhere in the park. Question- do any of the stands serve wraps? If so, what kinds? Those are easy to make and would be a healthier entree option to add to the menu. Smooties would be nice as well. EDIT: Also add some more sides and salad options to the menu at the Reds HOF Grille.

Flying Eagles was where the basketball game and the entrance to Backlot is now. The original Bat just went into an unoccupied area of the park.

Unfortunately, the job I want isn't quite that easy to get. silver2005- getting impatient about that phone call.

This seems like the worst possible idea for that area. Rivertown has so much traffic as is and they're putting in this huge game which will likely spawn spectators? There has to be a better place for this if they're so intent on this, like, oh, I don't know...all that space by Backlot?

Now that I've looked at a map of that area- if they did a bit of re-routing of WWC's queue, that'd be an excellent area to expand Rivertown.

Another thing- expanding the park by Beast would be a terrible idea. Its much to hilly to accommodate paths unless they do some serious digging. KI has plenty of space elsewhere.

Here's my 2 cents on Beast. I think a lot of what has made Beast successful has been how its different than most coasters in terms of design. Wood coasters usually boil down to 2 types of layouts- out and back (like Racer) or twister (like Mean Streak). Terrain coasters, as their name suggests, utilize the natural terrain of a park lucky enough to have a few rolling hills to enhance the ride. The ground being so close kind of helps riders realize how fast they're going. With trees close by, that is enhanced further. Add in some bits of g forces, whether it'd be airtime, lateral forces, or positive g's, and your adrenal glands should be doing their thing. For me, my favorite part of Beast are those series of drops after the 2nd tunnel. My reasons is due to how it is accelerating more and more with increasing banking and drop angle while you have the natural hill dropping off with it, accentuating the acceleration and it tops it off with that hard high-g turn towards the 2nd lift. It feels like it explodes out of that tunnel. The fact that the natural hill continues to drop off to the left kind of makes it feel you're fighting against falling down it. The Beast also has location favoring it IMO. It doesn't feel like you're at an amusement park while riding it due to its secluded location. I also appreciate the fact all you can see of the layout from afar is the 2 lift hills. Kind of keeps things a mystery, which, if you all you see is a pair of 100+ ft lift hills and nothing else, there is a sense of anticipation coupled in. Those factors are probably a few reasons why the night rides are so popular. To correct you on a stat- The Beast's top speed is 64.8 mph. One of the key things to how its designed is how it is low to the ground. John Allen, who designed Racer and was in retirement and nearing his death in the late 70's while Beast was being born, was a consultant on the project with Charles Dinn, Al Collins and Jeff Gramkee doing the harder work. Allen believed in taking stress off of the larger hills on wood coasters by using lower hills to burn momentum off (notice on his works like Racer, American Eagle and Great American Scream Machine that he puts a few small hills between the larger ones). This is a reason why bigger woodies like Mean Streak and Son of Beast get rough. The hills sway a lot when handling a multi-ton train going 65+ mph, which can warp and distort the rails (I am a believer in John Allen's desire not to have traditional wooden coasters be too big, I feel 125-135 ft should be the max they should go). That movement multiplies when you go higher up. The Beast alleviates that by having all its high speed maneuvers closer to the ground, often only a few feet above the ground. Even the helix at the end is curved and arranged in a way where it kind of follows the hillside it sits on. You can't totally get rid of some of those forces, which is why you have the trims. In all honesty, the trims aren't that bad on Beast. The newer magnetic brakes do bite harder than the old skids, but I feel it gets back up to speed rather well. If they're helping to keep the ride around longer, than they're fine. I think its a superb ride despite them. Also, Cedar Fair and KI management and maintenance has done an incredible job keeping it running well from a comfort standpoint.

So they're going to add a clunky VR device on your head whilst you're in the awkward seating of a flying coaster on a fairly disorienting course (AIR spends a bit of time on the riders' back compared to other B&M flyers). VR in and of itself can cause people to get sick, and AT picks a flying coaster to test it out? Good googly moogly.

