Kings Island (KI) Discussion Thread

[IntaminLove]

I'm going to the park by myself on Saturday and was wondering if anyone wants to meet up?

[BrianGC]

^I'll be there Saturday night for the haunted houses!

[IntaminLove]

Cool I'll send you a private message. If anyone else is interested then send me a private message.

[DarienLaker]

 

I wonder how long has King Island had that VCR prize in the arcade?

[mikeykaise]

I'm not sure what the proper name is but this looks like its a chiller used in commercial hvac systems, I work in IT but the company I work for is a huge hvac company so I'm sure someone in my office could tell me the exact name of this thing.

 

http://www.themeparkreview.com/forum/files/thumb_kingsislandhalloween2015_011.jpg

[PkiJake]

I meant to post my video here from my trip on October 16. I had never been to Haunt on Friday's and wasn't sure how the crowds would be. It was also fairly cool that night. I'm not in to the haunted houses, but went through probably the two easiest ones, Sorority House and the clown one.

 

I've gained a little weight since I went a year ago, so Diamondback was a no go for me. I was able to get on Banshee though. I still love that thing. It wasn't as warm as the June day last year when I rode it. I was freezing when I got off of it, but it was well worth it.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7MzlCKY8iEM

[drummermattk]

So something i saw yesterday while walking around was that there where literally almost NO scareactors walking around when Haunt started at 6 o'clock , and none of the mazes outside opened till i think 8:30? But I did find something when i was in Diamondback's store. This something was a 4 piece dot magnet set that said "Fear The Four" the four listed being Beast, Firehawk, Vortex and yes the unloved Son Of Beast. One last thing i noticed yesterday was that they use the old Flight Commander Queue line building for overflow from Killmart's line.

[DoinItForTheFame]

Here are a few random shots I took at the park last weekend.

 

Love this shot. Don't know why, but I do. Thanks for sharing!

[rcjp]

^Me too. I especially love the ones with no train as the track seems to twist in a very odd way.

Like this

[drummermattk]

Maintenance does not take long. Just started the off season and cortex's cars are all of waiting to go to the shop. Who knows whos else's trains are already off.

[PKI Jizzman]

With the announcement of Knott's taking away the MCBR and re-profiling Ghostrider to give it a breath of fresh air...could we see Cedar Fair doing something similar with the Beast?

 

I know they do preventative maintenance every year and the ride has not been *rough* in about 6 years IMO. There were a few years that I did not ride because of how awful it had gotten. I'm thinking something more along the lines of removing the brakes on:

-The first drop

-The hill after the turn/tunnel

-Straight-away shed brakes before the turn into the 2nd tunnel

-2nd lift hill

 

The ride is okay at the moment, but if they could add lighter trains and take away the brakes...that ride would be phenomenal. I really hope this is being talked about in management. I'd fly back home in a heartbeat to experience that!

 

Does that make sense though? Or without the brakes the ride would still be going too fast around to the turns; and the brakes are still necessary?

[drummermattk]

 

The ride is okay at the moment, but if they could add lighter trains and take away the brakes...that ride would be phenomenal.?

 

I'm up to see if this would make for a better ride but..........when they took out the loop on Son of beast they used lighter trains. Not a good combination..........Maybe they could have GCI come in and re do it like Ghost rider..... don't plan on it though. I don't see them touching Beast unless maintenance gets to high to maintain it or if not a lot of people ride it.

[ajfelice]

I don't like to cling to history for the sake of "history," "nostalgia," and "memories" when it comes to amusement parks. If I see that there is a better opportunity for a park to perform better and sustain a more successful future, I will get on board with the idea as long as the idea makes business sense.

 

As much as I want some re-profiling to be done on The Beast to allow for the trims to be removed, I do not think financial cost outweighs the net gain of zero. The general public is hardly going to notice that The Beast might be slightly faster. Even if they do notice, it will probably not result in any measurable gain for Kings Island. The only scenario I see a re-profiling and removal of trims is in the event Kings Island decides to switch trains as the conversion project would require other adjustments to the layout.

 

If the popularity of The Beast were to decline to the situation Ghostrider is in, I would be a cheerleader for a major project such as RMC or the GCI overhaul. At this point hypothetically, the history, nostalgia, and memories mean nothing as The Beast would be an expensive piece of scenery with low ridership. I'm sure an overhaul given today's advances in technology would result in a minimally trimmed ride, if at all. As a result, we could see one of the best coasters in the world be developed given the terrain and setting The Beast currently resides on.

 

As it stands, I do not see Kings Island doing anything significant to The Beast until popularity declines enough to justify the cost. If The Beast is still cranking over a million riders each year with people still coming to the park to ride it with trims, 3-Bench PTCs, and a few bumps, I don't see how Kings Island would just throw money to make a few profiling adjustments to remove the trims. As much as my dream for Kings Island is to make the minor profile adjustments to remove the trims, I do not see them doing this anytime soon.

Edited November 5, 2015 by ajfelice

[thrillrider]

Compliments of Kings islands Facebook page is a picture of a beast train in the maintenance shop.

[PKI Jizzman]

 

The ride is okay at the moment, but if they could add lighter trains and take away the brakes...that ride would be phenomenal.?

 

I'm up to see if this would make for a better ride but..........when they took out the loop on Son of beast they used lighter trains. Not a good combination..........Maybe they could have GCI come in and re do it like Ghost rider..... don't plan on it though. I don't see them touching Beast unless maintenance gets to high to maintain it or if not a lot of people ride it.

