McSalsa

I don't think so- oops. I know Indiana Beach hasn't been doing that great lately, but I accidentally added "too" in my post making it seem KK is in the same boat. No, from what I have heard Kentucky Kingdom is doing pretty good recently. Sorry for the confusion. I edited my older post.

Yeah, probably- they might get a flat ride or a new waterslide at most, but I really don't expect anything too large for Kentucky Kingdom in 2020. But even something small like that is still something. Same for Indiana Beach, not expecting anything huge as I have heard they are kinda struggling. Not to mention Kings Island pretty much already made 2020 exciting for this region with the 99% confirmed Giga Coaster, Cheetah Chase just makes it even better.

Wow- a 3rd water coaster, which will mean now there will be as many water coasters at Holiday World as there are woodies. I really like how this one is going to be about launches and dueling, it does look like it will be a great ride. It doesn't appear to have as many airtime hills as Wildebeest, or be as drenching as Mammoth is, but I imagine this was on purpose because Holiday World doesn't want to throw both of their existing water coasters under the bus: each one is going to do something different from the other two. The 2020 season is already looking exciting for me, as 2 parks within day-trip distance (3 hour drive or less) are getting good-sized or larger new attractions next year. And there is still time for the other 2 (Indiana Beach and Kentucky Kingdom) to make new announcements as well. Oh, also, I loved the announcement video with Wildebeests and a Mammoth walking around.

If you still wanna ride a King Cobra-like coaster, good news is, it was cloned so a similar ride (same trains and layout) still exists. Bad news: it is all the way over in Italy. (It used to be SkyRider at Canada's Wonderland but they sold it in 2014 and removed it) https://rcdb.com/12069.htm You can also still ride a version of Jaws...in Japan. However, based on the fact the Japanese Jaws opened in 2001, it is probably a very different ride system versus the 1990 Jaws. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jaws_(ride) Oh, and on the topic of this thread: yes, I would have liked to at least tried King Cobra before it went kaput, but it closed after 2001 and I was scared of big roller coasters until 2009, so it just didn't make it nearly long enough. I do have memories of seeing it during my visit in 2000 though, the big loop right next to the pathway in Oktoberfest being a vivid memory.

OK I am gonna test a pic in this post, 1 second... (Seems to work: I may have added too many images to the Trip Report- I shall just share some of my favorites then!)

