malem

Tonight, we're upgrading the forum software to IPS Community Suite 4. This requires a database conversion, so KIC will be unavailable starting around 8:00pm. We'll get everything back up ASAP & by Tuesday morning. The new software includes a number of changes from the IPB 3.x series we've used for years. Most notably, a new responsive mobile theme will offer many improvements when viewing the forum with the mobile website. Another notable change is an improved editor that eliminates the "BBCode switch". Advanced users can still type BBCode manually, if they prefer that to the editor buttons. If you notice problems or have questions after the upgrade, feel free to send me a PM or post in this thread.

Coaster-wise, 2016 was a good year for me with 14 visits to Kings Island & a record 6 new parks. This year, my goals (for now) are Hersheypark and some park with RMC IBox track on an operating ride. A return visit to Holiday World is long overdue, and I plan to get to Kennywood (for the first time since 2014) when silver2005 is over that way.

Tomorrow, Wet 'n Wild closes its gates permanently. Sadly, I never made it there. Volcano Bay, of course, opens this summer.

This topic seems destined to become a "pick-the-worst" thread. These typically don't lead to interesting discussions. Many clone & mirror coasters have fun & interesting layouts (eg. Batman: The Ride), though the excitement of a first ride isn't quite the same if you've ridden several identical models. Coming from someone who, this past season, inadvertently made an inverted Boomerang his 100th coaster.

I believe that Fanta is left non-carbonated so that its nozzle can be used for the tap water button. Lemonade or iced tea is often for this, but KI's fountains lack these options.

It's definitely on my to-visit list, but I have yet to make it to SDC. Paging MNFriedOreo.

When authentic Kinzel cups at a hotel breakfast are a welcome sight.

^ They certainly deserve any reputation they've earned from safety violations; it's not a park I plan to visit. This is obviously a very tragic situation, but the negligence would seem to be solely with the teens if the initial police report is correct. See also the fatal incident at Raptor last year; fences & locked gates aren't there to make it impossible for a determined person to break in.

For reference, here's the rules link: http://www.KICentral.com/forums/index.php/topic/4128-terms-of-service/ It basically boils down to respecting each other, citing your source if you use someone else's content (especially photos/video), and being careful to not post false information. Hope you enjoy your time here!

^^^ Welcome to KICentral, by the way! That's known as the 11th Commandment around here.

Details on some of Universal's recently-filed patents have been making the media rounds, including an interesting drop slide enhancement that may be in store for Volcano Bay. http://www.bizjournals.com/orlando/news/2016/12/09/universal-theme-park-patents-tackle-drifting-cars.html

Some teasing and/or trolling from Cedar Point's Christmas video: Photo/video: Cedar Point via YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qkznCnOqLio

With apologies to homestar, they're still missing a wood tracked coaster with good laterals and/or airtime.

^^^ Holiday World isn't going to kick someone out for drinking too much soda. Deliberately wasting drink or taking stacks of cups out of the park would constitute abuse.

A waiting period between beverages would reduce some of that waste. Holiday World famously provides unlimited self-service drinks for all guests (in disposable cups), though they explicitly reserve the right to eject anyone abusing the privilege.

^^ With MS gone (for now), 17 including Pipe Scream. Current management seems focused on things other than the number of credits on the Cedar Point peninsula.

The official word from the park is that the ride capacity and location in Rivertown would preclude an event as big as Banshee's Media Day. There will be some enthusiast representation, but there's not room for everyone this time. Many of us will be at the charity fundraiser event for unlimited riding before it officially opens, and Coasterstock participants are likely to get hours of ERT on Mystic Timbers (and Beast, Banshee, Diamondback & more).

