KIBeast

Excellent photos! There were lots of photos I had not seen before, and some that I have.

Saw this over at Coasterbuzz and it gave me some fuzzy memories. Wish I could ride it again. It would be cool, but probably not cost-effective, to bring back The Bat trains on Top Gun and get rid of that useless theming.

Even though it is slightly more expensive, I'd go with the Breakers Hotel. You are a two-minute or less walk to the rear gate by Magnum XL 200, you get into the park at 9:00am, one hour before the general public, and you have the convenience of being able to walk back to your room at any time of the day to rest, get some water, or what have you. I did stay at a Travelodge that was near CP, but it was very trashy and noisy.

Why is Canada's Wonderland even an option? I thought that they certainly were doing better than Great America or Carowinds. Those are the two options I'd go with.

Actually, Interpreter is correct. On-line petitions don't go anywhere...see the petition to keep the Flying Eagles ride at KI. A better way to vote is to eat in your car and not inside the park. They will get the message then. Cedar Fair is the corporation that owns the parks. Cedar Point is the actual name of the park you are referring to.

Sorry this is coming late, but I have been busy with my new job. So, I bought a package deal through Breakers Hotel for my fiance’ and I. I have done this once before and to me, this was the best way to get the most enjoyment out of Cedar Point. So, we arrive at the evening of the 24th, check in to our room, relax for about an hour, then head for an evening of fun. As a side note, my fiance’ had not been to CP since High School and had never been on several of their coasters. With that in mind, I decided to start her out on Magnum XL200. And, also, it is closest to the rear gate by the hotel. We waited about 10 minutes in line. Magnum delivered as always and I really enjoyed the bunny hops at the end. She absolutely loved it! Next we moved on to Meanstreak. We waited about 10 minutes for this one as well. I like MS and she really enjoyed this one as well. The ride didn’t seem any bumpier than usual and neither one of us had any complaints about it. After that, we back tracked towards Wicked Twister. I had shown her the video of the roller coasters of Cedar Point and this was the one she was most looking forward too. We watched one cycle and then we were next to ride. We sat in the back seat as this is my favorite seat on this and most coasters, other than Raptor. She liked the fact that WT was right on the beach. This coaster is awesome and to me, my favorite part is the last twist on the back spike as you get maximum rotation in the back seat. Afterwards, we watched maXair and walked over to Raptor. I suggested we wait for the front seat as I think the front is best on Raptor since your view is clear. She loved the Raptor and said we definitely have to ride that one again. I believe this is my absolute favorite at CP. Next, we took a spin on maXair. We have both been on Delirium and wanted to try out CP’s. I was shocked that the wait was only about 2 cycles. I really enjoy this type of thrill ride and maXair was awesome. The only difference it seemed to me, was that maXair seemed to swing more times fully than Delirium. Although, I could be wrong. Finally, our last ride of the first night was Mantis. I like Mantis, she did not care for the seats and swore she would never ride that one again. The next day, we took a spin on Wicked Twister and Raptor again. I got her to ride Top Thrill Dragster which she loved. She was afraid when we finally got seated. She thought she was not gonna be able to ride due to having a little difficulty with the seat belt. The girl who was doing the safety spiels and such came over to give her a hand. My fiance’ said to her, “I don’t think I fit” to which she responded, “I’m a farm girl and trust me, you’re going to ride.” So, I thought that was pretty cool that she did that for her. My girl was very nervous about the launch possibly rolling back and the fact that there was not OTSR’s. We didn’t get a roll back, much to my dismay, although she was happy. She thought Dragster was really cool and quite the adrenaline rush. We also rode Wild Cat which we both agreed is a really fun coaster with the quick dips and turns. Finally, we made our way over to Maverick. We had tried to ride first thing in the morning, but due to long delays, we decided to get out of line. We did get to ride after about an hour wait. Other than Maverick, most lines were 15-30 minutes max. I have to say that Maverick kicks butt from beginning to end. The launch hill was cool, but, what made it cool was the 95 degree vertical drop that felt like you were going to be tossed out of your seat. We both found the restraints comfortable. The second launch is to die for and the horseshoe roll was pretty intense as well. This coaster goes to show you that it doesn’t have to be the biggest or fastest to deliver an excellent ride. We never did get to take a lap on Geminii as we spent about and hour taking pics and I thought we should try Millennium Force over Geminii. My only problem with MF was that the ride host didn’t even attempt to help my girl with her seatbelt. I understand the new rule, I just thought he should have at least try to help her instead of just standing there with his arms folded just shaking his head. She was very upset that she could not ride and told me to go by myself since was had already waited. I rode, but it was not as much fun riding alone. I don’t think I could do a day at the park alone as there is nobody to share your experiences with. We rode Iron Dragon which neither one of us were thrilled over. We also tried out Chaos which be both thoroughly enjoyed. We tried out Skyhawk and thought it was lots of fun. I was really amazed at how quickly they could park the gondolas at the end. Excellent ride that just gives the sensation of a giant swing set. All in all, we had an excellent trip. We ate at Friday’s for free, played a couple of rounds of mini golf, and ate a stuffed pretzel which was really tasty. If you plan to go to CP, I highly recommend a package deal. I’ll try to post some pics later and link to them. Any suggestions for web sites that have free pic hosting?

