VortexBFForever

Actually, I've heard it's 16.

Just checking, but does it mean that you can check in at any time after 11 a.m.? I'm asking to make sure because my mom and I won't be at the park until around 4. (and yes, she'll be joining KIC in the next 24 hours, so she can attend the events too. )

Edit: BoddaH's post...disappeared?!

I've found that out by experience! In 2010, I went on the Sunday that was right in the middle of Labor Day weekend (Sunday, September 5) and I waited a WHOLE HOUR to ride Vortex! The park was the most packed as I had ever seen it; I was there for 3 hours and rode only 3 rides (Zephyr with a 20 minute wait, Vortex with a 60 minute wait, and Delirium with a 40 minute wait). In comparison, I went on Labor Day last year (September 3, 2012) and it was nowhere near as crowded (granted, it was drizzling a lot of the time). To this day, 9/05/2010 still remains the most crowded day out of all 40+ times I've ever been to the park. (and 60 minutes still remains the longest time I've ever had to wait for Vortex) There's a Labor Day weekend insider tip for y'all

My mom doesn't have a KIC account, but I have my own email to RSVP in case the two of us decide to come. Would my mom have to join KIC just to attend the event? (keep in mind I'm too young to drive so Mom will have to come with me if I'm going to the event)

I've figured at least about half the soundtracks out, thanks to a playlist on YouTube that has a few of them. The part of WindSeeker's 18-soundtrack sequence I know is: (from Superman: The Movie) (the Harry Potter movie theme) (from How to Train Your Dragon) (also from HTTYD) (from HTTYD) (from HTTYD; the part that plays on WS starts at 0:59-1:00) (from Peter Pan(2003)) (from Apollo 13)Another Unknown Soundtrack (once again, I do not know the name, but I recognize what it sounds like) Another Unknown Soundtrack (same as above, I only recognize it from when it played on WS's first cycle of the day on July 23, 2013) (a.k.a. 2001: Space Odyssey theme)EDIT: I finally know what Unknown Soundtrack (the one after This Is Berk) really is!

