gigacoaster2k

I got off Diamondback yesterday to see Danielle (keiko_coaster) at the exit, almost in tears. Apparently the ride op took one look at her and told her she couldn't ride. I rode it with her on opening day, and she did fit. I'm a small person, but it infuriates me to see people treated this way without even asking if they rode it before or if they tried the test seat. DB was a walk on all day yesterday, so I really don't see what the problem was.

I left work a little after 3 pm, and headed straight for Kings Island. I was held up several times on the way there by congested traffic in downtown Dayton. When I finally did get there a few minutes before 4:30, I was thrilled to see that gold passholder parking wasn't even half full. Danielle (keiko_coaster) texted me and said there was hardly anyone in the park. I got to the DB entrance.. and walked all the way to the stairs! The queue was completely empty, I couldn't believe it was a walk on. I got my first ride in, and saw Danielle practically in tears at the ride's exit. She told me that the ride op took one look at her and told her she couldn't ride. I won't tell you what I think of that, but I stood and talked to Cory (Butcher) for a few minutes while I waited on Kat (violakat), her hubby Nick, and Gabe (a forum member who is more of a lurker, haha). They said they were taking a few minutes, so I rode it two more times, walk on. I found them, we got in another ride on DB, and then Ryan (BoddaH) called me and said he was coming. We waited for him, and then he rode DB with us. (By the way, on my first two rides, the trim on the hill was off. ) After that, it was off to The Beast. On the way, Kat mentioned something about needing a sixth person so Gabe would have someone to ride with. We walked past Bryan (CedarPointGuyfromCincy) sitting on a bench, and I told him to come ride with us. We all hit Beast, which was amazing as always.. I LOVE that helix. There were maybe 5 people in the station when we got there. We hit Crypt after that, and I will tell you, you get a stellar view of Diamondback's riders roaring toward you coming down the first drop. I hadn't ridden Crypt since it was Tomb Raider, and that was years ago when it first came out and had a 2 hour wait. We waved at Ronny (Gordon Bombay), who was working. I had forgotten what a cool ride that is. It was also a walk on. We hit Backlot Stunt Coaster on our way to Flight of Fear. There was actually a wait for BLSC. Somewhere around here, we lost Bryan. Gabe, Kat and Nick chose to ride rear seat on FOF, but Ryan and I agreed that front seat is the best and waited for that seat. They had some of the lights on, and the lights were on in the tunnel, I don't know what was up with that. I like it better when it's pitch black. Either way, I love Flight of Fear. We started heading for Racer, and Kat and Gabe split off to ride Monster. Since Nick and I don't do spinning rides, Nick, Ryan and I grabbed a table by Subway and chilled out for a little bit. Kat and Gabe came back, and we hit the red Racer since the blue side wasn't working. I personally prefer the red side anyway. Kat, Gabe and Nick chose to ride toward the front, and Ryan and I split from the group and rode the very back seat. That was pretty cool, getting yanked over those hills. Afterward, Ryan and Nick weren't feeling too well, so they hit the first aid station for a little while to try and feel better so they could keep riding with us. Kat, Gabe and I headed for Action Zone and decided on the almighty Drop Tower, total walk on. The queue was deserted. Gabe decided at the very last second that he wasn't riding, so we made crying noises and chicken noises, and were calling him all kinds of names and shouting stupid blind threats. The ride supervisor was cracking up. We managed to get the seat where you can see Skyflyer disappearing below you. That always freaks me out a little bit, but the adrenaline rush is well worth it. I wanted to ride Delirium, which was also a walk on, so I dragged Kat and Gabe with me. It's a good ride, but I still prefer maXair over it. We met back up with Nick and Ryan, who were feeling better, and we all headed for a night ride on Beast. Afterward, it was off to the almighty Diamondback! It's night ride time! Ryan and I were lucky enough to get the extreme rear seat.. I was ecstatic. The ride in that seat was so intense that somewhere around the seventh hill, I felt something and noticed that my snap pocket was unbuttoned and my phone was halfway out! I managed to re-secure it just as we hit the helix. I was astounded that the forces were THAT strong. By the way, yes, you WILL get wet in that seat, it doesn't matter what you do. I could care less though.. I'm madly in love with Diamondback. After that, Ryan had to leave, so Gabe and I headed for one last night ride on Diamondback. The fireworks started as we were in the station, and the grand finale exploded in the sky and reflected off the track as we flew through the hammerhead. That was wild. We met John (jrstacy98) on the way out, and invited him, his brother and his kids out to eat with us, but his kids were tired and wanted to go back to the hotel (they came from Toledo). Kat, Nick, Gabe and I left the park, and destroyed quite a bit of food at Steak n Shake. I had a GREAT time. I am seriously so glad I joined this website and met so many awesome people. I love walking with a group of people knowing that they share the same love for the park as I do. I went by myself so many times last year, and it got a little depressing after a while. My total ride count: Diamondback - 7 Beast - 2 FOF - 1 Crypt - 1 Drop Tower - 1 Racer - 1 BLSC - 1 Delirium - 1 15 rides in 5.5 hours.. not bad if I do say so myself.

