EliHorton

Well if the grouper tells me a specific row I go there. I don't make a fuss asking for a special seat however I do understand what you're saying as I hate that at Diamondback. First ride was in the middle as the grouper told me which line to go in but the second time the grouper just let me in and I made a mad dash to the back seat (the only place to ride D-back). As for the Banshee situation the line was going all the way back towards the ride entrance but they never opened up the queues as it wasn't a very crowded day at all. With no grouper at the top of the stairs I did go for my second front seat ride ever. I wasn't complaining about the lack of a grouper just that it was odd not to have one there when all the other coasters I rode had one. BTW I forgot about Evel Knievel/American Thunder as being one of the GCI's I've ridden. That and Lightning Racer are probably my two favorites from them. Lol. I always get too scared to ask a grouper for a specific seat. The one at Banshee seemed nice enough but I was still super scared to ask. I absolutely hate to ask people for favors. But I agree, the back seat on the Diamondback is the best place to ride it. Luckily that grouper stuck me in the back or close to the back every time. The front is great for visuals, but the back is the best for airtime. And I've ridden American Thunder. It is definitely an underrated roller coaster. It reminds me a lot of one of the other GCI's I've ridden, Ozark Wildcat. At least that it is a compact layout and has multiple low to the ground airtime hills. But I still like Mystic Timbers the best. It will probably be a couple of years before I get to ride Lightning Racer. But it looks like a blast! I tend to like wood coasters more than steel coasters.

You rode it on the wrong spot. It's way better back 2 rows. Banshee doesn't use a "grouper" if the line is really short and/or when they have people on breaks and it's also not busy. I was there last week multiple days and it was 5 minutes or a walk on 90% of the time. It was like 10 minutes once when I massive group of day camp kids came all at once. How short is short? I went last Thursday and the line was only to the top of the stairs and they still had the grouper, a not very effective one at that. He kept assigning only two people per row. I rode it three times hoping that by some chance he'd let me sit in the front or back since there were some empty seats, but each time I ended up sitting in the middle. Oh well though. Still a fun ride. I love the theme! Not too much but not too little.

I rode Prowler and Worlds of Fun maintains it terribly. So rough! But I'm sure Kings Island could keep it smooth. I mean they've kept the Racer and the Beast smooth and the Racer is forty-five years old and the Beast is thirty-eight years old.

I avoid any park on the weekends for that same reason, I always try to do parks on a Tuesday or Wednesday as these always seems like the least busiest days. I tend to try to go during the week, too. But I've always found that Sunday mornings are usually pretty dead, too due to the fact that lots of people go to church. At least that's the fact down here in Southwest, Missouri with SDC. Although then again, that park almost never gets a huge crowd. I've only seen lots of people there during Spring Break and the Christmas season.

I really loved Mystic Timbers. It has everything I love in a good roller coaster: It feels fast, it has lots of airtime, it has some laterals (mainly on the first drop, turnaround, and the turn on to the brake run), and it doesn't feel too short. Plus it had some good themeing. And I don't usually care about themeing, but I really like the themeing on Mystic Timbers. I do agree that maybe adding a garage door type door at the entrance of the shed would be a good idea. I did think it was a bit too bright. But I still loved it! And I don't know about Banshee but it seems wonderful that the person wasn't there to assign rows.

I don't think anyone has ever intended to convey that Diamonback is out of control. Diamondback is a controlled smooth ride, built exactly how B&M intended. The only non inverted B&M that I can think to describe as out of control would be Fury. Sounds like you had a good trip. I personally prefer this park to CP, since you don't have massive crowds. Every ride becomes a walk-on at KI when you buy a FL+. YES! I loved that it had zero crowds, partly because it isn't Cedar Point and partly because it kept raining throughout the day. I'm going to try to go to Cedar Point next year for the first time to ride the new Mean Streak. I'll probably have to get a fast lane then though. I was going to go this summer but after seeing that Mean Streak was going to get the Rocky Mountain Construction treatment, I thought it would be best to wait.

