TombRaiderFTW

Wish granted: Photo: KTLA 5, Los Angeles. Certainly a frightening event. I hope everyone is okay. With this, the rider ejection on the Intamin Zacspin at Terra Mitica, and the incidents last year, it sure does seem like bad things happen in bunches in this industry.

The Eleven Commandments, in case you forgot: 1. Thou shalt have no other gods before God. 2. Thou shalt not make any idols. 3. Thou shalt not use the Lord's name in vain. 4. Thou shalt keep the Sabbath holy. 5. Honor thy father and mother. 6. Thou shalt not commit murder. 7. Thou shalt not commit adultery. 8. Thou shalt not steal. 9. Thou shalt not give false testimony about his (or her) neighbor. 10. Thou shalt not covet. 11. Thou shalt not mess with Adventure Express, or else NOW YOU WILL PAY.

1. Worlds of Fun is wonderful and really, really underrated. So is Timber Wolf. This doesn't have anything to do with anything. I just had to put that out there. 2. So I went to Worlds of Fun last weekend. I'm currently kicking myself repeatedly. Why? Because I missed out on The Great American Train Robbery, which appears to be live entertainment that interacts with their train (which appears to be very similar to the KI & MVRR.) As tersely described on Worlds of Fun's website: I know some of the members here have visited Worlds of Fun this year, so I'm curious: has anyone here ridden the Worlds of Fun Railroad this season and experienced the Great American Train Robbery? Any thoughts or comments on it? As for the rest of us: does this give anyone else here hope that our train could again someday see live entertainment interact with it?

I have to put in a good word for X-Flight, too. I personally think it's the best of the American B&M wing coasters. Like Gatekeeper, it's not to be missed in the last row, left side. Viper seems like a fantastic ride, and it probably has earned its reputation as a great, smooth ride. Unfortunately, when I rode it, it was backwards, which made anticipating turns I'd never been through before both annoying and next to impossible. I do think I'd like it a LOT if it were forwards. I'd check it out! I echo all the praise for Whizzer, and then some. It's a classic. It's a simple ride that isn't particularly intense, but it's a lot of fun. It'll keep a line all day, unfortunately, but it's worth trying at least once. Also, if you're into theming, the Southwest Territory and New Orleans-themed areas are some of the neater areas in the seasonal parks I've been to. Unfortunately, the New Orleans-related areas also feature Superman and Dark Knight-themed rides, but they're still very unique! I hope you have a great time!

I'm still recovering from the brain damage I received from Sidewinder at Hersheypark in 2011. Ugh. Never again. That giant piece of crap makes Invertigo feel like Banshee.

Whoops! My bad. I thought Trevor was the actor who had been injured, and the show had switched around to remove the bike scene until he recovered. That's what I get for not seeing this show until this weekend and not reading this thread as thoroughly as I ought to have done before posting in it.

^ Didn't know that. Still, as far as live entertainment featured at Kings Island goes, Cirque's still the best show I've ever seen. Regardless of whether or not KI produced it, it's a fantastic choice.

If that's chopped up, then the real thing is guaranteed to be a winner with me. Thanks for the update!

I FINALLY got around to seeing Cirque Imagine on Friday. You guys talked it up so much that I decided I probably should give it a try. Typical Cedar Fair/Six Flags live entertainment (i.e., music revues that may or may not feature people ice skating) really have done nothing for me in the past and felt like a way to say "look, we have more than rides" than a genuine attempt to give guests an alternative to riding roller coasters. Let me just say that, in addition to seeing Cirque on Friday, I also wanted (and did) see it again today. And I'll also see it the next time I'm at the park. And the next time. And the next time. Because wow. Cirque Imagine is truly incredible. The art direction is beautiful. The actors convey the emotion of the story (it has a story! at a Cedar Fair park!) wonderfully while still being humorous and thoroughly entertaining--and that's all done with minimal dialogue, all in a language a majority of the audience presumably does not speak (French). When each scene is performed, it is done extremely well and almost always takes a turn that you will not expect your first time watching. If you all hadn't talked about a performer having been injured, I would never have guessed that it's missing an actor*. It's seamless. Do yourself a favor and see this show if you haven't already. Seriously. You're not going to regret it. Even if you aren't into shows, it heralds the Ouimet era of live entertainment and makes me really excited to see what's next throughout the chain. I have to give HUGE kudos to KI's live entertainment department. Between Cirque and the roaming band, they have really outdone themselves this year. They've made me a believer in the relevancy of live entertainment at Cedar Fair parks, and the bar is set very high for the rest of the chain and for live entertainment in future years at Kings Island, as far as I'm concerned. *And according to that actor's Twitter (@trevorbodough), he'll be back in the show starting Tuesday! So now I have even more of a reason to check out CI on my next visit!

