McSalsa

I have decided to add a 2nd pic to this: this one is from my September 2019 visit to Cedar Point. The Gemini Midway is very nice. If my phone took better night pictures, this would look even more epic at night.

I dunno if this was anyone here on KIC, but Amusement Insiders on Youtube has made a what-if RMC Son of Beast: Also, I found the video by GP to Enthusiast a few posts ago very informative. I knew there was a bump in the double helix (aka the Rose Bowl) but I thought it was near the bottom of the helix, not the top, and didn't realize that a train actually came to a dead stop- I thought it still completed the rest of the course, but injured people and then the ride was e-stopped in the station. (Granted Train #2 actually DID do this according to the same video- sadly if the ride was E-Stopped Train #1 was back on the track and past the lift already...)

Hmm. $10 million budget? Well, I think I have a few options: (I have ridden models of these) My Pick: GCI or Gravity Group Wooden Coaster: While the ones I have ridden are on a bigger scale (especially from GG as I have only ridden Voyage which is massive) even the smaller wooden coasters by these companies look great, and you could probably fit a lot of coaster under $10,000,000. Heck, Voyage adjusted for inflation JUST breaks the limit at about $11 million! Thus a wooden coaster by one of these companies would likely be my pick. I would go for something about the size of say, Legend at Holiday World (Around 100 feet tall, decent length, etc.) Still, other options are tempting...though I have not ridden them save ONE: (Have never ridden but am tempted by...) RMC Raptor: I don't see a listing for price, but given Six Flags is buying these and they are less than 2000 feet long, these are very likely under $10m and reviews for these seem amazing. Not to mention from the POVs, the pacing looks insane. Chance Rides Hyper GTX: These things look like miniature hypercoasters with great airtime. I still need to get to Kentucky Kingdom to ride Lightning Run, to see if it really is the baby Magnum XL-200 I think it looks like. (And then these ideas I looked up but are over $10m sadly) Intamin Impulse (only other model here I have ridden): Wicked Twister was $9 million in 2002, which sadly translates to about $13 million in 2020 so it breaks the limit, and I cannot find how much the smaller models cost. I did enjoy Wicked Twister though. Vekoma Bermuda Blitz or Shockwave: These look like awesome coasters, and the reviews for Lech Coaster have been very good. These also just break the $10m limit, and would be under $15m most likely. (Based on their prices in Euros, converted to USD)

For the record- I never did get to ride King Cobra- when I visited Kings Island for the first time in 2000 (not sure what day or even month, I think it was August but not sure) I was scared of roller coasters, especially ones that go upside down. But I VIVIDLY remember standing on the midway near what is now Sling Shot and watching King Cobra go over its turn, down the first drop, and into what seemed live a massive loop to a 10-year-old me, with the even more massive Son of Beast looming behind it with a even bigger loop (which I could only spot from the Eiffel Tower)! I would not return to Kings Island until 2009, but by then, King Cobra was scrap metal. And Son of Beast went SBNO about a month later (and I never got to ride that either because on my 1 trip in 2009 it was open, it broke down. I saw it do a few test runs afterward but it never re-opened). Also on Shaggy's pic: that looks more like CONSTRUCTION than destruction, but you can tell it was the demolition because Son of Beast (opened 16 years after King Cobra) is standing in the background. They really were just taking the coaster apart to possibly sell it, rather than just rip it down for scrap. Awesome picture BTW.

Also, on the subject of King Cobra pictures, I found this web site a few years ago and bookmarked it because it because the guy has some nice pictures from the years 2000 & 2001 at Kings Island. Now-defunct rides included in these images include King Cobra, Son of Beast, Vortex (with horrible paint in 2000 and half-painted in 2001: this was a interesting time for the ride, at least in terms of how it looked), and Kenton's Cove Keelboat Canal. The OG Antique Cars and Flying Eagles are not included directly but can be seen in some of the shots focusing on other rides. And while not a ride, there are also some good shots of International Street with the OG Pedestals still in place. 2001 has more photos than 2000 does though. 2000 http://www.casabrian.com/parks/pki2000.html 2001 (Includes KCKC Demolished pics as TR:TR was about to be built, and half-painted Vortex) http://www.casabrian.com/parks/pki2001.html I also found this video on Youtube, it is by PsycloneSteve and posted in 2014 and it has some great footage of King Cobra in action.

This is cool, but I spotted some errors (the first 2 rides quoted, with Mystic Timbers being used just as a reference). First up, Xtreme Skyflyer opened in 1995 (as Drop Zone- the name was later changed so it could be used for the 1999 Drop Tower), not 2000 (Son of Beast was the only new ride added in 2000), so this would make it 25 according to the Mystic Timbers age. Also if Mystic Timbers, which opened in 2017, is 3 then KMAA would only be 1 according to the same scale as it opened in 2019. Orion would technically be Year 0 since it is in its very first season in 2020.

