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Everything posted by McSalsa
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^ Add ZOOMbabwe (One of the world's largest water slides), Hyena Falls (which is surprising because it is fairly new having been added in 2013), Jungle Racer (huge mat racing slide) and Zinga (Huge Funnel Slide) to the list of "Waterslides that would probably be huge deals at other waterparks but because it's Splashin Safari they don't get mentioned much"... Seriously, Holiday World's waterpark has a lot of huge waterslides. They are pretty much to waterslides what Cedar Point is to roller coasters (big ones, and lots of them).
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During my 2nd ride on it on Friday, we ran into the same issue- app said 2 minutes so we went to it, except while the line was past the vending machines many of the mini-ques were not open, so we got on in around 20-30 minutes. Earlier in the day though it was a walk-on. (The ride was much better when there was a wait though) So it could be they just didn't update it or something.
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What is your seat of choice on Kings Island's coasters?
McSalsa replied to Hoeter's topic in Kings Island
My personal favorite seats so far: The Beast: 1-1 for night rides due to the view, but riding it from 5-2 the other day added to the intensity (I will probably do 6-2 at some point) Vortex: 5-1 of course. Diamondback: The very back seat- TONS of airtime back here. Banshee: Front Row Backlot Stunt Coaster: Front Row Adventure Express: 1-2 The Bat: Front Row Invertigo: Front Row (aka going backwards first- while you don't get the Face-to-Face aspect from this seat, it was much smoother to me here) For rides not listed here, either I have yet to ride them enough to make up my mind on what seat I'd want, don't care, or have never gotten around to riding them... -
Six Flags St. Louis Boomerang accident.
McSalsa replied to FoF96"'s topic in Other Amusement Parks & Industry News
Yikes- thank goodness no one was seriously injured (at least from what I have read all injuries were minor) but seeing that car derailed like that makes me think this was probably a scary experience for everyone on that train at least. I'd guess a wheel assembly on that car probably failed or something, but I can't say for sure until Six Flags releases their final assessment on this. -
Ehh, I know I said I'd wait, but what the heck...TRIP REPORT COMES NOW!!! Also...I have decided to ditch the old 1-10 rating system in favor of a 1-5 star system... 5 Stars: Loved It 4 Stars: Liked It 3 Stars: It was OK 2 Stars: Meh, I could live without it 1 Stars: Garbage 0 Stars: Somehow worse than Garbage With the new rating system in place, let the trip report begin. THE JOURNEY TO THE ISLAND This trip had me, my sister, my sister's friend/co-worker, and her friend's dad.We left for Kings Island at 7:30AM, and after stopping at a McDonalds (which was hiring at $8 an hour) we arrived at the park around 10:15 so we missed the opening. My sister had to get her gold pass replaced, so we let her do that, and then we entered the park. We then decided to hit our first ride since I was expecting big crowds (which didn't really show up) and I knew it would build up a line. #1- Flight of Fear Wait: 5 Minutes (1 or 2 dispatches and we were on) My 500+ day streak of not riding roller coasters ended was by this ride, and like a Brock Lesnar F-5, it was furious, fast, and hurt my back (not terribly though). A very fun ride and a great start to the day...also the upgrades this ride has gotten since my last visit are freaking AMAZING. What an awesome lighting package! Rating: 5/5 After FOF, some of us needed to use the restroom, so we headed towards WindSeeker's bathrooms. On the way we passed Scrambler and saw Shake Rattle & Roll- both are beautiful with their new paint jobs! After using them, since we were in the area, why not hit up that huge blue Arrow Megalooper next door? #2- Vortex Wait: Walk-On This would be my sister's first ride in 5-1 after several attempts in the past to convert her (including one case where she chose 5-2 and got thrashed)...she has been converted now. We got some solid air on the first drop, and the ride was actually pretty darn smooth for Vortex standards (granted by now I know where to brace!). An awesome old school coaster, I hope it can stay around for years to come if it can keep giving rides like this. Rating: 5/5 And since we were there... #3- WindSeeker Wait: 5 Minutes (loading/unloading Gondola) WindSeeker...actually working!?!? And letting me ride it!?!? Again? I