KIfan1980

^- Two things: When looked at simply, I understand your point, 5 minutes is not a big deal, but think about it this way. No seat assigner would mean that everyone in line would have to wait an extra 5 minutes every time they rode DB and over the course of a day >900 less total riders Having the seat assigner does not stop you from asking for a specific row from the general queue and also allows for the SRL to exist which has saved me much more than 5 minutes many many times

I had my 2 year old with me most of last summer and he loves KI so look forward to a great day. To specifically answer your questions: - Sundays are a good day to be in the kids section of KI (especially opening/morning time and after 4:30). - The key question on what your daughter will be able to do is her height. Last summer, my boy was greater than 36" so that made him eligible for a lot of stuff in NickU - some of his favorites are/were: Backyardigan Swings, Little Bills Giggle Coaster, Blues Skidoo, NickJr Drivers, Diego, Swipers Sweepers, Blue Train (sorry forget real name), Timmy's Air Tours, Lazytown Sportacopters (ride early before the line grows too long), Carousel, and Scooby Doo. Beyond NickU and the rides don't miss out on some of the shows and other attractions like going up the Eiffel Tower and Riding the Train

I've got to agree with this comment. I've seen less than 10 of the 200+ photos submitted and I'd find it hard to choose between them; I can't imagine looking at the other 190 and trying to pick a winner. Congrats to the winner. To the rest of you who have posted your pictures here (and on your trip reports) all I can see is good effort - I'm impressed with all your artistic/photographic capabilities. I only wish I was that good.

You just have to love some of the answers you see on these forums! I'm guessing one of them is right

Let me begin by saying that when I'm in the general queue, I will always request a specific row (it depends on my mood which one), but will always follow whatever the Ride Op says and enjoy riding DB no matter what. Even so, I want them to keep the seat assigner and SRL in place to keep the line moving as fast as it does. Here's why: With assigned seats trains leave full (most of the time), without the seat assigner they wouldn't If you assume a 1.5min dispatch time on DB with full trains this would be 1280 people per hour Without full trains (I assumed 2 empty's per train based upon my SRL experiences and looking at other coasters at the park), would cut this down to 1200pph Getting those extra 80 people on would increase my wait in line by another 5 minutes

Also, if you prefer to leave the park for decent food and decent prices there are also many other food places within a five minute drive.

Now don't think like that. The day you stop speaking your mind about something you believe in is the day that you take some freedom away from yourself. You started a topic and people agreed with you on something. This shows that you're not alone and, therefore, the post count doesn't matter. Sparky - I've got to agree here. Please don't allow your post count to stop you from starting a thread. I have to admit to being surprised your post count was where it it because I've been reading your posts for as long as I've been here. As to the topic - I disagree with the feeling of Beast being slower this year - to me it feels similar to what I remember from the last couple of years in total (and yes it is a very different feel from the old skid brakes). But, I can understand and respect your opionion because I've also felt that it runs different (faster, smoother) based upon the different time of day, part of season, weather, and other factors over the years.

Check the title - I think he is declaring Cedar Point the best by default. I haven't been to enought to vote in this poll.

That map is kind of cool (if not a little weird), in some images you can see the GWL under construction, in others it fully complete. Also, just up the road from KI/GWL, you can see the old driveway entrance to the old College Football Hall of Fame and the floodlights for the field they had on site (Moeller used to play there back when I was in High School). For those too young to know, this was one of Taft Broadcasting Co's failed ideas to build a resort area around KI.

Since Terpy didn't say it yet, I will. Yes

I saw an interesting line jumping incident develop on Diamondback recently. Two ~16 year olds were walking around the outside queue rails (the unused portion) to meet up with their family/group (about 10 minutes into the 30 minute wait). A well intentioned ride op came running after them and told them there was no line jumping allowed (I was ready to applaud her!). The group said that they'd been to the bathroom, had asked the ride op at the entrance, and he'd said it was ok. She said she'd check, went back, talked to the other ride op who looked over at them and then nodded. Is it too hard to ask for some consistency - have a rule and follow-it.

What problem would this solve? The SRL is almost always a shorter wait than the main queue - what would assigning trains to single riders accomplish except causing more problems. I'd be talking to Guest Relations in a heartbeat if I'd waited 30-40 minutes and then saw people who are already waiting less than me get get on even faster.

While Diamondback is new and, in my opinion, a slightly better ride then Beast, as much as I hate to say it there are plenty of coasters out there similar to Diamondback. There is only one Beast. Diamondback broke no records (at least none the GP would care about) The Beast broke them in bulk. Diamondback recycles elements from similar rides. Beast is one of a kind. Diamondback did not set a new standard for roller coaster technology. Beast is a landmark, defined what a roller coaster could be. There is only one Beast. I understand the argument for The Beast and against Diamondback - it's all in how you define "best". Part of me wanted to vote for The Beastie/Fairly Odd Coaster as that was my first and I can see how it's creating another coaster enthusiast in my 5-year old at the moment.

