PKIVortex

I see what he is getting at. IJST has the foot bars like FOF does. Why does it have the foot bars if it doesn't have a loop. SOB doens't have the foot bars like FOF, so you would think that the bars would look like SOB's and not have the foot bars.

hehehehehe. He also has family that lives in Cincinnati. They were even an eposide of the Newlyweds that was particaly filmed at PKI.

Ok I must be old. Who is he? OMG Nick Lachey was one of the singers from 98 degrees. After they split up he went on to release a solo album. He is also married to Jessica Simpson. Please tell me who know who Jessica Simpson is. He also had his own reality show with Jessica, The Newlyweds on MTV. Which just aired the last epoisde last week I believe.

When I was a Vortex crew member back in '01. I never actually stapled anyone. I always pulled up on the OSTR. The only time I ever pushed down was when the OSTR was up way to high on the guest. I for one do not like riding any ride if the restraint is so tight on my body that it makes the ride uncomfortable. Yes I do pull it down far enough, just not so far that it hurts.

When I worked at PKI in 2001. Nick visited the park. I have the on-ride photo from Vortex of him riding in the front seat. The employees at the on-ride photo booth were nice enough to give us all free photo's who wanted one. It was kinda cool. Wonder how much I could get from it on e-bay? LOL not that I would sell it.

Okay we get a really nice looking themed coaster, and still everyone complains. They told us that IJ would be a family coaster, not a high speed thrill ride. Why don't everyone just quit complaining and just wait until you ride before you make your opinions on the ride. It may not look like much watching the testing, but when your actually on the ride, it may be a whole new experience.

It's great reading everyone's trip reports. But why no pictures as of it? We want pictures.

it might be on passes just processed. LOL you just read my mind. I was going to post that. I was thinking that maybe on the new passes just processed it may have this new statement. When did you guys get your passes?

I picked WWC, who wouldn't love the ride that always promises you will get wet, and you may get drenched!

The people who run the on ride photo booths are not hired or payed by PKI. They are an ran by an outside company. That is why you seen them still there, as they probably had no clue Vortex wasn't going to open or the park was going to close early. Back in the early days they were required to wear PKI wardrobe, but now they wear their company names on there shirts. Amazing Photo's runs most of if not all of the photo booths at PKI.

He's not talking about actual tire marks. He's just saying how the wheels of a coaster train will wear down the paint on the running rails.

Did you guys read the latest PKI e-mail news letter. Check this out! As the 2005 season quickly approaches, crews are working hard to put the final touches on the park as well as the many new additions. In coming weeks, popular attractions like Top Gun, Face/Off, and the Eiffel Tower will experience a Hollywood makeover and the new multi-million dollar fast track coaster experience, the ITALIAN JOB: Stunt Track will also race towards completion. Four new dining options have also been added to PKI lineup. These exciting new additions include a new Chic-Fil-A, located in our kid's area, serving a variety of chicken sandwiches and crispy waffle fries. Graeter's Ice Cream settles in its newest location on International Street serving a variety of flavors of premium hand-dipped ice cream, adding yet another Queen City favorite to the park. Also, the all new Happy Days Diner will give a cool spot to hang with your gang and enjoy a unique dining experience complete with entertainment surrounded by memorabilia and characters from the classic television series Read the bolded text. Is Top Gun also getting a paint job this year? Or could they be re-opening the themed que. What do you all think?

Nevermind I see the difference. I'm sure all the sites will start to look like the Carowinds site soon.

Okay correct me if i'm wrong. But I thought all Paramount Parks sites where the same? I do not see a difference between the Carowinds site then the rest of the Paramount Parks sites. What is he talking about?

Those are great pics.

Winterfest is because of all the events they had at winterfest that familes could do together. Such as ice skating, horse and buggy rides. And of course the holidays just bring familes closer together.

I have been to 4 out of the 5 Paramount Parks. The only one I have not been too is Paramount's Great America. But after being to the other 3 I would still have to say Paramount's Kings Island is my favorite. Because I beleive we have a much better line up of thrill rides.

What is your favorite Paramount Park and why?

As a former PKI ride op, I only stapled people who were being stupid, by not pulling there bars down far enough.

Does the resort offer, free shuttles back and forth from the Airport? Well maybe not considering the Airport isn't even in Cincinnati LOL.

So I guess the rumor of the park changing from PKI to NKI is false.

Yeah I was also wondering about that. Typo? Or wrong information. The Racer always had 2 tracks, both sides used to run Forwards until 1982, so i'm not sure if that's what they are referring to or not.

From The Dayton Daily News. Kings Island a thousand times Man to reach milestone at park today By Kimberly Webster MASON | When Don Helbig first visited Paramount's Kings Island, no one had ventured on Adventure Express, Face-Off was faceless and even The Vortex was simply a void. Helbig of Fairfield has seen many changes at the amusement park, but he has remained a constant guest. Today will mark his 1,000th visit. The occasion will be celebrated in high style, with Helbig receiving "true Hollywood treatment," spokesman Jeffrey Siebert said. The day has been officially designated "Don Helbig Day," and during a ceremony, Helbig will receive an oversized commemorative ticket, highlighting his 1,000th trip. Helbig has always paid for his own park admission and is annually on "automatic pilot" to purchase season tickets, so his entrance will be through the turnstiles, as usual. His meals for the day will be on the house, though. For the 21 days preceding the event, Helbig was allowed only three visits so that he wouldn't prematurely pass the 1,000 mark. Helbig first visited Kings Island in 1981. The day was spent with his brother. They received season passes as Easter presents from their parents, and were eager to ride The Beast. Unfortunately, it was closed for the day, so they instead turned to The Racer (which didn't really race then, as there was only one track). Diana Kelly, who had just graduated from high school with Helbig, was new on the job and operating the coaster. After having ridden it about a dozen times, the Helbig brothers asked Kelly for the one-day record of Racer rides. She found it to be 96. They managed a mere 54 spins on that occasion. Helbig's persistence paid off, though, as he and park officials worked together to keep track of his total rides and visits. He earned a spot in the Guinness Book of World Records when he reached 11,000 rides on The Racer alone; his total is now at 11,670. The world title, though, "was never a reason to do it," Helbig said. "I just did it because it was something that was fun." The first decade as a PKI guest provided special memories for Helbig. "I went to bed at night thinking about the park," he confessed. "You could say in the 1980s I was a bit obsessed." Not that he's not obsessed now. "I like it as much as I always did, maybe even more," Helbig is quick to add. His wife, Laura, is not so passionate about multiple coaster rides. "She's like most people," Helbig said. "She likes to go . . . ride each once and move on to the next attraction. It's not something she'd want to be a priority in her life." **Dane: Here is the PKIC page for this story. http://www.pkicentral.com/Parkinfo/editori.../1000visits.htm

I take I70 to I75 to exit 29. Off Exit 29 I turn left on RT 63, and then right on 741. I'm about 51 miles from PKI and takes between 50 minutes to an hour.

What old traditions?