TR - Diamondback Auction, Opening Day at KI

Well, I like to write, so sorry this TR is so long. If you read all of it, then thanks for taking the time, and I hope you enjoyed it! Photos are at the end.

I have been going to Kings Island since 1989, but April 18 was really special.

Somehow I managed to fall asleep on Friday night, April 17, at about 11pm. I had won one of the Diamondback auction seats, #105 as it would turn out, and I was wired. When I woke up around 4:30am (alarm had not gone off yet) I knew there was no going back to sleep.

Out the door by 5:20am, I reached the parking lot gate just after 6am, and it took about 5 minutes to get in. I parked in a decent spot and made a beeline for the season pass processing center to get my platinum pass taken care of. The line was short so early, and I was in and out in less than 10 minutes, despite someone in charge having to show them what to do with the voucher I got at Cedar Point. The park had every station running in the pass processing center, but the line nearly reached the parking lot down the drive when I went to put stuff in my car later in the day.

I waited in line to register for my auction seat, and then waited in another line in the cold until they let all 256 of us in, passing through metal detectors first. We walked back to the ride, and we waited in the next door restaurant until it was time to ride. Outside and I tried the test seat as a friend took a photo for me, and I discovered that the lap bar actually locked - I had to find the release pedal, which I couldn't really see because my legs were in the way, in order to get out of it!

We lined up again, this time in numerical order. There was a short speech and a check presentation to the charity (A Kid Again). KI added two trains to the auction, and that put the total bid total over $100,000. Way to go KI for helping out a great cause.

I ended up on the third train, outside right seat, row 14, two rows from the back. As we rolled out of the station I looked at my watch - 8:36am. The ride was cold (maybe 50F air temp), but fantastic. I'm far from an expert (DB is my 55th coaster), but as a long-time fan of KI, it was clearly everything I had hoped, and more, and I knew it after only one ride.

The ride - near the back seat

The lift is moderate speed - not MF fast, but not a slow crawl. If the timing is right, you can watch the splashdown as you climb the lift - very cool! The view from the top is amazing, especially if you look back over your shoulder at the Eiffel Tower. With the fantastically comfortable open seating, you can look all around you quite easily, including over the side of the lift if you are in an outside seat.

In the back, the airtime over the top is great, and the 74-degree drop seems steeper. You can see people on the midway below you as you scream down the drop. It is high enough that I run out of breath yelling on the way down, a sign of a good ride in my book.

Before you know it, you're seemingly climbing straight up, and then the airtime begins as you go over the top and are pulled down every single drop by the front of the train, and you are not using your seat on any of them. Mr. Thighs, meet Mr. B&M lap bar - you'll be seeing a lot of each other.

After three drops the turnaround turn comes, and it, like the whole ride, is a lot of fun and super smooth. The trims on the way up next hill were inactive or barely active in the morning, and after once again leaving our seats we reached the block brake and slowed a bit. There was still lots of air on the two smaller hills before the helix (where the on-ride photos are taken) and there was air on the drop into the splashdown. Down at water level, the waves in the pond really fly by. I looked back and watched the water shooting up one car behind me. We hit the brakes and everyone yelled and applauded. It clearly exceeded my expectations, and was simply pure fun. Still pumped, we stopped to get our complimentary on-ride photos.

Stampeding Hordes!

We were waiting for the photos to print when the stampeding hordes arrived, in the form of the passholders who had sprinted from the rope drop. The line quickly filled the queue area and overflowed in to the midway. Meanwhile the auction winners were having breakfast and picking up gift bags, which was a DB bag containing an extra first-rider T-shirt, a DB jigsaw puzzle, and some DB cards and mints. The mints say "bite one" (goes with the snake theming).

After breakfast I headed to the Beast for a ride in the back car. It was fantastic, smoother than any ride in recent memory. They have re-tracked the helix, and possibly removed one of the sets of brakes on the descent to the helix because to the smoother ride through that last curve. Awesome. When I exited the ride, the line had grown from a few train wait to near the entrance, but not filling the switchbacks.

The Diamondback line now stretched from the ride entrance, around past Chick-fil-a, past the back side of the Eiffel tower, around the slashdown lake, all the way to the exit for the Crypt. It was 10am, the non-passholding public would be coming in soon, I wasn't meeting anyone until 1pm, and other rides had good-sized lines, so I decided to get in line again and see how it was moving.

