Delirium_Guy

The list will certainly get longer now, as ALL coasters will not operate. There is some belief that the biggest reason Magnum could have possibly slipped was due to the fact that it has been running BRAKELESS all season. Removing those trims from the pretzel adds an amazing amount of speed to the end of the ride, more so than I ever imagined it would. With that said, Magnum has operated for 18 years now with out incident.....rain or shine. It is a tad overkill, but it is what it is. As I said, the frustrating thing was seeing things like Drop Zone and Sling Shot still operating. I would assume, Woofer, that this policy is now across the board at all Cedar Fair parks. Funny, I used to look for rainy days to head up to KI to take a couple quick spins. Guess not anymore. Ironically enough, after the Magnum incident yesterday, they continued to run Maverick in a downpour. Go figure. - Todd

Just an FYI, as a few of us found out today, there is a new policy regarding operating the coasters during weather. Gone are the days of riding in the rain. In the event of rain, ALL coasters will be shut down. This came down from a security guard at Firehawk tonight and was confirmed by a stop by Guest Relations. Meanwhile, rides such as Drop Zone, Sling Shot, Delirium all continue to operate. Stupid policy. According to the man at GR, they've had lots of complaints about it today. Lets hope it goes back to the old way. - Todd, who watched the coasters sit silent during the slight sprinkle of rain around 930 tonight

I wasn't sure if I was going to get to ride or not today. After hearing of the troubles the ride has had over the past few days, I knew it wasn't going to open right at 10. I made it up around 11, being told by a friend that they were shooting for a noon opening. I had to be to work at 1PM. They started cycling trains but that was about it. I had to bail. I ended up going back to the park after work and getting in line around 930, I got my ride just after 11. The ride fits in perfectly where they placed it. The new paint job looks great. Overall, I like the layout of the station, I just hope they control the number of people that are let into each side. Its a relatively small waiting area once inside the station with the rows not being clearly marked as I recall. The queue itself was large....surely a sign that we are a Cedar Fair park now :-) As for the experience, it was great! To me, it is running FAR smoother than it did at Geauga. I hope this continues. The annoying rattling and vibrations of X-Flight are going. Its a great night ride, with a great view of Vortex and Beast. Ride crews were doing the best they could. I believe I counted 5 people at least checking restraints. If they have this many on both sides of the station and can get the kinks worked out with the seats, I think capacity should become less of an issue and the ride could work out quite well. Great addition to KI. Crowds seemed to be going NUTS over the ride.....as they should. - Todd

$14 for "Chain Chineese" would not constitute the fortune cookie being free. <G> Gotta agree. I paid $12 for two spring rolls, fried rice and a REGULAR sized drink. Once again, completely over priced but at least the food is good! Still, not a place that I'll be swinging by on a regular basis. - Todd

Per a friend who was working in the park yesterday, both trains were on the track and cycling. Guess an official confirmation can be made this weekend, but thats the latest I've heard. - Todd

The Point sure had some operational issues yesterday, more than I am used to seeing, but was to be expected for only being open 3 days. With that said, rough operations there are equal to a good day at KI. Rides were running great, especially Maggie! That ride never gets old for me. Our front seat Dragster ride was well worth the wait. Still impressed they re-opened the ride with 15 minutes left until close.....considering it had been closed for hours and the queue had been cleared out. It was great to have you join Ryan & Dane! You gotta tag along on one of my whirlwind trips sometime :-) As for Interpreter, its always great to see you.....it sure has been a while since we've been able to meet up at a Park! Oh yeah, Maverick. The ride area turned out great and the ride is going to be a blast! We did catch them cycling trains through out the day. - Todd

Actually, Great Adventure has stayed more true to its theme park roots than KI has. Unless you count the concrete jungle known as Action Zone as good theming? - Todd

Yes, Kinzel did say that in a Cleveland Plain Dealer article on Sunday. I would have to think that the lesser of two evils is to have a ride operating- even though it was a large investment, than to have a large investment- and tear it down. Even though TTD & KK were two of the largest investments ever, you cannot label them as failures. The Bat & DF are complete failures since there was no way to keep them operating. The jury is still out on SoB. I would agree with you. I don't recall saying they were failures though, I would have to double check. I believe I said all 3 were among the worse investments ever made by a Park. With that said, would it surprise anyone if any of these rides are still in operation 10 years from now? - Todd

Yeah, it looked like an Arrow transition. I'm guessing some execs rode it and had an unhappy phone call with Intamin over it. There was another article that I read earlier that stated the trouble section was the heartline roll following the launch. Gotta admit, after riding Kingda Ka last year with those restraints, I instantly became concerned over Maverick's ride. Its an awesome layout, but Kingda Ka gave my neck a good whack and thats just a simply twist down from the tower. Sorry that it wont' be open on our Monday visit, but better they take care of the problem now before it becomes a larger issue later. - Todd How do those restraints (the ones on KA and Maverick) work out for larger guests? I'm a bigger guy and last summer I was able to ride FOF, TTD, MF, and Wicked Twister without any trouble or struggle but I've put on some weight this past offseason (not proud of that) and was wondering If I may have trouble on Maverick? Well, to me anyway, they seem to be more accomodating. The shoulder part is surprisingly very THIN, but very stiff. The result for me was having that very hard strip bash into the side of my neck. It wasn't very enjoyable. I definitely wasn't as wedged in though like on MF, Dragster and the Superman coasters. - Todd