guess I am starting to get on this ride's good side a bit more in recent years after years of failures. While going 270 feet in the air (as stated by ride-op) is a bit nerve wracking, once you get up there the awesome music and amazing views take your mind off it. And the cool breeze at the top was refreshing. A great ride on a huge flat. Rating: 4/5 As we continued our journey around the park, we decided to head to the right. This led us first to a small but spunky coaster formerly known as the Italian Job... #4- Backlot Stunt Coaster Wait: 10 Minutes The crowds didn't seem to have yet emerged by the time we rode this. BLSC was its usual, spunky self with a very forceful helix and all the effects were working. And the "exit" lights in the final tunnel...are those new? Also the ride-op said we were at Cedar Point in a very trolly fashion. Rating: 4/5 And after BLSC, I knew what was coming next...my favorite coaster in the park, Beast. But what I did not expect... #5- The Beast Wait: Walk-On The walk-on was surprising to me, and what was worse is because apparently this meant there was less weight in the train...thus Beast gave its slowest, least exciting ride I have ever had on it. The trims bit HARD. I even noticed a part of Diamondback off in the distance before the 2nd lift, killing the "you are not in an amusement park" immersion. The final helix tried to make it up, but even that felt nerfed because the helix tunnel lights were on (had they not been, I might have pushed harder for us to stay longer and get a night ride later). Even a bad Beast ride is good, but considering the epic adventures I have had here in years past, this was a disappointment. Rating: 4/5 (even Bad Beast is decent) After a dissapointing Beast ride, we headed around to Diamondback, but skipped it for now as we were getting hungry. My sister and her friend wanted to do Boo Blasters, so we did that. #6- BOO BLASTERS ON BOO HILL Wait: Walk-On HOLY COW MOST OF THE STUFF WAS ACTUALLY WORKING THIS TIME!!! Save the cool fog face...you can't win them all I guess. I also lost in my group, with a score of 660 (my sister had 700+ and her friend was 900+). The ride also felt awfully cheesy even with all of it working. Rating: 3/5 After Boo Blasters, we were hungry so we headed to International Street LaRosa's Pizza, where we found a huge line. Thankfully at least here, service was fairly fast and we got our food in a fair amount of time. But the greasy Pizza upset my stomach a bit, which made the next few rides...interesting, to say the least. We headed to Action Zone... #7- Invertigo Wait: 30 Minutes My stomach was not happy while we waited in line for Invertigo, so I was worried once we got on the ride, something bad might happen- thankfully nothing did (I threw up a little in my mouth but it was barely anything). We rode in the very front which meant backwards first, and...Invertigo was actually pretty smooth in that seat. Very little headbanging, which is a drastic change from my last ride on it in 2014. The G-Forces were also insane (I think it is 5+ G's, the highest of all KI Coasters), which pushed my stomach into the seat. Thankfully after sitting down and having some water I recovered a bit. Would have been more fun had my stomach not been acting up, but still my best ride ever on Invertigo. Rating: 4/5 Next up, we rode Delirium... #8- Delirium Wait: 5 Minutes Delirium with a slightly upset stomach felt weird. At the tops of the arcs, relief. At the bottoms, pressure. I also felt the ride bounce a bit at the arc points, and started to predict it with good accuracy. A very fun (and weird due to the slight nausea) ride on Delirium. Rating: 5/5 After Delirium, we took the long hike to the lair of The Bat...aka the former Jet Carrier... #9- The Bat Wait: Walk-On...and it's a 5 minute walk The Bat was its usual, fast, fun, swing-y self but there were a few rough points and those did mess with my stomach just a bit. Otherwise it was about the same as my past Bat rides (including its Flight Deck days) and was fun. Nice to ride it again after a year and a half. Rating: 4/5 After The Bat, it was time to ride Kings Island's newest coaster, 2014's Banshee. We got a locker and boarded... #10- Banshee Wait: 5 Minutes Due to the fact this is a huge B&M invert with lots of inversions, I was expecting Banshee to be heck on my stomach. Shockingly, it was not at all! In fact it felt better than Bat did...which meant here I could enjoy all of the speed, inversions, and general craziness without my stomach complaining. B&M- you guys amaze me to create fun rides like this that somehow DON'T induce too much nausea... Rating: 5/5 Our