violakat03 Posted February 22, 2009 Share Posted February 22, 2009 This is going to be very picture-filled. Fair warning. I took about 200 pictures just during the tour and another 50 or so of some of the extracurricular activities after. My husband took probably double that, so I'm going to weed out some of the best from both our cameras. Jasper, I didn't forget you! The front half of our group starting on to International Street. The Royal Fountains looking rather ... empty. They had all the kiosks saran wrapped. Someone forgot to clean off the cobwebs from Haunt. I see it! The wind blew the menu board off the Chick-Fil-A store, and I took a picture of it laying on the ground. Nick Universe all packed up for the winter. The first hill just absolutely dominates this entire side of the park. Future site of the Diamondback gift shop. The station comes into view. Your usual construction site type of stuff. Wild Thornberry's. Side of Wings exposed. Everyone stopping to take pictures of the station (including me - I'm in the red/grey striped hat). Future queue area. Future queue area. The exit ramps split into a Y. One branch goes to the gift shop, the other exits to the Rivertown path. Trying to zoom in on the trains. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
violakat03 Posted February 22, 2009 Author Share Posted February 22, 2009 I'll go ahead and start a new post. Wings Diner signs. Don told us to take pictures now because the signs would be gone because they are retheming the restaurant to match the surrounding area. Someone seems to have misplaced the Crypt. Or maybe they're renaming the train. Nothing in the world like standing directly underneath a 230' tall coaster hill. Trying to zoom in on the trains again. Exiting the splashdown. My husband spotted cones that said "Property of Paramount Studios" Pure poetry. Splashdown. Looking very snake-like as it ... snakes ... off into the woods. Have I ever mentioned I think the name Diamondback is perfect? Hi Beast! Happy early birthday! Hi helix! An idea of what the new Beast entrance will look like. Don said they will be adding some fencing, new signage, and other things but this is the direction it will be taking. The helix from The Beast's new entrance. Vortex hiding behind the buildings. Wooden fence being built around the construction site. Looks like it'll be pretty nice. Whoops. That waterfall is going to be pretty. BLSC's opening helix. The one and only place I ever experience coaster blackout. Whoops again. I really hope they aren't taking out all the gas lights. Eiffel Tower from the back side. The trains! The trains! Carousel - I'm still surprised that the horses are left on and uncovered in the winter. Don took us to the covered eating area in Coney Mall to thank us for coming and take questions. I think the funniest thing he said was about the clearance test. He said "no, we're just going to fire it up and let 'er rip!" After that it was time to head home. Or to Jungle Jim's. See next post! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gordon Bombay Posted February 22, 2009 Share Posted February 22, 2009 Kat, looking forward to the rest of your trip report, but I have to get up early and drive back to school in the morning. It was great getting to know you and your husband and I'm looking forward to the season. Hope you guys had as much fun as we did today and I look forward to reading the rest of this tomorrow! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
violakat03 Posted February 22, 2009 Author Share Posted February 22, 2009 After the tour finished, a group of us decided to spend some more time together and headed to Jungle Jim's to kill some time before the GWL dinner buffet opened. We were given a tour by none other than our very own Gordon Bombay. For those who aren't familiar with it, Jungle Jim's is the world's largest grocery store and is about 15 minutes from Kings Island. On the way to JJ, we split up into 3 carpools. My carpool decided to take a different direction, ended up going the wrong way on 275 at one point, and then had to chase down a car (to the complete befuddlement of Captain Nemo and Kawana, our backseat passengers) because, as complete Saturn nerds, my husband and I knew they only made a couple hundred of this particular model in this particular color and we wanted a picture of it. The car in question? A 2004 Saturn VUE (non-Red Line) in electric lime. It was only produced in that color for a month or two, with about 200-300 total being made. Gee that looks familiar! Ignore the silly looking guy at the bottom of the picture (a.k.a. Captain Nemo). The Kings Island monorail is alive and well at Jungle Jim's. They have both trains, which are fully operational, and are in the process of getting them running around the entire shopping center complex. They also have one of the cars from Days of Thunder. Not the ride, but the movie. One of the employees was kind enough to take a group picture of us in front of the second monorail train. I think this photo is in desperate need of a caption contest. From left to right (for the most part) is: CoastersRZ, Cory Butcher, Kawana, Gordon Bombay (standing on the light pole), violakat03, my husband, clbehymer, Captain Nemo, Beast08, Zosobeast, and Avatar. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
