gigacoaster2k

Tom saw an empty boat stuck on the lift hill. I don't recall seeing it run yesterday.

The low attendance at KI was probably due to the fact that everyone was at Cedar Point yesterday. Tom and I went, and I got a message from one of the ride ops saying it was so insane there that they had to use employee buses to bus people back to Soak City. He wasn't kidding. We got there, and the main lot was completely full and coned off. They were directing people to the marina lot to the left. We drove around Perimeter Road to try to find a spot in Soak City, and on the way I noticed that the reserved parking by the marina was also full. We were very lucky and found a spot, but also saw that the resort lot was full as well. It was outrageous how busy it was. ..yet the lines for the coasters remained around an hour or less (maybe due to the fact that the temp there was 90+ and everyone was in Soak City). Park operations were fantastic yesterday, every ride running at full capacity. I looked at the main lot yesterday from Blue Streak, and my jaw dropped when I wasn't able to see one single parking space open in the main lot anywhere. I also looked at the main lot from Raptor at night and cursed out loud when I saw every drive in the parking lot lit up with brake lights and the causeway backed up as far as the eye could see, and the lot was STILL full. It was absolute chaos. I would have gotten photos, but Space Spiral was closed all day.

I stayed at Travelodge a few miles from the park in 2008. It was very nice, not to mention fairly cheap. I wouldn't recommend Econo Lodge. Trains woke me up every half hour, not to mention there was expired soda in the machines, dirty pop cans behind my TV, and spiders in my shower.

I may be in the minority here, but I prefer Blue Racer over Red Racer. After getting a reride on Georgia Cyclone about 3 months ago, and having ridden Voyage 50 times in 2.5 days, I can handle Blue Racer! (just please don't ever make me ride Mean Streak at CP *shudder*)

If the lines for water rides are too long, and Soak City is too crowded, I simply exit by Ocean Motion/Wicked Twister and jump in the lake (no, it's not the cleanest of water, but neither are the puke-filled water rides or the pee-filled swimming pools!).

Wait, whoa. Are you guys talking about Intimidator, or I305? Intimidator at Carowinds doesn't have as much air as DB, but Intimidator's turnaround and helix have much more force than DB's turnaround and helix. I especially liked the surprise right-turn drop after the second hill. As a result, I like Intimidator better than DB. If you're comparing I305 to DB or I305 to Intimidator.. well, that's another story. Comparing an Intamin gigacoaster to a B&M hyper isn't exactly fair, especially if you haven't ridden one or either of them yet.

Funny how when I go to Cedar Point, I see employees telling guests not to smoke when they see them smoking in non-designated areas, including midways, food areas, and ride lines. I see management, ride ops, and even sweeps enforcing this rule as of late. I go to KI and everyone is smoking all over the place without even so much as a glance from any employee. The 30th of this month marks 8 months without a cigarette for me, and the slight smell of cig smoke completely disgusts me now. I don't care to smell/inhale it anymore, and I along with many others would be appreciative if this rule was enforced rather than ignored. DISCLAIMER: I have nothing against anyone who smokes, it's your choice. Just don't be disrespectful about it.

Of course I think Magnum is painful, but the amazing ejector air more than makes up for it!

Starting from the front of the park isn't the best idea.. that's where all the GPers are. Drive to the left around Perimeter Road and park in the Soak City lot by Magnum/Gemini. This drive around the peninsula will also give you a jaw-dropping view of Millennium Force, a sweet view of Maverick, and a nice view of Mean Streak. You want to hit Maverick first. That coaster has a huge line all day. After that, head to Millennium Force and then Iron Dragon, then go to the front to Raptor. If you jog or walk quickly, this CAN BE done in ERT's 1 hour before the GP rolls in at 10 am. Maverick, Millie, and Raptor are worth the burning lungs and sore legs.. trust me! Mantis and Dragster usually have pretty long lines throughout the day. I'd save them for toward the end of the day. Disaster Transport is highly underrated. Give it a go. Wildcat is fun too. I don't ride Gemini anymore after the helix re-aggravated a neck injury I got in a car accident several years ago. Let someone else tell you about that one.. I was in so much pain when I got off that I barely remember the ride. If you're a no holds barred thrillseeker, go to Challenge Park and ride Skyscraper (it has an upcharge). I've been on 89 coasters at 13 different parks, and countless other rides, and this thing made me cuss with fear.. those of you who know me know this is quite hard to do! Corkscrew, Cedar Creek Mine Ride, Mantis, and Mean Streak are terribly painful. Ride them in the front seat so you don't get beat up as much. Magnum is a great coaster with incredible ejector air. It's the best of a steel coaster with the roughness of a woodie.. it's the ONLY rough steel coaster I willingly ride. DO NOT sit on a wheel seat.. you will be in a lot of pain. Sit in 1:2. Blue Streak is a classic John Allen with loads of airtime. Sit in 1:3 for the best effect. On Wicked Twister, sit in row 15.. it's incredible. Make your visit worth it and do Millie or Maverick as your last ride. Night rides on these coasters are downright amazing. Oh and definitely try their frozen custard.. it makes ice cream look weak. (not that I make the 3 hour drive to CP several times a year or anything)

