MrSourNinja

No thanks. There are plenty of adults that I saw that also did not want to be scared. Why do the midways have to have actors if they have specific attractions for that. Let the people that like that stuff have it and let people who just want to ride coasters in the dark, ride. Don’t want to turn people away because it’s 100% scary.

Hopefully they uhm give us new tasty water? Idk this is kinda boring now

Not much IMO, The land isn't level and it is hard to access. Such a weird spot to end up putting anything... The street are is much more viable.

Rode twice today. Obviously, it still has a rattle but it wasn’t nearly as bad as other visits this year. Might have just gotten lucky but darn did I enjoy my rides. Still my fav out of my 3 inverts. Banshee, Afterburn, Raptor

Banshee had up to an hour wait today at KI. Not always the case you can walk on it

For the people that say mystic doesn’t have long lines:

Yeah we waited an hour exactly around 3:30 for it. Lines generally very long today. Mystic and Diamondback are 90 mins

Yup saw it today. Outpost 5 really is alive

Anyone in the park know if Orion needs access passes today?

Not sure if the railroad expansion was a joke or not but honestly I think that would be a very cool and unique addition. I’m game!

I want to believe that this is a shuttle route, but unless it stops at the entrance, it doesn't make sense unless they plan on building a walkway over-top so it can get down further to Soak City. Might just be simple utilities work and maybe some underground additions. The most recent statement of work includes next year and doesn't have anything juicy in it. No matter what it is, this is definitely fun.

Very true! That is a great second pic you got!! I have never ridden but it definitely doesn't have a block before the holding break. I also don't prefer the 180deg turns after the lift. The 90deg turns are much better imo. I think a dual loading station would work if you wanted to do 6 seat rows. I think a single load would be too low capacity though. I am sorta down for a dual loading dive with 6 seat rows. Not my #1 option but I think better than a wing. Would like to see them get the whole train vertical on the holding break too by lowering the height of it. Doubt that would happen though.

In theory does it even need to clear the holding brake? You'll never get loading times that snappy but isn't the lift generally a block too...

I like the style of coaster shown but I am not sure that 3 rows of 6 is enough capacity. I think if they went dive in that plot, some sort of water feature is basically required. And more inversions than a standard dive.

That doesn't really matter for a dive as much though. Dives are very marketable and the GP really love them. Kings Island/ Cedar Fair hasn't really been adding unique models recently and I wouldn't expect that to change. Val and Yukon both did well enough and with B&M track being made so close, I wouldn't be at all surprised to get another B&M. And I'll eat my shoe, but a floorless is not happening. Neither will a wing because of GateKeeper's mediocre popularity. Surf coaster is unproven and unconfirmed. Sit down looper is not happening. That leaves Dive and flyer. Most likely won't get a flyer after Firehawk.. I could be wrong there though. Only B&M option is dive. Other than B&Ms, I could see a RMC or Mack Multi-Launch. I don't see much else happening besides those 3 options.

As much as I would be meh about the addition, my bets are on a B&M dive coaster going there, maybe with a water dive like YS. I would much prefer a terrain hugging launched coaster with a section along the creek in the valley though (Kinda like Cheeta Hunt's second half).

I agree that it would be a good addition. But like @CoastersRZ said, I just don't know where it would go. It would look weird behind the Tower as it would be blocked out. Action Zone doesn't really fit as you have a tower there already as well. Coney is the only place it would provide a good view, but even then I just don't see a good place to put it. I think the park would fit other family flat rides much better.

This is still the most recent statement of work for the 2019, 2020, 2021 seasons. I don't see any coaster manufactures outside of B & M and GCI. We already got our Giga and GCI is probably on there for racer/ beast partial retracking. That almost definitely eliminates a coaster. Waterslide restoration is the only company I see that would definitely be related to rides. Not sure if they did anything to the slides in 2019 or 2020 but that might be our 2021 addition. Most likely the markers are parking lot stuff and utilities. I would love for it to be otherwise but I don't see it as of yet. Should be getting a new statement of work by the end of the year though so we don't have to wait too long.

There is nothing better than construction speculation! No matter the kind..

No airtime at the top of the floater hill? That's something I have surely never heard before...

Front row is normally smoother on Banshee.

I have a suspicion that it is also the fact that the whole floor is concrete. I could be wrong but its a theory I have. And it's not even rough ya know, just your whole body vibrates like one giant electric toothbrush.

They probably don’t complain about it being unbearable but more likely just that it could be better. The Beast is definitely worse though. But worse than that, The Racer!!!! Holy crap that thing hurts my ribs.

