TR: Kings Island - 4/26/09
Trip Report: Kings Island
Mason, OH
April 26, 2009
***********
This was the second weekend of the season at Kings Island, and Rideman and I were so thrilled about Diamondbackwe wanted to go ride it again. We got started a bit late which meant we arrived to the park around 12:30. This meant, unfortunately that we arrived right along with the after church crowd. We had to wait a while to get throug the toll plaza and we were searching for a parking space when Rideman commented that it seems like there is always a space that opens up in the center of the lot. No sooner had he finished saying it, then a car pulls out and we dart into a nice close up parking space
We enter the park and head directly to Diamondback. We first noticed that the temporary queue has already been pretty much remoed except for a couple section to make sure the line forms alongside Rivertown Junction. We had been in line about 20 minutes or so when the ride broke down. What made the breakdown interesting is we saw a crew member climb the steep lifthill to 'comfort' the riders. He was a ball of energy and was going to race up those stairs at record pace. Yeah, that worke formaybe the first half of the climb, then it was more like the snails pace the rest of the way up. We found it was interesting that this seems to be the only ride that requires the ride operator to wear fall protection to climb the lift, but its not the full OSHA gear, so we conjectured it must be a park rule and not an OSHA requirment. Anyway, we get on the ride after about a 15 minute shut down so all told it might have taken about an hour. We get sent to Row 10 where I note the queue gate is nowhere near lined up with the seating row due to a support column. We were about as middle train as you can get and it still gives a pretty good ride.
After Diamonback we take a walk around the park We skip Beast but we opt to ride Backlot Stunt Coaster. We get to skip a few people by answering when they call for two riders, but it got us in the back row instead of the dull middle car. A fairmly ordinary ride on Backlot Stunt Coaster followed by a fiarly ordinary ride on Vortex. We look at the lines in X-Base but as usual they are just too long.
We follow that up with uneventful rides on the Red Racer and Adventure Express. The big thing about Adventure Express is that all the special effects were shut off. We head into Action Zone where, just like X-Base the lines are pretty long, and we wind up only taking a quick ride on Flight Deck before returning to International Street. We realize the park is going to be fairly crowded today, and decide to go to Eiffel Tower to get some nice photos of Diamonback and the rest of the park.
After spending a bit of time on top of Tower, we head back to Diamondback and take another ride. We enjoy Fruit Chills (I had watermelon and Dave had Strawberry) while waiting in line through the almost full queue area. Rideman timed the time to eat the Chills as about 13 minutes, and thats with using the flimsiest spoons the park could find. This time we request and recieve the back seat. Wow, even better, I really think Diamonback is a back seat ride. We take another lap around the park where we score rides on Shake, Rattle and Roll and Zephyr.
We head into X-Base and I talk Rideman into a ride on Firehawk. Rideman had not ridden Firehawk since it left Geauga Lake a few seasons ago, mainly due to the fact the ride was usually a walk on at Geauga Lake and it usually 1-2 hours wait at Kings Island. We had waited about 40 minutes and were right up to the part of the line where the grouper directs you to go to either the left or right station when the ride breaks down. In fact, the ride is down for about 20 minutes and I am fearful that Rideman will want to bail out of line, and Firehawk is my second favorite coaster in the park. Not to mention, I wanted to ensure Rideman at least got a ride on Firehawk. So all in all about 75 minutes later we are taking a ride on Firehawk. I still really like it, but I don't think Rideman liked it as much as I do.
While waiting for Firehawk, Rideman ecieveda call from another coaster enthusiast who agreed to meet us at the Firehawk exit. He had not gotten to ride Diamonback yet, so thats where we headed. Ron was a bit concerned about his size though I didn't think he would have any issues. We show Ron to the super hi tech electric test seat that gives you a positive red light or green light after you pull the bar down. I notice a slight change in the programming of the test seat. The first week, the light was off untilthe lap bar has been pulled back far enough, now the light is red until the lap bar is pulled back far enough, then it changed to green. We started joking around calling the electric test seat an "Electric Chair"
All in all we take a ride on Diamondback and were able to get right back into line just before the park closed to bring my total count for the day to 4 and the season to 6 Diamondback rides. We stop by the blue ice cream stand to get some courtesy ice water. We figure this should hold us until we get some dinner. The three of us proceed to go to Bob Evans to have a suprigly good meal for an after park close meal.
Next up: Ride Warriors Weekend, and that TR is already posted!
I am now only three KI TR's in arrears - two from Fall of 2008, and Winter SOAR.