The line wasn't THAT long....

KI had managed the line quite well - they routed it clockwise around the lake, and there was an employee at the end with a height-measurement stick so people with kids wouldn't wait a long time to get to the height-check at the ride entrance. I asked the employee how long the wait was. He said 4-5 hrs. I didn't believe him. I got in line.

Turns out, it was moving quite well. In an hour I was at Chick-fil-a, and in another half hour I was at the queue entrance. It takes about an hour from there to get to your train. People were batting balloons around like beach balls under the shaded part of the queue. It was fun seeing all of the coaster T-shirts, ACE shirts, etc., and talking to people in line. The atmosphere was just electric, and everyone was happy.

I still had the "Diamondback rider #105" sticker on the back of my first-rider T-shirt, and people were commenting on it and asking about the ride. All I had to do was smile and say was "I'm back in line, aren't I?", and they got the idea.

In the last bit of the queue switchbacks, you are right by the lift, and you can watch people freak out as they tilt back quite steeply and start going up the lift. The most popular reaction is for people to grab the handles on the lap bar. Simultaneously their head goes from looking around to against the headreast of the seat, and they get a really serious look on their face. Some start screaming, and others just swear or start yelling at their "friends" for talking them into riding it. It's so much fun to people watch on new rides.

Anyway, despite the crazy wait time guess, 2 hrs and 40 minutes later I was in the FRONT SEAT, right side. That was the longest I ever saw the line, and it shrank rapidly. By late afternoon it was 75 mins, by evening 45-60 mins. Reports of the wait times have been greatly exaggerated by the local media!

The ride ops did a fantastic job on a day that that simply had do. Again, well done KI for keeping the line moving and having the ride ready to go and thoroughly tested on opening day.

The ride - front seat

Back to the ride - I wanted to see what the front seat was like and to feel the 80 mph breeze in my face, but I didn't expect to enjoy it as much as the back of the train ride that I had earlier. Exiting the station into bright sunshine and I had a huge smile on my face because I had scored a another ride, in the front of all places.

From the lift, we could see that the line had gotten much shorter. As we went over the top I surveyed the excellent view of the rest of the ride in front of us.

Starting down, you slide forward in your seat and are dangled there for a few seconds while the rest of the train clears the lift. There is no part of the car in front of you, just the restraint. Very cool! Then it's off the the races at a 74-degree angle. The wind felt great, as the day had warmed considerably. My hands were up (as they were at every instant of all the DB rides I got that day) and I was having a great time yelling into the wind.

Then I got a surprise. As we climbed the steep second hill and started to level off, my legs hit the lap bar with what felt like more force than in the back of the train! Holy #$@%, this is amazing! Since the track is curving away from the train, not much of it is visible, and you are very high up, the illusion is that you are simply flying off into space. When you combine that illusion with the airtime, it's just plain outstanding. The woman seated next to me was hanging on, but having a great time. We were launched on the next hill, too. I was so surprised that I think I yelled "this is better than the back!"

I didn't mind that I didn't leave my seat coming out of the block brake - the view from the front made up for it. The two smaller hills launched us again, and it was fun to watch the track fly by through the helix and even cooler to see the track and water racing under the front of the train. We hit the brakes and I was giddy.

Other rides and wetness

At this point I met up with some friends, and then we split up into two groups, hoping to meet up later. I dropped the gift bag and my jacket off in my car, and had a snack. We rode Flight Deck and SOB. I had the privilege of watching maintenance change out TWO proximity sensors in order to make SOB work again. The ride in the back was powerful and fun, but the nearly two-hour wait was not cool. Had we not been at the very front of the line (after a lot of people left), we would have bailed sooner. Still, it was good to ride it... once.

I figured I needed at least two DB rides to wipe out the bad experience, so we headed there, and I ended up in the very back seat this time, right side. Time to test out the water shooting thingies! As we ended another airtime-filled journey I looked back to see the water spraying up at amazing speed about two feet from my head! Hearing the roar/whoosh of the water was an unexpected treat.

