Kings Island (KI) Discussion Thread

[Diamondbacker27]

It's popular, but it also has very slow loading. Like a 30 minute wait with FastLane when I went.

Question for all: Do you still think DB will be the star of the park? Or will Banshee take that place?

[coasterbill]

Do you still think DB will be the star of the park?

 

I'm not sure how you'd decide what the star of the park is. If you go by ridership that has a lot of additional factors like capacity and uptime, if you just go by what most people would list as their favorite ride then Diamondback might win since a lot of people are afraid of inversions and it doesn't have any.

 

I guess we'll wait and see.

[PhantomNick]

Obviously I will reserve full judgement until I get to ride Banshee, but if I were to guess, I'm thinking (for me anyway) that Banshee will slide in as my #2 coaster at the park, behind Diamondback......and ahead of the vastly overrated Beast.

[coasterbill]

As it stands I actually think Flight of Fear might be the best coaster in the park. I always thought it was vastly underrated.

[Diamondbacker27]

Obviously I will reserve full judgement until I get to ride Banshee, but if I were to guess, I'm thinking (for me anyway) that Banshee will slide in as my #2 coaster at the park, behind Diamondback......and ahead of the vastly overrated Beast.

I'm the same way.

[coasterfreak101]

Obviously I will reserve full judgement until I get to ride Banshee, but if I were to guess, I'm thinking (for me anyway) that Banshee will slide in as my #2 coaster at the park, behind Beast...and ahead of the vastly overrated Diamondback.

 

Fixed this for ya.

[Whodey]

The Beast compared to modern wooden coasters is not good. At the time Beast was built it was amazing. I watched the video of the 25th anniversary of the Beast. It was crazy how they built the ride. If they built it today the ride is pathetic. They designed the enitre thing by hand. No computer or even scientific calculator was used. The 2 guys who designed it had never designed a coaster before. So I give Beast props becuase of the way it was built. It is amazing it is still going strong, but yes I think El Toro and Boulder Dash are better rides. Once you ride a modern woodie it ruins the Beast. I still love it despite it being "overrated".

[jmicha]

Beast is fun in its own way and is a great night ride, but comparatively it's not that great. I love riding it, but having ridden some awesome wooden coasters like Raven, Voyage, Legend, Boulderdash, Thunderhead, Boardwalk Bullet etc. it doesn't really hold up in the thrills department. But keeping in mind its age it is still impressive. Though not a popular opinion in Kings Island circles I'd really love to see Beast redone by a modern wooden coaster company. If RMC or GCI came in and redid the ride and kept the essence but brought the thrills up to modern standards I think it could really move up in the ranks for a lot of people. A ride of that length with that setting would be a perfect contender for topper track.

[Diamondbacker27]

So many coaster people would be P.O.ed if they put topper track on the beast. But, the GP, no they wouldn't give a hoot.

[PhantomNick]

Obviously I will reserve full judgement until I get to ride Banshee, but if I were to guess, I'm thinking (for me anyway) that Banshee will slide in as my #2 coaster at the park, behind Beast...and ahead of the vastly overrated Diamondback.

 

Fixed this for ya.

 

Well, see, that's the beauty of this hobby - different strokes for different folks. So, thanks but no thanks for the "fixing" of my opinions on the park's top coasters.

 

^^ And I would say my overall opinion of The Beast is pretty much the same as this. I certainly appreciate it for what it is (especially considering its age), and actually consider it a good and rather fun coaster. Probably a solid 8/10 ride for me. I don't think it's a bad ride or anything like that, it just underwhelmed me a bit when I first rode it after hearing plenty of folks rave about it as one of the best woodies on the planet. You bring up an interesting idea about having RMC "update" it a bit. Would the Beast fans/purists oppose this for tinkering with their baby, or would they welcome the "freshening up"?

[SFOGdude25]

The Beast may not be the best coaster in the park, but it is my personal favorite. There is SO much history in the ride. The significance it has in the industry is huge since it shattered all records of the time for height, speed, most importantly, length. Every time I ride it, I can feel the almost special quality the ride has since it is so unique. Now that being said, I do have a few gripes. The train's seat dividers kill my shoulders, and the only trim brake that bothers me is the covered brake section since it builds so much speed then loses it in about 20 feet of track. I would've put that brakes much farther up the track and spread them out so the speed reduction isn't as abrupt.

