XGatorHead's KI Adventures

[XGatorHead 8904]

I go to KI quite a bit, so instead of starting different topics for each TR, I’ll combine them all in this one. I won’t bore you with every trip there, but if something noteworthy happens, or if it’s a special event, you’ll find my comments here. Now on with the 2009 season…

April 18th – Opening Day

Whoa… what a day. I didn’t sleep well the night before in anticipation of Diamondback, and the possibility that GatorGirl may be tall enough for three new rides this year. So I hopped on KICentral to read the latest and logged off at 2:00am so I could get at least 4 hours of sleep.

The alarm went off at 6:00…then again at 6:05…then 6:10…then 6:15. I set multiple alarms because I’m terrible at waking up. I dragged myself to the shower, Mrs. Gator and I packed the cooler, I grabbed a muffin and left the house while Mrs. Gator went back to bed. A quick stop at BP for ice and coffee and I was on my way.

I get to the park and walk to the entrance at 7:20. At this point, there’s a bigger line at the metal detectors than I thought there would be. I got in the line that had the least number of people with bags in it (I’m savvy like that) and ate breakfast. I look over to my right and see a friend of mine a few rows over, who was with a guy I had met a few other times before. I had no idea they were going to be there, so I had a few people to talk to while in line.

Once through the metal detectors, the three of us waited with the rest of the herd until they opened the DB line for us. No real ROTB, yay! The line moved pretty fast, and we were on the ride by 10:00. While in line, we see the DB line is wrapped through Nick U, past the tower, up the path between DB and BLSC, and all the way to Potato Works. I’m glad we got there when we did. The guy I had met a few times before was somewhat coaster savvy (wow…I never use the word “savvy” and I’ve already done it twice in this TR), and we agreed to ride the back. So the two of them rode the very last seat, with me in front of them.

I was glad to find out that waist size was not a concern with the DB restraint…but a little dismayed that thigh size was the issue. I’ve always had thick muscular legs. With Captain Nemo’s help, I was soon stapled in… there was no other choice but to be stapled (and it’s better to be stapled and ride than not ride at all). We were soon on our way up the lift.

They were right about the steep incline! We sat back, just waiting to be pulled over the top of the hill. We crested, and we were off on a journey we waited so long for. It went by so fast, it was hard to take in the fact that we were on a B&M…AT Kings Island! Even with the restraint tight against my legs, I got massive airtime on the ride. And talk about smooth… I felt like I was floating on air (which I was quite a bit) instead of riding a coaster. We approached the final helix, and the three of us turned around as were dipping towards the lake. That column of water is MASSIVE when you’re right next to it. They got a few drops of water on them in the back seat, but no one minded. And then our ride was over too soon… and I was dissappointed that it would be another two weeks before I’ll get bitten by the snake again.

I exit the ride and talk with Gordon Bombay about it. I was hoping to get a Beast ride in before Mrs. Gator & GatorGirl show up at the park, but Gordon finds out for me that Beast has an hour wait. So after getting my First Rider shirt (yay, they have my size!) the three of us head to the front of the park. One of the guys has to leave to go to his daughter’s soccer game at 11:00 but they were coming back in the afternoon, the other guy was waiting for his family at the front gate. Mrs. Gator called and said they wouldn’t be there for a while still, so I was free to get a few more rides in.

I saw Delirium testing, so went over there and got on it’s 2nd ride of the day, and discovered I need to re-acclimate myself to it. I thought Adventure Express would be nice to ride next, but it wasn’t open yet so it was off to Red Racer. I got in line for the very last seat, and as the train I was about to board pulls in, there are Avatar and Beast1979. Jesse and I wave hi to each other, and I climb aboard. As I climb the lift, there’s my pet peeve…Red and Blue were not racing! Dare-to-fly can have his trim break argument, mine is that if they’re running both Red and Blue sides, then The Racer needs to race!!! It’s in the ride’s name, for Pete’s sake. And “nostalgia” dictates that it needs to race!

I go back to AE, and it’s open now. I get in the 2nd to last seat. Great ride, until the last lift hill, where we get stuck for about 10 minutes. I put my hands behind my head to ease the tension on my neck from sitting there on the incline. I’m surrounded by teens, and as soon as we stop, out come the cell phones. At least one comes out in every seat around me, and their texting or talking or playing music. The girl in front of me says “I would so die if we started going backwards right now”, I felt like telling her about the anti-rollback but didn’t feel like trying to explain that to her. A few minutes later the girl behind me says, “If we started going backwards , there a curve in the tunnel behind us and we wouldn’t turn, we’d go straight through the wall”…sigh.

After AE, I wait at the gate for the girls. I go to GR while there to get a parent swap card (which we ended up not using). GR’s line on the outside of the front gate is a little long, but everyone behind the counter is working feverishly to solve all their problems. It took a few minutes for someone to help me, but not too long. What I got was not an actual parent swap card, but a photocopy of one. I guess the real ones weren’t ready yet. I go back outside to wait on the girls, and chat with Tony Carovillano for a little bit.

Finally, they get there around 11:15, and after saying hi to Dora, Little Bill, Boots, and dancing with Diego, of course our first ride has to be SD&THC. GatorGirl gets a little nervous in line (I guess she has to re-acclimate herself to certain things too). She remembers that she doesn’t like the noisy falling bookshelf, so we tell her to close her eyes and ears for that part, which she does. Next it’s on to Backyardigans Swing-Along, then Jimmy Neutron’s Atom Smashers.

