McSalsa's Coaster Adventures: First Haunt (KI 10/16/2010)

[McSalsa]

Hi Everybody!

As you may have known, I was planing a KI trip during haunt on Saturday, October 16th. I asked for some advice and I thank all of you for it, even if I didn't use it all. And so, here's the trip report. For the first time, there will be pictures...I will post them next.

THE ROAD TRIP

My sister, best friend, and one of my sister's friends were the ones on this trip. We left Indy for KI at 9:00, and around 10:30 we were close to KI but knew the park didn't open until noon. We stopped at McDonalds for breakfast, it was good, and I didn't know Ohio McDonalds were so much nicer than most of them in Indianapolis! We arrived and entered the park at 11:15 and headed straight for the Action Zone "barrier". When the park opened, we sprinted for Delirium.

RIDE #1: Delirium

WAIT: 0 MINUTES (Unbelievably, in spite of the massive line behind us, most of it was for X-Base or Invertigo, not Delirium!)

Ahh, yes, Delirium again. It seemed to be running a lot better this time now that it has that new part! This was my friend's first ride on Delirium. I was worried he would get sick on it and not be able to ride other rides since he always gets sick on Midway flats that spin, but Delirium at worst only made him "a little queasy" and that was only for 5 minutes. He loved Delirium. I loved Delirium. Delirium rules!

Delirium SCORE: 10/10

After riding Delirium, I was feeling very macho, and decided to face one of my greatest fears- a ride at KI that, until now, I wasn't ready to ride. A ride that towers 315 feet in the air, dropping you at 65mph. I was finally ready for Drop Tower.

RIDE #2: Drop Tower

WAIT: 5 MINUTES (The crowds were probably still heading for X-Base at this point!)

The concept of Drop Tower is simple- it lifts you up high and then drops you nearly 300 feet at 65mph. So this ride relies on "Psychology" and your fear of heights to scare you. I looked at Son of Beast, you really get an awesome view of the massive SBNO wooden monster from 300 feet up. Then came the actual drop itself, which gives killer airtime all the way to the bottom but was nowhere near as scary as I had thought. Drop Tower, as it turned it, wasn't that scary. But boy was it fun. The only complaint I can possibly lodge against this ride is that now, having ridden a 300 foot Drop Tower, the smaller and older drop rides like Giant Drop @ Six Flags Great America are going to suck for me now!

DT SCORE: 10/10

DT TIPS FOR NEWBS: Drop Tower is very tall, so if you look straight down, you WILL be scared. I suggest looking at something that is also tall, the Eiffel Tower or Son of Beast are good choices for this as they will still appear very large even at the top. The ride also has some "special features" to make it feel unstable, but these are just that- don't worry when they happen! (I actually thought they were neat)

PS: I am now 100% ready when Wind Seeker debuts in 2011!

After conquering Drop Tower, we headed for Flight Deck, which my best friend insisted we ride in front. Thankfully for us, there were only 4 people in line for that seat and most seats were a walk-on.

RIDE #3: FLIGHT DECK

WAIT: 5 MINUTES (Could have been a walk-on but we waited for the front)

Flight Deck is even better from the front. Be able to see those poles coming at you clearly and swinging more really does enhance the ride experience. I really enjoyed Flight Deck. When we got off, there were still only a few people riding so we rode Flight Deck again. On the second ride, I kept bumping into the side of the car, it hurt a little bit but was OK. There are rumors that Flight Deck is in its final years of operation. This saddens me. I really will miss this ride if she goes.

FD SCORE: 9/10

We headed back by massive SBNO woodie back to Action Zone, and decided that since all the other Action Zone rides has short waits, we should check Invertigo, a ride I had yet to conquer. The sign scared me- it said "90 minute wait". But looking at the line itself, we realized that was probably a lie.

RIDE #4: Invertigo

WAIT: 30 MINUTES (THOSE LIARFACES!!!)

Invertigo is a Vekoma Boomerang. I'll say it now, these rides are everywhere and don't have the best repuations. But I enjoyed Invertigo. I mean, sure, it's not the best coaster ever but it packs some serious G-Forces and sends you upside down six times at what feels like crazy speed. It is really fun to sit face-to-face with a friend and watch their reactions! My friend smiled during the entire ride. It was fun. Simple, yes, but fun. PS: Backwards>>>Forwards!

Invertigo SCORE: 8/10

While riding Invertigo, I looked over to check the parking lot. I was stunned. FULL. I knew our short waits would soon be over. My friend and I were heading for Beast, and he learned that a female friend of his who was trying to ride Diamondback and had arrived before opening like us had yet to ride it. I felt really lucky to have 5 rides under my belt at this point (remember, I rode Flight Deck twice). After meeting my friend's friend at Diamondback (before which be bought me a large soda...and I didn't have to pay him back!) we arrived at Beast, which had a 30 minute (phew!) wait.

