McSalsa

Well, for those of you who missed opening day 2011 at Kings Island, Coasterbob62 made yet another video. And it's a good one, so I felt like sharing it... Enjoy! Not my video BTW. Man, those lines were crazy! UPDATE: Changed the name of this topic to give more of an idea of what's "inside" it.

From the webcam, a construction vehicle just pulled up next to WindSeeker. Seems they are still doing work back there, which would explain why Vortex is closed too...

Well, I will go first. I am going for "well balanced lineup": #1: The Beast @ Kings Island (Wooden Terrain Coaster) #2: The Voyage @ Holiday World (Modern Wooden Coaster) #3: Aeroplane Coaster @ Rye Playland (Classic Wooden Thriller) #4: The Racer @ Kings Island (with recaR) (Traditional Wooden Racing Coaster) #5: Woodstock Express @ Kings Island (Family Wooden Coaster) #6: Millennium Force @ Cedar Point (Steel Gigacoaster) #7: Magnum XL-200 @ Cedar Point (Steel Hypercoaster) #8: Maverick @ Cedar Point (Steel Twister Coaster) #9: Flight of Fear @ Kings Dominion (Steel LIM Launched Looping Coaster) #10: Kumba @ Busch Gardens Africa (Steel Floorless Coaster) #11: Flying Ace Aerial Chase @ Kings Island (Steel Inverted Family Coaster) #12: Riddler's Revenge @ Six Flags Magic Mountain (Steel Stand-Up Coaster) #13: X2 @ Six Flags Magic Mountain (Multi-Dimension Steel Coaster) #14: Tatsu @ Six Flags Magic Mountain (Steel Flying Coaster) #15: Montu @ Busch Gardens Africa (Steel Inverted Coaster) #16: Big Bad Wolf @ Busch Gardens Williamsburg (Steel Suspended-Swinging Coaster) #17: Wicked Twister @ Cedar Point (Steel Inverted Impulse Coaster) #18: Adventure Express @ Kings Island (Steel Mine Train Coaster) Wow, that was actually kind of hard to choose...it's supposed to be a thrill park, but there a few more family-oriented rides in there.

Uh-Oh. It's a poll. By McSalsa, no less! This is an idea I've had floating in my head for a while now- you are going to be able to build a "Dream Park" of sorts. Or at least, choose the coasters for it. Here are the rules: -You may have up to 18 coasters. Why 18? Because that's what Six Flags Magic Mountain has, and no one has more than them at the moment. If you feel you don't need that many, that's fine too... -You may only use real coasters. However, you may also choose from Defunct and Under Construction/Just Announced coasters as well. But no FAKE coasters. Besides that, there are no other rules. Do you just pick your favorite 18? Build 18 coasters of a single type? Try to build a well-balanced lineup that compliments each other (quite possible with 18 coasters...)? It's up to you... If you dislike the poll, click back. Enjoy the poll.

OK, I looked up some stuff, and for those who are interested here is how KI compares to its nearby competitors as far as pricing goes, sources are their websites.: ADMISSION Kings Island- $51.99 Cedar Point- $46.99 Holiday World- $42.99 Six Flags Great America- $56.99 Indiana Beach- $29.95 for rides, $39.95 rides & waterpark pass Coney Island Ohio- $11.95 for rides, $21.95 rides & pool combo ticket DISCOUNT ADMISSION Kings Island- $36.99 (Online, NOT Kroger, Kroger may be cheaper...) Cedar Point- $29.99 (Online website does not sell discount tickets, this is with a resort package) Holiday World- $36.99 (Via coupons for $7 off in May) Six Flags Great America- $36.99 Indiana Beach- NA. Couldn't find any. I recall them having discounts on Pepsi/Coke cans or something back when I went in 1999 but that seems long gone now... Coney Island Ohio- NA SEASON PASSES Kings Island- $99.99 for Gold, $165 Platinum Cedar Point- $106.00 regular, $165 Platinum. Regular does not have parking or Soak City. Holiday World- $149.95 (though also avaliable via a discount now for $109.95) Six Flags Great America- $74.99 (Works for all Six Flags parks though) Indiana Beach- $59.95 Coney Island Ohio- $89.95 Well, there you have it. How KI's prices compare with other large competing parks in the area. There are some suprises up there for sure...like Six Flags Great America's season pass price for one...

