KIBeast

So Trey and I met my girlfriend and her three kids to have a day at Camden. We arrived at about 1:15. The first ride that we headed for is the new Slingshot coaster. I was a bit skeptical as I had only seen a pic posted in one of the other forums and it didn't look like much. I am telling you, I was really wrong. I rode with my boy and this is a great ride that goes around that figure 8 track faster than I had imagined it would. The spinning was just enough to be fun without making me queasy. Great addition to Camden. We caught a lap on the Paratrooper after that and it's as fun as I've always remembered. Next, we went to the Big Dipper. For some reason I still enjoy BD, except I noticed the cars shuffling up and down as opposed to left to right, which I have experienced before. A classic in my book. I wasn't aware of it at the time, but it was her kids' first time on a coaster. They enjoyed it, but I would have put them on Little Dipper first if I had known that. Next, we rode the Rockin' Tug, a fun ride as always. After that, it was on to the Tilt-A-Whirl. Her son Eli rode with Trey and I. I had to show Eli how you can get the car spinning faster when you lean towards one direction or the other. Up next was the Kite Flyer. Last year, I made the mistake of riding this one. Not guy friendly at all if you catch my drift, but the rest of the crew rode. They enjoyed it. I tell you, there is nothing better than to listen to kids laughing as we all enjoyed these rides. We made our way back towards the front to catch a a lap on the Scrambler. I still love these rides and it's so fun when you have kids involved. The kids rode the what I call the Umbrella ride near the Scrambler. Just a typical small kid ride with motorcycles, buses, cars, etc. All the boys rode in the fire engine while Audrey was in a car by herself. We made our way back to the front for another lap on Slingshot. Then the Paratrooper. Then we had lunch at the indoor grill. It was $30 for two pizzas and drinks for everyone. My girl thought it was expensive until I explained to her how lunch at KI cost me $30 just for two of us. We caught a lap on the log flume after that as the kids really were hot and wanted to ride that one. Still can't understand why they run so few logs on this ride. Always an hour wait. Just ridiculous. Next, we took a train ride and the kids really seemed to enjoy that. We rode some more rides, but nothing new to tell about those. All in all, a great day at Camden. I only wish the Whip had been operating that day. I would really love to see them get bumper cars again. Not the most exciting addition, but it would be nice to have them again. And I wish they would put something other than a fence where the Spider used to be. I really have no complaints at all about Camden. It was very clean, the ride ops were friendly, and service was awesome. I do have one complaint, but it's not about the park, but about a group of people. We bought Snow Cones for the kids and my girl and I wanted ice cream, so we headed for that stand. A lady told me we could get in front of her because she was ordering for 14 people. There was one customer in front of us. After they got theirs, the lady who was supposed to let us order first butted in and began ordering. I was thinking, "ok, guess we're not ordering first." I stood there waiting for 20 minutes or what seemed to be an eternity.

I don't see Back Lot Stunt Coaster going anywhere any time soon. 1) It's not that old 2) It's a great intermediate coaster for kids like my son who are not tall enough or brave enough to ride Diamonback or Banshee or Flight of Fear or Firehawk. Not to mention not tall enough.

Went to Camden Saturday with my girlfriend and her three kids Saturday. We had a great time. Slingshot was open and we rode it twice. This is a very fun coaster. I was not expecting very much and it delivered far more than I thought it would. I think the current owners have made a lot of great additions to this park. This is definitely a home run. Rode the Big Dipper twice. Love this coaster, but man the cars bouncing up and down on the track is just horrible. Wish they could rehab this classic.

I had KI in my GPS and it didn't account for the new entrance. Kept telling me to turn right where it used to be located LOL. I was like, shut up GPS, I can't turn right here.

Saw on Camden's Facebook page this morning that Slingshot is open again

Sounds like you had some creepy experiences. It shows me that there is not enough being done as far as regulations go at gun shows and apparently, at least some gun shops.

Same video I just watched this morning. Very disturbing that anyone, let alone a 13 year old, can just waltz in and buy a gun at a gun show, no questions asked or regulations to follow.

I'm not advocating any type of bans, but there are a lot of problems with the ease of obtaining guns. I just watched a video on Facebook of a 13 year old boy with a hidden camera that was sent to buy cigarettes, beer, porn, and a gun. Guess which one he was able to obtain? Very easily he purchased a gun at a gun show where it seems there are either very few or zero regulations.

So, if they can't use fences, what about other types of barriers? Something needs to be done, other than any signage. I agree Tggr, those people are not swimming in your photo.

Exactly. I'm not advocating that all guns be banned or taken away, but there's no reason NOT to change regulations as they are so that the mentally ill, those who are known to have ties with terrorist organizations, and others do not have easy access to guns.

http://www.aol.com/article/2016/06/16/gator-attack-disney-knew-of-problems-staffer-asked-for-fence-a/21396609/ Seems Disney knew about the gator problem and never addressed it.

http://www.aol.com/article/2016/06/16/family-of-ar-15-inventor-eugene-stoner-he-didnt-intend-it-for-civilians/21396400/ Interesting twist on the conversation. Seems the family of the inventor of the AR-15 say that he never intended the weapon for civilian use.

I agree. No amount of citizens, even if they all owned AR-15's is going to overthrow the government and its military. Our freedoms have been fringed upon. 4th Amendment sound familiar? Well, it's been destroyed with the government listening to our conversations and monitoring our email, texts, etc. Where's the outcry?

But there are rules and regulations that are followed which apparently don't infringe upon the right to own said arms. Why not update protocols, as Tggr mentioned, to those rules and regulations.

Where in the Constitution does it say that you have to go through protocols for an automobile? Must have missed that one.

