McSalsa

^ A decent time period, maybe a month but I'm not 100% sure. What also hurt it though is they didn't use the 5th car on either of the 2 trains after it re-opened, hampering capacity and thus further decreasing ridership. Also I have to wonder if this somehow is what boosted Firehawk.

This is one of the songs I recall playing during my visit during Haunt in September... Fun Fact: This song also played on The Beast's lift hill from 2009 (at least) to I think around 2011 or so. In 2012 it was changed to a song from Lost. Oddly enough, no music was playing on Beast during my Haunt visit, as if it had given up its soundtrack for the park to use...

Ahh, forgot how cool the summer was. That kinda explains Congo's drop- though WWC didn't drop nearly as much as Congo did (It did still go down) though the log flume (RFYLCB) also saw a decent drop in ridership. I stick by my Invertigo theory though.

^ Congo Falls and Invertigo were down, and those 2 are in Action Zone. Not every ride in AZ went up. EDIT: And I'll give my rough guesses why... Congo Falls- People who came for Banshee didn't want to get wet? Invertigo- I'm guessing that now that there's a large full-circuit invert in the park that 90%+ or more of guests would take over this, this ride may get walked by more often since it is no longer the only adult looping inverted coaster.

Macaroni and Cheese Pizza...Mmmmmmmm...(Yes I actually like it, though to be fair I'm not super-picky when it comes to types of Pizza)

Oops. Double post. STOOPID INTERNET!!!

I hate to bump my own old TR thread but I think I figured out what kind manufacturer the Wild Mouse was...it was apparently a Zamperla "Twister Coaster 420STD". This is a similar ride at Martin's Fantasy Island with the same color scheme... Info Page http://rcdb.com/2983.htm# Just found this interesting as I was wondering who made that Wild Mouse when riding it...

Well, I only managed to make 3 amusement park trips in 2014, all to Kings Island...even though I did get a pass and still do feel that it was worth it. Nonetheless, I didn't get more than 3 rides in on anything, but did get 3 rides on a handful of rides... Banshee No duh, considering this was the big new ride for the season of course it would be ridden a lot for me. 2 daytime rides, one with a 4 1/2 hour wait on opening day but took front row and the second was a walk-on on a weekday in May, and then one night ride on the first Saturday of haunt in September. All 3 rides were fast, forceful, and awesome. The Beast My favorite ride in the park no this one is another huge "duh"- ironically in this case the night rides outnumbered the daytime rides 2 to 1 though. The ride was running great this season as well, the offseason track work they did really seemed to do wonders. Felt a bit slower than usual at points on the May trip though (the one daytime ride I got)- the coaster seemed to run best at cooler temperatures in 2014 as it was incredible for the night rides. Diamondback Along the lines of The Beast, Diamondback gave some of its best rides I have ever had on it this year- the rattling was barely there and only on the first drop, and the airtime just felt stronger and like it lasted longer. This may have been due to me finally trying from the very back though- and boy, doing that at night made for an incredible ride to open up my HH visit. And now, the one that caught me off guard and pre-season I never would have expected to ride 3+ times in one season... Backlot Stunt Coaster Well, usually this thing has a big line, but I got lucky (well save opening day when the wait was 45 minutes but my sister really wanted to do it) this season and found some short lines on 2 trips- and behold, BLSC is actually a pretty solid family ride. And it gets a pretty sizeable thrill boost at night I would not have expected- really makes the cop chase and helicopter scenes more epic. Honorable Mentions- Rides I got 2 rides on in 2014 but not 3: Flight of Fear, Vortex, and White Water Canyon. FOF and WWC were both on a single trip (the May one) and were immediate re-rides. Vortex was ridden once in May, and again at night in September. There were a LOT of rides I rode once and only once in 2014 (noteables there would be the newly re-themed Bat, and the new-for-me WindSeeker and RFYLCB Log Flume both of which I hadn't ridden until 2014). Didn't manage to ride Firehawk in 2014, oddly enough. Overall it was an awesome year for me.