AT LAST! SEATS ON WindSeeker!!! Well, if they can get them all on by today, they can start testing and should have the ride up either on on soon after opening day. I hope it's ready by May 14th...(Day I am visiting KI this year)...

The view from the parking lot now: WindSeeker is quite noticeable, but...not exactly dominating the skyline though. Probably because it is all the way in the back... PS: NOT MY PICTURE. Got it from a link I found on Screamscape.

DOUBLE POST. Sorry! CURSE YOU SERVER ERRORS!!!

And now, I am getting these server errors too...and they are annoying! RAGH!!!

I found this interesting article on John Allen and how he saved the traditional wooden roller coaster with The Racer back in the 1970s. Here it is: http://www.iaapa.org/industry/funworld/2003/Jul03/Features/Legends_John_Allen/Legends_John_Allen.html It's a interesting read. Enjoy.

Yep. Time for a poll. Kings Island, in addition to its many rides, shows, and shops also features quite a few games of chance- things like 3 Point Challenge, the test-your-strength game, etc etc. From these games, you can win stuff. But here's the poll part: What's the most valuable prize you have ever won from Kings Island's games? A stuffed animal? A Playstation 3? Or have you been unable have won nothing to date? Enjoy the poll. If you dislike, click back.

Flight Deck almost always slows down near the top of the lifthill. It's supposedly to allow the other train to enter the loading station safely. You guys want to see a RIDICULOUS roller coaster that DOES stop? Here ya go, a woodie in Japan named Jupiter. It's at some park named Kijima...or something, I'm not sure about Japanese parks: Also, the Williams Grove Cyclone looks...fun. Oh no...I am insane! As for the scariest coasters I have been on at Kings Island... #1-Vortex #2-Firehawk (the g-forces on the twist sections are intense!) #3-Flight of Fear #4-Invertigo #5-The Beast (Night Only, Daytime not as scary) And, as a bit of a weird note...I found BLSC to be more intense than Racer. Weird but true. McSalsa, commenting on a bunch of stuff at once.

While I do disagree with some of Cedar Fair's ride ratings, I can see why WindSeeker is only a 4. It doesn't do anything sudden- it's just a 300-foot swing ride. Besides the height, it doesn't have much going for it (at least in thrill levels). I'd rate it a "4" myself. I do, however, disagree with Drop Tower being a 4. Dropping at 65mph from nearly 300 feet up should be a 5. And Adventure Express does not belong in the "Level 5 Thrill Rides" either- it's a "4" at best. Cedar Fair's ride ratings are weird. Prowler at Worlds of Fun? Only a 4. And Corkscrew at Cedar Point is a 5, simply because it goes upside down? Ugh...I'd change a lot if I were in charge of this. Some GP people get confused by these, as I have seen in real life.

Wow. Great work, Kings Island! First came WindSeeker, then we learned Flight Deck was getting repainted, Beast is getting some track work done, then you redid all of Coney Mall, then came Dinosaurs Alive and now this. I'd admit it, of ALL the rides I've ridden at Kings Island, there was ONE I didn't enjoy...this one. It needed some work and lookie here, it's getting it! To be honest, when you add it all up, this is better than 2009 when we got Diamondback...no offense, Diamondback... How the heck are they supposed to top all this next year!?!? Build a B&M Invert, overhaul and re-open SOB, redo Action Zone, and a few waterslides in Boomerang Bay? Hey wait that would be quite nice...

Well, I will agree with a lot of people- I liked the 1998-2010 maps better visually. But, this map is still quite accurate and appears very easy to navigate, which is what a map is supposed to do. And, in spite of being exaggerated, the coaster layouts seem a little more accurate to me. In the 2010 map, Vortex was going backwards and some coasters didn't even complete a circuit- not the case for 2011. Sure, they are EXAGGERATED, but the layouts are indeed correct here...except for one. And that's the biggest irk I have of all: WHY DOES Invertigo NOT HAVE A LOOP!?!? Pretty...darn...big...error.