OK - Thanks to this topic, I actually created the full list of 45 (based on tracks and experiences) for the first time, so may have missed one or two. but have a starting point to add to now: Kings Island (18): Screamin Demon, Bat, King Cobra, Beastie/FOC, Racer (Both Sides and Backward), Vortex, Beast, Rugrats Runaway Reptar, Son of Beast, Top Gun/Flight Deck, Face-Off/Invertigo, Flight of Fear, Firehawk, Backlot Stunt Coaster, Adventure Express, Diamondback Cedar Point (11): Blue Streak, Mean Streak, Raptor, Mantis, Magnum, Milleniuim Force, Gemini (Both), Iron Dragon, Cedar Creek Mine Ride, Corkscrew Disney World (5): Space Mountain (Both), Thunder Mountain, Expedition Everest, Rock-n-Roller Coaster Disneyland (4): Old Space Mountain, Big Thunder Mountain, Matterhorn (both) Vegas (2): High Roller, Manhattan Express Silver Dollar City (5): Wildfire, Powder Keg, Thunderation (Forward and Backward Facing), Grand Exposition Coaster

I felt guilty doing it, but I didn't vote for The Beast. Maybe I'm too influenced by the newness of Diamondback, but given a choice to ride just one ride at KI ... that was how I made my decision. This doesn't take anything away from the awesomeness of The Beast, it just speaks to how cool DB is in my mind.

I voted King Cobra but agree with Giga - the Backward Racer was a great ride experience that I miss the most (all the more because the ride is still there!)

As I said earlier (I think), I'm in the 30-39 age group, but fully understand feeling like you're 18 when you are at the park ... right up until I look around and get shocked back to reality with various "kids these days" items

At least give us the number if not the list - I'm sure there are many that would like to know.

I have also been re-energized to visit the park this year due to 2 things: Diamondback and KIC (which I found looking for DB info last fall). And totally agree with the moving of Beast from #1 to #2. In fact, I went to the park both Saturday and Sunday this week and didn't ride Beast once (one night on DB, one afternoon in Nick U with the kids) which has to be a first for me! Off-topic: Have fun at Dale Hollow - I really miss my PWC days

I only wish SoB currently ran with a capacity of 1000 pph... fondly remembering 3 trains, loops, and fast moving lines. Last time I checked it (last season), capacity was well less than 500 Edit: Corrected typo, capacity # should have said less than 500 Son of Beast never ran three trains, and to me it seems like the same amount of time waiting in line. I stand corrected on the three trains (I guess sometimes you remember the good old days better than they actually were), but the capacity is still significantly reduced from when the ride opened. Old trains at one point held 36 people, new trains hold 24. For such a major ride, the capacity is tiny.

SRL pass policy now seems to be gone completely and has been replaced with the "SRL closed/SRL open" announcment based upon the length of the SRL. As someone above mentioned, it seemed to get closed when the line made the turn under the lift tonight and reopened when the line was close to the top of the stairs. In my 6 rides in the SRL this evening, the wait time averaged 10 minutes, with a long of 25 and a short of 2. Main queue was about 30-40 minutes; I did the main 2 times when the SRL was closed when I got there even though waiting for the SRL to reopen would have meant a shorter wait - it allowed me to ask for a row 16 night ride (which I was granted by a nice ride op who I believe is a member of this site) Bottom line, I still can't complain about the SRL, especially considering the alternative (no SRL) that would mean a longer wait for everyone every time (as trains would leave with empty seats). I'll again say though, that you have to understand that being a Single Rider does not entitle you to a shorter wait. The SRL is something extra that the park has to reduce the wait for everyone - don't get mad when it's closed and you'll enjoy the wait much more.

An awesome DB mini-marathon evening tonight put me over 20. Arrived in the parking lot at 7:30pm - got my 8th ride of the night in row 16 as the fireworks were going off. Drove home happy with a wet arm/shoulder!

Those complaining about new signs at KI, should note that there is a Awesome Brand Spanking New Sign in front of a snake in rivertown. I'd prefer that to a new sign in front of any older coaster.

Weren't you planning on going to CP opening weekend? You'll be lucky for less than a 30 minute wait! And don't forget, summer is coming and school will be out soon enough at KI.

People need to relax and respect each others opinions a little here. SoB is a ride that MANY people enjoy - as many people as enjoy Beast or Diamondback, NO, as many as was hoped for when it was installed, NO, but enough that it is an integral part of the Kings Island experience to have thousands of riders on it every day, YES. If you don't like the ride, as someone else said, offer some constructive criticism but don't trash those that do. Me, I enjoy it a lot (more than rides like AE, BLSC, Invertigo, but not as much as DB, Beast, Flight Deck, Racer). Could it be improved, I believe it could. It feels like there is more side to side movement of the cars on the tracks than on other woodies I've ridden (may not be a fact, just feels that way) - if this could be reduced I think the benefits (speed, lateral forces) that I love would be improved with less back busting impact.