TheBEASTunchained

I didn't vote on any....... It's VERY hard for me to decide what I'm looking forward to the most in the amusement industry this coming season..... There are so many great things, not only attractions, but food, entertainment, etc that are coming soon to a park near you. The 2015 season will definitely be a good one, and a different one, for many parks and I'm really looking forward to that. The 2015 season will be a FUN one!......Or SIX..... Changes are coming!....

Nice one! I like that! Looks like TOPGUN1993 has came up with a new nickname for the ride already!

My best "credit" of 2014 would by far have to be the world's longest inverted coaster. Banshee is an outstanding roller coaster and completely went above my expectations. I'll have to say that the order of elements, size of elements, theming, thought, and idea of Banshee are all very unique and what makes it stand out from all other inverted coasters. The Bat was a great compliment to Banshee considering its close proximity to the ride, and was far in need of some kind of update anyway. Banshee has helped Kings Island in many ways and for that, I'm grateful for the things Cedar Fair is doing and has done......The FUN has just started.

It should be very interesting to watch the removal of Splash Dance, and the addition of the two new rides, from this perspective!

Along with that placement, I'd also expect the number of adults in Planet Snoopy to increase! Seriously.

I know....The park just closed a few days ago.....But I've had this on my mind and it's never too early to just start a discussion about this sort of thing.....and get the creative minds thinking.... Cedar Point's Winter Chill Out event was a HUGE success last winter and such a success that it is once again returning this coming winter. Although I do understand that this isn't Cedar Point, this IS Kings Island, and I think (at least for us) it would be really neat to have a KI off-season tour similar to Winter Chill Out at Cedar Point. It would also be very neat to see this sort of event, if it were to happen, have "admission" that would benefit charity, just as Winter Chill Out at Cedar Point. The whole concept of Winter Chill Out is great, in my opinion, and should be implemented at Kings Island as a way of letting the fans have an off-season look at what goes into preparation for the coming season. Would you attend a Winter Chill Out event at Kings Island? Would you like to see what type of prep work goes on in the off-season at Kings Island? Share any ideas here that you feel would make an event like this fun and interesting at Kings Island!

Kentucky Kingdom on Facebook: "Red is the new black." Pictures : Kentucky Kingdom via Facebook

@mikefehnel on Twitter: "With this first piece of the lift installed, FURY325 stands 85' tall. 240' to go until we top out!!!" Photo: Carowinds GM Michael Fehnel via Twitter

