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Adventure Port Ride Reviews


IndyGuy4KI
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Observations -boat has already been changed -my thought on day one “they are going to have to push that further out in the pond and anchor that to get it away from the rail or people will get on it” now, they d pushed it out in the pond and anchored it. 
 

they really should’ve built an “office” around the desk props to just look through a window at the stuff. It’s literally inches from the queue line and the desk lamp is already broken. 
 

tunnel one may not be complete, but we made this big deal about snakes and… no snakes-no lights. 
 

tunnel 3- gem mine? Something? Again we made a big deal about hitting the “mother lode” and pikes of lit up fake gems would sell that story. 
 

flags have started appearing in front of Enrique’s. They seem like a hard material zip tied onto the lighting wires. I’m hoping -but not expecting additional poles and wires. I’m afraid this detail has been “minimized’. Would look good if they aged the poles on the back patio as the shiny black looks too new. They are doing LOTS of aging and detail paint, so hopefully! 
 

the ride op building for SolSpin looks really nice. I had doubts about how this building would age down and blend in, but looks good. 
 

odd design choice to put a shade structure over the entrance to Cargo-where you just pass through and no shade structure over the queue where you wait. 

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Yeah the shade structure for cargo is likely for an attendant some days? not sure. Was hoping for shade over the ride itself; Especially with the ride having you have to grab a metal ring. Looks fun though!

Adventure Express review.

Spoiler

Will open with, I will never be one to overhype things.

Overall, its an appreciated effort. I always felt Adventure Express is severely underrated. Especially if you've ridden other. mine coasters; Our train seats are sooo comfortable and the ride is actually pretty intense and fun once you accept the final lift will not result in a big drop. 

Everything new about the ride's theming is an A+ from me. The fake track modeled far enough and angles to look like it would slope off the "cliff".

The monkeys around the crashed train cars (that likely came from the closed rail. it lines up close enough) are a nice, humourous touch :)

 

I like that the "now you will pay" is easily heard and followed by a laugh now... other new audio on the lift and right before you leave the final lift are hard to hear though.

 

Thats not all the positives but people are raving enough or posting photos of others so.. on to my critiques of it.

I was hoping the existing theming would have actually been fixed or enhanced. 

 

The spikes before the 1st lift didnt work. And Ive actually seen them work in recent years (at least 2021 IIRC) so I was hoping that would work again, or maybe several would work.

The statue arms toward the end didnt even all work and we arent a week into operation. Perhaps unforseen things happened or they simply are going to get to it soon; But, I did expect all existing effects to work before enjoying the new stuff.

The headpiece on the arches over the first lift were removed & you could see the color difference in the wood. Not a big deal, but would've preferred they kept it there.. I think it was moved to the final tunnel into the final lift.

 

Thats about all my critiques. Further than that are just things I hoped for, didnt expect, but after riding, think it wouldve been cool. The 3rd or 1st tunnel couldve done with some loud monkey noises or something. A wood or stone crumbling soundeffect would've helped with immersiveness.. & I think the big turn before the rise into the final lift should've had some theming there as well. It's the most hidden outdoor section and you spend a long time in view of that patch of grass.

Lastly, I was hoping a flash or something would tie off the final turn after the "you must pay" so that it makes sense you're done, despite the lifting... but not upset it didnt happen.

 

Overall, Im pleased! I hope AE has a long time left at the park with this investment and Im glad it received some additives to the already adequate, generic theme. Maybe Ill be surprised & we'll get some of the extras I was looking for, or at least the spikes and statue arms can consistently be working.

Hopefully everyone goes in with realistic expectations and enjoys the enhancements for what they are! Even if I had some shortcomings for my hopes, I can tell some of these things took a lot of effort to pull off. So shout out to everyone that worked to make it happen!

 

 

 

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2 minutes ago, BeeastFarmer said:

So, for those who have experienced AE 2.0...do the tunnels have the whooshing wind noises?  Has the jungle noise returned before tunnel 1?  On the first lift, is the creaking noise back?

if it's there it needs to be amped up - lots of audio issues - the creaking wood is now dialougue that you can't make out. The whole ride feels like it needs to close for 2-3 days for a final "punch list" of lighting in tunnel 1 to highlight the snakes they made a deal about (will be vey annoyed if this doesn't come back), audio adjustment, crates of jewels in tunnel 2 or 3 (again that we made a deal about), lighting fixed in final lift and the repainted masks form the lift hill that they highlighted in a post a while back aren't there. They clearly got it open for capacity over the holiday, but they need to just take it offline and get it great (and really, how hard is it to get the dang bell working again?? LOL

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31 minutes ago, calakapepe said:

Yeah the shade structure for cargo is likely for an attendant some days? not sure. Was hoping for shade over the ride itself; Especially with the ride having you have to grab a metal ring. Looks fun though!

