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Your Banshee Experience


Gplez90

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A new topic since Banshee has officially opened for the 2014 season. Tell us about your Banshee experience. What did you like? What did you not like? Did anything surprise you or catch you off guard? Feel free to share pictures/on ride photos of you Banshee experience also!

Ill start by saying this ride experience has kicked Montu to the curb and buried it in dust. It is the most intense, well paced, well laid out inverted coaster i have ever been on. I felt like the ride got faster at the bottom of every drop. My favorite seat ended up being in the front right, although the back seat is great too. The entire ride delivers some solid positive Gs. My favorite park of the ride ended up being the spiral into the in-line-twist and into the carousel turn. The entire thing is full throttle from the moment you hear the Banshee scream at the top of the drop, to the second you come to a stop! Also, the theme is (imo) unmatched by any other Cedar Fair attraction. Kings Island really took notice of every single tiny detail. The theme is very well executed; Kings Island fans are in for a real treat for this season, and the seasons to come!
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My woman and I

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My woman and i to the right!

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Banshee is without a doubt the best inverted roller coaster in the world! I absolutely enjoyed every second of the 4,124 foot journey through 7 inversions. Let me just say, the in-line roll is a whole new experience for inverts! Again, amazing ride! :D

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I had a blast. Rode Banshee 9 times. Rode rows 1,2,4,5,7,8. Best seat is 8-1 or 8-4. The best element is the zero-G into the Batwing. I got lucky for my first invert (full circuit) ride, 1st row. I was glad to see many of you today. To those who missed it; you need to get up there and ride it.

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I'll be there Sunday morning...can't wait! Looks like the reviews are making it out to be what I thought it would be, and more! Arguably the best invert in the world!

The theming looks like nothing coaster wise that Cedar Fair has EVER done before.

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After getting over 15 rides on Banshee today, I can say that my best experience (besides the 2nd train of the morning in the dark) was riding in the front seat.

In my honest opinion, the back seat was not what I expected and ended up making me want to go back to the front! But usually being a back-seat rider, it was unusual to see me in the front.

.......On another note.......

It was great to finally meet some KIC'ers today. Those of you who met me know who you are.

It was also good to see you in person Gplez90, I thought it was you standing behind me for Banshee twice, but now I'm sure after seeing the pictures above.

(By the way, Gplez90, you did correctly spot the "Stengel" tombstone behind Delirium after wondering where it was. ;) )

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Restraints are much more comfortable than Gatekeepers had been. The vests are flexible, but taunt. They don't lock, which is good :) I did have one issue on my 3rd ride where all the restraints were locking in Row 5 except mine... 5-4. The B&M Rep came over and took care of it and we were off. Probably just a minor glitch. No harm, no foul. It was a great ride!

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Were the restraints comfortable? Any issues like with Gatekeeper?

Seemed OK to me. The vest pressed against my shoulders hard, creating some mild pain while sitting in the station, but that may just be because I have really bony shoulders (I desperately need to start some sort of weightlifting program, but I'm too lazy to do it). The vests didn't tighten or lock during the ride.

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You guys are killing me with envy! Thanks for the detailed descriptions. I'm heading up over to Cincy tomorrow evening with my nieces, but not planning to go to the park until Saturday morning. I'll be the old lady in line who is more excited than the kids I'm with ("omg...our aunt is SO embarrassing!")

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I love the ride - the first drop is the best part - didn't realize how forceful it would be. I had myself lose my breath the whole way through it. The rest of the ride is very fun. The constant inversions and flipping over make for a wild ride. The twist at the end is very weird, too. Seems out of place, but an interesting element.

Other than the coaster itself, I love the station - those lamps hanging from the ceiling are so cool!

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^ There are lockers located across from the entrance next to Xtreme Skyflyer available for a fee of a dollar an hour. No loose articles are allowed in the station (no bins).

With a minimum charge of two hours.

Okay onto my experience.

Got to the park ~4:15 and waited for the gate to the parking lot to open. Registered and received our treats...a Media Day t-shirt, a glass paper weight with a Banshee print encased, the lanyard, and the card to receive a complimentary ride photo. Waited in line to enter the park (who here goes to Muskingum University...?). Walked over to Banshee, made it on the ~3rd train of "regular" people. Front row at 6 in the morning with the temperature hovering around 32 degrees is unique, wonderful, slightly painful experience. I was in awe the entire ride and couldn't keep track of where we were.

I was absolutely BLOWN AWAY by Kings Island on this. The ride and area is beautiful in every way. The station looks great. The sign is AMAZING. Also....the lighting package!! Holy crap. I was stunned. I LOVED seeing how much was put into this between the sign, station, fog, lighting, tombstones, fencing, landscaping, just everything! Never in my wildest dreams did I anticipate Kings Island taking the theming and experience to this level. Really makes me excited for the future.

I next rode in row 4 or 5, and there was a lot more rattling here. Slightly uncomfortable. I wasn't the only one who noticed this; others I talked to did too. My third ride was in row 8, right side. Later on, row 8, left side. THIS is my favorite seat. You just get yanked down and around that first drop. It's rare for me to get "that feeling" in my stomach anymore; Banshee's first drop does it for me, especially in row 8, left side.

The pacing of the ride is unbelievable. Once you start, you don't stop until the brake run. There is NO time between elements. It's drop into inversion into inversion into drop into inversion into inversion into inversion into helix into inline twist to the brake run. The back half of the ride in incredibly forceful, especially in the back of the train. The blood starts going to your legs and keeps going due to the forces and how quickly you go from one thing to the next.

Th first drop in the back row and the final inline twist are my two favorite parts.

If you haven't ridden, you're in for an amazing experience. If you haven't seen the ride while dark, you're in for a real treat. Prepare to be speechless!

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Oh and to add to what I've already said...While the restraints are nice and offer an unobstructed view and generally allow you freedom, I'm not a huge fan of them...They pull fairly tight over your shoulders/collar bones. I didn't notice a problem much during individual rides, but when I could do a back to back, I noticed my collarbone being very tender even before getting to the top of the lift hill. Sitting here on the couch I notice them being sore to the touch. While they don't lock, they are stiff and fairly taught. Also, the actual restraint lap gap that comes down does become tighter over the course of a ride.

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Honestly, Banshee is such a good coaster, it's hard to single out any one element of the ride, but to just mention two of them.....

1.) The second half of the Batwing, as you're plummeting back towards the ground, seems to be the most absolute forceful part of the ride. Amazing.

2.) The In-Line-Roll gives such a floating sensation it is truly unbelievable. I absolutely loved the ride and it definitely exceeded any and all my expectations of it.

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^ There are lockers located across from the entrance next to Xtreme Skyflyer available for a fee of a dollar an hour. No loose articles are allowed in the station (no bins).

What about sunglasses? My eyes have been recently bothered by the sun and I can't imagine standing out in the morning sun with no sunglasses.

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I would say that your sunglasses will probably be safe on your face. If you don't have a strap, wear a cheap discount store pair just in case. It's not like Firehawk, where you are hanging face down and your glasses might simply fall off. But if you really want to wear good sunglasses, or any prescription glasses, on any ride, invest in a decent strap to be safe. They only cost a few bucks.

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