homestar92

I know that, but if Fast Lane guests can request seats and I can't, then that's really salting a wound... And the way he said it, I can only see two possibilities: either the front is reserved for Fast Lane (which is bad in my opinion) or the Fast Lane guests can make requests that the normal guests can't (which is worse in my opinion).

OK, as we all know, the park likes to remove any and all references to the existence of Son of Beast. And sometimes they do a poor job. A lot of merchandise features its logo or likeness, which may just be leftovers from 2009, or even unintentional. But this T-Shirt in the Diamondback gift shop, is the greatest "cameo" I've ever seen Son of Beast make since its closing. Here it is: What is wrong with this picture to you?

I would normally think that, but if that had been the case, I would think he would have allowed us to ride the next train when that set of guests had boarded.

After going to the park since Fast Lane was implemented, I must say, I feel this system is unfair to non-buyers. Not because everyone else gets to jump the line, but because of the way they do it. Maybe I had an amateur ride-op, but my group was told that we couldn't wait for the front seats of Diamondback because "They're reserved for Fast Lane guests." This infuriates me. We have never had an issue in the past with asking to wait a cycle for the front seat, and to think that only those who pay extra can have a particular seat is just maddening... I'm not mad that I had to sit in the back, I'm mad because of WHY I had to sit in the back.

Does anyone know of all the songs WindSeeker plays? I've heard there are 18 songs, and I've identified some. I can recognize: Hedwig's Theme and the Quidditch Theme from Harry Potter, as well as the theme from one of the Star Treks (I believe it's The Next Generation). If I remember correctly, it also plays the theme from 2001 A Space Oddyssey as well. Can anyone name some of the others. Also, am I the only one mad that "Gonna Fly Now" from Rocky didn't make it?

*sigh*... This rumor again?

Whenever I hear a GP talk about Vortex sinking, I like to see how ridiculous of things I can get them to believe. I honestly had someone believing that Son of Beast used to be part of Adventure Express, but they split it into two rides to help lessen lines and increase the roller coaster count. I'm a bad person

I like going to parks with friends, but I don't mind going alone either. With friends, you have someone to talk to in line, but alone you can freely ride anything you want with no disagreement. But given recent events, I don't think I COULD go alone for a while (if you hadn't heard I lost my usual KI buddy to a car wreck this week). But the main reason I say that is not to beg for sympathy (I've more or less moved on at this poimt), but rather to get to my key point. For me, whether I go alone or with friends depends largely on whether I'm feeling introverted or outgoing at the time. I can go either way, and I can have fun either way. Not to mention, strangers who you would never talk to if you had someone else could potentially become your close friends one day.

Of course Vortex is a girl. Look how close she is to The Beast. And where do you think Sonny got his loop?

All the people talking about bad smells... In my opinion, the ride that needs help the most in THAT area is not a coaster at all, but rather, Congo Falls.

Well, I went today, and I have to say, it was tough. But I'm glad I persevered through it. Something happened that, being the religious man that I am, made me KNOW, beyond any doubt where my friend is. You see, the day started alright. It got tough at lunch. My friend loved food. Any food, he didn't care. Throwing away my leftovers made me lose it. I never had to do that when he was with me. I cried in my car for about 30 minutes, with my girlfriend (who was also a dear friend of his) trying her best to comfort me. She texted a couple of my other friends and, in short, told them I need them there and I need them now. It was about 2 at this point, so she took me to see American Country (great show, by the way), which took my mind off things for just the 30 minutes necessary for my friends to get there. My friends were a phenomenal support group. Any time I got emotional, they sat with me and made me feel loved. It helped. A lot. Anyway, I'll skip to much later. I wanted to be home before dark (after all, my friend had died in a crash, I wanted to be as safe as possible). But my girlfriend more or less MADE me stay to see WindSeeker's lighting package (also stunning). I got in line (for my 4th ride of the day) at about 9:30. as we get close to our turn, the cycles just before us seemed to be... hitting snags. Things would happen and they got delayed for a couple minutes. I was getting frustrated, as it was making it that much later that I could go home (I was sad, and afraid to drive). But as we got on, something happened that I could only describe as miraculous. The delays were just enough that we were able to be on the ride just as the fireworks started. And at that moment, I knew. That was my friend pulling some strings in heaven to make sure I was on that ride at that time. Some might call it coincidence, but as for me, I think it was one last parting gift, especially since he was a bit of a pyro and LOVED shooting off fireworks. And it removed any doubt in my mind as to where my friend is now. And, even in death, he managed to make me smile and cry tears of joy. This trip did wonders in helping me move on and enjoy life again. And while some may scoff, I will say that if nothing else, those events solidified my faith in God tenfold. So that's my mini-trip report. And for any of you who have gone through something similar, I know how you feel, and if you haven't yet, I do believe you can find peace without forgetting your great memories.