Yeah, it looked like an Arrow transition. I'm guessing some execs rode it and had an unhappy phone call with Intamin over it. There was another article that I read earlier that stated the trouble section was the heartline roll following the launch. Gotta admit, after riding Kingda Ka last year with those restraints, I instantly became concerned over Maverick's ride. Its an awesome layout, but Kingda Ka gave my neck a good whack and thats just a simply twist down from the tower. Sorry that it wont' be open on our Monday visit, but better they take care of the problem now before it becomes a larger issue later. - Todd

I havent ridden the Giant since about 1999. It sure wasn't running that well then either. My first rides were in 1996, the year after they reprofiled the double up. It was fantastic then. I agree though, El Toro is quite amazing. Not sure I prefer it to Ride of Steel at SFNE, but its VERY close. Georgia Cyclone still blows me away everytime I ride it, it was even running brakeless on my visit in March. While The Beast isn't anywhere close to being my favorite coaster, there is something about it that still holds a special place in my heart. Love your last statement, Interpreter. Knowing you, I think I know exactly what you were saying but not saying :-) - Todd

Todd, you need to calm down and drink some warm milk. Curtis Summers is a WELL respected coaster designer. AND, if you check the records, you will see he had a BIG hand in desiging The Beast. That's I guess another coaster that turned to crap. So, as you say Todd, I will call like it is, you are perfectly welcome to express your opininons BUT, you don't have opinions, you are just not well informed. It wasn't constructed properly, but it wasn't designed properly either. Paramount blew it, that's what I said in the first place. Of the Curtis Summer rollercoasters you named, how many of them did you ride? No milk, thanks. I never said Curt Summers wasn't well respected or that he never designed any good rides. The issue that I was pointing out was regarding all of the mega wood coasters that he and Dinn cranked out in the early 90's......including that wonderful ride at CP Mean Streak. To answer your question, I've ridden every one of those coasters I mentioned....along with Wolverine Wildcat, Predator, Georgia Cyclone, Timber Wolf....need I go on? I've ridden plenty of Curt's designs and there are some super ones out there. The mega woodies just didn't turn out that way. The only one that I will stand up for is Texas Giant. That used to be one hell of a ride! Again, if I'm going to put the words awesome and Curtis Summers together I can think of many good rides to group together with that....Mean Streak just isn't one of them. I don't particularly consider Beast to be a huge ride, either. Aside from the two lift hills, the ride is relatively low to the ground. We all know this. Compared to a ride such as the Giant which is a lot of large drops and high banked curves, its a different breed. No, Beast isn't crap. - Todd

That is a rather bold statement especially since TTD & KK are actually operating and were not dismantled compared to rides like The Bat & Drachen Fire. Also, how can SoB be a wash? That means it would have had to actually brought the same amount of guests to the gate to justify to costs to build it as well as the numerous repairs/ re-engineering it has gon through since 2000. I can't see it even being close to a wash. TTD & KK are actually operating yes, but even Dick Kinzel himself in one of these more recent interviews admits that Dragster was one of the dumbest decisions he ever made. While SOB may have brought people through the gates in 2000, I highly doubt its been worth the investment. Its not a big secret that large of amounts of money are sunk into it season after season, money that could be spent on other things in the Park. Seriously, I'm not sure how the ride can be labeled as a success. To each their own. - Todd

Funny, I thought the best years of the Paramount era were under Jane Cooper. Things certainly didn't improve when one Al Weber took the helm. Hypersonic was in 2001. The other two came in 2000. - Todd

So I hear :-) But they have that other wonderful ride on the other side of the park....something about Magnum? Can't wait! - Todd

source: http://www.cleveland.com/plaindealer/stori...&thispage=1 It's obivious to me at least that unfortunately, SOB had design flaws. To much ride and to little engineering. I wonder if it could be re-engineered to operate at the speed it was supposed to? Werner Stengel (I hope I spelled thatv right) did the design and I know there was some kind of law suit regarding it's design or construction. The Beast was designed in house. I don't know if the same people worked for KI at the time SOB was proposed. It's a shame someone like Curits Summers couldn't have designed SOB. He designed some great woodies including one at CP. Maybe I'm wrong, but it seems CF is trying to make the best of a bad situation. Sounds like it Son of Beast wont be a son, maybe a distant uncle you only see at Xmas? Ha. Curtis Summers. While some great designs back in the day, I'd hardly label Mean Streak at CP a successful one. Every huge wood coaster that he and Charlie Dinn worked together on quickly turned to crap.....Texas Giant, Hercules, Mean Streak and so on. I don't think the design on SOB is to blame at all. Does anyone NOT remember the fact that Paramount Parks ended up taking on the feat of being the general contractors for SOB? I put most, if not ALL the blame on PP. For starters taking on such a massive project that was far beyond what they were capable of handling was stupid. Isn't it ironic that in the lawsuit the ONE party that wasn't a part of it was Premier Rides? The trains weren't to blame for any of the problems the ride had then, however in 2007 they suddenly ARE the problem? Honestly, call it like it is. SOB is a wash and should have never seen the light of day. Hands down the worse investment in any park, anywhere. Followed closely by the likes of Top Thrill Dragster and Kingda Ka of course. At least Dragster can somewhat run reliably now..... - Todd,

