VortexBFForever

I may actually be able to go this time, as my last day of classes is April 28.

When I walked to the associate cafeteria for my break around 3:30, Vortex’s line filled the entire queue (including the lone switchback in the station) and spilled out all the way back to Shake Rattle & Roll’s exit. The line was not any shorter by the time I clocked out at 10:11. However, when I was separator the last hour of my shift, I at different times asked several guests how long they had waited and apparently they had not had to wait much longer than 15-20 minutes. Arrow capacity is such a wonderful thing. Also, WindSeeker’s queue was completely full, and during my two consecutive hours at Op-3, I set a new personal record on how many cycles I could completely fill during a single time there.

A couple of months ago I had to deal with one parent on Vortex whose son was crying and didn’t want to ride. I didn’t let him ride because I knew he didn’t want to ride, although the parent said that they were going to go home if he didn’t ride...and they had made a two hour drive to the park. I’m just glad I didn’t traumatize the young boy by putting him through an experience he wasn’t yet ready to face...and I didn’t know what the parent was thinking. But I wouldn’t cut short an entire trip just because my child isn’t ready to ride a big ride. That’s not how an amusement park trip should work.

At Vortex we don’t exactly do “power hours” (at least in the manner that Banshee and Diamondback do) but we do move quickly when there is a wait. And while we do make sure to move quickly and send a train as soon as we can, we ALWAYS make sure each restraint is properly checked, and we help the guests who are boarding by offering to place their loose articles in the bin for them! Yes, we do focus on capacity, but guests’ safety is still #1. And we have fun doing it at a quick pace! If this fits the definition of “power hour,” then this is Vortex’s version. Still fast, but we make sure things are still done right for the safety and comfort of all guests whom we welcome aboard. That being said, @jcgoble3, don’t worry about your restraint being missed whenever you ride Vortex (which I know for you it’s not as often, but it still applies ), as we always make sure each and every restraint is checked properly!

^^And with guest comments spanning many seasons back, too! Not just 2017. I personally don’t mind the GP. Even when they get their facts backwards.

^I’m down for that! How fitting would it be for me to have a blue and orange KIC shirt.

I’m really looking forward to the instrumental music returning next year!!!! Here’s to many, many more mornings of that wonderful music greeting all who enter the gates of Kings Island.

Looks like I'm checking out Lotsapalooza next time I'm in the park as a guest!

How are lines for Vortex and WindSeeker? -Curious BFF

Maybe it's a good thing I have a hankering to go back to Kings Dominion in the next season or two. I do remember enjoying their instrumental music during my visit back in 2012.

Well, I already went to Guest Services twice back on Labor Day weekend to comment about the music. I feel like I don't have to do anything more at this point because I don't want to go over the top and go to Guest Services too much. But I still really, really hope the instrumental music comes back next season. I'm missing it to the point that I choke up every time one of those wonderful songs plays in my mind's ear (especially the Cider House Rules track, the Reivers theme, Aquarium (from Carnival of the Animals), and especially La Vie En Rose, my favorite!). -BFF, who heard "Aquarium" while walking down I-Street after closing one night and experienced a truly magical, out-of-this-park feeling -- especially with the colorfully lit fountains. And, I need to add this. In bold. The instrumental music always put me in the best mood when I arrived at the park for work, which in turn made me even more excited to work! Any nerves or stress I had walking in would be gone by the time I reached the Eiffel Tower. That relaxed "ahhh" mood, along with an exciting day awaiting at Vortex, was/is the epitome of every morning I come to work. Sure, I can live with the pop music, but we do not need it everywhere, especially since one can listen to ALL of those pop songs on the radio, unlike the instrumental music which would require a bit more searching to listen to when away from the park. I am planning to return as an associate next season. I honestly have no idea if walking into the park to pop music every day will have a benefit anywhere close to if I walked in to the uplifting tune of "Rhapsody in Blue" or the slow waltz of Billy Vaughn's "Fascination" that makes me want to dance under the cloudless morning sky without a care in the world. I really hope I don't have to find out or else I will probably be relying on my morning test ride on Vortex a little more than usual to help cheer things up if I feel down!

Today was the second GE day. I worked all day and Vortex was no more than a one train wait. In fact, we had a ten minute window during last hour when no one showed up and all three trains were empty. On a day as beautiful as today, I had never seen the park so not crowded. Then again, I had never been to the park during a private event.

Never fear! A number of KICers including yours truly are associates who are well acquainted with the route to and from Kings Island. The associate lot is reached via One Team Way, which is accessed from Western Row Rd which can be accessed from Kings Island Drive. From where will you come from? The route to these roads will depend on your starting point. If this information is all you need to know, then no need to go any deeper. Otherwise we will be happy to help you.