Oh, it's UNBELIEVABLE. Angie, who managed to get in TWO night rides on opening day, including last train of the night

It's hard telling if this will be implemented or not. I do realize the task of editing a website, as I had experience with that in college. However, I won't be disappointed or offended if the idea is rejected. I will just continue to put the dates I intend to visit parks in my signature, and send out my own little "broadtext" to the massive number of KIC people I have in my cell phone. There are random days when I wake up before the robins on my day off (which is quite early), and think to myself.. I want to go to KI or CP. So I'll pack a bag, jump in the car, and be gone the rest of the day. When I do that this year, I will edit my sig as needed before I go running out of the house.

WOW. That is an outstanding photo right there.

Last year I saw one at CP that said "My favorite position is upside down."

It takes someone special to make me shy. Other than that, I'll come right out and say it!

Anyone who was there with me on opening day KNOWS I'm all about organizing a group so we can ride together! Bring it on!

I am bumping this thread to give mention to the merchandise in the DB Trading Post gift shop, and whoever did the sizes for the first rider tees. I am very happy. In the DB gift shop, I noticed junior's DB shirts in my size. I didn't buy one on opening day, but I will definitely be buying at least one. And when I requested a size small for my first rider tee, it was a perfect fit. It wasn't a huge mens size small, it was a womens size small. I was ecstatic that I could proudly wear a first rider shirt that fit me. Thank you, Kings Island.

I love the hat, that looks really cute on you! Your enthusiasm seems to be about the same as mine, which makes me even sadder that I didn't meet up with you to ride anything. Those Scooby shirts are hilarious.. which store did you find them in again? I might get one for my brother. AMAZING pics of Diamond, by the way.

It's all right, I have a lot of people ask me to repeat myself. Much of my heritage is Hungarian/Romanian, so I can be a bit hard to understand sometimes. As far as coaster stamina.. bring it!

That absolutely drives me insane. I work at Speedway and we have 7 large trash cans, 2 HUGE dumpsters, and 2 ashtray/trash cans outside. What do people do? They throw trash all over the ground, and empty their ash trays in the parking lot! My number 1 peeve is when people throw trash AT a trash can, watch it bounce off the trash can, and keep walking. It's enough to make me want to choke them. I've actually reached over, grabbed the trash, thrown it in the can, and said to them, "The trash can is RIGHT THERE." I will completely clean the lot, go back the next day and it's trashed again.

We all do. Cory rocks! That he does.. our group owes you a huge thank you!

Yep. He's like 900 feet tall.

While in line for Maverick at CP, I looked on the wood by the stairs to see someone had taken the time to arrange their stretched-out gum so that it read F*** U. I was slightly amused, but still horrified.

That's great! I love it!

The videos weren't embedded before. I only had them linked because the YouTube embed code didn't work, it only showed up as text. There is a special BB code process to embed YouTube videos, Kat called and helped me out.

Videos are now embedded.

I knew it was over for MF being my #1 after I got fantastic ejector air over and over on my first ride. I rode it 6 times.. 4 day rides and 2 night rides. It's officially my number one.

1. Diamondback - the most insane airtime on any coaster I've been on to date. Smooth, fun, and extremely enjoyable. The splashdown leaves me speechless.. I could watch it all day. B&M perfection. 2. Millennium Force - AMAZING first drop. Incredible nonstop speed, it just smokes at 93 mph, smooth as glass, no trims, and you can see Canada from the top. Intamin perfection. 3. Maverick - TWO launches, not just one. Lots of fun elements. One of the few coasters I actually laugh on because I'm having so much fun. 4. Beast - Do I really need an explanation? 5. Magnum - It's just too much fun not to ride. I love the signature sound of the lift chain, the view, the drop in the last tunnel, and the fact that you can get trimless rides in the early morning.