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I have no issues with how the PTC trains run on any of Kings Island's coasters. I just wish they would make another update to the restraint system. The current ratcheting restraints and seat dividers are not original, and are currently the biggest drawback in my opinion.

Glad to see Kings Island share a clip related to Orion's station. I'm also glad they have not shared any POV videos or footage of anyone riding. It would just be so cruel right now. The info about Flight of Fear and Drop Tower sharing power is so interesting. I would not have pegged Drop Tower as a power hog considering it is a fairly slow lift to the top. I suppose the gondola is pretty heavy and it is a vertical lift.

The list was a lot bigger than I was expecting. I would add OTSR. I can also understand why he wouldn't want to include the names of industry companies, but it is hard not to hear the terms "B&M, Intamin, GCI, and RMC" over and over in any enthusiast conversation.

This is probably the deal breaker for me, not because I care much about how the park chooses to do things, but because I know there will be plenty of other people who will be upset. Kings Island opening will mean a mass gathering of people. Those that choose to go are less likely to be on the conservative side related to the virus due to this fact. Now take that group of people and tell them that they have to wait probably 10 times longer than normal to ride a ride, or that they are expected to comply with new rules/regulations that they probably don't agreed with. If I were working security for the park, I would be asking for a big raise.

I've always thought that Diamondback opening had more anticipation and hype than Banshee, but I'm not sure if that is accurate or not. Diamondback was the first B&M at Kings Island and the first major new attraction added by Cedar Fair. Both rides were fantastic additions to the park.

Whether the park opens this year or not, they just lost a full year's worth of season pass sales. That is a pretty severe financial impact for a park like Kings Island. Their season pass base is among the best in the Cedar Fair chain.

I read this article yesterday. It is about sports, but I think some of the statements in it are applicable to amusement parks as well. https://www.si.com/mlb/2020/04/10/sports-arent-coming-back-soon From the article:

For the record, this morning was definitely warmer than the Banshee media day. According to the almanac, the low temperature on April 17, 2014 was 23 degrees. It was definitely still in the 30s when rides began.

There have been no announcements regarding the status of Coasterstock this year. As of right now, the park plans to open mid-May.

They also did not extend their season passes to apply thru 2021. At least for now, they are planning on offering season pass holders additional benefits in terms of free tickets and cash to be used in the park. Source: https://www.holidayworld.com/update/

Question 1: No, I don't think so. Question 2: Maybe. What if they cut staff by 50%? Half of the rides would be closed. There would be no shows. No indoor food locations would be open. There would likely be a daily attendance "cap" number which is coordinated with the state before opening. Once this number is reached, no one else would be admitted. Queues for everything would need to be adjusted to leave distance between guests waiting in line. There would be no usage of the group picnic shelters. To ride Orion would likely take many hours of waiting since they would likely only be loading trains at half capacity. Even with all that, I'm not sure it would be profitable. There is also the negative PR aspect of many of these things to consider. Who wants to pay full price for a significantly downgraded experience?

I think Kings Island wins this category by a long shot. The Bat and Son of Beast alone are enough. My guess for a runner up would be Busch Gardens Williamsburg. Drachen Fire was a huge failure, and people loved Big Bad Wolf.

I wonder why they decided to paint the supports tan instead of brown.

Monster is (and probably always will be) an underrated ride. I never knew they painted the ground in all those colors. As for the time it was "missing", could the answer be similar to how Shake, Rattle, and Roll went missing for refurbishment? It is not uncommon that flat rides are stripped completely down to nothing every few off-seasons.

The Beast looks so weird on the new map. Because they have "squeezed" the former Vortex area which contains nothing, Beast looks like it is almost behind the Eiffel Tower.

I'm willing to bet that the track work on The Beast is all normal off-season maintenance. People don't realize how much work and replacement is done on a normal basis.

I choose to be patient and see how things play out in the current unprecedented situation. No current Kings Island pass holder has lost any "benefit" so far, and won't until after April 9th.

Don and Chad were stuck at the Charlotte airport tonight. Glad to see that spent some of that time entertaining the Twitter crowd.

Is it fair to say that the current Action Zone looks better than any previous version? It seems like it is better than those 90's and 00's years mentioned, but I'm curious how it compares to the original Adventure Village years.

With what the park appears to be doing to try to appease the neighbors, I'm surprised Diamondback is even part of the Coasterstock evening ERT. It would not surprise me if they set a policy where Diamondback closed at 10pm every day.

Maybe I missed it, but I didn't see an option for whether to opt in or out of having stuff sent to you. I kind of assume that this year they will just be mailing everything, which is part of why the price increased.

I always thought the snake name was appropriate for King Cobra because I thought it "rattled" its way around the track. I would not describe it as rough, but it had a lot of vibration and shakiness when I rode it, mostly in '98 and '99. The air time on the bunny hills was fantastic. It was not a great ride, but it was not a bad ride either.

It's just a guess, but I bet a lot of out of state people are a big part of the quick sell out. I can see a lot of coaster enthusiasts around the country (and world) wanting to ride Orion this year, and this event is a great venue for that.

I have shown up late to Coasterstock almost every year. It used to be that showing up late meant a faster check-in because there was no line at group sales to check in. Then a couple years ago they switched to allowing you to get things sent to you ahead of time, which I have done since then. Note that there is a extra charge to have it sent to you (I think it was like $10). Either way, it should not be a problem as long as you are not showing up during the evening ERT when guest services is likely closed.