RIDE #5: The Beast

WAIT: 45 MINUTES (We waited 15 extra minutes for the front)

During the extra 15 minutes added as we waited for front seat, my sis and her friend caught up and rode with us. Beast was its usual awesome, speed-filled self, but was also quite rough this time. It was still not painful, so I liked it anyhow, as I realize a smooth Beast isn't a fun Beast. The ride needs to be wooden and somewhat rough to be fun. That's the whole point of this ride!

BEAST SCORE: 9/10 (Not its best ride but great nonetheless)

After Beast, we discovered that the park had become uber-crowded and was getting more and more crowded by the second. So we stopped at ate some LaRosa's Pizza. We started looking for a ride that had a short line. We kept drawing up blanks. Finally, after looking at numerous rides, we found Adventure Express.

RIDE #6: Adventure Express

WAIT: 15 MINUTES (Thank you, Adventure Express!!!)

Adventure Express, for a "Big Kiddie Coaster", is quite good. The ride's theming was all working and the ride is pretty long. The finish, as usual, was...bizzare. I may only be giving AE a "7", but consider that I am a big time thrill seeker and for a ride like this, a 7 might as well be a 9 or 10.

AE SCORE: 7/10

After Adventure Express, we checked Action Zone for "short lined rides" and those early waits we encountered seemed like just a memory. Everything was overflowing except Flight Deck, which we didn't check at this point. We wandered around for a bit and finally we decided to attempt Vortex's crazy long line...or so it seemed...

RIDE #7: Vortex

WAIT: 20 MINUTES (This ride eats people like it's starving for them!)

Vortex is one of the biggest line-eaters I have ever seen, bar none! The line was all the way out by BLSC but when we got on, it had only been 20 minutes! We sat in 5-1 again but this time, the airtime was a bit weaker. Or did it just seem weaker now that I have ridden Voyage?

Vortex SCORE: 9/10

After Vortex, I thought we were going to ride The Racer, but my friend managed to get me into...a haunt. Urgent Scare. Would I survive?

HAUNT #1: URGENT SCARE

WAIT: 10-15 MINUTES (We got there early)

This wasn't as scary as I was expecting, but it was pretty intense. It became a lot more comfortable when I learned the scareactors couldn't touch you. The levels of blood & gore here were petty high and there were some scary moments. A very good haunt overall.

URGENT SCARE SOCRE: 9/10

After Urgent Scare, we headed for International Street to wait for "the parade" I had heard about where 100s of scareactors head down International Street, and at 7:00, haunt began. But the parade I had thought was going to happen didn't (or perhaps we left too soon) so we headed for what I thought would be Racer. While we waited, the fog started up and the Haunt began. I was "tricked" again and we ended up in Club Bloob.

HAUNT #2: CLUB BLOOD

WAIT: 40 MINUTES

Club Blood wasn't as intense as Urgent Scare, but it was MUCH more "suggestive" and had lots more fog. My friend couldn't stop thinking about the girls in spite of the fact they were covered in blood! A good haunt, but I liked Urgent Scare a bit more.

CLUB BLOOD SCORE: 8/10

Club Blood ended up being the last haunt of the night, so I only got 2 in. After this, we headed for The Beast for a night ride. On the way, we encounterd the "Master of Ceremonies" who had a little chat with us. Afterwords, we headed for our destination.

RIDE #8: The Beast @ NIGHT, HAUNT EDITION

WAIT: 90 MINUTES

An hour and half. This is the 2nd longest I have ever waited for a ride (the longest was Wildebeest back in May, which had a 2 hour wait). To make up for this wait, The Beast would have to deliever an amazing, breathtaking, mind blowing ride.

It did just that.

NOTE: This ride was a very "Zen" ride and thus I will desribe it in high detail.