I'll do this like MDMC01 did with a top 5. 1. First ride on Top Gun- This was a big moment for me. I was timid in riding any of the rides that were at the 48" height requirement, but this one eased me into coasters. It was different that most coasters in the park for sure. You would think the suspended aspect would throw me off, but it was super quiet and smooth (probably the smoothest coaster in the park circa 1994-1995) and had no major drops or elements. I remember marathoning it around a dozen times until close. This was also back when it had the aircraft carrier theming including a makeshift radar station and smoke to simulate the launch off of a carrier, along with USN uniforms for the ride crew. 2. First voluntary ride on Vortex and Beast- this was the year after I conquered Top Gun. I had been on Beast earlier, but it scared me a whole lot. This later event was at P&G Day near close, so both of these were at night. I did Vortex first, which, it was mostly the first drop and inversions that got to me. It was exhilarating to 'survive' them the first time around. I then had the courage to try Beast again, which was equally wonderful. This along with my first trip to Cedar Point in 1999 and NJFTP in 2000 (mainly Medusa and GASM) made me the enthusiast I am today. 3. First ride on Diamondback- This was equally meaningful for what the ride meant to the park as well as me personally. Seeing Kings Island finally get a B&M coaster was a great moment. It was a kind of stepping up moment for the park getting a stellar ride from a top notch designer. In terms of my personal benefit, this was the first coaster I rode at Kings Island following my first surgery in 2008 (didn't go until 2009, though I got to Hershey in 2008). It was a very emotional thing for me personally. Its one of many reasons I show a lot of enthusiasm for Diamondback. 4. First ride on Son of Beast- I got to do this during a season pass holder night, which was pushed back due to the delays it had. This was only my 2nd 200 ft+ coaster, which, rides of that height still got to me at the time. It was also freaky knowing there was a loop on a wood coaster and it only had the lap bar (mind you, I hadn't been on a Schwarzkopf looper yet, so it was a foreign idea to me). After all the hype the park did, just seeing that mountain of wood for the first time was awesome, and I enjoyed it that night immensely. 5. Banshee Marathon Closing Day 2014- Ah yes, the push to 2 million. I don't think I've ever been emotionally drained from a ride before, even during a marathon, but Banshee got me there that night. This was also one of my earlier meet ups with KIC, which, 2014 was a big transitioning year for me from the bad breakup I had with the previous coaster site I was a member of, and that year really solidified my staying here, especially after that particular visit.

I was just past the park earlier. The top layer of the whole lot appears to be scuffed. So I would say the whole lot will be paved. Why would they put a nice new roll up with just a short section of new blacktop. You know the 45th is next year. Sure they want to make it pretty. Sent from a signal coming out of the Vega system.

Could weather have something to do with it? Spring is kind of unpredictable in SW Ohio, especially between March and mid-April. Any of you guys who went to Banshee's media day should know that pretty well.

^It's not just local schools. Colleges and technical schools start even earlier than them, including the likes of activities like band camps (a lot of KI employees are in bands I would imagine), orientation, moving in, etc. Also, why staff longer days on ones you know will be less crowded? That 2nd week of August is usually pretty dead.

Going to be anxiously awaiting a phone call for the next 2 months.

Flight of Fear turning 20 is kind of a remarkable milestone, especially when you think of how cutting edge that ride was in 1996 (I have the Enquirer article about it, the US Navy and NASA were looking in on it) and what has come in the industry since then.

^Either that or have everyone pay cash. That's what I plan on doing when I go.

I probably won't be visiting Kings Island until later in the season when I get a 2017 Platinum Pass. That is, unless I get the band gig, but even then I don't plan to go to enjoy the park much. I am planning trips to Holiday World (hopefully for Holiwood Nights) and Kentucky Kingdom (day trip) in 2016, possibly The Beach as well.

When it gets dark outside much too early and it feels like 10 pm at 7 pm.

^^Gravity Group has added an inversion on a coaster that originally didn't have one- Hades 360. Its not that foreign of an idea. Before After

I honestly don't understand the point of Kings Island/Cedar Fair attempting that when there are very nice shopping and dining outlets already nearby in Mason/Deerfield Township along Mason Montgomery Road, and Kennwood Towne Centre isn't that far either, not to mention a booming West Chester and Liberty Township with their new Liberty Center. Sounds like a losing battle for Kings Island.