Holiday World, in fact, has been run by the Koch family since the park opened in 1946. Last time I was at HW, I bought the book "Images of America: Holiday World", signed by Pat Koch. It tells the story from the beginning, from Louis Koch's vision for the tiny town in Indiana in the late 1800s to today's amusement park, complete with park photos, family photos, heritage, and who played a part in the history of the park, including Pat reminiscing about her favorite (now defunct) rides back in the early days of the park. The book is $21.99 and can be found in nearly any one of HW's gift shops. It is a spectacularly presented timetable. I highly suggest that anyone with an interest in the history of the park purchase this book.. it's well worth the price.

Except for the guy who suggested adding a loop to the top of TTD.. I honestly think that would be amazing! Can you imagine hitting a loop at 120 mph?? Talk about some serious Gs!

In line for Millennium Force on Friday: Guy: "Millennium Force runs on the same system as Beast. As a result, they've been able to add more and more trains to Beast." Girl: "Well yeah, The Beast is a 6 minute ride." "This is just like Magnum." And then it got stuck on the lift. "Who would want to ride this after it gets stuck like that?" (girl + entire family proceeds to leave the queue) "What if it gets stuck going down the drop?" "What if it gets stuck upside down?" "This ride doesn't go upside down.. does it?" "YES IT DOES! Look over there (points at first overbank)!" Guy on maXair: "I'm really high right now (laughs)" Two guys behind me in line for Magnum, looking up at Dragster: "We're going on that next." "I am NOT riding that. Shut up" "It would be even better if they added a loop at the top!" (I actually thought that would be pretty awesome myself!) "DUDE, NO! It looks bad enough! I am NOT riding that!"

