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Another Update. Picture taken from Carowinds' webcams at https://www.carowinds.com/online-fun/webcams

Lettuce wait until the darn things are fully cooked before we go stuffing our preemptive opinions and half-baked guesses into the pot.

Based on the Red Bull sponsorship and all that seen on the Bike, I think this was done with park permission as a stunt. Red Bull has been known to do that. And while it seems kinda crazy...most of their stunts are. I would also figure EMT's were on standby nearby just in case. As for info on the specific coaster: it's a wooden racing coaster in Mexico called Montana Rusa, at La Feria de Chaputepec (stated in the link above). The ride is 110 feet tall- the same as Kings Island's Beast- and opened in 1964 as the tallest roller coaster in the world. It is also 4,000 feet long, and is a racing coaster.

Walt Disney World Resort has launched a new promo campaign called #BestDayEver inviting guests to upload social media photos and videos using the hashtag #WDWBDE. Original programming and guest submissions will appear on www.youtube.com/WDWBestDayEver and www.instagram.com/WDWBestDayEver. I guess someone had to go on providing Best Days Ever while Cedar Fair parks are closed for the winter! #KIBestDayEver It's a small world, after all.

Yep. Me. There are some here who love them and find them snappable. Based on my experiences with that ride--which, granted, have only consisted of two rides in the same Halloweekends night--I tend to wonder if the meaning of "snapping" has changed. Are the new Larson ones like Cedar Point's Lake Erie Eagles fun? Sure. Do they deliver the same ride experience as Knoebels' or Carowinds' sets? In my experience, not at all. I'm overjoyed that Kings Island is getting the set that they are. If Lake Erie Eagles are a good precedent and if you approach our Woodstock Gliders without the expectation that they'll be just like our old Flying Eagles, you'll have a great time.

So, by now Hart & Company had intended to approach the Fair Board about more lease concessions seeing as in 2014, with all the pent up demand, low prices, $9.99 advance admission during the State Fair and the stellar marketing and management of 2014, the New Kentucky Kingdom barely eked out 50,000 more visitors than Six Flags did in 2009: http://www.bizjournals.com/louisville/news/2014/04/08/ed-hart-talks-about-why-the-new-and-improved.html?full=true&page=all Seems the Fair Board is in no position to be entertaining such proposals, and is under its own political microscope at present. Word has it some "other party" legislators from Southern, West and Eastern Kentucky are pondering having hearings inquiring into the Kingdom's performance, subsidies, effects on Fair Board finances, treatment of persons with disabilities and of gays, lesbians and others, employment practices, adherence to lease terms, accounting and auditing practices, collection of sales, income and other taxes, maintenance practices, and who knows what else. A very interesting, and perilous time for the Kingdom. Probably not a good time to be approaching the Fair Board with hat in hand, again. Especially since Hart & Company already enjoy a far sweeter deal than Six Flags ever had or the Kochs were offered. A full, public and transparent accounting of the financial relationship between the State, Fair Board and Kentucky Kingdom would be mind blowing. It hasn't happened, and let's just say that there are numerous parties (or at least one political one) working VERY hard to try to make sure it doesn't happen. And, oh yeah...those lawsuits Mr. Hart bloviated so bombastically about? Is it true those have...uh...settled down? Would that be something else learned in a full public disclosure? Terp, known for asking questions...sometimes at inconvenient times. Speaking of which, where does Beech Bend fit in all of this? Hmmmm.

(This is my moment! I've been waiting for my moment to Terp somebody!) Yes, someone has. (Finally!)

I think Jeff Putz put it perfectly when he said "This is what we wanted Millennium Force to be, we just didn't know it at the time."

I'm really not sure how to react to this... http://www.myfoxphilly.com/story/27573838/video-biker-rides-dirt-bike-on-roller-coaster I can't decide whether I should be with amazement or "wow, he's stupid." Probably a mix of both!

I was there when the 2015 announcements were announced, and I really enjoyed myself, I cant wait for 2015. Most excited about the free Wi-Fi at the expanded StarBucks. ........sigh offseason blues!

Keeping Mr. Hart's mouth shut this off season is very effective PR for the park. Should have thought of that one sooner. Kentucky Kingdom would have never opened without the vast amount of concessions and deals they received, if these disappear the park will meet its end much sooner than later.

No way! Them's shells and cheese colors. Just because shells and cheese is better.

