silver2005

Well, any opening day event for a park will have longer lines than usual. I would only imagine they'll be longer when Kentucky Kingdom actually opens. However, give it a few weekends and I'm sure they'll die down a bit. Also realize that Kentucky Kingdom isn't 100% up and running yet, so they'll probably have the longer lines in comparison to when they were open during the Six Flags era when there were more lines to distribute guests.

If you want to see how Kingda Ka would be if it were longer, take a look at Formula Rossa. http://rcdb.com/4485.htm Sure, its the fastest coaster in the world at nearly 150 mph and one of the longest at over 6,500 ft, but... 1. it launches straight into trims which defeats the purpose of launching that fast 2. all its elements are reeeaaaallllyyy drawn out, it looks really boring for a coaster that fast I never really understood those who criticize Kingda Ka and Top Thrill Dragster for being short. Do they forget what happens in that time span? You know, being blasted at triple digit speeds and soaring over 400 ft?

I have a news paper article from the Enquirer back in 1996 about Flight of Fear, and it goes on to say even the US Navy and NASA looked in on Flight of Fear's development, stating they were looking into LIM technology to help launch their respective aircraft/space craft. I know we like to wail on Paramount and their flaw laden park management practices, but I must give credit where its due, they got Flight of Fear right.

I find Banshee's restraints pretty comfortable, even when they seem a little tight. It might be the only ride I've ridden where its comfortable to be stapled. I also think it adds intensity to the ride, but that's just me.

Yeah....I'm not a fan of the foot restraints on Flight of Fear as they sometimes cut off circulation to my feet. Restraints against the knee/shin with those ridiculous air time hills and quick transitions looks like bad mojo. Some of the transitions on the peaks of the later hills reminds me of Arrow transitions, and not in a good way.

Alas, we have a POV video of Lightning Run. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XM1UUt05dsc

I've noticed on my few times riding The Bat the crew has resorted to bat puns. If they keep that up, we'll see them go all Adam West Batman spiels on us.

I'll put it this way, Hersheypark tore Roller Soaker down for low capacity. They get no where near the attendance Kings Island gets. When they're complaining on capacity about a ride, you know it won't fit the likes of Kings Island.

And now we have testing video (off ride) This thing looks like its flying over hills.

Vortex has only a 48" requirement.

My thing about getting myself on Vortex wasn't the inversions, it was the size. I first rode in the mid-90s as well, and it was then the tallest coaster in the park. I always remember trying to see it after I caught a glimpse of the Eiffel Tower coming up I-71. That 148 ft lift and that swooping curve over Rivertown can be pretty intimidating when you're younger than 10.

Speaking of which, how many people do you think that when the Kings Island rides got new names after changing ownership, thought they actually were new rides? Actually a lot since that was the same year Firehawk debuted.

Vortex on a fall evening during P&G Day. My first Beast night ride immediately followed. Boy was that an awesome night.

I'm probably going to be taking flak for this, but I'll do it anyway. Here's the thing about TPR. Robb has toned down a great deal since the earlier days of TPR. You guys do know they are affiliated with parks from around the world right? That's a HUGE credential people often forget about. They have HUGE trips with lots of members. Just check their boards on any given day. They're more active with more members than any other coaster site still in existence. They're probably the best source for information about any park on the internet, even better than Screamscape because they actually back up their claims with sources. Sure they're heavily moderated, but that's mainly because they have PR members from a few parks including Six Flags, Holiday World, and a few international parks to my knowledge that post on their boards (and probably more than that). That's why they get to do the events they do and the multi-park trips as well. Its become a huge endeavor. Seriously, just spend about an hour on TPR without focusing on the iffy bits and you'll see they're an excellent resource. I'm guessing even a lot of you have watched POV's of coasters they've been to that you'll probably never ride in your life. If you're running a park, you'd be a fool to ignore that kind of fan base. Also, malem put it perfectly, Kings Island is focused on talking up Banshee and the Action Zone revamp. Yes, Drop Tower is a key part of that area, but its obviously in a state they can't let it operate which is more or less out of their control. Machines break, its common sense. Let's play off the assumption it is a part they're waiting on. If you guys know a thing or 2 about Intamin, they produce all their parts in house. Where is that house you may ask? Switzerland. So not only do they have to make the part, but it has to travel quite a distance to get to our humble amusement park in southwestern Ohio. There is no upside to the park announcing the reason its down. There's nothing they'd benefit from in doing it. And really, what does knowing why really accomplish? Its probably something really technical that only a handful on this site can even understand. So to put it simply- Drop Tower is down, the park is doing everything they can to fix it so it can run, and all you need to do is be patient until that time arrives and, well, you know, ride all the other rides still open at the park including our fantastic new inverted coaster. Just sayin'.