Part 2: Then I headed back to Vortex and got a good triple ride on Train #2. Ride order: 6-1, 6-1, 7-1. At the end of the ride in 7-1 I found the trains had stacked and they remained that way for a few minutes. As I wondered what was going on, I looked into the station and saw a couple attendants hosing down Train #3’s last car. Apparently someone had had a protein spill; if it was me, I’d be pretty embarrassed, but chances are that I won’t have a protein spill anytime soon because I have a very strong stomach. Soon they sent Train #3 out empty. Train #1 proceeded into the station, and Train #2 (where I was riding) went to the second brake run. I actually didn’t mind the extended wait – it gave me more than enough time to look all around while the train was sitting on the first brake run! Although it was pretty warm, I didn’t get terribly hot because right before the ride I had another quick drink of ice-cold root beer from my souvenir cup, so I was perfectly comfortable. After exiting and picking up my cup and waist pack from the bin, I decided to ride some other rides and then come back to Vortex later, as I normally do. As I headed down the Mall midway, I decided to hop into Zephyr’s line, because like nearly all the other rides this line was super short. After waiting only a couple minutes (the cycle was just finishing), I went to the ride and rode in one of the aqua green seats, on the very outside. I had an enjoyable flight on Kings Island’s classic swing ride! Next we decided to ride Dodgem together. We joined its short line and only had to wait a couple minutes. I drove Car #35 for my 3rd ever ride on Dodgem. It was fun! I love rides like these where everyone is having just as much fun as you are no matter who you bump into. What a classic experience! Our next ride was Scrambler. We rode together in Seat 7 (because 7 is my favorite number ). Like Dodgem, this ride was quite fun like always! On the way to Racer we saw KingsIslandPR (Don) again and had another brief conversation with him. He asked me what my favorite ride was. I said it is Vortex, and I also mentioned that I was at 184 total rides (at the moment)! After that nice (and unexpected/unplanned) “meetup” with KingsIslandPR, Mom and I continued to Racer. Like all the other coasters, Racer had a station wait. Both sides were running. I got in line for Red and rode in Row 1-2 on Train #1. I had a great ride! While coming out of the turnaround, I looked at Vortex’s station and noticed that the line was once again non-existent! I was thinking, “Oh my goodness! Vortex has no line RIGHT NOW!” as Red once again raced ahead of Blue to the finish on KI’s classic racing coaster. I headed back to Vortex. The station had been virtually empty ever since opening, which told me we had chosen a GREAT day to come out to the park. I got in line for 7-1. The train I ended up on was Train #3. I had a great 185th ever ride on Vortex! While walking out of Vortex’s exit I noticed the “Harry Potter Hedwigs Theme” playing on a just-beginning WindSeeker cycle. Knowing my favorite soundtrack, “Romantic Flight,” would play on the next cycle, I hopped into the queue for my last ride of the trip before ending my 10th KI trip of the season (yes, 8/25 was the day of my 10th trip of the season!). A few minutes after I had sat down in Seat 59, the “All Clear!” came. “Romantic Flight” started to play as the ‘Seeker began another journey to the skies 301’ above all of Kings Island and the surrounding area. It was amazing looking down at the other rides, trees, and buildings, and it made me very thankful for the fact that I live only 60 minutes from such a great park! I <3 Kings Island! The exhilarating ride had the honor of officially ending yet another KI trip (in other words, WS was the last ride I rode before leaving the park, as it was already 1:30). Until next time… Labor Day and Dollar Days, here I come!! Mom’s photos of the day: I’m in the back row A groundhog! Taken while I was riding Vortex. A young starling on top of a building (the restrooms by WindSeeker?) +Diamondback: 1 YTD: 6 Overall: 77 +Vortex: 10 YTD: 50 Overall: 185 +WindSeeker: 6 YTD: 26 Overall: 44 +Zephyr: 1 YTD: 4 Overall: 13 +Dodgem: 1 YTD: 3 Total: 3 +Scrambler: 1 YTD: 4 Overall: 8 +Red Racer: 1 YTD: 4 Overall: 8 Notes: -staff was very friendly! I liked it! -I felt like I absolutely HAD to ride Racer mainly because on the previous Tuesday (8/20) I had this weird dream that SFNO had reopened and I was riding Mega Zeph! -lines were constantly short -I rode on all three of Vortex’s trains -AND 8/25 was the last day of daily operation! -Despite the short lines at nearly all rides (including Diamondback!), Flight of Fear’s line still went into at least half of its outdoor switchbacks! (and once again Firehawk’s line was shorter in comparison, which I am greatly appreciating!)