Hello and welcome to my latest trip report! I went to Kings Island yesterday- July 13th- and this what happened. I didn't ride any new rides or anything that I have not before so the ride rating system is kinda pointless. Also, I have my own phone now (finally) so I was able to take pictures! (Update: Pictures for some reason not working, so I am removing them and will probably share a few in a manner I know works if requested) We left the house later than usual, since this was a midnight close, at 11am. We had 5 people with us, me, my sister, and our one friend who was overcoming his fear of coasters from our usual group plus one of my sister's longtime friends and another guy I don't know as well. Upon entering the park, we headed for Diamondback as they were getting trains out very fast (as seen from the parking lot). We arrived to find a 30-minute wait, which was mostly due to a Fast Lane clog, it would probably have been 15 otherwise. Still considering this was a July Saturday I was expecting even longer, but it was also over 90 degrees outside so I imagine most were at the waterpark. The ride crew was also getting trains out very fast, so that also helped. My sister's friend didn't ride, as she is pretty large and doesn't fit on Diamondback, though she was nice enough to stand in line and wait with us (she is pretty nice). We ended up riding in the back car, with me and our main friend riding in the very back row. Going up the lift and looking around made me think even if KI's Giga is not the biggest, a 300 foot drop is still gonna be plenty intimidating. Got some great floater air, and a little wet from the splashdown but considering the temperatures it wasn't bad at all. After Diamondback, we headed over to Mystic Timbers to find it with a 20 minute wait and much less Fast Lane clog. My sister's friend fit fine on Mystic, and it was a enjoyable ride- though not too much airtime, oddly. We got the rare tree ending, which is only my 2nd time getting it in nearly 20 rides on the coaster. After Mystic Timbers, my companions went to smoke so I decided to go check Beast, only to find it broken down at the moment. Splitting from my group, I instead went to... ...Vortex! It had a 25 minute wait, but with most other coasters having lines as well or being down (BLSC was 45!) I sucked it up and waited. And it was worth the wait- I rode in 7-1, and got some great ejector on the first drop, nice g's in the loops, hangtime in the corkscrews, and it all ended with a fun forceful helix. A little rough, but not too bad- there was a old man riding behind me and he also enjoyed his ride. While climbing Vortex's 148 foot lift hill, I saw Beast doing test runs, so I checked it again on the way back. Turns out, it was back open! I messaged my friends and got in line, and waited 1 cycle for 6-2. Beast was running great on this day, sometimes it can feel a bit sluggish in the day but this time that was not the case as it had great speed to it, and it was pretty much the right amount of roughness from 6-2 (a bit bumpy to make it feel more out-of-control but nowhere near painful). However, when my train returned to the station, the line had swollen up to at least a 15-20 minute wait already! YIKES. After Beast, I found my group, and together we headed of to ride another woodie at KI, Blue Racer. It was also running great- rougher than Beast, but it actually had very good airtime, more-so than Mystic Timbers did earlier! Also looked over at the 2020 Giga Construction, it seems coming along nicely, and footers are clearly visible. It is gonna be kinda cool to see a massive near-300 foot lift hill from this ride next year. After Blue Racer, we headed into Action Zone. As my friends smoked, I checked the lines- all looked to be around a half hour, so I didn't ride anything and came back. We were hungry, so we went to Chicken Shack and got some food. It was served fast, and we ate. I just got some chicken tenders, which filled me up pretty well. The chicken was nice and moist, with good breading, it could have used a bit more flavor but dipping sauces easily fixed that problem. My sister also got some BBQ Wings and Fries, and gave me half her bread and a wing. The wings were good too, and the bread was great. I have eaten at Chicken Shack a few times now, and it has been a good choice every time. I still miss the Chicken Wraps though. After we ate, the next show for Gravity was about to begin, so we went and saw it. They added some extra jokes to this show that I did not see last time, and there were less goof-ups as well (though there was one, one of the guys on a bike fell over on their 2nd scene with them, they made a joke of it and continued though). Afterwards, as we didn't see the last show for once, we did the meet and greet, and I got to let the actors know how awesome I thought this show was. Gravity is leaving KI forever on August 18th this year, and will be replaced by a new show for 2020- if you have not seen it yet, do not wait much longer. After Gravity, we headed down International Street (saw the awesome and expensive Beast model on the way) and then went up the Eiffel Tower for the views...I took a barrage of pics. (Sadly for some reason I cannot link them from the site I am hosting them on) Afterwards, my group wanted to smoke again, so I went off to ride Banshee. Only had to wait 10 minutes- the line moved very fast! I hope the 2020 Giga line moves this fast as well! The ride was pretty forceful and intense, with great speed and strong g-forces in the inversions. After Banshee, I headed down to The Bat to find it a 1-cycle wait. It was also running pretty good, fast and smooth. After I got off Bat I found my friends wanted to meet back up, so I headed their way hearing they were now riding Banshee. But the one friend who I still don't know to well lost his phone to her (he wasn't using zipper pockets and was putting it in a loose one) but didn't quite realize it at first so we went and looked all over for it. After a wild goose chase and the eventual realization of what happened, we ended up riding Adventure Express. The wait was only 10 minutes or so, but I got a wheel seat, and ouch- this was one of the most painful rides I have ever gotten on Adventure Express. I was thrown around in the turns pretty violently, and left the ride with a minor headache. Our friends 1 row ahead though were 100% fine and thought it was smooth! Seat selection matters. However, there was good news for me from this ride- most of the theming was working, and the 3rd tunnel had its "lava glow" effect working! After AE, we went over to check Beast to see a big line, about 45 minutes worth- we were gonna do a night ride later so we skipped it for now (and I had rode earlier). My sister got some dippin' dots on the way, and I got a soda refill (Red Cream- no matter the stand though, for some reason, KI's Red Cream Sodas were ALL tasting kinda flat!). My friends then decided to ride White Water Canyon, which I figured would have a big wait since it was hot, and wanting to stay dry I went and rode Mystic Timbers since Diamondback appeared to be having issues. It should have been a 35 minute wait, but there was a "phone idiot" 1 train before mine and they briefly had to stop the ride and that added 10 minutes. I boarded Mystic Timbers, and got the very back row. The ride was fast and gave much better airtime this time, but there was a little roughness. Also my riding companion (a random I was paired with as a single rider) kept screaming at the top of his lungs and bumping me- he was clearly forced to ride and not a fan of big roller coasters. I got off missing my usual riding companions as they don't do that stuff. Mystic Timbers itself was running good IMO though. Speaking of them, I headed over to the White Water Canyon exit to wait for them- the waits for both WWC and Mystic Timbers ended up being about the same, with WWC being just a bit longer so I beat them off. My group met back up after WWC, and we headed towards WindSeeker- I didn't realize it until later, but they wanted to try to get a "Fireworks" WindSeeker ride. Also, we decided to ride Vortex, minus our one friend who cannot do loops and the mere sight of Vortex's twisted track still scares him. It was only a 10 minute wait. Me and my sister's friend rode in 7-1 again, while my sister and the newer guy rode in 6-2. We all got great airtime on the 1st drop again, but while our ride in 7-1 was decently smooth, I did see my friends in 6-2 get thrown around a bit in the 2nd half, especially my sister who is short, and especially in the final helix. She got a minor headache, but it went away a few minutes later. We then all grabbed some drinks, and our friend who didn't ride Vortex got cheese fries from Juke Box Diner and shared them with everyone. They were actually pretty good too! After eating, we got in line for WindSeeker. We missed the Fireworks cycle by 1 cycle, which was annoying. But we did get a night ride on WindSeeker, which had some very pretty views of the park (though WindSeeker is one of those rides that still makes me nervous- I still have fun on it though). After WindSeeker, my friends wanted to smoke again, so I went and re-rode Vortex for a 3rd time and for my 1st night ride on it in a while. It was now only a 5 minute wait, yet for some reason now they were assigning seats? As such, I got 2-2 instead of 7-1 again, and remember how I said when I rode AE earlier seat selection matters? Yep- riding in a cramped seat in the front of Vortex was not very enjoyable, while riding in 7-1 is great. The first drop has no airtime from the front cars, and it throws you around a lot more for some reason. Ouch. I didn't really get head-banged because I am tall enough my head is over the OTSR's, but I did get shoulder-banged. One bright spot, there was a little kid who also rode Vortex 3 times this same day, and he rode in the car behind me and LOVED it. I think I am just gonna keep riding from 5-1, 6-1, and 7-1 from now on because those are much better seats than 2-2 (unless I am somehow forced to ride in a different seat). Even the dark "night ride boost" can't help overcome that. After 1 bad ride on Vortex (thankfully also got 2 great rides same day) we met back up and headed to Action Zone, as Rivertown was packed and we wanted that to clear out a bit before we tried to ride Beast at Night. Action Zone was much better, but Banshee did have a 20-minute wait, and our friend who cannot do many inversions can't ride that, so we did The Bat at Night...which was a walk-on for nearly every seat! My friends rode in the very back, but I decided to ride in 1-2 instead. It was a very fun ride, and swinging around in the cool summer air at 50mph in darkness was awesome. My friends say the back was very crazy. We then headed back to Rivertown to find The Beast at a 45 minute wait, but Backlot Stunt Coaster was down to 10, so we rode that instead. BLSC was running great- smooth, had some airtime in a few spots, with the great forceful helix and dark tunnel both in full effect. After riding Backlot, we got in line for Beast as the ques had cleared up and now it was only a 20 minute wait! We waited for it, and got a epic night ride. Beast was HAULING through the woods, and in spite of a nearly-full moon it was very dark- the long tunnel mid ride was pitch black. We got off the ride at 11:55pm, and realized we probably didn't have time to get on anything else, so we got back in line for The Beast and ended up getting the last ride of the night! While we waited for the final train, I noticed a nearly-empty Vortex train with 1 person on it who appeared to be having fun go by- I think that may have been VortexBFForever, LOL. We boarded the final train, and then...ride ops joined us! It was cool to see that you get that perk when you work at Kings Island. Only 2-3 of them stayed off, just to run the coaster 1 more time, plus a mechanic showed up, probably to prepare to put trains up. We headed out into the woods of Ohio 1 more time, and got one more Beast night ride- it was about the same as the 1st one, but that is not a bad thing! Afterwards, we headed over to the front gate, where most of us waited for one of our friends and the newcomer to go try and see if anything could be done with the phone issue. The Royal Fountains were still on for some reason, but looked gorgeous at night with the new lighting package. Also, I want to make a shout-out to the Kings Island ride crews: you guys were doing an AMAZING job on this day! Almost every ride in the park was getting great dispatches and running at 100% capacity, which really helped with the huge crowds, rarely did we see a line of 60 minutes or longer in spite of a nearly full parking lot. And so, our friends came back having talked to KI Employees, and we left the park. And that does it for yet another McSalsa trip report! Now, Pros/Cons: PROS +Rides were running amazingly well (unless you got a bad seat on certain ones) +Ride crews, as said a minute ago, were doing a epic job +Gravity is still awesome, sadly it leaves soon +The Park looked beautiful, especially after dark CONS -Vortex and Adventure Express both hurt a decent bit if ridden in "bad" seats (Vortex was very enjoyable from good seats though, didn't ride AE in a non-wheel seat...) -Huge Crowds, Especially After Waterpark Closed, Not Park's Fault Though -Very Hot And that does it for this trip report! MCSALSA AWAY!!! (As usual questions and comments welcome) Edit: Could not get pictures to work for now, will link them in a 2nd post here if I can find a way.