Mason, OH
April 26, 2009
***********
This was the second weekend of the season at Kings Island, and Rideman and I were so thrilled about Diamondbackwe wanted to go ride it again. We got started a bit late which meant we arrived to the park around 12:30. This meant, unfortunately that we arrived right along with the after church crowd. We had to wait a while to get throug the toll plaza and we were searching for a parking space when Rideman commented that it seems like there is always a space that opens up in the center of the lot. No sooner had he finished saying it, then a car pulls out and we dart into a nice close up parking space
We enter the park and head directly to Diamondback. We first noticed that the temporary queue has already been pretty much remoed except for a couple section to make sure the line forms alongside Rivertown Junction. We had been in line about 20 minutes or so when the ride broke down. What made the breakdown interesting is we saw a crew member climb the steep lifthill to 'comfort' the riders. He was a ball of energy and was going to race up those stairs at record pace. Yeah, that worke formaybe the first half of the climb, then it was more like the snails pace the rest of the way up. We found it was interesting that this seems to be the only ride that requires the ride operator to wear fall protection to climb the lift, but its not the full OSHA gear, so we conjectured it must be a park rule and not an OSHA requirment. Anyway, we get on the ride after about a 15 minute shut down so all told it might have taken about an hour. We get sent to Row 10 where I note the queue gate is nowhere near lined up with the seating row due to a support column. We were about as middle train as you can get and it still gives a pretty good ride.
After Diamonback we take a walk around the park We skip Beast but we opt to ride Backlot Stunt Coaster. We get to skip a few people by answering when they call for two riders, but it got us in the back row instead of the dull middle car. A fairmly ordinary ride on Backlot Stunt Coaster followed by a fiarly ordinary ride on Vortex. We look at the lines in X-Base but as usual they are just too long.
We follow that up with uneventful rides on the Red Racer and Adventure Express. The big thing about Adventure Express is that all the special effects were shut off. We head into Action Zone where, just like X-Base the lines are pretty long, and we wind up only taking a quick ride on Flight Deck before returning to International Street. We realize the park is going to be fairly crowded today, and decide to go to Eiffel Tower to get some nice photos of Diamonback and the rest of the park.
After spending a bit of time on top of Tower, we head back to Diamondback and take another ride. We enjoy Fruit Chills (I had watermelon and Dave had Strawberry) while waiting in line through the almost full queue area. Rideman timed the time to eat the Chills as about 13 minutes, and thats with using the flimsiest spoons the park could find. This time we request and recieve the back seat. Wow, even better, I really think Diamonback is a back seat ride. We take another lap around the park where we score rides on Shake, Rattle and Roll and Zephyr.
We head into X-Base and I talk Rideman into a ride on Firehawk. Rideman had not ridden Firehawk since it left Geauga Lake a few seasons ago, mainly due to the fact the ride was usually a walk on at Geauga Lake and it usually 1-2 hours wait at Kings Island. We had waited about 40 minutes and were right up to the part of the line where the grouper directs you to go to either the left or right station when the ride breaks down. In fact, the ride is down for about 20 minutes and I am fearful that Rideman will want to bail out of line, and Firehawk is my second favorite coaster in the park. Not to mention, I wanted to ensure Rideman at least got a ride on Firehawk. So all in all about 75 minutes later we are taking a ride on Firehawk. I still really like it, but I don't think Rideman liked it as much as I do.
While waiting for Firehawk, Rideman ecieveda call from another coaster enthusiast who agreed to meet us at the Firehawk exit. He had not gotten to ride Diamonback yet, so thats where we headed. Ron was a bit concerned about his size though I didn't think he would have any issues. We show Ron to the super hi tech electric test seat that gives you a positive red light or green light after you pull the bar down. I notice a slight change in the programming of the test seat. The first week, the light was off untilthe lap bar has been pulled back far enough, now the light is red until the lap bar is pulled back far enough, then it changed to green. We started joking around calling the electric test seat an "Electric Chair"
All in all we take a ride on Diamondback and were able to get right back into line just before the park closed to bring my total count for the day to 4 and the season to 6 Diamondback rides. We stop by the blue ice cream stand to get some courtesy ice water. We figure this should hold us until we get some dinner. The three of us proceed to go to Bob Evans to have a suprigly good meal for an after park close meal.
Next up: Ride Warriors Weekend, and that TR is already posted!
I am now only three KI TR's in arrears - two from Fall of 2008, and Winter SOAR.
posted by Coasterville Dave | 10:41 PM
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