Photos taken: 95 Part 1: We arrived at the park right when they opened for the ERT. While walking toward the ERT entrance I was pleasantly surprised to see KingsIslandPR a.k.a. Don himself at the park as well! He was talking to another gentleman. When he was finished talking, I walked up to Don and told him I was a KIC member. We then had a nice short conversation involving what my KIC name is (just so he knew exactly who VortexBFForever is) and me being a Platinum Pass holder; I mentioned that I would be going to CP next month, and Don said he would be going this week when KI was closed, since 8/25 was the last day of daily operation. We then shook hands and introduced ourselves. After that, our brief conversation ended and my mom and I continued through the ERT entrance and on our way to Diamondback. Another thing that pleasantly surprised me was when Vortex already started its daily testing and it was barely 9:40. On a typical day it starts testing at 9:45 (if park opens at 10). Many times, I've been wanting to ride in the front seat. The problem is, the longer line for that row always deterred me from riding there and instead I picked a different row. This time, however, I finally decided to go for it. So I hopped into the front seat line and waited about 10 minutes; it was a 5 train wait. It was just after 9:50 by the time I boarded the Green Train and got ready for my very first front seat ride on Diamondback! On the first hill, I liked hanging over and seeing that big drop before me. I LOVED the 80 mph breeze I got in my face! I also enjoyed the floater airtime I got when going up the hills (on a side note, I'm used to riding in the back seat, which has airtime while going down the hills) which was very nice. On the way up the final helix into the splashdown, I was like "This is the best B&M ever!!" (true story; DB is my favorite B&M coaster along with Apollo's Chariot and Alpengeist). What an amazing ride. I scooted to Coney Mall and barely reached the rope drop by the time the national anthem was finished. I now had a choice between WindSeeker and Vortex. I chose to go to WindSeeker first again, hoping for a ride like on August 14 when I had WS all to myself for a cycle. Alas, a solo ride wouldn't happen this time. The poor thing was having a technical delay, as I was told after waiting at its entrance for a few minutes. So, I headed next door to Vortex, planning to ride WS later. Unlike other morning trips where I start out riding Vortex in the front seat, I decided to ride in the BACK seat this time. I got in line for 7-2 just as Train #3 was departing, which meant the first of the two marathons I did on this trip would be on Train #1. So my 2nd ride (and my first Vortex ride) of the morning was started off with an awesome airtime-filled drop (after ascending the lift hill, of course.). It was the same for all the other Vortex rides on this trip, because I only rode in the 6th and 7th cars. I guess it was just my day to ride in the back! It was fun! The 6-ride marathon was done in these seats, in order: 7-2, 7-2, 7-2, 7-1, 6-2, 6-1. At the end of the 6th ride, WindSeeker had opened, and guess what soundtrack I heard? "Romantic Flight," my favorite soundtrack! When Train #1 was back home in the station, I exited, (promising to come back to the ride later) and went back across the midway to WindSeeker! My first WS ride of the morning was in Seat 59. "Test Drive" played on this cycle, and to me it was a great way to start on my first non-coaster ride of the day! Like always, it sure was great feeling that cool 30 mph breeze while flying 301 feet above ground! Next I rode in Seat 54. "See You Tomorrow" was supposed to play on this cycle, but somehow "Test Drive" started to play again! (a "repeat cycle"? That's a first...). Don't get me wrong, I love listening to Test Drive on such a good ride like WindSeeker, but I was expecting "See You Tomorrow." But it was just as fun. I missed the true "See You Tomorrow" cycle, but at least I would be on the cycle where "This Is Berk", which is yet aonther How to Train Your Dragon soundtrack, would play. That was nice, since I hadn't been on a "This Is Berk" cycle AT ALL! My very first cycle with "This Is Berk" playing was in Seat 64. It was great, once again! Did I mention I love watching Vortex and the other rides while going around up-top? It's pretty cool! I got in line yet again and made it onto the next cycle which had what I call "Unknown Soundtrack" playing on it. I call it "Unknown Soundtrack" because as much as I want to know its real name, I do not know its real name!! I really, REALLY want to know what Unknown Soundtrack's real name is, a whole lot! I rode in Seat 18 on this "Unknown Soundtrack" cycle. The main reason I really want to know what Unknown Soundtrack's name is is because I think it sounds really cool! It would really help if someone on here knew what the name of the song was, because I want to listen to it on my computer! I missed the "Apollo 13: The Launch" cycle, (the one after "Unknown Soundtrack") so I was on the next cycle, the one with the soundtrack that reminds me of a news channel intro. That flight was spent in Seat 28. After the 5 rides I filled my souvenir cup with root beer and ice at the Juke Box Diner. Part 2 in next post

It is likely I'll be there on Monday.

I was at KI the same day, from 9:30 to 1:30!

Mine is Vortex; I have hundreds of Vortex photos that I took with my own camera! Also any other Arrow looper for that matter. I think they're very photogenic.

I went to The Beach about a month ago and I STILL haven't finished my TR. I'll have to get to it soon. On another note: When I rode The Cliff, I actually caught some air for a couple seconds. I though it was fun! Maybe it's because I started the ride sitting up? (I usually go faster on body slides if I sit up)

This is great! I'm definitely looking forward to it! I LOVED Dollar Days last year!

Thanks! Here are some photos my mom took on 8/14 when I was on the rides: ^I love this photo! (I'm the one in the front seat!) I'll be posting my photos soon as well. It'll take multiple posts to include all of them because I took 180+ pictures that day, just so you know.