Journey around the park was nearing completion, and it was barely 2PM (I think)! Next up was a ride that vows to "Make You Pay"... #11- Adventure Express Wait: 5 Minutes (had a line but in Arrow fashion it ate it) OW. Was Adventure Express ever somehow ROUGHER THAN Vortex!?!? Because somehow, it did it. Thankfully since the speeds weren't crazy it wasn't too bad, but probably one of my weaker AE rides (in spite of the fact all the theming was working...which was actually a common theme on most of the rides I rode...good job KI!) Rating: 3/5 (Would be a 4 but loses points for roughness) Racer had actually developed a big line since only 1 side was running, and some of us wanted to ride The Beast again, so we changed our plans after AE and did that instead. #12- The Beast 2 Wait: 20 Minutes OK, this is more like it. With an actual wait this time, Beast had more weight in the train, and we sat further back in 5-2. End result- a far superior and more intense Beast ride! The trims still bit but not quite as hard, and it felt like the train got the speed back fairly easily. Got a TINY amount of air on the 2nd drop, too. And the helix was even more intense, though the lights in it were still on, but here they made for a good "LOOK HOW CRAZY FAST YOU ARE GOING LOL" marker. (My stomach had some minor hiccups in rough spots but was fine for the most part here) Also on the 2nd lift, we saw WindSeeker stuck around 100 feet in the air, but it was working again within 30 minutes or so. Oh, and one more thing- Ride Op Quote: "If you're excited to ride The Beast, be quiet!" (Total silence) "Awesome!" Rating: 5/5 After Beast 2.0 (which was far superior to Beast 1.0), we headed towards Diamondback again, only for my sister to want to do some rides in the kids area first. We also had a chance to head to the car and I took some Pepto Bismo (which helped a lot). First up, a new (to me) ride that was not there in 2014... #13- WOODSTOCK GLIDERS Wait: 5 Minutes Me and my sister tried to ride together, but it was too much weight. I was about to just go around and get back in line since it was short, but the ride-ops were super nice and let me on the next cycle without going through the que. I saw some dude go crazy and snap a few times. I was nowhere near that crazy (and my sister critiqued me on it) but I still had a lot of fun. This is a great new addition to Kings Island's ride lineup, IMO. Rating: 4/5 After that, she wanted to ride Surf Dog. #14- SURF DOG Me: "It's a dog, it's a dog, it's a...Surfin dog! It's a..." Sister: "No!" Me: " :(" I did not get to sing the Surfin' Dog song while riding it this time. (I did in my head though) A fun ride but it also aggravated my stomach a bit due to the spinning, more than most of the other rides. Rating: 3/5 For my final ride of the day, my sister let me break off and ride Diamondback by myself so long as I agreed to meet at the Eiffel Tower. I agreed. #15- Diamondback Wait: 20 Minutes (Single Rider Line, I would have so used you here...) The Pepto Bismo was starting to kick in, but my stomach still felt a bit woozy. Thankfully, like Banshee, Diamondback was easy on it. I got some great airtime even though I was in the middle, and the ride was pretty smooth though I would call Diamondback more fun than intense. A great ride yet again. Rating: 5/5 As I exited Diamondback, I ran into Don Helbig with a stack of park maps. Not knowing what to do, I just nodded and smiled at him. He nodded back. I then headed back to my sister at the Eiffel Tower, and we went and got some funnel cakes- well they did, I was going easy on the stomach. Also the funnel cake stand didn't open until this point (5PM) because many places were closed or understaffed- probably because school kids work those jobs. This led to huge lines for food, which were most visible from Banshee's lift since you look down Coney Mall from it. Luckily my sister was able to get her funnel cake fairly quickly, and she shared it with me- it was Apple Pie with whipped cream flavor and it was DELICIOUS. Also somehow helped with my stomach. Shortly afterwards, we figured we had done all we really wanted to do, so we headed home. And now, some final thoughts... PROS +Lots of awesome rides +Amazing staff +Funnel Cake was delicious, Pizza was OK (but...) +Almost all theming was working! CONS -Long food lines (staff was trying hard it seemed though at the places I saw) -Pizza made stomach angry Well, that's it for yet another McSalsa Trip Report...which I just realized was my 10th trip to the park. I am sure there will be more in the future, as I will be returning. For now...MCSALSA AWAY!!! (Crashes into WindSeeker) OW.