Adventure Express review.

  Hide contents

Will open with, I will never be one to overhype things.

Overall, its an appreciated effort. I always felt Adventure Express is severely underrated. Especially if you've ridden other. mine coasters; Our train seats are sooo comfortable and the ride is actually pretty intense and fun once you accept the final lift will not result in a big drop. 

Everything new about the ride's theming is an A+ from me. The fake track modeled far enough and angles to look like it would slope off the "cliff".

The monkeys around the crashed train cars (that likely came from the closed rail. it lines up close enough) are a nice, humourous touch :)

 

I like that the "now you will pay" is easily heard and followed by a laugh now... other new audio on the lift and right before you leave the final lift are hard to hear though.

 

Thats not all the positives but people are raving enough or posting photos of others so.. on to my critiques of it.

I was hoping the existing theming would have actually been fixed or enhanced. 

 

The spikes before the 1st lift didnt work. And Ive actually seen them work in recent years (at least 2021 IIRC) so I was hoping that would work again, or maybe several would work.

The statue arms toward the end didnt even all work and we arent a week into operation. Perhaps unforseen things happened or they simply are going to get to it soon; But, I did expect all existing effects to work before enjoying the new stuff.

The headpiece on the arches over the first lift were removed & you could see the color difference in the wood. Not a big deal, but would've preferred they kept it there.. I think it was moved to the final tunnel into the final lift.

 

Thats about all my critiques. Further than that are just things I hoped for, didnt expect, but after riding, think it wouldve been cool. The 3rd or 1st tunnel couldve done with some loud monkey noises or something. A wood or stone crumbling soundeffect would've helped with immersiveness.. & I think the big turn before the rise into the final lift should've had some theming there as well. It's the most hidden outdoor section and you spend a long time in view of that patch of grass.

Lastly, I was hoping a flash or something would tie off the final turn after the "you must pay" so that it makes sense you're done, despite the lifting... but not upset it didnt happen.

 

Overall, Im pleased! I hope AE has a long time left at the park with this investment and Im glad it received some additives to the already adequate, generic theme. Maybe Ill be surprised & we'll get some of the extras I was looking for, or at least the spikes and statue arms can consistently be working.

Hopefully everyone goes in with realistic expectations and enjoys the enhancements for what they are! Even if I had some shortcomings for my hopes, I can tell some of these things took a lot of effort to pull off. So shout out to everyone that worked to make it happen!

 

 

 

LOL - You just hit on so many of the things I just typed. Im not complaining, but I'm overall disappointed that while they had the ride off line they didn't address existing effects, or create new. This is now the "marque" attraction of an entirely new area arguably that only exists BECAUSE of this ride and its theme. This was a change to really "next level" it, and maybe they still will... maybe they just need to bite the bullet and take it off line for a week to get these things done while we are between holidays - heck other rides are closed from time to time. 

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37 minutes ago, calakapepe said:

Yeah the shade structure for cargo is likely for an attendant some days? not sure. Was hoping for shade over the ride itself; Especially with the ride having you have to grab a metal ring. Looks fun though!

Adventure Express review.

  Reveal hidden contents

 

When you stand back and look at Cargo Loco as a whole, I think they are where they are to balance the ride as they are in the same spots on both side, but agree that a "shipping warehouse" roof over the entire ride would've been nice - both on sunny AND rainy days. 

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My wife and I made a nice, quick trip to the park tonight. Adventure Port (and the whole park) looked lovely tonight. Got another ride in on AE. Can’t say for sure if a whole lot has changed from this weekend. Nothing major to report. Hopefully they can get the rest of the thematic elements up to snuff soon. Really cool experience so far!

E0BD979C-207E-4E79-AD82-ED4E248DECE0.jpeg92411117-E8CD-4A3F-90D8-9ADCA8E7B4EB.jpegC9C494AF-CAEC-42F6-842A-EB7864C4B3AD.jpeg

 

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57 minutes ago, beastfan11 said:

My wife and I made a nice, quick trip to the park tonight. Adventure Port (and the whole park) looked lovely tonight. Got another ride in on AE. Can’t say for sure if a whole lot has changed from this weekend. Nothing major to report. Hopefully they can get the rest of the thematic elements up to snuff soon. Really cool experience so far!