That color scheme makes me think of Kraft Mac and Cheese.

But it was worth the wait.

B&M didn't even know they could do it at the time, either. It only took an extra decade and a half.

That reminds me of this:

I'm somewhat surprised this thread hasn't received more attention, especially based off how gigantic - and unique - this project is. Here are two recent pictures of the coaster's construction: From Theme Park Review, the ride's massive tower and drop. From Standard Examiner, a look at the base of the drop and the ride's first inversion.

Hmmm. I think that's being discussed around here. Imagine!

Some local antique shops might have vintage Kings Island ashtrays (not kidding), plates, cups, Eiffel Tower models, etc. I found a couple of plates once at an antique store in west Hamilton (I think it has since closed down), but it was a neat thing to have there for awhile. There was speculation that the "plates" were themselves ashtrays, but I thought they were too nice for that (they had tiny, blue-and-white tilework around the edges, a painting of the Eiffel Tower, Royal Fountains and the Sky Ride on the front, and the back was painted gold). I've since lost it and another one like it. E-Bay has some stuff as well.

Here it is for those without Facebook: "The planes for the new Woodstock Gliders ride opening in the spring of 2015 have been delivered. A classic flying scooters ride from Larson International, Woodstock Gliders will be located in the 14-time, award-winning Planet Snoopy area of the park." Courtesy of Kings Island's Official Facebook Page

