Kings Island

Yes, probably a new sign. Vortex celebrates its 30th anniversary this season.

Vortex is on the Coasterstock itinerary, so it's not going anywhere.

I don't know if there is a topic about this or not, but I just registered and bought my ticket for Kings Island coaster stock last weekend. Super excited because it will fall on a weekend where I am done with school for the semester. Anyone else going to coaster stock? By the way, they are working fast on Mystic Timbers down there.

I hope to go to Coasterstock next year. I don't have enough vacation time this year. I like how Coasterstock has guided tours and activities through the day, and it's a 2 day event. I wish CoasterMania! followed the same model.

Shawn, I'm going down to Coasterstock this year too. This will be my first non-CP enthusiast event. I've only recently started visiting KI, but it's become a favorite spot. I'm excited for The Beast tour and meeting some more KI fans. I understand there is a scavenger hunt, which will be interesting in a park that I'm not as familiar with.

I'm waiting to see more for Coasterstock before I consider tickets. The ERT this year looks very promising and in it's own would be almost enough to consider going. However to tour haunt mazes has literally no value to me in the early summer (what's the point of this? I have yet to understand this one). Lastly, I'd love to get a list of who will be a guest speaker though at the event. If it's the same deal as the previous two years. ERT and some food isn't enough to justify that ticket price when I work minutes away from the park and I could get the all season dining, and go on off days to enjoy the rides and get more value (or even include a FL+ day here/there). Maybe for those farther away or more dedicated KI/Enthusiast fans it's valuable, but not for me yet.

Anyone see the new pictures of Mystic Timbers recently? There was a few new ones shared through Facebook and Instagram over the weekend.

Any tips of how to best enjoy opening day at KI? I won free tickets so I don't have the choice of going on a different, potentially less busy day. I'm sure it will be especially crazy with Mystic Timbers opening. Is it best to try and get there early to be toward the front of the line and hit the new coaster right away? Or is it more likely the wait will be less later on in the day?

What day are you going? Also, the best chance is right when it opens, but there will already be a line because of early entry.

I'm going for the first time this year! cant wait!

I've never been there on opening day, but if I were to guess, I would hit Mystic Timbers right away. And there's only one rule: NO SPOILERS OF WHAT IS IN THE SHED!

Inside the shed they sell Angry Orchard ;)

HAAAAAAAAA!!!!

That's the best one yet, DevEffect

I was there for Banshee opening day. Get there early!!! I-71 was backed up for the KI exit from both directions, enough to be reported as a traffic issue on the radio while driving over from the hotel. It also took 20 minutes or so to get into the park once they opened the gates. It was a gorgeous day weather wise, and the highest attendance KI had ever experienced for an opening weekend.

For comparison, I was also there opening day for Italian Job. Attendance was more on par with Geaugu Lake its last month of operation. Weather was horrible. Not much of anything was running, and that might have been the trip we saw snow flakes while on International Street. We left after an hour or two, and I'm not sure if the park stayed open for much longer that day.

So, in short, YMMV. If the sun is out and the weather half decent, it will be crowded, but no worse than a typical summer day at CP.

Does anyone have that photo of the line that occurred on opening day of Diamondback? I was in the park very early and the line already extended past the queue, through Planet Snoopy, past the Eiffel Tower, and down the center path back to LaRosa's in Rivertown, which is where I joined the line.

I was there when Diamondback opened. The line wasn't that long. But we were there early. And we got a free T-shirt. I would imagine the 1st so many riders will get a first rider shirt.

Brendan71388 said:

Any tips of how to best enjoy opening day at KI? I won free tickets so I don't have the choice of going on a different, potentially less busy day. I'm sure it will be especially crazy with Mystic Timbers opening. Is it best to try and get there early to be toward the front of the line and hit the new coaster right away? Or is it more likely the wait will be less later on in the day?

If you can afford fastlane plus you may want to jump on that since you're getting in for free. Opening day at KI is historically very busy, especially when they open a new coaster. They are cheaper online then in park. I just checked and for opening day Fastlane Plus is currently $83 online per pass. You could expect it to be over $100 in park.

The other option could be to hold off on Mystic Timbers and save it for last. My experience with KI is that its a madhouse in the morning and afternoon but tends to clear out in the evenings.

I was there for Banshee and it was really bad. We got there at about 9, and traffic was backed up to the highway exits. Didn't get into the park until about 10:30, and the line for Banshee was to about diamondback at one point in the day.

Thanks for all the replies!

I wish I could go on a different day but can't complain about winning the free tickets. I've never been to opening day at any park, let alone when they're debuting a new coaster.

I plan to try and get there pretty early to get a good spot in line. We'll be driving from Indy the morning of. I think we'll probably try to hit MT first. I'm hoping the new coaster helps shorten the lines for some of the other rides, too. I'd love to do a fast pass but my wife would never go for it at those prices, unfortunately. I'm lucky to just be going at all bc the tickets were free.

Because of how long the wait sounds like it could be I'd almost be tempted to just skip MT for now, but I won't be able to resist the chance to ride a new coaster in it's first official day of operation.

No worries, I will not be spoiling anything about what's in the shed!

Opening day I'll be in New York eyeballing the new Dodge Demon and fanboying over that beautiful Koenigsegg Agera.

I'll go to KI in the middle of the day in a week or so later once operation hits and ride in 10 minutes :P