rcjp Posted June 11, 2014 Share Posted June 11, 2014 ^That's what I thought. It wouldn't look nice to remove vortex and then having to wait a few years for a replacement. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skramp Posted June 11, 2014 Share Posted June 11, 2014 Man, I think we expect too much out of things. Yes, there are a lot of rough coasters out there, but does that make them bad? The GP loves Vortex. Go there during the summer and see the hour long line all day long. That is the only sit-down looping coaster in the park, so why would they remove it? I know they have Flight of Fear, but that's a different monster.....I'm talking in the traditional sense. KI has a great mix now of varying rollercoasters for everyone. As enthusiasts, I think sometimes we are much more critical of rides than the GP. If you think Vortex hurts, then don't ride it, but it is a great ride that most people ride at least once every visit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EricGarbo Posted June 11, 2014 Share Posted June 11, 2014 Man, I think we expect too much out of things. Yes, there are a lot of rough coasters out there, but does that make them bad? The GP loves Vortex. Go there during the summer and see the hour long line all day long. That is the only sit-down looping coaster in the park, so why would they remove it? I know they have Flight of Fear, but that's a different monster.....I'm talking in the traditional sense. KI has a great mix now of varying rollercoasters for everyone. As enthusiasts, I think sometimes we are much more critical of rides than the GP. If you think Vortex hurts, then don't ride it, but it is a great ride that most people ride at least once every visit. Â Really, unless there is something in the works to replace it, maintenance cost is becoming too high, or people simply do not ride it, there's not much reason to remove a ride from the park like this. Â I really do wonder what the long term investment plans are for parks. Looking at what Busch Gardens Williamsburg did with Big Bad Wolf they cited that the ride had lived out its manufacturers expected life so they removed it. This fits in with my point about maintenance costs, but what I wonder is what is the expected life on most of the rides out there? Certainly Leap the Dips, Cyclone, and Giant Dipper have outlived their expected lives but what about Batman: The Ride or Millenium Force? These parks purchase the rides knowing what their ROI is over a certain amount of time but I wonder what that time is and what the 20 year plan is for most of the attractions they install. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bonsaiisuperstar Posted June 12, 2014 Share Posted June 12, 2014 After visiting Cedar Point today i think King's Island is a giga coaster away from taking CP's "Best Amusement Park in the World" moniker. KI also has soooo much more land to work with. The future is bright for King's Island. Hey Matt Quimet & Rob Decker..... build us an Intamin giga pleeeeeeeaaase. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JWAddington Posted June 12, 2014 Share Posted June 12, 2014 I went to Kings Island for the first time a month ago. Its a good park, but to say it is a giga coaster away from taking over Cedar Point is a bit of a stretch. Kings Island needs to develop the Resort type atmosphere with at least one hotel on site. It is definitely missing that! Â The one thing that they can't change is location. That is probably the #1 thing about Cedar Point that sets it apart from all other parks IMO. When i am there, i feel like i am actually far away from home. I can spend a week there and it feels like not enough time. When i was at Kings Island, a day was sufficient. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KI Kidd Posted June 12, 2014 Share Posted June 12, 2014 I would agree, it's still very popular. It's a little rough but if you sit in the 4th car front seat it's not that bad.  It is actually the front row of the 5th car that is the 'magic seat' on Vortex. Much much smoother than the rest, plenty of airtime on the first drop, and great hang time in the corkscrews. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woodie Warrior Posted June 12, 2014 Share Posted June 12, 2014 The GP loves Vortex. Go there during the summer and see the hour long line all day long. That is the only sit-down looping coaster in the park, so why would they remove it? I know they have Flight of Fear, but that's a different monster.....I'm talking in the traditional sense. Am I the only one who thinks Flight of Fear is terrible? The launch is fun, but the building isn't even near pitch-black and there are no special effects, so it is pointless to have it indoors (other than the fact that it can operate in the rain). The MCBR pretty much brings the train to a full stop, so the rest of the ride is taken at a snails pace. Overall, I'd say Vortex is FAR better than Flight of Fear. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
