McSalsa

If my memory serves me right, when Holiday World first announced that they would be running the PTC trains on Voyage this year, they said The Timberliners were still coming for 2012. And they have said nothing since to denote otherwise, so I'd say it's still on. But they also said they would be 7-car PTC trains, and when I visited Holiday World on August 28th, The Voyage was running 6-car PTC trains (where was car #7?). (And the ride was quite rough and missing its usual massive airtime to boot!) As for the topper track discussion plus Timberliners, I see no way how it would not work. Hey, perhaps Kings Island should get Rocky Mountain to give Son of Beast the "Iron Horse" treatment, and then put Timberliners on it...it would probably solve most, if not all, of the ride's problems...except the problem with this idea is, according to a Kinzel quote, it would cost over $20+ million dollars, bringing the total cost for Son of Beast to over $50,000,000 ($20M for the original build, a quote I read said they had already spent $10M more on it, plus the $20M for Iron Horse, plus whatever Timberliners cost). Yikes. You could build a B&M Hyper Racing Coaster (WHY HAS NO ONE DONE THAT YET BTW) for that price! But, parks have been willing to give older rides expensive modifications in the past...see X2 @ Six Flags Magic Mountain, which supposedly cost over $40,000,000 when its "upgrade" was complete...

Uh-Oh...it's Screamscape rumor time! http://www.screamscape.com/html/kings_island.htm Screamscape, the amusement park rumor site, is reporting that they have heard a rumor that 2011 was The Crypt's final season. While Screamscape isn't the most reliable source in the world, this rumor could be true- The Crypt hasn't exactly been met with a warm reception in recent years, and a lot of people on KIC claim it to be boring and waste of space. While this is JUST A RUMOR, I felt this info should be passed along. Take it with a grain of salt (actually, a grain may not be enough, take this with a SPOON), I'm not saying The Crypt will or will not be here when KI opens again for 2012...but, if it doesn't stay, I won't exactly cry or change plans to visit the park, etc etc. What do you think? Should KI keep The Crypt and continue to attempt to make it "not boring" (Be aware and take notes- this ride was never built to do numerous flips and does not like fog and water, and Cedar Fair isn't Disney when it comes to theming their rides) or just get rid of the darn thing, replacing it?

Sorry to hear about your father. I know what it's like, my dad passed away a few years ago as well. As for these pictures: WOW. Amazing stuff. I especially liked the picture from the 50' deck of the Eiffel Tower looking towards the end of Coney Mall and The Bat. I clicked around trying to save it (that picture is going on my desktop I like it so much), and the album name says "Kings Island 1985"...was The Bat still standing in the winter of 1985? Apparently, if that date is correct, it was...

My Picks: Best Amusement Park Kings Island Best Theme Park Holiday World Best Value Park Holiday World Top 5 Wooden Coasters #1-The Beast, Kings Island (2010: 3rd) #2-The Voyage, Holiday World (2010: 1st) #3-The Legend, Holiday World (2010: 2nd) #4-The Raven, Holiday World (2010: 4th) #5-Red Racer, Kings Island (2010: 5th) Beast lays claim to the #1 spot as the Voyage and Legend gave me some dissaponting rides this year while it improved. Top 5 Steel Coasters #1-Diamondback, Kings Island (2010: 1st) #2-Vortex, Kings Island (2010: 3rd) #3-Flight of Fear, Kings Island (2010: 2nd) #4-Flight Deck, Kings Island (2010: 4th) #5-Firehawk, Kings Island (2010: 5th) Not much change here besides Vortex & Flight of Fear switching positions. Best Flatride: Delirium @ Kings Island (2nd year in a row) Best "New" Ride: Bakuli @ Holiday World Best New Ride: N/A. I did not ride anything "brand new" this year. Most Beautiful Park: Holiday World/Kings Island (Tie) Best Water Ride: Wildebeest @ Holiday World Best Waterpark: Splashin' Safari Best Park Staff: Kings Island Best Kids Area: Kings Island Best Park Show: Still N/A... Cleanest Park: Holiday World Best Halloween Event: Kings Island's Halloween Haunt I really need to go to more parks!