^ Tragically me too. Have never been to a Six Flags even- so far just Indiana Beach (and that was in 1999 most recently), Kings Island, and Holiday World. The only other parks we could possibly afford going to without needing to get a hotel (which makes the trip usually too expesnive) would be Kentucky Kingdom and (looked it up and it's surpsingly "only" 3 hours away like Holiday World is) Beech Bend. Cedar Point, Six Flags Great America, Six Flags St. Louis, and Dollywood would be the "stretch" parks within a 4-5 hour or so drive that we'd likely need a hotel if we visited. In an ironic twist, every single B&M Wing Rider in the United States is at one of those parks. Edit: Update- I forgot Michigan's Adventure, which is within 5 hours of my house as well. Oops. Well, I can't really blame myself for forgetting that park- not too many people talk about it and it's newest major coaster was a used Vekoma SLC...and Coney Island Ohio, but that park is super-small compared to most of these...

If the person who votes average lacks perspective...I fear for the mind of the guy who votes "Garbage".

^^^ Oh, sorry. Yeah I kind of did overlook the "Family with Teens" demographic- my bad. That group will likely miss out on what's probably going to be a solid ride because it's in the "kiddie" area, and not know what they are missing. Which is kind of sad because Surf Dog and RFYLCB (Log Flume) likely already get hit. They still put up great ridership numbers, and are popular enough even without that group. And reading Terpy's post, perhaps we "win"- shorter lines for us if those teens refuse to step foot in Planet Snoopy. I have only been one 1 set of Scooters- the ones at Holiday World- and I actually even enjoyed those, and if those are a "bad" set then I really would like to see what even a "decent" set can do...

Oh No. It is another McSalsa poll! Wait, one of these hasn't come in months... Well, 2014 at Kings Island is very nearly over as I write this. Only a day and a half remain until the park closes, and we won't see it again until April 2015. The year was certainly eventful for the park...so, here is one of my "annual" polls- how good did you think Kings Island did for the 2014 season? And what event did you feel had the greatest impact? And, since a major new ride opened, what did you think specifically of Banshee- Kings Island's soon-to-no-longer-be-"new" inverted coaster, after a full year? Enjoy the poll. If you dislike, you can click back.

Putting them in Planet Snoopy keeps families from riding together...how? Adults can ride many of the attractions in that section even without a child (Surf Dog, Woodstock Express, and The Log Flume among other things) and Flying Scooters usually have a 36-inch height requirement, which lines up well with many kids attractions. And it is not unheard of for this type of ride to go in a kid's area or park. This actually does still go with Ouimet's image- location really doesn't factor in too much when determining if families can ride together. They can still do just that in Planet Snoopy as well as they would in Coney Mall, Rivertown, etc etc. Unless it's you hate the fact the Scooters are being dropped in a "kiddie" area, and you refuse to touch anything with that label- TV, Books, Video Games, Movies, etc etc. In that case, I feel a bit bad because then you miss out- sometimes, stuff made for kids can be better than what adults get. And to Goodyellowkorn: Oh...yes...that name is so full of win.

In some ways yes, in some no- I'd think this is a brand new set, not the old ones that got sent to Carowinds. Still, new Eagles beats out no Eagles at all. A second kids ride is also nice. I don't expect too many people are going to miss Snoopy's Splash Dance. Also these additions will be the first all-new rides in the kids area since 2006 (the 2010 Planet Snoopy re-theme added no new rides). Also it's great to hear SR&R is indeed coming back in 2015 with a new lighting package. The new shop announcements are also mostly welcome, though it seems Starbucks really is everywhere these days. Overall: I like the new-for-2015 additions as they make sense in a period right after a new roller coaster. TBH for 2016 I expect something in the Water Park or a dark ride or something along those lines.

This guy on Google reviews going by the name of Randy Cramer sums it up pretty well (no it is not me, he may be a KIC member but I don't know): "It's an awesome park, and a lot of fun. Most of the negative reviews here you can account for being based mainly on people's own stupidity. Complaints their are no bins for the Firehawk to store their items like phones? There are lockers located at that ride, with a huge sign that says, "no storage bins on these rides". Huge lines on the weekends?? You don't say lol... Your friend bought a ticket from a private seller and Kings Island wouldn't honor it when you got their? That's illegal, and it's called scalping. Those tickets are given to employees for their personal use, and are not intended to be sold. The list goes on and on. The only truly valid and repetitive complaint I've seen in any of these reviews is the cost of food. It is marked up in many cases by 400% of what you'd pay outside of the park, and when you know people will stay all day, that's ludicrous and frankly just rude. Other than that, it's an amazing park with amazing rides and staff." Also there's a person who thinks Banshee is nothing more than FACE/OFF repainted. Uhh, the invert right next to the entrance which was FACE/OFF is NOT Banshee, that's Invertigo, Banshee is near the back of the Action Zone section where King Cobra/Son of Beast were...

