homestar92

After riding a Bayern Kurve at Kennywood, I REALLY wish we still had ours. Such a fun ride.

I am also in the camp that can have fun at virtually all parks. Many of my friends (who are not on this site) are very much the opposite, and need high-intensity thrill rides to entertain them. And that's fine. To each his own. But personally, I'm the sort who can enjoy taking a walk through Cincinnati's Coney Island (in my opinion, one of the most beautiful parks I've been to yet) every bit as much as I can enjoy a day at Cedar Point or Kings Island. Heck, my favorite parks in the whole world are Stricker's Grove, Carowinds, and Kennywood, and those are not parks you'll see topping many lists with the average thrill-seeker. Cedar Point is near the bottom of my list (which baffles most of my friends) but I still think it's a wonderful park with a great setting (even if I feel most of their coasters are mediocre at best). I can see Kentucky Kingdom joining the ranks of my favorites, (if only because I adore Chance/Morgan coasters and parks that have them) especially a few years down the road when their other coasters open and they've developed a strong presence in the area... IF they survive that long (and I really, really hope they do).

Just don't ever buy the Maruchan Cheddar Cheese Instant Lunch. The only way I can describe the taste is "Dorito Soup".

All that the sculpture will do for me is make me want to leave the park so I can eat some Kraft Macaroni and Cheese. -homestar92, a Mac 'n Cheese connoisseur of sorts.

People complain about needing to rent a locker, but I'd bet they'd complain more when their 2 hour wait becomes a 4 hour wait.

I'm just happy to see The Racer lockers still present and still not upgraded to the electronic ones. They are very handy if you want to keep something stored away for the duration of the visit, but available if needed in an emergency. Many times I have left my cell phone in there. For $2, I put my stuff in it and it's there for me in an emergency, otherwise, I can keep it there all day long for just the initial $2.

It's worth noting that in my experience, most of the principles in that post about Cedar Point apply to Kings Island as well. I never thought about the closing time being a factor. Looks like I done good picking days for Canada's Wonderland when the park closes at 6.

If we had something like Wildebeest in our water park, perhaps I'd go there more than once every three years. Last time I was in our water park, I was able to ride Tasmanian Typhoon and Snowy River Rampage.

I miss Learn to Fly by the Foo Fighters in the Diamondback queue. It will forever be part of the Kings Island playlist on my iPod. As will Song 2 by Blur. It would appear that both are relics of a bygone era. I just wish Drop Tower had operated at all last weekend so I'd know if they took away my Van Halen. If they violated the 11th commandment AND took away Van Halen, then I'll be upset...

If my understanding is correct, many entities that own multiple high-dollar properties (Cedar Fair may be similar) will divide their properties in such a way that the assets of each property are all treated separately. I know there is a term for this, but I don't know what it is. If Cedar Fair were operated like this (and again, I don't know if it is or isn't), then if, for example, a lawsuit were to be filed for something that happens at Kings Island, the other parks in the chain could not become involved in the suit. I'm not sure if that's an entirely clear or accurate description, but it's my very basic understanding as someone with little understanding of how litigation works.

Almost as bad as the "Knott" fiasco several days ago! Theme park puns are Knott Berry funny, and frankly, I don't Cedar Point. I don't think anyone would make any such puns (Perhaps Kennywood, but I don't really Carowinds)

There are two things working against this: most parks already have an inverted coaster of some kind (either B&M invert or Vekoma SLC) and the higher cost of a B&M invert. The parks that don't already have an inverted coaster are diminishing in number. Just thinking aloud the larger parks that don't have an invert but could probably use one are Dollywood, Silver Dollar City, Kennywood, and Holiday World. Some other parks - like Canada's Wonderland or the Six Flags properties with an SLC - have an invert there already so it's harder to justify another invert installation. And how did that prevent Kings Island from getting a B&M invert, when it already had two inverts? Oh wait... Kings Island did not have a full circuit invert with inversions, which I think is the real point here. Yes, Invertigo is an invert, but the very concept is fundamentally different than Banshee's. On the other hand, do I see Canada's Wonderland building a B&M Invert? Probably not, because to the general public, it's not any different than their Vekoma SLC. It's hard to promote a new ride if the fans don't think it's really anything different.