Hey everyone! I debated for a long time as to whether or not I should post this, because (as usual) I don't have pictures for you guys, and I don't want to bore you. But I had so much fun that I've got to get this TR out of my system! So, with that, I'm going to warn you: there's going to be a LOT of text in this. I'm going to break it up with other peoples' videos to keep it interesting, but it's only fair that you know that I'm going to obsessively go on for a while. You've been warned. A few weeks ago, I had the huge pleasure of going to Orlando for a few days for IAAPA and (of course) a couple theme parks. Originally, I had only intended to visit Universal, but my schedule opened up the possibility of also visiting Busch Gardens Tampa and Fun Spot America (Orlando)--so, I did! Days 0 & 1: IAAPA, Universal, and then IAAPA at Universal Part 0: Getting there. If you've seen a select few of Terp's posts around here, you probably have figured out that I'd like to work in the amusement industry someday. And if there's one thing you'll find in just about any article featuring advice from someone inside the industry on how to enter the industry, I guarantee you'll read something about attending the IAAPA Attractions Expo in Orlando. I've been trying for years (I think my first attempt was in 2009) to get to IAAPA, but something came up every year... until this year, when time and money finally coincided. I think I had a knot in my stomach that only got worse from the moment I booked the plane tickets, but I was exponentially more excited than nervous to attend. I waited five years for this thing; nerves would not be the downfall of the trip. So, one flight (involving the first mid-air emergency I've ever witnessed!) to Orlando (involving the first time I've ever driven on an apparently speed limit-less road! Floridians be crazy) to spend the night at the Allure Resort (involving the first time I've ever seen two lobbies with two different names for the same dumpy building AND the first time I've ever had to reconcile myself with the idea that treating bedbug bites would probably be cheaper than canceling the reservation and staying elsewhere AND the first elevator I've ever ridden that made me truly question how scary any iteration of The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror could possibly be) later, I found myself at the Orange County Convention Center. Part 1: IAAPA, Day 1. For those of you who haven't been, here are the things you need to know about IAAPA: 1. The place is enormous. However big you're thinking it is, it's at least three times as big. 2. Unless you're extremely pressed for time, take two (or more) hours and just take it all in. Do your best to avoid being pressed for time. There's so much to see, regardless of what you're there for. It's literally Christmas for people who enjoy having fun. There's so much more to it than roller coaster stuff, but there also are rides there that you can try out. I rode a Zamperla Air Race, an SBF spinning coaster, and a Triotech dark ride. There were a few other rides (including a Ferris wheel, another dark ride, and several other flat rides) that I meant to ride but never got around to. And there's food, too. (My mouth is watering for the BeaverTail I had with Nutella on it... Mmm.) IAAPA's just as much about having fun as doing business, and you're doing your IAAPA experience an injustice if you don't have fun while you're there. 3. Regardless of your intent, all roads lead to inflatables. We're talking jumpy houses, inflatable ball pits, the whole enchilada. The map says they're only in one corner of the show floor, but I SWEAR they were following me around when I wasn't looking. Or maybe they're omnipresent. I must have walked through the inflatables at LEAST six times over the course of the first day. Ugh... inflatables. Ugh. Ugh. 4. Maybe this is standard for trade shows that aren't the ones I've been to, but I'd never seen this before: several booths--especially the bigger, more corporate ones--had actual offices in closed rooms inside them for doing business. Which, if you're me, makes you even more nervous about taking up the industry folks' time with your "hi, I want to do what you do, what's your advice" talk. While I think it's important to respect the professionals' time, I do have to say that almost everyone I talked to at the booths could not have been friendlier or more open to talking to me. It really meant a lot that they took time to listen to me and offer advice. So if you're hyping yourself up over how you're going to speak with industry people, relax--but stay professional. It was also pretty neat that the people I talked to were just as open to talking about professional development as they were about talking about their favorite rides or projects, which made me fanboy on the inside pretty hard. Once the trade show floor opened, I was off. (To inflatables, of course. Ugh.) It was all sensory overload for about the first hour, with a quick stop to the Zamperla booth to try out the Air Race in an attempt to calm my nerves. It worked really well, even if it did cause some nausea. The Air Race is a very fun ride, but it's very dizzying. I really don't think I would want to ride it more than twice in a row, at most. The hangtime and swinging is a lot of fun, but I was glad for the end of the ride cycle. Check out a video from Fun Spot America Orlando on their identical Air Race that, coincidentally enough, is only about 10 minutes from the convention center. The clip is short, but you get the gist: On the way to Zamperla, I was able to look over Premier's, Vekoma's, B&M's (including a Thunderbird car! Very sharp-looking in person), Mack's, Intamin's, and Vortex Aquatic Structures International, Inc.'s booths. (If you remember Hot Blooded from Haunt a few years ago, VASII makes a product very similar to the waterfall effect that show had. Or maybe they provided that effect; I'm not sure. It was very neat to see that product up close at their booth. Of course, they make more than that, but that's probably the most notable thing for me to mention on a KI fansite.) Oh, and I made a quick lap through the inflatables. Because UGH. After meeting with a few extremely kind folks at GCI, The Gravity Group, and Irvine-Ondrey Engineering, I was on a bit of a "holy cow, this thing is actually happening" high mixed with some slight hysteria, to be honest, haha. I decided to give my nerves a little bit of a break by grabbing some lunch and checking out the Triotech dark ride. There were a few food vendors in the far corner, so I inhaled some orange chicken and got in line at Triotech's booth (after somehow managing to make a lap through inflatables along the way.) The Triotech dark ride followed a simple oval path between two scenes: a full 3D screen and a scene with real, plain white objects that had the scene projected onto them. The car