Kings Island (KI) Discussion Thread

[KIEnthusiast]

Here’s a new drone video from a few days ago:

[SharkTums]

^^I think that's a badge of honor personally!

[cfc]

^^I think that's a badge of honor personally!

[prozach626]

The roller coaster terminology article didn't mention Vortex under the batwing maneuver. It's as if... it never existed...

[KIEnthusiast]

Here is a photo of Orion's entrance:

[DBru]

Well...it’s definitely...clean...

[prozach626]

Needs more concrete.

[KIEnthusiast]

A look at the interior of Orion’s station:

[Nrthwnd]

A few more trash bins would be nice, too.

[DILinator]

It all looks sharp, and nice, but also looks like what I'd expect a coaster and area that is "themed" at CF to look like.

[KarlaKoaster]

To be fair to CF they can knock it out of the park sometimes with ride presentation - I love how Fury looks with the whole neon honeycomb aesthetic. Orion definitely looks to be a lot more pared down in this respect, though, but I'm looking forward to seeing it in real life.

[DILinator]

^Oh, absolutely! Heck, even Leviathan was done well, without being too extensive, to fit in both with the area and the theme. I've always been impressed with the Diamondback area at KI as well. Orion does look very "Cedar Point-ish" in its use of expansive concrete, and bare bones attempt at a theme. Given the space available, and the theming potential, it's a little disappointing, but not at all surprising. Also, it doesn't make the ride less thrilling, to be clear. It also looking very visually appealing, towering above the entrance, and area, like that!

[WolfBobs]

I wonder how much of the.. lack of "theming" could be blamed on last minute cost cutting due to COVID-19. KI usually doesn't go for the concrete jungle aesthetic that CP has. Last minute decisions to cute the cost of landscaping or anything additional. Sure many things were already planned for and probably quoted, but maybe they decided to take a much more conservative approach once things started looking doubtful for a scheduled opening day. Saving a few thousand to hundred thousand dollars on unnecessary plants and signage could help long term for the company.

[KIEnthusiast]

Mystic Timbers on opening day 2017 had a similar approach: station architecture that matches the area and "Miami River Lumber Co." written above the ride operator booth. That seems very similar to here, the station architecture matches the whole Area 72 vibe and there is a themed sign above the booth you can see in the video--it ends in "ting." For Mystic Timbers, even though the station was plain, there was still tons of theming in the queue, in the plaza, onride, etc. So for Orion, who knows, maybe they're busy installing props or something in the queue. But on the other hand, Cedar Fair did cut out $75-100 million of capital, and a theming package would be an easy thing to cut...

[prozach626]

The blue track really pops with the unpainted steel structure. They really nailed the simplicity of this.

[grsupercity]

I think Asteroids will be falling out of the sky during the ride. The theming is being pelted in the face with rocks while you go 90 mph

[KIEnthusiast]

The blue track really pops with the unpainted steel structure. They really nailed the simplicity of this.

Also nice they tried basing it off Flight of Fear’s exterior. Gray bottom with a blue stripe. The supports=the gray bottom and the track=the blue stripe.

[prozach626]

I think Asteroids will be falling out of the sky during the ride. The theming is being pelted in the face with rocks while you go 90 mph

Just ride it in the rain.

[Midgetman82]

Cedar Fair does a "serviceable" amount of theming on their coasters, just enough to say that a ride has an actual theme beyond giving a fancy name. No one expects them to go all out on theming. Frankly, they could've just slapped a new ride on a chunk of parking lot and called it a day...

 

The blue and gray sure does look sleek against the sky. Not too bold.

[KIEnthusiast]

I thought Kings Island/Cedar Fair did a tremendous job with theming on Mystic Timbers, so hopefully we’ll see some great stuff with Orion. There already is a storyline, but hopefully there’s some more substantial things in the queue line.

[prozach626]

Don't be disappointed if what you see is what you get.

[bengalsguy601]

While the plaza doesn't look very interesting I am really interested in seeing what is going to be inside the pre show building. A lot of the theming will probably be in there. I would imagine some type of screen based thing done by the company who did Mystic and Copperhead.

[coasterbill]

That plaza looks exactly how I would have expected it to look.

Edited May 28, 2020 by coasterbill

[boldikus]

I mean, if that awesome looking dog is gonna be hanging out near the queue who cares what the entrance looks like.

 

Awesome dogs>awesome themeing.

[tndank]

Safety restraint check tv screen? Haven't seen it in the station yet.