Kings Island (KI) Discussion Thread

[JJLehto]

How does Beast run these days? In recent POVs it seems to have a lot of trims on. Does it impact the speed at all? Since from what I hear the speed is the biggest draw of the ride. Sooo many rides are neutered by the time I get to them, I really am aiming to get to KI this year so I'd hate for this to be the case for Beast after finally riding.

[CP Maverick]

Beast has had trims on it for nearly its entire existence. They just changed from skids to magnets.

[bluestreak]

Beast has had trims on it for nearly its entire existence. They just changed from skids to magnets.

 

...which, since it is a more abrupt slow down, makes the ride seem slower even though the speed is still the same.

I remember Don telling us that during the beast behind the scenes tours at coasterstock in 2016.

[JJLehto]

Beast has had trims on it for nearly its entire existence. They just changed from skids to magnets.

 

...which, since it is a more abrupt slow down, makes the ride seem slower even though the speed is still the same.

I remember Don telling us that during the beast behind the scenes tours at coasterstock in 2016.

 

Ah guess just the different look stood out more to me.

Darn that's a shame, my fault for not being more dedicated on going to parks. By the time I finally do rides have been neutered or had some less than ideal change to it. Well I'm sure Beast is still awesome.

[Philrad71]

^ As many have said, night rides are where it's at for The Beast. I have never ridden anywhere but the front seat at night, but it sounds like coasterbill had a great ride in the back at night too.

[Pseybert]

First visit here coming up in a little more than a week. Does anyone think that Fast Lane+ will allow me a night ride on The Beast and MT on a Monday (10PM close).

 

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Edited May 29, 2017 by Pseybert

[RAWKIN_coaster38]

^ As many have said, night rides are where it's at for The Beast. I have never ridden anywhere but the front seat at night, but it sounds like coasterbill had a great ride in the back at night too.

I believe he said he rode in the back car. When we rode in the 2nd to back or even third to back, it wasn't too bad. The very last row was very uncomfortable and rough for us. I told my bf we shouldn't sit in a wheel seat, but he insisted we sit in the very back, and now he has learned his lesson.

[coasterbill]

First visit here coming up in a little more than a week. Does anyone think that Fast Lane+ will allow me a night ride on The Beast and MT on a Monday (10PM close).

 

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No. Because Kings Island is so close to the central time zone it doesn't get dark until (basically) 10:00 so you pretty much have to pick one this time of year.

 

PS: You should pick the Beast. If you have Fastlane get in like about 20 minutes before park close so you can guarantee a front seat ride.

[jonskinny12]

^ As many have said, night rides are where it's at for The Beast. I have never ridden anywhere but the front seat at night, but it sounds like coasterbill had a great ride in the back at night too.

 

I've had both the front row and back car at night on The Beast and I found both to be amazing.

[Arthur_Seaton]

I got to ride The Beast at night as well as in torrential rain / thunderstorm. The storm hit about 4pm, and The Beast was the last ride to shut down as the rain progressively got worse and worse. By the time the train dispatched, rain was coming down in sheets. It ended the day early, but it was so worth it. Riding at night and riding through rain are fairly similar — you're largely blinded, and it feels as though the train is flying through the landscape. It did have some rough spots for sure, but about what's expected for an old wooden coaster.

 

When I visited KI last year, I was on a mini tour, hitting Indiana Beach, Cedar Point, Kentucky Kingdom, and Holiday World, and Diamondback was my favorite coaster from any of the parks I visited. In fact, I think it's my favorite coaster, period. The floater airtime is perfectly calibrated and ridiculously sustained. I loved The Bat as well — it's like a grown-up version of the other arrow swingers I've ridden.

[prozach626]

I think I'll take a night time ride vs. being peppered in the face with heavy rain drops.

[RAWKIN_coaster38]

I think I'll take a night time ride vs. being peppered in the face with heavy rain drops.

How about both. That's what we got during Coasterstock ERT. It was a lot more fun when the rain let up and our faces were spared but the track was still pretty wet.

[Prof Kaos]

I'm headed to KI next Friday. As of right now, it's looking like there could be a bit of rain and maybe a storm that day. Hopefully things start looking clearer in the days ahead.

 

If it does rain, but not too badly, how is the park? Do some rides close sooner than others? At what point does the park just throw in the towel and close? Does it go that far?

I can imagine there would be very little in the way of crowds on an overcast day with some rain, is this a safe assumption?

