IBEW_Sparky

I happily stand corrected, thank you, and I can respect their willingness to hedge on the "When restrictions start to consistently lessen/rescind, there will be an exponentially larger influx of people eager to get out and enjoy the entertainment" investment theory.

I was certainly not disappointed in the park... as I said it is a good day park with a nice group of rides... and the water park looked like a good one for those who are into them, I noticed that as I walked along the edge of it on my way to Kentucky Flyer. The Koch interest came and went years ago, and Herschend wouldn't touch it... or any other acquisition for that matter.... in the current economic climate and with venues under their current level of restrictions. There are a dozen things at least that could constitute "jaw-dropping change".... I am putting that in because I know on sites like this a simple spray paint mark can within minutes turn into "gGiGa CoNfIrMeD"... and I am just basically thinking out loud in my "Could I actually have been right, albeit a few years late?" theory.

That suuuuuuuuucks! I went to KK for the first time on Labor Day, and while it honestly isn't a bad park at all, I left that early evening with the feeling "OK, there is Storm Chaser, Lightning Run, annnnnddd then everything else". I started hearing about the Raptor project and was quite excited and looking forward to it. Again, I did enjoy the trip, and its only an hour and 20 from my house, but it's easier for me to justify multiple trips to "day parks" when there are three great things to keep me happily occupied rather than two. Im going to be astounded if my prediction from years back is actually transpiring now, though Id also be very puzzled as to why he would do it NOW, when the park is doing well..... or is it?

Oh, for the "I aint gettin no dang guvment vaxxine, its got one of dem dang trackers in it" demographic..... may I ask if the aforementioned are posting on, or even carrying, a smart phone? No more will be said. Ive addressed what Id like to see, I know Im already on lists, I have no concern about willingly getting a vaccine provided it will allow me to contribute to the eventual return of normalcy, I wish to "freely" (pure freedom is anarchy and unsustainable) enjoy the time Ive got left to enjoy this go around, and I can happily sit back and watch the rest of things unfold.

Yes, all of this!!! Id be 100% on board with A)going back to full trains, even if the mask requirement remains for the queues and for all building structures OR (prefrrably) B)Having a card with one's name and/or photo on it showing verification of receiving the vax and simply being able to show it to security/admissions to compare to my pass name and photo for unrestricted access to the parks.

Scratching this year due to just what it is, and taking out 2009 when I went to Kings Island at least once a week (which is what completely killed me on Diamondback to this day since I over-rode it to death that year) I average 3-5 trips to CP and usually no more than 2 to KI (opening day and Pride Night). Take into consideration that I am 2.5 hours exactly to Kings Island, yet am MINIMUM 5 hours from CP even taking every bit of leeway that Indiana and Ohio Troopers will give me (and sometimes more). I enjoy Banshee quite a bit more than I enjoy Raptor, and FoF gives me an experience I cant get at CP, but beyond that CP just has more for me across the board both from a ride experience and a general sense of enjoyment when I am there. Kings Island has most certainly cemented itself as a top tier CF park, but not #1 over CP in this person's eyes. Edit: I completely agree with Turtlepowers point concerning Kings Island's FL entrances being better than CPs. Though I have never had inkling or need to use FL or FL+ at Kings Island, its most certainly more efficient from a load and throughput standpoint, especially in regards to Millie and GateKeeper. I remember back in 12-13 they used to bring the FLers into Millies station through the side door of the station behind the operator's booth, and while I understand how that could become a problem interfering with the line waiting for 1-1, I feel it was still a more efficient system.

You heard correctly, Voyage was running great when I was there in mid July. Raven sucked rocks.... I Love(d) that ride and its never been a one and done for me, until this year.

Yes, and it was a mother to get out of there and back towards Cleveland at park close on FrightFest nights!

Since my first trip wasnt until Labor Day weekend 2006, and after researching what an engineering turd it was (BEAUTIFUL to look at though) I never even fathomed queuing for it after it reopened and I was going to the park regularly, can someone(s) please give me a genuine level of comparison to gauge what I (wasnt) missing? For instance, how was it compared to my favorite Voyage, or compared to Mean Streak? Mean Streak was a ride I genuinely didnt mind riding, and felt that had they file 13ed the garbage MCBR that made it shuffle the entire second half of the ride it would have been just fine, so lay it on me in comparison to those?

I will very likely be one in the “passes not renewed” category. Ive been one who has gone mentally from “I think Im going to get all season FLP since I get FLP every time I go to the Point anyway” to “I think 2021 will be it for me, and thats only because my 2020 Plat is good in 2021”, and the gross overselling of CP Gold is one of the underlying contributing factors. Other factors are the possible continuation of hoops to jump through to get into and “enjoy” parks post 2021, and the simple fact that other parts of my life are taking precedent and will continue to increasingly do so.