I was just about to say this, but you made it WAY more compact. LOL. A 296 foot coaster with a 301 foot drop (which will probably have its height listed as 301 feet- Leviathan's height appears shorter than its drop too but they claim 306 feet for it) is gonna draw in just as many of the local GP as a monster Giga with a 330 foot height, bigger drop of 320-340 feet, and 1000+ foot more track that costs 5-10+ million more (with cost of steel, probably closer to 10m). All the bigger coaster would really do is draw in more enthusiasts from far away and since Kings Island lacks its own Hotel, they can't make too much money of that the way Cedar Point can since CP has Hotel Breakers, Express Hotel, the Log Cabins, and more (Cedar Point and KI have almost the same attendance, yet CP makes tons more money, and I think the Hotels are the big reason why that is). Carowinds also already had cabins, and is now getting its own Hotel this fall. However Kings Island also can't really get its own Hotel because now Great Wolf Lodge exists. They- and the other local hotels- would be the ones getting most of the extra money from distant travellers if KI did go all-out and build a monster Giga. Had KI never let that land go, Cedar Fair could have built KI its own Hotel, and suddenly record-breaking coasters to attract more guests from farther away than KI's main cities would make more sense as now the park could make more money off them.

Low power so must keep this short. Today was amazing! Full trip report tomorrow possibly. Also: got last ride of night on...BEAST!!! Was epic.

Having a great day even though it is very busy. Phone is at 50% so updates from here on will be scarce. But have a pic of Banshee!

Kinda but mostly waterpark apparently. Mystic was 20 minutes. Now about 2 ride...BEAST! Update: No! Beast is down!!! Update 2: Beast back! Update 3: But now DB is down. Beast was already 20-30 minutes when I got off...I waited 1 cycle.

Just rode Diamondback. 30 minute wait.

I am here!

On my way to the park atm. Should arrive around 1pm. Will post updates and pictures occasionally. (Ps: Have a smartphone now) Welcome to McSalsa's Coaster Adventures...LIVE!

Oof. Blood Drums was awesome, I am gonna miss it. It was one of my favorite things about Haunt the last few years. Last year I still vividly remember riding Diamondback and they had a huge pyro effect go off just as our train came out of the splash zone into the final brakes, then while we got "stacked" on the brake run for a few minutes I watched (could not really see the show but could see the colors and hear it) and listened to the show so it wasn't a problem.

Valravn has reopened today, but is only running 2 trains. Thus it has a huge wait, from what I heard. Source: CP Rundown on Facebook

^ Not at the park, but via the wbecams, Diamondback looks like a 15-20 minute wait. So it probably isn't too packed, unless everyone has gone to Soak City.

I can think of ONE: Holiday World, for their 60th anniversary in 2006, added The Voyage along with the entire Thanksgiving Section of the park. That's it though, I don't know any others.

Using a Youtube Doubler, I can vouch: if this recreation is anywhere near accurate, both the 2020 KI Giga and Leviathan have the exact same length (in time) from their drop to when they hit the final brakes: http://youtubedoubler.com/?video1=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DqIrBVVxg_XE&start1=105&video2=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3Dey2PeEL12W0&start2=58&authorName=Polaris+vs+Levi Edit: Just re-watched the doubler, and the KI Giga was a second or so longer. Might just be a timing error. Still, a mere second or two longer is "about the same length" in my book.