We decided to get GatorGirl measured at this point. So off to the height check board, where we discover that she is indeed over 40” this year! We’d waited all winter for the official KI measurement, and it was good news. We told her about the three new rides she could do this year: Viking Fury, Phantom Flyers and FOC.

We went to see the 1:30 showing of Marty’s Party. I was not too impressed with the show. Don’t get me wrong, the actors did a wonderful job, they were very enthusiastic and into their parts. But the show, to me, seemed like a bad combination of PeeWee’s Playhouse and Carrot Top, both of which I happen to like. It had its good moments, such as the umbrella, the toilet paper shooter, and the marshmallow fight. Mrs. Gator didn’t appreciate when “Marty” stuck his hand in a bag and hit it with a “hammer”, she was afraid that kids would try that at home. And I had heard some people complain about the belch in Girl’s Night Out last year (which I think was eventually removed), and those people should avoid this show. I don’t know that we’ll make this a regular stop like we did for Dora’s Sing Along Adventure the past couple of years. The actors did a great job with the material they were given, but the material wasn’t that great. (I spotted Marty Putz himself in the back of the theater, who I recognized from Youtube).

While I’m on the topic of Nick U, let me indulge my inner conspiracy theorist. Has the “de-Nicking” of the park begun? I suspect it has. There were four things I noticed that make me think this:

1. Marty’s Party – a totally separate show that has no affiliation with Nickelodeon.

2. Swiper’s Sweepers – the Swiper statue was gone from the middle of the ride

3. The Breakfast with the Characters banner at the front gate – What character is shown? It’s not a Nick character…it’s Scooby! Could HB be making a return next year?

And the biggest clue of all…..

4. The sign in the window at Nickelodeon Store – 50% off all Nickelodeon merchandise! Why else would they offer such a deep discount?

Let the 2010 rumors begin…

I'll take this time to talk about the music around the park. I like classic rock, and I liked hearing a lot of the songs, such as "Finding My Way" by Rush, while we were going to the carousel. But while I was sitting in Nick U waiting for GatorGirl and Mrs. Gator to finish riding Azul, that music just seemed out of place there. Hopefully they'll pick something else for Nick U, something more "pop" that the kids would enjoy more.

After we explained VF to her, GatorGirl decided she wants to ride it. I knew she would like this one, because every time I push her on the swings at the playground or at home, she always tells me “Higher, Daddy! I want to go up to the sky!” We get into row 6, almost the middle of the boat. As predicted, she loved it, giggling the whole time. We get off and immediately get back in line. We had explained to her the farther back on the boat you sit, the higher you go. So of course she wanted to sit farther back, and we sat in row 2.

We were getting hungry, so we went out to the car for lunch. We spread out a blanket in the strip of grass in the middle of the parking lot, and had our nice lunch of roast beef, ham and turkey sandwiches, grapes, apples, Cheetos and pudding. Then back in for more fun.

GatorGirl loved Phantom Flyers, and this was the first time I had ever ridden it too. Mrs. Gator has ridden it a couple of times over the past couple of years. Then it was onto FOC, GatorGirl’s first woodie (and 3rd coaster credit). She loved it, and I had to buy the on-ride photo of the occasion…her riding her first woodie, and what was my first coaster way back in the ‘70s when it was called Scooby Doo.

Mrs. Gator hadn’t been feeling too well all day (hence the no DB ride for her on this visit), so we rode KI&MVRR. A DB train crossed over top of us while we were chugging along. We exited and stopped to watch the splashdown for a couple of trains. Impressive, but not like being right next to it as I was that morning.

It was getting to be about 5:30, and we wanted to see Down Home Country. Let me pause and say, we had every intention of meeting up with the other KICers that day. I had Avatar’s “Official Unofficial” itinerary in my pocket, but unfortunately our timing was either off or GatorGirl wanted to do other things at those times. This was one of the latter occasions. GatorGirl wanted to keep riding (I can’t blame her…she’s 4 and it has been 166 days since her last rides). So she and I went to Scrambler and Monster while Mrs. Gator caught the 6:00 Down Home Country. Along the way she saw part of the last Parrots of the Caribbean performance and the end of Mr. Cowpie (which she says seemed to be the same show as last fall from what she saw).

At Monster, we loaded/unloaded on the side with the arcade. I forgot about this when choosing the queue line, as GatorGirl likes to go in there. I agreed to spend $1 on games, so she played two games of skee-ball and two other games. Her skee-ball skills need work, but she did better here than she has at Chuck E. Cheese. We got 7 tickets and traded them in for small little trinkets. Then it was on to FOC again.

Mrs. Gator called and met up with us after that ride. She reported that Down Home Country was good, and she talked to Paige from the show afterward. This year and last the performers in all the shows in Festhaus have been super friendly, and it’s great to talk to them each time. Maybe I can convince GatorGirl to take in that show this Sunday.

After a few more Nick U rides, we headed up ET and took in all the sights with the lights (and gazed at DB’s splashdown some more). Then it was on the Grand Carousel (still no organ ) then VF for two more rides, in row 3 then 1. I told GatorGirl that next week we’ll ride row 14 and she can see the other side of things.