We boarded the trains, my back sore from standing for so long all day. We were sitting in the "front of the back" in the middle of a car, I think 4-2. The Beast departed the station and headed around the turn and began climbing the 110 foot lift hill. The music began playing as we very, very slowly climbed the hill. Near the top, the train sped up and we went over at a respectably high speed. There was some weak airtime coming down the first hill into the tunnel. Then it hit, and we flew around the turn into the dark forest ahead. The second drop hits, and it also packed some weak airtime, so the trims weren't biting very hard if at all. The next turn was quite rough and the train flew through the brake shed. Even this trim hardly bit at all. The Beast dove into the woods, faster, faster, faster! Suddenly, as we came around a corner, a huge patch of fog consumed the train! A few seconds later we were in the second tunnel, which was pitch black. The Beast countinued to gain more and more speed. We turned out of the tunnel and back into the woods, and as we came around the corner a huge patch of red glowing fog and the "suprise" appeared. Another turn and we could see lights up ahead. The second lift hill finally slowed our speed back to a crawl. We climbed the second hill, which was much faster than the first. As we reached the top, Kings Island emerged in all its haunted glory, everything was visible. Drop Tower, Delirium, Racer, Firehawk, Flight of Fear, Backlot Stunt Coaster, Vortex, Diamondback, and the Eiffel Tower all greeted us. BLSC even "gave us a flame" just as we turned for the helix. We headed for the dark tunnel. Faster, faster, faster. Last time we rode Beast @ Night, the helix was lit up. Not the case here. The Beast unleashed its wrath as the helix struck. The small specks of light in the helix tunnels made the ride feel like were going 100mph. Finally, the ride let up. We flew out of the helix, back into the station, and as if to testify how fast the ride was going we ended up not even stopping until we were back in the loading station itself. The ride was so good, I must now do it:

Sorry, Voyage! Beast has returned to the #1 spot as my favorite coaster with this amazing, breathtaking ride. It seems this ride just won't let me have another coaster as my favorite! If I find something I "think" is better, I return to KI and Beast gives me a unforgettable ride. How it does this, I do not know...I wish they could keep the werewolf and fog all year though.

HAUNT BEAST RATING: 12/10!!!

After leaving Beast, we sat down near the Eiffel Tower and contemplated what to do next. Someone suggested that we might as well leave as we would only get in one more ride anyway and were were pretty much "wasted" at the time (we were not drunk). Right before we got up, the "Master of Ceremonies" showed up again. We had another chat with him, and discovered that he played center on his high school basketball team and is from Indiana like us. He is also really not 6'10, he is 6'9 when barefoot! This was a great visit. We didn't get that many rides in, and we missed Diamondback, Racer, Firehawk, Flight of Fear, Eiffel Tower, BLSC, and many others due to the crowds (we "broke up" and my sister and her friend did get in Racer). But so what? The rides we did get in made up for it. I am so glad we came.

FINAL THOUGHTS

Halloween Haunt at Kings Island is amazing. Sure, it is super crowded, but the fog effects, while they can be a bit annoying, are beautiful. The scareactors don't bother you too much if you don't let them scare you. As for the "uncontrolled fighting, drinking, etc etc"...we saw NOTHING of the sort. The park was very clean as usual. There were amazingly funny (and then just amazing) props all over the place. The crowds were our main problem and in spite of that we had a great time. On a side note, I have now completed all of KI's "major" attractions, with the exception of a closed wooden hypercoaster, and besides The Crypt I have enjoyed everything I've ridden in the parkHowever, I still have yet to visit Boomerang Bay, there are some Coney Mall flats missing, and I can't lay claim to all the coasters without Flying Ace(even though it's a kiddie ride)and Son of Beast(at least as long as SOB is still standing. Will it ever re-open?). Add the fact that Wind Seeker opens next year, and there is still plenty of incentive to return to KI in 2011. On that note, here are my grades for this visit:

ROLLER COASTERS: A

Kings Island has some of the best roller coasters around! If you cannot find one you like...you need help. There is a hiccup here and there but for the most part these are awesome coasters. Now if only they "fixed" SOB so they could re-open it...or replace it with something awesome...

FLATRIDES: B+

The giant flatrides, save Crypt, are all excellent. So are the midway flats, but we need more of them. Wind Seeker looks to aid this area come 2011.

PARK STAFF: A

These guys (usually) rock. The park was uber crowded but the lines did keep moving pretty quickly on most rides. The scareactors did a good job scaring people. While there were some weak spots (the Invertigo staff was totally un-enthusiastic) for the most part KI has great staff.

FOOD QUALITY: B+

LaRosa's Pizza was very good but not the best I've ever had. Worth the price but not by much.

PARK APPEARANCE: A+

Kings Island is beautiful. There was no trash to be seen, save a dumpster I saw being hauled past me. The yellow & brown autumn leaves and fog effects only made the park even more lovely.

VALUE: B

At $30 (Kroger Ticket Price), Kings Island is dirt cheap- it's like paying $2 per coaster. But where KI loses a lot of ground here is their ridiculous food and drink prices. This would skyrocket to an A+++ even if the food prices stayed the same if they offered free drinks like Holiday World does.

OVERALL: A+

Not an average. With awesome rides, great staff, good food, and good value you will have to look hard to beat Kings Island. In fact, KI would be unbeatable simply if they lowered their food prices!

