malem

^ It was in jest, of course.

Database queries are often the performance bottleneck on forum websites. IPB uses MySQL, so those logs may have insight into the situation. Another possibility is that a reverse proxy server (iirc, this site uses Nginx) is not interacting well with the web front-end(s). For what it's worth, this site has loaded reasonably well every time I have accessed it recently. If you send Dane a private message with the date and time of the issue when it happens, he might be able to look into it.

I wore a Banshee shirt to Cedar Point a few times this season. A lot of guests and associates asked me about the ride. The only person who didn't like it was (park GM) Jason McClure, who spotted the shirt and told me to buy merchandise from the "right" park.

^ Use a barcode scanning app on your mobile device to scan the barcode.

All the steel coasters (except Flight of Fear) closed when temperatures dropped below freezing (at ~10:30pm). FoF, The Beast, The Racer, WindSeeker, Drop Tower, Boo Blasters, Viking Fury, the Coney Maul classics, and Delirium continued operating until 1:00am. exscream team and I stayed (and continued riding) until the bitter, 27 degree end.

They are not. It's way too cold for the actors.

All rides open except Vortex, AE, Invertigo, Backlot, and water rides. Wait times are surprisingly long for 35 degrees. Beast 15min, Banshee nearly full queue with two trains.

^^ I would guess that in-park announcement(s) will be made tomorrow, and the location will probably be shared by @KingsIslandPR on Twitter. If you RSVP'd for the Haunt maze walk-through, you'll presumably learn more then. When someone finds out, details will probably get posted in this thread. If all else fails, ask someone at the park.

And with that, we have less than 22 hours to "decode". I'll definitely be there.

^ That is a stage; the Enchanted Theater used that portion of the building after Phantom Theater was built. That space is now used only as Carnevil. Ed Alonzo's shows were in the (much, much larger) Kings Island Theater.

Here's a diagram of the building that shows the track layout of Phantom Theater (and subsequent rides):

Make sure to plan for the weather this weekend; it's forecast to be a very cold one. There are passholder bring-a-friend specials both Saturday and Sunday, by the way. See KI's website for current ticket specials: https://www.visitkingsisland.com/ticket-category/General-Admission

There were two incidents this season involving smoke. In the first, a motor was found to be emitting smoke; it was turned off and the ride re-opened a few days later. In the second, smoke was coming from electrical equipment outside the building. The back car was closed off after the second incident. It's my understanding that this was done to reduce the peak load on the park's electrical system. A lighter train allows for less power to be used during the launch.

^^^ According to canadaswonderland.com, platinum passes are not valid for admission or parking for Halloween Haunt.

Re-entry of all sorts is prohibited during Haunt. Even if you exit the park earlier in the afternoon, before Haunt starts, you won't be able to re-enter after 6:00pm 7:00pm. The only way to get back in would be to purchase a ticket.

A basketball tournament to be held on the 3-Point Challenge court? A formal dance located in the Picnic Grove?

According to Kings Island via Twitter, the rider was Mark Specht from Berea, OH. He is evidently a roller coaster enthusiast, as he is wearing a CoasterMania shirt in the included photograph:

New passholders receive one free visit this year as a "perk", if they choose to visit before the end of the season. Renewing passholders already have unlimited admission for the 2014 season, so the park is offering them alternative "perks". The Sunday Fast Lane Plus perk is specifically for the remainder of the 2014 season. Perks in 2015 will include admission to the special preview day, passholder events, exclusive ride time, and more. All "perks" are only valid on the date(s) listed. If you miss a "perk", you can't make it up later. There will be plenty of opportunities to get value from your 2015 pass, though, so don't feel bad if you can't take advantage of every offer.

^^^ The offer is for one free gate admission in 2014; free parking on new passes is valid during the 2015 season. You could ask the parking attendant when you arrive, but don't count on parking free this year. ^^ Promotional offers aren't valid after they expire. If you don't redeem the free Sunday Fast Lane Plus by the end of the season, you'll lose it.

Run & Ride was an event held this year at many (all?) Cedar Fair parks. For Kings Island's event, see https://www.visitkingsisland.com/runandride/the-races "Voyage to the Iron Reef" sounds like it could be a Wonder Mountain's Guardian style dark ride/film. If successful at Canada's Wonderland, I believe that the intention was to buy more installations.

I hope the lucky rider is allowed to take the giant sign to his/her car and then re-enter the park!

Select rides in Action Zone (in addition to Banshee) are also open during ERT this year.

^ As of 2012, Slingshot was indeed the least ridden ride. Congo Falls was far from being the least popular. http://www.KICentral.com/forums/index.php/topic/26753-ki-2012-rider-counts-rip-thunder-alley

The detail in your trip reports is always appreciated! My last (and only) trip to SFGAm was in the sixth grade, when I lived just a couple hours away. I was forced to stay with a group that couldn't make up its mind, and the park was packed, so I remember not riding much at all.

Mantis has been squashed.