BeastBuzz, PKI 6/11/05

Stephanie and I love going to Paramount's Kings Island because they treat us so well for the big CoasterBuzz event. The marketing staff there really makes us feel like family!

Anyway, we've discovered over the years that we've been doing this that it's just too hard to do the full-on experience from morning to night, in part because we have to be there early enough to pass out tickets and man the booth. For that reason, we generally stick to eating and socializing most of the day. At a park like PKI, it's such a cool environment that it's not hard to just relax!

After we closed the ticket booth at 11 (we'll be doing it at 10 next year), we headed into the park for something to eat. For something different, we tried the new burrito place right inside the gate. It used to be Asian food, and apparently this location has been a flop no matter what they put in there because of its location. The burritos are OK, but they need to learn how to roll them and they need to season stuff and wash the beans. The meat needs to be marinated in something, and the veggies need a little olive oil and seasoning.

We scored boarding passes for the Italian Job Stunt Track, but it went down for a period of time so we didn't get there. No worries, we'd get to ride later.

We stopped in for the launch of the scavenger hunt, but did not participate. It sounds like Steve and Kristin made it pretty brutal!

Lunch came, and given the humidity, it was so nice to be able to have it in the International Restaurant. I was pleased to find that the burgers this year (they're a different kind compared to last year) weren't too bad. Everything was fresh and I love that they keep springing for dessert! Stephanie and I sat with the marketing team (Jeff Siebert, Maureen and Kristin), and learned all kinds of interesting things about the park.

After lunch we hit the hotel for a nap. Like I said, that's essential for us and allows us to better enjoy the end of the day, where all of the action is.

We agreed at lunch to meet onceler (Mike) and his traveling bachelor party. His lovely fiancee Artemisa was unfortunately not there, but we had a great time hanging out with his posse at Lt. Dan's Backyard Bar. This is such a neat location in the park, but as was the case last year, it's horribly understaffed. God bless the guy working the bar, because he tried his best to keep everyone taken care of, including the people coming up for food orders.

I think this was still the best part of the day for us, meeting the new people. It was weird how Stephanie and I made a lot of connections with regards to things we're all involved in with Mike's friends. Weird how total strangers can seem like best friends.

After a few rounds, Jeff Siebert happened to be walking through and stopped to talk to us. Most of the people in Mike's group had never been to the park, so they had a lot of interesting feedback to give. Jeff offered a little line cutting action, and since Steph and I love Tomb Raider so much, we opted for that. CPLady's (Linda's) crew was there, so they joined us.

Well, as is typical for Siebert, he didn't just walk us up, he gave us the tour. Part of that was the opportunity to go down the tunnel under the ride, which was kind of neat. We also watched a full ride cycle from in the show building, and I'm still just in awe seeing that thing in motion. The ride was fun, as always. I really dig the ride for what it is.

After the ride, we made a quick stop for a T-shirt Steph wanted, and headed to the Paramount Theater for the scavenger hunt awards and some really great promotional video clips.

Delirium is of course down for the count as it awaits a new main gear, so it was not a part of ERT. They've got a giant spacer they're apparently going to put in the place of the hub at the top of the ride so they can bring it down and make the repairs.

Flight of Fear was first then on the ERT list. It was a little slower than last year due to a little more mid-course brake action. Overall it wasn't that detrimental to the ride. I love that thing!

Next was The Italian Job Stunt Track. They were blasting through three trains and really cranking it. I only got one lap on media day, so it was exciting to get another chance. It was Steph's first time, and we got to drive in the front. What a difference at night! The effects at the mid-course are more dramatic as are the police cars. I'm still surprised at the moments of air on the ride. It's a winner all around. Great ride!

As is tradition, we ended at The Beast. With the humidity and the light rain, I expected the ride would really fly, and did it ever. A lot of people are critical of the magnetic brakes, but honestly the net speed of the ride is faster this way (it has been measured). It all depends on if you consider one quick grab at the end of the shed a buzzkill or if you consider the same from the long old skid brakes. I choose the shorter grab.

All in all, it was a great night. I really enjoyed myself, and can't wait for next year's 30th annual BeastBuzz!

Jeff, it was nice to talk to you and Steph over at Lt. Dan's. I totally agree with you on IJ:ST being better at night, too. The effects really shined at night. I just wish I was able to ride more during the ERT. What a long day, but good times.

30th annual Jeff? You've been hanging aroung Jeff and Maureen to much! :)

Great report, that's interesting about what they plan to do for Delirium repairs.

I was surprised an the candor of the maintenance stff. During the afternoon Drop Zone went down and there were 3 or 4 mechanics walking slowly around the base of the ride clearly looking for something The guy closest to where I was standing, stranded in line, apparently saw the inquisitive look on my face and my BeastBuzz lanyard and told me they were looking for part of a limit switch that had broken, They wanted to be sure there were no parts of it lodged anywhere. That's kind of rare for them to offer info like that.

I'll add Bubba Gumps to my list for next year also. Ditto on the Mexican place. I tried a couple soft shell taco's when I was back on Sunday and some better seasoning was in order. The meat was soaking through the shell very fast also.

I had a great time. Thanks to PKI for taking care of us......again! I'm glad I went. IJ:ST is a fantastic ride, and I can't say enough about the FOF tour. As for the scavenger hunt, that's another story.

Although I was not part of the Traveling Bachelor Party, it was great to hang out at Lt. Dan's with you Jeff, and Stephanie.

Next year, your first round is on me (and probably more after that).

Thanks for a great time!

Jeff,

A very large thanks to you and Stephanie for arranging the event, and Jeff, Maureen and Kristin for hosting. My brother and I had an absolutely fantastic (albiet physically draining) day.

The FOF tour was superb. I didn't expect them to launch trains with us in the building.

The option for the first ride of the day on either Beast or IJ:ST was a great move. I'm glad the folks at the ropes that could see us walk up to IJ:ST weren't armed.

Lunch was delicious. I blew my diet and had two ice creams! ;)

The walkback tour of Beast was incredible. I never thought I'd get to be that close to the back part of the ride (while not on it).

The ERT was spot on. Don't let others complaints bug you. There was enough time to get our fill and be satisfied.

In all, I don't think I could have made the day any better if I tried.

Thanks again,
EV

As always, it was great to be able to sit down and have a brew or 2 and talk "normal" talk while at a coaster event. Sorry my better half couldn't attend, but will undoubtably (is that even a word?) be in attendance next year... as well as my traveling posse. Being a coaster geek myself, I usually come away from PKI amazed not only in how well we are treated, but how I can goto a park and relax like I do every year there.

For me, this year was unique in that my "posse" consisted of your average general public person. It was great to see their reaction to a place I have come to love over the past few years. You could almost see how closed minded, at times, enthusiests are after our SOB ride in which every one of my gp posse wanted to jump back in line (including the wheel-row riders).

At the end of the night, I had a great time sitting back and observing my friends slowly turned to the dark side. As we were leaving the park, they turned to me and said "Whenever you do anything like this again, make sure you count us in." To me, that not only shows the effort that PKI does in making everyone feel welcome, but also what the members of CoasterBuzz did. As soon as we got back home, they were the ones telling the stories, not me for a change.

Like every reply before me, a big thanks goes out to Jeff & Steph & the PKI marketing crew, not only for planning this, but also for helping creating a unique environment where a coaster event isn't all about coasters.

Thanks,

-Mike

I'll add my thanks (again). Beastbuzz is the one event Ian and Donna have sworn to attend every year since their first one last year.

The Tomb Raider tour was awesome, and a wonderful surprise perk.