There are supposed to be 8 total pieces. My guess is that vertical construction will happen in two-three weeks. I can't remember where but I do remember the park saying that they will begin vertical construction in March...I can't imagine it taking to incredibly long. Once the first piece is in and set it shouldn't take too long.

I'm not 100% on this, but I think there is suppose to be a elevator inside the tower for the ride operator. ( remember there is going to be one at the top).

^That's a joke right? There may have been rumors of a ride op at the top of the tower, but actually think about it for a second. There is no chance they are going to staff a position on top of a 300 ft tower. If there is an elevator inside, it will be for maintenance use only.

There is a rides position open at the top of the tower... I'm going to go look for it.

Haha, don't think that there will be an elevator in it. However when you look at pictures of the pieces on the inside there is what seems to be like a ladder, this would be for maintenance only. KI would not have seasonal operators go up on the ladder or an elevator up the tower.

^That's a joke right? There may have been rumors of a ride op at the top of the tower, but actually think about it for a second. There is no chance they are going to staff a position on top of a 300 ft tower. If there is an elevator inside, it will be for maintenance use only.

I agree. Can you a imagine in a million years any parent would allow their child to work at such a position?

Absolutely no reason for their to be a ride operator to be staffed at the top of the tower. Anything they would need someone up there for can be accomplished with a camera or cameras. That has to be a mistake or a misread. I'm thinking that structure might be for lockers. I'm sure Cedar Fairs wonderful locker policy will be in use especially with the ride spinning over the midway.

^That's a joke right? There may have been rumors of a ride op at the top of the tower, but actually think about it for a second. There is no chance they are going to staff a position on top of a 300 ft tower. If there is an elevator inside, it will be for maintenance use only.

I agree. Can you a imagine in a million years any parent would allow their child to work at such a position?

Kids work on the Eiffel Tower..... I'm not aware of their parents complaining.

The key being is that the Eiffel Tower is an observation deck, on which guests walk around. They are taken up in an elevator designed to carry what? Guests. The top of WindSeeker could be made safe, yes, but there would be no reason for anyone to be up there nor would I want to work up there. And yes, I have actually operated on the decks of the Eiffel Tower.

I agree it will be interesting to ride The Racer this year with WindSeeker`s tower so close to Red Racer. And keep in mind, that once they actually start vertical construction on this ride, it will likely only take a matter of days to get the tower assembled. After all, the tower is comprised of what, six pieces? The first piece will be the most important piece, because that sets the alignment for the rest of the tower. And if the tower isn`t plumbed correctly, even a 1/16" off the centerline can make for a big tolerance error over 300'!

Question for the resident architect :: Some friends and I were discussing this the other day while driving past the park. How do you think they'll plan to assemble the tower? I was ten when they were building Drop Zone, so I have no recollection. Do they use a temporary crane or what?

Que Terpy with send in the cranes, there aught to be cranes!

Maybe they'll do it like the Star 64 tower, top it off with a Sikorsky helicopter.

They will likely use a temporary crane, similar to what they used for Diamondback. That is how they built Drop Tower and the Eiffel Tower.

first off- i don't think for a second that there is a ride op position at the top. But I will side with, not an elevator, but some vertical transporting aparatus. Could you imagine having to ascend 300' of ladder steps. Although I'd be willing to guess that the guts of the tower will be somewhat similar to that of Drop Zone.

first off- i don't think for a second that there is a ride op position at the top. But I will side with, not an elevator, but some vertical transporting aparatus. Could you imagine having to ascend 300' of ladder steps. Although I'd be willing to guess that the guts of the tower will be somewhat similar to that of Drop Zone.

Actually, I'd wager that they're quite different. Some Intamin Gyro Drops like our Drop Tower do feature a very small elevator on the interior as well as rigging for climbing the structure. Judging by the pictures of WindSeeker it doesn't look as if it will have a similar elevator feature.

Via Kings Island Facebook.

That's a lot of square feet to cover with pavers!!!!!!!!! I would love to see a final price for just the walkways.

I am just waiting to see when the other areas of the park get this same treatment. I would love to see Oktoberfest get an overhaul and make it look more German esque.

...heck, they could even serve German food! What a concept...near a place called Cincinnati!

Cedar Fair actually brought back a little bit of theming to Festhaus. They added flags from many countries on the front of the building. Now if only they would make Bubba Gumps into a Bier Garden, and put some German food options in Festhaus,

Cedar Fair actually brought back a little bit of theming to Festhaus. They added flags from many countries on the front of the building. Now if only they would make Bubba Gumps into a Bier Garden, and put some German food options in Festhaus,

Whoa.... you mean Panda Express isn't German?

yeah that never made sense to me. If they want to keep Chinese in there, they could at least make it a World's Fair type food court or something, with food from many different countries. They could serve German, Italian, chinese, etc.

If Festhaus smelled like sauerkraut, I would never step foot in there again. I remember the time they had sauerkraut at my school and everyone thought the sewer had backed up.

There is far more to German food than just sauerkraut. Far, far more.

For one thing, there is German beer!

And I doubt your school's sauerkraut would be comparable to good sauerkraut anyway. Most school lunches tend to not be appetizing compared to their higher quality and better tasting restaurant or home made counterparts.

...but compared to a Cedar Fair version thereof? That's the question!

By the way, KI used to have delightful sauerkraut. Then again, they had incredible ribs cooked over open fires in Rivertown, cakes and pies baked in the park from scratch, wonderful full service in the International Street restaurant, etc.

Those were the days, my friend, we thought they'd never end...

And look how popular places like Hofbrauhaus are in Newport....

And look how popular places like Hofbrauhaus are in Newport....

I can count on 1 hand the number of German restaurants we have in Indy. I think the Germain cuisine would go over well at KI for everyone visiting.

The webcam is blurry, especially on the left side of the frame. Anyone else notice this? I am thinking that the lens might be dirty and having issues focusing?

http://www.visitkingsisland.com/public/fun/webcams/index.cfm

The webcam is blurry, especially on the left side of the frame. Anyone else notice this? I am thinking that the lens might be dirty and having issues focusing?

http://www.visitkingsisland.com/public/fun/webcams/index.cfm

not to change the subject... but in the image on the webcam page at the top of fireworks coming from the Eiffel Tower.... that's a Paramount era image isn't it?

The webcam is blurry, especially on the left side of the frame. Anyone else notice this? I am thinking that the lens might be dirty and having issues focusing?

http://www.visitking...bcams/index.cfm

not to change the subject... but in the image on the webcam page at the top of fireworks coming from the Eiffel Tower.... that's a Paramount era image isn't it?

Someone other than me will have to answer that question for I don't know. Anyone?

The webcam is blurry, especially on the left side of the frame. Anyone else notice this? I am thinking that the lens might be dirty and having issues focusing?

http://www.visitking...bcams/index.cfm

Raindrops.

A TV station I used to work at had live cams that were in an enclosed housing that actually had little remote controlled windshield wipers on the glass in front of the lens. Sure beat climbing up there with a cloth!

I haven't seen what camera KI uses. It should be ok when it dries.