Hoeter

April 17, 2014: Banshee Media Day Date: 8/8/2013 Time: 10:00pm Location: Action Zone at Kings Island It was a late Summer night in August 2013 with rain on the horizon. Hundreds of guests and coaster enthusiasts gathered in Action Zone to find out that a B&M inverted rollercoaster, long overdue for the park, would be joining Kings Island's diverse collection of rollercoasters as it's 15th. "When we look at the previous ride that was located in this area, it was imperative that we select a ride with a high thrill factor but more importantly one that would be dependable." said Greg Scheid, Vice President and General Manager of Kings Island Fast forward to today- April 17, 2014. A cold morning hovering near freezing, only 48 hours after finding snow covering cars and trees, soon giving way to sunny skies, seasonable temperatures, and one of my most memorable visits to the park, BAR NONE. Did both B&M and Kings Island deliver on Greg's statement? My opinion is a resounding YES. I arrived a tad after 6:00am to find a line for check-in that extended out past the picnic tables in front of the ticket windows. The front gate area got spruced up a bit during the offseason and looked amazing. The vibe I picked up this morning with those standing in line was absolutely ELECTRIC, so that even made me more pumped to get checked in and check out what was new for 2014! Took about a half hour or so to get checked in, but what was surprising was that everyone in attendance got a Banshee Media Day tee, a coupon for a free on-ride photo, and a glass Banshee paperweight- in addition to the complimentary breakfast, lunch, refreshments, and ice cream- I wasn't expecting the items, as the privilege to attend Media Day was more than enough but it's something that I genuinely appreciated and made my day, seriously. Once I got checked in, I headed over to Banshee and took this opportunity to get some photos. When they said Banshee is a photographers dream, they aren't kidding! Action Zone, as a whole, got a lot of love this offseason, and looks AMAZING. Wow. Kudos to Kings Island and everyone involved for a job well done, especially during a Winter in which Mother Nature wasn't so kind. I waited a little while for the sun to rise and warm things up a bit, as riding a roller coaster in temperatures right around freezing is beyond brutal- learned the hard way on Diamondback in its opening season. Once it got warm enough, I grabbed a locker to store my things in. Good thing about these lockers is that it's essentially $1 per hour and doesn't require a key to get in- which I thought was way nice. I originally punched in 2 hours (7:30am-9:30am) which led me to believe that it would still grant you access throughout the day and charge you for the final time used when all was said and done. Not the case. You have to swipe your card again/insert more money to extend the time or end the rental to gain access to your belongings This led to a Supervisor having to manually open my locker so that I could get my wallet and extend the time. A minor inconvenience, but now that I know how the system works, this moment forward I'm good to go. Now that my belongings were stowed away securely, it was time to check out Banshee. I'm not gonna lie, the last time I rode a B&M Invert was 2009. The park was Universal's Islands of Adventure. Safe to say I didn't know what to expect as it's been awhile. The theming itself? Wow. Absolutely wow. Saw that they kept the O'Terpy headstone from the announcement in August which I thought was a nice touch. Kings Island really outdid themselves with Banshee and the entire refurbishment of Action Zone. I was beyond impressed. Wow. I was also interviewed during the day today by a reporter from The Cincinnati Enquirer, so there's a good chance that you'll be hearing my comments there as well. The ride itself? Wow, again! That first drop is amazing, the different elements, and the feeling of picking up speed during the ride. This one is forceful. I was speechless when I got back to the station. Absolutely nothing short of amazing. Rode a total of 7 times today, including rides in rows 4 (2 rides), 7 (2 rides), 2 (2 rides), and 3 (1 ride). Out of all, the best experiences were in row 7. That drop...much more intense! In addition, I also got one ride in on The Bat in 7-1. I love the orange! Brings that ride back to life! To summarize this day...wow! I had an absolute blast, and as I stated before this was one of my most memorable visits to the park. Huge thanks to Greg, Don, the entire Kings Island team, and the contractors/subcontractors involved in what I'm sure will be one of the most popular rides at Kings Island. Saw some familiar faces, met new people, and finally placed a face to some. Here's to an amazing 2014 season everyone!

Believe it or not, I didn't have a blue ice cream until KIC Day in September. Been coming to the park since I was little and I will be 27 in 3 months! That same day, I tried the Reds Hall of Fame Grille for the first time also. I was pleased with both and plan on having them again this season!

Hey man as long as you and yours are safe and unharmed...that's all that matters! Cars can be replaced, people can't!

I'm so sorry to hear this! Hopefully you all make it up to ride at some point over the weekend!

This is beautiful...found my new desktop background!

I've seen several different forecasts for Media Day and I'm taking all of them with a grain of salt. Things change. One item worth mentioning is that I saw a model for next Monday and it's calling for 6-10'' of snow- also taking that with a grain of salt. However there is none due to this brutal winter...