 

When it comes to updating The Beast, I feel like you could change things up a bit, but only if they kept to the spirit of the original.

[Diamondbacker27]

So you feel like most Beast fans would be okay if it were just re-tracked and tinkered with a little?

But not with the IRAT kind of treatment?

[ccharle2]

I honestly think they should go back and do SOB AGAIN---only this time make it a hybrid. I know that veers off the topic of "modern woodies," but it would be a way to leave the original Beast alone, but provide another ride experience. I mostly say that because I became an enthusiast only recently and wish I would have ridden SOB at least once before it went to coaster heaven. Sue me

[SFOGdude25]

I mostly say that because I became an enthusiast only recently and wish I would have ridden SOB at least once before it went to coaster HELL.

Fixed.

[ccharle2]

I mostly say that because I became an enthusiast only recently and wish I would have ridden SOB at least once before it went to coaster HELL.

Fixed.

 

Lots of corrections going on today......but I wouldn't know either way because I never rode it!

[Diamondbacker27]

Son Of Beast was boring. It was nothing but drops and turns. And a couple Helixs.

[ccharle2]

Son Of Beast was boring. It was nothing but drops and turns. And a couple Helixs.

 

So in other words....a lot like it's predecessor, The Beast, except probably a lot higher I would hazard to guess.... *hint of sarcasm*

I would ride that, and would suppose the height element would make it that much more exciting for me.

[Diamondbacker27]

The first drop was probably the best part, then one huge helix, then a bunch of spread out turns.

The Beast is much more tight, has tunnels, idk it's just a fun ride compared to SOB.

[gerstlaueringvar]

Beast is way too important to the industry that Texas Giant, Rattler and Medusa so Iron Horse treatment wouldn't be a good choice. Topper track is a good solution though.

[Diamondbacker27]

Isn't that what they did to Thunder Run?

[mikeykaise]

I hate to say it since I'm a fellow Beast lover too but the last time I rode it at Coasting for Kids in 2012 to me it seemed a lot slower and not as thrilling, would love to see some work done to get it back to the way it used to be.

[BigDipper 80]

On the topic of Beast, I came across this neat article about the ride's history and design sensibilities a while back: LINK

 

It's an endless debate on this site and others if Beast is a good ride, but honestly, to each his own. I appreciate the ride for what it is and for being so different from other coasters, even if those differences are considered positives or negatives by different people.

 

After all, Charlie Dinn did go on to found his own company, which essentially led to the creation of Custom Coasters, GCII, AND Gravity Group down the road. Beast is basically the granddaddy of nearly all modern wood coasters.

[B&MBoy1982]

I hate to say it since I'm a fellow Beast lover too but the last time I rode it at Coasting for Kids in 2012 to me it seemed a lot slower and not as thrilling, would love to see some work done to get it back to the way it used to be.

 

The Beast is the same speed as it has always been. Instead of skid brakes, there are magnetic brakes. The magnetic brakes slow the train down more abruptly than the skid brakes did.

 

You should have ridden Beast in 2013, I feel it gave some of the BEST rides in 2013. ( I've been a passholder since 2005)

 

Others who ride it frequently agree with me on that.

 

Also, you can judge the speed of the train by how high it climbs lift 2. For example, it has to be going at LEAST 60 at the bottom of the hill in order to barely make it to the first landing on the right side of the track.. (stairs) If the second car reaches the landing, you were going at least 65mph. Remember, the fastest part of the ride is right before the second lift.

[alilstronger]

I got to Kings Island and knew I was going to hit 150 coasters on that trip. I saved the Beast for that number. Well I was not too impressed with it. I do think its fun and will ride if I ever go back but I did not think it is anything amazing.

[bonsaiisuperstar]

The (former) biggest, baddest, tallest, fastest wooden coaster in the world needs no topper track, updates or other such nonsense. It is a classic and arguably one of the most famous coasters in the world. It still holds the record for longest wooden coaster 30+ years later. I still think it has the best double helix in the business. It's famous for its night rides (October rides in the fog on wet track!). Yeah the trims feel unnatural and although It barely cracked the top 50 in the Mitch Hawker poll this year, it is quite a respectable for its age. Cedar Fair has done a great job rehabbing it recently. There was evidence of extensive work at the beginning of the 2013 season. It was smooth as butter in fact.

Of course it cannot compete with the likes of modern woodies. It was built by hand with mathematics on paper, no computer aided stuff. Enjoy the ole Beast for what she is.