FUN&ONLY!

I nominate this to replace Vortex!

Looks like with the inclusion of the construction site on the map, that probably is why Flight of Fear is closed this year. Also, I cannot wait for Winterfest!

Great pictures as always from Ohio Valley Coasters. It looks like we are about here on the "wave" turn judging by supports and banking: Photo Credit: Kings Island

That is probably a little worse than the usual breaking-in problems, but I think Twisted Timbers is more reliable now.

I do think RMC is learning from their mistakes with Steel Vengeance which is good, but I don’t know if that is enough to justify Cedar Fair working with them again anytime soon. Also, you are right, Twisted Timbers has had far less problems than Steel Vengeance had, but it did have the minor “breaking-in” problems that all coasters have. The only problem I am aware of that Cedar Fair currently has with Twisted Timbers is the loose articles and phone policy which is not RMC’s fault at all. It just so happens that Cedar Fair only has this problem with RMC coasters due to their aggressiveness. You never know, but the complicated loose articles policy alone could be enough for Cedar Fair to not work with RMC anytime soon.

It is RMC’s fault 100%! They agreed to build the ride, and they were the ones who designed it. They should have engineered the structure in a way that it would not rip itself apart, but they failed to do that. If RMC cannot deliver on record-breaking attractions, then why should parks even bother building RMC’s when looking for record-breakers. They might as well get the tallest B&M Dive Coaster or something more reliable.

I never said it was. It is, however, a problem that Cedar Fair has when it comes to RMC coasters, and at the moment, they really don’t have a good solution for it! But the stress and downtime Steel Vengeance is experiencing is most definitely RMC’s issue, and that is what is making Cedar Fair less likely to work with RMC in the near future coupled with Cedar Fair’s phone policy.

I have heard on Reddit that RailBlazer has a few structural weak points where the trains are exerting a lot of unwanted stress on the structure. Steel Vengeance is putting a lot of wear on the structure as well, and Cedar Point is having a hard time keeping up with maintenance. Twisted Timbers actually seems like it is the better of the three, but it still has the phone and metal detector problems that Steel Vengeance has. I don’t think Cedar Fair is willing work with RMC again until they can come up with a solid phone policy where the line still moves quickly. Also, according to some people on Reddit, the problems with Steel Vengeance have caused RMC’s and Cedar Fair’s relationship to decline. I cannot find exactly where all of this was originally said, but I found this post that has some pretty good comments worth reading farther down!

Why add an S&S when they can add a skinny new Intamin Blitz? LOL! But I would actually love to see an Intamin Blitz in that location. If not that then probably a Mack Rides launch coaster. I know some people are tossing around the idea of an RMC which I would be all for, but Cedar Fair’s relationship with RMC seems to have been strained after all the problems they are still having with Stell Vengeance, Twisted Timbers, and RailBlazer.

Kings Dominion just announced Volcano’s closure this year, and they might be replacing it in 2021! This gives me hope that Kings Island will also soon have plans to replace Vortex!

While this is true... 4 trains with 12 riders could potentially be the equivalent of Flight of Fear’s capacity with two 24 passenger trains which is not very good capacity. Also, it would be easier to stack four trains, so it could be even less than Flight of Fear’s capacity.

I took pictures of it on the website during its last day of operation.

I think O’Rourke is better for demolishing the rides as fast as possible. Kings Island hired O’Rourke to tear apart Son of Beast and Firehawk because they could do it quickly and it did not matter if it was carefully dismantled. Sky High coasters already has all of their equipment on site at the park, and the park might want them to preserve some pieces of Vortex for other Arrows in the Cedar Fair chain. Why hire O’Rourke when you already have another fully capable company on site to dismantle it? Sky High coasters also probably gave Kings Island a deal to do both projects.

I wonder if they are going to move the Diamondback webcam just a little, so we will not be able to see Vortex coming down. That would be mean. I know the webcams are down for other reasons though, so they should remain where they are currently positioned.

I cannot believe that I will never see it again. It was there today, and it will be gone next year. I just cannot believe it. I’ll miss seeing you around, Vortex!

There will definitely be some sort of Fast Lane line, probably Fast Lane Plus, because the blueprints show a separate line to the station and up the steps.

Am I the only one who thinks Flight of Fear gives some seriously underrated night rides?

I could very well see GCI coming in and do some partial retracking of the red side.

I know at Cedar Point, they were going to build a monster record-breaking 200 foot B&M floorless coaster, but they went with Maverick instead. This means that B&M is capable of exceeding 200 feet on a floorless coaster, and they could make something record-breaking for Kings Island. B&M could also maybe go for the North America inversion record with ten inversions or even incorporate a launch. I, personally see a record-breaking ten inversion B&M floorless coaster as a good replacement for Vortex and a good way to market the ride to the general public. Source: https://www.coaster101.com/2019/06/27/7-things-i-learned-about-cedar-point-from-john-hildebtandts-book/

I agree with this. Maybe there are additional plans for something?

I definitely could see this!

Sigh... I really wanted to finally be able to enjoy an actual well-themed Halloween event at the park. The Snickers theming that Six Flags takes the time to incorporate into their event is miles ahead of Kings Island’s Halloween Haunt which is missing all of the high quality Snickers theming. Maybe some day though...

Swan Lake in Rivertown?

Now that Orion And Area 72 have been announced, do you think there will be any other small upgrades or changes to the park like what they did in 2019 with The Racer retracking, Beast’s trains repaint and footprints, Miami River Brewhouse, and the International Street Makeover? All of these were announced after the initial Antique Cars announcement, and they all came spaced out from one another. It seemed like they were announcing something new every month! Personally, for 2020, I actually could potentially see many new upgrades to the park. This could include more Racer retracking, maybe a new restaurant or additional Area 72 announcements (theming, Flight of Fear enhancements), and International Street Makeover Phase 2 as some people have said that the renovation last year was only Phase 1!

Now I want to see these pictures! LOL!