Mr. Coastermania Posted April 3, 2009 Share Posted April 3, 2009 Im sure all inside rides like fof will run without delay,but how about rides like d-back or The Beast?will light or steady rain call for a delay or will thunder showers or down pours close things up? Last year i came down and it rained for about an hour then it was clear the rest of the day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gigacoaster2k Posted April 3, 2009 Share Posted April 3, 2009 I'm not too sure about rain. I've seen Delirium and SOB running in a downpour, and other rides close because there was a drizzle. I do know that everything in the park will shut down due to lightning, until the storm passes. That's when I duck into a gift shop or restaurant, wait it out, and smile to myself as 2/3 of the crowd runs for the exit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XGatorHead 8904 Posted April 3, 2009 Share Posted April 3, 2009 It's always amazed me how at the waterpark, when it starts raining (not storming), how many people will run for the exits or seek shelter. Isn't the point of a waterpark to get wet? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RailRider Posted April 3, 2009 Share Posted April 3, 2009 Some of the best days I have had at parks haven been days with a light or steady rain. Ride opperation depends on more than just rain, wind, lightning, threat of sever weather and more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Coastermania Posted April 3, 2009 Author Share Posted April 3, 2009 I heard that coasters with more than one train might stop operation.I dont know how true that is. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CoastersRZ Posted April 3, 2009 Share Posted April 3, 2009 Yes, in the past they have shut down the coasters if there is rain in the area. If the rain is expected to be a prolonged period of rain, they will often take all but one train off onto the storage tracks. That results in one train operation during the rain, but that beats having the coaster completely closed. I`m not sure if that will be the policy again this year. It seems to change from time to time, and even month to month. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tigellinus Posted April 3, 2009 Share Posted April 3, 2009 ^^Yeah, last year Behemoth frequently ran in the rain if it was light and there was no lightning threat. I asked a CW ride op about this, and he claimed CW wasn't as strict that season as they were the year prior. However, riding Behemoth in the rain was NOT fun! It felt like legitimate tiny ice daggers! Interestingly how the flat Sledgehammer ran even when the rain was pouring!! As Terpy has pointed out before, CF's knee-jerking ride closing due to rain was not nearly as strict in 08 as it was in 07 post-Magnum's accident, generally speaking. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
touchdown62 Posted April 3, 2009 Share Posted April 3, 2009 A few years ago, some friends and I rode Top Gun 14 times because of the rain (don't give me that Flight Deck cr... it was Top Gun then). It did feel like you were being stabbed by little eye darts, but it was fun as h-e-double-hockey-sticks. They had both trains running. There was no line. The ride wasn't just a walk-on, it was a stay-on. The ride ops were having fun with it. They were even calling it (P)KIs newest water ride. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joecartoon Posted April 3, 2009 Share Posted April 3, 2009 I don't know about most rollercoaster but i do know that The Beast and Adventer Express both ran in a down pour last year and that Firehawk went down to one train in rain 2 years ago. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gigacoaster2k Posted April 3, 2009 Share Posted April 3, 2009 However, riding Behemoth in the rain was NOT fun! It felt like legitimate tiny ice daggers! I concur. One day it started to rain halfway through my ride on Millennium Force. Everyone started screaming in pain and covering their faces.. raindrops feel more like thumbtacks at 93 mph. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
violakat03 Posted April 3, 2009 Share Posted April 3, 2009 It's always amazed me how at the waterpark, when it starts raining (not storming), how many people will run for the exits or seek shelter. Isn't the point of a waterpark to get wet? That never ceased to amaze me either. When I was working in the waterpark, any time it rained, the stores suddenly got jam packed with people trying to stay out of the rain ... in their swimsuits! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DropZone99 Posted April 3, 2009 Share Posted April 3, 2009 I love going to KI on days when it rains. It's nice, you get to the park and it's somewhat busy. About 3 hours into the day it starts to just randomly pour rain. 75% of the park guest run for the exit. Most of the coasters will close but just for about a half an hour. Once they re-open, everything is a walk-on or station wait. If it starts to clear up and stay clear the rest of the day, the park will get a little more crowded later in the day, but not major. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dare-to-fly Posted April 3, 2009 Share Posted April 3, 2009 Did we attend the same park? Anytime that I have been to Kings Island since Cedar Fair bought it, when it rains any more than sprinkles all of the coasters close and then remain closed until long after it has stopped raining. It's a standing joke that we have to wait until the pavement is dry before the coasters are re-opened. I always wonder if Cedar Fair employees have to pull their cars over in the rain because the brakes might get a little wet. I also found it interesting during my trip to Waldameer, The Comet, which has skid brakes, was able to run in a pretty good rainshower with no problems. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