violakat03 Posted February 22, 2009 Author Share Posted February 22, 2009 After Jungle Jim's, we split again. My car went to Taco Bell (we're cheap and/or broke) and the other groups went to Great Wolf Lodge to eat at their dinner buffet. On the way back to Great Wolf, we passed KI again (imagine that?) and Diamondback just looked so picturesque we couldn't resist. Looking menacing yet beautiful with the storm clouds behind. The positioning of this coaster is so perfect because the first hill catches the sunset. Even Son of Beast was putting on a show for us with these vertical stripes of colors. We met up with the other group at GWL, and then headed off to the Tri-County Mall to spend some time at Krazy City, which is a bizarre mix between an arcade and a fair. But hey, they have go-karts! And they can be drifted! My little point & shoot camera really did not like the lighting in there, so most of the pictures turned out dark and grainy. Here's the few that came out ok. CoastersRZ enjoying the go karts. Angry bumper car face! I did shoot POVs from three of the rides (bumper cars, Tornado and Spring Ride) but YouTube is being annoying and I'm having trouble uploading them. I will upload and post them tomorrow, but for now, it's time for bed!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cory Butcher Posted February 22, 2009 Share Posted February 22, 2009 Kat, I loved your report, and I am glad that you and your husband could come join us for our little Festivities After Diamondback! I am glad I could see you guys again. It truly was such a great fun day! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beast1979 Posted February 22, 2009 Share Posted February 22, 2009 Nice PTR! I saw you there a few times, you really looked like you were enjoying it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
standbyme Posted February 22, 2009 Share Posted February 22, 2009 WOW! What a great PTR…you captured not only Diamondback but lots of cool park stuff too…just what I would have liked to have scene in person…but I do feel like I was there now too! Here are a couple of your photos that I had comments about: Another case of some trees that didn’t look like they HAD to be removed…and judging by their location they would have provided some great shade for not only the people in line, but for anyone sitting under them just watching the ride going up the hill. Thanks for throwing in the Wings signs going bye-bye…the name lasted longer than I thought it would…this fact was the most interesting one that I have heard mentioned so far. I would LOVE to know the story behind this accident…I bet someone was not happy that day. As cold as it looks you “guys” look like you are having a LOT of fun. I think it is great how you added to the tour with the extra stuff to make the trip truly a memorable one. This shot is awesome! Thanks for posting such a great report! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kawana Posted February 22, 2009 Share Posted February 22, 2009 Great PTR. I'm so happy the JJ group photo turned out. I had a blast with you guys, and I totally understand your Saturn obsession. We all have our things, don't we? Thanks for the TR. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Captain Nemo Posted February 22, 2009 Share Posted February 22, 2009 Awesome PTR! While I may never understand the Saturn obsession, I had a great time the entire day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kiruler102 Posted February 22, 2009 Share Posted February 22, 2009 ViolaKat thanks for the new background on my computer. it looks like you had fun. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rollercoast19 Posted February 22, 2009 Share Posted February 22, 2009 I was wondering why everyone began taking pictures of the Wings sign and building. I missed what Don Helbig said so thanks for mentioning it in your great PTR! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coasterguy15 Posted February 22, 2009 Share Posted February 22, 2009 Ha, I just found something that I thought was pretty funny. When you took that picture of everyone under the dining pavilion and Don was doing a Q&A, I got a picture of you taking that picture. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZosoBeast Posted February 22, 2009 Share Posted February 22, 2009 Well since I was a part of your group, I will just add my content to your post. First, it should be known that I was 2 mins late for the tour and because of that, I was told I was not allowed to join the group on the tour. Unlike some people I know that would run in after the group anyways, I took the news with a smile on my face, got back in the car and waited for the group I would be attending the Great Wolf buffet with. I had a LOT of fun hanging out with all of you. If you have never had the Great Wolf buffet before, it is a MUST do! Please note that you do not need to be a guest at the hotel to eat at the buffet. It cost $20 a person but so VERY VERY worth it! Here are some pics I took from the day along with a video I made. Jesse and Ronny cleaning off "clbehymer's" car after the Jungle Jims tour. She had a long ride home and they were being nice guys and cleaning off her windows....in the rain....where they would get wet again! Cory doing the same thing for my car. Thanks cory! And thank you Ronny for only doing HALF of my front window! All or nothing buddy....all or nothing! Best buffet I ever had in my life! Ronny and his childs plate. Notice the rainbow edges and the smile face fries! Server asks me what I would like to drink, I say Dr.Pepper. He says we dont server Dr.Pepper. HUH!?!?!? Cory and the bear. Gabe and the killer snow scraper. Do not make the Gabe mad. Krazy City time. Random Krazy City More randomness. Even more Last time I seen this much cheese was on my 3-Way at Skyline. And finally my raw footage from Krazy City. A little slow in spots, but it was still one of the better days I have had in a very long time! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
violakat03 Posted February 22, 2009 Author Share Posted February 22, 2009 AHA! You're the guy in the red shirt that was shooting POVs also! I never caught your name. I love the video of me shooting a video on Tornado. It's funny watching how fast we were spinning from outside. My video is pretty much a bunch of blurred lights going past. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZosoBeast Posted February 22, 2009 Share Posted February 22, 2009 Yeah, it was crazy, we all spent so much time together and never got any names! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