My right shoulder got quite wet, and so did my right foot and lower pant leg. So, in the back seat, DB is actually a water ride! Remember that when it's 45 degrees and you're only wearing a T-shirt. Thankfully for me it was about 75F at the time of my splashing.

Filling empty seats - sometimes

I left my friends and got back in line for my fourth DB ride and some people walked by in the single rider line. They were using it! One guy had an extra single rider pass, and was trying to find someone to give it to. I volunteered. We weren't too far from the station, so it ended up taking about the same amount of time to get a seat as it would if I had stayed in line. We both got back in line, but as he explained to me they don't always have the passes (they have to collect them all at the station and bring them back to the gate). If there are no passes at the gate, you have to wait in the full line.

So if you are an unlucky single rider, you wait as long as everyone else, but you have a chance at picking your seat. If you're lucky, you get on quickly, but you can't pick you seat. I got my 5th ride in only 20 minutes, luckily somewhere near the back. Then the passes seemed to disappear for the rest of the evening.

Photography tips

The sun rises on the side of DB opposite the queue line. So, morning photos are best taken from the side of the lake opposite the station. This will get you the best shots of the splashdown from the side, though you can also take them from behind the train nearer where the track crosses the midway. The evening light is best for shots taken from the queue.

Morning also should be better for shots of the train coming down the first hill. I didn't get any shots of a train coming down the first drop because I was too busy waiting in line! I'm sure someone will post some, and I'll try to get some with my better camera in the future.

Darkness falls

By the time I got in line for my 6th ride, the sun was setting and I was eager for it to get dark. If you couldn't tell, I was unable to stop myself from getting back in line for DB. For me, Diamondback = Coaster crack (hey, that rhymes). I met up with a guy from Chicago wearing a B&M shirt and he liked the idea of trying out the front. The seat assigner was taking some requests, and we were able to get row 2, the outside seats on the front car.

It was fairly dark as we climbed the lift hill, and it was cooling off. Row 2 did not disappoint. Amazing air as before, except there is a seat in front of you and to one side. However, the outside seats have the beneficial effect of feeling like they are out on the edge of nothingness.

Did I mention that there are no lights between the lift and the helix, except for some on the block brakes? For the most part, all of the airtime hills are traversed in darkness, and so is the turnaround. Nothing like flying out of your seat in the pitch black to make a ride even better. For me, it might have been better than the nearby Beast in the dark. (They both have lighted parts in the middle.) Then you fly back into the lights of the midway and the splashdown.

I got back in line and again sat in row 2, this time on the right side. I spotted the lights from downtown Cincinnati ahead of me and to my right as we crested the hill, something I have only seen from Drop Tower before. The lift of the Vortex is lit up as usual, but it is WAY below the peak of DB. The Beast is mostly hidden by the darkness.

It was 9:59pm when I ran back to the line and found it still open. This is still new to me at KI because I visited the park for years and they always cut the lines early. Cedar Fair cuts the line at closing time and then empties the queue. My 8th ride was about 10:35pm. Three rows from the back, being pulled down the first hill (and all of the rest of the hills) in the dark was excellent. We roared into the brakes and saw an empty station and queue to our left.

I had been on the third train in the morning, and the second to last at night. As we got off I thanked the ride ops for a job well done, and tried to figure out how I was going to wait for May 9th to return to KI.

Wrapping it up

So, 8 rides on opening day and I was so wired up I had trouble going to sleep, even after getting up at 4:30am. The only hiccup in DB operation I saw all day was when a train stopped on the lift for about 30s, but then it headed on up as normal.

The line was never much more than 2.5 hrs. I know, I waited in it starting at 10am, and rode at ~12:40 in the front. Those claiming 4-5 hrs were either park employees who were guessing, or those who listened to them.

The trims (on the climb up the 3rd hill, right after the turnaround) were definitely doing more braking as the day wore on. In the morning I couldn't feel them, but for the last night rides they were braking fairly strongly. I assume that's from the ride warming up and running a bit faster.

HOWEVER, I was always off my seat over that trimmed hill, and the hills ones following the block brake, so I can't complain. It was a very consistent ride, and it's right up there with MF as one of my favorites.

On the way home I experienced "phantom lap bar syndrome", which I define as feeling like you're still locked into the train, or noting the strange absence of something larger holding you in, even though you're in the car wearing a seat belt. When that happens, it was a fantastic day.

