KIfan73

So, the next time you ride Flight Deck or Stunt Tower, or dine at Juke Box Diner you can say "Thanks, Winterfest 2005!". Of course, you could do the same after riding Diamondback or Firehawk...

I have found soft drinks reaching, and sometimes surpassing, the $3 mark (the "fancy" ones) at several well-known restaurants, and they don't even have any rollercoasters!

There's no comparison...

Kings Island, Where Else?

I have to say the music they're playing in the park is bad. I mean, bad as in I wouldn't even want to hear it while at the grocery store (and it is VERY similar to what my local Kroger plays). I could see something kind of lively from the 60's-90's, but I don't get this current soundtrack at all. I'm sure that there's fans of the music they're playing, but I don't get how it's supposed to be something that amusement park guests would want to hear at all. I never really considered myself an orchestra/classical/movie theme fan, but I really miss hearing it at Kings Island.

I thought Face Off was steel... In your heart you knew somebody wood.

^Probably not. I was only in the regular park until around noon. Sounds like you experienced The Beast and the empty park after the fireworks, though, like I did. I HAVE to do that again soon!!

I got a Bud Light Lime at Lt. Dan's a few weeks ago, and it was quite possibly the coldest bottle of beer I've ever had. Mmmmm. The guy working the bar was really good, too.

For a few years now, I have wanted to visit Coney Island. Several family members and friends talk about visiting it in its heyday. Well, I just really wanted to check it out. Since I was meeting friends at KI for the day, I couldn't stay long, but since I was in the area, I stayed on 71 a bit longer, and took 275 down to Coney to check it out. I got there before the rides opened, and just kind of browsed around. It is a neat place, and I could just feel the history as I walked around. By noon, I had picked up a few souvenirs and checked out the history photos in the gift shop, and headed back to KI. However, like Terminator, I'll be back. Spend the rest of the day at KI. The highlight of my two day trip was the post-fireworks ride on The Beast. It had been 15 years since my last night ride. Just absolutely incredible. It was also really neat walking through the dark, empty park. A rare experience, for sure. A bonus was walking out to the empty parking lot! I'll never fight 10 pm Kings Island parking lot traffic again. Just stay in the park for 45 minutes or so. At this point, returned to the KI resort and conference center for the night. The next morning, spend a couple hours in the dry park (and watched the Spirit Song crowds fill the park), and finished up with a couple hours in the water park. I always forget how much fun Boomerang Bay is. The lines there were very short. Overall a great 2 day trip!! I'll let the photos do the rest of the talking:

I am impressed with the "Diamondback Pavillion" as much as I am with the ride itself. I found our group spending a lot of time there this week. With the gift shop, umbrella tables, and food stand, it's sort of become a new area of the park unto itself.

How much coasting does a coaster have to do...before you can call it a coaster?

So is The Beast.

I'm 6'4" 200 lbs, and have fit on everything at KI, even Runaway Reptar. So much has to do with your different body proportions. I'm just slightly scrunched on my shoulders on Vortex.

I like the ride through the "white water". I really think that WWC is a blast. Kind of a hidden gem, really. Not sure if anything like it will ever come to fruition again.

One of my most fun trips to KI ever was last summer following my friend's 3 year old around the park. We had a blast.

this may be one of the most entertaining trs i've ever read. seriously.

I just rode DB for the first time about a week ago. That was the only description I could come up with. You're in a very comfortable seat, and all of the sudden you're just flying. That second hill really got me. You go up so high so fast. The scale of that ride is just amazing. Compared with other rides at KI, you're just so high in the air during much of DB. Everything is just BIGGER.

Waiting in lines. I'd rather ride Zephyr, or visit Lt. Dan's porch than stand in a long line for a coaster. Having said that, there's a few that I willingly wait in (that still regularly attract) long lines for: Beast, Flight Deck, and now Diamondback.

Great TR. I also rode DB for the first time this week! Thanks for sharing.

My first ride on Vortex in '93. I didn't grow up riding coasters, and the family members I was with weren't really into them, either. That thing just looked so completely insane. I just sucked it up, and it was such a feeling of accomplishment afterward. The "mental tricks" I used to ride that day gets me through new ride experiences to this day.

WWC or Viking Fury. Any of the covered wooden ones are better than the cement/aluminum handrail/thin sunshade types.

Although my body doesn't like to take in coaster after coaster for hours on end, a new friend I made this season looks like it's going to really help out-it's a rather large snake and it lives in Rivertown.

One ride on 4-1, and the other one was further back, can't remember now...

Wanted to share a quick TR of my first trip to KI for the season today. The last time I was at KI, I was hoofing it through 6 inches of snow during the Offseason blues event! Arrived at the park at about 2 pm. Processed my Gold Pass, and I was on my way. After watching the webcams all winter, and just waiting until I finally made it to KI, I started the season off right with a fantastic ride on...Viking Fury! I think it was running trimless today. The ride ops were hilarious, too. On my way to AE, Red Racer, Beast, and then decided to go for Diamondback. After a 30 minute wait in the SRL, I was strapped in. DB is so different than anything that I've ridden before, I'm still trying to come up with a description. The best thing I can think of right now is sitting in a very comfortable chair that suddenly accelerates to 80 mph. Also got on Flight Deck, a second ride on VF, a second ride on DB (where I spotted some KIC kids!), and finally Avatar. It was a great, but kind of short (5 hours) first visit of the year. Thanks for reading!

Great pics! I haven't been to the park yet this year, and these kinds of PTRs are getting me ready!