Well, Amusement Today has released their 2011 Golden Ticket Awards and once again, what a pile of (Insert Curse Word Here)! So, here's another "annual" poll from McSalsa (I did this same poll last year in 2010). Enjoy. What are YOUR picks for the following categories? You may also create your own if you feel I did not include one you'd want, but keep it realistic please (IE: No giving Kings Island an award for "Best Trash Cans", etc.) The Categories... Best Amusement Park Best Theme Park Best Value Park (New for 2011!) Best Wood Coaster(s) (You can name just one, or make a "Top X" list) Best Steel Coaster(s) (Same thing as Wood) Best Flatride Best "New" Ride (New for you, does not have to be a brand-new ride) Best New Ride (Has to be a real, brand-new for 2011 ride) Best Park Food Most Beautiful Park Best Water Ride (Includes river rapids, splash rides, and waterslides etc etc) Best Waterpark Best Park Staff Best Kids Area Best Park Show Cleanest Park Best Halloween Event (like KI's haunt, etc etc) Enjoy the poll. If you dislike, click back. A SUGGESTION http://www.KICentral...et&fromsearch=1 If you did this poll last year (link above), click that and see your results. Then, for your steel/wood coaster rankings, you can mark if they have improved or gone down. Optional but would be nice.

I was just stating what I'd heard about the reputations of most of these. Thinking again, perhaps that wasn't the best idea...I was just trying to simply say, could it be Son of Beast is just too big for a wooden coaster- even before factoring in poor construction, etc. And, from what I have seen, Mean Streak and Rattler don't exactly get the best reviews most of the time...here's the TPI page for Mean Streak, read the comments. It's pretty "mixed", even though there are some positive reviews: http://www.themeparkinsider.com/reviews/cedar_point/mean_streak/ Now, as I have yet to visit either SFFT or Cedar Point, I won't have a true, 100% say on how good/bad these coasters may or may not be for myself. I was merley going on what I had heard about their repuations- then again if I always followed that, I would probably hate Kings Island's own Vortex- and I do not, in fact quite the opposite.

WOW. Diamondback is no longer a Top 10 Steel Coaster. Didn't see that coming.

Probably worth noting: the reputation of OTHER giant wooden coasters in the United States over 150 feet. Son of Beast Builder: RCCA Height: 218' Drop: 214' Speed: 78.4mph, SBNO The ride in question. Son of Beast is known for being an ultra-rough, jackhammering, painful, accident-prone wooden coaster ever since it made its debut in 2000. Poor construction may also be to blame. El Toro, Six Flags Great Adventure Builder: Intamin Height: 181' Drop: 176' Speed: 70mph Intamin Pre-Fab Coaster, not a traditional wooden coaster. Thus, no need to use it for comparison. The Rattler, Six Flags Fiesta Texas Builder: Not known according to RCDB, I belive this was a RCCA as well however Height: 179.7' Drop: 124' (Originally 166') Speed: 65mph Was the tallest wooden coaster in the world before Son of Beast opened. Originally opened with a 166' drop, however, numerous roughness complaints and problems forced the park to shorten it to a mere 124'. The ride is still considered very rough and appears in very few "best wooden coaster" lists. The Voyage, Holiday World Builder: The Gravity Group Height: 163' Drop: 154' Speed: 67mph Still "young". Voted one of the best wooden coasters in the world year after year, however, recently problems have begun to arise, mainly that the ride, as it has begun to age, has become rough. New trains, the Timberliners, are set to debut in 2012 to attempt to fix this problem. Dropped from 1st to 6th in Mitch Hawker's Coaster Poll last year. This is the only coaster I have personally ridden on this list, and while an amazing ride, my last ride on it jackhammered me from the bottom of the first drop to the final brakes. Ouch. Mean Streak, Cedar Point Builder: Dinn Corporation Height: 161', Drop: 155', Speed: 65mph Debuted in 1991 and was considered one of the world's best wooden roller coasters, however by the early 2000s it began to become known as "very rough". A re-tracking and re-build of the trains after a small fire this year seems to have helped it quite a bit, however, it may simply be a matter of time before it returns to its old, rough ways. Has been trimmed in an attempt to lesser the roughness, but this so far has done little other than make the ride "boring". And, that's it for all the wooden coasters over 150' still in existence today in North America. Not very good, is it? Only El Toro, which is a pre-fab, has managed to escape becoming "very rough". Throw in the fact that Son of Beast was not well built (unlike coasters The Voyage, which were in their young years smooth and enjoyable), and thus never even had a "it was smooth when it opened" stage...and you have a serious problem. And neither Voyage, Rattler, nor Mean Streak have had serious accidents. Timberliners and a good re-tracking could probably help those 2 coasters (Voyage and Mean Streak), Son of Beast would very likely need something much, much more...Rattler probably needs more than Timberliners too, for that matter.

