homestar92

And here I stand yet again as the only member of the Diamondback haters club. Having been to Kings Island, Cedar Point, Carowinds, Kennywood, Canada's Wonderland, Holiday World, Darien Lake, and many smaller parks, and not ever having had an opportunity to ride Son of Beast, Diamondback is definitely my LEAST favorite coaster so far that is over 200 feet tall. Though Millennium Force is not very far behind it. And no, I am legitimately not being a troll. Folks around here know me better than that. I realize that not many people will agree with my opinions, but hey, I probably don't agree with most of your opinions on Vortex, so it's all good. I am happy to see that at least as of right now, everybody who has voted in the poll appreciates our wonderful little Arrow Mine Train. If it isn't best-in-class, there aren't many above it.

They are good any two days in the season, and you can do the two parks in any order. As for the drink deals, for a non-passholder, the wristband would be a cheaper option for you, and you do not have to carry a cup around. However, the cups make a nice collectible if you're into that sort of thing. Keep in mind that to my knowledge, Cedar Point does NOT offer the unlimited drink wristbands. However, you should get in touch with the park to be sure because I don't know for certain.

The must-rides at Kennywood? Every single ride whose name isn't "Garfield's Nightmare". And I'm serious about that. If it were still the Old Mill, my recommendation would be completely different... But if pressed for time, at least hit all the coasters. Skip Sky Rocket if you must (though you'd be missing my personal favorite launched coaster, and yes, I've ridden Maverick). Kangaroo is a must due to its historical significance and rarity. Same with Noah's Ark. Even the Turtle is a rarity (though there is another ride like it within the same state). I could keep going and going like an Energizer battery when you get me talking about Kennywood. If AT ALL possible, do yourself a favor and try to find a way to spend a whole day there. It's my favorite theme park in the world, and considering that my home park has The Beast, Banshee, and Vortex, it is no small thing that I'm ranking Kennywood higher. -Homestar92, surprised by Terpy's lack of recommendation of the Turtle.

You know, I figure I should ask, because I've been wondering for a while... Where did the nickname of "Big Droppy Thing" come from?

Some guests really enjoy the food pricing this season, actually. My food budget for the season has been just under $100 and I've eaten two meals every time I've been there. Though I don't think that was quite what you had in mind

A close family friend claims that she knows someone who used to be a mechanic for Kings Island that claimed he would never allow his children to ride the coasters there because he felt they were "unsafe". And now because this so-called "expert" made an idiotic statement, she won't believe my reasonably educated opinion on the safety of amusement rides. Things like that don't help. They instill a false image that no amount of explanation can fix. If a park mechanic really, truly felt that way, then I'm glad he is a FORMER mechanic. If he honestly thinks that roller coasters are at all dangerous under normal circumstances, then it proves that he knows next to nothing about them, and I would not want such a person doing the repairs on the rides that I trust mys safety to. I don't claim to be an expert on roller coasters. But I know enough to realize that if coasters truly were screaming metal death traps, wouldn't more incidents have happened in the 40 years Kings Island has been open? Over the course of their 20+ years, wouldn't B&M have had at least ONE safety incident on their coasters purely by simple random chance? How many deaths occur every year on all roller coasters in the world, combined? How many deaths occur on Interstate 75 in a week? I'd bet you a blank check with my signature on it that the second number is higher. I noticed that our very own Violakat left a very helpful comment explaining the situation in the comments on WHIO's Facebook article. Thank you for that. You can always trust a fellow Saturn fan to talk some sense into people that don't want to see reason We, as enthusiasts need to be the solution, not the problem. We need to get in the habit of making well-researched and articulated defenses for the machines that bring us so much joy. Though I don't often like him, I direct you to this interview with Robb Alvey. He can be irritating, annoying, and even downright childish at times, but when he did this interview, he was genuinely acting as a force for good among the reputation of theme park rides. We need to know our facts, and be ready to defend the rides we love before their reputation can come to undue harm. And to any concerned general public who might have found their way here, just remember: As long as you follow all of the posted safety signs, adhere to height and size restrictions, and behave in a reasonable manner, you will almost certainly get off the ride smiling and sustaining no harm. Nearly every time a safety incident occurs, there is almost always one common characteristic: One or more safety guidelines were not followed. Ride smart, and you will ride safe.

Do you really want to put in a ride at Kings Island that will fall apart every January? That would just add to the offseason workload and limit the resources available for construction of new rides.

^You COULD tell them that it's in Paris. Or Doswell, VA. Or Las Vegas, NV. You wouldn't be lying to them. I don't recommend doing so if you work at the park, however. Having a job is typically a good thing. -Homestar92, who used the word "typically" because he has worked at Cracker Barrel.