So I plan on going to KI tomorrow. It'll be my first trip since I lost my best friend and dedicated KI buddy in a car crash two days ago. So if you're there tomorrow and you see a grown man bawling his eyes out by Vortex, or the $25 gumball machine by the Diamondback gift shop, that's me. And it would be best to let me grieve alone... I sometimes get mean when I'm upset. But I guess the point of this topic is... if anyone's been there before, what is a good way to still manage to have fun with the loss I've recently went through?

I guess I kinda did a bad job wording that last part. I was surprised not because I wanted or expected it, but because in our litigation-happy world, I've seen businesses do tings like that to avoid getting sued by some of the more ignorant portions of the population. FOr example, my family had a truck stolen at the Henry Ford Museum and they offered us free tickets for life (which we refused). And with all the lawsuits Kings Island gets over things, *coughsonofbeastcough* I'm surprised that they didn't. And glad. Because if they were to be push overs like that, I could see a lot of fake complaints in an attempt to get free perks, and I don't want to see my favorite place in the whole world be abused like that. So maybe that makes that statement clearer? I don't know. Anyway, the MAIN point of this post was to point out how helpful some of the little-recognized parts of park staff are, and how you should never be afraid to call security if you feel threatened or otherwise unsafe. They are the most professional security/police force I have ever dealt with. And while I hope to never need to again, I know that I can rest assured that there is a professional team ready and willing to help should I ever need a security guard to help me feel safe.

So, yesterday, I finally got to meet the park police. Now I know what you're thinking, but my group were not the people in the wrong, we were the victims. We were verbally assaulted and physically threatened by an elderly man after getting off The Beast. He thought someone in my group was yelling ethnic slurs during the ride (which we were not, and I'm not sure why someone WOULD on a ride anyway.). He even admitted to not being sure it was them. So, of course, we contacted park security. And long story short, I guess what I'm trying to get at is that KI's police are very professional and friendly. I felt much better after talking to them. And he actually allowed us to stick around and ask questions about his job and was very friendly there too. Overall, I just want to say, if you ever feel threatened, don't be afraid to call security. They are very professional and kind people and they will try their best to make your trip more enjoyable. Now for some other observances, I am just kind of... surprised (and strangely happy) that the park didn't offer some kind of "consolation package." In the past, when I've had incidents in other places, they'll offer a refund or whatever. Had they offered, I would have declined, and as weird as it is, I'm glad they didn't offer. To me, that shows confidence that they have a good staff who can help heal any wounds by themselves. But maybe I'm weird. Anyway, I'm sorry for this pointless ramble So to make for an interesting topic... Has anyone else ever dealt with normally "behind the scenes" parts of the park? And if so, how was it? Also, since I forgot to ask, is there a phone number for park security that I can keep in my phone in case this happens again, or do you need to talk to an employee?

Look at what I stumbled upon.

I should also warn you that there are strobe lights in the queue line for the Crypt.

Too bad you weren't there for ERT. My girlfriend and I had an interesting experience on The Beast... Namely, the slowest ride ever. So slow, in fact, that we only cleared the last hill before the second chain lift by a hair. For a minute I was sure it was going to stall (and if not for the rollback protection on that hill, maybe roll back).

Rides Associates are allowed to assist a guest in getting that last click. Trust me, I do it every day. How many clicks are required at minimum? A couple weeks ago, my girlfriend and I rode racer. She had clicked it 3-4 times and it was tight. The ride op then forced it down to that "one more click" and it was so tight, her legs ended up with giant bruises. We were not amused. Earlier that very day we had ridden The Racer with NO problem, so it CLEARLY wasn't a weight gain issue. In hindsight, I wish I had gotten that ride op's name. We really wanted to complain to guest services!

I know I'm replying to a very old post, but that's nothing. Oh the things I learn in queue lines. Apparently Top Gun once had floorless inverted cars. But they took them off because they derailed and killed a whole train of people. And also, The Beast had a loop. But that also got taken out when someone who wasn't buckled in well fell out. I love the GP.

That's exactly as I thought. The ripping will commence tomorrow. xD

This girl in my class claims that she has rode this ride. She says that she works games and that since she works there that she gets to ride it before everyone else. She also said that she rode a two weeks ago. For one, i don't think it's even been cleared to the public to run. For two, serious testing just started yesterday. I know there is no way she has rode it... it's impossible... Obviously. But I just wanted to make sure that it is... Before i rip on her

Those debuted last year when the license with BMW expired. Really? I guess that's my bad then. Although, last year was the first time I ever really went to Kings Island, and something still seemed... different. Did we have the all one-color trains last year too, or have I spent WAY too much time on the internet compared to actually being IN the park?

Not sure if it's been mentioned, or even if it's new for this year (I think it is) but we seem to have lost our Minis on Backlot. It would appear we have the Dominion style trains now.

It may. Then again, it could be that it would just be really hard to illustrate, or that that section of the map was done before they knew they would add it.

And of course, the single biggest error on the map... The absence of Son of Beast... (end sarcasm) But seriously, the biggest error, the lack of loop on Invertigo. Should it bug me as much as it does? No, probably not. But I just have to wonder how that slipped through...