I don't count Mammoth and Wildebeest as roller coasters, though if I did, they would both probably have a great shot at my Top 10. I like both of them even more than Raven & Thunderbird, and I think Raven and Thunderbird are great rides! I'm not normally huge into waterslides- especially if there are big waits for them- but I'll happily wait for those two.

I love this color scheme. (The red and black is also cool and would be my #2 pick)

Hi everyone! Welcome to the 3rd McSalsa Trip Report of 2019, for Sunday May 26th 2019. If this feels like it came a bit outta nowhere, it kinda did- we planned this trip a mere 2 days in advance! And I went on a new ride I had never been on before at KI, so thus the ride rating system must be mentioned: RIDE RATING SYSTEM (For New Un-ridden rides or major updates only) 10=ZOMG THIS RIDE IS EPIC 9=I Adore This Ride 8=I Really Like This Ride 7=This Ride is Fun, I Like It 6=It's OK Enough, Will Ride Again 5=Meh, No Feelings Either Way for Various Reasons 4=Ehh, Kinda Bad 3=Yuck, Bad 2=POO, THIS RIDE SUX 1=SUPER POO, THIS RIDE SUX EVEN HARDER! 0=WHO MADE THIS MONSTROSITY!?!? Anyhow, let's begin the trip report itself! I was with my sister and the one friend who we have been helping get over his fear of roller coasters the last 2 years, the other friend who is usually with us may have broken his toe a few days ago (he is not 100% sure if it is or not- he has a appointment with a doctor in a few days) so he skipped this trip. We left our house (which we just moved into) at around 7:30AM, but we didn't get to the park until 9:50AM, so no time for Beast ERT. So instead we (me and my sister, our friend as you may know cannot do inversions) went and rode Banshee, as seeing it test from I-Street made it look tempting. There was not wait either, and we rode in the very back. Banshee was running great, especially for so early in the morning. Smooth (other than the usual slight vibration Banshee seems to get), fast, and forceful. A great first ride choice. Next, we headed over to The Bat, which was fun but did feel a bit like it had the early morning sluggishness as it didn't feel as fast as usual. Still, beats having it closed all day like it was opening day. After The Bat, we headed into Oktoberfest/Coney Mall, as our friend wanted to ride Viking Fury. The Festhaus went off right as we showed up, so we watched it for a bit- I was glad to see it fully working, as I had watched CoasterBob62's Coasterstock video from this year not long before this trip and noticed the lady on the left of the 2 guests drinking beer was not working in that video, but here she (and everything else) was working fine. We then rode Viking Fury, which was fun but I didn't find it very intense- then again I have ridden and compare it, possibly unfairly, to Skyhawk and Wicked Twister and stuff. And Viking Fury my sister and our friend wanted to smoke, so I went over and rode Red Racer (Blue was not running). It was running pretty rough (I was even on a non-wheel seat), but had very good airtime. Also it appears they are getting ready to start pouring the footers for Project X (Aka 2020 Coaster). After riding, I headed back to the group, and we rode Adventure Express. This was one of the smoothest feeling rides I have ever gotten on AE, and the spear effects in the 2nd tunnel were working. AE probably could benefit from a good restoration though. Then we went and rode Red Racer again- and there was a barf train. Uck. I rode in a different train, but same seat, and I think the roughness I felt on the 1st ride was due to that train- this one felt a LOT smoother but still had the solid airtime. After Red Racer (2nd ride) we headed over and me and my sister rode Flight of Fear (our friend again sat it out- he can't do loops unless they are super few and fast like on Maverick). I was a bit shocked to find the ride a near walk-on given FOF is pretty popular usually- I thought Memorial Day weekend was supposed to be packed! FOF was running pretty crazy- this feels like the 2nd most intense FOF ride I have ever had, behind only the time during Haunt 2016 when I rode it with the MCBR off! It was super forceful and violent. And fun. We got off FOF and headed back into Coney Mall, where my friend and sister wanted to smoke so I rode Vortex which neither of them did. I missed not being able to ride this one a lot on opening weekend, and it was running great. I rode from 7-1, and while there was some headbanging, I didn't find it too much and loved the airtime on the drop, the forcefulness of the inversions, and the general twisty insanity. After I got off and met back up, my sister had talked our friend into trying WindSeeker of all things. We boarded the ride, and he actually was OK with it! I also got a great look at the 2020 construction. It was a fun trip 270 feet in the air (I heard the ride ops say 250, but based on how the tower is 301, I think 270 is more accurate for how high you go). Our friend did need to smoke again afterwards so I went and rode Vortex again. Hey, might as well, I didn't get to ride it once on opening weekend- even took 7-1 again. I found the left side of the train was smoother versus the right, at least for me. I also saw even Beast and Diamondback had short lines while riding Vortex. Once again...isn't Memorial Day weekend supposed to be CROWDED? Guess not, at least this time. Which is a great thing for me! One Vortex ride later, seeing a short line for Beast was making me crave it, but first we hit up Backlot Stunt Coaster as it was right there. BLSC was running pretty fast, as it seemed the rides had all broken in at this point. The 1st helix actually made me a little queasy! After BLSC, my cravings were satisfied as we rode The Beast next. It was the usual bumpy, fast journey through the woods of Ohio. I could clearly see the clearing for Project 2020 though, so I do fear that is gonna affect Beast rides as I am pretty sure you are gonna be able to easily see it, especially if it has a big light on it (which will really affect night rides if the light bleeds over). After Beast, we headed over and got a locker to ride Mystic Timbers. Mystic was also running pretty fast and had good airtime. In The Shed, I got the Cars+Snakes combo. After Mystic Timbers, we got on Diamondback, riding from near the back of the train as usual. LOTS of airtime, and pretty strong airtime too! Maybe not as crazy as at the end of Opening Day, but not far off. After DB, we headed into Planet Snoopy, where I was reminded of something. There is a coaster credit at KI I have never claimed... NEW RIDE: Flying Ace Aerial Chase Yep, in all my visits to KI since 2009, I have never ridden this coaster. Until now. And...I think it's pretty bad. I know it's a kids coaster, so I could forgive the lack of intensity, but WHY IS THIS SO ROUGH? There was almost non-stop shuffling. Vortex is buttery smooth in comparison. At least the restraints were very comfortable so no headbanging or pain. Still, if this is how a Vekoma kiddie invert is, I dread to see what the big SLC's are like... Rating: 4/10 After riding that shockingly rough coaster, we headed into the petting zoo. It doesn't have as many animals as Cedar Point's, but this is still a fun attraction for anyone who loves animals. Then we rode Surf Dog, which was fun. Coaster or not, I will ride that 1000x over Flying Ace. Then we returned to the locker, got our stuff, and my sister and friend wanted to smoke again so I went and rode Diamondback again since Mystic Timbers had a line. It was about the same as earlier, but I did wait a bit longer as a slight line had built up and the dispacthes were a bit slower too. Then we went out to the car, as we had brought our swimming gear to visit the waterpark. Also, the time at this point? 