E0BD979C-207E-4E79-AD82-ED4E248DECE0.jpeg92411117-E8CD-4A3F-90D8-9ADCA8E7B4EB.jpegC9C494AF-CAEC-42F6-842A-EB7864C4B3AD.jpeg

 

As nice as the lighting packages on the ET, Orion and MT are, there's something uniquely beautiful about the classic lighting on the grand carousel.

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11 minutes ago, Timchat2 said:

It was indeed a beautiful evening. The park has come so far in terms of atmosphere and charm these last few years, and nights like tonight really bring the point home.

Felt the exact same way! 

 

10 minutes ago, WoodVengeance said:

As nice as the lighting packages on the ET, Orion and MT are, there's something uniquely beautiful about the classic lighting on the grand carousel.

Could not agree with you more. It’s definitely something else. Can’t quite explain it, but it’s stunning. 

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5 hours ago, Timchat2 said:

I always make a point to do a slow stroll around the carousel in the evening as well. Hard not to feel grateful to have such a special place on a warm evening so close to home.

I think that each time I’m there… then I drive literally 20 minutes across town. LOL. My nephew was excited he went to CP with his dad on Tuesday and for them  it’s an 1.5hr drive each way. Love that I get to play at such a great place “here in my own backyard “ to quote the great 50th song! 

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Ok so here's my review as I just came up this evening to get my first rides on cargo loco and adv express. 

Cargo Loco to me personally is hard to spin though I got it going pretty fast I thought. Really nice visually and I'm glad we have another family ride near Adventure Express and viking fury. 

Adventure Express was really cool with all the additional thematic elements. I do think they need to bump up the audio because arrow mine trains are noisy and drown out the narrative. I couldn't make out the audio on the first lift hill (also noticed the masks/sphinx heads are not there) I hope they add some lighting/gems in the first tunnel which is marked as the gem mine. The second tunnel (the Kings tomb is wonderful with lots of props lighting and working effects) the third tunnel is the cobra caverns and I did see a few snakes but hopefully they are adding a few more and giving it better lighting. I saw one snake on the top of the tunnel before you enter and there's a cobra on the right side of the train near the end of the tunnel that you can see if you're looking for it. Perhaps there's more snakes in there and you are going too fast or it's too dark to notice? I'm not sure. The forbidden temple is of course the highlight as all but one fist guy was working and the audio was actually turned up loud enough to hear it well. Of course the station master is great and so are all the que line props. So all in all it's an amazing ride with great theme however there's a few audio bugs they could work out and I would like to see more gems and snakes in the gem mine and cobra caverns tunnels

 

Ok so after a few  night rides, I was able to see that there's at least 4 snakes in the 3rd tunnel and I was able to pick up on some audio without all the noise of the riders. The lift hill audio says something like "you are on the wrong track... you are headed for the forbidden temple...I will check in with you there" Now I'm sure I'm still missing bits of what the audio says however it's something kind of like that. The audio at the end is something like "you are back on track one ..... And remember the express is always on the right track." 

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1 hour ago, johnjniehaus said:

Ok so here's my review as I just came up this evening to get my first rides on cargo loco and adv express. 

Cargo Loco to me personally is hard to spin though I got it going pretty fast I thought. Really nice visually and I'm glad we have another family ride near Adventure Express and viking fury. 

Adventure Express was really cool with all the additional thematic elements. I do think they need to bump up the audio because arrow mine trains are noisy and drown out the narrative. I couldn't make out the audio on the first lift hill (also noticed the masks/sphinx heads are not there) I hope they add some lighting/gems in the first tunnel which is marked as the gem mine. The second tunnel (the Kings tomb is wonderful with lots of props lighting and working effects) the third tunnel is the cobra caverns and I did see a few snakes but hopefully they are adding a few more and giving it better lighting. I saw one snake on the top of the tunnel before you enter and there's a cobra on the right side of the train near the end of the tunnel that you can see if you're looking for it. Perhaps there's more snakes in there and you are going too fast or it's too dark to notice? I'm not sure. The forbidden temple is of course the highlight as all but one fist guy was working and the audio was actually turned up loud enough to hear it well. Of course the station master is great and so are all the que line props. So all in all it's an amazing ride with great theme however there's a few audio bugs they could work out and I would like to see more gems and snakes in the gem mine and cobra caverns tunnels

 

Ok so after a few  night rides, I was able to see that there's at least 4 snakes in the 3rd tunnel and I was able to pick up on some audio without all the noise of the riders. The lift hill audio says something like "you are on the wrong track... you are headed for the forbidden temple...I will check in with you there" Now I'm sure I'm still missing bits of what the audio says however it's something kind of like that. The audio at the end is something like "you are back on track one ..... And remember the express is always on the right track." 