Then while Mrs. Gator & GatorGirl waited in line for Plankton’s Plunge, I stood in line for blue ice cream. I got my order, grabbed some napkins and realized I forgot to order sprinkles. I told them I forgot to order them, and they put them on for me, no charge. I was getting my change out, but they didn’t ask for any.

It was getting dangerously close to 10:00 and I was afraid we wouldn’t make it to our fireworks viewing spot…the concrete slab between ET and BLSC. But they got off PP and we raced over to our spot just in time. So as we were enjoying the fireworks set to Bon Jovi’s “Livin’ on a Prayer”, The Ohio Players’ “Love Rollercoaster” (how appropriate), America’s “You Can Do Magic” (Mrs. Gator and I debated who recorded this song…she said “It’s by the same guy who did “Abracadabra”, Steve Miller”, while I said, “No, it’s by Alan Parson Project, who did “Eye in the Sky”. Turns out we were both wrong!) and Mellencamp’s “R.O.C.K. in the U.S.A.”, GatorGirl and I shared our blue ice cream. It was then time to leave, and GatorGirl wanted to lay down in the stroller.

On our way out, being the old Admissions geek that I am, I had to get a closer look at something we spotted on our way out for lunch. At the old season pass gate there were a couple of automated ticket kiosk machines. We had looked into these way back around ’02 or ’03, and it was nice to see them there. They were clearly marked “No Discounts” and there were two buttons on the screen at that time of day, for the Twilight ticket and the Pay Once Visit Twice ticket.

I picked GatorGirl up out of the stroller and placed her in the car seat in Mrs. Gator’s car. I don’t know if she was fully asleep, because I was teasing her that she was going to have good dreams about being on a big swinging boat and on a roller coaster. She never opened her eyes, but she smiled as I said this. We waited awhile in our cars for the parking lot to clear out a little, and made our way home.

I carried a now fully asleep GatorGirl into the house, we got her pajamas on her and put her in bed without her waking up. Mrs. Gator and I went to the living room to watch SNL, but she konked out during the first skit and I only made it through Weekend Update. I had planned to post this on here Saturday night, but I just ended up being too tired for some reason. It was a good opening day!

[Captain Nemo]

Glad to hear you had a great day, It is amazing how fast the line for DB still moved even at the length it was.

[Avatar]

Nice report and I like your idea of running one ongoing thread for your reports, almost like a KI diary. I was bummed that the only time I saw you was passing you on The Racer while you waited in line. I know one of theses days our paths will cross so we may get that longer visit with you.

[Guest TombraiderTy]

Very big and detailed trip report!

There are quite a few signs Nickelodeon is leaving. I didn't know about the Swiper one- thanks for mentioning that.

[standbyme]

Nice trip report. I could be the "King Of Wishful Thinking", but part of me keeps hoping that all of the Nick leaving "signs" that are being noticed are a negotiating ploy between the park to show Viacom that if the park has to live without the license they can...I can hope!

[XGatorHead 8904]

April 26th

Two weekends into the season, two visits under my belt, and I've hit double digits on a ride already this year. And that ride is... wait for it... VIKING FURY!!! With 4 rides on it last weekend and 7 this time, that brings the total to 11. But I'm getting ahead of myself.

This trip was all about spending time with GatorGirl before she and Mrs. Gator go to Florida tomorrow. Mrs. Gator worked Sunday so that she could take Monday off to pack, so GatorGirl and I headed to the park. After getting the car washed and brunch at Waffle House, we got to the park at about noon. I was wearing my KICentral shirt, which I had just personalized the night before with my username on the back (thanks for the tip on the iron-on letters, StalkerChick! It turned out great...even if my handiwork is very slightly crooked on the shirt). Sure enough, it paid off. We had just entered the park and gad198 came up and introduced himself. Unfortunately we didn't get to talk too long... GatorGirl was anxious to get to ridin', and I think gad198 could tell that! But it was very nice meeting you, gad!

GatorGirl got to set the agenda for the whole day. Our first stop was her new "favorite ride in the 'tire world" as she calls it... Viking Fury. We rode Wild Thornberry's River Adventure twice, which GatorGirl loved. She was very glad that the elephant was turned off... as Terpy would have been too! And this was the first visit I can remember in the last few years that we actually didn't ride SD&THC at all!

We saw Marty's Party again (at GatorGirl's request). Maybe this show is growing on me a little... but I did see looks on other parents' faces that indicated that they didn't appreciate the (quite literal) toilet humor, which goes something like this if you haven't seen the show yet:

FIONA enters, dressed in a pink biohazard-type suit, with safety goggles on her head and holding a completely accessorized toilet plunger.

FIONA: (excitedly) Marty! I need your help! My aunt came over for brunch, and she left a very unpleasant surprise for me in the bathroom. I need to borrow your Super Dooper Toilet Unclogger!

This, along with the belch, does not need to be in a kids show, and it's sad that they've stooped to this level in an attempt to get a laugh, which in the two shows I've seen has not gotten one. I can maybe let the 20 second belch slide, but the toilet line... GOTTA GO! (pun fully intended).