Finally had time to write up my thoughts. Have a read if you want! I got to ride Orion 4 times on the 4th. Here are my thoughts: Theming: As many have stated before me, the theme of the whole area and Orion specifically is fantastic. I hope Cedar Fair and Kings Island specifically, continue to move into this direction. The space theme is fantastic and I was lucky enough to see the area at night, as I went on the one day the park was open until 10. Gosh! It is cool at night. It’s the first time I have wanted to just stand and watch instead of doing something else... that is saying something. I was originally disappointed by the lack of a large plaza sign like Banshee, but I think I have settled on the idea that I like the elevated area giving you a fantastic view of the coaster more. This is the only spot in the park where the station and theme are front and center and it’s fantastic. The theming in the line is solid, but it really gets good when you get into the pre-show hut. There is so much detail and cool things to look at in there. I won’t spoil it too much but I was definitely impressed. The station is about what you’d expect for a hangar theme but I actually thought it was nice. The hanging flags are cool and it feels fun in there. I also like the the line is blocked from seeing into the station until the very end. It’s a cool little thing that adds to the anticipation. Also, there are fans in there!!! The ride: let me preface this by saying that I am going to go through each element and my thoughts apply generally to any row in the train unless otherwise mentioned. I got 4 rides, rows: 7, 4, 2, 5. Lift Hill: You get some nice views on the way up and man do you really book it to the top. I wouldn’t be surprised if you were going 16mph up that hill. You slow a little at the top before dropping but I don’t mind as the back row would get like -2 Gs if it didn’t slow down. Side note: the lift motor is really loud when the chain is moving at top speed. Not really a positive or negative, just a note. The Drop: Hands down the best drop in the park and it’s up there with Fury for the best I have ever been on. The back row really gets some good whip over the top and throws you down. I didn’t get a ride in the very first row sadly but the second row is close to that. You don’t get ejected so much out of your seat but it is arguably as good as the back due to the sensation of falling lasting longer since you crest slower. I think I’d go back row of it was one or the other, but I see the appeal to both. Love the drop! The first element (a giant banked turn): I’m sorry, it’s just not a wave turn. You bank the same direction as you turn and therefore get pushed more into your seat than out of it. That said, sitting on the right side of the train will net you some really interesting air time. I felt like my body was experiencing normal air time while being sideways banked. Being pushed into the right side of my seat while floating was interesting and honestly super unique and fun. The closer you get to the left side of the train the less air time you will feel. It turns into more of a high banked speed turn which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, especially if you are on the left outside seats. Looking down from that high up while going that fast is really cool and I like it. Expect more air time towards the front of the train vs the back as well. It’s a solid element and while not my favorite on the ride, it is definitely fun. I don’t understand why people think every element must have air time. Yes, air time is awesome, but I like to enjoy a variety of elements on my rides. The turnaround: I liked this element. It’s nothing crazy, a pop of air in the front or not much in the back but you get really high up and don’t really lose much speed throughout the turn. Before you know it you are diving back low to the ground and pulling some good positive Gs. The speed hill: Ladies and gentleman... I give you the signature moment of the ride. Wow was I impressed! Watching the POV I was worried it would be slow and mild floated over the hill but boy am I so glad to be wrong. You don’t glide, you fly. What I would consider ejector air time turns into sustained strong floater throughout the entire hill. You absolutely fly over it and wow it’s fun. You will enjoy this hill no matter where you are in the train. Might get a little more fun on the left side of the train when you come out of the banking but it shouldn’t be very different. This might be my favorite coaster element in the park. And might be second only to SteVe’s large outer-bank on rides I have been on. 10/10 stuff here The floater hill: Let me tell you right now, people worry about trim breaks way too much. It’s there to get you over the hill at the right speed. And I really feel like it’s the right speed. I seemed to get mid tier to strong floater depending on the location in the train and I also felt like it was sustained longer than a typical hyper hill, could just be me though. Not a unique element but it was good no doubt. Helix: I’m not a helix fan. Never have been and I don’t think I ever will be. Generally, I find them to be taken too slow and to not do much for me. I don’t dislike this helix though. You get some very good positives throughout the whole thing with them being slightly weaker at the top then the low points. I also really like the shape of this helix compared to the normal ones. This is unique and non symmetrical and I like that. You won’t get anything crazy out of this element but it’s one of the better helixses I have been on. A mid tier element but I’ve definitely ridden worse Side-ways air-time hill 2: Fantastic moment! This is ejector air and boy is it fun. The only thing that could make this element better is if it was sustained until the ground. Definitely the sleeper element of the ride but right up there with one of my favorites. Break: You get a good pop of air going into the breaks (especially in the front of the train). This is better than no air time for sure. But be prepared to get slammed Flight of Fear style because boy do those breaks hit hard. You have a lot of speed going into the break run and if you are not careful, your head will know it. Overall thoughts on ride experience: This is a great ride. The pacing is fantastic, each element is unique and provides its own unique forces. Could the ride have been one or two elements longer? Of course. Did I want more? Sure. Did I feel let down? No. The ride time is similar to Mystic Timbers, which gets far less hate for being short than Orion. The pacing on both of those rides are great and they are aggressive until the end. Call me crazy but I don’t care that it isn’t longer. It’s fun how it is. Also, the length allows the lift hill to be really fast which is cool. Do I like it more than fury? Probably not? Levi? Never ridden so I don’t know. Millie? Definitely. I may be in the minority in that but half of Millennium is spent copying previous elements or gliding through boring tunnels. I would ride Orion every single time over it. The extra 15ish seconds do not make it better for me. This is a world class ride that deserves to be treated as such and I’m thrilled to have it at Kings Island. Extras: Is there a rattle!? I’m a little sadden to report this but yes, yes there is. The dark blue train is the smoothest IMO and the middle seats are definitely better than the outside but you will rattle a bit no matter what. I heard a while back that the park has issues with it because of the soil types in southwest Ohio. Not sure if that is true our not but considering all 3 of our B&M’s have a rattle I would venture to say it might be right. That or we are very unlucky. The rattle is bearable though so while it may be unfortunate, it doesn’t kill the experience for me. Lighting Package: HOLY MOLY THIS THING IS SO COOL. The views this ride and the lights it has are unreal. I wanted to stand in area 72 and watch, they were that good! Just bring these lights to Banshee and you’ll catch me having park withdrawals needing to get back. If you have any questions please feel free to ask. I will try to respond to them all! pics for fun:

Got my first 4 rides in tonight. Full review coming tomorrow. I will say I was very surprised in multiple ways.