Magenta Lizard

^^ that was what Don said to me, so it was probably my post. He said until the first /guests/ went through nobody would know what was in the shed including employees that did dry runs. I don't know how this will work assuming a media day and season pass preview, and the auction for first rides which I believe has been officially announced. They may have changed their minds, they may have something in mind to make media day interesting while still not revealing the contents of the shed. But it was how it was explained to me last year. If what is in the shed is what I assume (something on screens) it will be fairly easy to hide the content. Either wait to install the screens, remove them, cover them, or simply shut them off. But I have no idea that I am correct or not about what will be in there.

I can echo what everyone has said so far. I personally have come to LOVE being at the park alone because I can do what I want when I want. I have a lot of regret because I spent fifteen years barely visiting parks or riding coasters because I felt weird about going alone. After the first couple times, I got over the weirdness and now I sometimes get a little edgy if I've spent too much time at the park with friends because I miss the freedom of not always negotiating what to do next. Going to the park alone doesn't have to be lonely, either. I've frequently gotten into conversations in lines or on the rare occasions I get paired with another rider, sometimes hitting it off with someone enough to ride two or three different rides in a row together. Being at the park as often as I am, I've made friends with a few other frequent single-riders, who I ride one or two rides and chat with before we go on our separate ways at the park. I'm not the most friendly person ordinarily, but enjoying myself, doing something I love in a place I love, tends to open me up more and put me in a more friendly mood. But on days I don't feel like talking to anybody, I can do that too. It helps to have a prop to keep you busy especially until you feel more comfortable: a smartphone is good. It gives you something to do in line, and makes you feel a little more connected to the friends who aren't currently with you. I've become less dependent on mine than I was at the beginning, though, often choosing to people-watch and just look around at the details of the park instead. Really, the thing I find most uncomfortable doing at the park alone is eating. So, I usually take my food out to the car (or brought snacks to eat in the car before I bought season-long dining) and talk to my husband on the phone while I eat. Because I try to go to the park when it's not busy, it's uncommon for me to be paired up with someone by the line-separator ride-op. But when it happens, it's not really as weird as I worried it would be. If not told by an employee to pair up, I will not "hop on" with another solo rider unless I ask first: I just wait for the next train. This seems to be pretty much accepted behavior, and it is exceedingly rare someone just sits next to me without being directed by an employee or asking me if I mind. The exception to this is on Diamondback, in the even rows where the seats are widely spaced, I neither ask nor expect to be asked if it is ok. It's perfectly polite to join an even row with another single without saying anything because you're actually riding closer to the people in the odd row in front of you than you will be to the other person in your row. My personal policy is to never refuse a request to sit with me if asked, even though I don't ask others except sometimes when I'm waiting for the front row. I would rather just wait a train than potentially make someone else feel awkward.

I really hope that is just an oversight :-/ Rivertown Potato Works is one of my faves and Coney just isn't the same.

Dunno, I prefer if designers can help avoid protein spills even (especially?) though I don't get sick myself. Disgusting, and slow down everything while it is cleaned up.

There was a morning last season where I rode it ten times in about 45 minutes (once per row). Half those rides were alone, the other half had no more than four other people. So it definitely doesn't need ten people now. Because I try to hit it first thing in the morning, almost /none/ of the times I rode it last season were half full or more.

^I can vouch for that. It was surprising the first couple of times I experienced it. I kind of missed the time to look down when I rode in the front seat, but overall it was an exciting change.

I'd still really like to see the return of Skeleton Crew

I guess maybe we CAN expect a passholder preview night

Awesome start! I had forgotten all about that sign until I saw it again, but I love it! Following and will share as well edit: just checked it out a little more, and your shots of Phantom Theater alone are absolute gold for me!

The entrance will be around where the old funnel cake stand was/ where the "watch for falling trees" fence was last season (toward the front of the park from the train station). As for when they'll post the 2017 map, your guess is as good as mine. It seems to me 2016's map was posted pretty late in the offseason but one never knows. Edit: they tweeted last year around the end of February that the new map had been finalized

Members of coaster clubs are not invited to media day for Mystic Timbers the way they were for Banshee. You need to be invited as a member of the media. The park will be auctioning off first rides for charity, and I suspect those will happen on media day as well. Welcome back to KIC!

^bite your tongue! I'm not willing to think of a world without cirque at KI

Yes, Cirque is definitely returning. I don't remember exactly which sources I heard it from around the time of the show closing for the season, but it was multiple trustworthy ones. I believe I heard it directly from Don Helbig, for one, when someone else asked him, but my memory is not the best.

Today there are officially fewer days left until opening (83) than there have been since closing day (84). We're halfway through the off season! It's all downhill from here!

It's going to be Mr T for me. My natural inclination is to wait for another day/week until I can ride without a ridiculous line, but... it's also my inclination to REALLY want a first rider t-shirt. So I'll probably be outside the parking gates at like 4 AM (since I barely sleep even when I'm not excited about anything). After that I guess it will need to be either Beast or DB since they're right there.

Towards the end of last season, The Bat sign went temporarily missing (and was replaced by a smaller printed corrugated plastic version) but came back. I wouldn't read too much into it temporarily being gone. If anything, they are probably repainting the station but will return the sign.

^85 days

I was just napping and woke up from a dream about Mystic Timbers. My husband and I were standing in a courtyard that was before the queue line. There was sort of a decorative mountainside to one side. There weren't many people around, but somebody hit a button beside the "mountain" and I realized that was supposed to start up some sort of animatronic show farther down the mountain from where I could see. It also started a weather effect, though, and big fans and misters above the queue line started up and it felt like we were in a sudden storm. I'm upset I woke up before I got to ride.

^I rarely ride the log flume, but I hope to see you a lot this year at Mystic Timbers! How cool you get to be on that crew! (what's in the shed? Heh, just kidding)

^Welcome to KIC!

I was really hoping for a New Years Eve event (fireworks at midnight, etc). But it will still be nice to be able to visit in the winter at all.

Sooooo jealous! Scrappy Doo was one of my favorites as a kid although as an adult I can see he was actually pretty annoying. Welcome to KIC!!!

I think Friday the 14th is media day. They will want to minimize spillage of what is in the shed prior to opening day. I expect they will ask the media to keep the secret until the park opens, but the longer the time involved and the more people who know, the less likely it will remain secret. Probably the auctioned off first rides will be the same day. I don't think we're getting a pass holder preview this year, once again, because they are trying to protect this mystery. Hopefully we'll get a different day, or maybe extra hours the Friday after that.

Park hours are up! https://www.visitkingsisland.com/hours-directions/kings-island-park-hours/?mobile=0

^^Yeah, if you go to the website, April 15th as opening day is listed right at the top. Still eagerly awaiting the full schedule.