Well said Tggr! I agree 100%. People act like that nothing at all should be done about gun control. Yes, there are other murder weapons, but none that can take out so many at one time.

Awful. Just awful. Prayers for the family

Tragic event. Could not imagine losing my son like that or any other way. Praying for comfort for the family.

I go to Camden at least twice every year. Last year I went 3 times because one of those days was an outing that the company I worked for provided. Awesome good times. I am going this weekend and was hoping to get a spin on the new ride, but I guess that is not happening. Oh well, I'll be back there at least one more time before the summer is over. I know a lot of people complain about that park, but I have loved it since I began going as a kid back in the 80's as part of a field trip for school. Sure, I wish the owners had so much money that they could address every issue, but I will support them as long as they are open. These owners are related to the original owners who cared very much about the community and the park itself. They have made many great improvements and additions.

Seeing how I just rode this Saturday and have been riding it since 1981, I feel the need to chime in. Absolutely nothing about this ride needs to be changed. I loved it from the first time I rode it. It has changed only in a sense of the skid brakes to the magnetic. I don't think it slows down any more than it used to. My 7 year old son rode it for the first time and he loved it. Said nothing about it being rough or boring. I think I will always be partial to it because of the unique experience of it being secluded and the helix finale that never gets old.

Can't seem to remember the name of the ride it replaced, but it was next to the Paratrooper

Not one to spread rumors, but I have heard that this new ride is already broken down and they are waiting on a part to come from Italy

So, this is the first year that Trey and I had been since he reached the magical 48" mark. We arrived at 10. Like the new front gate other than the last two lanes on each end are confusing as the sign flashes/changes from Gold Pass to Regular Parking. Had to switch lanes twice to get it figured out. Anyhow, paid for preferred parking and it was well worth the extra $7. First ride of the day was The Racer. Only running the red side and Trey loved it. Had me hold onto him as usual (wound up riding Racer 3 times). Next, we went to Adventure Express. He loved this one as well. Said he particularly liked the ending (got 3 laps on this one as well). After that, we rode Viking Fury. He thought it was a pretty cool ride. Then, it was on to The Bat. He thought it was a pretty wild ride, but commented that he wished it was longer (rode twice that day). So, we had been talking The Beast and Vortex, but he said he was not going to ride either one. Wasn't going to pressure him either. After The Bat, we went back to Coney Mall to ride Shake, Rattle, and Roll (two turns on this one for the day). Really liked that one as well. It was a hot 94 degrees. Love that every ride op was letting you know that cups of water are free so no one gets dehydrated. After SR&R, we went over to Backlot Stunt Coaster. He thought the launch was really cool and the helicopter scene as well (rode this one twice as well). So, during the day, I kept talking about The Beast. Finally, after our second ride on The Bat, he agreed to ride The Beast. The wait was about 15 minutes. I held onto him of course, but he absolutely loved it. We went to view our on-ride photo. I bought it and then realized you couldn't see him. The girl offered a refund. I told her we really wanted a photo, so she said next time you ride, I'll remember you and give you one. About 2 hours later we rode again. This time, I sat him on the other side of the train and it got a good photo this time. Only one problem. The girl working the photo booth was gone. I explained to the guy and he said he would call his supervisor. After he got off the phone, he looked through a small stack of photos and found ours. He proceeded to print us off one and explained that his supervisor had told him to match me up with the other one. Once again, great service from the folks at KI. After riding The Beast for the first time, Trey said to me, "I'm thinking about The Vortex." I said, " Well, let's walk over there." He would up riding Vortex 3 times and decided it was a tie between The Beast and Vortex for favorite ride. Bought on-ride photo on Vortex as well. These photos are well worth the money as it captured his sheer terror on these rides. He loves them, but is absolutely terrified. About 2:00, we decided to go check into our hotel room at the Super 8 in Mason. Grabbed lunch on the way out at LaRosa's on International Street. $30 for the two of us to eat lunch. Beyond ludicrous. I understand you get two slices of pizza, two breadsticks and a drink, but still way too much. Super 8 turned out to be a really nice hotel with pool. Got a little rest and then headed back. My one complaint about the staff, which wasn't a huge deal. When we returned from our hotel, I showed the people at the front gate my receipt for parking, to which I was told preferred parking was sold out. I can see how that happens, but you couldn't have possible sold my parking space. He called over to the booth, then told me I could try to park in there, but I might have to park in regular parking. As soon as I pulled in, there were 10 spaces open by the back fence by the booth. So, I decided to just drive up and down the rows to see if anything closer was available, starting with the front row. There were four spaces in the front row, so we wound up being able to park closer the second time. Just miscommunication I suppose. We also managed to get in a lap on RCFYL which felt amazingly good. Also, rode Woodstock Express, which he loves. Kinda aggravated me that two cars in front of me, a girl decided to video the whole ride with her phone. Nothing said to her at all by staff. We also managed to ride Flying Ace Aerial Chase once, which Trey still loves. I let him try two different games. He didn't win anything, but had fun anyway. Not sure I care for the new card system for that. All in all, we had a great time at Kings Island and every staff member I spoke to was extremely friendly, courteous, and helpful, which is what I have come to expect when visiting. When I get the time, I'll post some pics from our day. Most are selfies in the stations.

I just now have been able to get around to going through this thread. Standbyme did a great job and it sure brought back a lot of good memories of the park when I first started attending. Hannah Barbera Land was so enchanting to me during this time. The place seemed to be borderline magical for me. The ivy tunnel, The Racer, KCKC, Boulder Bumpers, seeing all of my favorite characters walking the park. The best part of it was being with my family there. There were so many rides we could enjoy as a family, like Tumblebug, Der Spinnin Keggers, Rotor, and many others.

Thanks! I'll take other pics instead. A next in line selfie is good enough for me.