My apologies for the lateness.. my 80GB hard drive crashed the day I came back from HWN and I just got my computer back. I didn't do a PTR this time around, as many of you have never been to HW before and I wanted to give other KICers a chance to post a PTR, so my camera stayed in the car all weekend. I woke up at 4 am, and planned to hit the road around 5 am, 5:15 am at the latest, so I could spend all day Friday at Holiday World before the event began. I woke up to 6 voice mails and nearly 30 texts asking me if I was still awake.. did it not occur to anyone that I wanted adequate sleep before a 250-mile drive? (My drive to Holiday World takes me on I75 from about 20 miles north of Dayton all the way down to I71 in Kentucky and then to I64 west in Indiana!) Around exit 22 on I75 south in Ohio, there were two jackknifed semi trucks on the right side of the highway, one of which had gone over the guard rail. Once I got to I71 south past Florence KY, I was still amazed at the insane speeds at which people drive. I now call it the autobahn of the eastern US. After a very long and lonely drive, I finally arrived at Holiday World around 9 am CDT. I was greeted by Pat Koch, who was at the gate saying good morning to everyone. I started my walk down to Voyage, only to be stopped by a rope hanging shortly past the Liberty Bell gift shop. I could tell it was going to be a hot day already with the way the sun was hitting me. Once the rope dropped, everyone started running! I started off in a run, but slowed down to a jog once all the runners had stopped to catch their breath. I kept up my jog all the way through the park, and was 1 of maybe 6 people to hit the queue and get on the first train of the day, which was the red Raven train! I've never been so happy that I stopped smoking.. I still can't believe I had the stamina for that ROTB! Voyage was running very rough, but I blew it off due to it being the first train of the day, and gave it another ride. The second ride was so rough that I stopped for a break and wondered how in the world I was going to survive ERT. I couldn't help but go for another ride.. I'd had enough for the moment especially since the line was getting long, and headed to Legend. On the way to Legend, I noticed that the day had gotten very hot very fast. I decided to head to Splashin Safari after I got something to eat. Legend was running a tad rough as well, but it was still a terrific ride as usual. I was getting quite hungry by this time, and stopped at Kringles Kafe for some food. I got 2 slices of pizza, 2 cookies, fries, and a drink for $6.73. I destroyed all of it but the fries as they were a tad greasy, and handed my cookies off to the kids at the table next to me. Out to the car I went to apply more sunscreen (I use the clear spray-on), and then headed back into the park for some fun and relief from the heat in Splashin' Safari. My first stop was Congo River, a lazy river. I LOVE lazy rivers. I decided then that it was time to give Wildebeest a shot. I got to the queue and it was almost completely full. I waited nearly an hour, half of it in the blazing sun, with the water coolers empty. I finally got to ride, and sat in the third seat back. I nearly lost a contact to the constant spraying of water in my face, and I got very little airtime. I was hardly impressed, and far from thrilled that I'd waited an hour for that. I hit the Bahari Wave Pool to cool off and catch some waves for a while. Then I hit Bakuli, and loved it! I have a new favorite water slide! I rode with a.. ahem.. guest of exceptional size and her friend, and it caused the raft to go nearly completely vertical around the side of the bowl! That was awesome! I hit The Wave to cool off again, then hit Congo River one more time before heading back to the coasters. I spent a total of 2.5 hours playing in the water and I was nearly dry again as I left the water park.. yes, it was THAT hot out! I headed to Legend, and had an interesting ride. There was virtually no wait, and I ran all the way to the station to see the gates in the station open! I ran through the gate and jumped into an empty seat, and here I made a mistake.. I forgot I'd had my phone in my hand the whole time. I quickly fastened it into my buttoned cargo pocket, but the ride op insisted that he had to take it from me and put it in a locker. I got back to the station to see no one waiting for my seat, so I stayed on! On this ride, we were on the brake run for quite a while. The ride op came out and explained to us that someone had gotten sick in the station and they were cleaning it up, and apologized for our wait. I rode Raven, and then headed back out to the car to apply more sunscreen. I wondered to myself why I hadn't picked up my HWN packet yet, and headed back to the gate to get my stuff. Inside my envelope was a name tag which I immediately put on, a detailed schedule for Friday and Saturday, a flyer for Fall Affair, a ton of coupons to use at HW.. and a FREE admission ticket (which I gave to Tom for his birthday!) since the Timberliners weren't ready! Back out to the car I went to get rid of the materials I didn't need for the event (by this time, I think the hand stamp lady and I were BFFs LOL), and headed back into the park for a few more rides before the events began that night. I got 3 rides on Voyage and saw my friend Andy that works at HW! Then I got in 1 ride on Legend. As I was getting ready to ride Raven, Nick (DropZone99) texted me and said he and Jared (rotag), Ryan (CoasterKid), and Nick's cousin Mitch were outside the entrance waiting on Adam (pkiboy) so they could get in to the park. I rode Raven, and then it dawned on me how long they had been out there in the heat with nothing to drink. I grabbed four cups of ice water and carried them all the way out to the picnic area by Raven's turnaround, and surprised them. They were more than glad to have something to drink! I completely lost count of how many KICers and friends from other coaster websites that rolled in for the event. I was especially excited to see a big group of my friends from Detroit that I hadn't seen since last summer! There is absolutely no way I'm going to remember everyone I rode with.. just a warning haha.. but if you remember anything about Friday that I didn't, feel free to post it! ERT started a little after 7 pm, and I hit Voyage first, of course! Then I got 2 rides in a row on Legend without leaving my seat, 2 rides on Raven, and one more ride on Legend before I headed back to Voyage for the night.. and rode Voyage 12 more times before ERT ended.. AND I STILL WANTED MORE! Kat (violakat03), Nick (dare to fly), and I were all staying at Andy's house (the ride op I saw on Voyage). We all had to run to Walmart to get some things before crashing at his place for the night, and I was so tired even just driving back to Andy's that I was glad to have Kat's car to follow or I never would have made it. I rode with Kat and Nick to Walmart (Kat took one look at me and suggested I ride with them.. yes, I was THAT exhausted.. I love her for the way she takes care of me), and promptly passed out in their back seat. After our road trip to Walmart, it was back to Andy's we went, and as excited as I was for the next day, I was out before my head hit the pillow. Friday ride count: Voyage - 19 Legend - 7 Raven - 4 Congo River - 2 Wildebeest - 1 Bakuli - 1 Bahari Wave Pool - 1 The Wave - 1

