malem

Local news article about Coasterstock this weekend: http://www.abc22now.com/news/top-stories/stories/First-Coasterstock-This-Weekend-at-Kings-Island-130203.shtml Attending will be over 500 enthusiasts from 24 states and Canada.

An e-mail went out today with details & check-in information. Pay close attention to the arrival and parking information for each day. Note that the main parking tolls will not be used Saturday morning.

^^ Ride associates will walk the area after park closing, returning any found items to Lost & Found. A guest simply needs to fill out a ticket at Lost & Found and check back after the park closes.

If normal "tweetup" rules are followed, you may need to show the tweet on a mobile device to prove that you follow the park on Twitter. (With the Twitter app, via a mobile web browser, or via SMS on if you follow that way.)

I rode it three times today, in various seats (excluding the front). It's definitely an improvement for the general public, but my initial impression is that I don't enjoy it as much as I did Mantis (albeit after learning to ride the latter "correctly"). I found headbanging, which I find particularly annoying, to be harder to avoid. Also, the forces on my head during the loop were uncomfortable; I felt slightly lightheaded after navigating it each time. I'll give it another chance when I'm there next (probably Coastermania), but I'm currently thinking it will be a once-per-trip ride for me. I do need to try the front row before judging it fairly (vs. Mantis). Note that my roller coaster preferences are anything but typical, so don't necessarily take my word for it.

Rougarou has been down a lot today, Wicked Twister still doesn't have a train. most everything else is running. TTD posted at 15min.

Cedar Point is pretty dead today.

^^ Great report; thanks! ^ The first error from Norton may be related to the apparent DNS redirection from the second error. I don't see any resources from potentially malicious sites being loaded by that blog. What is your computer's DNS server set to? http://kb.mit.edu/confluence/display/istcontrib/How+to+check+DNS+settings+on+Windows+7(or network settings on Mac OS X, or /etc/resolv.conf on Linux)

^ I don't have specific information about the logistics of this event, but I can give you information about how these events typically work. ERT starts at 8:00am, so registration should begin before then. I plan to be at the park around 7:00am. There will be some sort of check-in process before entering the park, where you will receive a lanyard, badge and/or other credentials needed to access the event. Look for signs or for where other people are lining up. Don't forget to have your event ticket, valid coaster club membership card, and photo ID! The t-shirt might be handed out when you check in, or it could be handed out later. People will meet in the designated location prior to the scheduled tour/walkback. Make sure to be on time, or you'll miss the tour! Check your event badge for any specific details. Look for where others are gathering near Banshee or in The Beast entry plaza, as appropriate. Everyone will have some form of credential so that KI associates know who is eligible for tours, meals, ERT, etc. This will probably be a lanyard and badge. Event t-shirts certainly help as well. Ask on the day of. It won't be 3 hours. Confirm what time(s) you can arrive for meals when you check in, if this is not specifically addressed on your event badge. Typically, you don't need to be there immediately when the meal starts. Yes. Feel free to take time meet up with fellow enthusiasts. It's not every day when they're gathered in large numbers wearing identifying badges. Just go to the entrance of the attraction you want to ride. After the park closes, you will need to show your event credential to enter the queue for ERT Your non-passholder event ticket is valid for admission both Saturday and Sunday. Hang on it it and present it at the front gate to enter the park. Those with passholder tickets must use their season pass for admission into the park each day.

On a hot day, it's smart to refill it with water some of the time instead of just soft drinks. This option is (or at least should be) free.

Debating between going Sunday, Monday, or both Sunday & Monday.

Fridays before Memorial Day weekend are typically good days to go.

^^ Organizations must protect their trademarks to preserve their rights to them.

As long as it's not your hard drive that's scrambled.

^ They're trying to sell a product. Most families don't book trips 13+ months out, so it's not yet relevant. They also don't want this year's potential customers to wait a year (or to go elsewhere and save Universal Orlando for another trip after the ride opens.)

^ A hotel's exterior should be well-lit. Much better for security. I want to be safe if I need to go outside at night. I also prefer that my car & its contents are intact when I wake up in the morning.

I avoid any budget hotel/motel that allows pets. There are too many problems that this can cause.

There's no way I could do this and still have the energy to make it through Coasterstock.

Also happening this upcoming Sunday, May 10 for Mother's Day. (EDIT: Never mind. The Mother's Day promotion was posted as its own thread.) This is a popular promotion, so expect the park to be more crowded than it might otherwise be on an equivalent day. Sundays early in the season usually aren't extremely crowded to start with, making these good days for promotions to increase attendance.

fuse.net is a service of Cincinnati Bell, which has has provided Internet service to the park for a long time.

For budget hotels in the area, I've had good luck with the Best Western and the Comfort Inn at exit 19.

^ But, if it exists, we don't know for how long it has. Such a clause presumably wouldn't affect the rights of parks to move rides purchased before it became effective.

^ This should still apply: http://www.KICentral.com/forums/index.php?/topic/26752-tutorial-how-to-upload-photos/ If you are using the Tapatalk app on a mobile device, a photo hosting service is included.

Though that was moved there from Geauga Lake.

I believe that the estimated wait times are called in periodically by the ride crews. The person at Flight of Fear's entrance can't see the inside queue, so the margin of error might be higher if that is in use. I prefer looking at lines myself rather than looking at estimated times.