Mrs. Gator met us at the park at about 6:20, after leaving work, and we all enjoyed the rest of the evening together riding until park close.

I noticed they were still playing the classic rock all over the park. I was very pleasantly surprised when we were getting on Nick-O-Round and "The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway" started playing, which is Peter Gabriel-era Genesis, which nobody plays (but I enjoy immensely). Even though I like the music, I still say Nick U should have more "pop" stuff instead. Maybe next time...

EDIT: I forgot to mention that lines were pretty non-existent all day. Our longest wait was maybe 20 minutes for the 1st time on WTRA, and 10-15 minutes for the 1st Scrambler ride. Everything else was, or could have been if we didn't have to wait for row 1 or 14 of VF at GatorGirl's request, a walk-on. Such a beautiful day weather-wise, and very few people in the park.

Even the DB line was pretty short all day. It was tempting... while we were in line for WTRA, GatorGirl even asked me "When are you going to the new roller coaster?" I told her I couldn't since I was with her. She said "Yes you can!" I asked her what would I do with her then, and she replied "I'll wait for you. You can just leave me in the stroller and I can wait." I just love that little girl... thinking of her daddy's need for speed and thrills! That's alright, I plan on getting plenty of DB rides in over the next two weeks!

[gad198]

Nice report! It was nice meeting you too, and I'm sure that won't be the last time we'll see you at the park. I truly am amazed at the type of community this site fosters and it's nice to see that many here have embraced that. Glad you enjoyed your (absolutely beautiful) day at the park!

[The Interpreter]

What a great trip report...and I am thrilled you two had a blast! And yes, Terpy is always pleased when Mr. Elephant's spray is nonfunctional....

[indianapolisman]

Nice trip report so far. The updating one topic is a nice idea. Sounds like you Gators' know how to have a good time. I can hardly wait to bring my youngn's.

Passing by all the rides you mentioned make me want to go jump on , but would probably be a little awkward.

I also recognized a few of those old rock songs. Great to hear some of what there playing but would have to agree it all has an appropriate time and place in the park. I don't think my kids need to wake up with the "Doors" in Nick U.

Keep up the updates and let us know what you think of Diamondback.<---I already know what that's gonna be.

[XGatorHead 8904]

Friday, May 1st - The Unofficial KIC Road Trip, Day 1 - aka Walk-On Friday

Well, I know for me it's not really a road trip to go to KI, but for some people it is. Plus I posted that I was going this day in my "Unofficial KIC Road Trip" topic to see who might want to go with me. I got a few responses, and ended up meeting other KICers there. I knew Kawana, kittenpooh and violakat03 were definitely going to be there. I had set the meeting place as the DB shop's porch at 9:30 so we could get some DB ERT in.

I got to the park at around 9:15. As soon as I park my car, my phone rings and it's kittenpooh saying she'll be a little late. I told her to just call me when she gets there and we can meet up. I waited on IS for a little while until they let us back for ERT. I'm soon joined by Kawana who tells me Kat will be a late because of a math test.

Kawana and I get two rides in on DB before meeting up with kittenpooh, and we got some more DB time in before heading to The Beast. Along the way, kittenpooh says she's not a fan of The Beast. This physically pains me... how can you NOT be a fan? Somehow we get her on it anyway and she seemed to enjoy it.

Next was a BLSC walk-on, followed by a Vortex walk-on. On our way to Vortex, kittenpooh discovered that the lotion in her bag has exploded so she has to clean that out. After Vortex we went to Firehawk, where I had to bang on the locker with my hand in order for it to accept kittenpooh's quarters. While in line I noticed my thumb was hurting, and I had a small bruise from the locker. You just had to pick the defective locker, didn't you? The wait board said 45 minutes for FH, but with two incidents of mechanical difficulties, people kept leaving the line and we waited about an hour.

Then it was off to FoF (a small wait there), then to Racer (walk-on) where kittenpooh played a great prank on the ride op. When he checked her belt and lapbar, she said "Don't touch me there!" He stood straight up with a shocked look on his face. The three of us bust out laughing.

While at Racer, Kat called to say she was on her way. We got an walk-on AdvExp ride in (where kittenpooh got some coaster grease on her bag), then waited for Kat in front of Festhaus. We occupied our time watching the geese and goslings. Once Kat got there, we went to FoF where we met up with dare-to-fly (who I've seen at the park quite a bit, but never knew it was him) and Pkiboy. Rode FoF, Beast, SoB (ouch) and Invertigo. The group was getting hungry and we were heading towards the gate, but since kittenpooh had to leave soon she wanted one more DB ride.

We accommodated that wish, then went to Wendy's for dinner. We got back to the park after parting ways with kittenpooh in the parking lot, then Kat, Kawana and I waited out the rain in Festhaus. When it let up, we headed over towards DB and met BoddaH, keiko_coaster and a few others. They started cycling DB trains, and a line formed for it. Instead of waiting there, we went to The Beast. While waiting in our seat for a re-ride, CoastersRZ slyly stepped in line for our seat. After glaring looks from Kat and me, he wisely backed off! But then two GPers got in our line, and we switched seats. Kawana missed that we were riding again, and we waved to him on our way to the lift hill. We were going to DB next, and keiko and her friend decided to part ways with us. It was then that the evil plan was formed to get keiko on DB again.