[CoasterGuy06]

My last visit was in June 2015 on a day where there was an off and on drizzle throughout the day. Virtually everything operated as normal all day.

[coasterbill]

I'm headed to KI next Friday. As of right now, it's looking like there could be a bit of rain and maybe a storm that day. Hopefully things start looking clearer in the days ahead.

 

If it does rain, but not too badly, how is the park? Do some rides close sooner than others? At what point does the park just throw in the towel and close? Does it go that far?

I can imagine there would be very little in the way of crowds on an overcast day with some rain, is this a safe assumption?

 

Stop looking at the weather, it's way too far out at this point and it'll only stress you out. Now it's saying 80 degrees and sunny. They have no clue this far in advance.

[DILinator]

I'm headed to KI next Friday. As of right now, it's looking like there could be a bit of rain and maybe a storm that day. Hopefully things start looking clearer in the days ahead.

 

If it does rain, but not too badly, how is the park? Do some rides close sooner than others? At what point does the park just throw in the towel and close? Does it go that far?

I can imagine there would be very little in the way of crowds on an overcast day with some rain, is this a safe assumption?

 

Stop looking at the weather, it's way too far out at this point and it'll only stress you out. Now it's saying 80 degrees and sunny. They have no clue this far in advance.

 

 

I just went to KI this past Tuesday, and though I DID look at the weather regularly, I didn't let it stress me out, because I know how it works. The forecast changed so many times, if I'd had a dollar for every time, I could have gotten Fast Lane for me and my three kids!

[BryanRph]

During coasterstock, there was a group chatting with a Diamondback ride up during a storm delay. She said KI has 3 tiers of rides, with Windseeker and Diamondback among others being the tier that goes down first and comes up last. Mystic Timbers and the Beast are the ones she mentioned as middle tier and she said Vortex plays by its own rules. I noticed Flight of Fear and some flats like the troika never went down even when the rest of the park was down for a couple hours due to lightning in the area.

 

And although I'm sure it's happened, I've never seen KI close completely for weather.

[Prof Kaos]

Thanks for the replies. I'm not really stressing over the weather, just trying to know what to anticipate if the weather isn't nice.

 

Tbh, I'm hoping it's overcast with some light rain so I don't have to buy FL+.

[kahill04]

Just left the park and I have to say, The Bat was running absolutely mental today. Got the two most intense rides I've ever had on the ride today.

[RAWKIN_coaster38]

I just went to KI this past Tuesday, and though I DID look at the weather regularly, I didn't let it stress me out, because I know how it works. The forecast changed so many times, if I'd had a dollar for every time, I could have gotten Fast Lane for me and my three kids!

How did you like Mystic TImbers? And the shed?

 

Just left the park and I have to say, The Bat was running absolutely mental today. Got the two most intense rides I've ever had on the ride today.

I definitely gained a new appreciation for Bat after riding Iron Dragon the other day. ID just felt very slow and boring, at least when we rode it, but Bat is always FLYING through the course! Just wish it was longer...

[DILinator]

So, after avoiding this thread so I didn't get the shed "spoiled", for over a month after our initial trip to KI was postponed from the second weekend of operation, I finally made it out to KI with my three oldest kids last week! It was their first time at the park, and I was very excited to take them, as it is one of the best parks for families and kids, in my opinion! We were all very excited for Mystic Timbers, and definitely curious about #whatsintheshed?

 

So what's the verdict, after all the waiting, and anticipation? Well, first off, let me say that I was one of those who had pretty low expectations for whatever was in the shed. At most, I thought maybe there'd be an animatronic tree, or something like that. I figured screens, lighting and sound effects, and stuff like that. So, basically, I was pretty much right on in my expectations, just sans the animatronic. However, the execution of it, and the fact that if you're sitting in the front half of the train you don't even really see the climax of the monster appearing on the front screen, was still a bit of a let-down, at least on my first ride, which was in the second row. I managed to twist, and get a glimpse of the "monster bat" as we headed into the station, otherwise I would have been really confused about whether anything had happened at all. Two rides later in the day yielded the "monster tree" - which is something I was expecting all along, and both rides were in the back, or near the back, so I got to see it clearly. Of course, back there, the music is more faint, so I guess each part of the train experiences some of the shed a little better than the other. So at first, I have to say I was a bit underwhelmed... However, in the end, I came around to the fact that Rob brought up in his assessment of it when he reviewed it. It's a brake run, essentially, and for a brake run, it's a heck of a lot better than just sitting around baking in the hot sun or doing nothing! So for that, I say kudos to Kings Island for injecting some fun into the end of the ride, and adding mythos into it, and hopefully, when I go back again, I can get the third ending, which I failed to get this time (I believe it's a Snake!)

