TombRaiderFTW

Now part of me's wondering what Son of Beast would have looked like in 20 years if left to its own devices, much like the Coney Island Thunderbolt (which sat SBNO along Surf Avenue in NYC from 1983 to 2000.) (Courtesy RCDB.) Something tells me it would have been the world's tallest planter. Probably a pretty cool-looking one, too, in its own way.

I was going to answer Son of Beast, but then I saw your double edit, haha. Suddenly I can't remember if I first visited Coney Island (Cincinnati) and Stricker's Grove in 2008 or 2009... Regardless, Python, Tornado, and Teddy Bear are it for me, whether or not it's been 3 or 4 years since I last rode them. If we're talking about the time between wanting to ride a ride and actually riding it, like Terp did in his post, it's probably been a decade since I saw X at Magic Mountain on TV and thought it looked pretty cool.

^^ Le click! It's from circa 2002-2003, so it goes into more detail than average on Tomb Raider: The Ride and Delirium. Certainly interesting to read about the park a decade ago, even if the information is mostly out-of-date. EDIT: Terp beat me to it! I'm leaving this post anyway.

Ohhhh yeah. I don't think I've ever seen KI as busy as it was last night. (Of course, this was the first time I've gone on a Haunt Saturday, so it probably was to be expected.) Around 10pm, Beast's queue was entirely filled and spilling out to the main midway. And then we bought Fast Lane, so... *awkward cough* (If you non-Fast Laners want to shame me for "crossing the picketing line," so to speak, rest assured that I got the stink eye from several people in the regular lines!)

Granted, I've only been here since 2008, but along with italianchef (whose PKI guidebook I still very much enjoy), I also really miss posts by violakat03, gigacoaster2k, Beast1979, etc. He's here more often than he used to be, but I miss when TombraiderTy used to post more, particularly on KIE (monthly quizzes, anyone?)

Actually, she still is there. It's the angle you look at her that determines how well you can see her. When you're underneath, it's almost impossible to see anything but the columns, but she becomes more visible about halfway into the house and beyond. It's great to hear so many reviews of the Haunts from so many members. I enjoy hearing other people's reactions to the houses and trails. Keep them coming!

^ Really? It goes down every time I ride it...

^ No one's been in the loop since 2006, silly. In particular, I will not miss that turn. The helices were bad, but I don't think any coaster's ever thunked me back and forth like that turn did. It wasn't like jackhammering; it was much slower. It was like the train couldn't decide which rail it wanted to sit on, so it changed its mind every 0.5-1 seconds by rocking back and forth. In retrospect, the natural sway of the structure probably had something to do with that, too. At its worst (meaning before 2011*), Mean Streak has a similar but much milder effect on the big, swooping turns. *I'm assuming, of course, that MS hasn't returned to its old ways this season. I haven't ridden it this year, but I haven't heard much about it being horrible the way it once was.

There was this one time when a fairly new member started a topic using a picture of the on-ride photo monitors when taking such a picture is against park rules...

^ Guess it wasn't a very good Subway, then, because it was all pretty much done the way I mentioned.

^ Having once worked at a Subway in recent years, I can tell you that it's because those "special" subs are still rung up as the equivalent regular sub in the register, at least at my old store. The Chicken Pizziola still went into the register as a Chicken Breast, and so on. Unfortunately, that meant that there was also no "Radioactive Goop" button for a toasted tuna sub. *shudder* I didn't see the new store when I went to the park on Friday, but I also didn't look for it much. If my plans to head there sometime this weekend pan out, I'll see what I can find.

Probably one involving a sister.

^ Yes. For whatever reason, though, the put the sign for it over White Water Canyon's entrance... which never comes into play at all. Consider me confused.

I'm pretty sure it is real. According to the description, they're still working on the theming, which, I assume, is why it's not opening till 2013.