 

The problem was with the structure and the previous tear from the super heavy Premier trains. The Gerstch trains were still very uncomfortable but they weren't the problem.

 

 

Of course the park could profit from a re-profiling. They could re-market the ride the same way they're re-marketing Ghostrider. Nothing drastic is happening to the ride in terms of layout or changes, and that's what could draw more fans in. The Beast is arguably one of the more popular roller coasters, especially in the wooden category.

[coasterbill]

The Beast is already perfect as far as I'm concerned.

[John Peck]

The Beast PTC trains bounce and shuffle a bit on the track, but not enough to where replacing the trains or doing brake removal to the ride would benefit enough yet. That will not be cost-effective. If they get more guest complaints i can see them doing something, but I think the public likes it enough still.. even if it's a bit rough.

 

KI has done great with their recent additions, but with 3.2 Million guests a year, I feel that they need two more really good people-suckers, and a few more flats.

[FeelTheFORCE]

No matter how rough it gets, The Beast at night still ranks as one of my top coaster experiences ever.

[drummermattk]

KI has done great with their recent additions, but with 3.2 Million guests a year, I feel that they need two more really good people-suckers, and a few more flats.

 

 

I'm still looking for a giga in the next year or two. I could see them adding the same ride Canada's wonderland is putting in if its popular.

[Vonni]

^ I almost agree, but I'm speculating in 3 to 4 years. Basically because of how big of an investment Banshee was.

[drummermattk]

I went down to the park friday to return my work uniforms and i noticed three things:

1. The North Entrance Toll is now demolished.

2. The exit from the park near Great Wolf lodge has a "rough draft" of pavement, so that means that that exit will be expanded.

3. Concrete work for the foundation for Tropical Plunge has started.

 

 

Sorry i could not snap any pictures i was in a hurry to get Black Ops 3

[prozach626]

With the announcement of Knott's taking away the MCBR and re-profiling Ghostrider to give it a breath of fresh air...could we see Cedar Fair doing something similar with the Beast?

 

I know they do preventative maintenance every year and the ride has not been *rough* in about 6 years IMO. There were a few years that I did not ride because of how awful it had gotten. I'm thinking something more along the lines of removing the brakes on:

-The first drop

-The hill after the turn/tunnel

-Straight-away shed brakes before the turn into the 2nd tunnel

-2nd lift hill

 

The ride is okay at the moment, but if they could add lighter trains and take away the brakes...that ride would be phenomenal. I really hope this is being talked about in management. I'd fly back home in a heartbeat to experience that!

 

Does that make sense though? Or without the brakes the ride would still be going too fast around to the turns; and the brakes are still necessary?

 

I don't think the Beast gets many complaints from the general public about roughness and people still love the ride. The beast always has one of the longest lines during my visits. I think the people who would enjoy this the most would be enthusiasts, but I don't think it would get as much hype elsewhere. Where as, from what I understand, Ghost Rider was painful. I personally like the Beast exactly how it is now. Could it be slightly better with a major refurbishment? Absolutely right. I really do like your way of thinking. However, I just think their dollar could be better spent elsewhere, man.

 

(still hoping and praying giga)

 

I don't like to cling to history for the sake of "history," "nostalgia," and "memories" when it comes to amusement parks. If I see that there is a better opportunity for a park to perform better and sustain a more successful future, I will get on board with the idea as long as the idea makes business sense.

 

As much as I want some re-profiling to be done on The Beast to allow for the trims to be removed, I do not think financial cost outweighs the net gain of zero. The general public is hardly going to notice that The Beast might be slightly faster. Even if they do notice, it will probably not result in any measurable gain for Kings Island. The only scenario I see a re-profiling and removal of trims is in the event Kings Island decides to switch trains as the conversion project would require other adjustments to the layout.

 

If the popularity of The Beast were to decline to the situation Ghostrider is in, I would be a cheerleader for a major project such as RMC or the GCI overhaul. At this point hypothetically, the history, nostalgia, and memories mean nothing as The Beast would be an expensive piece of scenery with low ridership. I'm sure an overhaul given today's advances in technology would result in a minimally trimmed ride, if at all. As a result, we could see one of the best coasters in the world be developed given the terrain and setting The Beast currently resides on.

 

As it stands, I do not see Kings Island doing anything significant to The Beast until popularity declines enough to justify the cost. If The Beast is still cranking over a million riders each year with people still coming to the park to ride it with trims, 3-Bench PTCs, and a few bumps, I don't see how Kings Island would just throw money to make a few profiling adjustments to remove the trims. As much as my dream for Kings Island is to make the minor profile adjustments to remove the trims, I do not see them doing this anytime soon.

 

 

Or I could have just said +1 to this comment...

[drummermattk]

^The only way i can see the Beast turning into a rough ride is if they remove some of the magnetic brakes they have on it now. I remember about 3-4 years ago it was getting a little rough for me. I don't think there where a lot of brakes at that time.

[SFOGdude25]

^The amount of brakes on Beast hasn't changed since the magnetic brakes were first installed I think. Kings Island has just gotten a LOT better with their wood coaster maintenance. Almost half of the ride has been re-tracked within the past 5 years.

[drummermattk]

Wandering what's going on at Vortex, a crane is over there now, or a cherry picker.

11/17/2015