While waiting for keiko to show up, Kat and I rode Phantom Flyers, which was her first ever time on it. After, Kat walked up the DB queue, leaving me on the DB shop patio. I saw keiko, but didn’t know what to say to her at that point, but I saw Kat coming back down DB’s exit and signaled to her that keiko was there. Luckily, Kat saved me from trying to explain where everyone was by texting keiko. Then came the ambush. After applying just enough peer pressure, keiko was able to enjoy her 2nd DB ride of the season.

We finished out the night on DB, with the rain stinging our faces and eyeballs. After being denied one final ride on The Beast, we headed out to our cars, and back home where I did not get nearly enough sleep for the next day’s trip to HW.

It's now become a game for me to make funny poses for the ORP. I've never consistently done this before this coaster, just from time to time on others.

Sorry kittenpooh, but we never did get that Delirium ride in for you. Maybe this weekend!

And one more thing for you, Steph…GREEN TRAIN!!!

[Diamondback FOF]

Nice trip reports.I like the idea of keeping a 'diary.' Are the Phantom Flyers the ride where you lay down similar to Firehawk and then you spin around in a circle. I think it's purple and it's near Diamondback? I thought you had to be under a certain height or be with a child to ride that?

[XGatorHead 8904]

^That's the one. The only restriction is you have to be 46" or over to ride alone, 40" to ride with an adult. It doesn't matter if you have a kid with you or not, you can still ride. It's a nice relaxing little thing.

[Diamondback FOF]

I think it looks like fun. I'm going to try to get my mom on it so then maybe she'll ride Firehawk, after getting used to laying down.

[keiko_coaster]

AWWW Man i was more clueless than i thought.. I knew something was up. Hah i wondered why you said they went looking for Robbie and yet i saw him walking down alone.. Argh.. Evil plans. This plan was definately built up.

[kittenpooh]

GREEN TRAIN!!!! WOO HOO. Ok we all have to get the group together and get a ride on Delirium. My hubby wont ride it with me. Im ready for this weekend. woo hoo!!!

[XGatorHead 8904]

After reading Kat's wonderful VTR of Day 2 of the Unofficial KIC Roadtrip, there was no way I was going to able to add anything else of note. I would only be rehashing the same things, but without pictures or video. So even though I said I would probably do a TR for Holiday World, I changed my mind and I’ll let Kat’s stand as the official TR of the trip.

Friday, May 8th – Prelude to Ride Warriors Weekend

I originally took a vacation day from work (for the second Friday in a row!) to see Star Trek. I had the chance to see the preview of it on Wednesday, but decided to keep the vacation day to see it again and to get some ride time in before RWW.

Well, the same night I went to see Star Trek, Mrs. Gator was involved in a little car accident where someone backed into the front of her car in a parking lot. The hood is dented in a V, the headlight is smashed, and the bumper, grill, fenders and other various parts need to be replaced. So I got to start my Friday morning at the body shop to get an estimate. We made the appointment early so I could get to the park for ERT. After I got done there, I headed straight down Columbia Rd from the body shop to KI.

I got to the park at 9:20, and as I’m walking down IS I reintroduce myself to markr, who I had met the Friday before. My first 3 or 4 DB rides are with him, and somehow we kept getting row 2. After 5 DB rides during ERT, the GP starts to come, and I use the SRL for my 6th ride of the day. It’s the first time I’ve ever used a SRL anywhere, and I love it!

The rest of the visit is kind of a blur (which can happen after being there 3 days in a row). I know I decided to get some Beast time in, so I got two rides there, then over to BLSC for a ride, then back to DB for two more. I satisfied my craving for Potato Works, which I can’t get when I go with GatorGirl because of her peanut allergy, and they, like Chick-Fil-A, use peanut oil. I’m glad that Potato Works has this fact displayed prominently on the menu board. The quality was disappointing, plus I miss having the smaller size available. The only size they have now is too much for one person. I left the park at 11:00 to go see Star Trek in IMAX.

I return to KI at 4:00, hoping to get two more DB rides in to make it an even 10 for the day, but DB is down when I get there. So it’s off to The Beast, which has a longer line than I expected. I get to the station and they shut it down for weather. As a large mass of people and I head back down to the entrance, I see dare-to-fly doing his best imitation of a salmon, “swimming” upstream against the current of people. I tell him I’m not surprised to see him going “the wrong way”.

I spend the next hour walking around the park in the rain. I see keiko_coaster and her friend sitting under the stroller rental shelter, so I stop to talk to them for a little bit. I decide to head out to pick up GatorGirl from daycare. Outside the gate I see Avatar and he and I chat for awhile before I head off to my wrecked car.

Saturday, May 9th – Ride Warriors Weekend, Day 1

The night before, I set my alarms for 5:30 and 5:45. I remember hitting snooze at 5:30, again at 5:37, and again at 5:45. The next thing I know, Mrs. Gator is asking me “What time are you leaving?” I ask, “What time is it now?” She replies, “7:30.” I bolt out of bed with an expletive bursting from my mouth. I hop in the shower, throw on my clothes and off to the GatorMobile. I’ve already missed an hour of ERT!