Oh dear- I just looked some stuff up on a web site called Nadaguides which games you a basic estimate of what a car/classic car is worth, and based it on these comments: today that GTO, according to them... Runs but could def. use some work: $39,620 Runs great and is in good shape with only minor issues: $71,820 Excellent Condition with only VERY minor issues: $173,320 Then again, some solace: your mother is likely not the only one kicking herself as many of these old school classic cars were once around, then sold thinking they would never be popular again. The price tags they get these days however suggests otherwise. Here's the link where I got these prices: http://www.nadaguides.com/Classic-Cars/1970/Pontiac/GTO/2-Door-Hardtop-Judge/Values

Wow...50 million riders. Hey wait...in 2014... Banshee opens and reaches the 1,000,000 rider milestone and might even hit 2M. Diamondback hits the 10,000,000 rider mark. Racer finallyhits the 100,000,000 rider mark. And now Beast is looking to hit 50,000,000. Wow. What a year for coaster milestones at Kings Island, eh?

Off-topic but: I spy a Pontiac GTO "Judge" in this picture. Awesome old muscle car. Sadly in 1972 they were starting to go "out of style" as the Muscle Car Era was dying...also nice photos of the resort, though to be 100% fair I have never stayed at ANY hotel near KI (we are close enough to drive there and back within a reasonable time fame) much less this one. Edit: Wow, it really is a small world after all. Seeing this picture, I decided to look up "Pontiac GTO Judge commercial" on Youtube for some reason, and guess who did the music for the 1969 GTO Judge ad? Paul Revere and the Raiders, who's lead singer would go on to get married at Kings Island (and then he recently died). So the car has a link to Kings Island History to boot! Here is said commercial:

Honestly, at this point it would be less of a re-opening of Geauga Lake and more of a "building a new park where an old park once was- save ONE roller coaster that's still there" since nearly everything there is in disarray or removed by now. And that's even if that happens, which is an uber-longshot: I do not see Cedar Fair adding any new parks for the near future (10 years+ or so) especially so close to Cedar Point. And even if it did happen, it would very likely be a MUCH smaller park than what it was at its "peak" in the Six Flags era. Geauga Lake, sadly, is dead with a less than 1% chance of returning at this point. Overgrowth from Six Flags, followed by Cedar Fair needing to gut something to make room for the Paramount Parks aquisition, is what I feel killed it. Which is a shame because this did seem like a great park.

Well, I have some stuff about HW I felt was worth posting...first up: Thunderbird gets looped! And also, remember how the Google Street Crew visited HW earlier this year? Well...it's here...drop the yellow "guy" in and have fun. https://www.google.com/maps/place/Holiday+World+%26+Splashin%27+Safari/@38.1226,-86.912673,17z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m2!3m1!1s0x886e581193468c21:0x50d781efa416e09b