I didn't watch the show, because the inaccuracy of the coaster shows on TV drive me insane.. Riding Millie, Maggie, TTD, and Twister in 1 hour is a challenge?? ROFL. Apparently Maverick isn't a challenge, and neither is Skyscraper? It's no challenge when you go on a cloudy Tuesday or Sunday. I clearly remember July 5 last year when I spent 13 hours at CP and got nearly 40 rides in that day and still had time for a walk on the beach. Closing day was pretty much the same story. Go on the right day and you can walk on to everything, yes, even Maverick. I'd like to see Mr. TV Show attempt HALF of some of the things I've done.

I was online. I thought it was just a rumor. So I Googled "Kings Island new coaster 2009" and I got a link to a press release with quotes from Don Helbig. It had just been confirmed that it was indeed a B&M hyper. I screamed at the top of my lungs and was so excited that I couldn't calm down for SIX HOURS afterward!

I've been crying on and off since Monday morning. At HWN, I sat in the new Timberliners that were on display outside of Voyage's entrance and gift shop. Gary (Beast79) shoved the restraint down on me all the way and laughed. Will was standing right by the train fragment. I pouted at Will and said "Gary stapled me!" Will laughed and released my restraint, and laughed even harder when I jumped out of the seat and punched Gary. I also have a photo of Tom (Tom76257), Will, and I from HW closing day last year, which is my new Facebook profile photo. I'd share it, but I'm minus a computer at the moment. I might go to HW this Friday. I know a few people that work there.. I feel for them. I've been thinking about the Koch family nonstop. I'm still in shock from this terrible news.

In that case, ABSOLUTELY DO NOT ride MF at night in the front seat unless you have a high tolerance for bugs. I sat in row 2 last year and was picking bugs out of my hair, teeth, contact lenses, nose, off my arms and shirt, and even out of my bra.. people returning to the station in the front seats were spitting/gagging/wiping their shirts.. some even choose to wear ponchos for night rides on MF to try and avoid the bug coatings.. yes, it is that bad, and no, I'm not exaggerating..

"Warn" me all you want, I still spend money in the park.. I'm one of the few that enjoys CF park food, and you know this! gosh you're such a meanie

In my defense, my TR clearly mentions that we ate at Hurricane Hannah's. We also bought Dippin Dots. Yes, Tom and I bring food, but yes, we both still spend money on in-park food.

I've learned over time that he likes to correct me and many others. I'm over it. Tom and I clearly saw a very long red boat that said in big white capital letters, CANADA STEAMER LINES. I've also seen one from the top of MF's lift. I'll be happy to post a photo for those who don't believe me.

Millennium Force: front or 1:2 or 2:1 if you like wind in your face and great forces/a little airtime, very back if you like getting yanked through the elements Magnum: 1:2 for airtime, 6:2 for crazy forces (DO NOT sit on a wheel seat, it will HURT!!) Mantis: front, anywhere else hurts Maverick: row 1 or row 6, any seat on Mav really is worth it Blue Streak: 1:3 is the epic ejector seat Wicked Twister: row 5 on the right, row 15 on the right, you see nothing below you when shot all the way up the back spike Raptor: front for a great view, row 8 for crazy forces Dragster: very back because you feel the full-force pull of the launch and get yanked over the tophat If you're willing to pay the upcharge, Skyscraper is totally and completely worth every penny. It is hands down the only ride that has nearly made me pee my pants, and I'm a die hard thrillseeker. The CP/LE Railroad and the Giant Wheel are terrific and extremely scenic ways to take a break from power lapping or from more intense rides. maXair stomps Delirium like a bug.. ride it and see why. Skyhawk is great. So is Power Tower Space Shot.. Turbo Drop scares the crap out of me (you have NO way of knowing when it will drop.. eek!!). If you love to ride old nostalgic rides, take a ride on the Midway Carousel, it's been at CP since 1912 and is CP's oldest operating ride. And don't forget Cedar Downs Racing Derby.. it's one of three of its kind in the world. Any more info you'd like, I'd be happy to help. I visit CP several times a season.. I love the park very much.