It's early - the waning moon shines near the Eiffel Tower.

Fireworks, seen from the queue for Diamondback. I got one of the last night rides (which are awesome).

It was fun to watch the reactions of first-time riders as they tilted back and headed up the lift.

Everyone seems to smile as they get on board. The snake-head front of the train looks great.

I took this photo while waiting in line. The line went back under the track, but was 2.5 hrs long, not 4-5 as reported.

The number on the storage bin was correct - this is me on my first DB ride. Thanks for the photo Kevin!

The snake-scale paint job continues on the sides of the train, all the way to the back. The open seating is fantastic. This is finally my train!

Lift hill shot - the lift is quiet and moderate speed. Get me on the ride!

We lined up in numerical order for our rides. I was #105. Getting excited....

Our first good look at the lift and station as we walked back early in the morning. Wow. Now I'm awake!

The International Street fountains are lit up by the rising sun. It's way too early in the morning.

Great TR! Seems like you had a good time.

So in the end, did you prefer the back or the front? Which did you prefer for night rides?

Great photos. I really liked the close up of the lift hill. Just a quick question, do they close Diamondback for the fireworks like they do for the Beast?

Nice PTR. I'll be there in August to hit this large and in charge beast up!

I cannot WAIT to ride it!!!

Great TR! Seems like you had a good time.

So in the end, did you prefer the back or the front? Which did you prefer for night rides?

Thanks, had a great time, will be back soon.

I actually preferred the front over the back, but not by a huge amount. It felt like there was stronger air in the front (but that might just be how it felt to me). In the dark in the front it felt like you were being launched into the dark sky as you peaked the hills! Add the wind in your face, and it was excellent.

Great photos. I really liked the close up of the lift hill. Just a quick question, do they close Diamondback for the fireworks like they do for the Beast?

Thanks. No, they didn't close it. Trains were running during the fireworks, and one of my (lucky) friends rode during them.

Amazing TR and PTR. Nothing's better than a long and detailed report, about coasters, and a brand new coaster, on opening day . Diamondback really looks (and sounds) great. I am very happy to be one of the people saying "Looks great, can't wait to ride it in ____!". And for me, that blank is two months.

Nice report and details about the event. Thanks for sharing. I appreciate the photo tips about the lighting locations cause sometimes that's hard to tell until you get there. It really looks like KI has done well with this one.

I would have to say Kings Island is the second best park in the Cedar Fair chain-Cedar Point being first of course!

Wow, I loved the pictures! Again, just making me very excited for August!

I can't wait to get back there May 9-10.

DB is at the top of the list of rides I want to go on again as soon as possible. That list also includes MF, so I can compare them with both fresh in my mind. Yes, it's that good.

I've been going to KI for 20 years and I'm so happy DB is now a reality. The retracked Beast helix is a nice bonus, too. Fast, smooth rides make me happy.

Here's another photo to inspire you to get there soon.

It seems steeper than this - in any seat. Go ride it!

The coaster looks so mejestic, even better with the blue sky! Many thanks to all you guys for posting so many wonderful pics on here. The anticipation is really building as this is one of the coaster that "I will ride" on my Cedar Point / Kings Island trip in August!

Awesome TR & DB pics. This is definitely the new for 2009 ride I'm looking forward to riding most! I wonder if it will be as good as Behemoth because Behemoth was AMAZING

Well, no super-long TR this time, just an addition to my KI/DB thread from last week. Photos are just below.

A friend and I headed to KI Sunday the 26th. During passholder early entry (1/2 hr before opening), my first DB ride had a 4 minute wait. The second was 10-15 minutes, so I got two rides during early entry.

After rides on the Beast, Backlot Coaster, Vortex, Flight of Fear, Racer, and Adventure Express, we headed back to DB for a ride in Row 2. We tried the single rider line and got another ride in 10-15 minutes.

After another Beast ride it was lunch time - LaRosa's pizza.

We headed up front where I rode Drop Zone and Delerium, and then we went to DB again. After a ride or two I stayed there, and my friend went off to ride other coasters.

I used the single rider line a couple more times.