1PM! I HAD BEEN ON NEARLY EVERY BIG RIDE AND IT WAS NOT EVEN LATE AFTERNOON YET! Swim trunks in bag (in hand), I returned to the park and we headed to the waterpark via the KI & MV Railroad. I went into the changing rooms and got changed, came out, and when we put our stuff in our locker we heard...Meowing? And it sounded like it was from inside a locker! I hunted down a security guard, and we analysed the situation and...the cat was just a stray who lived at Kings Island. S/He wasn't in the lockers, but behind them. Never got to see the cat though. Also, our friend opened our locker and my sister's phone was in there and not secure...and it fell and crakced. Thankfully, she has insurance on it, but it'll be a week before the tech guy comes. Ouch. And then, at the same time, some storms begin to roll in and everything in the waterpark shut down for a good 10-15 minutes. My sister and friend got in line for Mondo Monsoon, the huge funnel, when they began prepping it to re-open but I forgot my glasses strap so I had to run back and grab it. Then it re-opened right as I got back and the line was too long at that point, so I went to the observation area and just watched my friends ride it. We then headed into the Older Wave Pool for a bit, and then headed for the Lazy River. We got in line for it and...it shut down again due to another storm coming. My sister thinks these storms could have been a big reason for the low crowds, and she could have been right. We gave up on the waterpark, changed again, and headed back to the dry park and then our car (once again using the train). We discussed some stuff, and seeing rides in Action Zone running, we decided to go there. We talked our friend into trying Drop Tower...and he backed out. I tried to ride it by myself, and was ready to ride the next cycle and...weather closes everything again. We split up for a bit, I stayed near Drop Tower to see if it would re-open, while they decided to check AE (which was also closed). We were pretty hungry at this point (we did snack in the car) so when I found out my group had gone to Skyline Chilli I-Street, I went over and met them and got a single Chilli Dog. It was good and much needed at this point. Afterwards, I headed back towards Action Zone and...Banshee TESTING! I called my sister who also saw it, and we met up again. Drop Tower was also prepping to re-open but needed a mechanic to come and reset the ride (Intaminitis strikes again! All other rides re-opened almost instantly), then we watched a test cycle and then we boarded the ride. A minute or so later, we were nearly 300 feet in the air, facing the park (I got seat #8 again which IMO has a amazing view) and then we dropped. Our friend survived it and would ride again, but his heart rate was over 140! After Drop Tower, they went and smoked for a bit, and then we watched Gravity. It was pretty much the same as I remember it being in 2018, but that's not a bad thing: this show is awesome! There was a botch of two (by one person), but I can forgive that- the feats they are doing aren't easy. If you have not seen Gravity (it is in the Kings Island theatre in front of Invertigo for any one who needs to know), go see it on your next KI visit if at all possible! After Gravity, we headed to Coney Mall and rode Blue Racer since it had opened. It was drizzling a bit, but not raining. On Blue Racer- I can see what people mean by the turnaround feeling weird. I would not call it rough- the car just vibrates oddly and makes a weird sound, it doesn't violently shake or anything. It does feel like maybe the wood they used for this "new" section is different or something. I would still perfer Blue Racer to Red this year though, it is not trimmed (Red still is) and thus you get much more airtime on the return run. After Blue Racer, we went over to The Beast and got a sunset ride, and on the way saw a huge rainbow that went from Racer/Zephyr to WindSeeker! It faded by the time we reached WindSeeker though- would have been awesome to ride WindSeeker and see a rainbow. So we headed over and rode The Beast, and took front row (I sat behind my group in 1-2). As it had just drizzled, you could really smell the woods, even when the ride was going full speed. And the moist cool air felt awesome to blast through. Beast may be a coaster with a lot of straight track and not too many elements, but it really is more of a "sensory" coaster. I can't think of another ride I have been on where the SMELLS of the ride made it better. Yet ANOTHER awesome ride on a KI Classic. No night ride this trip though as we had other plans (hence why we took a Sunset ride- at least that is still different from a day ride). After Beast, we took and 2nd ride on BLSC. It was even crazier than earlier in the day! I wasn't hungry this time so no queasiness, but it was even more forceful and I even got a good amount of airtime on a few of the drops! BLSC may not be a huge monster coaster, but it can still pack a punch. After BLSC, we headed towards the Eiffel Tower but saw the elevator get stuck for a minute near the top, so we said nope and continued on to International Street, and rested for a bit watching a show (I grabbed a quick soda). Then we went to Sweet Spot, and got the fudge ice cream cone candies- I ate one, it was very good, and for the price I can easily reccomend it. Then we headed to Action Zone to kill some time before the fireworks show. My friends wanted to smoke one last time, so I rode Delirium. It was a fun ride as usual, swinging and spinning. It being dark out also made it even better. Then me and my sister rode Banshee at night (very back once again), and while it was already running good in the morning, now it was HAULING. The cool air in my face, the intensity, the inversions, the tombstones along the ride...it was all awesome. Then, for our last ride, we grabbed our friend again and rode The Bat. This is a really underrated night ride, it is very dark in this area and thus it really feels like you are a bat swinging and flying among the trees, looking for bugs to eat. And with that...a record is broken! 27 rides in 1 day is the best I have ever done, beating out a day last April where I rode 25 in 1 day. With our riding done, we headed back to I-Street for the fireworks show. I thought it was great- I like how the updated fountains sync up with it now, and the lights on them are very nice (the big lights above now only light the buildings). There were some sections of the show where they did nothing though, so I wonder if there are still technical issues they are working out as these fountains are technically still pretty new. The new song was good, though TBH I am gonna miss "The Greatest Show". Also there is a new "park is closing spiel", sounds like the same guy who is "The Undertaker" during Haunt does it. And with that, we left the park and headed home. Once again, Kings Island was AWESOME and provided tons of fun. Now for my usual Pros/Cons...: PROS +Light Crowds All Day...uhh, aren't holiday weekends supposed to be bad? I broke a personal record! +Many rides were running great +Dispatches were also pretty good all day, which may have also helped keep lines down +Gravity was still awesome the 2nd time (even with some minor botches) +The park looks beautiful with nice landscaping and scenery CONS -Storms during the afternoon that shut rides down but didn't even touch the park (not park's fault) -A few dirty bathrooms -Flying Ace Aerial Chase is a bad ride IMO And that does it for yet another McSalsa Trip Report! As usual, comments and questions welcome. My next trip is probably gonna be KI again, in 3-5 weeks, for the upcoming Grand Carnivale. MCSALSA AWAY! (Transforms into a bat and flies away, only to smack into a brick wall) Ouch! PS: I am glad I decided to change my TR style and not do sections for every ride- this trip report would take a billion hours to make/read I feel if I did that!