^ Even though I have only been to a handful of parks at best (Kings Island, Holiday World, and back in 1999 Indiana Beach) I can ALREADY vouch for the wooden coaster thing with KI's and HW's woodies alone. I'll use KI's Red Racer as a example: May 5th, 2012: I ride in the front seat. It's uber-smooth for a wooden coaster, the airtime is fantastic, and I was actually able to keep my hands up the entire ride with ease. Easily my best ever ride on the coaster. Was the first ride of the day, too... May 13th, 2014: 2 years later, I ride Racer again from the same seat. Mid-day this time though. However, the difference is drastic- the ride was pretty rough, the airtime was far weaker (save one spot but it was ruined by excessive roughness that hit at the same spot causing me to slam into my lapbar) and the ride was only somewhat enjoyable. WORST ride I ever had on either Racer- yeah, Blue was never this bad and from what I've read that's usually the worst of the two. Beast was not running at its best either (though it was more it didn't feel as fast, that ride was still very smooth feeling) so I have to wonder if the weather caused this awful ride. And there you have a good example of how wooden coasters can often be very different just based on when you ride them. Wet track due to rain will also have a huge effect. Another example: on my first visit to Holiday World in 2010, I rode all 3 wooden coasters (Raven-Legend-Voyage in that order) and got excellent airtime on every single one. On trip #2 in 2011, it was hot & muggy and only Legend had any decent airtime spots whatsoever- and Voyage felt 10x rougher than in 2010. In 2013, my 3rd and most recent trip to that park, Raven & Legend were actually even BETTER than they were in 2010- but Voyage fell somewhere in the middle, far better than it was in 2011 but not nearly as good as 2010. And well, that's all the info I can give about how wooden coasters seem moody, from my experience. From what I've done so far, it seems Beast @ KI and Legend @ HW are the most consisent wooden coasters I've been on...and even they fluctuate. Steel coasters do it too, but it's nowhere near as drastic- usually it's just a bit less airtime or something on those.

^ Not only that, but La Ronde in Canada has BOTH a Vekoma SLC and a B&M Batman clone. http://rcdb.com/4567.htm (see "Vampire" and "Ednor") That's kinda weird.

Hmm...the question of how much longer the 3 Arrow coasters @ Kings Island will last is an interesting one. My thoughts are based on looking at other coasters that are either still around or have been demolished. I'll start with Vortex... Vortex The ride is still reliable, popular, and high-capacity- these 3 factors are clearly in Vortex's favor. However, several of its kin have bit the dust, but not all- the Loch Ness Monster at BGW is nearly a decade older, is also very large and fast, and it's still running well. However, once metal fatigue starts to set in (will probably happen to an older ride like LNM first before Vortex though) I don't think Vortex has a chance. Vortex will probably reach its 30th anniversary in 2017. 35th is possible. 40th is a large stretch. But I'm 90% sure Vortex won't be able to hit 50, sadly. The Bat Big Bad Wolf gives us a timetable here- that ride lasted 25 years before kicking the bucket. According to that timetable, The Bat will end its run in 2018. Though Iron Dragon @ Cedar Point has already reached 25 as well, that's a much tamer coaster, and being aggressive does wear a coaster down faster. And Vortex @ Canada's Wonderland is very popular, so it's also possible The Bat could be scrapped simply to help that ride last longer. However, the ride was just re-named and re-painted...but King Cobra was repainted in 1999. In 2002, it was gone. So that doesn't help as much as I'd originally think. The Bat will probably outlive Vortex, but I'd guess it would too be gone not too long after. Adventure Express Of the 3, this one will probably be the last Arrow in the park when all is said and done. Mine Train Coasters in general seem to have insanely long lifespans for steel coasters, with many from the mid-1960's still running strong today (AE opened in 1991- 25 years after the 1st mine train opened and that one is STILL running today to boot). This is probably also due to, as suggested above, the fact Mine Trains are family coasters and thus don't have crazy g-forces. The wooden supports also likely help as those would be easy enough to fix/replace. I could actually see this ride still running in the year 2040 or later, so long as its popularity doesn't drop off or the park decides it's in the way of some huge new coaster or something. If it can do that, it could actually likely outlive rides like BLSC or Firehawk. Then again, dumb management has likely killed good coasters that still had plenty of life in them before...though ATM AE should be safe since Cedar Fair seems to know what they're doing. And that's about how long I'd estimate all 3 Arrows have to go. My advice: ride Vortex & The Bat as much as possible in the next few years, they could be going soon. Ride AE too, though that's more because it's a great ride of its type and not so much that it's going anywhere anytime soon.

Great Trip Report, and awesome photos. Beast does seem to be running great since it's re-track this year, ESPECIALLY at night. Diamondback has seemed better too, in fact...looks like the park's other signature rides may have been nervous of Banshee's debut and upped their game or something.

Well, that's MUCH better than shutting it down for the entire fall season- which I recall they did a few years back, leaving only Raven & Voyage open. I'd still advise getting out to Holiday World fairly soon though if you're wanting to do that trip, since it may close 2 weeks early again. Otherwise, you'll be missing out on a great wooden coaster during your trip.