homestar92

I have a quick question. With July 5th being a weekday this year, and me being less than an hour away, I'm considering going to Six Flags Great America on the 5th. I anticipate heavy crowds, but less than what will be seen on the 4th (a holiday) and the 6th (a saturday of a holiday weekend). From experience, would this be a generally safe assumption? Also, could someone clarify how Six Flags Flash Pass works? I understand that it is like Disney's system, only with a fee, correct? I also think that this information may be valuable. Thank you to all. Also, I know predicting crowds at a particular park on a particular day is nigh-impossible. I'm lookimg more for general trends.

I think the queue music is also from Lost, but not sure. The only queue music I know for sure is Flight Deck (Arrival to Earth from the Transformers score

Well, overplaying U2 ruined Invertigo for me... Although in my opinion, playing U2 one time is overplaying them... I'm so glad they changed the soundtrack.

Oh good, I know the song now. All I have to do is record my own "Remain seated throughout the entire ride. Please keep hands and legs inside the car at all times." spiel, and my RCT3 recreation will be complete! Also, that makes The Beast far more morbid because that music is from the scene in which

We certainly learned from Gatekeeper that Cedar Fair will ALWAYS get a record. Even if they have to fudge it a little. I mean, "World's tallest Wing Coaster"? Yippee, you're the tallest of five at the time of opening. I mean, I have the world's most powerful computer built by a person living at [insert my home address here]. Do I get a world record for that?

I have extra 2013 maps of KI and Cedar Point. If you want one of each of those, PM me your address and you can have them for free. No need to even pay shipping since it'll probably just be one postage stamp.

As for people with extreme mental disabilities, you can't really ban them from riding a ride "just in case." Just think of how ugly it might get when they want to ride WindSeeker, when they know they've ridden it before, and can't because it "might" break down. You might as well let them ride WindSeeker because you're more likely to get off safe and sound rather than stranded 300' in the air. On the first point, I was just making examples, and was really referring to more extreme cases. And on the second, I do agree to an extent. Ultimately, it's a VERY tricky situation with no clear-cut answer. I mentioned educating people and making sure everyone understands the risks, and that's probably the most beneficial thing to do without stepping on toes. But when you start saying "A, B, and C are potentially dangerous aspects of this ride for people with X, Y, or Z condition", it becomes very tricky to pull off from a PR standpoint. It's a bad deal for everyone involved, with no good way to spin it. Now, heavily intoxicated people SHOULD absolutely be banned from riding everything until they sober up. But that's another debate for another day.

That depends - Could a situation occur within a reasonable realm of possibility that would put you at a high risk of a dangerous situation? Ultimately, there are different levels of almost every disability. And if your case of scoliosis is bad enough that riding the rides at Kings Island puts you in harm's way, then you probably shouldn't. But your case is different than some that we've discussed, particularly the more severe mental disabilities. Ultimately, Scoliosis is purely physical, having no effect on your cognitive process. You know the risks and you understand what you're getting yourself into. And ultimately, if you get on a ride that could be hazardous given your condition, then you would have only yourself to blame if something went haywire and somehow escalated your condition. Mental disabilities are a bit different. Depending on the severity, the cognitive process might be affected. And at the very, very least, Kings Island NEEDS to make absolutely sure that anyone with a disability (or their caretakers in the case of a very severe mental disability) knows and understands the risk involved in riding. You are an adult who understands your condition and can make your own decisions accordingly. Not everyone with a disability is fortunate enough to be able to say that.

I personally draw the line on what people can and cannot ride at the point at which a ride isn't 100% safe under any plausible circumstances. People who have back problems shouldn't ride anything, because it may damage their back even worse. People under 54 inches shouldn't ride Diamondback, because the restraints may not be sufficient. People who are mentally unable to cope with potentially being trapped on a lift hill should not ride anything with a lift hill, because it could always break down. People with Achluophobia should not ride Flight of Fear, because they'll be stuck in the dark for 2 minutes. People who are heavily intoxicated and thin enough to wriggle out of restraints shouldn't ride Flight Commander. If the first four examples didn't hit home, I would certainly hope the last one did. That's where I personally draw my lines. If it is totally safe for someone to ride no matter what circumstances may arise, then I am all for making any and every accommodation to allow them to do so. And while I'm all for freedom of choice and social Darwinism, the fact of the matter is, if riding a ride will put someone in a dangerous situation, then Kings Island needs to tell them they can't. Because if the unthinkable does happen, we live in an age in which a lawsuit is sure to follow. And if that happens, and it's bad enough, we could be left with no more Kings Island. Now ultimately, it isn't my decision. Kings Island and its lawyers will decide how to handle any given situation. I'm not trying to be hard on people. I want everyone to have an enjoyable day at Kings Island. And while I feel that every ride at KI is 100%, totally safe for me to ride, if you have certain mental or physical conditions, it may not be safe for you. And as much as I LOVE roller coasters, I would never in a million years put my health or safety on the line to ride one, and I would be even less likely to encourage anyone else to do so.

I have conclusively narrowed down what we're getting to one of two things. We are getting either: A) A purple B&M Invert with flame decals, lap bars and no seat belt, themed to the musical Cats or B ) Something other than what I said in A. Leaning toward B at this time. Although the idea presented in option A WOULD make for the most horrifying roller coaster ever built, for a wide variety of reasons.

Yeah, I already PM'ed Department 47. I grab extras now. So in a few years when someone's looking for a KI map from 2013 or beyond, I can hook them up. Or 2013 Cedar Point maps. I have bunches of those. EDIT: Now, if anyone has Disney MGM Studios from 2004 or Camp Snoopy (the one in the Mall of America) from 2003, I'd pay decent money for those. Those are the others that I'm missing from my collection.

