Kings Island General Discussion

[SkiBum]

I love Banshee so I’m an odd duck but the next addition KI needs to look at the Vortex problem. They need another inverting sit down but I don’t think it should be B&M. I wonder if one of the new Vekoma launches models would fit that bill.

I actually prefer Banshee over Diamondback but really like Diamondback just the same. Although it is much shorter, I actually prefer Mystic Timbers over the Beast but it's because it feels nonstop. Plus, I've ridden the Beast for 36 or 37 years (was too chicken for the first couple years to do more than appreciate it from a distance).

Vortex needs to go. It rarely has a line and is just rough. So rough. That is a key piece of real estate to have such a rotten coaster dominate. Plus, they would be creating another ride to space people out within the park as the trifecta of the Beast, Mystic, and Diamondback create a crowded area.

 

[shiekra38]

I feel the first hill after the first drop may provide some unique air time

 

[JPRA513]

Funny thing is that I might drive faster than the coaster goes when I first go there to ride it. For anyone on I-71, fair warning is supplied to stay out of the fast lane. Of course, the Highway Patrol is in that area frequently so maybe I'll just ensure that I leave early enough that I don't have to rush.

Beware the Ohio State Highway Patrol... Troopers are ruthless...

I love Banshee so I’m an odd duck but the next addition KI needs to look at the Vortex problem. They need another inverting sit down but I don’t think it should be B&M. I wonder if one of the new Vekoma launches models would fit that bill.

I'm actually hoping that Cedar Fair continues with Mack after Copperhead Strike at Carowinds this year. I'd love to see something like that, maybe a bit more intense, at Kings Island in the future.

Really looking forward to Orion though! Looks amazing. Excited to have a Giga 10 minutes away.

 

[JungleSkip]

 

[Scott W.]

It's refreshing to see a company come out and give an hourly capacity.

 

[shiekra38]

And is B&M so will work on first day

 

[Ryan]

It looks great but it's a little absurd they couldn't make it at least a bit taller. Even 300ft hill with 305ft drop would've been fine but whatever this looks like a great giga, a bit like Fury crossed with Leviathan and there ain't nothin wrong with that.

This only further solidifies KI as having one of the greatest coaster line-ups ever. The only thing they could use at this point is either a Gerstlauer Dive Machine or a B&M Flyer (to replace Firehawk).

 

[JPRA513]

It looks great but it's a little absurd they couldn't make it at least a bit taller. Even 300ft hill with 305ft drop would've been fine but whatever this looks like a great giga, a bit like Fury crossed with Leviathan and there ain't nothin wrong with that.

This only further solidifies KI as having one of the greatest coaster line-ups ever. The only thing they could use at this point is either a Gerstlauer Dive Machine or a B&M Flyer (to replace Firehawk).

I agree that I would've liked a bit taller, but at the end of the day, it's a 300 foot drop. Millennium Force has a 310 foot hill with a 300 foot drop, Kings Island just happens to have hillier terrain so they've got a 285 foot hill with a 300 foot drop. It's still going to be massive and fast. Can't wait to ride.

 

[Parkscope Joe]

 

[Magic-Man]

Disappointed but not surprised. Ride is rough and a maintenance nightmare.

 

[Parkscope Joe]

Disappointed but not surprised. Ride is rough and a maintenance nightmare.

I thought we’d get another year or two out of it after Orion opened. Guess not. There’s a large plot of land in the back there for something new now.

 

[Magic-Man]

I thought we’d get another year or two out of it after Orion opened. Guess not. There’s a large plot of land in the back there for something new now.

Hopefully they put something temporary on that plot of land, or something small like a flat or a restaurant. Or open it up to picnics. That plot of land is in the middle of the most crowded section of the park.

 

[Parkscope Joe]

Hopefully they put something temporary on that plot of land, or something small like a flat or a restaurant. Or open it up to picnics. That plot of land is in the middle of the most crowded section of the park.

Bet the monster truck thing goes there for three months or whatever that was going around.

 

[Mad Dog]

I'm feeling old. I rode it during it's opening season.

 

[SkiBum]

I'm feeling old. I rode it during it's opening season.

I'm with you on that feeling. Plus, every time that I rode Vortex in the last few years, I felt even older. It was showing its age and not in a good way.

 

[SkiBum]

I would also submit that Vortex typically had the shortest wait of any coaster at KI, along with The Bat. Part of that is good capacity but part of it is that it was a pain in the neck to ride. Literally. Poor Arrow Dynamics. They are losing what representation that they had in parks across the US. Still a fair number of them out there but definitely losing visibility. Hopefully, they keep The Bat running for a while. It's only five or six years younger than Vortex but it is still a very fun ride, albeit short.

On the plus side, Orion's lift hill has the first section in place along with track through the station area. I don't see the large crane that will be needed to go higher but I would guess that they will move along to the final brake run next and continue through the segments that are reachable with the shorter cranes. Or they wait until the big boy shows up and then construct the highest hills first. I don't know their schedule per se.

 

[Mad Dog]

I would also submit that Vortex typically had the shortest wait of any coaster at KI, along with The Bat. Part of that is good capacity but part of it is that it was a pain in the neck to ride. Literally. Poor Arrow Dynamics. They are losing what representation that they had in parks across the US. Still a fair number of them out there but definitely losing visibility. Hopefully, they keep The Bat running for a while. It's only five or six years younger than Vortex but it is still a very fun ride, albeit short.

On the plus side, Orion's lift hill has the first section in place along with track through the station area. I don't see the large crane that will be needed to go higher but I would guess that they will move along to the final brake run next and continue through the segments that are reachable with the shorter cranes. Or they wait until the big boy shows up and then construct the highest hills first. I don't know their schedule per se.

Kind of amazing that Arrows' Loch Ness Monster at BGW, though apx. ten years older, is still a damn good ride.

 

[cwgator]

^LNM is a more simple design in comparison. It just has the 2 vertical loops and an indoor helix (besides the hills of course). Vortex is a bit more complex with multiple inversions likely causing a lot more stress than LNM would ever get, and one reason for the roughness (it's not just the trains).

I'm glad that POS is being removed. I've said before it was very picturesque, but that' the only nice thing i could say about my experience. It was the only coaster at the park I would have gladly skipped after the headache it produced (yes I was expecting it, but still). While it may be a few years before I get back there, it will be nice to see what ends up in that location.

 

[SkiBum]

^LNM is a more simple design in comparison. It just has the 2 vertical loops and an indoor helix (besides the hills of course). Vortex is a bit more complex with multiple inversions likely causing a lot more stress than LNM would ever get, and one reason for the roughness (it's not just the trains).

I'm glad that POS is being removed. I've said before it was very picturesque, but that' the only nice thing i could say about my experience. It was the only coaster at the park I would have gladly skipped after the headache it produced (yes I was expecting it, but still). While it may be a few years before I get back there, it will be nice to see what ends up in that location.

I am hoping that maybe something like Copperhead Strike could be put in that location. It's prime real estate and also has some land countours to use effectively. Maybe in time for the 50th anniversary. Plus, that would help spread guests more effectively through the east side of Kings Island (along with Orion, of course). While I'm at it, I would take out Invertigo and the water ride (I still call it Congo River) and then install a nice little RMC in that area. That last part might be a stretch though as there may not be enough room. I'm talking an RMC in the neighborhood of 140' high and not one of the monsters that they are building (ex. Steel Vengeance, Iron Gwazi, etc.).

 

[Magic-Man]