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My streak of 500+ days without riding a roller coaster...is DEAD!!! (Visited Kings Island today) Crowds were very manageable for rides, though food lines were crazy long (only stood in one of those though all day- it was for a Pizza that was OK but made my stomach feel a bit sick for a part of the day due to how greasy it was which led me to see how much better B&Ms are than other rides at being easy on the stomach as I rode both Banshee and Diamondback afterwards). I also had possibly my best rides ever on Vortex and Invertigo, my worst ride ever on Beast (was still OK but nowhere near the usual Beast standard I have for it- though later I went for a 2nd ride which was up to snuff and thus Beast redeemed itself in 1 day) and I had some of my sister's Apple Pie Funnel Cake which was great. I also got my first ride on Woodstock Gliders (fun ride- I have to be crazier with it next time though as my sister accuses me of being way too tame) and my first daylight ride on WindSeeker, and rode Diamondback by myself for the first time (made we wish they had never gotten rid of the single rider line as that would have really helped). After said Diamondback ride, I saw Don Helbig for the first time, but couldn't bring up any words so I just smiled and nodded at him. (It felt like seeing a freaking Unicorn!) And then by 6:00 we were pooped so we came home even though the park would be open for 4 more hours. I'll do a full trip report later, but for now, this quick summary of my day will do. Also I must commend the employees at Kings Island as they were super friendly and worked very hard today and were all in good moods. In short: Awesome rides, awesome staff, and good food made this a great day at Kings Island and we didn't even need the full day! Oh, and I saw the fence, but it really didn't help me decode 2017 much... (Did not ride Train/Eiffel Tower)...
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Decoding Episode II: Rivertown 2017 and the Falling Trees
McSalsa replied to jcgoble3's topic in Kings Island
If a Half Coaster, Half Water Ride is what Kings Island actually wants...they could go for a Mack Rides Water Coaster. Like Poseidon @ Europa Park... http://www.europapark.de/en/park/attractions-shows/water-rollercoaster-poseidon Listed capacity is 1,600 riders per hour- if that's true, well I know Cedar Fair loves their rides to have high capacity. And it could be sawmill themed or something to fit the "falling trees" theme. I could see this as being a possible option for the 2017 attraction. Granted until we get more clues (like footers), everything is still on the board- from a Giga, to a Woodie, to a Water Coaster, to a flat...to a new hot dog cart. I'll probably be happy with whatever it is. (Except the Hot Dog cart- unless it has some AMAZING hot dogs, to do all this teasing for something like that would seem cruel) -
Looking at the webcams, today is probably an excellent day to visit Kings Island- Diamondback's line is only to the stairs at its worst via its webcam, and it's 2PM now- though since it is a school day crowds might pick up later on when the kids get off. Also since I'll probably be visiting the park in 1 week from now (unless something changes) this has me hoping the lines are like this when I visit, but then again nothing is guaranteed...(checks web site)...uh, how popular is Banshee Brew Festival? It doesn't begin until 4PM, and is an upcharge, but it starts the day we are planning on going...