I'm sure this has been said numerous times before in this thread, but to be honest, here's my $0.02 on the matter: If a person has a case of autism (or ANY mental condition) that is so severe that waiting in line can cause them to have a meltdown, what happens when a ride malfunctions, and they're stuck on, let's say WindSeeker. Imagine it. A person with that sort of a mental condition, stranded 200-300 feet in the air for 10, 15, 30 minutes. Maybe even a couple hours. When the ride comes to a stop, the likelihood of a panic attack would logically seem to be exponentially multiplied. A panic attack that high in the air poses a safety hazard, not only for the person next to them, but especially for the person suffering with the condition. Now, I don't want to say the park should ban people from riding, but realistically, for certain rides, maybe it would be alright in the name of safety. I know many young children under 54 inches who are very upset when you tell them they aren't allowed to ride Diamondback. But in the end, it would be unsafe for them to do so. A less extreme, but more relatable example, it is frustrating if you wear flip flops that you must try to hold them to your feet on Diamondback. But if you were to be in a situation where you have to evacuate, having those flip flops is a necessity due to the potentially hazardous terrain on which you'd have to walk for the evacuation. Parks don't make rules just for the heck of it. And the fact of the matter is, unless a ride is 100% safe for you in any tangible situation that may occur, you really, REALLY shouldn't be riding.

So, I collect park maps for every amusement park I go to, and every season I go. I was going through my collection and I realized that I'm missing a 2011 Kings Island map. Does anyone have a spare that I could buy off of you or the knowledge to point me where to look?

Pick a relevant major and it probably would. I consider Computer Science to be a relevant major, possibly one of the most relevant you can choose in today's world, and I can assure you we do not ever touch on this. As it happens, I know a lot about this sort of stuff from working in QA for a company that develops accounting software. But I certainly didn't learn anything of the sort in college.

It's worth noting that if we do indeed get an invert, then it is quite possible KI will have successfully clenched 3 of my top 5 spots in my favorite Steel coasters list. Which, as it happens right now are Vortex, Magnum XL-200, Gatekeeper, Flight of Fear, and Afterburn. I could see a nice invert pushing Afterburn out of that list. Though Raptor failed to do so. We shall see.

Other rides have been built that do this at Cedar Fair parks, so it isn't unreasonable to think it could happen. Mean Streak and Cedar Creek Mine Ride do this, and I think there's another at Cedar Point alone.

On the last day of construction, I really hope someone says, "Mr. Helbig, tear down this wall!"

Three-for-three! Well then, I guess my coaster count is 43 after all!

Except for when Mantis is running one train. That was very annoying. But I understand that things happen, and I had no trouble riding everything in my two days there, so all's well that ends well.

The 7:00 show was delayed. One of the fellows at my church was talking the next day about how much he liked the show, though he was frustrated that it was delayed. They were told that Ed Alonzo was "held up in a meeting". When he told me that, I grinned slightly.

I went to Cedar Point not long ago with my dad. He's your height and a little bit smaller. He fit on Magnum, Mean Streak, Blue Streak, Corkscrew, and Iron Dragon. I'll tell you that the ONLY rides with shoulder restraints you have any chance of fitting on are Flight Deck, and MAYBE Vortex, but it'll be REALLY close if you do fit. You will not fit on Invertigo or Firehawk. I would place money on that. Adventure Express is pretty accommodating generally, I see no reason to believe you wouldn't fit on it. The woodies (Racer and Beast) use the same trains that my dad fit on at Cedar Point BUT their restraints had a lot more precision in their "notches" so it was very easy for him to get the two or three he needed. You may have a hard time on Racer and Beast, as two notches is quite a lot on those. I have no idea with Diamondback, but the size of your legs would be the factor there. A big belly wouldn't matter as much as big legs I don't think. I've seen big people fit on Backlot surprisingly, so my gut tells me you might be fine there, but those cars are NOT roomy, even for a little guy. Same trains and same rules on Flight of Fear, except it has a seatbelt that has to connect to the restraint, so it'll be a little bit less "fluffy friendly". I think that covers the major coasters. As for flat rides, Delirium and Drop Tower are the big ones, and I don't think you'll fit on those, the restraints are not accommodating. And WindSeeker... I don't even know... It uses a lap bar that pulls down from over your head, so I want to say you'll be fine, but I've never seen a big person even try, so I really don't know. I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but I'd hate even more to have you spend a bunch of time and money to not get to have any fun on the rides. Though having said that, the park does offer fantastic shows (Particularly Ed Alonzo's Psycho Circus. Great show, and a great guy). And of course, blue Ice Cream, which is a KI classic. So while I think you could still have a good time, I don't think you'll be able to do a whole lot of riding. :/

Those rocks you saw were the covers for the outdoor speakers in Dinosaurs Alive. We saw them on our Firehawk tour on KIC day Saturday.

Depends on the coaster. Generally, I'm happy to take the front or back, but I don't typically care much for the middle, with the exception being Invertigo or other Boomerang style coasters.

I'm the guy screaming like an idiot with his arms in the air on Scrambler and side-swiping everyone on Dodgem

You must, however, wear shoes to ride Diamondback. No bare feet allowed. Why does Diamondback require shoes anyway? Sorry in advance for double posting. If I had to guess, state law is the reason. In Ohio, amusement parks must follow manufacturer recommendations for rides precisely, down to the last detail. If I had to guess, this is the reason, as Intimidator (same exact make and model, different state) does not require shoes. It could also be due to potentially unpleasant terrain in the event that you would have to evacuate at the MCBR for any reason. EDIT: Looks like TheCrypt beat me to it