Great mini-report. Based on my visit back in 2014, I have very similar opinions to you. The only two "bad" rides to me at the park are Vortex and Flight of Fear. However, I will be visiting again later this month, so hopefully one or both of them will give me a better ride than I had 3 years ago. It's nice to hear you say such positive things about Mystic Timbers... I'm really looking forward to that one. I love GCIs. Thanks for sharing! You're welcome! And yeah, I was surprised by Mystic Timbers! I wasn't expecting it to be so awesome! The only thing I hated is that they do assigned seating. Luckily I was blessed and I got a front seat ride, somewhere in the middle, and the back. I think I prefer the back because you really get whipped around! Enjoy your visit! I definitely enjoyed mine!

Thank YOU for an awesome day! It was a nice change from the theme park I'm used to (Silver Dollar City). My father enjoyed it a lot, too. He isn't much of a rider and he actually rode Raven, Voyage, and Thunderbird! I thought I was going to be lucky if I even got him on the Raven.

I went to Kings Island yesterday for the first time, and I was very impressed. Right now I'm going to say that it is probably my favorite corporate park I've been to, that'll probably change when I go to Cedar Point. I thought it was gorgeous. Very well landscaped and retains some of its charm from the 70's. My only complaint is that most of the employees were unfriendly and there isn't a whole lot of flat rides outside of Planet Snoopy. I wish Cedar Fair got some vintage amusement rides for them in Europe. But I loved everything else. They have a great coaster lineup. Really the only two rides that I disliked were Vortex and Flight of Fear. Vortex was pretty head bangy in the first turn and the turn into the mid course brake run. And Flight of Fear, I don't understand how a steel coaster with lap bars can be rough. It was really jerky and pretty painful. I did like the themeing though. One coaster that surprised me and really stood out to me is the Racer. i heard that it was pretty rough, but I rode both sides and I thought it was pretty smooth! And it had some great airtime! I rode each side probably about three times! Banshee was really good. I didn't like it as much as I thought I would, but it is still a great coaster, and I love the themeing (this is a common trend for me at this park). Diamondback was pretty good, but it didn't have that craziness factor that I really like in a coaster. It had plenty of floater air, but it didn't feel that out of control to me. Firehawk was another surprise. It was very smooth and I was honestly scared! The whole ride I couldn't help but shout "Oh my! Oh my God! Oh dear!" I loved it! And now my favorite two in the park. The Beast and Mystic Timbers. I can't decide which one I like more. They both felt CRAZY! The Beast is smooth and felt really fast, plus the double helix was intense! It slammed me around and I loved it! And I loved the tunnels! The only thing I don't like is the trim brakes but it is still a top three woodie! And Mystic Timbers. Wow! I heard multiple people say it was just "meh, nothing special" but i couldn't disagree more! It is now my favorite GCI above Prowler, Ameircan Thunder, and Ozark Wildcat! It was fast, stayed low to the ground, had lots of airtime, some great laterals in the turn around and going on to the brake run. And I LOVE the shed! I know people wanted something more, but I loved what they had. I got all three of the monsters and I thought it was really cool looking. And I loved the overall theme of the ride and I thought it was very well done. I'm definitely looking forward to the next time I go to Kings Island.

I went to Holiday World for the first time the other day, and WOW! My expectations were high, and Holiday World exceeded every expectation. It is such a WONDERFUL park! One thing I noticed is that every employee looked happy, they looked like they wanted to be there, and they were all so friendly! On every ride I went on, the operators were walking around offering to grab bags for guests, and sometimes they would even take them back to the guests as soon as the ride was over! And most of them would interact or talk with guests! And operations were very quick, too. The park was also VERY clean, probably the cleanest park I've seen! I didn't see any trash on the ground in the park, and the one time I saw someone toss an empty cup on the ground, one of the sweepers came over immediately and picked it up. I thought the food that I had was great, I had pizza and some fudge and I thought they were both great and cheap! Now on to the rides. I rode all the flat rides in the park, and my favorite flats were either Scarecrow Scrambler, Hallowswings, Firecracker, or Eagles Flight. The water rides in their dry park were outstanding! Raging Rapids got my soaked and I love the buildings they have at the end. Frightful Falls was definitely my favorite of the two, it got you wet enough, but not too wet. And I love those slight downhill sections. Now to the coasters. You know a park has a good lineup when you can't decide which is your favorite. Thunderbird was very forceful, I felt like I was graying out in the loop! It was my first wing coaster and I love it! The Raven, I didn't know what to expect, I heard some say it is rough and overrated and some that say it is one of the best wooden coasters. I thought it was really smooth in the front, and I really loved it! There was a bit of airtime and the laterals were very strong, but it is still probably my least favorite of the woodies. Voyage is wonderful! It is VERY smooth in the front and it had so much airtime! Plus I felt like I was hanging out of my seat on the ninety degree turns! It is in my top four wooden coasters, but I can't decide where to place it in there. But my favorite wooden roller coaster at Holiday World is the Legend. WOW! It just felt so out of control! It was fast, smooth, had four great airtime moments, and the laterals! Oh my LORD! My favorite part of the ride is the last half with the helix, double down, and those corners of death. I just have nothing but great things to say about it! I rode it probably twelve times! I can't decide if it is number three, two or one on my top four woodie list! Overall, Holiday World is my favorite amusement park. I'm so grateful I live only six and a half hours away in Springfield, Missouri.