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Decoding Episode II: Rivertown 2017 and the Falling Trees
McSalsa replied to jcgoble3's topic in Kings Island
Here's a much cleaner sorted list of operating TOGO Stand-Up Coasters... (clears out all the defunct and non-stand up ones for easier viewing) http://rcdb.com/r.htm?na=&nm=na&st=93&pl=&ty=1&de=7&co=6849&order=-20&ot=2 Also they are not ALL in Asia...Freestyle, formerly Skyrider @ Canada's Wonderland, now operates in Italy. (It is the only one outside Asia ATM though) -
Decoding Episode II: Rivertown 2017 and the Falling Trees
McSalsa replied to jcgoble3's topic in Kings Island
^ The ride itself was fine, but Celebration City, the park it was in, shut down after the 2008 season. Ozark Wildcat was thus shut down with it. When whole parks die, in most cases so do a lot of their roller coasters unless they can be re-located, which usually doesn't bode well for woodies. -
That comparison with the Tarver's coasters does sound quite a bit like Voyage's current situation. Like the old Tarver rides, it is large, fast, intense, beats you up, and tears itself up quickly. It could be looked back upon in the coming decades as a modern Crystal Beach Cyclone...with less broken ribs and a much larger scale. If Holiday World does have to demolish Voyage in the next few years because they simply cannot afford to keep it, it will be a huge blow for the park, as it is still seen by many as one of its main attractions. Enthusiasts would be outraged. Kings Island and, if they are still around, Kentucky Kingdom would probably be sure to take advantage of one of their main competitors losing a signature attraction, potentially adding huge new headliner attractions of their own to try and get some of Holiday World's guests. Holiday World would need to get ANOTHER Thunderbird-level ride, and fast, and would possibly need another $20 million to do so. Though Holiday World probably knows this, and will probably fight to keep Voyage running if at all possible. I see them making more modifications or adding trim brakes first- they kind of already have by actually using the MCBR- to cut the costs of upkeep as much as possible. Heck, Legend's modifications may simply be not because that ride was super hard to upkeep (though it is a CCI so it probably had at least some difficulty there) but so they could save money on Legend's upkeep to spend on Voyage's. If that's the case, something might also be in store for Raven in the future as well, even if it might not need it. And if that fails, would Holiday World possibly even remove one of the CCI's in an attempt to fit Voyage's upkeep in their budget? (Though if it got that bad, they should really start to consider RMC IMO...at least that would have the chance of saving the smaller woodies, and keep the Voyage as something) Just some more thoughts I had on the topic. Oh, and just in case anyone was wondering, I have ridden Voyage and am among those who do like the coaster, though the quality of my rides has varied on it more than any other coaster I have ever ridden (Ranging from "OMG THAT WAS AMAZING" in 2010, to "OMG THAT HURT!!!" in 2011, and "OMG THAT WAS AMAZING FIRST HALF AND HURT 2ND HALF!!!" in 2013). I also adore Raven & especially Legend (hoping the changes don't hurt the ride quality too much) so I don't want any of them to go...but, from the looks of things, something might have to change.
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If GCI does make major changes to Voyage (if they can or will), it'll probably be some pretty drastic stuff. I don't see them simply slapping Millennium Flyer trains on it and calling it a day- that didn't help the much smaller Gwazi, a ride GCI had even built themselves, so it would probably have little effect on Voyage. The steel structure might also be the cause of some of the issues, but nearly every other non-prefab/RMC "woodie" that has been on the 150'+ scale have also had some sort of issues with roughness and needing replacement track often regardless of the structure type, which likely makes figuring out if it is the structure's fault or not difficult.
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This thread actually make me remember when I was at Holiday World, rode Voyage, got thrashed and was thinking "Oh boy...if the Timberliners don't work, I don't know how much longer that ride will last in its current form. It will be the next Texas Giant (a once beloved ride that deteriorated and became super rough and thus needed its RMC makeover)." That was in 2011. 5 years ago. Since then, the park has has a major ownership dispute, the Timberliner plan was scrapped, Pilgrims Plunge was removed and Holiday World proved they could build massive expensive rides with Thunderbird, their first B&M roller coaster. And I would say The Voyage remains a huge deal to Holiday World- it is currently still heavily used in their advertising for the park, and most do still enjoy the ride a lot even though it doesn't top favorite wood coaster lists as often as it did even a few years ago anymore. Thus simply demolishing it is probably out of the question for now. I don't know if it can be kept a wooden coaster either- even GCI may not be able to fix the ride's issues with the ride's massive heights and high speeds. Trim Brakes also would not fix any issues long-term and would make the ride worse in the eyes of the coaster community. So while it might be ultra expensive, and they may have ruled it out in the past, I would not be shocked if Holiday World looks to RMC again to try and save at least something from this ride. So far, Voyage seems to be proving as so many other rides did that classic wooden coasters have limits, and if you break them, it might work at first but long-term you are probably gonna have issues. The story of Voyage is gonna be an interesting one when all is said and done at last, I think. And at least I'll be able to tell others (possibly future kids/grandkids/etc.) what this giant wooden coaster was like before the big changes came.
