1 last ride--what would you choose?

[Ride On_17]

It seems like any ordinary day at Kings Island. There's great weather, crowds are average, and all the rides are running well. You just arrive at the park and have just passed through the front gate. Suddenly a worker runs past and yells that there is a a massive tornado approaching the park coming from Cincinnati. You are told that there is exactly 1 hour before the tornado is expected to reach the park, and NOAA has confirmed that there is no chance of it weakening or changing direction. There have been reports that many people in Cincinnati have been killed, and many buildings have been destroyed. Since this is your first trip to the park in several years you are very upset. Should you just leave at that very moment, knowing you'd never get to go on any ride at the park ever again since the park will soon be destroyed but you'd ensure your safety? Or should you risk getting trapped in the park if the tornado soon arrives since you'd rather get one last ride? Here are your options, since you discover many rides have already been shut down and the park is starting to evacuate guests. Keep in mind, the park will be completely destroyed following the tornado, so there is absolutely no possibility that you will ever be able to ride anything at the park again.

-Diamondback, but it has a 45 minute wait. You could be cutting it close if you decide to ride it, and there's the possibility that the tornado could reach the park sooner than 1 hour.

-Eiffel Tower, you'd be able to get one last view of the park as you now know it. You'd rather skip the long lines for the coasters since this only has a 20 minute wait. As long as you don't spend too much time at the top, you should have just enough time to leave the park before the invasion.

-Vortex, but like Diamondback it has a 45 minute wait. You run into the possibility again of not being able to leave the park in time.

-Flight Deck, however you check your phone and find out Cedar Point has just announced the removal of Iron Dragon, and that it would be closed starting today for the remainder of the season. That means Flight Deck's coaster type is even rarer, and this would be the last chance you ever get to ride a coaster like this in this area of the country. But it has a 50 minute wait.

-The Beast, the most iconic and probably most well liked coaster at the park. It also has a 50 minute wait, but if you sprinted there and back you might be able to make it.

-You last option would be to leave immediately. No rides, but there is no possibility of being trapped in the park.

Keep in mind it could also be possible to be on the ride when the tornado hits, not able to seek any shelter.

Your heart begins to race, and you start to sweat. What will you do? Time's ticking, and now there are only 59 more minutes...at the most...

This will be interesting to see what everyone will choose.

EDIT: I changed the storyline to a tornado. I just didn't like the other one.

[The Interpreter]

I'd stay and enjoy whatever I liked, safe in the knowledge if a worker was relaying future park information, it was almost certainly wrong.

If all else failed, I could hide under or inside my tombstone.

O'Terpy..the silent ones are guilty.

[BeastForever]

I would ride the Eiffel Tower and get as many photos as possible before the rapture occurs, and then I would cry leaving the park...

[The Interpreter]

Ugh. An hour warning of a tornado's exact path.

I wish.

Oh, how I wish.

[CP&LERR Fan]

I would rather leave I wouldn't take the chance to ride anything.

[The Interpreter]

Since it's now a tornado, I completely agree. No ride is worth risking your life and the lives of park employees. Tornados are not to be trifled with, as those in Xenia, Joplin, Ringold and way too many places know all too well. To leave a park open or even to stay in one that is in the known, sure path of a tornado would be the height of irresponsibility.

Oddly, I was faced with exactly this situation, except with far less and less certain warning, at Stricker's many years ago. We quickly went to the nearest ditch. Some foolishly went to their cars.

[KI-ORIG-EMP]

The park will be shutting down and will guide the guests to the nearest shelter to seek safety. The last thing you want is to have thousands of guests getting in their cars and being caught in traffic and being sitting ducks in the direct path of the tornado.

Terpy, what do you want on your tombstone? Me, I prefer pepperoni, sausage, bacon, and onions.

[The Interpreter]

The park already has it. Perhaps you missed it.

O'Terpy, who prefers Tombstone to sickeningly sweet tomato sauce...

[KI-ORIG-EMP]

Several years ago, there was a huge wind storm that blew through the area on a Sunday in September. It blew down trees and left thousands without power for several days. I saw the umbrellas out by the picnic area by the season pass building bent at a 45 degree angle and the trees were blowing and bending. You might had seen all the bare trees by the picnic area without leaves. Those were toast by that storm. Trees were down every where as I was driving home. The park had closed early due to that storm.