 

As for the coaster itself... AWESOME!!! It's easily in my top 3 at Kings Island, and I may even prefer it to Banshee, which puts it pretty high in my overall coaster rankings as well! Such a great little coaster, and I can't wait to get more rides on it whenever I go back to KI (hopefully during Haunt!) I didn't get a true front seat ride yet, but I was second to front, and I did get back seat, and second to back, which seem to be the money seats for airtime anyway. Plus, I got a night ride, which was fabulous, adding to the great collection of coasters that provide fantastic rides after dark! I think the longest I waited for it was around 40-45 minutes, which wasn't too bad, considering it is the new hotness at KI. They definitely have a winner on their hands with this one, and as long as people can keep the true purpose of "the shed" in perspective, they can even get a chuckle out of that, and enjoy it for what it is!

 

Regarding the rest of my day there at KI, it was overall a wonderful day, with great weather, and a super fun time spent with my kids! Unfortunately, the youngest of the three I took was only 52 inches tall, so even though he rode Top Thrill Dragster the week before, he couldn't get on Diamondback at KI... So, I rode that with one of the kids while the other two went to Planet Snoopy, and then the other, while the other two went to Planet Snoopy, and that's how we handled that. I do feel bad for the little guy though, as he's my most die-hard coaster lover of the three kids (the older two wouldn't ride TTD last year, for comparison!) Here's hoping he hits a growth spurt by November, because we're going to Florida, and supposed to go to BGT and Sea World, but I'm not going to subject him to that if he's not 54'' yet, as most of the coasters there require that height. His favorite coaster at KI ended up being Banshee, another B&M with the new restraints, and therefore, the new, lower height restriction. Interestingly enough, both of the older kids' favorite coaster ended up being the same as their dad's, Diamondback!

 

I did something I've never done before, and got the All Day Dining Plan for us, though I only got two for the four of us to share. I definitely think it was a good idea, as the kids love to eat at parks, and the cost would have really added up! Sharing two plans was more than enough food, and by the end of the day, we actually were so full from eating every couple of hours, we didn't even feel like we had to eat when we were able to again. We also got the all day drink bottle, and utilized that heavily. Now, I probably should have gone with the disposable cup route, but the souvenir bottle is nice, and the kids liked it, so that'll be something fun they'll have now. But it was a pain to deal with most of the day, and necessitated a locker rental a couple of times - both when riding Banshee, and then at the end of the day when riding Mystic Timbers for the second and third times. One negative aspect of the day, was the ridiculous lines for food and beverages! Our longest wait of the day was for lunch, not even a roller coaster! That was a consistent trend all throughout the day as well, and it wasn't even a traditional "lunchtime" when we were trying to eat. Food and Drink lines were just bad, period, all day long, and resulted in the worst waiting of the day. If it wasn't for having the All Day Dining, I certainly wouldn't have attempted to eat and drink as much, but when you've already paid for it, you're going to utilize it, so wait we did... Still, we got to do plenty, and a fun day was had by all!

 

In the end, my biggest regret from the day was not being able to show my kids the greatness of a night ride on The Beast... It was to be our last ride of the night, but we utilized a hotel shuttle, and the last shuttle left at 10:30, which meant staying too late after park closing was risky. I timed getting into line for Mystic Timbers well, as we got on the ride after 9:30, and it was dark, giving us a night ride on that. However, the line for The Beast was long, at least a half hour, and then right after we got into it, they announced that they were suspending operations until after fireworks, but would run out the line if you were in it by 10:00. Still, I pretty much knew then, that there was no way we'd be able to be off the coaster and back to the shuttle by 10:30, so we had to get out of line. If I'd have known they shut the ride down for fireworks, I'd have hit that first, before a final Mystic Timbers ride, but oh well... There will be future visits to KI with the kids, and chances for them to ride The Beast at night! They didn't seem to bothered by it anyway...

 

Some final, random thoughts from the day...