Last weekend, several of us held the fourth annual KIC holiday meetup at Great Wolf Lodge. It's great to see everyone in the off-season and to escape winter for a couple days! I arrived first, getting there just before 10:00am Friday to watch the singing trees perform in the Clock Tower show. They're not Singing Mushrooms, but they'll do. By mid-afternoon, exscream team, jcgoble3, Oldiesmann, pianoman, & silver2005 had joined. We all had some early fun in the waterpark, getting several laps on the slides before crowds showed up. Here are five of us, weighing in just under the limit of 800lbs, getting ready to pack the River Canyon Run family slide. This slide is most thrilling with 4-5 people who just meet the weight requirement. By 6:30pm, everyone had arrived, and it was time for dinner. We had a bit of a mix-up with the Loose Moose buffet being unexpectedly closed that night. The other restaurant (Lodge Wood Fired Grill) wasn't big enough to accomodate our group, so they made a special effort to serve us in the larger restaurant that wasn't open. We received great service from our server Ryan & had a delicious meal! After dinner, pianoman, ohiocolts & I headed to the waterpark for last rides while everyone else continued to chat. By 9:00pm, it was time for the annual KIC white elephant gift exchange. As usual, Thrill_Biscuit didn't disappoint with his gift - a box full of certified Mystic Timbers. I didn't get a very good picture of this; hopefully someone else can fill in with theirs. DiamondAceExpress enjoyed her Haunt-themed gifts. The most popular gift of the night was Toilet Tunes, appropriately gifted by pianoman. Quite literally, it's a keyboard to place in front of your toilet to play with your feet when nature calls. I opened it first, and Mrs. No Chickens rushed to steal it as soon as her name was called. She took a video of the product in use, which someone will probably share in this thread. More white elephant gifting. Hoeter tried to steal Toilet Tunes a second time, from Mrs. No Chickens, but she successfully resisted. Our group photo, with most of our faces visible. Lighting is a challenge in this area of the resort, and none of us had a camera with a good flash. After the gift exchange, we said goodbye to Hoeter, Thrill_Biscuit, NoChickens, Mrs. No Chickens & Magenta Lizard. The rest of us went to ohiocolts' room to hang out and play games. I have no idea why MDMC01 is sparking. At some point, we went to sleep. Approximate bedtimes were 3:30am for my room (with exscream team & silver2005) and 1:00am for the other two rooms. Breakfast the next morning at 8:30am was tasty. Oldiesmann had to leave early, so we said goodbye to him. Then, it was time to check out of the rooms & get to the waterpark. Goble was overdressed for the occasion; he decided to spend Saturday on MagiQuest & the arcade. Another group photo, featuring Goki32, silver2005, me, ohiocolts & pianoman. We all took a break from the waterpark around 2:00pm, as crowds started to pick up. Most of us spent time chatting, and the kids (& kids at heart) occupied the art table. Goki32 had to leave to get to his job at the Great Wolf Lodge snack bar. IndyGuy4KI, his son Korbin & electricsun stopped by for about a half hour, then a few of us drove to the Landen LaRosa's to buy pizza for a late lunch. For Goble & me, it was our first time tasting LaRosa's that wasn't from Kings Island. Overall, it's much better than the version served at the park. I really liked the hand-tossed crust, which was perfectly cooked and had a good flavor. As the event was drawing to a close, ohiocolts, pianoman & I changed back into swimsuits to close out the night with water slides. silver2005 left the hotel to finish watching the UC/Butler basketball game, and exscream team, Goble, Beastie1980, her mom, and the rest of ohiocolts' family continued to chat around the lobby. Here we are doing a good deed: clearing the mess of tubes that blocked egress from the waterslide runout pool by the end of the night. Shooting some hoops. The waterpark again closed at 9:00pm, and the three of us there got the last ride of the night on Hydro Plunge. Finally, it was time to say goodbye to everyone & drive home. Thanks again everyone for being part of this year's holiday meetup. I'm already looking forward to next year's!

If convicted, the teenagers accused of starting the fire could face 60 years to life in prison. http://www.wdrb.com/story/34065996/teens-charged-in-deadly-tenn-wildfires-could-get-life-in-prison

Preview night has been a good time to ride with minimal crowds the past couple seasons. I probably don't need to say this, but light crowds should not be expected with the premiere of a new, major coaster - passholder exclusive or not! Easter Sunday would be a good day for riding, assuming the park is open then. Many people, myself included, have other plans that day & won't be in front of you in line.

For increasing throughput, a license plate camera system is an order of magnitude cheaper than constructing additional toll lanes. Many parking lots are capturing license plate images these days, both for automated payments and for added security. Exiting any of the lots at John Glenn Columbus International Airport is impossible if the license plate you punched in with doesn't match the one you're exiting with, as I found out after waiting 10 minutes for a malfunction to be cleared. Transponder systems are cheaper for toll roads with hundreds of thousands of transactions per day, but there's probably not much cost benefit at an amusement park's traffic volumes. E-ZPass transponders cost about $10 wholesale, though 6C passive sticker transponders for newer toll systems are a lot cheaper (<$1). I wouldn't want to see amusement parks go back to stickers for visitors, as this limits the vehicle(s) you can visit with and can be intrusive. This is entirely off-topic, but for anyone needing an E-ZPass transponder (eg. for the IL Tollway, Chicago Skyway, OH Turnpike, or PA Turnpike), Massachusetts is the cheapest state to obtain one from. The transponder is mailed free with $20 in prepaid tolls. Beware of states like Indiana & Ohio that charge a monthly service fee.

The Stratosaur trademark was discussed in enthusiast circles awhile back; the consensus was that it was probably intended for WindSeeker. Once they were all named "WindSeeker", the trademark was no longer needed.

Today, even I would have reservations about riding a coaster. I'm not a fan of frostbite. When I finally dig out my winter coat, you know it's the off-season.

Just so no one thinks more of this than it is, the park has done surveys like this before. Survey questions are research; they don't necessarily indicate business plans. If more drink options are introduced, hopefully guests are channeled to the dedicated drink stands. For me, guests holding up food lines to refill multiple drink bottles is the most annoying part of the current setup.

Buy Now/Pay Later is a payment option this holiday season, although it's no longer advertised on the website. To select it, add your pass(es) to your cart and choose "Buy Now, Pay Later" (instead of "Easy Pay") from the top of the payment option screen when you check out. You can also choose to pay in full immediately, if you prefer.