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Decoding Episode II: Rivertown 2017 and the Falling Trees
McSalsa replied to jcgoble3's topic in Kings Island
Wow, I actually just looked again and there does seem to be room that way I didn't see before- you wouldn't even need to demolish anything, though I wonder if the close proximity to Timberwolf would close the coaster down when concerts and stuff were happening (or Timberwolf could just be demolished to open up even more room I guess). Or you could wrap it around The Bat from there. Granted there is currently apparently no construction near the former SOB station ATM and thus our focus is all on Rivertown for now. -
Decoding Episode II: Rivertown 2017 and the Falling Trees
McSalsa replied to jcgoble3's topic in Kings Island
Well, since my last post (which was only yesterday but feels ages ago with how many pages this topic has gotten), I have thought a bit... On the Giga Coaster subject... I was wondering if this was actually going to be a B&M Giga (only brand I can realistically see KI getting), why put it in this spot directly next to Diamondback? Fury 325 and Intimidator at Carowinds come close to each other, but that's Fury's turnaround and Intimidator's station and not the stations of each, which would be the case here. So I thought a bit about the other spots a Giga could go at Kings Island... -Action Zone With Banshee in this spot, the old SOB station getting any use would be a mess. The lift would have to be super steep, and then you also need to have the ride get BACK to the station with a brake run much lower than the lift which would possibly have issues clearing Banshee. Plus this section just got the last big coaster a few years ago. You could in theory also demolish Timberwolf, remove/relocate Congo Falls and or Invertigo and that would open up some room but I don't know if the park would be so eager to demolish 2 rides and a Amphitheater at once just for a Giga. -X Base While the location itself seems perfect (lots of room and could expand behind Firehawk & AE into the old SOB area Banshee doesn't use) I did realize two potential issues with this spot: it is a dead-end ATM, and you don't want a Giga which should end up super popular funneling a TON of guests into a dead-end. Also those tons of guests will also flock to the nearby Firehawk and Flight of Fear, and I don't trust those rides to handle huge crowds all that well given they are fairly low capacity by coaster standards. -Coney Mall, Dinosaurs' Alive! Location The terrain here is REALLY rugged, possibly even more so than in Rivertown, based on my one experience going through Dinos. It could be done, but cost might be an issue. I also wonder if possibly Dinosaurs Alive has done better than we give it credit for, and thus Cedar Fair might wanna keep it around or something. -Rivertown WWC Area (current discussion area) The cons here, as pointed out, are the rugged terrain (which would make a B&M Giga pretty expensive) and the fact it being so close to Diamondback would make this part of the skyline look kinda odd (though that is honestly a small cosmetic gripe and something we'd get used to eventually). Though if the drop goes over, say, the White Water Canyon reservoir or some other body of water, with both its size, steepness, and that at the bottom would likely create one of the greatest drops on any roller coaster period which might be what Cedar Fair might want. I don't think it would be the world's longest roller coaster in this spot though as that would probably be extremely hard to fit in and expensive. I also think it would probably not go towards the parking lot and behind Planet Snoopy, as those seem to be fairly important buildings for storage and Google says human resources is there, and building there anyway just makes most of the ride a parking lot coaster for at least its first few years. The area of the station also boasts other high-capacity thrill-seeker rides nearby like Diamondback (at least so long as the crews are doing a good job) so the overcrowding issue X-Base might have would not really be as much of an issue in Rivertown, plus it's not a dead end. I would still probably prefer a wooden coaster in this particular area (still on Team Wood Coaster ), as I think it would fit the area better, but if Cedar Fair has some awesome idea for a Giga Coaster here (or something else entirely) then I'd still happily take it (Dropping 300+ feet over a water source and then racing through the forest at over 90mph on a B&M does sound awesome). Though also on subject, whatever this ride turns out to be, I hope they preserve enough of the trees to keep some of the area's "wooded" feel and enhance whatever ride/attraction goes in. I also don't see how the Log Flume needs to get removed for any of this. There is enough space with the log flume there for even the huge Giga Coaster. Wow I had a lot of random thoughts for 1 post...then again, these "OMG NEW RIDE COMING LET'S SPECULATE IT!" threads do that... Anyhow, back to waiting for footers to give extra clues...or more vague hints which I learned from Banshee usually mean nothing... -
