Flashback to Childhood...Kings Island

This past Tuesday I went to Kings Island. Two of my co-workers were discussing going and asked what my day off was. It happened to be Tuesday (which was when they were planning this trip) and I was invited....and I accepted. It has been quite some time since I was last at Kings Island; however, back in the day my family had season passes to KI and I've been there many a time, just not recently. In general, it was a really fun day. Temperature was outstanding (mid-70s and overcast, but no rain), and the crowd was not too heavy. The longest wait was about 40 min. and averaged about 25 min. for rides.

As for the rides, I was screwed up because KI used to be Paramount's Kings Island and many rides were named for movies. I found out that KI was sold to the Cedar Point group and thereby the names have changed (for example: Top Gun became Flight Deck, Drop Zone became Drop Tower, Face/Off became Invertigo, Italian Job Stunt Coaster became the BackLot Stunt Coaster [the mini-coopers stayed though], and Tomb Raider became Crypt)...the problem here was I probably sounded like an idiot because I called many rides by the wrong name. My favorite ride at Kings Island remains....Flight of Fear.

Looks great, huh (it's the big building)? I love this ride. For those who haven't been to KI, here's the gist of the ride. After getting into the car, you get launched to 60 mph in a couple of seconds and then enter that large building in the picture above where the track lays mostly in darkness (a few scattered lights). For about 30s, you have no idea if you are upside down or right-side up...it's great. It takes place in such as small area, that you constantly weave in and out of the track, staying overly clueless as to where you actually are. Awesome ride.


The newest ride at KI is called, Diamondback. It is the tallest and fastest ride ever constructed at KI. 230 ft tall and 80 mph, steel roller coaster, no loops, but plenty of hills and several fast turns. Very smooth ride and outstandingly fun. Here's the layout.

It's pretty neat that you can see several of the hills poking out through the trees and other rides no matter where you are in the park. However, what really makes the ride a big thrill is the new seats. Basically you have no car support around you, and no shoulder bar. You basically are in a chair on a platform. It's a bit disconcerting, actually, but fun. Check them out.

Finally, for an idea of the experience, head here to watch a CG video.

The only ride that I wanted to get on, but was unable too, was Firehawk. It also has unique seating, where you are basically laying and staring at the ground, to give the sense of flying. However, the first time we stopped by, the wait was 2 hours, and the second time (at the end of the day) it was still at 1.5 hrs. After consulting the group, we opted to head to the car and get out of Dodge.

To top it all off, I also successfully won a stuffed animal on the bowling game. You know, the one where you have to get over the first hill, but not let the ball pop back over it. My family certainly knows what I'm talking about. The daughter of one of my co-workers really wanted to play, so she was playing it, and I decided to put in a quarter and won on my first try...the daughter got to keep the little stuffed dog.

That was my day. Very fun, tiring, and only a few bruises (the Beast and Vortex being the biggest offenders on my knees). I'm guessing now that I'm a bit over an hour away from the park, I might make trips slightly more frequently than I have.

Happy 4th of July everyone...I'm a little early, but you can deal with that.