If you don't want to read my longwinded post, the basic questions are in bold.

I am planning to go to Kings Island this Friday, May 29th. I have probably been to Kings Island at least 5 times in the last 12 years or so, but I don't know any of the "inside tips/strategies" that I have been reading about here. That is why I signed up to post. I have been reading this forum a lot lately because of Diamondback and I am eager to ride it. So, what suggestions/recommendations/tips do you have in general? Also, do you have suggestions/tips for the order & times to ride the rides (& the water rides) to get the shortest possible waits? "Unfortunately", Friday only has a 10% chance of rain and most of the days around it have a much higher chance of rain. Do you think this will cause the park to be a lot more crowded? Are the local schools still in session?

I will not get to do early entry because I will be using a regular ticket. When do you recommend I ride Diamondback for the shortest wait? I would think first thing in the morning would be a good time if I get there in time to line up on International Street and run to it. Is this a good idea? I read in the opening day discussion that Diamondback has more airtime later in the day after it warms up. Is this still true now that the overnight lows are in the 60's? Unfortunately I will have to leave at about 7:30pm, so I won't get to do a night ride on Diamondback and/or Beast. (Last year I got my first night ride on Beast and it was WAY better at night.) I don't plan to ride The Crypt since the ride cycle has been toned down. I also don't plan to ride Invertigo because I have been on it in the past and it isn't a spectacular ride and it has terrible capacity (to be expected). I also don't plan to ride Firehawk. I ran to it first thing during my last trip and it was walk on, but I didn't think it was that great. I rode in the very back, so maybe that negatively impacted the ride experience. Plus I have read that the Firehawk line tends to get very long. I read that Vortex's best seat for airtime and smoothness is 5-1. Are there "best" seats on other rides that I should know about? It would be great to get some tips that the general public doesn't know about.

I went last year on the first Friday in June (the 6th) and it was good weather but not very busy, especially in the morning. What kind of wait times should I be expecting for this time of year considering that the weather forecast is good? I have gathered that a bad weather forecast means very short waits, so I was kind of hoping for a semi-bad forecast that wasn't actually correct.

Summary of my trip last year on Friday, June 6th:

I arrived a little bit before 10am and ran to Firehawk (no wait), then walked right on to Flight of Fear with no wait, then went on Back Lot Stunt Coaster with a 3-4 train wait, then basically walked on to Vortex, then walked on to Beast twice in a row, and then it was 11:15am and I was ready for a little break . I was able to do every coaster except Invertigo (didn't want to) and Son of Beast (rattled me a lot on a previous visit and Delirium was a higher priority) as well as (nearly) every ride in the waterpark that day. Should I expect to be able to get the same amount of rides in this year? I really enjoyed that Beast was walk on in the morning and the evening (didn't check during the afternoon). I think the longest wait was around 35 minutes to ride Delirium at the end of the night.

Last year there was no early entry, so I am not sure if my morning strategy will work as well as it did last year. Which rides open early and how long do their lines typically get before the non-passholders are allowed in? Are there any big rides that tend to have very little to no wait for the first hour or so? What morning ride order do you recommend for a non-passholder?

For Boomerang Bay, is it best to get there right when it opens? When do the water rides usually have the shortest waits? I hope the water isn't too cold. Also, no cicadas this year. Last year the waterpark lines were very short just before closing (5 rides (& stair climbs) on Coolangatta Racer in about 20 minutes ).

Cedar Point fansites recommend starting in the back of the park and working your way to the front so you end up at the front in the afternoon. Is there a recommended general strategy for Kings Island? Also, does KI have any specialty food items that I should try?

Thanks in advance for your tips.

I don't know about the water park but I would stick with your plan from last year. Firehawk and FOF get long lines very quickly. I would guess that 90% of people that are there at RD will head to DB first. So I always like to Zig when they Zag.

You didn't mention if your going by yourself or with a group. If your a single you will be able to get your DB rides in with a minimal wait using the SRL.

I'm not as seasoned as some of these folks...but if you want to do Xtreme Skyflyer or Slingshot-buy your ticket early for a lower price early and then you can ride them whenever. IMO, the DB's line is never that long of a wait (it moves very fast), and I love doing that 1st just because I haven't been tainted by any motion yet.

If Drop Tower does not have the queues open yet-ride it a couple of times, you may only have to wait one cycle to get back on (none if you're lucky).

Flight of Fear is way better now

I like to hit up rides until early afternoon, then to the waterpark for the hottest part of the day-then back to the rides around 5 or 6.

The proper way to experience Diamondback is leaning forward with hands and feet in the air at all times

Flight of Fear is way better now

I'm guessing you mean the wait times are better now than last year. Because the ride itself is NOT better with the MCBR activated.

Wait times, however, are indeed much better. I think the shiny newness has worn off Firehawk a bit with the addition of Diamondback, and therefore the crowds are not attracted back there in such droves as they did in the past 2 years, meaning Flight of Fear has gone back to almost pre-Firehawk wait levels.

If you are planning on visiting the park Friday, check out this thread that I started on Monday.

http://www.KICentral.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=17849

As far as schools being in session - most schools in this area are out by the 2nd week of June. Other than that, there is no way to easily determine whether or not local schools are still in session at this point. There are far too many districts in the area, and on top of that you have private schools which usually operate on a different schedule than the public schools. Even then you might have some public schools that don't follow the same schedule as the rest of the district...

I'm guessing you mean the wait times are better now than last year. Because the ride itself is NOT better with the MCBR activated.

I was mainly referring to the new lap pads as opposed to the over-the-shoulders. I feel like I can really enjoy the ride and flow with it much better than before since there's more range of motion and visibility. While the MCBR is a bit of a drag, it is no longer a head-banger with low visibility. JMO of course.

I will be going with a group, but I will probably break away from the group and be a single rider for some of the time, especially if they are riding rides that I don't want to ride. I will try to take advantage of Diamondback's single rider line if the other people in my group don't want to ride DB. Does anyone have seating recommendations for other rides/coasters besides 5-1 on Vortex?

I was looking for the operating hours of Boomerang Bay on the Kings Island website and I couldn't find them. Does anyone know what they are for tomorrow or where I could find them? Also, are there a usually lot of passholders already in Boomerang Bay when it opens to the general public?

Can you get through the ChicFilA/Central Grill/Ice Cream area to Diamondback or do you have to go around past BLSC & LaRosa's & Vortex and cross under DB's lift hill to get to Diamondback?

Any other tips/recommendations?

Thanks!

Does anyone have seating recommendations for other rides/coasters besides 5-1 on Vortex?

Can you get through the ChicFilA/Central Grill/Ice Cream area to Diamondback or do you have to go around past BLSC & LaRosa's & Vortex and cross under DB's lift hill to get to Diamondback?

Front of the train on SOB.

Yes you can get to DB through the Nick area. If your going there, just follow the crowd.

Row 16 and row 2 on Diamondback. The back gives a totally different experience (one that I'm highly addicted to!) than the front, and if you want a 'front seat' ride, ask for row 2. Same experience as row 1 without the extra wait.

Most people access DB through Nick U as it's the shortest course. That's how I get there.

Boomerang Bay generally closes a couple hours before the park does. On 10 pm nights it closes at 7.