Decoding Episode II: Rivertown 2017 and the Falling Trees
McSalsa replied to jcgoble3's topic in Kings Island
^ I was actually about to say just that...I agree with KI Guy there- if this is a wooden ANYTHING (RMC, GCI, GG, CCI back from the dead somehow, etc.) there will be lots and lots of footers. The lack of a bajillion footers is what told me Banshee was NOT a wooden coaster back in 2013 (I was hopeful for a Intamin Plug N' Play then but the odds of that have gone kaput since). Though right now I don't see any footers whatsoever via the webcams... BTW I am also firmly on Team Wood Coaster (the option I WANT most). It'll probably be a GCI too since this is Cedar Fair and they are the go-to for them when it comes to wooden coasters if that is the case. Come on, lots and lots of footers... -
Decoding Episode II: Rivertown 2017 and the Falling Trees
McSalsa replied to jcgoble3's topic in Kings Island
Hmm...the falling trees thing has me thinking along the same lines as Jcgoble in the other thread. I'm gonna have to guess this is either a wooden coaster of some sort or a new log flume/water ride. Other possible options I would not rule out include a new set of Antique Cars in the woods but I don't know how that fits the sign...or perhaps that's the point of the sign...or a new dark ride. I don't think the location would work well for a Giga Coaster (not enough room and right next to Diamondback- there are other, far better spots for such a huge coaster at Kings Island IMO) so I don't think that is what it could be. A Blitz-style coaster from Mack rides could also fit there though. If this thread goes even close to what the 2014 one did, it's gonna get crazy here. Only this time I will hopefully have a chance to see whatever construction is going on in person (I did not visit Kings Island in 2013)...from the Eiffel Tower or Diamondback's 230 foot lift hill. Or maybe the walkway. (Not gonna be a fool and trespass and make KIC look bad) -
SeaWorld has posted a test POV of their new-for-2016 roller coaster, Mako, today. Here it is, via Coasterforce's Youtube page: I am not 100% sure it isn't just where the camera is, but Mako looks pretty fast paced versus other B&M hypers like Diamondback. Looks like a great ride to be honest, even if B&M Hypers are far from rare these days. Also the colors really look good IMO.
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Cedar Point 2016 Talk
McSalsa replied to Bansheeback's topic in Other Amusement Parks & Industry News
^ To be honest, even if Cedar Point is actually replacing Shoot-the-Rapids with a GCI, I don't think it will happen THAT quick. 2018-19 at the earliest. Valravn hasn't even opened yet, and they will probably want to let the huge new B&M have at least a few years as the "big new thing". Also most videos like this add a year for some reason when doing "hypothetical concept rides" in areas where new rides can be added. I'm not sure why they do it as once that year passes, it looks a bit odd when the park actually does something else...for example see the "Kings Island 2014 Giga Coaster" concepts. -
Cedar Point 2016 Talk
McSalsa replied to Bansheeback's topic in Other Amusement Parks & Industry News
With Shoot-The-Rapids now gone, some are wondering what will happen with the space opened up in that area. Well, a No Limits 2 user and Youtuber named OpticalKiwi (who previously made a RMC Mean Streak and predicted Fury 325 and Banshee fairly accurately based on the leaked blueprints of them) made a GCI Wooden Coaster called "Badlands" in that area in No Limits 2... Well, looks like it could be possible to build a GCI where Shoot-The-Rapids was...only question is now, will this actually happen or does Cedar Fair have something else in mind? Only time will tell. This is a cool concept IMO though thus why I wanted to share it. -
I have you beaten by 200 days- as of today I stand at 568 days. Last roller coaster I rode was Beast @ Night on September 20th, 2014...however, there is light at the end of the tunnel if current plans do not change, as this "streak" will end at 594 days for me as we are planning a Kings Island trip on May 6th (earliest we can go- my sister doesn't want to do the madness of opening day and works the next week, so Week 3 it will be for me...hopefully so long as nothing changes...). Alas, I know the pain of waiting, but just imagine how much sweeter it will finally be when you sit on that first coaster after so long...I eagerly await it. Plus I'll still get to read all the opening day trip reports and thus we have 2 more weeks to adjust our planned visit accordingly depending on what everyone else discovers is new-for-2016...