[The Interpreter]

And of course, a microburst brought down the original Kings Island sign. Paramount replaced it with an ornate version featuring the Paramount Gates at its base. So, then, CBS sold the park.

[jcgoble3]

I wouldn't ride anything, and neither would I leave the park (I don't want to be stuck in traffic). I would find shelter in the park instead. I don't mess with tornadoes. I know what they can do.

I was at home when the 2000 tornado struck Xenia. That tornado, I believe an F4, passed less than a quarter mile from my house, close enough to damage the roof. Houses two blocks away directly in the path were reduced to piles of rubble.

I've also seen pictures and heard stories of the 1974 tornado. My mother was at home watching her younger siblings that day. When the tornado approached, she took her siblings into the bathroom. Minutes later, the bathroom was the only room in the house left standing.

Like I said, I know what tornadoes can do. I don't mess with them.

[KI-ORIG-EMP]

I saw the tornado in 74 as it left Mason and hopped over my house in Kings Mills and touched down in Lebanon, where it did a number on Mound Street. WCPO TV had it live as the tornado was doing its destruction to western Hamilton County. Whenever you hear the warnings, take cover and heed the warnings.

[Diamondback96]

I wouldn't take the chances. What if, in the future, I find a cure for cancer or another disease/disorder? I, or anyone else in this world, could be the only person able to ever do that, or more likely, the discovery would be set back.

Basically what I'm trying to say is that our lives are too valuable to waste just to ride a silly ride one last time.

Edit: What was the original scenario?

[The Interpreter]

Original scenario: park worker ran by claiming zombies were coming from Cinci and the park would be overtaken in an hour.

[Tr0y]

I would ride The Beast for it must be tamed, and if i die trying at least ill have a smile on my face.

[Diamondback96]

Thanks, Terpy.

As for that one... I'd ride... uhh... this is hard... I guess... The Beast? Then I'd do like the characters in Left 4 Dead and gather 3 others, fight our way to the Eiffel Tower, and then head for the top to reach our helicopter ride.

[Ride On_17]

Original scenario: park worker ran by claiming zombies were coming from Cinci and the park would be overtaken in an hour.

Haha yep, that's it. I even said something in the middle of the scenario like I didn't feel very creative and that was the 1st thing that came to mind. But after rereading it, I decided it sounded too corny and too much like a video game so I decided to change it. I knew tornadoes would probably be a good one to choose (and my belief has been confirmed by reading through these posts) since this scenario would feel more real to people, especially with the history of tornadoes not too far away from the park. Since I changed the scenario to something more realistic and something more people could related to (but still keeping the fictional feel by allowing the park to remain open and claiming that a tornado's exact path could be predicted), I believed it would be more interesting. I thought it would be fun to see how many people would rather get in one last ride in their beloved park and risk their safety or who would immediately get out. At first I felt like I'd want to spend a very short amount of time in Eiffel Tower and then leave quickly, but now I'm not so sure.

Let's all just hope KI will never be threatened by a tornado!

[coasterfanatic83]

I was there one evening when there were tornadoes, or at least funnels, in the area. My buddy and I were forced to take shelter in the freezer of the International Street Larosa's. We did get free pizza our of it though.

[Jr for Birdy]

No free funnel cakes?

[XjoshhyX]

The Beast, and with that I would be waiting in line with a tasty funnel cake! Perfect ending to me.

[KI-ORIG-EMP]

If there was a tornado heading for the park and I was a ride employee on The Beast, you can bet that my fellow workers would be directing everyone to shelters and shut the ride down. After all, we don't want to end up like Dorothy and Toto and end up in Oz.

[thedevariouseffect]

I probably wouldnt ride anything...wait for the tornado and get the ride of my life...can you say airtime :-)

[NoChickens]

Wonder what coasters the wizard could cook up? Flying Monkeys comes to mind

[The Interpreter]

Or, better yet, The Wiz?

[Titan]

I'm going to change the scenario and say that if my family were to be moving to California and I'd never get the chance to go back to Kings Island for a long time, I'd probably ride The Beast.

[The Interpreter]

And I'd tell you get thee to Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk, Six Flags Magic Mountain, Disneyland, Universal Hollywood, Six Flags Discovery Kingdom...

[DontWantToWait42mar0]

How is the Grand Carousel not an option?

[MrSaturdayNite]

I voted for leaving the park, but I just now remembered that I read in a book once that riding The Beast during a tornado allows you to travel through time. So, I'd ride The Beast, then go back to that morning and not go to KI.