Here's a thought, and I know I may be going out on a limb here, but... Be patient. A virtue for sure.

Things I forgot to mention in the trip report- 1. malem and I went up the Eiffel Tower early on, but it closed for wind whilst we were up there. It was enough wind that required bracing, the first time I've felt the tower sway THAT much, elevators went about half their usual speed 2. In the evening, our group later broke Flight of Fear in the unload station. It stopped 18 inches before it was supposed to and couldn't let the lap bars up, probably a good 10-15 minutes there

Could they at least bring this part back from Phantom Theater? At least put some sort of music in Boo Blasters. And yes, the music was my favorite part of the ride. It sounds like its the lovechild between Phantom of the Opera, Nightmare Before Christmas and Beetlejuice. Its simply glorious, especially the music starting at 2:01 in the video.

My TR from 5/9/14. I got a bit of a late start as I wanted to sleep in plus I had to run a few errands before heading up. Got to the park at about 9:40, just in time for one ERT ride on Banshee in the back, which I have to admit, is a pretty darn good seat. I also met up with malem. I wanted to get most of the rides I missed on opening day, so then we went to Bat. I didn't notice the decal logos on the sides of the trains until then, though it was a nice touch. It runs pretty good, but overall, its just nice to see it in an actual color rather than being the color of paint primer for all those years. Who knew a little color could do so much. We then headed towards the back of the park getting on rides as we went, though we skipped Adventure Express initially. Go on Racer, Flight of Fear, Firehawk, Vortex, and Beast during that next stretch. Diamondback was on the list initially, but it had a stroke of downtime as we got to it, which turned out to last most of the morning and into the early afternoon. We then ate at Chicken Shack right as the only real rain threat of the day came upon us. This was my first time at Chicken Shack, and though there was a slight off-taste to the chicken due to the oil or some added salt, but its still leagues better than the chicken I'm used to eating at the park. I also like the sauces they provide. Its also a nicer building than what they had set up for the Action Zone Grille. Banshee and that added TLC to Action Zone has really done wonders. Hopefully they can get Drop Tower up and running soon to complete the area. I needed to burn off food, so we walked around the park for a while. It was also getting close to the statue unveiling, so we headed towards Rivertown/Planet Snoopy. Rode the train to burn some time, then rode Aerial Ace and Woodstock to burn more time. We met up with Jonathan before the ceremony. Overall, its just cool to see Kings Island doing something like this. I kind of hope other Cedar Fair parks so something similar, especially Cedar Point given their reputation. This started various attempts to pass #jonathan with Jonathan in toe in attempts to get him in a picture with the almighty noodle. None succeeded, but hey, a little shenanigans thrown in the day makes everything better. I admit, the noodle is growing on me. We decided to stick around Rivertown in hopes Diamondback would re-open. We saw it re-open, but we were set on Backlot before hand. One thing of note on that ride for me, it had a few moments of some nice floating air at a few points which I never get on it. Kind of a nice surprise. Then we did Diamondback which was a relief for me as I skipped it on opening day and it was just so nice getting back on it after so long. I know most of this site praises Banshee, but for me, Diamondback is still my favorite steel coaster in the park. I will say Banshee is better at night though if you've seen my reaction in the Banshee experience thread. At that time we met up with ohiocolts as well as the group who came from Indy soon thereafter. Some of the rides we got to were 2 more on Banshee, Delirium which was walk on or 1 cycle wait all day, Adventure Express, a few Coney flats (Dodgems, Monster, Scrambler), I think Racer, FoF and Firehawk were in there, and Vortex. We headed to Viking and met with Duncan (Fire-Beast-OF FEAR), rode Viking, then got dinner at Festhaus. Went back to Action Zone, and one group did Invertigo while malem and myself did Bat. I wasn't feeling up to Invertigo that day, the g-forces get to me more on that ride as it sustains them longer. We decided to start towards the back to get a Beast and Diamondback night ride in, and with time to spare, we did Boo Blasters. I have to admit, I'm not the biggest Boo Blasters fan, but doing it with a KIC group is just loads of fun. We then did Beast at night, and with a 23 minutes to go, got to Diamondback which the group rode during the finale of the fireworks show. With the day being ERT night, we obviously went to Action Zone. Boy was it packed. We decided to try Bat first and hope the Banshee line would die down, but Bat had a bit of a wait, too. I was hoping to get a few rides in, but only did one on each. However, both were equally as awesome. Bat at night was a nostalgia trip for me as my first ride on it, back when it was red and called Top Gun, was at night, and it is among my favorite night rides at Kings Island. Banshee was just pure liquid awesome at night. I won't go into as much length as I did the Banshee experience thread, but it just blew me away. I still prefer Beast at night, but to be honest, it isn't by much. Kings Island really did a good job in creating that atmosphere at night for Banshee. I'm looking forward to seeing how they'll dress it up for Haunt.