If you have seen the 1977 movie "Rollercoaster" starring George Segal, Henry Fonda, Timothy Bottoms and a very very young Helen Hunt, parts of the movie were filmed at Kings Dominion and featured the original Singing Mushrooms with the Hanna-Barbera lyrics. Glad KD brought them back for the 40th anniversary season! An amazing movie, in a decade filled with tons and tons of disaster flicks. One of my favorites!

^ I thought yesterday may have been the first day, but wasn't sure if the park's calendar cleared that day out after it passed. Nonetheless, I went out to the park this afternoon and processed my pass- took 5 minutes tops. The park is looking good with all the changes from this offseason!

"How big is the gap?" "50 FEET!!! AT LEAST!!!"

Should be able to...I had the same card from 2011-2013 and it automatically renewed when I submitted payment via the website.

Terpy answered the question-was typing out the reply as I saw the notification. Since 2007, I've had a Gold Pass so going to the park to get it processed has mainly been a non-issue. This year I have a Platinum Pass, so I need to head out there and get new plastic.

Thank you Terp! Much appreciated!

For all those not aware...season pass processing at the park began yesterday. Link to calendar here Thinking about heading up there in a bit after visiting Grandma to get mine done. Can't remember if you go through the tolls or the employee entrance to get to processing...help?

Glad to see the front gate is getting some TLC! Since Cedar Fair took control of the park, we went from having just a walk-up Guest Relations window to a walk-in setup. That improved traffic in that area already. Nice to see Cedar Fair improving the gates, and in regards to theming for Banshee, it's about time Kings Island got something as themed as this. It's been long overdue! I cannot wait to get back out there, it's been a long winter! Less than 2 weeks everybody!

I would take the Red path. It gives you the opportunity to see Diamondbacks splashdown on your way back (great for those who are taking people to the park for the first time plus it's one of the coolest sights in the park!) plus allows for a quick trip over to The Beast.

I drove past the park earlier on my way up to the racino in Monroe...the sign looks amazing!

Here's my list, and it's limited only to Kings Island... 1. Son of Beast (2000-2006): Rode it without the loop in 2009, curious to see how different of an experience it was with the loop and Premier trains. 2. King Cobra: Remember hearing about it and always wanted to ride it, but never got the chance to. I've never been on a stand-up before. Might stop in to Carowinds on my way to Savannah, GA in June- Vortex will definitely be on my list to ride if I do. 3. The Bat (1981-1984): Wanted to see the differences between the first Arrow suspended and what we have today. 4. Backwards Racer (1982-2007): Rode the forward Racer many many times during that time, but for some reason never got on the backward side. The first year I got a pass in 10 or 15 years, it was changed so that both go forward.

Don, glad to see you back on the forums buddy!

One similar to Diamondback at the entrance of the ride. Allows you to see if you'll be able to ride without doing the walk of shame...

I haven't heard anything, but I believe it's been established that there will be "big boy" seats similar to Gatekeeper. 33 days away! Not that I'm counting down or anything...

Exactly 3 months to the TENTATIVE Media Day. I'm excited to ride this thing!

Congratulations Don! By the picture that I saw he was in the front row on Red.

Yeah I've lived in the Cincinnati area my entire life (grew up in Colerain, moved to Cleves for 4 years and now live in Anderson). 2006 was my senior year of college and my list trip there was the week before I graduated. As I got older and entered the "real world" as they say, my interests in life changed, as well as those of my friends and brother. I stopped getting season passes a couple years before that, but I still planned on trying to get there once a year. It just never happened for whatever reason. And besides, I had been to the park so many times that I was burnt out! I did make it to Cedar Point twice in that span, but a Kings Island visit just never materialized. And like Terp said as you get older, the rides start to take more of a toll on you than they ever did as a kid! I held up ok yesterday but there were times where I started to get a headache, or felt a little nauseous. Thankfully my Beast right was about as smooth as it gets on that ride or I would have been hurting at that point of the day! Terp, I am actually not the guy who was coming up from Atlanta. I read his posts though so I know who you are talking about. Understandable. I myself am in the Eastgate area. Have had a pass since 2008 and try to get out on occasion but schedule wise it's rarely possible.

If you've already visited, hope you enjoyed and look forward to your thoughts regarding it. For me, I absolutely recommend Diamondback in Row 2, Beast in Row 1 at night (well worth the wait). Vortex and FD's first drop is amazing in 7-1 but 5-1 is the seat in which Ron Toomer designed the ride around. The first drop is so much more fun to me in 7-1 on both.

Thank you for the trip report. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it. You said you hadn't been to the park since 2006, are you still in the Cincinnati area?