Looks like a lot of fun! I could be wrong, but wasn't this planned for 2017? And I might have missed it, but how tall is it? I thought Quassy had a height limit of about thirty-five feet?

Think of what would happen if you posted a video of those on Facebook considering what happened when you posted videos of the fireworks. That was the hardest I ever laughed while listening to the podcast.

Seeing that the track is a deep forest green color, I wonder if they are going with the Wild Mountain name. That is exciting that SDC is getting a huge new coaster. It seems like Outlaw Run just opened yesterday, even if it will have been five years next season.

I know right? I'm wishing and hoping (Dusty Springfield reference) that they get a Gravity Group woodie. Maybe something like Switchback so that the Orlando park will have a twisty out and back woodie, the Kissimmee park has an inverting woodie, so now the Fayetteville park can have a reversing woodie. But yeah, I'm expecting great things. This new park has some decent expansion room and they already have an awesome little steel coaster! I really hope they can somehow clear out that nasty looking pond though.

Fun! My father and I are going to be taking the exact same trip in a couple weeks! Although we have a different starting point (Springfield, Missouri). But I'm so excited! if you say Raven and Legend are pretty rough, I'm sure I'll love them. I love old and rough woodies. Although most that I've ridden that people say are rough, I don't really think they are. Just a little shaky but nothing too unbearable. And Kings Island looks really great, too! I really can't wait to ride Banshee, Diamondback, Mystic Timbers, Beast, Vortex, Bat, and Invertigo!

And for passing on that, I give you props! Nothing says obsessive, intrusive, enthusiast more than hounding Park GM's and Owners and other VIPs for pictures! So, well done, in showing restraint, and not being one of "those kind" of enthusiasts"! I haven't ridden Dragon, but Ninja does really suck bad! Still, T3... Do. Not. Go. Near. Dragon. Unless you want the credit, stay far from it. Even those tiny bunny hops out of the station are BAD! The train just clunks over them and it rattles so bad. The two loops aren't too terrible, pretty rattly, the second one is very forceful. But the figure eight, my head got banged around on that. But on the Ninja, I've experienced okay rides on it, and I've had terrible rides. Last time I rode it, there was one train that actually wasn't that bad (must have had new wheels) and then the other train just caused so much headbanging. But I guess I didn't experience as much thigh pain as most people do. My thighs are kind of thick (I'm a runner) so maybe it was kind of just like extra padding? But thanks! I kind of felt like it would be weird to ask for a picture, plus I must have looked terrible. I had just ridden Mile High Falls so I was dripping wet and such. But I still thought it was cool to see him walking around the park, it isn't too often that you see the park president walking around the park in the middle of the day.

I'm inclined to agree, especially since he said T3 was "great" and "I love it! Such an under rated coaster!" In the words of Admiral Akbar... "It's a trap!" I actually did enjoy T3. It did have that weird thing about the other SLC's where it kind of shuffled back and forth but I didn't mind. I still thought it was very enjoyable. And I didn't really feel much pain, and I didn't mind the little that I felt. I still think that the Ninja at Six Flags St. Louis and Dragon at Adentureland are the most painful coasters I've ridden.

12/10? Found the CEO of Kentucky Kingdom. Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk Lol. I just really loved the park. I have not been to a park that I haven't liked yet. But there was nothing I disliked about Kentucky Kingdom except that operations were a tad bit slow (but the employees were nice at least) and there wasn't much shade around Eye of the Storm and Storm Chaser. But still, what a WONDERFUL park. But I did see Ed Hart walking through the park with another employee. I wanted to get a picture but I thought that would be really weird.