source: http://www.cleveland.com/plaindealer/stori...&thispage=1 That interview was a good read. I still say its more of a "if" it reopens situation, guess time will tell. I did enjoy the part where he was comparing the two operations to one another. Cedar Fair was great at marketing to families with teens and Paramount had the families with smaller kids nailed. The intention is to marry the two. The old Cedar Fair parks will get some more family geared attractions and the Paramount Parks will take the families with teen route. Sounds good to me. - Todd

We had great luck last fall hitting up the Point on Sundays in September. Millennium Force and Dragster were both walk ons. I had never seen that before, very nice! We are headed up next Monday to check out Maverick, I've always heard that the weekdays leading up to Memorial Day are fabulous times to hit it too! - Todd

The new G2 trains do look a lot like the Millennium Flyer trains. I don't think it would be to hard to add more padding on to a set of trains. I would hate to see what a lot of you would have said back in the day about The Beast with no padding. If you sat in the back you came off hurting. The only padding was found on the buzz bar. I have ridden PTCs that date farther back than those that currently run on Beast. Definitely not as much padding, but its still a hell of a lot better than that found on Son of Beast and the Gerstlauer trains, IMHO. The new G2 trains do look very similiar to Millennium Flyers. Also, I've heard a lot of positive comments about the Vekoma wood coaster trains that are out there in operation. Go figure! - Todd

Being a former employee I can tell you that it does take time to get employees in their groove. Cedar Fair has changed a few policies and from what i see some ride operation policies. If I was a returner I might be used to the old ways and if I was a newbie I would be overwhelmed. Since the park is only open weekends they dont have a lot of time to get their groove in place. I think it is unfair to say the crews are lousy, please give them a chance under the new policies and then let us see how things turn out. Ordinarily I would agree with you, except I have several friends that are on these crews. While some changes have occurred, it seems as if nothing new or major since last season. The problem lies, or so it would seem, with the number of people that are on the ride at one time. Two people checking a train of 28 seats, one of which has to tend with dumb ass people who cant grasp the concept of getting off the loading platform before the train dispatches (not the employees fault). There are some crews so far who have no sense of urgency and there are are a few (please see Beast crew) who make EVERY attempt to get the train out as fast as possible. I had some hope that Cedar Fair would kinda shake this up a little and put more emphasis on capacity. - Todd

How do you figure? Aside from similiar signage and few other small things, I would beg to differ. I don't think enough from CP has rubbed off at KI. Take a look at the lousy crews that are at the Park this year. I'm sorry, 20 minutes for a 3 train wait on Vortex is unacceptable.....its not even that bad at most of the Six Flags parks I visit. - Todd

What are G trains. G stands for Gerstlauer. These are the same trains that run on Twisted Twins at SFKK or Villain at Geauga Lake. I actually don't mind the trains too much. Their biggest downfall, much like the former rolling stock on Son of Beast, is the lack of padding! It'd be fabulous if these trains had padding similiar to that found on a Millennium Flyer train. Soft and cushy. - Todd

You the Fields Ertel location is horrid, always has been and probably always will be. All the others I usually frequent are just fine. I gotta check out Putz's. I was sad I missed going with ya on that Sunday at Strickers. Sounds great! - Todd

Food prices are TOTALLY out of control at Kings Island. My experience at all the Six Flags parks I've visted this season has shown far cheaper prices. Even at Dollywood, food is reasonable and its GOOD. On Sunday, much like the original poster, I wanted Rivertown Potato works. $12 for a fry and large drink. PATHETIC, much worse is the fries has been sitting there for sometime and were horrible. Somethings gotta change. Oh, and for what its worth, I find the food prices at Disney reasonable. Food is cheaper even at DISNEY. Sheesh. On a brighter note, glad to see Huntington FINALLY getting a SteaknShake :-) My mom is anxiously awaiting it to open as she loves to eat there when she comes to visit. LOL. - Todd

Interpreter, we usually always agree......but this time I 100% disagree. First season, the ENTIRE queue was filled on a regular basis. That includes both one AND two train operation.....I waited through it several times with friends. Full queue with 2 trains is close to two hours. I have waited as long as 2.5 hours, so 3 was certainly not out of the question back in the day. I highly doubt it ever sees that again, but still. - Todd, who remembers during October of the first season when SOB actually was half way decent!