violakat03

I was beginning to wonder if I was the only one that remembered (or heard) him saying that during the tour. He most definitely said the exit would fork and you could choose whether or not to exit through the gift shop.

I posted it in another thread too, but my favorite night ride was in high school on King Cobra. It was one of the last two years that ride was open. A good friend and I had spent all day at the park and had probably already done 10 laps on KC, but we jumped on it for one more run right before they shut the queue for the night. We rode in the front seat and were going up the lift hill right as the fireworks started. That was so awesome. I also remember a night ride on The Beast in 2004 with my then-boyfriend (who became my husband 2 years later). I'd been fighting to get him on a coaster all day and he finally gave in for The Beast, and actually enjoyed it. I just enjoyed that I finally had him beside me on a coaster! Ever since that day, he has ridden every coaster with me.

How about a Kings Island pillow? I have a fuzzy purple star-shaped one from the PKI days.

King Cobra was my favorite ride in high school. I graduated the year after they took it out, the first time I rode Delirium was during Grad Night my senior year. I have very fond memories of riding KC during trips with some of my best friends in high school, where we'd jump off and run around for a re-ride when there was no wait. My favorite was the day the fireworks started going off as we went up the lift and my friend and I were in the front seat, that was an awesome ride. Skylab was the first ride I ever rode that went upside down. It will always hold a special place in my heart for that. I also remember growing up and being so excited to finally be tall enough to drive the antique cars with my mom and brother. I don't remember a time when they had both rides running, though. I used to ride Keelboat Canal with my mom all the time. I remember one trip where we did almost nothing but ride the two log flumes and WWC over and over again all day when I was in junior high. My mom provided me with a memory - and explanation - from when I was very young. She used to take me on Der Spinning Keggars and the Witches Cauldrons when I was little (witches cauldrons were removed when I was 6) and spin us really really fast. That finally explains why I love spinning really fast on spinning rides and don't get sick.

The new trains are friendlier to large sizes. The biggest thing I didn't like about the old trains was they were very confining. I also like the lack of headrests on the new trains. That being said, I prefer the old trains cause they could traverse the loop.

I walked on SOB in the early afternoon. The only thing I ran into with a wait was Firehawk, because they were only running 1 train. It was running at 45 minutes, so we skipped it.

Sundays during Haunt are usually pretty good too. This past year, I only went on Haunt days after 10 pm (that's when I got off work), except the last Saturday. I made the mistake of going all day then. We left at about 7 pm because the lines were so ridiculous, and came back the next day (last day of the season) to find everything walk-on.

I don't have a pre-KI food ritual, but when I was younger, we always had a post-KI one. We always stopped at the McDonald's at the corner of KI Drive and 741 (which was usually packed) and got McD's pizza, then played on the mural wall they had outside in the parking lot.

I wonder what they're doing with that train. It looks like it's just sitting in the station.

I always wear cargo pants that button and velcro on the lower pockets - I got them at Sam's for pretty cheap and I have multiple pairs in multiple colors. I've never had anything fall out of the lower pockets, though I almost lost my phone out of the non-secured pocket on Firehawk and I did lose my season pass out of the same pocket on Mean Streak.

I went for the fourth of July(which is my birthday) and the park was dead. Typically the park's pretty busy that day. It was just kind of nasty weather this past 4th of July. Though if the 3rd of July falls on a weekday, that's usually a pretty good day to go. If it falls on a Saturday, it's not.

I doubt you'll find it on the internet, though I'd be very happy for someone to prove me wrong on that. They only play it on days the line is long. So if you really want to watch it, go on a hot, busy day when FOF's line is long, and you'll see it. It was running most Saturdays at Haunt from what I saw, but any time the park was cleared out, it was off.

I think the early shut down is only for Haunt, since the queue is used for part of Club Blood.

I'd say considering that they're doing work around the splashdown, it'd be for safety reasons. You don't want a worker accidentally getting hit by one of the trains.

I'm thinking they will probably be open an hour before the gates open. If the gates to I-street open at 9 (rides at 10) then I'm guessing the parking lot will open at 8. I'm also expecting lots of crowds.

I'd be interested in Holiday World, Beech Bend or Indiana Beach. Dollywood would be a stretch as it'd be an overnight stay, though I might have a connection there that would net me a free room for the night. I'm not getting my Six Flags season pass until the last week in May (at SFA since they also offer parking passes, SFKK does not) so I'd rather wait on SFKK until I've got my pass. Of the parks listed, I'm voting for Holiday World. Is it really going to be that busy on opening day, and how many people will be flocking to Pilgrim's Plunge (leaving the coasters with less lines) and it's shiny newness? I'm not big on water parks to start with, so the fact it's not open has no bearing on the decision for me, and might keep the crowds down a bit. This would also push my decision for which May ACE event to attend over to the one at BGE since I'll have already experienced HW.

I think night rides during Haunt/Halloweekends are completely awesome. I'll agree with the person who said the fog made MF better than normal, especially out on Millennium Island. I also thought it was cool seeing the pirate ship from the ride. I did a marathon on Racer in the last hour of operations on a Saturday night during Haunt. Those were definitely some of the coolest rides I've taken on that ride.

That sounds dangerous, and yet oddly like something I would do...

Not to mention if you aren't staying at one of the resorts, parking is $13. We miraculously got to park for free at Epcot when we did DiveQuest (the only thing we were going to the park for) because a friend of ours was staying at Shades of Green. We all carpooled over and used her resort pass.

The Beast makes the best noises. I watch POVs with the volume cranked. Between the noise it makes as the train catches the lift chain, and clacking of it going over the track in some areas, and the screeching wheels.... Sigh. April 18th can't come soon enough.

Might be construction equipment to finish the removal of the former queue area.

I think he meant next Sunday as in the Sunday of the next weekend. I have the same plan - if the park is too packed, I'll enjoy Diamondback on opening day and maybe a couple other rides. If the lines are ridiculous, I'll come back the next weekend. I'm already planning to anyway, but going on more than just the following Sunday will be more likely if opening day is too busy for me.

The Beast, definitely. The tunnels in pitch black are just awesome. Though they need to get rid of that REALLY BRIGHT LIGHT that's halfway through the ride and kills the mood. I really enjoy Millennium Force at night also. I found Raptor to be most enjoyable right at sunset. When they have the strobes under the cobra roll turned on but you can still see what's going on.

The first picture looks like it was taken at the beginning of the path that was closed for DB construction next year. I'm not sure though. Great pictures. I miss Skylab too.

All corporate and group bids, including KIC's, are going to be donated back to A Kid Again to allow one of the participants to take the first ride. That's going to be a lot of happy kids, judging by the current bid board.