I hope they are able to play it for when the park is operating normally and then just switch it to whatever plays for Haunt when 6 p.m. rolls around...(except for Sunday which is just normal operation all day, no switching required) ...if not, then I am glad I took extra time to take in the wonderful music while enjoying some Cinnabon back on August 13. I already miss it.

I personally hope it's another Cirque-type show. I fell in love with watching Origins and Cirque Imagine, and I miss them both.

In the last Kings Island video in your most recent post, you recorded that Vortex clip (at the 2:05 mark) while I was driving!! I'm the only one who adds "Hooray" after acknowledging a full train. For that reason alone, I watched that single clip about 6 times before continuing with the rest of the video. I'm so psyched!

Unfortunately, yes. I went to Guest Services, where the people there were just talking about it! I am definitely not the only one who has expressed concern for the music, as they have fielded a number of other guest comments about the absence of the classical music that belongs on International Street. The Guest Services people also don't know why the music was switched, but one thing is for certain: we all miss it.

Three minutes, including approximately thirty seconds spent at the top (256 feet up!). On an added note, WindSeeker can operate in temperatures as low as 23 degrees Fahrenheit. As for Vortex, it won't open for Winterfest unless there somehow is an unseasonably warm day. 50 to start up, 40 to operate, then after going all day it can operate until the temperature dips below 32 degrees Fahrenheit. Yes, I have seen days in December where the temperature is 50-60 degrees, but those days are few and far between. But whether or not WindSeeker or Vortex opens at all for Winterfest, I'm excited for whatever rides will open!

I noticed this morning when I walked into work that the park-wide music was on International Street. I was slightly disappointed as I had not been to the park for 9 days and I was really, REALLY looking forward to hearing the classical music greeting me as I arrived. But without it there, I walked up/down I-Street quickly, looking down and glancing at the fountains only occasionally. I had not realized until today just how much ambiance the classical music adds to the already serene International Street and the Royal Fountains, and I really hope that music is back for Labor Day weekend (because I'm working again on Labor Day! ). If the classical music goes, part of I-Street's unique charm goes with it. I actually did not want to spend exorbitant amounts of time taking in the music on I-Street, because...the park-wide music isn't the right music to take in. I now see why fellow KICers have always advocated for classical music on I-Street. Like many others, I hope this change back to park-wide music is only temporary. VERY temporary.

^I second that. I've seen Vortex's spare parts inventory and it is well stocked of basically any train or track part. There's no way it could lack any spare parts anytime soon!

Yeah. I miss the Coney Mall arch and sign. The area has looked less Coney Mall-y since it disappeared a few seasons ago.

I had a rather strange dream which involved me being half awake at some point. It's hard to explain. I dreamed I was back at the helm at Vortex. Upon realizing my placement at the ride's most responsible position, I actually sit up in bed, half awake, and reach for my lamp switch, saying "Gates are closing, please stand clear" while doing so. Of course this turns on my lamp, which I quickly switch off as it's the middle of the night. I then try to look for another switch (which is nonexistent because I have only one switch by my bed) to lock the restraints, but of course I couldn't find it. Fearing the trains stacking and my fellow drivers coming to my post to yell at me thinking I should have not been drive trained, I struggled looking for that nonexistent switch for another minute before giving up and going back to sleep. Good thing I went back to sleep, because since I wasn't actually driving Vortex, I would have accomplished nothing looking for another light switch by my bedside that doesn't exist. -BFF, who knows just how seriously she does (and must) take her job driving her favorite ride, even in dreams.

I have had some riders at Vortex ask "Does this go upside down?" Is Vortex really not that showy enough? Did they NOT see or even notice those two massive vertical loops as they walked toward the entrance or even see the corkscrews and batwing from the queue line? And why else would the trains feature shoulder harnesses, a restraint commonly used on looping coasters?

I rode the Great Smoky Mountain Ferris Wheel during my Dollywood trip in June! The view was amazing, especially with the sun setting and the brightly lit park below. In my opinion the Wheel was worth the $14 for that ~ten-minute ride! I also love the fountain shows - they're so cool! The fountains and the Wheel are enough to get me back to The Island. I was definitely impressed on my first visit and it helped cap off a wonderful day that I had spent at Dollywood!!

My county fair (the Greene County Fair) opens next week. I'm still planning on riding the rides there as I always do, but this time I'm going to be extra careful... -BFF, whose county fair has not had such a ride incident (as far as she knows) and hopefully continues to go without one for years to come if not forever.