I get to the park at 8:00, check in at the RWW table, through metal detectors, through the turnstiles, off to the “Gold Pass Entrance” on IS, and as I start to pass through I’m stopped by the security guard who tells me we had to be escorted back to the ride area. “WHAATT?” is what immediately comes to mind, but I just say “OK, no problem”. I was in a groove and was immediately thrown out of it (and instantly the old Matthew Wilder song got stuck in my head: “Ain’t nothin’ gonna break my stride, nobody gonna slow me down, oh no, I got to keep on movin’”). Other thoosies start to line up behind me, and after about 10 minutes (which seemed longer due to my urge to get back there), we’re finally met by our escort. As we get to the floral clock, I kind of walk faster and get a little ahead of our escort. And I’m not the only one…

I head straight for The Beast and get one ride there towards the back of the train. While exiting I see Kat and a few others (sorry, memory’s hazy due to lack of sleep and caffeine), and we head off to BLSC where we meet a large group of KICers. It’s off to DB for some ERT time. Then, rather unexpectedly, I find myself riding The Crypt with the group. I didn’t anticipate riding it, but since it was open, why not? Get it while I can, even though I do miss TR:TR. I rode next to Indyguy4KI, who it was nice to finally meet. We seem to have a lot in common, in that we both have little ones who we love to spend time with in Nick U, but we love to get some “big ride” time in too.

We head to The Beast plaza to wait for the backstage tour. I stand there and talk to other KICers for awhile, but I must leave to take the car to get looked at again, this time by the other party’s insurance company. So I leave at 11:00 to get that done.

After stopping by mom’s house because I see Mrs. Gator’s car there, then the insurance company’s estimate, getting ice cream with Mrs. Gator & GatorGirl, taking a nap, and playing with GatorGirl in the backyard, its back to KI.

I get back at 6:55, and find out from Kat that everyone’s at the theater for the guest speakers. I get there just in time for the DB POV, which is nowhere near as good as being on it. After being released from the theater, the group of us chat for awhile and determine it’s best to head off to the Picnic Grove for The Beast Birthday Party.

I find out that in the future we should keep all sugar products away from Jackson and Phantom Theater, because they have way too much energy! Trooper Mom and I discuss the good and bad music of 1979, since we’re pretty much the only ones at the table who were there in 1979 to remember the good and bad music when it first came out.

After the last drawing, I make my way out of the grove with Beast Man and a few others (who I never caught their names). Once again I find myself on a ride I had no idea I was going to hit this weekend…SD&THC. None of the animatronics were working (unfortunate for any DAFE members who may have been attending the event), and at one point the ride stopped on us. But because of where we got stopped I was able to keep alternating between two targets and rack up 4,320 points.

I followed the group (I wasn’t sure where we were headed, but it was towards the front gate) and Phantom Theater passed us and asked if I was heading back to The Beast. Sounded good to me, so he and I speed walk back there to find more queues open than what we wanted to wait in.

So we just waited there for DB ERT to start. My first 3 or 4 ERT rides ended up being with keiko_coaster, and we posed for one of our pictures:

BTW Jesse, I’m still waiting for that picture with us scared of the snake!

Somehow I got off-sync with most of the other KICers, so I single-ridered a few times until I got back on track with them. 12 DB rides in the late ERT…bringing my total to 33 at the time. I walked out of the park with Dane, Ryan and Angie, and it was straight home for me. But of course I couldn’t get to sleep right away, so I fell asleep in my chair in the living room in front of the tv, where I stayed all night.

Sunday, May 10th – Ride Warriors Weekend, Day 2

This time I actually got up right when the alarm on my phone went off. I threw on my KIC shirt with my username on the back. I found that this was good to wear, as several people came up and introduced themselves to me throughout the day because they saw my name.

I got to the park at 8:00, and this time we didn’t have to be escorted to the ride area. I started the morning on Red Racer, then went over to Blue. I sat in Blue’s very last seat just to see how rough it could get. One ride was enough in that seat, so I moved up a row so that I wasn’t over the wheels, and got two rides there. And I was soooo happy that they were actually making the effort to RACE! Red kept winning, and I didn’t want to go down a loser, so I decided to catch another ride on Red. But as I’m heading up to the station, Kat tells me they're headed to FoF. “Flight of Fear? Really?”

I marathoned FoF with Kat for a total of 8 rides, most lights-on. While we were there, 74Gibson introduced himself. We then headed towards DB for some ERT, getting in line right before the GP rush. We met up with Stalkerchick and Justin_M17, and they wanted to ride Drop Tower.

Now Drop Tower is the one ride in the park that I can’t fit on, due to my size and it being an Intamin. I love the ride, but I haven’t ridden it in about 6 years. I tried last year and had a Walk of Shame, which doesn’t really bother me because I know the reasoning for them tightening the restraints a few years back. Kat said, “We will get you on this ride”, so I decided to chance another WOS. Hey, you never know until you try, right?

So I climb in the seat, and with Kat and Stalkerchick both pushing on my restraint, the belt clicks! Six cracked ribs later*, I’m on the ride and going up for the first time in a long time. Thanks Kat and Rachel!

*No ribs were actually cracked getting Gator on the ride. The phrase is used purely for comic effect.

We headed off for The Racer backstage tour, where Stalkerchick feels the need to hug a certain ambulance. While there, our group morphs again and we lose Stalkerchick but pick up Tom76257 (Rocks? Socks? Soaks? What does it spell? ) After looking at Delirium’s line, we hike back to get a ride in on Flight Deck, in the back of the train.