^Not when it's running one train. NOTE TO GENERAL PUBLIC: The following is sarcasm. Please do not take it seriously, or you will make the enthusiasts cry. Thank you for your cooperation. Obviously the lift motor struggles more when there are two trains on the track. It must be falling apart and unable to handle the weight of two trains. Or maybe it's sinking. <END SARCASM>

And you HAVE to ride the big INTAMIN boat ride at Holiday World. Oh, wait... Nevermind. In all seriousness, though. I think that as coasters go, Raven is great, but compared to the others in the park, I find it lackluster. Legend is absolutely astounding, and Voyage is just a tad bit overrated, but is still a wonderful ride that ranks among my favorites. Their waterpark gets very crowded so get there early for Mammoth and the (in my opinion) VASTLY superior Wildebeest. The other slides are fun, but not anything you can't get at other waterparks. The Waterpark sometimes gets pretty dead right before it closes, so definitely head over to that side of the park around that time and take a look. Holiday World is a great place. Take advantage of the "free" drinks and sunscreen - you paid for them when you bought a ticket. Other than that, I whole-heartedly concur with thekidd33's advice to go for Plymouth Rock Cafe. Good food for a theme park, and the pricing is about on par with a casual sit-down restaurant like Cracker Barrel.

But, I bet Vortex is "stuck" on the lift hill right now, unless it was running on two trains today for some reason.

Don't ever take a flash drive to Kennywood... Don't ask me why, I still to this day have no idea why security cared in the slightest, but they questioned me about that for at least 15 minutes. -Homestar92, who likes to travel with at least 16 gigabytes on his person at all times, even if he has no practical use for it at all. (as a side note, no Cedar Fair park has ever cared about my flash drive, which makes the Kennywood ordeal even more confusing to me.

Probably not, but thanks to social networking, they have more tweeters than my stereo, and that undoubtedly helps.

I've said it before, I've said it again: "Banshee roller coaster safety mechanisms function as intended" would not be a very exciting headline. They have to take the same event and... jazz it up a bit if they want the views and clicks.

That would surely make me lose my mind. Man, I'm on a roll today.

Ain't it fun? -Homestar92, often surprisingly topical with his allusions.

I initially read the title of that video as "Crazy Driving in Indiana". I knew drivers were crazy out there, but I had never imagined that! I'm actually slightly sad that I ended up reading it correctly the second time around. My version was so much more fun!

Get back to you on which one? Oral Surgery or Bypass 4?

At least it won't be like the unholy abomination that is Bypass 4. That is the second worst thing in the world, ranking just below oral surgery.

Per the news release, the electrical panel involved isn't actually part of the ride. Supposedly the ride itself was down for less than an hour today, so that emergency personnel could access the area. That hardly matters to the general public, though. They will continue to claim it caught fire no matter how many times the actual story is explained, and with each retelling of the story, this alleged fire will get bigger and more destructive. I need to learn to stay away from comment sections on articles. I've seen many people claiming that the ride must surely be unsafe and needs to go. I really wish the General Public would just listen to us enthusiasts. Or park officials. Or reason.

Or he had to use the restroom. As we all know, it can take a very long time to get between X-Base and the nearest restroom.

Ah, but the presence of Banshee introduces another variable that must be accounted for! Let's say that on some arbitrary day, Banshee brings in 1,000 people to the park. Lets also say that at any given time during this day, there are 1,000 people waiting for Banshee. Suddenly the net effect for all other rides is zero. Or, another situation, let's say only 500 extra people come who would not have otherwise, strictly because of Banshee, but the same 1,000 people are in line for it. Suddenly, there are now 500 LESS people spread out among the lines for everything in the park. This can also be applied if Banshee brings in, say, 1,000 people, but only 500 are in line for it at any time. Now Banshee is adding to the overall crowds throughout the park. The addition of a new ride can have any number of effects on wait times, and they don't always get longer. This year on opening day, I saw some of the shortest lines I'd ever heard of on an opening day. I did not ride Banshee until late in the evening. That line, I've heard, was obnoxious almost immediately. Meanwhile,I thoroughly enjoyed walking right onto Flight of Fear and Firehawk, something that in past years was a rarity on opening day.

Before checking the list, I'm guessing that the two flubs are Enchanted Voyage and The Beast? Nobody liked those dumb rides, right?

I compliment Ron Toomer for turning coat hangers into wonderful, artistic devices of thrill and amusement that would entertain and excite millions of people for decades.

And, if the picture displayed is an actual photo of the seats being sold, then I can confirm that they are not from Carowinds either, as their theater had the same seats as the one at Kings Island.