I went to the park yesterday for the first time, and WOW! I loved it! Lightning Run and Storm Chaser were so violent and threw me around, they were both amazing! Thunder Run was really good! Not very rough and had some great lateral forces and airtime! T3 was great! I had a little thigh pain but nothing too bad. I loved it! Such an under rated coaster! Although it was hard to get a ride on it, it was closed almost all day. I was actually about to leave the park and I saw it finally running and I ran to the back of the park to get a couple rides in. Roller Skater is a nice little family coaster. The thrilling flat rides are great! Eye of the Storm and Cyclos were fun but kind of nauseating to me. I actually cried out in fear on Fear Fall. I didn't know when we were going to drop and when we did it was so powerful! Sky Catcher gave some great views and it seemed to go faster than most vertical swings. They had a great selection of family flat rides! Although I was sad because Breakdance was closed all day and I love Huss Breakdances. I especially loved the flyers though even though they were running on the low speed. The two water rides were so much fun! I got more wet on Raging River Rapids than I have ever on any other rapids ride. And Mile High Falls got me absolutely soaked! The scenery was great! The Sea Lion Splash show was so cute and fun to watch. I had lunch at the BBQ place by Lightning Run and it was delicious! I loved the tater kegs! I loved all the different flowers, trees, and bushes throughout the park. I only wish they would put a couple more flats back by Storm Chaser and Thunder Run. I wish they would maybe put a Tilt-A-Whirl where the Zeppelins used to be and maybe either a Chance Wipeout or a Zamperla Water Mania on that round pad by Storm Chaser where some of those bee rides used to be. Overall, I would give this park a 12/10. It is such a wonderful park and you can tell that they take really good care of it.

I love Adventureland! And my Papa really likes it, too. We went back in 2015 and it is still his favorite amusement park! He said it had classic charm that reminded him of when he took my mom and uncle John to amusement parks when they were small. Adventureland is definitely one of the most beautiful parks in the country!

Awe. You really missed out on Timber Wolf, it really isn't that rough, I actually REALLY like it. I like it a lot more than Prowler. But I was also let down by Prowler, too. I had really high expectations going in being that it won the Golden Ticket for Best New Ride of 2009, I thought it would become my new favorite GCI. The I rode it. It thought it was more uncomfortable than Timber Wolf. Maybe it was because I was expecting a rough ride on the Timber Wolf and a smooth on on Prowler. My favorite GCI is still Ozark Wildcat. And I also didn't think that Boomerang was that rough either, one of the better Boomerangs even.

I thought the drop tower was a Funtime Skyfall? http://www.funtime.com.au/data/index9.htm Either way, I wish the two sister parks had more standard flat rides like Wild Adventures and Celebration City. Maybe if both parks at least got a vertical swing of sorts?

Great photographs! I usually love small parks like Adventureland (Iowa), Frontier City, Magic Springs, etc. but this park does not entice me at all. Sure it has Shivering Timbers, Mad Mouse, and Thunderhawk (I love Vekoma rides) but overall it just seems so sad. I get that Cedar Fair wants to keep it a family park since it is "close" to Cedar Point, but they could at least add a family ride every year or so. They didn't even get one of the rides that Cedar Fair bought used (I would have LOVED to see the Breakdance go to Michigan's Adventure, maybe even a Troika). What does Cedar Fair do with most of the money that this park makes? They don't even repaint their coasters.

I'm so excited! I'm going to Kentucky Kingdom for the first time on June 14th! I can't wait to ride T3 (I actually really like Vekoma roller coasters), Thunder Run, Lightning Run, and Storm Chaser! Plus it seems like they have a great flat ride selection and the Sea Lion Splash show looks cute. Does anybody have any advice? Are crowds usually heavy on a Wednesday?

Wow! It is nice to hear about all the little improvements throughout the park and the improved operations. And I'm glad to see that Wonder Woman is almost ready to open. I'll be really excited to visit in 2018 (I have family in the area that I need to visit). Maybe next year I'll get to ride Vertical Velocity if it actually closes and actually is relocated to Six Flags America. I would have gone this year but I decided to take a road trip to northern Idaho and visit family there and stop at Silverwood on the way.