firewalk13

So who's going to the Zombie High School VIP night? Sounds like fun! Cedar Point really put on a great event for the GateKeeper media event and I'm sure this will be a blast...

oh I so miss Dover Lake! Never made it to Holiday Sands though.

I'm happy with these additions. I really enjoyed Surf Dog at Kings Island and did not think it was a kiddie ride at all, much more thrilling than expected. Going across the bump in the middle at speed gave me some unexpected airtime!

Michigan's Adventure Lakeside Gliders were added as well. I like this trend!

That makes much more sense. There was a 90 minute wait at the time. Fl+ was less than 5.

Nice report Robb! Looks like a good ride, backseat airtime, ocean views, mmm... I'm happy to see this coaster having a bright new future.

When X-Flight (now Firehawk) was new, the dual-station seemed to work great and they were dispatching folks pretty efficiently. Now the fast lane plus gets to board on the right side and the rest on the left. This works great if you have FLP and you want to ride more than once (sucks for the rest though).

This looks amazing to me... I love the color scheme and that batwing (?), suhweet!!!

Looks like a nice family coaster with a beautiful setting!

Dave Chapelle...

Re: that last pic, now THAT is some hairtime...

Right now, I'd say my favorite ending would be the bunny hills on magnum (ok, not quite the end but close enough). Worst imo would be the defunct Wildcat at Cedar Point. Loved the ride but didn't always remember to do the old dual straight-arm before the last breaks (ouch).

I have to say though, at least Adventure Express does have a drop, though a very lame one. It would be worse if it didn't pick up any momentum at all.

that map! bwahahahahaha!!!

Son of Flight Deck! orrrr, maybe not...

I think in the best scenario (but unlikely until 2015 imo) we'll see a fun for everyone dark ride. Matt Ouimet hinted at wanting something along those lines to be put in at a few Cedar Fair parks (in an interview with the Season Pass Podcast folks). I don't expect CP to have something big for next year at all which is fine with me, but I imagine the front entrance will look spectacular once all the foliage has a chance to really grow in. I love to be surprised though!

Personally, I'd like to see an Intamin or Mack terrain-hugging multi-launch coaster with inversions. So far as I'm aware, there are no Macks in OH. That area in the park could definitely be exploited (in a great way) for one of those, add some landscaping and shazam!

So I finally got to visit Kings Island this past Sunday. Arrived around 12:30pm and stayed till closing. I ended my visit with a night-ride on the Beast after a nice fireworks display. The Beast was easily my favorite coaster there, it certainly does haul ass, even with the trims. I actually felt Diamondback was a bit of a disappointment as I was hoping for more airtime than just some floaty ness. Honestly I swear there was more airtime on Woodstock Express than DB. My least favorite ride of the day was the Racer which felt nearly as rough as Mean Streak. There were a lot of firsts on this trip as I hadn't been to Kings Island before, nor had I been on any Premier rides. Flight of Fear was great fun and so was my first Invertigo. I actually enjoyed my first run on Firehawk more riding in the middle of the train versus my 2nd which was in front. I'd been on it before when it was X-Flight at SFWOA. The view was great up front but it seemed to be much jerkier on the cork screws (the vertical loop was great both times, but especially up front). The operations for this ride seemed to be running pretty well with KI using both sides of the station (with the 2nd being used for fast lane plus) though it was a 90 minute wait during the busiest part of the day. Having purchased fast lane plus my wait was no more than 5 minutes. Other firsts and pleasant surprises were Back Lot Stunt Coaster which had some surprising twistiness and Windseeker. It was nice to cool down and/or dry off up there. I'm afraid of heights but elected to look around the park rather than looking straight down which might have unnerved me. Vortex was fun but two rides and that was all she wrote (does that turn around before the corkscrew really need to be that rough?) Ouch! I honestly quite liked the batwing though and the first-drop was quite decent. I had several fun rides on Flight Deck and I wish old draggin iron was that good, some good Gs on that ride! I also thought Adventure Express was pretty damn fun, wish I'd had a chance for a nightride on that because I imagine it would've kicked ass. Overall, Kings Island is a nice park with a good selection and variety of coasters and flats. The operations and ride program for Shake & Rattle & Roll were way better at KI vs. Cedar Point's Troika. Pleasant surprises were Woodstock Express (junior air-time goodness lol), Adventure Express (nice terrain coaster with some good laterals), and Invertigo (much smoother than I was expecting), and Surf Dog (that doesn't actually seem like a kids ride at all). Unpleasant surprises included The Racer which was way rougher and more boring than I imagined (where was the racing element?). I was getting jack-hammered far too much to notice any positive elements (or the other side's train for that matter). Sadly Diamondback did not live up to my expecations (I thought it was a buttery-smooth snoozefest), get rid of those trims! One last first was the junior suspended coaster, Aerial Chase (that felt much more credit whorish to ride than Woodstock Express). It was not smooth and too jerky (gave me flashbacks of Mind Eraser) but thankfully it was over quickly. Loved the Eiffel Tower, great place to cool off/dry off on the upper observation deck and nice views. Really had a great time though, and I can finally cross riding the Beast off my bucket list. One last note, I was very pleased to note that I did not miss out any credits I wanted due to being too fat to ride. The ride ops squashed me in when necessary and without detriment to my safety (and only a little bit of discomfort).

It would have to be when I rode my first powered dragon kiddy coaster as a little kid at Midway Park in Maple Springs, NY (like 1985?) It was the new hotness then!

Great TR, thanks! Very nice job with the photos too! The third pic of clouds/weather moving in is kinda amazing...

aww man, I am JEALOUS... The park's not far from me at all so I can probably try it this summer!

I finally got to visit on July 3rd. Two of my cousins who I hadn't seen in years and I drove over for a few hours. I loved Ravine Flyer! I'd really like to try a night ride on it... My favorite seat was the back right, especially getting pulled over the top of the lift hill and when diving into the ravine . We really enjoyed our time there and Waldameer's a great, classic, park. We got 4 rides on the Ravine Flyer, 3 on Steel Dragon which was my first Maurer-Sohne and my first spinner. Loved that ride! Comet was neat. Other highlights were mistakingly keeping my hands up on the log flume. X-Scream was my 2nd favorite ride behind RFII. What a great view from up there! To be honest, it was pretty scary but my cousins were pretty insistent that I tackle it and I'm glad I did. We got 3 rides on that. They, however, refused to ride with me on the music express (bad idea) and Vortex (good idea). Vortex didn't make me feel sick or particularly uncomfortable, just that I thought I was going to die. Not at all a good sensation for me... The Whacky Shack was quite fun and we couldn't stop laughing for a while after riding it. The Pirates Cove, unfortunately, smelled like a vagrant had been staying in it recently. Overall, would go back there in an instant!

I stayed at the Maples in May for 3 nights (opening weekend). If you don't mind the noise from the trains (they do not bother me), it's a great stay for the price (I paid $38/night) Very nice people running it.

I have to say, your videos are great. Really thought the GateKeeper vid, and the "dueling gatekeepers" was very cool looking. please keep it up!