An in-depth report from Banshee Bash and Camden Park

[Cmbgo12]

First some Ultra High-Res pictures to keep this TR from getting to boring...

 

So like a lot of people on here I went to Banshee Bash, and I had a great time! Even thought the park was crowded I still got all of the credits since I ended up buying the Flash Pass or what ever Cedar Fair calls it ... After Banshee Bash I also went to Camden Park to get the credits and go on some of the unique flat rides like the Vintage Whip ride (Which was balls to the walls insane and they ran at full speed!). Anyways on to the report part for Kings Island.

 

First I went to Kings Island and it was my first time at the park so I bought the Flash Pass just in case it was crowded, which was a very good thing because the park was totally jammed. I got all of the credits, including Flight of Fear which was doing one train operation all day due to the park waiting for a part, that really sucked since the ride already had a low through-put and didn't offer a flash pass line. Besides that though I had a great day at Kings Island and loved the great selection of flats and coasters that the park offered.

 

As for just the coasters this park is really interesting, it has some top-notch coasters while also having some of the roughest most terrible rides I've ever had the displeasure of riding... So let me give a review of my day and the rides at Kings Island. (In order of the day)

 

Banshee- The first ride of the day, and a great ride in the front and back (But surprisingly shaky in the middle). The ride itself has a good combo of elements and the first half of the ride is extraordinarily great, but after the zero-g roll the coaster seems to loose its flow and kinda slows down in some parts while going too fast through others which is the main reason it isn't my favorite Invert... Other than those minor peeves it's a great ride and definitely a great investment for the park!

 

The Bat- I miss the Big Bad Wolf at BGW . The Bat didn't even come close to the Big Bad Wolf in any respect, but it was still a fun little suspended coaster.

 

Delirium- A really fun ride, the restraints were a little uncomfortable though. I really loved the G's that this ride produced too!

 

Diamondback- Wow, tons of floater air, extremely smooth, my absolute favorite trains, and a flow that can't be beat make this coaster my number one favorite coaster that I've had the pleasure of riding... I hope the coaster continues to age as well as it has well into the future.

 

Flying Ace- A prime example of a ride that has not aged well... This is the first of the Vekoma SFC's and is by far the roughest one I've ridden, it has some weird jolts in some places, and destroys your head on the restraints.

 

The Great Pumpkin Coaster- An awesome ride OP let me on without a kid and I have to admit that I enjoyed this ride a lot more than I should have... (Also na-nana poo poo I got the credit )

 

Woodstock Express- I have a soft spot for these PTC Junior Coasters and I'm really glad that the Kings parks decided to keep theirs throughout the years... This one was great, like all the others, with a little bit of airtime and some decent laterals for a kiddie coaster

 

After those coasters I went to the water park for the ERT and stayed their until lunch, the Tornado ride was aight, and the WaveRider was ok... However in the very back of the park was an old 1980's waterslide structure built by WhiteWater called Pineapple Pipeline, it was the real underdog of the waterpark. Seriously I must have gone on those at least 2 dozen times. The one next to it was one of those WhiteWater rides that intertwine each other and I ended up bashing my face on the top of the slide trying to go down too fast.

 

After the water park was lunch and it was very good, with hotdogs, hamburgers, free drinks, and cake! After lunch I made my way back over to the Banshee Area...

 

Invertigo- Alright so this ride was weird because going through the ride forwards was actually pretty smooth, but coming back it basically destroyed any part of your skull that was remaining after Flying Ace! In all seriousness though, after getting off of this coaster I was actually dizzy and had a pounding headache.

 

Racer- I loved this coaster! It was so classic feeling, but in the same respect it wasn't rough like its sister Rebel Yell... That might have been because I accidently sat in what has been called the golden seat of this coaster (Second Car in the row not over the wheels). I really enjoyed this coaster though, I also enjoyed not having to wait in its 45+ minute long line

 

Adventure Express- I rode this coaster with AJ and some other TPR people, and as they put it "This coaster is a prime example of Ron Toomer's coat hanger track"... I couldn't agree more! Between the sloppy track work and what has to be the most bizarre theming on any coaster in the US this coaster was probably the worst of the day! (Though the other Arrow in the park might give it a run for its money...)

 

The Monster!- This was my first Everly Monster and it was great! I nearly spun myself silly thanks to the advice from the ride op...

 

The Beast- I rode this coaster right before our back stage tour, and this is the coaster that made me really glad I decided to buy a Flash Pass... When I got there it had an hour and a half wait even running three trains. . The station of this coaster was really bizarre too, which probably lead to the long line you enter from the middle and there's not a separate line for the front (Which had the longest line by far) so the station got super crowded from all of the people waiting for the front and made it a fight for anyone trying to ride in any row from the middle to the front... This confusion ultimately lead to me sitting in a wheel seat in the middle of the train, this was fine for the first half of the ride, but as many of you know after the second lift hill the Beast gets really rough... And due to where I was sitting caused my back to nearly be destroyed by the end of the ride... The night ride on the other hand... I'll tell you about my coaster Nirvana experience later.

 

Back Lot Stunt Coaster- After the backstage tour I rode this coaster... It was aight, I did like that the fire on this one was working though... It made it much better than one at Kings Dominion.