That is a really good way of putting it, it actually lays out everything I think and feel about this ride, with the exception of the drop. While I agree it would be an even better drop with a bit more vertical track (i.e another 20-25 feet of height) I enjoy the force of the curve out and it ranks 2nd of the 3 Ive ridden, with I305 has the best drop, and this edging out Millie's. Otherwise, yes you hit it on the head with this. Does it have speed? Yeah.... its got speed. Does it have a good drop and one Hellaciously cool airtime element the end? Absolutely it does!!! Whats in between those bookends, however, is just "there". It doesn't do any one thing BADLY, and it does everything REALLY gracefully, but putting the whole package into play it becomes the roller coaster equivalent of a Bentley Continental GT (beautiful, refined, fast, but in the Supercar class sheerly due to pricepoint and manufacturer) and something the likes of I305 becomes the Lamborghini Aventador SVJ (hot and edgy, far from refined, ridiculously fast, way too extreme to be a daily driver but something that rocks your World when used sparingly).

Which, as was demonstrated by every one of the dollar days the park has ever had, lends well to your point you previously made about the lowest common denominator. Many people ask "Why is Disney sooooo expensive?" Question answered.

My one and only post in this thread.... quoted to emphasize the importance of this aspect. I will say that there has been more than one night where Ive sedated myself in order to make sure I saw the next morning throughout all of this. Those who know me, know that this is not a statement Im proud to make, but in a time when every single outlet I use for mental health and escape was taken from me in a matter of 24 hours (the get togethers for dinner and drinks with special Friends, tracks I race go karts at, the drag strips, the golf courses, the entertainment centers like Tappers in Indy, and amusement parks), my depression and anxiety spiked exponentially and there were times when my only guarantee of seeing the next day was to crash hard enough to where I didnt wake up in the middle of the night. Do I understand the steps that had to be taken, and still have to be taken, in order to have a legitimate chance at getting a handle on this? Absolutely!!! Does it still suck to monumental heights? ABSOLUTELY!!! Thankfully, I am now able to at least resume most of these activities, albeit in a vastly altered capacity, but this statement that @gad198 made is one that must not be forgotten.

Two fitting statements for this one... A)That character didn't get the memo that Mantis has been gone for a few years. B)Gigabug

With the very pleasant temps and reasonably low humidity, I took the opportunity yesterday to spend the day at the park. I rode Orion three times, using the first to simply get a feel for the ride and establish a baseline, and then I took a more analytical approach with my second and third rides in order to offer my thoughts and feelings concerning the ride. Before continuing, understand... or don't... that I Love roller coasters that leave me in a complete frenzy, and put as many different forces on my body as possible. Also, please understand that I fully comprehend marketing and ROI in amusement park installations, and I applaud Cedar Fair and B&M in their collaboration in designing, building, and installing a solid ride that most certainly offers and delivers on what the park and the vast majority of park goers want. My first ride was in row 8, seat 4 (right) at roughly 1230pm, my second ride was in row 8, seat 1 (left) at approximately 6pm, and my last ride was in row 1, seat 3, which was a back to back ride with my second row 8 ride. The drop on my 1230pm 8-4 ride, and my 6pm 8-1 ride were within 1 or 2 mph of each other, but the whip effect was better on the evening ride which was quite a pleasant surprise! The drop in 1-3 gave really nice views of the park on the lift, just enough hangtime to be fun, and a very good feeling of speed as well as a bonus of a nice ram-jet of cool air through the vents on my mask. My verdict on the drop is that, it's honestly better than Millies in regards to feel, and is tied for the most solid part of the entire ride experience. AN interesting observation I noted was, when riding DB after my first ride on Orion, you truly get a representation of the height difference when you realize how quickly in comparison you roll out of the drop on DB. The inaccurately named wave turn was a nice 90* banked curve that reminded me basically of one of Voyage's 90* turns and scrubbed off little to no speed that was picked right back up on the down which was good, but the turn provided very little on my internal positive G meter in either row 1 or 8. The right hand vertical banked turn was better in 8-1 than 8-4, but to be blunt both left me waiting for forces that were supposed to be there and were not, and the same went for my row 1 ride.... it literally felt like I was just being turned on my side through the corner, again like one of Voyage's 90* turns. The speed hill was fast and smooth, and provided smooth and gentle sustained floater in row 8, with similar in row 1 along with just the slightest thrust in row 1.... calling it flo-jector would be pushing it greatly but we can. The second "airtime" hill that leads into the helix is better in row 1 than row 8, because the trim takes any possible flo-jector that would exist and tosses it in the bin, but in row 1 it allows my body to rise out of the seat just a bit and hover nicely down and settle into the seat just as the train enters the helix. The helix is.... odd. Its smooth and carries nice speed, then slows down, and then speeds back up again right before passing under the head-chopper and on ride camera location, and that mid helix slowdown due to the increasing radius really just felt out of place and took away what COULD have been an amazing high G moment in that decreasing radius right before the head-chopper. There was no part of the entire helix that came remotely close to producing enough sustained G force to cause anything even approaching a grey out with me, and I am firmly in the "there are likely conditions such as heat, hunger, or dehydration causing those feelings" camp. The curving rise out of the helix produces a VERY cool few seconds of funky sideways flo-jector air in both row 1 and row 8 that absolutely tie the first drop as the stars of the ride, and would be absolutely mental with the elimination of the aforementioned trim on the pre-helix airtime hill, or with a more consistent radius in the helix. It reminds me of the sideways airtime moment coming out of the pre-shed corner on Mystic Timbers, and the multiple sideways airtime moments in the final series of S curves on Voyage, and Id like to see more installations with that type of element throughout and/or towards the end of the ride. All in all, Orion is a good, infinitely re-ridable ride that most definitely suits Kings Island, and will absolutely serve the park well in giving it a high capacity (once the restrictions are lifted hopefully next year) people pleaser. I don't think its a bad ride at all, and I don't hate the ride, but beyond the drop and that last gem of a sideways air element it genuinely leaves me wanting more. Of the three 300+ foot drop roller coasters I've ridden, I305 is my #1 by a mile, because it does exactly what I want a roller coaster to do. I will kindly chart Millie and Orion as #2a and #2b, due to Orion having a superior first drop and that sweet sideways airtime element. Beyond those two elements, 20 year old Millennium Force... AGAIN IN MY MIND... does it better, plain and simple.