We arrived at the park at about 9:40. It felt just like a morning in October - clear sky, cool temperature, everything! I almost started thinking it was October! Like always, flashing our Platinum Passes was all we had to do to get into ERT. Once we entered, we went straight to Diamondback for the first time since June 25 for a long-awaited ride. It was only a two- or three-train wait for the back row. Not long before I got on, Vortex started to "wake up," a.k.a. begin testing. I checked my watch and it was already 9:50! Nonetheless, it did not extinguish any anticipation I had for this upcoming Diamondback ride (especially with the back being my favorite place to ride). I boarded the Brown Train in Row 16, the very back. While going up, I looked out over the rest of the park that was waking up on this clear and absolutely beautiful Wednesday morning. Then I was pulled over the top, and sent flying down the drop! Quite exhilarating if you ask me I touched the water during the splashdown and it felt nice and cold... It was 9:56 by the time I had exited this great hypercoaster. I skedaddled off to Coney Mall. The national anthem started playing when I was still about 35 feet away from the rope drop. I got there just in time! Now after opening I usually go to Vortex first, but this morning I had decided to try something different: going to WindSeeker first and then going to Vortex. As a result, I gave up my "First Vortex Rider of the Day" title to another guest (someone younger than me!) who had apparently reached Vortex's line entrance before I did. And I do not regret this - the young(er) guest was pretty excited that he was the first rider in line for Vortex! I thought "Enjoy your ride, first riders..." as I kept walking to WindSeeker. And that is how I ended up being the very first rider of the day on WindSeeker! I greeted the attendants with a "Good Morning!" and they cheerfully greeted me back. I was assigned to Seat 32, and after I was buckled in they waited a couple more minutes to see if any more riders would show up. But no more riders came! Before I knew it, they were checking the lapbars like rapid fire - and I was the only one on. Needless to say, I had the entire first cycle of the day on WindSeeker all to myself; which, to me, was pretty cool! "Scan!" "Ready!" "All Clear!" The " " theme started playing, and WindSeeker lifted off, taking its single rider on its excursion up to an elevation of 301 feet above the solid ground. The nice, cool wind blew in my face as it came to the summit, treating me to the 360-degree panorama of the surrounding park. When the 'Seeker had safely landed me back on the ground, I heard "Welcome back, WindSeeker rider! How was your ride?" I cheered, saying it was great (which it truly was!). This was the very first time I've had WindSeeker all to myself! After that awesome solo flight on WS, I headed to Vortex. Since they had just finished loading the train in the station (which turned out to be Train #2) I was the only one in the queue. Train #2 was dispatched, and Train #3 arrived. I boarded in the front seat, 1-1, and in a matter of minutes I was off on my first Vortex ride of the day. This particular cycle was the first of an eight-ride marathon. The other 7 rides in the marathon, in order, were in the following rows: 7-1, 5-1, 2-2, 6-2, 6-2, 2-2, 6-1. All of the rides were fun – drops, inversions and all! If I had to choose a favorite out of the 8 consecutive cycles, I’d choose the ride in 7-1. That crazy ejector airtime on the first drop always makes me laugh! After the 8th ride, the line length had gotten to the point where there were no more empty rows. Since it was only about 10:50, I’d figure I’d go ride some other rides and then come back to Vortex later for a couple more. I headed to X-Base. I originally planned to ride Flight of Fear, but once again its line was much longer than Firehawk’s. So I jumped into Firehawk’s line instead. After a 10-12 minute wait I went up to the station and was assigned to Row 2 on the Yellow Train. The ride was very fun like always. The loop is my favorite part! After that nice flight we headed down to Action Zone. I wanted to ride Invertigo, but not unlike FoF its line was too long for my liking (I had less than an hour left before my mom wanted to leave) so I joined Delirium’s line instead. The wait was 20 minutes; I rode in Seat 33 for another fun-filled ride! It was 12:10 by the time I arrived back at Coney Mall. It was then that I decided to take a spin on Monster before heading back to Vortex. After waiting a cycle, I rode in Seat 11. The ride was great; I loved it when the seat would suddenly go up into the air, giving me a small pop of negative G’s. When I finally returned to Vortex, the line had grown quite a bit (it was a little outside the entrance), but to my delight the wait was only 9 minutes. I rode in 2-1 on Train #1, and yet again it was impressive. I always love the loops – there’s something about watching that track in front when I sit in/near the front of the train – it always excites me in a way that only an Arrow looper can…*sighs dreamily* To take the day’s number of Vortex rides to 10, I waited another 8-9 minutes before boarding Train #3 in the front seat. This particular cycle turned out to be one of the best Vortex rides I’ve ever had. On the first drop, I had my arms spread like wings, and it felt like I was flying - truly FLYING - down that 138 foot drop as the cool breeze blew in my face. I soared through the inversions with intensity and grace. While flying through the batwing I had my arms out for the picture. When Train #3 hit the brakes, I thought, “WOW!!!!!!” The other riders had a lot of fun as well, especially a couple of riders right behind me. We agreed together that this ride was really fun. I remember saying, “I was out of my SEAT!” because of that amazing hangtime that’s always present in the corkscrews! The ride was just downright awesome! So for those who think Vortex should get new trains: Leave it be! After an incredible ride like I just had, Vortex is amazing just the way it is! :) <3 This trip was definitely one of the best August trips I’ve ever had. From being the only rider on WindSeeker to 10 great rides on Vortex (especially this last one!), it was awesome. +Diamondback: 1 YTD: 5… Total: 76 +WindSeeker: 1 YTD: 20 Total: 38 +Vortex: 10 YTD: 40 Total: 175 +Delirium: 1 YTD: 2 Total: 12 +Monster: 1 YTD: 3 Total: 3 I will add notes and pictures as soon as tomorrow because I have to go to bed soon so I can get up at 6:30 to go to school…