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Also FYI - The totals on the magnets - 1st drop 5, 2nd hill 6, brake shed 11, helix drop 5. There are also 5 that you hit first thing before you even get to the safety brakes at the end of the ride to reduce wear, which works beautifully. At the very beginning of the season and at the end during Haunt, they often take 1 section off the second hill, as many as 2 out of the brake shed, and 1 if not 2 off the helix. This is because it's so cold in the mornings during those times of the year. Once the ride is warmed up, there is no way to put them back without closing the ride and bolting them back on, so the evenings during the beginning and especially end of the season has the best rides. During the summer, the cold isn't an issue, so they are kept at full strength leaving the morning rides with cool grease and mostly empty trains to be rather...well...Adventure Express-like. Confound it...quit finding all my mistakes. I also said 3 bench to 4 bench instead of 4 bench to 3 bench. I don't know how that one didn't get caught in quality inspection along with the wrong picture. The acreage...well...that was a forgetful mistake. And that would explain why my Halloween Haunt night rides, as well as the night ride on Opening Day 2014, were so darn good...fully loaded trains (all of those visits were pretty crowded) and less trims than usual. Thanks for the info.
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Hmm. Even though I know lots about this coaster (it is favorite after all), I still learned a thing or two here. Great video. Mainly the explanation of why in May 2014 I got a slower-than-usual ride on the mid-section of the ride (now I know because it wasn't crowded, the train was probably running pretty light, thus the shed brake bit HARD). Also the part that mentions how high up the first brake shed is- I actually did notice that once during a ride in Halloween Haunt 2010. Surprised me a bit as I thought that was low to the ground at first.
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On the subject that was discussed a few pages ago (Kings Dominion vs. Kings Island tree-ness), I watched a Youtube video a few days which was a tour of Kings Dominion, and was shocked how GORGEOUS that park looks. Wow. And most of that was how huge and nice their trees are. And also they have a Ferris Wheel, their OLD Flying Eagles, a working decently themed Top Spin, and their Antique Cars. Aka a lot of the stuff KI fans lost and want back. Also: Antique Cars in the woods near WWC would be awesome thanks in part due to the huge amount of trees back there- it would feel like you were driving along a road in the woods. And possibly over a river (WWC). I'd like it if done right.
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Well, this is tough to choose, as I've had many memorable visits to Kings Island in the last few years- and though my first ever trip as a kid in 2000, my return for the first time in 9 years in 2009, and others were pretty memorable, amazingly I'd have to say they got beaten in that regard. What visit beat them out? Opening Day 2014. My first ever opening day, and the public debut of the awesome Banshee roller coaster. Son of Beast (an iconic ride because it was so huge and was the big new ride on my first ever visit) was gone, and this new coaster had replaced it. I also had the papers to redeem for my first-ever gold season pass. I knew we were gonna be in for a long day though, before we even hit the parking lot, as someone driving a blue SUV line jumped the line of cars trying to get in the park and scraped our rental SUV (the police later confronted them and they probably got hit with a huge fine). It was an hour just to get into the park. Total list of things I rode that day, in order: Backlot Stunt Coaster (45 minute wait), Banshee (4 1/2 hour wait), and The Beast @ Night (90 minute wait). Yep, that's it. We also ate Chicken from the then-new Chicken Shack (I remember it being amazing), Hank's Burritos (also very good that day), and we visited Dinosaurs Alive for the first time. I also had WindSeeker break down on me for what felt like the billionth time (finally riding that thing later in the year felt so rewarding). Banshee was actually worth the super-long wait, but as it has done to me on nearly every visit I have had to KI save perhaps one time which was also in 2014, Beast stole the show with an incredible night ride with my sister (the rest of the group had broken away and left us to do it by ourselves). It was not exactly the best day at Kings Island, but sometimes, you remember how you had fun in spite of major problems. (Halloween Haunt 2010 was not THIS bad, but it was also a crowded crazy visit and that one was also memorable). Also a follow-up visit the next month with nearly zero crowds helped make up for it. I even did a trip report on this particular trip. Link below for those interested in the full story... http://www.KICentral.com/forums/index.php/topic/29273-mcsalsas-coaster-adventures-tr-Banshee-madness-2014/