itself could pivot and spin and would do so as it transitioned from scene to scene. Each seat had a gun with which you blasted zombies (on the 3D screen) and blasted paint containers and windows (on the all-white real scene). If you knocked out all pieces of the window panes, a zombie would appear. The ride was simple but very neat, and it showcased the product very well. I'm excited to see how Cedar Fair and Triotech's relationship evolves through future rides, because the concepts they had there were unique, intriguing, and different in execution from the "aim at the lighted target"-type dark rides we've come to know from the Paramount years onward. From there, I stopped by a few other booths, including Sally Rides, Rocky Mountain Construction, Skyline Attractions, and Technifex (makers of many special effects seen on Tomb Raider: The Ride.) Here is where I have to offer any other people who want to do what I did an opportunity to learn from my mistake: when it came to the booths I made top priority to visit and connect with, like Skyline Attractions or RMC, I made sure I was familiar with who their staff was and what they make. When it came to companies like Sally and Technifex that I wanted to meet from more of a "familiarize myself with the industry in general" sort of way, I overestimated my ability to walk up to someone and introduce myself without knowing more about the company beforehand. I can tell you that Technifex makes very realistic-looking fire effects, but, at the time, I couldn't name one employee of the company. Same goes for Sally. I realize it's not a sin to walk up to someone without already knowing who they are and introduce yourself, but when you see the Technifex booth full of representatives talking with people, it felt somewhat petty of me to walk up, pull one of them to the side, and say, "So... what do you do, again?" Maybe I was being too paranoid or too much of a millennial, but that's how it felt to me at the time. But I digress: The folks at Skyline were incredibly friendly and excited to show off the Strike-U-Up and Spin-U-Win, both of which are very neat concepts that are very fun to watch. (I didn't try one--I wish I had!) I'm excited to hopefully see them appear at a park someday. The RMC booth was very full, so I didn't get a chance to speak with anyone, but I did get a very up-close view of the Ibox and Topper Tracks and of the Twisted Colossus car they had on display. Too cool! At that point, I was due for another ride, so I hit up the inflatables. I mean, I meant to head to the SBF spinning coaster, but it had been a whole half hour or so since my last visit to the inflatables, so I was overdue for another one. So once I got done facepalming my way past inflatable steam trains and Transformers, I found my way to the SBF booth and took a ride on the spinning coaster. It was a very simple figure-8 layout, but it was surprisingly fun! The train made (four? five?) laps around the track, and the amount of laterals really had my me-only car really spinning, so I was good with just the one ride lest I revisit the aforementioned orange chicken. At this point, I had been at IAAPA for about six hours. My dress shoes were slowly turning my feet into one giant blister, my tie was coming dangerously close to succeeding at strangling me after a six-hour effort, and my nerves were shot. I figured I'd have the next day to hit up the rest of the booths I didn't get to that day. I was due for some fun outside of IAAPA, and I was aware of the fact that Universal was but a 10-minute drive away. I remembered from my trip planning that Universal was running a "buy a two-day park-to-park ticket and get a third day free" special on their website. I checked my phone: Universal would close in about three hours. The special was still on. I would be in Orlando with plenty of time to use up all three days of the ticket. I had signed up for the IAAPA event at Universal that evening, but that wouldn't be for another four hours. I really wanted to buy a Ravenclaw sweater and tie so I could meet up with a similarly-dressed industry friend who is equally obsessed with Harry Potter at the IAAPA event. But with that timeframe, I wouldn't be able to change clothes (or, more importantly, shoes) and get to Universal with any decent amount of time left. No, I probably should wait, I told myself. It wouldn't be that much longer till I was at Universal with IAAPA. Part 2: I went to Universal anyway. I caved. I have no willpower. Sue me. With my somewhat limited timeframe, I had to make due: I ditched the tie in the car, picked up my ticket from the will call kiosk, and was entering Islands of Adventure dressed like a guy who just left a trade show, ditched his tie, and went to a theme park. But that's beside the point, because HOLY COW, can we talk about Islands of Adventure for a second, here?! In my time at IOA that afternoon/evening, I drooled over the total beauty that is Port of Entry, made a left, drooled/squeed over The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man, and then headed through Jurassic Park (not a property I'm particularly interested by) to Hogsmeade, where I'm pretty sure I keeled over and died. Without discounting the rest of Islands of Adventure (trust me, there are many paragraphs to come), Hogsmeade is a Harry Potter-slash-theme park nerd's dream. The architecture--particularly the looming outline of Hogwarts Castle at the end of the path--is so gorgeous and true to the source that I had to stop walking and just take it in for a minute (butterbeer in hand, of course.) It was absolutely surreal, from the angled chimneys to the intricate, pastel store displays to the steaming Hogwarts Express just inside the entrance. It's an absolutely breathtaking area for me. I get goosebumps describing it to people. But, I still had a goal: I needed to get the gear for the later visit. So, trying very hard not to squeal like a little kid at Christmas, I scanned my ticket at the entrance of the Hogwarts Express, saw this: ...died a second time, and then boarded the train to Diagon Alley. (That train whistle gives me cold chills!) I'm not going to spoil the trip on the Hogwarts Express in either direction to anybody, but I will say that, regardless of how you feel about Harry Potter, the effects you see while riding are really well done and had a lot of people in my cabins asking how it was done. If you can appreciate the magic of theme parks, you can enjoy a ride on the Hogwarts Express. With that, we arrived at King's Cross station. The fact that the station looks exactly like a London train station (down to a rotating departure board) is a really impressive, creative touch that I appreciate Universal making. But as I exited King's Cross, I followed the crowds to the left... And with that, I'm going to stop for tonight. I'll continue this in a new post soon. Thanks for reading thus far!