 

Vortex- OW! That's the only thing I can say about this coaster. I sat in what is normally the golden seat on most Arrows, but even then this coaster was intolerable, the first part with the curves and loops was fine, but after the killer curve (You know which one I'm taking about) the coaster was terrible.

 

Windseeker- This was the first time I've been able to ride a working Windseeker and I have to admit that I don't get why people don't like them... They're pretty fun, provide good views, and have a really high capacity.

 

The Drop Tower- I went over to this ride after Windseeker because the Cirque Imagine was about to start. Its ok, like the one at Kings Dominion its not as good as the Second Gen Freefalls, but is still insane!

 

Cirque Imagine- This show was really cool for an amusement park show, definitely reminded me of some of the stuff they do at Barnum and Bailey's Circus.

 

Firehawk- OMFG, I rode this coaster at night in the front row... Let me tell you, anyone that says these coasters suck definitely haven't been on one in the dark. Not being able to see the ground at the top of the lift in those loose little restraints was crazy! I wish I could have ridden again!

 

Flight of Fear- Cheesy, and rough! Those pretty accurately describe this coaster. I can't believe I missed the fireworks for that piece of junk. (I got the credit though! )

 

-Night Rides-

 

Banshee- Banshee at night was probably the coolest coaster to ride at night. It goes just far enough into the woods so as to be in darkness, but not so far in that you get disoriented... Ahem... The Beast.

 

Diamondback- Pretty similar to the Banshee in the regard that it didn't go to far in the woods, but a little different in that it's tall enough that you can see the suburbs lights nearby!

 

The Beast- My first ride was in the middle again, and it was aight... I kinda thought that people had blown the awesomeness of a night ride on the Beast out of proportion. That was until I rode in the front, I rode with the same guy I had ridden Diamondback with as well driven in with (Prius Guy!). That front seat ride is the reason that the Beast ranks so highly for me. It was mind-blowing, in every way... This was at midnight and was one of the few times that the park played the old music on the first lift, I have to say that the anticipation going up the first hill was insane. The yellow florescent lights leading into darkness, signaling as to how the ride ahead would be. The run through the forest was especially trippy, especially the run close to the ground after the tunnel... Even the part after the second lift was fun!

 

Overall the day at Kings Island was incredible and I can't thank the people that put the event together enough! Now onto the pictures!

 

Yes Folks that's the reason we're all here! Might as well start out with the pictures of this killer ride first.

The most unique element of this coaster is the loop around the lift hill... Its a cool element to see done on an invert!

The curved first drop is another one of this coasters features... Its a really forceful element that starts the ride off with a bang!

The benefits of a zoom lens...

The Coat-ster . PUNS.

The best coaster in the park, and possibly the best in the USA...

I love all of the floater airtime on this coaster!

Ahh... A Monster!

I think that The Bat looks better with this color scheme, the Flight Deck color scheme was really boring.

EWW

This is a picture of the killer water ride called Pineapple Pipeline..!

HA! Nerds... Oh wait...

The had some cool old wood working equipment under the beasts lift hill. I thought that was pretty unique!

I forgot to take Night-time shots of the coasters, but I did take one of the Eiffel Tower!..

 

I hope you all enjoyed reading through this increadibly long trip report... Don't worry I've only done the one for Kings Island. I still have one to do for Camden Park!

[pǝʇɹǝʌuı]

Great trip report! I get a ton of nostalgia from these pictures. I used to live right by Kings Island until I moved away from Cincinnati three years ago. My friends and I all had passes and we'd go every week. You could say I know these coasters pretty well (except Banshee ).

 

I find it really interesting that you think so highly of Diamondback. It's not that I disagree--DB is definitely in my top 5. I rank it that high mostly for sentimental reasons, though. I agree that it definitely has some nice floater air, especially on the drop. As a ride I prefer it to Millennium Force, but I have a feeling Fury will be better.

 

The Beast is also one of my favorite coasters in the US. Definitely a great night ride, but you have to know how to ride. Never sit in a wheel seat unless it's the front row. I tend to prefer the middle of the last car because it generally has the shortest line. You also have to anticipate the turns as they come otherwise you'll get destroyed. On the drop out of the second lift hill, lean as far as you can to the right and it makes the helix much better. I don't know if this is common knowledge among the roller coaster community or not, but it should be.

 

I rode Banshee one time last season, that's it. Take my comments with a grain of salt if you want, but I think it's overhyped. When I rode it became really obvious to me why so many enthusiasts are giving B&M "meh" reviews on their new coasters. If I closed my eyes, I may as well have just been sitting in the station. It's super forceless and almost too smooth. I did actually really like the last zero-g roll, though. Keep in mind that I'm definitely still bitter that I didn't live by KI when Banshee opened.

[ThemeParkJunkie51290]

Nice report! I went to Kings Island for the first time in Aug of 2014, and I had a blast. Banshee was the best! It really is a great ride at night. Even though I enjoyed the other coasters, The Beast was . . . well . . . rough. VERY, VERY ROUGH! I'm glad I got the credit because The Beast is a classic, but I rode it once, and only ONCE. LOL. It was still fun. Kings Island is a wonderful park, and I'm glad you had fun!

[Kyle Coleman]

Very nice try. Glad to see someone else in the diamonds fan club too. It's my favorite b&m.