We head to Festhaus to rest and get out of the sun. We strike up a conversation about coasters, and are soon joined by a couple other thoosies, one of which I had a HUGE difference in opinion with, but I bit my tongue and let him express his opinions on how The Beast is the most over-rated coaster ever, he ranks it right there with Mantis, it varies whether he can fit/can’t fit on it depending on who’s working in the station, and how Diamondback is a nice coaster but it’s no Magnum. To each their own… If everyone had the same opinion, what fun would that be?

*steps on soapbox*

But I will say this… just because you can’t fit on a ride is no reason not to like it. I can’t fit on Millie anymore, but I still love it (I’ll have to ride it again to determine if DB has replaced Millie as my favorite steel since it’s been so long). I couldn’t fit on Drop Tower anymore (until Sunday), but I still like it. There are ways to make sure you fit on rides…its called diet, exercise, and lifestyle changes. Sure, its hard work, but the payoffs are great. Not only can you fit on more rides, but you feel better too, and that’s the better reason for making changes… staying healthy. Yeah, I had help from Kat and Rachel with Drop Tower, but I’m sure my recent 25 lb weight loss probably helped too. I’m still not quite up for a Cedar Point trip yet. I love that park, but I won’t go until I can be certain I can fit on Intamins again. I want to ride Millie again, and to get my first ever rides on TTD, WT and Maverick. I’m on my way, but still have a ways to go. I decided to take action, not just sit there and b**ch about it!

*steps off soapbox*

So anyway, where was I? Oh yeah, Festhaus. The group decides they’re hungry, so we head out to Arby’s with pkiboy and Elissa (sp?). I don’t eat, because I’ll soon be having an early dinner with the extended family. So I go on my own way from Arby’s.

After doing a little grocery shopping, having dinner at Carrabba’s with Mom and Grandma, and spending some more time with them at Mom’s house, I’m back at the park at 7:00. I decided I needed to show The Beast some more love, then Vortex. I head back to The Beast plaza for the DB ERT, where Phantom Theater and I are told we can line up at DB instead. There I meet Ashers, kjkjkj and gabelogan99 for the first time. After 3 more rides on DB, it’s time to say goodbye to the park… but not before getting some fun pictures at the Mystery Machine and stopping by Guest Relations to give some good GRs to some helpful park associates.

A group of us (Kat, Phantom Theater, Beast Man, Uncle Henry, Stalkerchick, Tom76257, Justin_M17 and I) met at B-Dub’s after leaving the park, where we continued talking about the park, other parks, and swapping stories of our different experiences. The group slowly dwindled until it was Kat, Phantom Theater, Tom and I left talking in the parking lot. I hated to leave good company, but it was cold, and I kept thinking about how I had to be at work the next morning. So I made my way home, crawled into bed, turned on the tv and drifted off to sleep.

FINAL THOUGHTS – This was a great weekend, even though I had to leave in the middle of both days. Thanks to KI for putting this on, even if I complained about the lack of communication from the park before the event. I especially loved all the night rides on DB, with the full moon and the great view from the top of the lift hill.

Thanks to all the ride crews, Security, Admissions, Maintenance and Marketing associates for showing up early/staying late to let us get our ERT in. Special thanks to the DB crew, who put up with us the longest and kept those trains moving.

And it was great to meet so many more KICers, even if I didn’t get to talk to some of you much as I would have liked. Every KICer I met was friendly, and I’ve said it before, but it’s great to be a part of the KIC Universe. We may have our differences in opinion from time to time, but it’s our love of KI that binds us. It may have been just my perspective, but we seemed to be the closest-knit group there, always welcoming each other to join up for rides/conversation. I don't know how many times we picked up/lost members in our group, but we all had fun with each other.

So now it’s time to hang up my Ride Warrior hat for another year. After two weekends devoted to park trips, it’s time to return to normal life for awhile, with 5 day work weeks instead of Fridays off to ride. But we have this site to hold us over, and almost a full season still left to go. We still have Boomerang Bay, Haunt, and I’m sure there will be some special events to look forward to. I’ve been to the park at least once every weekend since it’s opened for the year, but now that will slow down.

We now return you to your regularly scheduled life…

[Justin_M17]

Awesome TR It was great to finally meet you, and it was so funny watching (Or trying to watch....stupid restraints) Kat and Rachel squeeze you into Drop Tower! I'm glad you enjoyed the ride though. I'm not a big fan of it, but I couldn't go six years without riding it o.O

[74Gibson]

It was good to meet you and you guys were right, FOF does make a great marathon. It was nice seeing it with the lights and I thought it was great that they shut them off when I asked. I couldn't get the theming lights off thought... someday I will ride it in pitch black!

Thaks for the TR!

[StalkerChick]

BTW Jesse, I’m still waiting for that picture with us scared of the snake!

Kat tells me there headed to FoF. “Flight of Fear? Really?”

So I climb in the seat, and with Kat and Stalkerchick both pushing on my restraint, the belt clicks! Six cracked ribs later*, I’m on the ride and going up for the first time in a long time. Thanks Kat and Rachel!