agerikson Posted June 12, 2014 Share Posted June 12, 2014 The GP loves Vortex. Go there during the summer and see the hour long line all day long. That is the only sit-down looping coaster in the park, so why would they remove it? I know they have Flight of Fear, but that's a different monster.....I'm talking in the traditional sense. Am I the only one who thinks Flight of Fear is terrible? The launch is fun, but the building isn't even near pitch-black and there are no special effects, so it is pointless to have it indoors (other than the fact that it can operate in the rain). The MCBR pretty much brings the train to a full stop, so the rest of the ride is taken at a snails pace. Overall, I'd say Vortex is FAR better than Flight of Fear. Â I hate Flight of Fear because the restraints are so awful. Each and every time I have so much trouble getting my feet and legs into that tiny space between the lap bar and ankle padding and then actually getting that giant rubber lap bar over my knees. While I certainly don't prefer the OTSRs it used to have, I despise the fact that it is so difficult to fit in. What really stinks is that Joker's Jinx, the FoF clone at Six Flags America has restraints that are less cramped (or at least it feels like they are) and it is no less uncomfortable without the crazy rubber cylinder bar. Tall people problems I guess. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gerstlaueringvar Posted June 12, 2014 Share Posted June 12, 2014 ^Poltergeist is perfectly fine for me, maybe FoF is different. But I'm only 6"2' so I don't have the tall people problem. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coaster19 Posted June 12, 2014 Share Posted June 12, 2014 I have to agree wight he restraints. They are not the best at all, in fact I do find myself getting beat up a bit from them. However I will suffer and take those over OTSR! Â Side note: why is it the Fire Hawk crew always takes forever to load and unload!? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
palmerleeberry Posted June 12, 2014 Share Posted June 12, 2014 Methinks a few years ago Cedar Point was considering removing all their old Arrow looping coasters from their parks, so it wasn't just King's Island Vortex, but also Kings Dominion's Anaconda and Carowind's Carolina Cyclone. Then something else happened and those coasters stayed put. As for me, I have no problems riding them all; in fact, I like to ride in the back seat. Â As for why attendants take to load and unload riders from Firehawk ( not to mention Nighthawk from Carowinds), I think it has to so with the number of restraints each seat has and the way the coaster train was designed. To put it another way, I rather have the attendants make sure and double sure that I'm locked into my seat because when that train flips over I want to be flying along with the track, and not fly head first into the ground. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cfc Posted June 12, 2014 Share Posted June 12, 2014 ^Yep--I've found that Vekoma Flying Dutchmen coasters, in general, are slow to load. The restraints are rather awkward (like they are on stand-up coasters). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mdwarn01 Posted June 12, 2014 Share Posted June 12, 2014 The GP loves Vortex. Go there during the summer and see the hour long line all day long. That is the only sit-down looping coaster in the park, so why would they remove it? I know they have Flight of Fear, but that's a different monster.....I'm talking in the traditional sense. Am I the only one who thinks Flight of Fear is terrible? The launch is fun, but the building isn't even near pitch-black and there are no special effects, so it is pointless to have it indoors (other than the fact that it can operate in the rain). The MCBR pretty much brings the train to a full stop, so the rest of the ride is taken at a snails pace. Overall, I'd say Vortex is FAR better than Flight of Fear. While it may not be completely dark, it's dark enough to disorient you for the first few inversions until you level out up at the top, especially if you're unfamiliar with the layout. I still think it's fun. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coasterbill Posted June 13, 2014 Share Posted June 13, 2014 I absolutely love Flight of Fear, though the one at Kings Dominion is much smoother for some reason. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PrismTx Posted June 13, 2014 Share Posted June 13, 2014 Definitely love Flight Of Fear at KI, really enjoy the launch, just wish the rest of the ride wasn't so jerky. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ECZenith Posted June 13, 2014 Share Posted June 13, 2014 I'll be at Kings Island Tuesday. I haven't been to Kings Island since son of beast was brand-new and I think since two new B&Ms have sprouted I have to check them out! Which lines get longest , any rides down for maintenance? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PrismTx Posted June 13, 2014 Share Posted June 13, 2014 I'll be at Kings Island Tuesday. I haven't been to Kings Island since son of beast was brand-new and I think since two new B&Ms have sprouted I have to check them out! Which lines get longest , any rides down for maintenance? Â Usually best to ride Flight Of Fear early before it gets crowded and probably Diamondback. Since you are going on a Tues you should be fine, best part of the week that I always try to go on. Only thing down at the moment that I am aware of is Shake, Rattle and Roll. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Superbatboy Posted June 13, 2014 Share Posted June 13, 2014 I'm planning a return trip to KI on (Friday) 06/27 since my wife and I enjoyed the park very much on our first visit in 2012. I'm a little concerned, because two of the Hyatts closer to the park are booked solid, so we had to go with one seven miles away. From what I have gained via google, KI is having a "Spirit Song Festival." Is this something that might draw a massive crowd or is there something else going on in the area outside of the park that weekend? I'd really like to go fast lane free, since we're probably getting twilight passes on Thursday night. Literally every time we buy a fast lane pass or flash pass to avoid heavy crowds the park empties out within a few hours... Inside the park (Behind Drop Zone), and expect a massive crowd. Â Damn... thanks. That's not what I wanted to hear. Â Â In my opinion, Viper is a FAR better coaster than Vortex. Â I agree. Viper wasn't bad at all. Vortex is just brutal. Â Viper is trimmed to death though, it's no where near the ride it was throughout the 90's. I feel like Vortex is much more intense and has a more interesting layout Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigDipper 80 Posted June 14, 2014 Share Posted June 14, 2014 A brief mini-update from yesterday: It's a little hard to see, but this monitor was showing which rides were currently up and running. I'd really like for KI to put a big video screen somewhere on International Street with current wait times like the Disney parks have. Nothing wrong with this view! Crowds were moderate to light for a Friday afternoon with 76 degree weather. Banshee was about a 15 minute wait around 4:00 and dwindled to a 5 minute wait for the rest of the day. Love this coaster so much. I agree the rattling is annoying, but hopefully the trains will keep breaking in. Welcome to Kings Island! Work was exceptionally boring on this Friday the 13, so I snuck out early to go ride some rides! I really don't get it. But I do like the "please do not climb on the big noodle" disclaimer! Banshee's crew has been doing an amazing job pumping out trains so far this season. Very impressed. Another pic of Banshee, but I want to comment on Diamondback's operations. They were trucking yesterday- A few weeks ago they were stacking all three trains, but it looks like they've gotten the seatbelts down to a science and were operating with speeds more in line with past years. Flight of Fear has reopened. I still recommend skipping it though.... this ride is painful. A final shot of Banshee. It's fun, fast, and relatively forceful. I'm all-around impressed with this ride. I haven't ridden Montu in 8 years, but I think I might like Banshee a tad more. You can't see it in this picture, but Drop Tower is up and running again. Â I try to get out the the park every week, if there is any interest I can post mini-updates in this thread every week or so if people would be interested. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coasterbill Posted June 14, 2014 Share Posted June 14, 2014 Thanks for sharing, and personally I'd be very interested in weekly updates! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greghill Posted June 14, 2014 Share Posted June 14, 2014 Reports of another fire at Flight of Fear http://www.wlwt.com/news/fire-crews-respond-to-reports-of-fire-at-kings-island/26491584#!YZbUc Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woodie Warrior Posted June 14, 2014 Share Posted June 14, 2014 Ugh.... Not again Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rcjp Posted June 14, 2014 Share Posted June 14, 2014 What?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Password121 Posted June 14, 2014 Share Posted June 14, 2014 Is there some sort of life span for LIM's? As FoF is one of the first coasters to use LIM's, I'm wondering if we are now finding out about how long these can last. (Unless, of course, they've been replaced in the past, in which case I stand corrected.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrapesLie Posted June 14, 2014 Share Posted June 14, 2014 The should just rename it Flight of Fire and call it a day! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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