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I don’t know where they get their data but mine comes from sentiment reports — the same kind of reports used by theme parks throughout the industry and decisions get made from. I’ve done several sentiment reports on Orion since it debuted in 2020. The sentiment is it’s a good ride, but not a ride that drives attendance. It hasn’t delivered the expected ROI. The Beast on the other hand continues to drive attendance going on 47 years since its 1979 debut.

Or just keep it simple and open a new looper and just reuse The Vortex name. Its a household name and it leans into the park's affinity for nostalgia. The park has now had two Bat coasters, while the current one was not originally named that upon its opening, it still bears the name of a historic landmark coaster. And we are literally getting an updated Phantom Theater which bears the same name + some extra verbiage. I think older fans would appreciate the nod and the new generation would have their own Vortex to grow up with.

It's also hard to gather any definitive reports that would compare well to other major coasters because it a) opened during the middle of the pandemic when a number of guests were hesitant to travel/return to the parks, and b) operated for half of a "normal" season during a time where park attendance was limited and guests had to have a reservation to visit the park. I think one metric that hurts Orion's standings is that it is easily comparable to a small set of giga coasters and is a similar model to a larger set of hyper coasters (which are both the same model to the manufacturer). My data comes from this site and other park enthusiast community forums I think if Kings Island fans are looking for a coaster model that might do better in terms of ROI or guest sentiment, they should look to coaster models that are not as easily comparable to anything Cedar Point or Carowinds has. The new Vekoma Ghostrider model from the survey only has one installation that is still under construction. That could be compared to Maverick or Copperhead Strike, but even then, the Ghostrider model shown has a grouping of elements not seen in either of those. Comparison is the thief of joy.

We do? As an enthusiast I’m pretty aware that my opinion on rides and parks will be vastly different compared to the GP. And I think we often sell the average guest short on their opinions and feelings.

Revolution at Six Flags Magic Mountain is also turning 50!

There was no concern it wasn’t record-breaking. That’s marketable until a ride opens and then it doesn’t matter if the ride doesn’t live up to the hype. People who were at the park at the time knew that, and knew it well. (Son of Beast) The decision to make it more family oriented so more guests would want to ride it was based on who the majority of the visitors to Kings Island have been, is now, and will always be: families. So, where does that come into play? The height. At 287, it looks less intimidating from the midways than 300-plus would have been. It still hits speeds over 90 mph and just 4 mph slower than Fury 325. It’s not because the height is only 287 that Orion ranked outside the top 40 in the 2025 Golden Ticket Awards for Best Steel Coasters. It’s not because of the length of the ride. It’s not because it opened during the pandemic. It’s because it’s missing an element that Fury 325 and Diamondback both have that riders absolutely love about those rides: an abundance of airtime. If Orion had Diamondback’s airtime, the sentiment about the ride is dramatically different. More parkgoers would be talking about it as one of the best.

Simply put, I was there. Directly involved. Now let me ask you: What part of the 5,321 feet of track you travel on an Orion train would have been different had there not been a pandemic when it opened? That’s what the sentiment is based on — the ride experience.

I didn't suggest that it did. You stated that the installation of Orion did not meet attendance and ROI targets, and seem to be suggesting that the reason it did not do so is because of the supposed guest sentiment that the ride is "just OK". I'm pointing out that the ride opened during a pandemic, which is a rather monumental factor to consider when trying to analyze attendance and ROI. Therefore, I'm asking how you were able to determine that it was that guest sentiment, rather than a once-in-a-century pandemic, that is primarily to blame for Orion's poor performance.

Say this louder for the people in the back!

The launch of Orion was different than other new ride openings during my years at Kings Island. Everyone was working from home due to COVID-19 leading up to the opening of Orion, combined with a restructuring in marketing that led to less collaboration with these things. There weren’t the kinds of discussions there had been with previous new attractions to be able to tell you if that was considered. I agree a “Mission Accomplished” soundtrack would have been a cool ending. That’s something they easily could still add.

In 2026, Cedar Point’s pioneering looping coaster marks 50 years since it opened in 1976. http://sanduskyregister.com/go/6c78ba01489fd

I’m just glad it’s making way for Supercharged to be removed. That was one of the strangest and saddest experiences I’ve had at Universal. The story… the acting… the lack of… cars lol.

I believe it was a mix of both. Yes there was a pandemic and a heavily restricted season Orion's inaugural year. At the same time when people did in fact get the chance to ride it outside of like the first weekend, the reviews that came in on social media were mixed. A lot of people (including me) praised the ride while a large number of people (including the general public not just coaster enthusiasts) were underwhelmed and prefered Diamondback. If the reviews were on the level of lets say Fury 325 or Steel Vengeance we probably would've seen a huge bounceback in people flooding to the park to experience Orion in like 2021-2022 post restrictions but we did not see that and I think a lot of that has to do with the mixed sentiment about the ride which didn't really draw people from far outside of the general market to experience it. I think in Mr. Koontz and the big wigs in Sandusky/Charlotte's mind when planning this ride was "We could get the same ROI on a 300 foot coaster that appeals to a broader audience as we would a Fury 325 style ride that breaks records while only spending 30 million instead of 35-40 million." And I think they found out that it doesn't quite work that way. Im not saying Mr Koontz and them regret building Orion, but I definitely believe the whole "family giga" idea came back to bite them a bit. Im honestly wondering if there was any pushback from those within the park/corporate in the planning meetings on the whole "family giga" idea or if everyone was fully on board. Personally if I was in those meetings I definitely would've fought back against the family giga thing and pushed for something more thrilling or even record breaking.

