KingCobra

Cedar Point opening day in 2000, I waited roughly 4 hours for Millennium Force and it was totally worth it. Same in 2003 about 3 hours for Top Thrill Dragster, worth it at the time, but now I wouldnt wait more then 90 minutes for it now. For any ride that I have ridden before, outside of Millennium, My limit is about an hour and a half. Millennium I would wait 2 for.

It may be that those lights are on a timer to where they are on everynight. Or someone missed a lightswitch on the way out.

It did seem that last year in comparison to the years prior, I do remember seeing a story about this past season about the large numbers of individuals who did apply for jobs at Kings Island. With that said, I would recommend for an interview, with KI or any other employer for that matter, dress nicely and with your answers to questions or past experience, make it so they remember you as more then just a name. With hundreds of people that they most likely see, try to set your self apart in a positive way and get a little extra boost.

Judging off of Carowinds names, I think they had some real clever ones, and dont seem as 'forced' as the Paramount switchover names. Though I am really hoping that The Beastie does make a reappearance.

First off I do hope that Son of Beast does reopen. Where the ride does occasionally beat the tar out of me in the past, it does still hold a special place in the coasters that I have ridden from its 2000 season. Though if they did tear it down and it was a replacement coaster I would be shocked if it was a stand-up. It seems that the era of stand-up coasters went about as fast as it came. According to RCDB, there hasnt been a new stand-up built since 1999, over 10 years now. If SOB is torn down, I would love to see another wooden coaster take its place.

I found online a picture of the sign near the entrance. The link is here

On Sunday, I found a Scooby Buck in a Beast train, so some people still have them around.

There are also ones in the Maverick gift shop that say 'Saddle up'

I was there that day, if it is the incident I am thinking of. Started near Diamondback and then it all broke loose around Nick-Go-Round, is this the same fight that is being mentioned in that article? I was walking in that area at the same time it all started and being in Nick Universe made it even worse in my opinion, seeing that there were very young kids in that area, some of which ran away crying when the individuals were tackled by the security and police officers. Makes me think its a real turnoff to come back to a park where a child has witnessed such an event.

The Beast is a toss up for me. I love the very front seat, the views, going through the tunnels, everything about it. But also I love the second to back seat, car 6 seat 2. It like was mentioned, has the amazing pull over the lifts and speed and with not being on the wheels is a much smoother ride then the very back. On FoF after riding it many many times from the back, I use to always ride it back there before I really knew the route because I could see ahead to the front of the train the elements that the ride was going through. Now I have to say, when the lights are off, in the front seat it feels real out of control with no sense of direction.

What was the point of the third question there? But I do miss one coaster in particular being the Big Dipper, everything else there I have rode in their new Cedar Fair locations, and to be honest for how The Villian rode the last couple years I can't say that I would want to ride it again. Raging Wolf Bobs was pretty good as well.

I would really dislike if they used a large screen that would cover up the tower, or alter the already amazing view you can have on International Street, though what could be more unsightly then the screen would be the control room for the show itself. That would have to sit somewhere and on International Street I don't know where that could go with the fountains where they are.

From being at Kings Island for many nights for their firework display, and also at Cedar Fair during their laser show, the name of it escapes me right now. I have to say I favor the kind of setup that Cedar Point uses by far, it does have the fireworks, plus alot of other really cool features with the songs animations etc. Not to mention between the two if I have to choose over having Kings Island shutting down Beast or Cedar Point shutting down Wildcat/Iron Dragon I'll take CP too. Recently over the summer I was at Kings Dominion for a 10:00 close in August and they did not have fireworks or any end of the day kind of display, just a 'its 10 the park is closed' announcement.

Where I will give you where it does seem that alot of Cedar Fair coasters are trimmed, also look at the other side of the coin. Millennium Force, it has run without trims since it opened in 2000, and if i remember right it does even have a spot before the last overbank where trims could be added and still havent. With trim brakes as a whole, on The Beast especially, im not so sure that I would even want to ride it trimless. The brake shed without a trim there would make that right hand turn rough and tear up the track/train with the added wear and tear. Like its been said previously, I really doubt that the trims are just added for giggles, but are to preserve the respective rides for a long time. Which is better a coaster that has a trim here and there and is open almost all the time or a coaster that is trimless and is less reliable to be open because of more work maitnence?

Even with the skid brakes there was still a trim after the first tunnel before the second hill. Though the skid brakes were not at 'grabby' at the magnetic ones are now, so you may not have felt it as much.

In the morning it may have seemed slower due to tha fact that normally the crowds during the morning ERT are not very high, which thus has trains with fewer people. With less weight in the train it will go slower. Also in the morning it takes a little time for the trains to 'warm up' if you will. This can be the reason for the different rides you experienced in different parts of the day.

I just recently visited the Hofbräuhaus in Newport, and I think it would be a great fit for the Festhaus. Though also with the prices that are in place for food/drinks at Kings Island currently, including the current chains of Subway,Panda Express, LaRosas, Chik-Fil-A, the prices could be really high. Hofbräuhaus has some pricey food, though I do think it is really high quality and you get what you pay for. The prices if that happened within Kings Island could be really high comparing to the other chains.

It was nice to see that Kings Island again had the best kids area, and by a considerable margin, hopefully that stays true with Snoopy and the gang coming in over the off season.

Unless they take out Iron Wolf, it makes no sense, and almost less sense for Kentucky Kingdom. To me, Chang was the best coaster that the park has to offer and that moving it could be a killer to the park.

In the rides department if you bring a cell phone to work it must be put in a locker when you are on the clock, and cannot be with you at the ride. I think that it is a very good practice put into place. With so many things that can be going on at a ride, cell phones and texting just create a disaster waiting to happen.

I rode X-Flight on a couple of visits, and I don;t think it was ever run as a duel station. Always one station and then the second train, if it ever ran, would end up setting up in the brakes at the end of the ride. I would agree, with about every Vekoma flyer for that matter, that it would be wonderful to have the brake run covered. As bad as it is in extreme sun and heat, I have also had it in the rain which is in ways almost worse.

I was planning on going to Busch and Dominion in two weeks, and now I am very happy that I will get to go and ride BBW one last time. The last time I was there I got to ride Drachen Fire, so its been a couple years. I can only hope the attraction (hopefully a coaster) that replaces it can use the terrain and ravine like BBW.

The lights in the rafters I believe were installed for Beast's 25th anniversary, at the same time the wooden signs above some of the gates were 'ignore the screaming in the woods' etc, as well as the large sign that for the 25th anniversary also had alot of stats and specs about the ride. The lights are still there just not used, as well as the sound effects that accompanied them. For the 'old ramp' if I remember that right, was added when the gold pass fast pass/track, was added for some rides...im pretty sure it was Beast/Drop Zone/Tomb Raider/ Italian Job and maybe another one or two rides. But the ramp was included in a path that coinsided with The Beast line of two years ago. The only reminents of that gold pass line is the ramp that now has lock to keep guests from going up that way, as well as in the first queue house the steps can be seen on the left as you go down into the queuehouse.

I believe that it may also have to do with the same situation that Beast has with the fireworks. Closing down one side because of where they are launched at. On the blue side the turnaround is closer to the fireworks launching location.

The Beast did have a sign out infront of line throughout the course of the day stating that the line would close at 8am for the fireworks and then open back up after the fireworks were over. This is also what happens every night for the normal fireworks having to shutdown at 9:45.