On the second hill of one ride I noticed that someone two rows in front of me had dropped something. They were trying to grab it, but they were having trouble reaching the floor, and the airtime was complicating matters. With the open seating, I had a great view. Turns out it was a cell phone, and as the airtime levitated it over the third hill, they grabbed it, but something came out and actually hit my foot on the way down. Turns out that was the battery!

The moral of the story is - Diamondback eats cell phones! With all of the airtime, make sure it's secured or you might lose it!

I decided I wanted a front seat ride. No chance of getting hit by cell phone batteries there.

I waited in the full line by myself. I explained this to the seat-assigner, and was able to get row 1. I knew I would make someone in the single rider line very happy!

It's amazing how coincidences happen......

A guy walked up from the line with a big smile, and I told him he had won the lottery. He was, of course, very happy to get a front-seat ride, but he looked slightly familiar......

We talked for a minute, and it turns out it was PKI ManJZ, aka Zach!

He is a KI employee and has been posting great DB photos (see his thread HERE). We had even corresponded a bit. Small world!

Anyway, we had an awesome front seat ride, and then we waited in line and scored a back seat ride. The splashdown had what we concluded was an acceptable amount of wetness. (I got a photo of my shoulder to show this.) Zach headed home, I got back in line.

All in all I got 12 DB rides, 2 during early entry, and 3 using the single rider line. Even sitting nearer to the middle (row 6) it was a fabulous ride. Riding in the back right seat, I looked behind me and to my left and watched the water flying out of the scoop. Very cool.

The front is still my favorite, though, for the wind-in-the-face feeling and the way the airtime feels.

Some photos follow. The shot of people coming over the second airtime hill shows what a relatively inexpensive small point-and-shoot camera can do. I intend to try this shot with a much better camera and lens in the future.

Next it's off to try out Prowler next weekend. Look for a TR at some point.

PKI ManJZ waits with me for our front seat DB ride on Sunday. Great to meet you!

An acceptable amount of wetness - my arm after a back seat DB ride (see previous photo of SPLOOOOOSH)

SPLOOOOOOOOOSH!

First-time riders procedure - roll out, tilt back, get death grip on lap bar, curse friends for making them ride. (This is so much fun to watch from the queue!)

Lift hill to heaven....

The Crypt's building grew an awesome coaster!

Photo taken with a small point-and-shoot camera from a long distance away - not bad!

Row 1 - "If I fly out of this thing, I'm taking your arm with me!"

Row 2, - "I'm catching lots of 'Aero'!"

Row 3, left (as seen in photo), covering eyes - "I can't look. Is it over yet?"

Row 3, right - holding her necklace down

Row 4 & 5, left - "WOW!!!"

Row 4, right - "If I hold onto the back of the seat AND the side of the seat, I probably won't fly out!"

Row 5, right, Row 6 - "Hairtime!"

Row 6, holding hands, "Wheeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!!"

I wait for a ride on the Beast.

B&M artwork at Kings Island - I never thought the view from the Beast entrance would look like this!

I look like a mess! What a great way to end my day at KI! Awesome pictures, too. It was a pleasant surprise, Mike! Looking forward to our next adventures.

-Zach

Knew I seen those photos elsewhere....great photos.

BTW.....the black dude-op in the back...is awesome on the mic. His name's Keenan. Pay attention if he's working while you're there!

-Zach

I look like a mess! What a great way to end my day at KI! Awesome pictures, too. It was a pleasant surprise, Mike! Looking forward to our next adventures. -Zach

Mess?! That photo with you in the station turned out pretty good, I think! Everything's in focus, and the exposure was good. I had your name misspelled in the TR so I fixed that.

If I can make a recommendation, one of our next adventures should be at Holiday World. Let me know when you can head down there. Bring your camera and any friends that will appreciate wood coasters and you'll have a great time.

I'll be at Ride Warrior Weekend, and back at KI at the end of May. -Mike

You should come down for HWN...I can meet another TPr member.

I made a trip down to KI for the Haunt a few weeks ago. My night ride on DB (3rd from back row, outside seat) was absolutely stunning. The ride definitely exceded my expections, which were quite high after riding Behemoth the previous summer. I know where you are coming from when you say it is better in the front. That seems to be the case with B&M hypers.