Huh! Tunnel one was originally the snake tunnel. I wasn’t aware that the snakes had moved to tunnel 3. They really have a great framework, they just need to flesh things out more. I’ve not seen ANY gems and clearly there need to be lit more, or bigger snakes. Makes sense that would be the snake cave as it is more twisted than the other two. 

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Rode Cargo Loco twice today. Couldn't get it to consistently spin either time. And honestly based on the lines I saw (or lack thereof) I think the GP weren't impressed. Also, the ride is really quiet and could use some music while its running. Also the seats get surprisingly hot sitting in the sun. With some tweaks it should be a nice addition but it needs those tweaks.

Rode AE a few times. I'm pretty happy with the new theming elements in and around the station. The on-ride additions are nice, but not super noticeable. I do wish they would bring back the mist/fog in tunnel 3.

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I got to visit Adventure Port today, and I am very happy with how it all turned out. Kings Island finally has an immersive land it has deserved for years, and the amount of detail present is great. It feels like there's something to look at everywhere, and I can't wait to see it once Sol Spin is open and the land is complete. 

Cargo Loco is an interesting case. The park was very light on crowds, so the operators moved my party to another barrel to distribute weight better. It was very hard to get the barrel to spin, I had three people in the Pecans one. But based on other reviews I know there's potential, so I'll have to ride it again. And while I think the cycle time was fine for a busier day, I wish it would have been a bit longer on a day like this where there was nobody in line.

Adventure Express was very lovely, the changes make it feel like so much more of a complete ride with a real established story. There's also a lot more re-rideability, I rode it twice and still couldn't take everything in. The only issue I had with it is one many others are saying, the audio is way too quiet for the loud coaster. I couldn't understand what was said on the first lift at all, and only made out the audio on the brake run on my second ride. The audio on the final lift is fine, at least.

The changes to this area are a hit in every aspect, and I hope they can apply this level of detail and atmosphere to other areas of the park in the future, I would love to see Rivertown receive some updates to the rides and setting on this level.

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20 hours ago, brenthodge said:

Huh! Tunnel one was originally the snake tunnel. I wasn’t aware that the snakes had moved to tunnel 3.

See from reading reviews I was under the impression that tunnel one was the cobra caverns and that tunnel three was the gem mine however on my rides last night the first tunnel is clearly marked as gem mine on a small sign located on the right side of the track before entering the tunnel. The snakes in the third tunnel are more noticeable at night however there's one that's sitting on the top of the tunnel which can be seen from other outdoor portions of the track. Overall it's not 100% but it's a lot better than it was. I really hope they keep up on the maintenance and keep the animatronics working and the audio working. 

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On 6/2/2023 at 12:52 AM, HomeElsewhere said:

I got to visit Adventure Port today, and I am very happy with how it all turned out. Kings Island finally has an immersive land it has deserved for years, and the amount of detail present is great. It feels like there's something to look at everywhere, and I can't wait to see it once Sol Spin is open and the land is complete. 

Cargo Loco is an interesting case. The park was very light on crowds, so the operators moved my party to another barrel to distribute weight better. It was very hard to get the barrel to spin, I had three people in the Pecans one. But based on other reviews I know there's potential, so I'll have to ride it again. And while I think the cycle time was fine for a busier day, I wish it would have been a bit longer on a day like this where there was nobody in line.

Adventure Express was very lovely, the changes make it feel like so much more of a complete ride with a real established story. There's also a lot more re-rideability, I rode it twice and still couldn't take everything in. The only issue I had with it is one many others are saying, the audio is way too quiet for the loud coaster. I couldn't understand what was said on the first lift at all, and only made out the audio on the brake run on my second ride. The audio on the final lift is fine, at least.

The changes to this area are a hit in every aspect, and I hope they can apply this level of detail and atmosphere to other areas of the park in the future, I would love to see Rivertown receive some updates to the rides and setting on this level.