I hope you enjoyed reading this trip report. I certaninly enjoyed making it! Comments and Questions welcome. The pictures will be posted in the next post box. Have a great day!

PS: I have learned recently that these were some of the worst crowds KI has seen in a long time. HOLY MAMMA!

[McSalsa]

Here are the pictures, in no particular order. Since it was a phone camera they are of varying quality.

Vortex through the trees

My friend got his phone out and took this picture during our first Beast ride. I yelled at him for it. Nonetheless, he got it secured in time and nothing horrible happened. And we got a good picture.

A good look at Invertigo. It pulled some good G-Forces and was a pretty good ride.

More Invertigo goodness.

THE ENTERPRISE!!! IT HATH CRASHED!!! NOOOO!!!

Pikachu is over 400? Say WHA?

Vader, Joker, and Leatherface explain why they chose Evil!

Some of the "monsters" on International Street.

I will have to post the other pictures in a little bit, there are more. For now, enjoy these ones!

[McSalsa]

OK, that didn't take too much time...MOAR PICTUREZ!!!

Flight Deck...I really hope the park realizes what it has and keeps this ride!

The Eiffel Tower's base at night. It was beautiful in person, but the fog kind messed up this picture.

Drop, Drop, Drop Tower! I am so glad I overcame my fear and rode it!

Here's another view of Drop Tower as seen from Invertigo.

Club Blood is visible to the left in this picture.

The Beast AWAITS YOU!!!

Is Son of Beast doomed? Or does this even mean anything? I'll let you decide.

Well, at least we know what happened to Hercules, Texas Giant, and Rattler!

Adventure Express, a fun family coaster.

Vortex again.

Finally, here is the "Master" behind Halloween Haunt...sorry about the quality.

Hope you enjoyed the pictures!!!

[Dieseltech20]

Vader, Joker, and Leatherface explain why they chose Evil!

LOL. I just watched SpaceBalls the other day.

Nice trip report and good pics too. Thanks for sharing.

[stephatron]

McSalsa, you always have very entertaining trip reports, and it always feels like I am right there with you.

Excellent TR!

[KI FANATIC 37]

Good TR McSalsa! I really enjoyed it!

I really need to get to HH, soon!!

[fighting31irish]

In your picture of your "Here Lies My Beloved Son" outside The Beast, the logo on the casket is the original SOB logo. The carriage is also the one used in the original advertisements for SOB...Thank you Jasper for your plethra of information, and sparaticaly dropping knowledge bombs on me....

[fighting31irish]

Oh and I forgot to mention. I also had my GREATEST Beast experience at night, during the Haunt the week before...Holy S***!!!!!!! I agree, it was AMAZING!!!!!!!

[IndyGuy4KI]

Oh and I forgot to mention. I also had my GREATEST Beast experience at night, during the Haunt the week before...Holy S***!!!!!!! I agree, it was AMAZING!!!!!!!

The wife and I rode it 2 times last Friday and it was great!

Thanks for the PTR McSalsa!

[XGatorHead 8904]

The wife and I rode it 2 times last Friday and it was great!

You went last Friday and didn't stop by to see Sam the Butcher? How dare you!

[Dieseltech20]

The wife and I rode it 2 times last Friday and it was great!

You went last Friday and didn't stop by to see Sam the Butcher? How dare you!

Is that the first guy you see upon entering Slaughter House or somewhere else along the haunt?

[XGatorHead 8904]

Sam is usually found in one of two spots. Either in the room with the strobe light where he wants to share the latest cut of meat with you, or in the very first room that you enter where he will give you the rules of the house. He has a bushy goatee and wears a black & white bandana on his head. I'd post a picture of him, but due to the firewalls here at work I can't access any of the picture hosting sites to do so.

[IndyGuy4KI]

The wife and I rode it 2 times last Friday and it was great!

You went last Friday and didn't stop by to see Sam the Butcher? How dare you!

[IndyGuy4KI]

The wife and I rode it 2 times last Friday and it was great!

You went last Friday and didn't stop by to see Sam the Butcher? How dare you!

We did not do any haunts. It was our first trip without the kids and my wife wanted to ride rides. Otherwise I would have been there, sorry gator, did not meant to hurt your feelings! : )

[Dieseltech20]

Sam is usually found in one of two spots. Either in the room with the strobe light where he wants to share the latest cut of meat with you, or in the very first room that you enter where he will give you the rules of the house. He has a bushy goatee and wears a black & white bandana on his head. I'd post a picture of him, but due to the firewalls here at work I can't access any of the picture hosting sites to do so.

I'll keep an eye out tomorrow night, thanks.