I rode 15 rides in 7 hours, not pushing. All major roller coasters ridden other than Backlot, rode Mystic Timbers twice, Banshee twice... and could have marathoned it from 2pm on as it was a one train wait..., FoF twice, and Orion 3 times. Ride times ranged from one flat cycle or one train wait, up to a 40 to 45 minute long (40 once for FoF, 45 once for Mystic Timbers).

One of the same vintage glasses as the one Shaggy has in his collection.

According to the link KDD posted the point is moot, but I am going to KK on Monday so Ive been checking the website multiple times a day, and under their list of rules, it is still showing masks as recommended and masks shall not be worn any time while in the water. As of this writing, Holiday World and Splashin Safari are stating the same.

Top 3 favorite memories: 1)My first ever trip to the park, on Sunday, September 9th, 2006. Visiting friends in Indy for the weekend, getting the lay of the land before deciding whether or not to move, and decided Saturday evening on a whim to take the drive down the next day. My adopted home park was Worlds Of Fun (one of Mamba's first riders), It was long before I knew about any of this, and the park was very enjoyable. Notable key points from the visit were A)seeing SoBs train parked midpoint on the lift hill, and walking around the ride looking at it for the visual work of art that it was and also noting there would be absolutely no way in Hades Id ever willingly ride it, B)Being absolutely astounded at the experience that The Beast was, and then even moreso later during a night ride before leaving the park, C)Waiting in an hour line for Tomb Raider, only to see what it was when the doors opened and walking my happy butt right through the row of seats and out the side exit, after my unfortunate friend had already locked herself into the seat (boy, the look I got for that one as she came out the exit ), and D)riding Flight of Fear for the first time... also my first ever launched coaster... and absolutely Loving it. 2)Diamondback Opening Day, as I was auction rider #253, and I got the spot on a complete fluke when a former member here contacted me via PM and asked if I would like to attend the event for the simple price being the driver (we both lived in Indy) since he won two seats and his Wife had to work last minute and could not attend. The one other incredibly good thing that came of that is, had I not attended that event, Id have never had the opportunity in 2014 to meet @DJSkyFoxx, the young woman who has become my very best friend/little sister in every way but blood. 3a)Pride Night 2009, my first ever and one that holds many incredible memories. 3b)My October 2008 Beast night ride during Haunt, in very moist, foggy 46 degree weather (at the time my personal record for coldest coaster ride ever, my current record is a 38 degree morning Millie ride in October of 2013, Indyguy4KI can verify the temp as he was right beside me).

Non-paywall story... https://finance.yahoo.com/news/apex-parks-group-announces-financial-044800755.html

Anyone looking for evidence to back up the sizable financial over-extension due to Thunderbird need look no further than their current definition of "food" and the current prices thereof, and compare it to just a few years ago.

First test run.

Actually, your price point isnt far off, provided the standard park mark up isnt added. A Megabus trip round trip from Indy to Chicago is anywhere from $55 to $80.

Counterpoint.... if they truly wanted to show that passholders mean something to them, they would take their largest cash cow, Fast Lane, and give away a free one, or 50% off. That is a program that costs them .0001% of its retail price, and it LOOKS like a huge win to someone who would normally not purchase the item, or even good enough of a "bargain" at 50% off, for them to justify paying 50% for a day of power riding. Not intentionally trying to be a jagoff, just pointing out how much better it could be with how little effort, and in all honesty at a better rate of return both monetarily and appearance. Edited "cost" to "price" to correctly make my point

This looks to me like something created solely for PR, and in a way that will do nothing but increase per caps. Utilize a game plan of giving away "rewards" that A)They know a majority will not use (bogo on a Slingshot ride) or that give a percentage off of a product or service that has such a huge built in mark up that it's affects on the park will be nil (Up to $50 off a premium cabana rental, or "an extra 10% off merch"). Perceived value at its finest.