*No ribs were actually cracked getting Gator on the ride. The phrase is used purely for comic effect.

After 3 more rides on DB, it’s time to say goodbye to the park… but not before getting some fun pictures at the Mystery Machine and stopping by Guest Relations to give some good GRs to some helpful park associates.

A group of us (Kat, Phantom Theater, Beast Man, Uncle Henry, Stalkerchick, Tom76257, Justin_M17 and I) met at B-Dub’s after leaving the park, where we continued talking about the park, other parks, and swapping stories of our different experiences. The group slowly dwindled until it was Kat, Phantom Theater, Tom and I left talking in the parking lot. I hated to leave good company, but it was cold, and I kept thinking about how I had to be at work the next morning. So I made my way home, crawled into bed, turned on the tv and drifted off to sleep.

FINAL THOUGHTS – This was a great weekend, even though I had to leave in the middle of both days. Thanks to KI for putting this on, even if I complained about the lack of communication from the park before the event. I especially loved all the night rides on DB, with the full moon and the great view from the top of the lift hill.

Thanks to all the ride crews, Security, Admissions, Maintenance and Marketing associates for showing up early/staying late to let us get our ERT in. Special thanks to the DB crew, who put up with us the longest and kept those trains moving.

And it was great to meet so many more KICers, even if I didn’t get to talk to some of you much as I would have liked. Every KICer I met was friendly, and I’ve said it before, but it’s great to be a part of the KIC Universe. We may have our differences in opinion from time to time, but it’s our love of KI that binds us. It may have been just my perspective, but we seemed to be the closest-knit group there, always welcoming each other to join up for rides/conversation. I don't know how many times we picked up/lost members in our group, but we all had fun with each other.

1. that picture is epic!! lol almost as great as our scared one

2. Really? FOF? Really? O.o (hahaha had to)

3. I pulled a terpy and now have to clean water off my screen from the 6 cracked ribs

and whats wrong with my ambulance?! i believe you were excited to see Club Blood when we were on Drop Zone O:)

and finally, sunday after 8pm was the most fun i think i've ever had!! lol Gotta love lack of sleep! and it was great seeing you when we weren't all pretty and bloodied up

Awesome TR It was great to finally meet you, and it was so funny watching (Or trying to watch....stupid restraints) Kat and Rachel squeeze you into Drop Tower! I'm glad you enjoyed the ride though. I'm not a big fan of it, but I couldn't go six years without riding it o.O

*writes this down so i can use it on him next time he says he won't ride drop zone* LOL but you ended up getting me on Delirium so

[Justin_M17]

Gasp! Rachel, that's blackmail.

[XGatorHead 8904]

and whats wrong with my ambulance?! i believe you were excited to see Club Blood when we were on Drop Zone O:)

Yes, I was. But there was no big prop from Club Blood available for me to hug. Otherwise I would have done the same.

[Avatar]

I enjoy reading your trip updates as the season progresses. It must be nice to live so close that you can pop in and out of the park and reading about that it kinda reminds me of watching a show where someone is trying to be two places at one time. I enjoy seeing you at the park and look forward to seeing you there more often and hopefully more rides together.

[gabelogan99]

It was really nice to finally meet you, Gator. I'm glad we got to have a few words, even though it was brief. I would have thought that our paths would have crossed a lot sooner than the end of day two, but I guess that just goes to show just how much there was to do and how much freedom we had to do whatever we wanted basically. Plus I know that you had some unexpected circumstances that came up and you couldn't be there for everything, but I'm glad I did eventually get to meet you and I'm glad you had a good time. I sure had a great time as well. Major props on the weight loss, also by the way. I had to slim down just a tiny bit for Diamondback, but ten pounds surely isn't as noticeable as 25. The strange thing for me was, depending on where I sat, sometimes I had to be stapled in and sometimes I didn't require the extra assistance.

[Tom76257]

It was a pleasure to meet you this weekend, Gator. I had an absolute blast riding Diamondback with you (Was it only twice or more rides than that?). By the way, one of your guesses on the spelling is correct! I wonder which one it is?

[XGatorHead 8904]

^I'm going to guess Socks. That's the one I first saw when I laid out the letters, and you know what they say: go with what pops into your head first...

[trevor75]

^I would have to go with socks as well since he did mention it had to do with something he was wearing!

[XGatorHead 8904]

BTW Jesse, I’m still waiting for that picture with us scared of the snake!

Yay, here it is! Thanks, Jesse!

[StalkerChick]

BTW Jesse, I’m still waiting for that picture with us scared of the snake!

Yay, here it is! Thanks, Jesse!

YES!!!! I LOOOOOOOOVE THAT PIC AND ITS EPICNESS!!

[kittenpooh]

BTW Jesse, I'm still waiting for that picture with us scared of the snake!

Yay, here it is! Thanks, Jesse!

YES!!!! I LOOOOOOOOVE THAT PIC AND ITS EPICNESS!!

LOL everyone played along but bill... ha ha ha.

that picture is great guys. ha ha cant wait till next time we meet. Im sorry I didnt get to hang out with you more gator!

[CoastersRZ]

Yes, it is an AWESOME picture! But hey, me being in it is part of why I think it is so awesome. That was a fun, fun day at the park, and a long day for me, as I also worked four hours at Coney in the afternoon!