I just looked at the Haunt website, and on the list of rides they will have open, one caught my eye: http://www.visitkingsisland.com/haunt/attractions/thrill_rides/all_rides.cfm Congo Falls WILL BE OPEN for haunt this year. Strange, but welcome.

^ Actually, that's a version of the Speed Slide. They come in a few variations: the "cliff" style is one that goes STRAIGHT DOWN. There are some speed slides that have "bunny hops" however, and some even have trap doors. Heights of over 100 feet are not unheard of, and are supposed to be some of the most intense, frightening water slides in the world.

A Cheetah-Hunt style ride would be great for Holiday World. From what I've heard and POVs I have seen, while the ride is "intense", it's not crazy and could be a perfect fit...if done correctly. Add to much intensity, and the "Liberty Launch to Raven" gap would remain as the new ride might end up surpassing Raven or even Legend in intensity...possibly Voyage too, but that would be pretty difficult considering how intense that ride is. It would still be a worthwhile addition, however. And, as a "smaller" coaster, it would allow Voyage to retain its title as Holiday World's "big bad extreme thrill machine", which would be important if I were choosing a new steel coaster.

My Personal Vote: A tricked-out, highly themed water coaster could be very awesome...imagine, the ride begins with a themed lift similar to Adventure Express, and then drops into the actual "slide" part of the ride. As you zoom around twists and turns, fake volcanoes erupt, shooting water into the air...wait a second, forget it, this is Cedar Fair...oh well, a 200-foot tall water coaster will be good fun too!

When Kings Island first revealed the concept art for Soak City 2012, I noticed the new entrance, wave pool, and volleyball court...but, I saw something else as well: plenty of room for future water slides! And thus, here's yet another poll for you guys. Basically, what kind of water slide would you like to see added to the waterpark? I did not include types Kings Island already has, since that would be kind of pointless. I got all the different types from Wikipedia, but if you know a type of waterslide NOT listed above, please post (or choose other) and I may add it. Enjoy the poll. If you dislike, click back. PICTURES OF THE TYPES OF WATERSLIDES I INCLUDED: Aqualoop http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_cVF2LlOx6Zc/S84kPSQaQsI/AAAAAAAALho/yJWEZEXbYrM/s1600/duelingaqualoops.jpg Behemoth Bowl http://coastercommunity.com/gallery2/d/8005-2/Bakuli.jpg Half Pipe (sorry, not the biggest image) http://img.archiexpo.com/images_ae/photo-m2/aquatic-park-half-pipe-ramp-346579.jpg Speed Slide http://i01.i.aliimg.com/photo/v0/101287837/Speed_Slide_Water_Parks.jpg Water Coaster http://0.tqn.com/d/themeparks/1/0/P/-/1/WildebeestLayout.jpg

^ Blue Streak, while I have never been on, is actually probably a good ride...personally, maybe its just me, but I do want a new wooden coaster at Cedar Point. The ratio is terrible: 15 steel coasters to just TWO woodies? Plus, the idea of a wooden twister coaster at CP is just too good to NOT consider. Of course, there is another park I'd like to see get a wooden coaster: Busch Gardens Williamsburg. Seriously, they have zero when it comes to wooden coasters. Yet they have some great terrain, and a beautiful location, and with their reputation for theming...(begins to daydream about a fictional wooden terrain coaster at BGW)...

^ ...true, it is. But since it's just a relocation I figured it didn't need included on the list...