I can share my early memories of KI- at least what I remember. I was 10 years old, and it was the summer of 2000. (Probably August) We got lost on the way to the park and had to get directions, but we made it. It was a big family trip- we had at least 10+ people, probably more. The big new ride (which I was seeing advertised on TV) was Son of Beast. As we were on the way to Kings Island, I was so sure I was gonna ride it, given I had ridden Hoosier Hurricane at Indiana Beach 1 year before and it was fine. Then we got to the park and I actually saw Son of Beast. For reference, Hoosier Hurricane is about 78 feet tall. Son of Beast was 218. Yeah, I chickened out- and about a decade later, when I finally got the courage to start riding big coasters...Son of Beast closed for good. I do remember watching Son of Beast from the Eiffel Tower though- I went up there 3 times total that day! I really enjoyed the Eiffel Tower. Still do. Also, my first ride ever at Kings Island was...Atom Ant's Airways. Now it is known as Sally's Sea Plane. I also vividly remember King Cobra. Never rode it either, but I remember just standing on the walkway where Sling Shot is now where that big loop went right past the path. As a kid, I thought that looked very cool. I was actually a bit shocked to learn the entire ride would be gone just 2 years later. Also, seeing the sheer size of SOB made me nervous even on the smaller coasters. What was then The Beastie (now Woodstock Express) gave me a bit of a scare, and Racer was flat-out terrifying to 10-year-old me because I didn't realize what airtime was. I also recall watching my Mother ride Drop Zone, and we saw some show in the Kings Island Theater (I think it was a musical show about monsters in movies). I also remember not being able to really see most of Beast- if only I knew to look BEHIND Vortex back then from the Eiffel Tower. It was a fun trip- TBH, I am a bit shocked I can remember as much of it as I do. That says something.

I would be OK with grey track, as long as it has blue supports. See the color scheme Afterburn @ Carowinds has (I like this paint job): (Image From Wikipedia) I would probably still prefer the reverse (Blue Track and Silver Supports) though. Also, dang I missed a LOT today. I guess that "leaked" layout was legit, which matches the clearing and everything. While the stats could be better, I feel I have ridden enough coasters already to realize stats are not everything (Mystic Timbers is awesome, and it didn't break a single record. Neither did Maverick.). And a 301-foot drop just barley beats out Millennium Force, which is a whopper of a drop anyhow, and while this coaster isn't going to be as long as Millennium Force, the elements are probably gonna be much better (Millennium Force is basically 90% overbanked turns with 2 giant airtime hills that give OK-to-good airtime and then 1 awesome speed ejector airtime hill) while this coaster is probably gonna have a much more feature-packed layout (with various overbanked airtime hills and such). Even if it just evens out and we get a coaster that is as good as Millennium Force, that is still one heck of a addition to KI's lineup (and could still be the best ride in the park). And the 3rd major ground-up coaster added in just 6 years. Very few parks can make the same claim: Cedar Point itself can only claim that if you count Steel Vengeance, which was not fully ground-up (but did cost a lot I have heard).