So, I took my first night ride tonight. I'd like to go into some length about it. First off, I was completely blown away by the little details they've added for the night experience. The colored lights, the specific colors of the lights, and how they angle them off the buildings and sign just set up the experience perfectly. I was gawking at the lighting package so much that the semi-lengthy wait for the night ERT passed rather quickly, or so it seemed. There's one thing I've grown to like about Banshee's presence in the Kings Island skyline, which would be a commanding presence. Its right up front, bearing its teeth at you saying 'come and get me'. Its clearly visible throughout the entire park, and with how it coils through its inversions, its a fun ride to watch from about any angle in the park, even from across the park at Diamondback's queue. That said, that aspect seemed magnified at night. It just dominates over Action Zone. I can't wait to see how they deck it out for the Haunt. But alas, we have 5 months before we see that glory. Now to the ride experience itself to me. Having ridden Vortex at night, doing the loop based inversions seemed pretty standard to me, at least in having a familiar presence to it. Doing the 0g roll and barrel roll at night was quite the unique experience. There's just something unnerving about seeing the train do that at night. More than anything else though was the sound. Banshee has a bit more of a roar to it than Diamondback, and couple that with Banshee's intense layout, the night time atmosphere, and the brilliant lighting package, and it just completes the ride. One thing I've found today is that I prefer the middle seats to the outer seats. The reason why is because its closer to the center of the train that B&M uses in making heartline maneuvers. I feel the outer seats tend to have a bit of a rattle to them. Its absent in the middle 2 seats. This could just be me, but I foresee myself riding in the middle 2 seats, contrary to what most people view B&M's as being better on the outer seats (I will agree with that notion on Diamondback though). Having said all that, I still can't convince myself to put it above Beast as the better night ride. Its probably a lot of bias on my part, but overall, I still think Beast pulls of the night excursion better. There's just something wilder about a wood coaster like that, and with how long it is plus the fact it has a nice layout sprawled out along a densely wooded Ohio countryside. But that's taking nothing away from Banshee. If I could show the margin of error between the two, it'd be quite slim. Its still really, really good at night.

I was thinking more of the area that lies around Diamondback, Backlot Stunt Coaster, Grand Carousel, and Dodgems.

From what I understand, a lot of rides that were moved out of Six Flags AstroWorld, Batman The Escape included, were damaged during their transportation. Also, its been sitting for so long, the elements might have taken enough of a toll that it would be incredibly time consuming to refurbish the current pieces. It's probably better off as scrap metal.

Both Mack and Intamin label their respective products as 'water coasters' so I'll continue to refer to them as such. Just sayin'.

I think the perfect addition for a next coaster would be a Mack water coaster. I think Kings Island needs more intermediate rides; rides that are more exciting than what's in Planet Snoopy, but not up to par with the likes of Banshee, Beast, Vortex and Diamondback. Specifically, something with a height requirement between 36-48 inches. I also think Kings Island could use one more water ride in the 'dry' park. Mack water coaster fits both roles perfectly. If going log flume specific, I'd go for a Hopkins flume. I really enjoyed Daredevil Falls at Dollywood; I'd love to see something like that in Rivertown. I also have to agree with others wanting flat rides. Maybe Kings Island can get a wild mouse and a few flats to go with it, much like Knott's did with their Boardwalk expansion.

Sometimes you have to sacrifice capacity in order to get more unique rides in. Look at how many low capacity rides Kings Island still has, yet they manage to do fine.

Actually, this reminds me of something Alton Towers did. They had a Vekoma looping coaster called Corkscrew, it was about 70 ft tall, 2 corkscrews, had a lot of turns and a helix section, fairly simple coaster. Its significance was it was the first looping coaster in England. It was pretty well loved by Alton Towers' fans. They did have to remove it in favor of Thirteen, but they kept Corkscrews' corkscrews and put them in the front of the park as a memorial to the ride. It actually looks pretty sharp. Photo courtesy of RCDB.com.