Good point, but we cannot afford Platinum Passes. They are, last time I checked, $150. For four people, that would be a grand total of $600. Money we simply do not have at the time. We are just going to be buying regular discount AAA/Meijer/etc 2-day passes, which last time I checked were the same price as Kings Island Kroger tickets, and thus 2-day passes are probably going to be $55 per person or so, a savings of $20 per person. And I will probably have fun regardless of crowds, I learned that this year at Halloween Haunt at Kings Island, where I failed to reach even 10 rides in a single day yet had some of the best times I ever had at the park.

Well, I spoke too soon- this trip may still be alive, as things have changed since it was declared dead, and more money has become avaliable. But due to my friend's new job, it would have to be on a weekend...oh crud... Any advice on what weekend might work best? I've looked at CP's website, and they have some kind of event going on EVERY weekend in May...well, maybe we can just deal with the crowds since we will get 2-day passes, even with long lines we SHOULD get all of the big stuff in 2 days...especially since one will be a Sunday... Thanks for any more advice! PS: Are the average wait times listed here (http://www.coasterfa...detail.asp?id=1) for the coasters about right? They give wait times on the right side, near the bottom below the pictures (on each coaster's page).

I'll give you my Top 5... #1-The Beast Big, fast, wooden, has perhaps the best setting of any coaster ever and is very unique. Adore it. This ride one of the main reasons I look forward to my Kings Island visits. In fact, it's just not #1 at Kings Island...it's my #1 overall. #2-Diamondback I love this coaster, but do have some mixed feelings for it. Love the first drop and the airtime, the hammerhead is also respectable, but other than this ride just doesn't have much. But yet, those 2 things alone are still good enough to "whoop" most other coasters, and it's good enough for #2. #3-Vortex Winning A VERY close battle with FOF and only barley losing to DB, Vortex packs solid airtime on the first drop with incredible intensity and a layout that I feel is BRILLIANT. The pacing is darn near perfect on this thing! The only problem is the headbanging. I wish I could have rode it back in his younger years...PS: 5-1 rules! Without this seat, Vortex loses 3rd place to Flight of Fear. #4-Flight of Fear The launch, theming, and 4 inversions in near total darkness are what make me really enjoy this coaster, but yet it still only ranks 4th. Stiff competition, eh? Didn't help that my ride on May 8th 2010 was quite rough. I'd almost compare it to Son of Beast, but...I've never ridden Son of Beast (or Mean Streak, etc) and thus probably don't know what rough is yet...although Flight of Fear did make my back sore all day that day. Weird thing is, my other ride in 2009 was VERY smooth... #5-Flight Deck With so many contenders, it was hard to pick #5. Racer and Firehawk were also considered for this spot. But, Flight Deck wins, simply for its crazy swinging and "OH FUDGE!" moments. And it has short lines. Always a plus.

Well, if it was, I found it again. Enjoy:

Wow. This is probably the fastest growing poll I have ever made. Oh, one thing that popped in my head: is this going to be a "pay $5 each time" or "pay $5, you can go through as much as you like" type of attraction? Or perhaps, a $10-$20 "day pass" for the ride? Or, dare I say it...it's own season pass! GET YOUR Dinosaurs Alive SEASON PASSES! NOW ONLY $29.99!!! (Kings Island admission also required)

I did my usual thing, and now there is a poll on this: http://www.KICentral.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=23523 Enjoy.

In addition to the 301' foot swinging WindSeeker, we learned less than 20 minutes ago that Kings Island will recieve another new attraction for 2011- Dinosaurs Alive. And thus, this poll: what is your response to this announcement? Do you like? Dislike? And what about that $5 upcharge they are doing? Enjoy the poll. If you dislike, click back. Personally, I think this is going to be pretty cool, but can only see myself doing this once or twice due to the upcharge...

DA DA DUM! http://www.visitking...k/mud/index.cfm Curses, BlueRag504 beat me to it!

Well, at least it's 7-car PTCs...which will mean better capacity than the 6-car PTCs it used in 2010. I actually think this was probably the right move, even if Voyage won't be the first coaster to get the new trains, at least they will have been fully tested. They are not jumping into this headfirst which, on more than 1 occasion has caused problems. However, there is one thing I really liked about the article: Raven is getting it's 2nd train back! Kind of sucked when it only ran 1 train last year...long lines!