As suggested by @CoasterMegRN in the decoding 2020 thread, they thought this would be a interesting topic for discussion. Since it is technically kinda a poll, I put in in polls, but if a mod feels this is out of place they can probably move it. This one is simple. What are your current Top 10 coasters? What makes you like each one so much, if you wanna explain it? Also the total # of coasters you have ridden (doesn't need to be 100% accurate if you don't keep lists- just a guess) might be useful for others. Also your list doesn't even need to be ranked, if you want you can just pick 10 of your favorite rides and have them unsorted. And you can go from #1 to #10, or go upwards from 10 for "dramatic effect" (like I am gonna). And you can split up Steel and Wood, etc, or keep them together. With all this said- here is my current list. Note I have only been to 3 parks in recent years (since 2009)- Kings Island, Cedar Point, and Holiday World and have only ridden 35 (by my count) coasters...still, getting on my Top 10 already isn't that easy! #10- The Legend @ Holiday World Holiday World has 4 coasters (and 2 epic water coasters that are not eligible for this list despite their awesomeness) , and all 4 are well reviewed by most, but Legend is usually the one people seem to shaft. However, I love this ride, and think it's better than Raven or Thunderbird (spoiler: they didn't make my Top 10 even though I really like both! I told you this list wasn't that easy)! This CCI wooden creation features a epic curved 113 foot drop into a tunnel, some nice airtime hills under water slides, VERY powerful laterals (strongest of ANY coaster I have ridden so far besides a Wild Mouse at the Indiana State Fair) and it has a cool double helix (with tunnels like Beast) and 4 lateral-heavy (though a bit tamed in recent years but not too much) final turns. It is also pretty smooth for a nearly 20-year-old woodie thanks to the GCI retrack in 2016. #9- Mystic Timbers @ Kings Island Kings Island's current newest coaster (soon to no longer be true) is another great wooden coaster. On paper, the stats don't look like much- 109 feet tall is OK height for a woodie, but 53mph? And only about as long as Racer? However, Mystic Timbers packs a punch in spite of its small size. It starts with another curved drop, and then it is airtime hill after airtime hill, with some pretty good air to boot, and in what is now standard for GCI, there is not a single foot of straight track: it's all either a drop, twist, or turn and it's all in a wooded setting. The only real knock I have on this coaster is the short length, and yes, the "shed" ending is just a glorified brake run. But they did put more detail in that shed than you may first expect, and it has kinda grown on me a bit since 2017. If I am ever at Kings Island, odds are, I'm gonna go in that shed a few more times. #8- Top Thrill Dragster @ Cedar Point Well, I usually don't like super short roller coasters unless they really do something cool to overcome that shortness, and this one is only 17 seconds long...yet the fact TTD makes it to my #8 spot should say a lot. This coaster has the height and speed in spades: at 420 feet tall and 120mph, it is the tallest and fastest coaster I have ever ridden. The sheer size of this ride alone is enough to intimidate, making it a bit like Drop Tower where the scariest part isn't even part of "the ride": it's when you are on the launch track, waiting to launch. The catch car latches on, you pull back...and then you feel the pressure of insane G-force as you rocket to 120mph. As you shoot 400 feet in the air, you feel relief from the G's and stare into the sky, but then you see Millennium Force and plummet to the ground, doing a twist on the way down! Then comes the finish sign, and the ride is over. It is only a 17 second ride, but it is a very epic 17 seconds. #7- Diamondback @ Kings Island Kings Island's current tallest and fastest coaster (also possibly won't be true much longer) stands 230 feet tall and goes a claimed 80mph. However, as you plummet down the 215-foot first drop, especially if in one of the rear cars, Diamondback's focus will become clear: this coaster is designed for maximum sustained airtime. On a slow day (usually in the early AM hours), it's just good floater, but when the coaster is warmed up and running well it becomes very strong, sometimes even giving what feels like sustained ejector air! The coaster is also very smooth, and the B&M clamshell restraints are the most comfortable I have ever ridden with so far. The splashdown at the end is also nice, though it is only for off-ride viewers mostly. #6- Magnum XL-200 @ Cedar Point Yep- as much as I love Diamondback, I still (barely) perfer the OG Hypercoaster Arrow made in 1989. Magnum XL-200 isn't as smooth as Diamondback, which is gonna be a given since it's 20 years older and a Arrow, but I never felt it was too rough and thus this added to the charm. The first drop has a epic view of Lake Erie, CP Shores, and the beach- though not much airtime even from the back cars. However, Magnum XL-200 seemingly gets more and more intense with each element- something Diamondback does not. By the time you are in the pretzel knot, you get some great positive G's. But then come the airtime hills on the return run- oh man, these hills are why I have this coaster this high: welcome to the ejector air buffet! And some of the hills are IN TUNNELS- always a plus in my book. Just be sure to try and leave some room on the lap bar for your thighs: in classic Arrow fashion, they used Mine Train style cars on this ride (a straight lap bar with ejector air!?!?). Still, it's very much worth it, IMO. #5- The Beast @ Kings Island This massive wooden behemoth opened 40 years ago, and is still one of Kings Island's more popular attractions, and is probably its most famous. Yet it is also controversial- some people adore it, others hate it. It isn't your typical woodie by any stretch: there is only 1 airtime hill that rarely gives even a whiff of air, the big drops are more like ramps, the ride is mostly long swooping curves, and there are some annoying trim brakes along the course. However, it is very fast for a woodie (even with the trims) and it basically runs with the theme of "big wooden coaster rampages through woods at high speed". The roughness- so long as it isn't too much, I try to avoid very back wheel seats but front and middle are OK- can actually add to the ride's out-of-control feeling. It's also a very long ride- still the world's longest 40 years later. Then the double helix at the end is pure insanity, few coasters have anything nearly that intense (and this is WITH a trim brake!). And while this leads to ride I very much enjoy when the sun is up, The Beast must be ridden at night to get the full experience- when the sun is gone, the woods become pitch black, and The Beast goes from a good ride to a epic journey where each element (yes even the double helix) feels even more intense than in the daylight. #4- Millennium Force @ Cedar Point Millennium Force is kinda the steel version of Beast in that it also focuses on speed. Since it is a butter smooth "modern" coaster- unlike Beast which shakes and rumbles because it's a old woodie- Millennium Force must go higher and faster to get a good sensation of speed: and boy, it does. The lift stands a mammoth 310 feet tall, with a 300 foot drop at 80 degrees- my favorite first drop on ANY coaster I have been on thus far due to this sheer size. Then you go 93mph, and the overbanked turns begin. If these turns were not as high, I imagine this ride would pull a lot of strong G's (Intimidator 305 style), but then it would probably not be liked by the GP as much. The ride also offers some decent airtime hills, it's not as good as the hypers I have been on but it's solid and here the airtime hills aren't the focus, it is the speed. The coaster also runs through the woods and into tunnels twice, which are neat features. Cedar Point has built many more coasters since this opened in 2000, and yet this one remains very popular: and for good reason, IMO. #3- The Voyage @ Holiday World A more modern take on what Beast tried to create in the 1970s- a huge, super long wooden coaster- but with a much more eventful layout in terms of elements. Voyage has immense size for a wooden coaster- 159 feet tall, 6400+ feet long, and a 67mph top speed- just like Beast, but it starts with 3 huge airtime hills similar to what Diamondback has, and then it features some very twisty sections similar to Mystic Timbers (with PTC trains instead of GCI though so it is a bit more awkward). And like Beast, it is buried in the woods (though Thunderbird's addition in 2015 dug into them somewhat). There is a lot of airtime here too- 24+ seconds in fact, according to the "official" stats. It can be very rough if caught on a bad day, but my 2 rides in 2018 were both pretty smooth and when this coaster is running well it is clearly among the best in the world. It also, once again like Beast, gives a epic night ride...if you can get one with Holiday World's weird hours. #2- Maverick @ Cedar Point Maverick proves you don't need to be stupidly tall or fast to give a intense, thrilling ride. Maverick stands only 105 feet tall, and while the ride has a top speed of 70mph, for most of the ride you are probably going closer to 50-55. However, Maverick packs a punch: it starts with a LAUNCH LIFT HILL. Granted, it's only about 20mph, but still. This is followed by a beyond vertical drop and then come many twists, turns, and some great airtime hills: the big airtime hill in the 1st half is awesome and usually gives great ejector air. Then come two corkscrew-style flips. After that when some might think the ride is almost over, you launch at 70mph out of a tunnel (then get trimmed down to 55) into more twists, turns, and airtime hills before the ride finally stops. This bucking Bronco was my favorite ride at Cedar Point and #1 overall at the end of 2017, but then... #1- Steel Vengeance @ Cedar Point ....some Outlaws showed up, seekin' Vengeance for Maverick's crimes! The former Mean Streak (which I never rode BTW) has been transformed into a monster hybrid coaster, with steel track on wooden supports. In this transformation the ride became taller (205 feet tall), faster (74mph), longer (5400+ feet), and elements which were very tame on Mean Streak became insane on the new ride. And while there were some hiccups (trains bumping, hot sauce, and whatnot) the overall ride experience seems to be a smash hit with nearly everyone...me included. This coaster has it all. It's huge, fast, intense, and it has tons of airtime everywhere- and a lot of it is Magnum XL-200 level airtime! Add 4 inversions- 2 of which are in the final section in the huge wooden structure- and you have a true winner. This is the only RMC I have ridden so far, but if they are anything like this on their other rides, I can see why the company is so hyped. And that is my personal current Top 10, as of May 2019. This will probably change as I go to more parks in the future, obviously. Also this is just a "template" feel free to make your own lists less detailed (or more) if you want as stated above. Enjoy the poll/discussion!