I realize there are other Vortex's out there from the former Taft/Paramount properties, but our Vortex was iconic in its own right to where I think the fan base out here would appreciate a 2.0 of the beloved coaster. Sure, if a new and better name were chosen I wouldn't be hurt over it. I just think that if they were to reuse the name it wouldn't be frowned upon especially if the ride lived up to/exceeded it's former.

Looks like the usual "cold weather tunnel" for doing trackwork, but trackwork on a GCI less than ten years old seems odd. That section is higher-stress though so maybe a new top layer and fresh steel? I haven't seen a Notice of Commencement for a while, so I'm not sure if GCI has a contract open with the park right now. Most parks have GCI do tracking on their GCI rides (SFMM being a notable exception, but wood track seems to dry out quickly there and Apocalypse got retracked down to the ledgers by a third party a number of years ago now.)

I don't understand the "Hollywood Drift" name and I don't like that it's themed to Fast and Furious, but it's whatever. When I ride is good, you don't question the name or the theme. I don't care that it's the longest roller coaster name all-time because I like the ride. I don't care that it's called Hagrid's Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure because the ride is good. As long as the ride is good, people don't really care. And besides, Rockit was called "Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit" so it fits in that way I guess. Not sure how it fits in with Orlando or New York, but as long as it's good people won't care. And from hearing about some of the possible stats, it sounds pretty cool! Let's not get too down on this coaster before we even see the layout. This ride will be a good replacement, I'm excited!

What do we think these white tarps (?) at the bottom of Mystic Timbers' drop are for? Maybe some new wood (already though?) or general coverings for some reason?

All that. They already have the resources, they just don’t use them. Enclosing the lower part of the lift and certainly the final brake with lighting/projection would be another fairly inexpensive add

Orion has been successful but when it comes down to giga/hyper comparison, Cedar Point and Carowinds have a better grasp on two different rides. I think Orion gets hate amongst enthusiasts me included for being too similar to Diamondback. The large airtime hills just do the exact same thing. For example let's take Cedar Point - hyper is airtime machine and the giga is the positive g speed machine. Take Carowinds - hyper is light floater airtime and Fury is low to the ground speed mixed with some airtime. Orion suffers from not having that speed element distinction from Diamondback much how behemoth and leviathan feel very similar (so what if one of them is a little bit taller?) point is that layout wise Orion and Diamondback are both modified out and back layouts that focus on big airtime hills. Literally very few difference and that's why it gets all the hate it does. Having said that it's still my #3 in the park and it was an improvement from Firehawk albeit less unique in the lineup. So I think for me it was a more than worthy replacement and if CGA hadn't run into permits and permission issues one must consider that we very well might not have gotten a giga at all so their loss was our gain

With respect. I think there is a difference. Orion keeps it's speed throughout much of the ride and Diamondback, which I love, is more of an airtime machine. I absolutely love the speed Orion has. Sure, maybe some low to ground curves like Fury could add to that effect I agree. But I ride Orion because it hauls. That's why I love The Voyage and Top Thrill 2 so much...it's zen feeling for me going that fast on a coaster.

I am so happy the flag poles are no longer there behind the sign.

What you have to keep in mind, is that every opinion of all coasters/rides/installations on this site are through an enthusiast lens. The general public likely doesn't see Orion as just a taller version of Diamondback. They see it as yet another highly enjoyable coaster that is the tallest in the park to date. It seems @Orion-XL200, we were typing up similar responses at the same time.

Sure, Orion isn't the best of the best....it's not a MF or a Fury (which isn't my favorite by any means)...but it is what it is. It wasn't originally meant for KI...but we got it. It's my favorite in the park and my 2nd favorite Giga. Literally the only people I see who complain about Orion are the 'thoosies online. The roller coaster 'thoosies are the most unenthused people about their hobby.

^^They have lift hill audio theming already. I wonder why they don't use it?

Seems like I am one of the few true coaster nerds that really enjoy Orion for what it is. Ha! Just kidding. It's no Fury 325, and is on the shorter side of overall length, but it I love that first drop, fun elements and tons of speed. It's a great combo with Diamondback's airtime and repeating big hills. And it is very re-ridable for most everyone. I can marathon both easily which is nice. I think we are lucky to have it at our home park. Now just we need a really amazing install in The Vortex old spot...it's just so empty back there without it.

I’d like to see a Big Bear Mountain type coaster in the spot once occupied by The Vortex. While some wouldn’t be excited about it, the majority of Kings Island visitors would be since it would have broader appeal.