Well......It's been a while since I've made a trip report on KICentral, especially with my record low number of visits to the park, or any park, this season. I've been unavoidably busy this year and have only visited Kings Island 4 times this season...Which is less than any previous year. I was glad to return to the park on Saturday and once again "come back home", and in this case, say goodbye to "home" until April of 2015. I got to the park at around 10:30 for ERT on Saturday morning and didn't make it into the park until about 10:50, after trying to get comfortably warm and add a couple more layers of clothing. After entering the park, I went and browsed the Thrill-Seekers shop while I waited on our very own KICentral member, "Original". Once she arrived at the park we spent the day riding and socializing. It was a great, but a very cold day, and unfortunately most rides didn't open until later in the day. The day got better as it went on and many more rides opened up, though Vortex's grip was not to be felt on Saturday. Eventually, "Original" had to leave and so we parted ways and I went back to my favorite corner of Rivertown and enjoyed multiple rides on the world's longest wooden roller coaster. I then decided to go to Action Zone, and hit the Coney flats along the way, until I got to my favorite Arrow coaster of all-time, The Bat. By now it was dark, and from past experiences, I already knew that The Bat was THE ride to be on in the dark, if I wasn't already on The Beast I got to The Bat and the crew at the ride was a little "odd" but they were FULL of energy and still ready-to-go. Due to the fact that there wasn't anyone in my row, I stayed on The Bat for 21 rounds and each time just got better. The Bat is one of the coasters at the park that, at the right temperature, and time of year, is noticeably faster at night, which provides an excellent ride. Thanks for a GREAT 2014 season Bat! After leaving The Bat, I went and ate dinner at the Chicken Shack which was superb! I really thoroughly enjoyed my meal. After eating, I walked around Action Zone for a few minutes, just taking all of the views in and contemplating what to ride next, but as I was walking I ran into KICentral's "princess sparkles" and her friends, which led me to join in on a walk through Son of Beast's station, also known as Wolf Pack. I spent the rest of the evening with "princess sparkles", her friends, and a Beast ride attendant named Kyle. After a long and cold day, I left the park at around 11:30. The next day, I arrived at the park at 10:30 to retrieve my Fast Lane Plus wristband, along with around 50 others, who were standing in line. I proceeded to Rivertown, where I would end up waiting for 30 minutes until ropes were let down and I then proceeded to the world's longest wooden roller coaster, and ended up being on the first train of the day. When there was no-line at my row for the next 20 cycles, I was allowed to stay on for each. I left then and headed to Flight of Fear, where I then met up with "malem" and "beastforever" in the queue line. I left the ride and then went on to spend part of the morning with the KICentral crew, which is a pretty cool group of people. I met many more KIC'ers when I went to take the group photo, including "nochickens", "mrsnochickens", and "LoraX" just to name a few. After the gruop photo was taken, I went on to spend the rest of my day with "princess sparkles" and her friend (a former Adventure Express ride-op). I really enjoyed the rest of my day at the park with "princess sparkles". We had one last ride on Banshee and I was going to leave the park, but I was so hungry for another ride that I turned around and used my FastLane Plus to strike one final ride of the season, front seat, on Banshee, to end what was a GREAT weekend and season. (Very many details were left out in this report in an effort to save time and make an interesting read. ) Thanks for a great 2014 season Kings Island! (Spelling and other corrections to be made soon, if needed)

I believe it was a combination of the cold temperatures and the wind. There wasn't really enough snow, as far as I'm aware, that would've had much of an impact on the decision.

I'd definitely have to, on a very serious note, choose the Flying Eagles. On a semi-serious note, I'd say that it would be very neat to see Son of Beast return as an Outlaw Run style RMC steel coaster. BUT.....Phantom Theater is still up there on the list....

Article: How Many People Does It Take To Build A Roller Coaster?

^ And along with that, most of the bulbs that were out were probably installed during the same time period early this season. You have to think about just how much those lights are on......Some for the whole night and most of the day!

Sometimes that sort of thing is the perfect way to......"Fix" things..... .....Other times........Not so much...... BUT hopefully this would be a situation where an increase of that sort would end up being a benefit.

Wow..... This is sad. Prayers going out to the family and friends of the victims.

It seems as though many folks are having their "best ride ever" on The Beast this season...... ....and that in itself is great to hear. I'm one of those people. A 35 year old wooden roller coaster that still has people coming back and enjoying their ride better than the previous one is an amazing feat, and it really says something about the ride. We'll all probably like it just as much at 50..........Wait?.......50?........Yes, indeed.

Thanks for the example video! Seeing that just made me want to go try them out even more! Ah......The FUN of next weekend!

Kings Island on Facebook: "There was a time when Rivertown had no Beast." Photo : Don Helbig / Kings Island via Facebook

Mosley Erecting Company on Facebook: "Carolina Fury...." Photo : Mosley Erecting Company via Facebook

We'll just tighten the restraints a bit.....

Carowinds Amusement Park on Facebook: "Check it out Fury 325 construction is moving along! Did you know 2015 season pass holders will get ERT, Exclusive Ride Time on this world record breaking thrill ride next year? Season pass prices are at their lowest price of the year through Nov. 2! You don't want to miss out!" Photo : Carowinds Amusement Park via Facebook

Kentucky Kingdom on Facebook: Photo 1 and Photo 2 : Kentucky Kingdom via Facebook

Rampage completed its first successful test run on Saturday, according to Dan Koch. Will post the photo update soon!

Wow! Looks like a member of the Fury325 swarm bought a camera!

It would be a shame to see it close.... BUT..... If it does.....It would be a very interesting thing to see Cedar Fair make a move..... Hotel Breakers?......Anyone?....