One note on this: Six Flags I agree with (they seem to be very heavy into cheaper additions recently so a Giga is clearly not what they'd have in mind) but Busch MIGHT be a chain that sees a Giga in the future. For 2020, they are adding a large Intamin launch coaster at Williamsburg as well as the massive RMC Gwazi (though we don't know how long RMC Gwazi is supposed to be either), and a smaller B&M Dive Coaster in California to boot. I would not be totally shocked if they decided to do a Giga coaster at one of their bigger parks down the line, especially with how serious Busch seems to be on new coasters since Mako opened in 2016. Herschend would be another possible chain to add Gigas, given that Dollywood has added some very big rides this decade like Wild Eagle and Lightning Rod, and they have been building expensive expansions to their parks as well. These are probably the only other chains besides Cedar Fair I could see realistically getting Giga coasters though. Disney and Universal have the money, but they tend to focus heavily on theme, and I don't think you could do a super-themed Giga that easily. And smaller parks like Holiday World and Kentucky Kingdom just don't have the money to blow on a 300-foot roller coaster. Agreed- I really like that concept and his version of the layout. Another Youtuber- CanadaCoasterFan- pointed out his layout has elements from Leviathan (high speed airtime hill and big airtime hill), Fury (Treble Clef), and Shambhala (Weird Giant Helix Thing) which basically makes it seem possible Kings Island just went for the "B&M's Greatest Hyper/Giga Element Hits" with this layout. Record-breaking or not, if that is or is at least close to the layout we are getting, it will be a awesome ride. BTW for those who have not seen CoasterMac305's video, here it is again so you don't need to search a billion (seemingly) pages for it: