Kings Island (KI) Discussion Thread

[DoinItForTheFame]

Anyone else ride the new hyper? lmao

 

Ha. Ha.

[prozach626]

I will come too prozach and wear my Evo 8 hoodie

Well... at least you'd have a picture of a car that doesn't spin bearings, like the STI!

The only thing separating the EVO from perfection is that it's missing the sound of a flat four with an unequal length exhaust manifold.

[prozach626]

Just kinda following what his county-by-county mask mandates have been (increasing) and what his counterpart in PA has done regarding bars; If you're not familiar, in PA, bars (outside of Philly) were allowed to resume bar-counter service about a month ago. But now, to "counter the increased spread," you cannot sit at a bar (must be at a table) and you must order "substantial food" (i.e., not just a bag of chips) and once you are done with your food you must cease drinking and leave the establishment. Because apparently COVID can tell the difference between where you're sitting in an establishment and whether or not you're also eating. It just seems inevitable for these governors to roll back their restrictions and close parks.

 

In regards to the second part of my statement, almost all states' governors have been making decrees related to COVID without any input from that states' legislature or public. When the state legislature tries to rein in the governors' authority, they are promptly veto'd, leading to my application of the title "Emperor."

 

Note to mods: I really didn't want to get political here but I was asked a direct question.

 

If you really didn't want to get political, you wouldn't constantly be making nudges and pop-shot references like "Emperor Insert-Governer-Here" in your posts as frequently as you do. Just own it at this point and maybe exercise a little more discipline in your posts.

 

I'm simply just being fair from an observational standpoint when I say that no one bats an eye when someone takes a shot at Trump or religion. If you mention something opposing the current COVID bandwagon, you're viewed as an piece of shit, despite any evidence contrary to the popular belief. I'm not saying if I'm for or against the aforementioned topics. This is just an observation.

[grsupercity]

I will come too prozach and wear my Evo 8 hoodie

Well... at least you'd have a picture of a car that doesn't spin bearings, like the STI!

The only thing separating the EVO from perfection is that it's missing the sound of a flat four with an unequal length exhaust manifold.

 

Evo 8 through 10 are the ultimate rally cars!!!!!!

[thepoint4life23]

I will come too prozach and wear my Evo 8 hoodie

manifold.

 

Evo 8 through 10 are the ultimate rally cars!!!!!!

This

 

also no Bearing issues,

 

As for Parks shutting down. I would save parks our safe for the time being. They have been tracking pockets of cases. They have said they come from bars/ back yard parties and nursing homes. Till a big number is tracked back to the parks they will stay open.

 

When I went to the park I felt safer than say home depot!

[BitterOldHag]

Apologies if this has been asked, but if one purchases a FastLanePlus at the park, do they need an Access Pass for Orion? I would assume "no", but I've assumed before and have been quite wrong!

 

Also, is the Eiffel Tower open? I am considering a trip there this Friday and was hoping to go up to the observation deck to get a nice aerial look at Orion.

[Midgetman82]

Eiffel Tower is open. You should not need an access pass for Orion Fast Lane. When I was there, I just flashed my wristband and they let me right onto the ride, no questions or access pass needed. Things could change tho, if Fast Lane gets a lil packed too.

[BitterOldHag]

Thanks midgetman. I appreciate the info!

[teacherkim]

We we're there yesterday. We did get FP+, bought them ahead of time on line. You do not need access pass for Orion if you have FP.

 

Park looked good and the entry was stunning as always. But like all the parks I've been to in the last month there were some shops and restaurants closed. Not enough to mess up your day but just enough to harsh your vibe.

 

However all the coasters were running 2-3 trains. Exactly what you would expect, lower than normal crowd levels but not a ghost town and due to low capacity there were still average queue times.

 

I would say that 80-90% followed the rules pretty well and employees were doing their best to enforce it. At the Rapids ride ride opd did tell you to feel free to take it off once in the boat.Of course there was some deterioration as the day wore on.

 

I thought Orion was awesome. Not going to get into any arguments about how it compares to Diamondback or which ride elements were good or bad, blah, blah, blah. Bottom line it is a very fun coaster that is very re ridable. Don't want to hear any complaints about the new giga when my home park doesn't even have a hyper

 

As far as fastlane and the "is it worth it?" question:

To me it was, no I didn't see any lines more than 30 min or so but with fatlane everything was a walk on. Which meant no running of the bulls and time to have a leisurely lunch and still get in everything you wanted before park close. All plusses for us since we still had to drive up to CP that evening. Don't live beyond your means but do it if you can.

[prozach626]

Thanks for the report!

 

I can't believe you didn't complain about "what KI could have purchased with the money they spent." It's almost like you're grateful, as if you're used to a park that hasn't had a new roller coaster outside of a hand-me-down 27 year old boomerang since 2008??

[teacherkim]

Yeah, imagine that? Who could live that long without a new coaster?

[AmyUD06]

Kings Island also put out a statement today, along with most if not all of the other CF parks, announcing their fall plans. In summary - open through Nov. 1, but only with the family-friendly Tricks and Treats Fall Festival - Haunt and Winterfest are cancelled this year.

 

A Message from Mike Koontz, Vice President & General Manager of Kings Island

 

August 4, 2020 Update

 

On July 2, we reached a park milestone when we re-opened and welcomed guests back to Kings Island for the first day of the 2020 season. Guests were able to experience Orion, one of only seven giga coasters on the planet, and its 300 feet first drop at speeds up to 91 mph. The reviews are in, our guests love it, and we are proud of this outstanding addition to our world class coaster line-up.

 

It has truly been a unique season. I want to thank our guests and associates for making Kings Island a fun and safe place to visit. The park’s new health and safety measures were supported by everyone visiting the park, and our associates have gone above and beyond expectations in creating a safe environment for families to spend time with each other.

 

Because of the ongoing uncertainties surrounding COVID-19, we have the following updates to share:

 

Kings Island’s Fall Schedule and New Family Event

Kings Island will continue to operate through Nov. 1 on select days. We will introduce an all-new family event, Tricks and Treats Fall Fest beginning Sept. 26 featuring rides, unique food offerings, entertainment and activities for all ages. This event will enable social distancing and capacity management, and you’ll be hearing more about it in the coming weeks.

 

Halloween Haunt and WinterFest

We have had to make the difficult decision to cancel both Halloween Haunt and WinterFest this year due to operating constraints in our region.

 

Extending 2020 Season Passes through 2021

Keep in mind that all 2020 Season Passes and add-on products have been extended through the 2021 season. We’re looking forward to a great year ahead and can’t wait to show you many ways to have fun, including the return of hallmark events like Grand Carnivale, Halloween Haunt and WinterFest. Gold and Platinum Season Passes for 2021 go on sale beginning September 8, 2020.

 

Thank you for your continued loyalty and support during this challenging period. We all look forward to having fun safely for the rest of 2020 and through 2021 as well. There are many days left for summer fun, and we hope to see you in the park soon.

 

Sincerely,

 

Mike Koontz

Vice President and General Manager

[Domm]

Heading to KI for two full days this week, Fri/Sat. Couldn’t be more exited coming from Northern California where everything is shuttered for the year!

 

We pre-purchased fast lane+ for both days so lines won’t be an issue. Any tips for the park under the current circumstances?

 

We visited once before for a single day last year and are looking forward to hitting everything we missed and maxing our Orion time.

 

We are staying at great wolf where they say the water park is open until 8 both days. Should be some fun rollercoasting intermissions.

[kalikoasterman510]

Heading to KI for two full days this week, Fri/Sat. Couldn’t be more exited coming from Northern California where everything is shuttered for the year!

 

 

Me and my brother are also here from northern California also!! We will be there Friday.

 

Still on the fence about FastLane but we might get it anyways. We are at CP for today then Kennywood Thursday.

 

Maybe we will run into ya... You'll know it's me... I have my California gear on!!

[AndrewA86]

I was able to visit the park yesterday and it was a great feeling being back. Normally this is a park I visit every year but I didn't last year so it felt like an eternity.

 

This is my first park since the pandemic and I thought the process of getting through the tent was quick, you just walk through and they take your temperature. But what's the point if the health screening test if it's just on the honor system? Not that I would be one to lie about it, but I'm not sure I can trust everyone else...

 

I purchased fast lane because I only planned on staying about 4 or 5 hours because wearing a mask for extended periods of time gives me a headache. And unfortunately I got one at the park. So I got 4 rides on Orion and 1 ride on all the other major coasters in the park, Mystic, Banshee, Beast, and Diamondback.

 

I started the day off with Diamondback as Orion didn't open right away. It's always a fun ride but it's not smooth anymore, not necessarily rough either, but because of that it's dropped to last place among the B&M hypers.

 

Mystic Timbers was next and this is probably the best ride I've ever had. I never disliked it or anything, but I've always just kind of thought it was overrated. It's still glossy smooth and the train just ripped through the coarse. Along with the great pacing were these little pops of air and decent laterals.

 

the Beast was next and unfortunately I got put in the back row. Usually I ride in row 11 or 17 but all the middle seats were roped off. I knew I was in for a rough ride, but I wasn't prepared for how rough it actually was. Ouch... Still love it because I know it provides a good ride in the rows I mentioned.

 

Banshee... I used to really love this ride but it's just plain rough now. Still the best drop in any invert!

 

Ok now to Orion... Like I said I got 4 rides and it got better after each ride. The first drop is awesome, it feels how a first drop should feel on a giga. That first wave turn is a complete dud. That was the element I was looking forward to the most but it did nothing for me. No airtime and it was not intense at all. The turnaround is just ok, it doesn't do a whole lot. Next is that little airtime hill and it's a very good hill. I got a ton of air on it. You get more towards the front than the back. Then there is the larger trimmed airtime hill and that also provides some very good air. The helix follows and it's a fun element but again not very intense. Then you get a nice little pop of air from that little banked turn and then you hit the brakes.

 

Overall it's definitely a fun coaster. It looks really nice, the color scheme really pops. It's a capacity beast, and even though they were only filling half the train the line was moving. The theming in the queue looked nice although I didn't stop to look at any of it because I couldn't care less about theming.

 

But at the end of the day this didn't have that giga feel to it while on the ride. I thought the pacing was mediocre and definitely not like the other giga's. It started to run a little faster during my last 2 rides, and maybe later in the day it would have got even faster. Maybe with a full train it would be faster too, because they were only filling the trains at half capacity. Also, it was not as smooth as I was expecting. This is a BRAND NEW B&M, so why is the 50 year old woodie next door smoother? Ok maybe that's an exaggeration, but this brand new coaster should be smoother... With all that said the experience was underwhelming, and my expectations were not high. Even if it didn't have a lot of great elements I still expected great pacing and that was the most disappointing part IMO.

 

I also thought it would at the very least be that signature attraction that Kings Island desperately needed, and it isn't because I still think Diamondback is the best coaster in the park. Hopefully whatever they put in Vortex's spot can fill that gap now. But I'm not holding my breath... It's obviously still a great park with a huge quantity of fun coasters, but not a lot of top end quality. My friend jokingly called KI the "worst of park" because it has the worst of every kind of coaster... the worst hyper, worst invert, worst large scale woodie (beast, which I disagree about), and now worst giga...

 

It was fun to be back in the park again. Most of the restaurants were open, and most of the small little games you can play along the midways were open, which was nice to see. Even though people were walking around with masks and you couldn’t see everyone smiling, it still felt like a normal-ish day at an amusement park, which was nice!!!

[Domm]

Fantastic. If you see these two bozos, say hi. Would love to hear the contrast between how CF is running CP and KI

Edited August 5, 2020 by Domm

[thrillseeker4552]

I find it interesting how polarizing Orion has already become. Some people say it blew away expectations and is more forceful and intense than expected, and others say it's rattly, not intense, and underwhelming. Oddly enough, I think these same polarizing opinions also exist for Diamondback and Banshee.

 

When I visited in 2017, Banshee was my favorite in the park. Diamondback was in pretty rough shape. I'm hoping to visit again in 2021, and I am now very interested to try out Orion.

[AndrewA86]

Just got done watching a well known you-tubers review on Orion and he said something about the soil at KI possibly being the reason why all the B&M's are not the smoothest. Not sure if it's BS or not, but it's the best explanation I've heard so far.

[thepoint4life23]

So clay is bad for B&M's?

[PKI Jizzman]

I had nothing but 1000% smooth rides on each of my 7 rides and am surprised people are reporting on the helix inducing greyout. You'd think a park that is obsessed with helices would be able to have one as intense as Goliath at SFOG's but I'd say Stunt Coaster's hits way harder.

[AndrewA86]

So clay is bad for B&M's?

 

I don't know anything about soil. Just passing on a theory that I heard. Are you saying it's total BS?

[prozach626]

I find it interesting how polarizing Orion has already become. Some people say it blew away expectations and is more forceful and intense than expected, and others say it's rattly, not intense, and underwhelming. Oddly enough, I think these same polarizing opinions also exist for Diamondback and Banshee.

 

I agree Banshee has very mixed reviews, but I can't remember people saying that Diamondback is a bad hyper overall. Personally, it's my favorite hyper, but the back seat has developed a distinct rattle.

 

EDIT - I read this thread in reverse chronological order today, so...

 

I think The Beast has more mixed reviews than both of them. But, COVID is a conspiracy to make the ride less popular, since only the rough seats are available.

[thrillseeker4552]

^I suppose I included Diamondback because my opinion of it isn't too great. Of course I enjoy the ride (I find a way to have fun on basically every coaster I ride), but everything after the MCBR is a dud for me, and it definitely has the most rattle on a B&M Hyper I've ridden (theming? lol). But as always, smoothness can vary year-by-year, train-by-train, and even seat-by-seat... so this is all totally subjective based on my 2014 and 2017 rides. I guess I got lucky with Banshee and unlucky with Diamondback.

 

And I agree about Beast too. I don't think anybody expects it to top their list, but the quality of experience can definitely vary depending on your seat.

[bgtlover]

I had nothing but 1000% smooth rides on each of my 7 rides and am surprised people are reporting on the helix inducing greyout. You'd think a park that is obsessed with helices would be able to have one as intense as Goliath at SFOG's but I'd say Stunt Coaster's hits way harder.

The helix on SFOG's Goliath is intense? Eh, that's a stretch IMO. The only helix on a B&M that has any great intensity that I've ridden, with an almost greyout, is Kumba.

[thepoint4life23]

So clay is bad for B&M's?

 

I don't know anything about soil. Just passing on a theory that I heard. Are you saying it's total BS?

It could be true but seem like a wild idea. Who knows what all plays into a coaster ride. I just no that we have a lot of clay in Ohio. When i rode the ride I looked to the right on the brake run and saw a spot of red clay.