Yeah, but do they have the best job ever? And did they make an awesome video about it? -MDMC, who was a part of that video shoot...

Correction: It will be worth the wait. We still have to wait until late March to be able to ride.

The flash in the pan that was: Yoga Pants @ KI

Terpy's thread about the park being closed, Just because that's when I started posting. And it had alot to do with Banshee's 2 millionth rider. Duh. EDIT: don't know what I did to get darker print.....But it worked out just fine.

I signed out and did not see it anymore so I assume you fixed the problem. No more hot single Europeans for me.

I also found a Son of Beast shirt and a shirt with the original Bat logo on that same site.

Trying to decide if that glorious drop cancels out that hideous tower...

I would never do that in a million years, but that does look pretty sweet!

The interesting part is there is no reminder that is sent out your pass is going to automatically renew. Seems like the right thing to do from a customer service standpoint.

I'm sure they have to have existed, but no, I don't remember seeing one for sale (and for a few months, I was looking on eBay for coaster shirts all the time). But looking for one online just now found this article from last year about gifts for coaster enthusiasts: http://www.coaster101.com/2013/12/02/gift-guide-coaster-enthusiasts-2013/

Or... Perhaps they DO. Terp, notin'

Towne Properties used to own Hunters Run Apartments in Lebanon, Ohio, where I live. It is what is called, "affordable housing" and my 3 bedroom/2 bath ranch apartment runs $740 a month. They sold it last December to another management firm. Believe me, they had those apartments for just the tax write off and did not maintain them as they would with their luxury apartments.

^That's the norm for most beyond-90 degree roller coasters. Takabisha, Crazy Bird, Timber Drop, Mumbo Jumbo, and Steel hawg - the five steepest roller coasters in the world - all have similar features on their main drops.

Well it didn't really look like a bump.... It looked like the back end of one carriage was in the people part of the other carriage. Something like this happening at 10 feet is scary but at over 100 feet, it's frightening. Plus, again, most people go to parks thinking they won't be put in real danger with the possibility of being really hurt. Or stranded at the top for hours....

See here for more details and other stuff thats coming in 2015 -> http://www.KICentral.com/forums/index.php/topic/30425-kings-island-adding-two-rides-and-other-improvements-for-2015/

Hmm, it looks like Cedar Fair likes to do the decals on these rides themselves. It's awesome that they have these capabilities in-house.

While it may be a dream for many of us on here, I can't imagine there would be that many people that would want to live so close to a major amusement park.

Newest update via Carowind's webcam at https://www.carowinds.com/online-fun/webcams .

That matter was also legally settled. The Six Flags that did all these things is not the Six Flags of today. The corporate entity is different, the leadership is different, the management is different, the philosophy is different. To conflate the two is not unlike saying Kings Island or Cedar Fair management today is the same as it was during the Paramount Parks or Kinzel era, respectively. It is not.

^ the weight drop was one of the largest reasons it was gotten rid of. As the weight fell, there was supposed to be a pocket of air underneath the weight to help slow it down instead of slamming into the bottom of the support tower. This was not happening and the weight was falling with the full force of gravity, damaging inner components of the launch system.

And more bad news: http://www.orlandosentinel.com/business/os-seaworld-ezpay-20141208-story.html Their legal team has soooooooo much to deal with...

Even Maverick slows down a lot before the drop.

Wow, that's a pretty comprehensive list. Impressive.

It's been "pretty complete" for a few years, and they keep saying that it is "opening next year", but it never does. In short, I'll believe it when I see people riding it, and not a moment before.

I'd rather not be driving around with part of Son of Beast's loop!

RingMaster...you know as well some people do I prefer SeaWorld to Busch Gardens anyday xD

A buffett X 3million guest ... thats a whole lot of food.

The only reason the costs of the Slingshot and Skyflyer are exhorbitant is because people are willing to pay it, it has nothing to do with how much replacement parts cost. Manufacturers, when selling an upcharge attraction to a park, fill the heads of park folk about how lucrative the attraction can be. That gives the park merchandise execs (At PKI upcharge attractions are staffed by Operations, but fall under the Merchandise department... that should tell you something right there...) a base in which to establish the "upcharge" to guests who wish to experience it. The Skyflyer and Sling Shot, and Climbing Wall, and Euro Bungees, and Go Carts, and Laser Tag and blah blah blah..... will all reamain at PKI until guests are either no longer interested in them, or willing to pay the cost. One of my few complaints about PKI is the absurdity of the amount of pay-extra attractions they have installed. It is a slap to the face of their less fortunate guests that scrimp and save to attend the park, only to find many of the attractions cost extra. $50 for a Sling Shot ride, c'mon PKI. That's ludicrous. Shaggy