violakat03 Posted February 22, 2009 Author Share Posted February 22, 2009 I updated the group pic from Jungle Jim's to reflect usernames, I'm only missing one now, and I'm hoping someone can provide it for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
windshawne Posted February 22, 2009 Share Posted February 22, 2009 Very nice after event!! I have walked through Krazy City, but didn't stop and play. Might have to give that a shot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cory Butcher Posted February 22, 2009 Share Posted February 22, 2009 I updated the group pic from Jungle Jim's to reflect usernames, I'm only missing one now, and I'm hoping someone can provide it for me. That would be Beast08! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Avatar Posted February 22, 2009 Share Posted February 22, 2009 Bill – thanks honestly I had tears coming out of my eyes watching the drop part of the video. Each time we thought the ride was over it went up again what a hoot. The whole day and evening was a blast, the things Ronny and me haft to do just to get other members to join at these after event get to gathers has reached new heights, I mean promising to do windows in the rain!! I wonder why they never join us again. Also clbehymer was the girl in the JJ picture. She is no armature to the scene, she has a lots of different park experiences and has tons of stories to go with them, she is what we call a fellow amusement park enthusiast. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
violakat03 Posted February 22, 2009 Author Share Posted February 22, 2009 Thanks! I'll fix it now. And, since for some reason YouTube is hating me, I'm putting my videos on photobucket for now. Here's the POV from Tornado (a Wisdom Industries Tornado park model) that you can see me shooting in Zosobeast's video. That's why I was the only one in the gondola not helping spin - I was trying to hold the camera still! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tigellinus Posted February 22, 2009 Share Posted February 22, 2009 Don took us to the covered eating area in Coney Mall to thank us for coming and take questions. I think the funniest thing he said was about the clearance test. He said "no, we're just going to fire it up and let 'er rip!" Just so we are not overlooking this fact, did Don confirm they're not doing any clearance tests of significant substance?? Excellent PTR, btw!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
violakat03 Posted February 22, 2009 Author Share Posted February 22, 2009 Don took us to the covered eating area in Coney Mall to thank us for coming and take questions. I think the funniest thing he said was about the clearance test. He said "no, we're just going to fire it up and let 'er rip!" Just so we are not overlooking this fact, did Don confirm they're not doing any clearance tests of significant substance?? Excellent PTR, btw!! Yes, he did. He was asked when they would be running the clearance test and he said "We aren't going to do that. We're just going to fire it up and let 'er rip" ... and I remember that because it was so hilarious the way he said it. He also said that's it's usually done that way with these B&Ms - no clearance test. The plan is to put the water dummies in and run one train operation for a while, switching out each of the trains after so many runs. Then they will go to two trains, then three trains. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coasterguy15 Posted February 22, 2009 Share Posted February 22, 2009 Also, he said that they weren't going to put water in the splashdown at first and that it's just going to pull over that last hill a little faster than with water. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tigellinus Posted February 22, 2009 Share Posted February 22, 2009 ^^Interesting, and might bode well for lessened mid-ride breaking. Here are a couple of your photos that I had comments about: Another case of some trees that didn’t look like they HAD to be removed…and judging by their location they would have provided some great shade for not only the people in line, but for anyone sitting under them just watching the ride going up the hill. There definitely should be shade like with Behemoth's queue...because allowing your guests to be fried like an egg is just sadistic!! I'm still bitter about Fahrenheit's un-shaded queue at Hersheypark last year! In a non-sarcastic way it was a shade (sadly, no pun intended) below torture!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
violakat03 Posted February 22, 2009 Author Share Posted February 22, 2009 There definitely should be shade like with Behemoth's queue...because allowing your guests to be fried like an egg is just sadistic!! I'm still bitter about Fahrenheit's un-shaded queue at Hersheypark last year! In a non-sarcastic way it was a shade (sadly, no pun intended) below torture!! DH said on the 31st that there will be shading similar to what Firehawk's queue has. Also, he said that they weren't going to put water in the splashdown at first and that it's just going to pull over that last hill a little faster than with water. I missed that tidbit. I do remember hearing him say that the spray from the splashdown will be going directly up and will not spray onto the pathway at all. Apparently they learned from Sea World's mistake, who are 'wasting millions of gallons of water each year' on splashdown overspill. He said even on a windy day, it's unlikely anyone will get wet. And, for those who are interested ... the bumper cars POV! I have to say, these bumper cars had some speed to them! You could get a good bump out of them. Better than KI's! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.