MidnightBeast Posted July 21, 2013 Share Posted July 21, 2013 This is my first year since I was 12 having a season pass, so I decided to join this forum. My parents used to take me and my brother to Kings Island and Cedar Point once a year each generally, but some years we would do either/or. I work night shift and I've always liked the park better at night, and since July is the month of midnight closings, I've been taking advantage of it as much as I can. Tonight was easily the best park experience I've had for the season and maybe for my whole life. It was pouring rain when I woke up and there were some thunderstorms forecast, but it let up and I convinced my brother to go with me. We got there at 7:30p or so and went to Flight of Fear, because he hadn't been on that yet this year. I remember riding that when it first opened, which was the year I had the pass, and when it had head restraints instead of lap restraints. It was rough back then, but now it's one of my favorite rides. Anyway, we got on that in 90 minutes or so. A lot of people were leaving the line for some reason I couldn't figure out. We got assigned to the second seat. I love the ride for its launch, and the fact that I can't really tell when it's upside-down or right-side up. The head chopper effects also make it scary. I also noticed that after the brake station, the train was crawling through that sideways turn. That's cool. Anyone know why it does that sometimes and not others? Does it depend on where you sit in the train? At the end, we both concluded it was worth the wait. There was no rain for our entire trip, or maybe we missed it while we were in the hangar. Our next goal, one of my ideas, was to ride Racer at night. I like that it's located over Coney Mall, with all of the beautiful neon lights at night. This is one of the many reasons I prefer parks at night. I was disappointed that they were only running one side again - how is it "The Racer" with only one train running? It's a shame. But getting to ride in the front seat during the fireworks show more than made up for that. It was fantastic! I had never been on a coaster while fireworks were exploding above. I like Red Racer better because it's easier to look out over Coney Mall. I also saw a heck of a lot of security clustered around the exit because one rider either decided to smoke on the ride or appeared to be smoking to the attendants. I won't make any comment about that, but I felt bad for his young son and hope they didn't get escorted from the park. Next (after I finished filming the rest of the fireworks with Racer and Monster in the shot) we had to get something to eat and opted for chocolate mousse, which is a weird thing to get at an amusement park, but was reasonably priced compared to a lot of stuff you can get. It was good, but heavy. I was going to get a burrito, but decided it would take too much time to eat. Then we followed a suggestion I read about here, to ride Adventure Express at night, and it was totally awesome compared to the daytime ride. It was almost a walk-on. We rode in the back. The green, red, and blue lights were so cool-looking. I did wish they had that skeleton lit up a little bit, though, and the big stone guys were not drumming, so I beat on the car a little bit. We wanted to make sure to get a Beast night ride in, and the line moved quicker than advertised. We got through what was supposed to be an hour and a half line in about an hour, even with the attendant putting on a huge show, getting the riders all pumped up. I don't know how he can shout that much without losing his voice, but however much he's making, he deserves a raise. My bro thought he probably works at Renfest, too. He was the most excited attendant I've ever seen, and it made the ride so much more fun with everyone hyped by his enthusiasm. I filmed about six to ten of these performances, back to back. It was exhausting just to watch! There was also some cool mist in the air from the earlier humidity (I think), though the ride was tamer than usual due to trim brakes. Are these always on, or do they run it without them sometimes? I just noticed it feels a bit less exciting with the brakes kicking on at all the best parts - especially going towards the double helix. Anyway, I shouted myself hoarse screaming like a lunatic. We got off Beast with 15 minutes to spare and managed to get two back-to-back rides in on Diamondback, first in the second to last car, outside seats, and next in the middle, inside seats. I like riding in the back best because of the airtime, and I like riding on the outside seats best. That's another ride that's excellent at night because you keep going from dark to light, getting glimpses of the rest of the park and then plunging back into the wooded area. I will say the attendant should not have said "Kings Island sucks," though I can understand why he would feel this way after a long day. I wouldn't want to work there. Then we got a funnel cake with strawberries and whipped cream to split, ate some of it by the fountains, and took the long, dark winding road home. 11 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Interpreter Posted July 21, 2013 Share Posted July 21, 2013 Welcome aboard! Fantastic first post. Beast brakes are seldom adjusted, and require physically moving them to do so. The magnetic braking is more abrupt, but is no more slowing than were the old skid brakes. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Avatar Posted July 21, 2013 Share Posted July 21, 2013 Wonderful report so good to hear you had one of your best experiences at the park even after so many visit at Kings Island for all those years. Welcome to KICentral we are glad you are here and we look forward to hearing more from you. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hoeter Posted July 21, 2013 Share Posted July 21, 2013 Welcome to KICentral! Thank you for sharing your experience with us! 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MDMC01 Posted July 21, 2013 Share Posted July 21, 2013 Welcome to KIC, MidnightBeast. I'm really glad you enjoyed Adventure Express at night as that's one of my favorite night rides . Also, the Blue side of The Racer always closes during the fireworks, but the Red side does not. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jcgoble3 Posted July 21, 2013 Share Posted July 21, 2013 From my experiences, it seems that the Blue side runs from noon to 8pm on 10pm closing days. Not sure about midnight closings. Welcome to KIC, and thanks for sharing your night! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheCrypt Posted July 21, 2013 Share Posted July 21, 2013 Great trip report. Glad you had a fun day. I second MDMC's thoughts about Adventure Express at night. I love the ride during the day and it gets so much better at night. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MidnightBeast Posted July 22, 2013 Author Share Posted July 22, 2013 Glad you guys liked my report, and thanks for the warm welcome. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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