rcoaster10 Posted August 20, 2014 Share Posted August 20, 2014 Here’s a TR from Banshee Bash that I finally got around to writing. On July 24, we (my grandpa and I) made our way to Mason, Ohio for Banshee Bash. Since we got there early, we decided to go to the park for that evening as well. We arrived around 4:30 and got into the park. It was moderately busy. I still had 5 coasters that I needed to ride so I headed off to Invertigo. The line was about 30 minutes long. This was my first boomerang style coaster. It got me really dizzy and the head banging wasn’t fun. I wasn’t a fan. 3/10 After this, we took a ride on Drop Tower since last time I was at the park it was down. It was a fantastic drop tower. I loved the rotating and you got an amazing view. The line was about 30 minutes. The crews were moving very slowly and it took at least 5 minutes per dispatch. I think I like this one more than Giant Drop at SFGAm and I definitely like it more than Power Tower. 9/10 Flight of Fear and Firehawk were 2 on the list that I still needed to ride so I was off to X-Base. I wanted to do FoF more so we got in line for that. It had a posted wait of 90 minutes. I was a bit hesitant at first but we got in line anyway. It was only about 45 minutes. I’m a fan of indoor coasters and I’m a fan of launching coasters, plus lapbars, I figured this is gonna be amazing! It wasn’t. The queue was very outdated but still neat. The launch was a bit weaker than expected and the rest of the ride was horribly rough. It hurt my neck from just throwing you around so much and I was ready for it to be done. I CANNOT IMAGINE this ride with OSTRs. The head banging would have been absolutely horrible. This ride was really disappointing. 2/10 Up next was Firehawk, which had a 60 minute wait posted. We got in line and it only ended up being about 45 minutes as well. I’ve only been on B&M flyers (Tatsu and Superman) so I was curious to see what a Vekoma would be like. Every coaster instinct you have would make you think that the B&M version would be much, much better. Strangely, I liked this coaster a lot more than Tatsu and Superman. Wait, did I just say I liked a Vekoma more than a B&M??? I absolutely hate laying face down on the B&M flyers and you always end up sitting on the brakes. I liked laying back a lot more than facing down, plus I liked how you weren’t just facing down the whole time. The flip over at the top is very fun and just the whole ride has great elements and pacing. It was also very smooth. Very loud anti-rollbacks though. Overall it was a lot better than I expected and one of my favorites at the park. 8/10 By this time I had gotten the 3 big coasters that I hadn’t ridden yet in. I still had to do Flying Ace and Woodstock Express, but I was in no rush for those. We were walking towards the back of the park and decided to take a ride on Windseeker. I hadn’t been on the one at KI yet and I enjoyed the one at CP so we decided to ride. The line took about 10 minutes. There was a great view and I loved the breeze you get and how open you feel. The only thing I don’t like about the Windseekers is that they spin too fast and the ride cycle is too short. 8/10 After Windseeker we noticed that Vortex had no line so we decided to ride in the very back. It was actually pretty fun and there was great airtime on the first drop. The double loops are fun and the super high corkscrews are neat too. 6/10 By this time it was about 8:30 and we wanted to make sure we could get in line for the Beast at night. We checked Diamondback’s line and it had a posted 90 minute wait but looking at it, there was no way it was 90 minutes. In line I met another coaster enthusiast and we talked about what we thought the new HW coaster was going to be. It turns out he had the same plan as us and was heading to Beast right after. We stayed with him for the rest of the night. Diamondback’s line was only about 45 minutes. We got a great sunset/night ride in and I was glad to find out they weren’t assigning rows. We sat towards the back. It was a great ride as usual, although there are 2 pretty bad spots where it rattles: at the bottom of the first drop and the valley coming out of the hammerhead. 9/10 I got in line for Beast and realized that the announcement for HW was starting soon. We all huddled around my phone and watched the announcement for Thunderbird. That was exciting. About an hour later we rode second to back. It was amazing as usual. 9/10 By this time the park was closed and we were very excited for the next day. _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ We arrived at the park around 8:00 and got our credentials. At 8:30 we were off to Banshee. It was very exciting being there early and reminded me a lot of media day (except it was much warmer and there were a lot less people!). I got 8 rides in a row in just under an hour. We also decided to get the all day photo pass which was well worth it. I think we got 13 pics total throughout the day. I still find it strange how this ride has a rattle considering it’s brand new. I still can’t decide if I liked the very front or the very back more on this ride. Nonetheless, it was a great ride as usual. 9/10 We had a half hour of ERT on Diamondback right after this so we got over there as fast as we could. It was funny walking right through the herd of people that were standing waiting for the rope drop. Diamondback was so empty they were letting us stay on and re-ride which was awesome! That was the first time I hadn’t had to leave my seat. I got on that 5 times in a row, which was great as usual. 9/10 By this time the park was open so we were off to Beast. It had no line at all so we rode it twice. Once in the second to front, once second to back. It’s definitely much better in the back. The front seemed a lot tamer. It’s definitely a better ride at night as well. 7/10 Since I had enjoyed Firehawk so much the previous day, we decided to ride it again. It only had about a 15 minute wait. It was just as fun as before. 8/10 By this time I had already gotten on the 4 best coasters, some multiple times, and it was just about 11. We took a ride on Racer, red side. It was about a 30 minute wait. The ride was fun. It reminds me of Blue Streak except less intense and out of control feeling. 6/10 We walked around the park a little more, looked at the lines. They were getting pretty long. I was debating if I should try to get one of my credits on Flying Ace or Woodstock Express but we decided not to since the lines were very long and we headed off to lunch. The lunch was really good and I loved the speakers. Howard Newstate, who is in charge of FunTV, had talked a little about that, as well as Don and Greg who told us about the story of how Beast came about. After lunch we just walked around for a while and waited for the Banshee behind the scenes photoshoot. At 2:00 we went across the fence towards Slingshot and got some cool pics of Banshee. It was neat seeing it from another perspective. Since Drop Tower was right there, we got a ride on that as soon as we were done taking pictures. It was about a 30 minute wait again. 9/10 At 3:00 the behind the scenes tour of Beast and Diamondback took place so we headed towards the back of the park. We first walked back to Beast’s first drop and everyone geeked out on photos . Then we walked even more to the second lift and there it was… the motor room. Swarms of enthusiasts came from all about, everyone getting a peek however they can, cameras everywhere! It was madnessssss. Okay, I may be exaggerating a bit. Well maybe that’s what the GP would see us like. But the motor room was cool and waving to the people on the train was fun as well. After taking a group photo, we went off to Diamondback. We stood right by the first airtime hill and took some pictures. I never realized the sudden change in elevation after that second hill. We all took another group photo and then headed back into the park. The behind the scenes were so awesome and it was fascinating seeing the coasters from different perspectives. We were really tired and hot after that so we took a break and got some Powerade. After that we took a ride on Windseeker. We waited about 15 minutes. It was a nice break from the heat. I still needed my 2 credits on Woodstock Express and Flying Ace so we headed over to Planet Snoopy. The lines were much shorter at this time so it was a good thing we waited. Woodstock Express had no line and we rode it. It was a lot like Zach’s Zoomer (Obviously) but I like Zach’s Zoomer a lot more. 5/10 After this we went over to Flying Ace and waited about 15 minutes for that. It was a decent family coaster. I don’t understand the OSTRs though. 5/10 Once we were done with this we had no clue what to do. It was a strange feeling since usually you’re trying to rush and rush at parks. For the rides we would ride (Diamondback, Banshee, Beast, Firehawk), they all had long lines, and we would have ERT on 3 of those tonight anyway. We got some ice cream at Graeter's before heading over to Drop Tower. After about a 15 minute wait we rode that and it was great as usual. 9/10 We weren’t originally planning on seeing the Cirque Imagine show, but we were really tired out by this time and we were right in the area, so we headed over to the Kings Island Theater and finally sat down in the TPR reserved area. It was so nice to have a break from standing. After about 45 minutes, the show started. It was an absolutely incredible show and totally exceeded my expectations. I’m very glad we decided to see it. The meet and greet was really neat afterwards too. When the show ended we were hungry so we went to Reds for some dinner. We sat outside right under Diamondback’s lift hill. It was such a great view, especially since it was around sunset. Since we loved the view so much, after dinner we headed over to the Eiffel Tower and looked around until sun down. It was great. We decided that we wanted to come back up here for the fireworks and went back to the car to get our sweatshirts first. We came back to the Eiffel Tower and watched the fireworks from above. It was really cool being at the same height as some of them. At this time, the park was just closing, and after our pretty slow, relaxing day during the “public hours”, we were ready to ride again. We got down to Banshee around 10:20 and rode it twice at night, once in the front, once in the back. This was my first time riding at night, and I must say, this is one of the best night rides ever. I love the colored lights all over the track and the 7 inversions make it even that much more disorienting. It was such a fantastic ride and I could have rode it all night, but Diamondback was open now so we headed over there. 10/10 By the time we got to the entrance of Diamondback, we had 12 minutes until the ERT stopped. We rode towards the middle, hoping that nobody would want our row so we could stay on. That worked and we got 2 consecutive rides in. After that we knew we would only get one more ride so we got off and waited for the second to front, which is still gives an unobstructed view due to the seating. It is such a fantastic ride at night, and the front is even better, smoother as well. 10/10 Now it was time for the best night ride in the world. The Beast. We got to ride 5 times and each and every one was fantastic. We rode second to back pretty much the whole time. I was extremely tired and the really slow chain lift almost put me to sleep every time but the drop always woke me up! Even though this ride is amazing at night, the magical feeling of it wears off after a while and you kind of get used to it. Nothing beats that final helix though, just such a great coaster element. 9/10 Finally, our 16 hour day at Kings Island was sadly over. It was such a fantastic day and was way better than I ever could have asked for. I’ve never been to such an involved event, between all the ERT, behind the scenes, and VIP treatment. For anyone that is ever considering going to one of these, I highly recommend it. I want to give a huge thank you to Robb, Elissa, and Kings Island for putting on these amazing events. You give us coaster enthusiasts opportunities barely any of us would be able to have without TPR. Behind the scenes tours get you some awesome photo opportunities Try getting this shot on the midway! Yay for airtime! Beast motor Behind the scenes tours get you some awesome photo opportunities Try getting this shot on the midway! Beast motor Beast motor Behind the scenes tours get you some awesome photo opportunities Try getting this shot on the midway! Gotta love ERT! I felt so VIP when we got to walk right past the GP waiting until 10:00 Did I mention how nice this ERT was? Banshee at night is a must ride Such a photogenic coaster I love how this coaster actually has some theming. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bonsaiisuperstar Posted August 20, 2014 Share Posted August 20, 2014 Banshee bash was awesome! And like you, the Beast motor was my favorite part!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coasterbill Posted August 20, 2014 Share Posted August 20, 2014 Great report! By the way, this is a random note but if you ever get the chance to ride Flight of Fear at Kings Dominion you absolutely should. It's like night and day with the Kings Island version... it's a much smoother and more enjoyable ride. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rcjp Posted August 20, 2014 Share Posted August 20, 2014 Nice pics! This one looks awesome! I really like the colours. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aCoasterStory Posted August 20, 2014 Share Posted August 20, 2014 So I just discovered I had my coaster count wrong (was missing a couple of parks I thought I had accounted for), and I'm actually going to hit 300 next weekend (8/30) on Banshee. This will be my first milestone coaster since I actually started keeping count, so how should I commemorate it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Password121 Posted August 20, 2014 Share Posted August 20, 2014 So I just discovered I had my coaster count wrong (was missing a couple of parks I thought I had accounted for), and I'm actually going to hit 300 next weekend (8/30) on Banshee. This will be my first milestone coaster since I actually started keeping count, so how should I commemorate it? I've never ridden it, but my advice would be a front row night ride! Can't go wrong with that! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thewesker Posted August 21, 2014 Share Posted August 21, 2014 Heads up to Gold Pass holders who are looking to renew for next year. If you renew tomorrow, Kings Island has promised bonuses including a free Fast Lane Plus pass good on a Sunday for the rest of this season and more. Sounds like a sweet deal to me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coasterlvr Posted August 23, 2014 Share Posted August 23, 2014 sorry if this has been talked about, but are they using those cameras on Banshee? cameras mounted on the row in front. ride op told me they were going to start doing videos soon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DJeXeL Posted August 26, 2014 Share Posted August 26, 2014 Oh no. Not again...... Hope it's not another "CDRide" disaster. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thewesker Posted August 29, 2014 Share Posted August 29, 2014 Diamondback has been down all day apparently, and this picture floating around has a crane at the back turn-around. Wonder what's up? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aCoasterStory Posted August 30, 2014 Share Posted August 30, 2014 ^ not sure, but it's up today. In other news, Flight of Fear no longer has a FastLane entrance. Apparently they got rid of it because it was making the lines obnoxious when it rained. They said the FastLane line would be 90 min and the regular queue would be 4.5hrs!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marth555 Posted August 31, 2014 Share Posted August 31, 2014 I wish the bat had floorless trains like vampire at chessington does Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cwgator Posted September 1, 2014 Share Posted September 1, 2014 ^Please no Vekoma headbanger trains....thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PrismTx Posted September 1, 2014 Share Posted September 1, 2014 ^ not sure, but it's up today. In other news, Flight of Fear no longer has a FastLane entrance. Apparently they got rid of it because it was making the lines obnoxious when it rained. They said the FastLane line would be 90 min and the regular queue would be 4.5hrs!! I believe they got rid of the Fast Lane because of all the technical issues FoF has unfortunately been having this year and with the 2 back rows closed off on each train also, definitely been a bad year for FoF, really hopeing it gets some much needed TLC during the off season. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thatguyclint Posted September 1, 2014 Share Posted September 1, 2014 Hey everyone; me and three friends are headed to KI at the end of the month (26th-27th) for a fall trip to the park. What kind of crowd can we expect on Friday night, and I'm guessing that FL would probably be a good investment for Saturday? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coasterchitchat Posted September 1, 2014 Share Posted September 1, 2014 ^Please no Vekoma headbanger trains....thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SFOGdude25 Posted September 1, 2014 Share Posted September 1, 2014 Hey everyone; me and three friends are headed to KI at the end of the month (26th-27th) for a fall trip to the park. What kind of crowd can we expect on Friday night, and I'm guessing that FL would probably be a good investment for Saturday? Haven't been during Fall, but from what I understand, Fall weekends during Haunt are REALLY packed, so if you have some extra cash to shell out for FastLane, get it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moneygrabber Posted September 2, 2014 Share Posted September 2, 2014 My roomate gets back from Kings Island today and says Banshee wasn't worth a 90 minute wait. He thinks Diamondback is way better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thrillseeker4552 Posted September 2, 2014 Share Posted September 2, 2014 ^Both are great coasters, but I agree with your roommate. I like Diamondback better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moneygrabber Posted September 2, 2014 Share Posted September 2, 2014 Oh well. I might have overhyped it too much. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
palmerleeberry Posted September 2, 2014 Share Posted September 2, 2014 To me, the best coasters are those I can get on and ride without waiting a long time. I guess if I used that logic, then The Adventure Coaster and the Racer must be the best coasters in the park. Seriously, I like both Diamondback and Banshee and I'll be coming back in late October to ride them and the other coasters during their annual Hallo-Weekend. Plus, I'm aching like bacon to see what they did to the old stationhouse that once housed the Son of Beast. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pyrocoasterkid Posted September 3, 2014 Share Posted September 3, 2014 Kings Island's Haunt page is now live, showing a few changes for 2014: https://www.visitkingsisland.com/scream#&panel1-1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coasterbill Posted September 3, 2014 Share Posted September 3, 2014 My roomate gets back from Kings Island today and says Banshee wasn't worth a 90 minute wait. He thinks Diamondback is way better. I go back and fourth on which one I like better. They're both great coasters. It's absolutely worth a 90 minute wait though, as is Diamondback. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PKI Jizzman Posted September 3, 2014 Share Posted September 3, 2014 Kings Island's Haunt page is now live, showing a few changes for 2014: https://www.visitkingsisland.com/scream#&panel1-1 Really? KillMart? KillMart A new department store has opened in the neighborhood that has everything you need with killer deals in every aisle. Shop 'til you drop...dead! Open: 6:00pm - 1:00am Location: Coney Maul Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coasterlvr Posted September 3, 2014 Share Posted September 3, 2014 My roomate gets back from Kings Island today and says Banshee wasn't worth a 90 minute wait. He thinks Diamondback is way better. they are about equal to me. love both of them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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