He would actually be looking for the exit to Drop Tower. When mechanics fix rides they enter through the exit, and when they inspect rides they enter through the entrance. Only in the first two games. I am almost certain they use the entrance in RCT3.

Being tall and skinny, I don't much care for the restraints because they hurt my collarbones a little bit. Most of my head is typically over the top of typical OTSRs and I rarely experience "headbanging", so I would prefer traditional restraints. But since a lot of people really like these, I'm glad we have them, as they are popular, and they aren't so bad I can't handle them. Definitely a HUGE improvement over Gatekeeper's restraints early last year. Those were so bad, I'd rather have the original restraints on Flight of Fear... Funny enough, I don't recall my collarbones hurting on the Carolina Cobra, so perhaps Vekoma does a better job with the vest-style restraints, or perhaps the short ride cycle didn't give them enough time to start hurting. Either way, for some reason or another, I think the new Vekoma OTSRs are just a hair more comfortable than the new B&M ones. Regardless, I agree with all your other points. I think Banshee really raised the bar. Will it ever be topped for an Invert? Part of me hopes so because I want to see what they can do, but in a selfish way, I hope that no new inverts come close because I want Kings Island to have the number one invert in the world forever.

Carowinds is an awesome, underrated park. Until I rode Banshee, Afterburn was my second favorite steel coaster with inversions. They rarely have huge crowds compared to Kings Island, and they have a lot of great coasters that rank among my favorites: Nighthawk (The prototype Vekoma Flying Dutchman - similar layout to Firehawk, with a different ending) Vortex (A stand-up coaster that is a bit less extreme than Mantis. Also the third coaster ever built by B&M) Hurler (A speedy wooden coaster with good lateral forces. Very smooth on a good day. Very, very rough on a bad one) Carolina Goldrusher (A classic Arrow Mine Train. Not nearly as good as Adventure Express, but still a solid mine train coaster) Thunder Road (A wooden racing coaster that will take you across state lines and back) And KI's prodigal son, our Flying Eagles, round out the park as a must-visit in my book. Though I will admit, since Banshee opened, my desire to make a return trip to Carowinds has waned significantly.

Don is all over the interwebs within the amusement industry. For example: https://www.carowinds.com/rides/Planet-Snoopy/Woodstock-Gliders

I would take this with a grain of salt, but per a post from ACE on the Facebook page for their Coasting For Kids team, Cedar Fair is implementing a new policy to allow a maximum of two consecutive rides before requiring a break. No word on how long this "break" must be, but that will end marathons as we know them. And this is for general operations,m not just Coasting for Kids. https://www.facebook.com/events/681466668585211/permalink/688345371230674/?stream_ref=3

I don't care if it was supposed to be chopped liver! It was good, whatever it was supposed to be!

Right next to the Graeter's location.

Oktoberfest only has one coaster (which is not remotely German) and two flats (also not remotely German). I think it could use some attention too.

I agree that The Beast is not AS good as it is often made out to be, and that there are better woodies out there. But I thoroughly respect it as a wonderful and important ride. It isn't the most intense ride out there by any means. Heck, take away its setting, and I think it becomes a boring ride. But the setting is what makes the magic. Hugging the hilly terrain as you whip through a dense woods on a coaster that feels completely out-of-control... There's nothing quite like it. It pioneered the concept of the terrain coaster and put Kings Island on the national radar. While it may not be the "best" ride at Kings Island anymore, it is still a must-ride for me, and with the exception of Vortex, it is the coaster that I've ridden the most laps on. Though it is certainly not thrilling in the same way that a ride like Banshee or Diamondback is,The Beast is one of a kind, and it's something that coaster enthusiasts the world over recognize Kings Island for. And that is something that will always make it special to me. Plus, those night rides...

Some nachos and queso topped with chicken from Hank's would really hit the spot right now.

Just a Keyholing? I would say it's worth at least a "LOOP-DE-LOOP!".

Mean Streak (which is FAR better than anyone gives it credit for...) Stricker's Grove Tornado Sea Dragon (for the historical value). And that's about it. But it's not like the whole area is hurting. Because just outside Ohio, we have: Voyage Raven Legend Thunderbolt Jack Rabbit The other Racer Thunder Run And probably more that I didn't think of.

The train is different though. It needs an engineer, which I assume is a harder position to fill than a typical ride op.