Welcome to KIC!

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I rode Cargo Loco and Adventure Express three times each today and they were both great, I really enjoyed the added theming around Adventure Express (as well as the

Spoiler

"on the right track" mini-story that was built in during the ride

). While my daytime ride was alright, Night Rides are where this coaster shines. IMO, Adventure Express (still) gives the best Night Rides in the park! :D

I also very much enjoyed Cargo Loco. Even if the spinning bar in the middle doesn't work, I believe the forces of the ride give the barrels a great amount of spin. On the one night ride I took, the two guys in the barrel next to me had theirs spinning for most of the ride. I did see Sol Spin test multiple times today and the apparatus holding the ride up (helping it to tilt) does look interesting.

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Rode Adventure Express after avoiding spoilers and I can say it's getting better than the earlier reviews here. I honestly loved it and I can say the experience is different depending on where you sit. 

There are so many Easter Eggs, I rode three times and still can't point them all out. I'll just point out some of the bigger changes and not all the new theming or little build ups along the ride which there are a lot of, such as the iguanas leaving the station or thins already mentioned like the broken train with the monkeys.

They added an actual switch track at the beginning so people don't have to understand everything going in to know they are on the wrong track. This includes a section of dummy track to the right.

Tunnel 1 is the Gem Stone Cave, it replaces the snake tunnel. There used to be a Cobra that stuck out of a barrel at the end of this tunnel that I loved, and luckily it reappears predominantly later in the ride. This tunnel does need to be lit better, I can tell they rethemed a lot of it and it features mining equipment but it's still really dark.

Tunnel 2 is the pre lift tunnel with the spears, largely unchanged but it has a great lighting package. The spears or at least more than i've ever seen work were working. When I rode in the front I didn't see a single one move, but in the back I saw more move than ever before.

Tunnel 3 used to be pretty empty except for a couple of colored lights, this is now Cobra Caverns and my friend from tunnel 1 is now predominantly featured right on top of the entrance. They've added new speakers and you can hear rattle snakes all around you as well as Cobras spitting and hissing, including some that sound VERY close to you as you go by. It was too dark to really see anything, but I'm sure with the lighting in the other tunnels it will be a thing soon riding in the front row the snake near mis audio queues couldn't really be heard, but they were great in the back.

Tunnel 4 finale tunnel is fully refreshed. All of the statues had lights functioning on them with a new multicolor lighting package. All of the statues except one were working and working with full reach and force. The audio sounded clearer then ever so I'm assuming it got new audio hardware as well. The end statue was also fully lit and working when it pours it's bowl. Even the mouth was moving with the right que. This is also the tunnel with the Tomb Raider antechamber monkeys at the entrance now as well as some other statues and things that I'll need many re-rides to really see.

There also seems to be an audio queue that explains the train being lost and someone talking to you through the radio as they try to get you back on the right track.

 

Overall I loved it, and I hope they continue to improve it. I hate that it appears it wasn't all ready in time, but it is what it is. My only complaint was the lighting in the gem stone mine and cobra caverns. The back of the train is also the best seat to enjoy the theming.

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1 hour ago, johnjniehaus said:

So they have fixed the audio on first lift. I could hear the entire thing tonight. Anyone else think they turned it up? 

Yes. It’s way better. Now flickering lanterns in the gem mine and LED lit sparkling jewels and we will be good.Maybe. Need to do one “dark ride” in a few minutes LOL

UPDATE: Need Lighting on the monkeys -totally dark. Masks still missing from lift hill 1. They made this post about all the details going on them and they are still MIA. Need lighting on entrance to tunnel 1. Totally dark after nice lighting on track switch. It’s getting there, BUT my 9 year old rode it 3x tonight and wanted to do it a 4th and has spent the whole night telling mom about all the added details SO it is still a win! 

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Adventure Expresses' changes and improvements I approve.  I do agree on the lighting of the first tunnel needs to be improved to help make it clearer that its supposed to be a mine and that it has stuff in it.  As for Cargo Loco its pretty much as everyone says: its hard to spin on some of them.  You can tell even from watching which barrels groups are having trouble trying to get to spin.  Another thing about Cargo Loco is it could use some sort of a covered roof over it to help with very sunny days and rain and it leaves me tilting my head a bit as to why they didn't put one in especially as it seems to be very common for teacup like rides to be under a roof.  

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