violakat03 Posted April 3, 2009 Share Posted April 3, 2009 I remember one time waiting out a rain storm on a day the park was insanely busy. We sat it out in the arcade for an hour or so and then walked on to absolutely every thing. Any time I'm there with friends and it starts raining, I try and persuade them to wait it out, because I know how empty the park will get. The non enthusiast friends usually don't go along with this, of course, but it's usually worth a try. I got some non-enthusiast friends to wait it out on an August Sunday this year and we ended up marathoning Flight of Fear because it was one of 3 major rides in the park that reopened and it had no wait at all (it had been running a 45 minute wait before the rain). I was really surprised that so few rides reopened after the downpour, even though there was at least 4 hours of park operation left when it cleared up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dare-to-fly Posted April 3, 2009 Share Posted April 3, 2009 we ended up marathoning Flight of Fear because it was one of 3 major rides in the park that reopened and it had no wait at all (it had been running a 45 minute wait before the rain). I was really surprised that so few rides reopened after the downpour, even though there was at least 4 hours of park operation left when it cleared up. That's more like my experience. They won't re-open the majority of the rides long after the rain has ended, but they will re-open a ride that never should have closed to begin with. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
violakat03 Posted April 3, 2009 Share Posted April 3, 2009 Son of Beast reopened after the rain for about 10 trains. Then it closed again. We managed to sneak onto it in the 30 minutes it was open, then gave up and went to FOF. The only other ride open was The Crypt. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dare-to-fly Posted April 3, 2009 Share Posted April 3, 2009 That sounds more accurate. So, "how does the park run on rainy days?" It doesn't! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gabe Posted April 3, 2009 Share Posted April 3, 2009 If you can stand the raindrops hitting you, riding The Beast in the rain is a great experience, since the rain adds just enough wetness to the tracks to reduce the friction normally caused by the trains, which allows the ride to go faster! I love racing through those tunnels when the track is wet! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thrill_Biscuit Posted April 3, 2009 Share Posted April 3, 2009 Vortex is a fun one to get caught in the rain on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ashers Posted April 3, 2009 Share Posted April 3, 2009 Last season...I think it was actually on Mother's Day my brother, my mom and I went and it was pouring down rain most of the day. Most people ran for the exit, but we stayed and just walked around in the rain....people were staring at us like we were idiots! But we had a marathon on WWC, and it was so much fun. FOF was still open but the line was really long because that was one of the only rides open. I do remember getting caught in the rain on SOB last year, and that definitely hurt....lol. That same day on Mother's Day we rode Slingshot too, and it was kind of torturous to be laying on your back the entire time they are getting ready to launch you...but it was still fun. Like angrybeaver said, I love days when it rains for just a little bit...long enough to clear everyone out so you get the whole park to yourself! ~Ash Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dare-to-fly Posted April 3, 2009 Share Posted April 3, 2009 If you can stand the raindrops hitting you, riding The Beast in the rain is a great experience, since the rain adds just enough wetness to the tracks to reduce the friction normally caused by the trains, which allows the ride to go faster! I love racing through those tunnels when the track is wet! My favorite ride on The Beast ever was once the park opened the rides up with a single train after being rained out most of the day. The last two rides were in a torrential downpour, and they were fabulous! The world's longest water ride! It's nice that the trains have extra speed to get through - those things I hate. Son of Beast is awesome in the rain and just after the rain imo. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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