 

-Vortex is terrible! I already knew this, but my 8 year old wanted to ride it (the older two kids took my word that it was terrible) and I didn't want him riding it alone, so I went with him. Well, it was awful. After getting off, I asked him what he thought, and my son said "It was like brain surgery!" So there you have it!

 

-We didn't ride Firehawk, or Flight of Fear. I described them to the kids, and they weren't interested. No big loss to me either. They're good rides, don't get me wrong. But nothing that is a "must ride" when I go to the park.

 

-One coaster I was really looking forward to riding with them, was Adventure Express, just to see their responses to the ending! They were quite amused, as was I, seeing their responses! So much fun, that little mine train coaster!

 

-We has possibly the two shortest waits I've ever had for Banshee that day! We're talking like 10, maybe 15 minutes, tops. I think it might have been 20, including waiting for the front our second time. I'm thinking a big part of the reason for that was that everybody was in the hour long line nearby for the Chicken Shack! I still don't care what anybody says... Banshee is my favorite Invert, and is perfectly intense in my book!

 

-Due to my older two kids being "afraid" of too much airtime for some unfortunate reason, I had to ride Diamondback in the middle (ugh!) and third row from the front (not as bad), and not back row as I prefer to. Still, that ride is great in any row, and still delivered a great ride, with solid air wherever! Definitely one of the best Hypers, and frankly, coasters, anywhere!

 

-I wanted to weigh in on the conversation about the Super 8 Motel from a few pages back... We stayed there two nights, and I would do it again. Sure, it's not the Ritz-Carlton, and there were a few minor bugaboos that fall short of acceptable standards from my stay (such as not having a shower curtain.) But at the end of the day, I got a hotel for two nights, for $100, that included a pool my kids enjoyed twice, a yummy continental breakfast we enjoyed two days, a shuttle to Kings Island that saved us at least $15 on parking, and the actual bed itself was perfectly fine, and presented no detriment to a good night's sleep! I'll take a bathroom/shower situation that was less than ideal in a trade-off for all of that anyday, and enjoy the savings in my pocketbook as well! I know some people are more picky than myself, and maybe some people have had worse experiences than I have. Still, on the whole, it carries a 60% recommended rating on Expedia, which is pretty good for a hotel of its star rating and caliber. I'd personally recommend it to others, and I'd personally stay there again! That's my 2 cents on the matter at least...

 

Well, if you hung in here this long, thanks for reading! TL:DR Kings Island has got a real winner on their hands in Mystic Timbers, and even if the shed is underwhelming from an experiential standpoint, it's still a great break run! I love this park, and look forward to returning again, as do my kids, who said they like it even more than Cedar Point! So, there you have it!

[anonymouscactus]

^ great report! Debating if I should hop in the park tonight as we are staying at a nearby hotel, so that way tonight I can get a night ride in Timbers (never been on it yet) and then tomorrow get on the beast at night. Either way, your trip report makes me excited. I agree with you that Cedar Fair food lines in general are absolutely terrible. We seem to have similar experiences every time we go. Thanks for the post!

[DILinator]

^Thanks for your kind words, and I'm glad you enjoyed the report! If you have a pass, and can pop in tonight for no extra cost, I would definitely go in to get a night ride on Timbers, in addition to getting the Beast night ride tomorrow! It is such a great coaster regardless, but it definitely adds a little something to the ride to experience it at night, whizzing through the woods in the dark!

 

As for the food lines, as bad as they were, they weren't even the worst I've experienced in the past year! At Six Flags Great America last fall, the lines for everything, including every little food stand, were so atrocious, we completely passed on eating for the entire day at the park! Needless to say, we were all pretty "hangry" upon leaving the park that day!

 

Have a great visit to KI tonight, and tomorrow!

[jonskinny12]

^ great report! Debating if I should hop in the park tonight as we are staying at a nearby hotel, so that way tonight I can get a night ride in Timbers (never been on it yet) and then tomorrow get on the beast at night. Either way, your trip report makes me excited. I agree with you that Cedar Fair food lines in general are absolutely terrible. We seem to have similar experiences every time we go. Thanks for the post!

 

Just a note, if you do decide to pop in. I'm in the park right now sitting on the steps for the Mystic Timbers station. We've been in line for an hour and a half or so and this is the third breakdown we've experienced.

[jonskinny12]

Sorry for the double post, but right as I posted that earlier message, the ride opened lol. We got a ride on it and it's amazing. But just letting you know it has been up and down this evening.