I just realized something: B&M is kicking some serious (SHUT YO MOUTH!) this year. #1: See above! #2: X-Flight @ SF Great America, another excellent looking Wing-Rider for the USA. #3: Leviathan @ Canada's Wonderland, the first ever B&M Giga Coaster #4: Unnnamed but looking Kick-Butt Invert @ Parc Asterix France (thanks to Kid33 for this one!) Just amazing. How I think Intamin might be reacting:

Oh, guess what? I just checked Screamscape. They STILL don't have this up, and Dollywood's official site for the new ride is now online. EPIC FAIL. PS: Here is Official Website for Wild Eagle. http://dw-2012.com/

^ I meant they either need to FIX their "Bad" one (Mean Streak), or build something new like a GCI, Intamin, or Gravity Group wooden coaster. A Wing-Rider wouldn't be a bad choice, but it would still leave that gaping hole in Cedar Point's coaster lineup. They are located in a region where coasters like Beast, Voyage, Thunderhead, and numerous other world-class wooden coasters reside and yet all they have is a fun, but small out and back wooden coaster and a lumbering, over-rough (though it seems to have improved with the recent re-tracking) giant. And to Dollywood's advantage: Cedar Point does have the beach, but a Wing Rider running through the woods, as seen here, is something they cannot duplicate. As for this being "the best coaster ever", it has a legit shot, but it must go through some serious competition to win that title: Millennium Force, Bizarro, El Toro, X2, The Voyage, our own Diamondback and Beast, and MANY others are not exactly "chumps" that will go down without a fight. And finally, I too am dissapointed with no POV.

^ How do you know Cedar Point's will be better? Or that they are even getting a Wing Rider? There are other types of rides Cedar Point might get in 2013 (they need a modern, world-class woodie. BAD.). We have to wait until next year to see, though...

One word to describe this coaster: EPIC.

^ Planet Snoopy, in October, is usually open Saturdays and Sundays. On Saturday, however, when Haunt begins, Planet Snoopy closes. There is also a kids halloween event called Howl-O-Fest during this time.

^ Or even the first lift hill on the original Beast: Racer lift hill: 88' The Beast lift hill: 110' (though largest drop, using terrain, is 141') Son of Beast loop: 118' Son of Beast lift hill: 218' (a whopping 108' difference between the 2 coasters, and Beast is generally considered a "large" wooden roller coaster itself, based on height!) In Fact...this may shock some of you: only 3 of Kings Island's roller coasters, besides SOB itself, are taller than the loop- Invertigo, Vortex, and of course Diamondback. The rest are all shorter. That was one BIG loop. And yet, there are even bigger loops!

^^ That (Incredible Hulk) actually looks...fun. At least to me. But remember, I enjoyed Vortex (known for being a head-banger), Invertigo (another known head-banger), and enjoyed the ride from the middle seat on Voyage that my friend considered "almost as rough as Son of Beast from the back seat!". So...take that for what it's worth. And, I have seen Incredible Hulk pop up on "Best Steel Coaster" lists. Quite a few, actually- it's supposed to be a really good ride.

^ In a bizzare twist, the Incredible Hulk @ IOA was the first coaster/ride outside of Kings Island or Holiday World I have ever dreamed about. And I'm not sure why. Yes, I have heard of it, but it's not the first coaster I think of when I think of rides OUTSIDE the two parks listed above. Those would be rides like: Millennium Force, Magnum XL-200, El Toro, etc. However, here's my top 3 "they show in my dreams the most" rides. All from...Kings Island. #3: Vortex/Diamondback (tie) #2: The Beast and #1... #1: Son of Beast. Also worth noting: Drop Tower, Delirium, Invertigo, BLSC, Flight Deck, Firehawk, and a few others have never been in any of my dreams whatsoever!

Well, I just remembered something kinda creepy: a few weeks before making this trip, I had a dream. I went to Holiday World, and got on Voyage, and there was LITTLE to NO airtime! Tried it again from a seat further back, and still not much. And guess what happened in real life? The same thing. I am officially freaked out. Although, if my dreams ARE true (and telling me what rides I will ride in the future), then supposedly I will ride...The Incredible Hulk @ Universal Studios in Florida. And if my dream is also correct, I will LOVE it. (These were 2 different dreams, with the Hulk one coming...last night!)