I don't like you in any month other than October! Get out of town! (Kidding.) I've only ridden Ninja once, so since you've been to SFStL more, perhaps you can tell me: is there a row on that ride that's more comfortable to sit in in the way that 5-1 is the best row on Vortex? I think I sat in 2-1 when I rode it, and I'm still recovering from the head trauma...

I geeked out so hard seeing all those trains under Batman. It looks kinda bad, but fortunately the regular queue doesn't see it unless the line is REALLY long (which it was the day I was at SFStL.) Awesome PTR! I really love Six Flags St. Louis and have been curious about visiting Worlds of Fun for quite some time. Like I said in the Arrowed! thread, it makes my heart happy to hear people say not-bad things about Boss. I love that dang ride (and the Scooby dark ride) so much. Did you ride Ninja or American Thunder?

When I read this thread's original title, I think I momentarily dipped into cardiac arrest. Thank goodness it was a typo. I really don't want Georgia Cyclone to become the next RMC full renovation, as much as I like RMC products. I do wonder why Cedar Fair hasn't tried this at any of its parks.

I think it's because I rode and enjoyed the rides before seeing the movie, but I actually enjoyed The Italian Job. I've heard it's a travesty compared to the original with Michael Caine, but I thought it was enjoyable. Then again, maybe I'm not the best judge. The original Star Wars trilogy bored me to tears. (Time to dodge the onslaught of light sabers...)

^ RMC played some part in its construction. Before they did coasters, Rocky Mountain Construction did... well, construction. El Toro is an Intamin ride through and through.

eltoro has topper track No, El Toro doesn't. El Toro has Intamin's prefabricated wood track.

Within the last hour, this site was CRAWLING. I thought it was my router acting up again until all the other sites I tried to visit loaded fine.

With how people drive on 675, every successful drive down that thing is a reason to celebrate. I HATE 675.

I'm getting my hopes too far up, but wouldn't it be amazing if the building they may or may not be building was attached to The Crypt's building for a new crypt-themed Wonder Mountain's Guardian-esque ride that utilizes the existing Crypt queue?

It didn't work last night, either.

I didn't go, but I did ride the train last night between 9pm and 10pm. The ride op on the microphone was stressing that you could get off in Soak City to watch Frozen but that the slides were closed and that you would have to leave through the Soak City gate if you stayed past 10. A few tweets from Kings Island's Twitter indicates that there were activities in Soak City leading up to the movie.

I voted "other". Custom Coasters International is my favorite. The only CCI rides I've ever been disappointed by are both at Indiana Beach and are both not named Lost Coaster of Superstition Mountain.

I was at the park for a while this evening. Around 5pm, Flight of Fear was listed on the scrolling signs outside the front gate as being closed (along with Shake, Rattle & Roll.) When I approached the ride, there were what appeared to be ride operators (and a security guard) standing at the entrance and exit of the ride. The entrance itself was blocked off with a trash can that appeared to have a trash bag taped to the top of it (?).

Let me look up Kings Island's special events for you, BB1. (Especially ones in Soak City, of all places!) https://www.visitkingsisland.com/events/things-to-do/events-and-promotions/July-12-Soak-City-Waterpark-Luau-Party

This topic and a recent, brief visit to Kings Dominion has made me wonder... Does anyone else think Avalanche at KD and Adventure Express at KI could switch places and very much mutually benefit each park in terms of theme? Avalanche's Olympic theme is a bit out of place in the Congo Safari Village area, and Adventure Express really doesn't fit the Oktoberfest theme at all. Apart from the tragic transferral of my favorite ride at Kings Island to a place 9 hours away from home, it really would suit Kings Dominion nicely, in my opinion. A smallish mine train-esque coaster is literally the only thing missing from that park's lineup, as far as I'm concerned.

Great article as usual, goodyellowkorn! One thing I notice more and more as I ride more HUSS Top Spins: When the ride stops, the arms and gondola are "at rest"--that is, if there were a blackout, the ride wouldn't move anywhere due to gravity. The arms are vertical, and the bottom of the gondola is parallel to the ground. In converting Tomb Raider: The Ride into The Crypt, the three-row gondola--with a center of gravity presumably in the middle of the middle row--had its front row removed. The center of gravity would then be shifted toward the back, meaning that the ride will naturally rest with the gondola tilted upwards. This means that the motors will have to work harder at just about every moment of operation (and perhaps even when not--I don't know what shutting down a Giant Top Spin entailed) to ensure that the gondola is properly upright, including during load/unload. Furthermore, the platforms on standard or Suspended Top Spins simply rise up and down from underneath the ride as needed, rather than requiring proper alignment with lowering walkways on either side of the gondola. I don't remember why that would have been, but I also seem to recall the arms not being perfectly vertical during load/unload in the Crypt era... It's not too much of a stretch to imagine that the ride's Crypt period sped up its demise.