Just out of curiousity, then, why did they remove the bunny hops if it wasn't interfering with FOF? Thanks, KIBeast

Doesn't mean anything...yet. I wouldn't call them Six Flags Jr. just yet. You wouldn't get a return on investment that would be of much significance after one year of ownership.

Well, if you will ride it again, then why the topic of Why I Hate Firehawk? If it was that bad, why would you ever want to ride again? Also, concerning pre-existing conditions... I have one. I had back surgery when I was 20 years old. I have two titanium rods in my back that keep me straight. I have read all of the warning signs about rides and pre-existing conditions. Quite frankly, I risk it because I love coasters and I have not had any back pains or injuries caused by a coaster or thrill ride. However, should it happen, I will be the last one in the world who would want to sue Cedar Fair or Kings Island. I am fully aware that something could happen some day. But, I'm not going to avoid any and all activities that may injure me. I do avoid some things, like snow skiing, water skiing, 4 wheeling and climbing. I refuse to go through life avoiding any activity that may cause me injury. I know of a guy who posts on Coasterbuzz who is fairly young and has had a stroke. As far as I know, he still rides and knows fully well what could happen to him. Sometimes, you just gotta live life. Otherwise, you pretty much would have to avoid going outdoors period. I refuse to live like that.

In my opinion, compared to other suspended coasters (non-inverting), Top Gun is one of the best. Try Iron Dragon at CP if you think TG at KI is lame. You'll see a huge difference. Not to mention you are comparing non-inverting suspended coasters to B&M inverts.

Yes, the chain was always that loud.

In 2003, I ate dinner at Coasters at CP. A burger, fries, and a drink were nearly $15.00. Absolutely ridiculous! I ate at TGI Friday's the day after, and it taste better and was cheaper too! Now, I don't find the food is so expensive as the drinks. I was at CP over the weekend (TR coming), and was floored by the price of drinks!

Not to take sides, but, if they are allowing employees to ride SOB, then it is a pretty safe bet the general public will be riding before too long. And, I think instead of making a wish list of what you wanted done to SOB, you should just be happpy that they are attempting to re-open it at all.

Freakin' awesome. I may not be able to make it there until Fearfest, but I am so amped to ride it again. Glad to hear it's testing.

Sad story indeed. I hate when that happens to people. You go to an amusement park to have loads of fun and forget your troubles, then this kind of thing happens. I applaud CF for closing all of their Intamin drop rides.

I see many good ideas for KI in this thread. My Wish List. I won't mention paint because they paint someting every year. 1)A B&M or Intamin coaster, not necessarily a hyper or invert. Something unique to Ohio. 2)More landscaping. Pre-Paramount, it was very nice. Today, still pretty nice, but not over the top nice like it used to be. 3)Additions to BB. 4)Sorry, I'd rather have concrete over blacktop. My feet aren't any more sore from one to the other. 5)Better live shows. I agree with an earlier post about the dolphin show coming back. Although, word has it that the shows this year are an improvement over last year. Although Firehawk is not totally new, most guests will never know. A great addition for KI. Ironically, wasn't Firehawk the flying coaster that was supposed to come to KI originally? If so, how funny that it wound up here anyway.

Glad that there is an ORP considering there wasn't at GL.

Kinzel also said he regrets Disaster Transport, I believe.

I agree about not leaving the customer hanging... There should be some way it could just coast back down.

Burger Chef ruled! I think the great thing about the theming for Maverick is that most of it is static, therefore, easier to maintain. Unlike say Italian Job where the theming moves and such.

I doubt we'll see any new stand-ups ever. Last one installed I believe was the Georgia Scorcher in 1999. Combat, I believe, knows for sure. I would rather see an Intamin or B&M hypercoaster installed at KI. You probably won't see many new installations with inversions either. Look at CP for example...other than Maverick, the last installation with inversions was Mantis in 96.

How do we know that these new trains will give an "expletive deleted" ride? I don't see how these trains could be any worse than the previous. Anything would be an improvement.

I highly doubt Dominator will be moved to KI. You know, there are other parks in the CF chain.

I think it is the OSTR belt that is being referred to. I would say that after the death on Flight Commander, people probably didn't trust that ride any more.

^Definitely, Tggr! It would have been nice to see construction cams for Firehawk.