I'm not much of a KIC enthusiast. I've never even met Dane, Boddah, or The Interpreter. Actual (slightly mushy) answer: I don't know. I know enough random KI ride trivia to make my non-coastering friends' eyes roll, but I don't get psyched every time I go to the park like I used to. I still love the park very much, but it's become less of "this is the best mini-vacation ever" and more of a place where I can relax and get away with each trip. I've come nowhere near the 18-ish visits I made in 2008 in this year or last, but I feel like I've learned to appreciate the place in a new way. (I guess that's one thing that can be said for the removal of The Crypt for me: I never really noticed this until this year. Once upon a time, riding it and Son of Beast were the meat and potatoes of a KI trip for me and my friends.) If you told me a year, I probably couldn't tell you with much certainty (unless we're talking the late 90's, 2000's, and whatever you want to call this decade) what rides came or went, but I can point out several places in the park where I've had fun experiences since I started buying my own passes four years ago. More times than not, the fun we've had was because we were at Kings Island. Summarized: I love the place, but not for any particular reason related to what's there, haha. EDIT: Except for Adventure Express.

Is it weird if I say that I'd rather the park got some kind of B&M with inversions than any other coaster type? I'm not that jazzed about most B&M rides, but one of their loopers feels more appropriate than a gigacoaster. Floorless coasters seem to have fallen out of style on this side of the Pacific (much to my dismay), so I guess it would be either an invert or a wing coaster. Heck, I think even a Batman clone would be pretty neat. Given that Kinzel's gone and we've met Ouimet, I don't look for a super thrilling coaster to land at the park anytime soon, though. In fact, I think I'd almost prefer the park expanding its flat ride collection. It's a pipe dream, but I'd be incredibly happy if the park installed some Larson flying scooters. (They're no Flying Eagles, but I'm incredibly doubtful our old set's going to return from Carowinds for no real reason.) They'd have to have higher capacity than the average set to be effective, but they're certainly a fun family ride.

Agreed. Particularly in an election year, Cedar Fair should be more savvy than implying only Democrats are frightening. Pretty sure Reagan got me on Friday...

Buy a different tablet. In all seriousness: I know Apple products and Flash have never played together well. My iPod Touch is hit-and-miss with what videos it will load, and with the way iOS6 has allegedly dropped the YouTube app, I wonder if iOS support of YouTube videos has lessened further with it. Since YouTube is the major video source of choice on here, the only thing I can offer for consideration: have you updated your iPad software recently?

I wouldn't dream of spoiling it (and hopefully I haven't given away thus far anything you'd consider a spoiler.) Not in its opening year, anyway, and especially not when it's only two nights old.

From the "Son of Beast roller coaster to be demolished" thread, courtesy @KIGMGreg on Twitter.

And here they are:

There's not really anything to see. That same crane is still parked where it was in the previous pictures.

^^ From what I saw, Mysteria is essentially unchanged for 2012. I think they may have added a few new bodysuit colors (unless I'm forgetting blue and white bodysuits being in there last year), but that's it.

^ THIS. Madame Fatale's HANDS DOWN has the best set of any house or trail at KI, bar none. Combined with the talented scareactors that know how to utilize their surroundings, it's the best house I've ever been through at KI. The whole experience really doesn't start adding up until you reach the antechamber and (former) preshow room, but once it starts, it's a doozy. As expected, the duration of the haunt is on the floor of the former ride chamber, and, though it never gets any farther than halfway through the room, it's so good that it never feels short. It's literally the sort of haunt you see advertised in Cedar Fair's TV commercials--detailed walls, flickering lights, believable props (which don't look like they were purchased from a generic catalogue of Halloween props, unlike several other haunts), and intense scares. By far, Cavern of Terror isn't to be missed if you're a Halloween Haunt fan, and it sets the bar high for future additions. As I predicted, Freak Street gained Nightmare Alley's old theme, and Nightmare Alley became a generic dumping ground for roamers that don't fit anywhere else. Except, y'know, it was empty from what I saw tonight. Grimm Blvd. is refreshingly unique and tends towards a Victorian/steampunk look for its scareactors. Don't really know what else to say for right now since I'm completely pooped; I'll likely type up a TR sometime over this weekend.

Profit is revenue less costs. The two should not be used interchangeably as they are very different things. I stand corrected! The intent remains the same, though: part of why Cedar Point's pie slice is as large as it is is because of money spent at the park.