I have started work on the complete TR! The way I'm making this work is that I'll be posting the TR one day at a time. The 1st part would be about August 2, Part 2 would be August 3, etc. But on some days I have taken too many pictures to be included in a single post (August 8 - Darien Lake day - is one example of this) so I will have to post that day in 2 or more parts. As of now, Day 1 (August 2) will be up shortly.

Its still my favorite ride to Make that three! I absolutely LOVE Vortex. I would be really, REALLY sad if it left...

^I am! I had a very good time at Darien Lake yesterday. I rode Viper, Boomerang, and Mind Eraser 3 times each, and I rode some other rides (Giant Wheel, Pirate, and the MotoCoaster) once. I didn't get to ride Predator, Blast Off!, or Ride of Steel due to time (I was there from 11 a.m.-2 p.m.) because check-in time at the Lakehouse Inn ended at 6 p.m., and it takes 3.5 hours to get from Darien Lake to Geneva-on-the-Lake. We got to the Lakehouse Inn in time. After moving our things into our two rooms and wading in the lake for a while, we had dinner at Alessandro's Ristorante, an Italian restaurant. Then at around 10 p.m. my sister and I took a walk down the Strip (the carnival area at GOTL). We wanted to ride the Ferris Wheel but it was closed already. The arcades were still open though, so we ended up walking through one of them and I came across my favorite arcade game, Skee-ball. I played 5 games of Skee-ball and my sister played three. We earned a total of 101 tickets! I hope to ride the Ferris Wheel at the Strip today...and maybe even a game of miniature golf and/or a few more games of Skee-ball. But for now, I'm heading to the adjacent Crosswinds Grille for breakfast.

^No; we're not big fans of auto racing. ... Sorry for the late update, everyone. My laptop was having minor issues this morning, but it's all good now. Important Note: The Darien Lake trip will be on Thursday, August 8, NOT Wednesday, August 7. While I'm on the topic of that, Darien Lake Amusement Park is approximately 2 hours and 50 minutes from where I am staying in Ithaca. I'll be getting up at 7:00 a.m. sharp tomorrow! Speaking of tomorrow, we'll be at two lake-themed/centered places: Darien Lake and Geneva-on-the-Lake. Today we went to Taughannock Falls State Park. We walked up and down the gorge trail (and I walked in the nice, cool waters of Taughannock Creek for part of the way). I loved looking at the big waterfall at the end of the trail! We ate lunch at the Falls Restaurant (respectively named after Taughannock Falls). In the evening we visited Cornell University (where my parents went for college!). We ate at a Thai restaurant for dinner (and I think it was my very first time eating at a Thai restaurant!). Yesterday we went to the Sciencenter (a science museum) and to my mom's friend's house. I won't be telling much more as it is getting late - we'll be getting up a little earlier to get to Darien Lake in time, not to mention packing all our luggage because from Darien Lake we'll be going straight to Geneva-on-the-Lake, Ohio! On another note, as I am typing this I am importing nearly 500 pictures I took on the last couple days alone... Edit: I just realized that I'll be at Darien Lake during the early(er) hours of the big announcement day(!?!)

Darien Lake Update: We plan to go tomorrow, August 7! It will be my first time going to Darien Lake since my last (and currently only) visit on July 25, 2011 (over 2 years ago!).

Yesterday evening was spent in Watkins Glen, a town not too far from Ithaca. We went to Watkins Glen State Park and hiked in the gorge all the way to the other end (where the park's other entrance was) and back. It was 1.5 miles one way, making for a round-trip distance of 3 miles. Also while going one way you had to walk up 832 steps, and if you went back the other way you would walk down those same 832 steps. Since we went both ways, we walked up/down a total of 1664 steps! The waterfalls were cool too; you could walk right behind one of them! After that we ate at Jerlando's Pizza, a local Italian restaurant. Their food hits the spot! Dessert was at Scuteri's Cannoli Connection, a local Italian cannoli place. Their cannoli hits the spot as well - it's definitely my favorite Italian dessert. So the dinner we had (including dessert) was not only local, but it was exclusively Italian! Then after dinner we went to Clute Park, a small recreational park (you know, a park with playgrounds and such) on the banks of Seneca Lake and watched the sunset. I got a whole handful of photos just watching the sun setting behind the mountains! As for Darien Lake, I still don't know if and when we may go there. If we do, today and tomorrow may be the best possibilities.

Just thought I would share some details of the week-long vacation I am on right now in upstate New York. I would have started this sooner, but I have had very little time to spend on the computer due to us (me, my parents, and my oldest sister) being out all day so this is why I am starting this 3 days into the vacation. This is the first time I've ever done what I call a "live" TR. In other words, I've never written about a vacation while I'm on the same vacation that I am writing about, if you know what I mean. I will share some details about what happens every day, but I will not tell about everything because I will be writing a complete TR in this thread after the trip. Pictures will be included! And now, a short summary of what we did from August 2 until 2:26 p.m. on August 5 (right now): On Friday, we left Beavercreek, Ohio, bound for Jamestown, New York. Along the way, we stopped in Bellville, Ohio, to eat at Der Dutchman (my favorite restaurant!). We arrived in Jamestown, NY just after 5:00 p.m., and dropped our luggage off at Comfort Inn before eating dinner at Tasta Pizza (pronounced Taste-a) and dessert at Perry's Ice Cream. On Saturday, we had the first of two family reunions that we had on this trip in the nearby town of Falconer. Since this reunion lasted all day until sunset, we did not eat at a single restaurant, if I correctly recall. Saturday night was the second and final night of this trip that we would be staying at Comfort Inn before heading to Ithaca. Sunday's reunion was in Cherry Creek, which is a little farther away from Jamestown. One of the activities there included a "coin dig" where there were coins scattered in some sawdust and the objective was to find as many coins as you can. I ended up finding over $3 total in coins, along with 1 Canadian dollar coin and 3 Canadian cents! We also visited my uncle's farm and his cows, and I found a few small pieces of coal in the driveway along with a few fossils. Right now we are staying in an "apartment." The building is actually a big house with four separate living areas. It's pretty nice; my room has a clock radio exactly identical to the one I have at my house! What happened so far today: We ate breakfast at the Ithaca Bakery and did a bit of grocery shopping at Wegmans. Wegmans is like a bigger, better and more upscale version of Kroger, complete with a café and Wi-Fi. It's pretty sweet. I hope you all are interested in following my New York "adventures" on this thread. I will be updating when I can! Edit: Forgot to add that we will stay in the "apartment" for 3 more nights before going to Geneva-on-the-Lake on August 8. Also, there is a chance that we may go to Darien Lake on either of the next 2 days (8/06 or 8/07).