Oh dear- IMO, it is kinda obvious what is gone. TIP: Look above Boo Blasters in both pictures. With the 2 Corkscrews not visible from here in either picture, it is possible that 2nd loop is the last remaining inversion of Vortex still standing.

As for why the Firehawk que is being used for Flight of Fear, from what I have heard (via various websites and stuff), the old outdoor FOF que is being torn apart and they are going to expand it into a locker area- there were already some lockers there but with how popular Orion should be, they are thus going to turn the entire FOF outdoor section into lockers and Firehawk's old que will be the new Flight of Fear overflow que. There is also some evidence for this: back in December, people visiting for ACE's Orion Construction Tour saw FOF's que was being torn up. It can be seen around a minute and 30 seconds into this video:

I will throw my hat into the ring I guess. Here is one of my favorite photos- from 2019... Diamondback towers over the trees. (Taken from White Water Canyon entrance/exit area)

I don't remember if the cameras went down during Mystic Timbers testing, but I do remember vividly watching it do test runs before the ride opened as I remember seeing how fast the ride was going over the 2nd hill and being impressed at the speed. So the cameras did come back up for Mystic Timbers before opening day, if they did go down. The park also put this video out after the 1st test run was done for Mystic Timbers, and I imagine Orion will get a similar video:

Oh dang- I was hoping the station might get to stay, as it was used originally for the famous and now-defunct OG Bat, not to mention it was really nice architecture- it looked a heck of a lot better than most modern coaster stations do and new rides re-using old stations isn't 100% new as both Vortex and Maverick have done this to name a few. Alas, clearly that was not the case. Also the demolition of the brake run, helix, and station pretty much confirm it: Vortex isn't getting "Rougarou'd" or RMC'd or whatever crazy theories some posters may have had. It's gone, and likely all of it. Whatever replaces it in the coming years (I still think 2023/2024, they are gonna give Orion a few years to breathe) is gonna be 100% new, even including a new station if it's a new coaster- they could even put another coaster in Rivertown technically using the old Vortex spot. Heck, you could even have a 2nd coaster entrance in the same plaza where right now there is just Beast (and a Haunt building). Also, going from front-to-back (starting with the brake run, helix, batwing, etc.) and working back to the lift hill makes sense: this way they won't need to chop down any trees when the lift comes down, and can pull it down from that side. Thus Beast should still have plenty of trees to the left (from a rider's POV on Beast) at least after you exit the first tunnel. Granted I am gonna guess you will be able to see Orion's 200 foot turnaround up ahead come 2020 anyway, so that section of Beast will still be "different" this year.

It kinda does suck for Kings Dominion- they added all these fancy advanced prototype rides in the late 90s and early 2000s, and it is kinda biting them in rear end now since these rides just didn't last as long as expected, save for Flight of Fear. They also had a TOGO Standup- Cedar Fair's getting rid of them across the board it seems, and a wooden coaster in Hurler that was considered one of the world's worst, which did get replaced as it was RMC'd into Twisted Timbers- probably the best addition to Kings Dominion since 2010 easily. Thankfully looking at the rest of the lineup at Kings Dominion, save Anaconda which is probably also coming down in a few years, not too much seems in danger now. But then Cedar Fair is gonna wanna replace all the stuff they had to remove. We know a B&M Wing is probably coming, but Kings Dominion is still gonna want a lot more if they wanna stay competitive with BGW who are doing crazy things like adding back-to-back Intamins. TBH this is one of the reasons I have liked the new major additions Kings Island has gotten since Cedar Fair added Diamondback in 2009: most of it seems like stuff that is gonna last, and 20 years from now the park isn't suddenly gonna need to abruptly remove a bunch of rides added in this period. Diamondback, Banshee, Mystic Timbers (especially since woodies can last 100+ years), and Orion will likely all last 30+ years, probably even more, like Vortex did. None of these rides are crazy "first of their kind" prototypes, which may draw some enthusiast scoff upon opening, but the trade-off will be a long lifespan for all of them and less headaches for the park.

Their Crypt was close to Volcano (same park area) but I'd imagine the reason for this removal would be the fact Top Spins in general are vanishing from parks as they get older and their reliability decreases. The fact these rides likely have tons of moving parts that needed maintained/replaced cannot help. The rumored (and probably leaked) B&M Wing Coaster wouldn't need more space than what Volcano gave it, so space isn't really a issue. I would imagine in the coming years Cedar Fair will likely do a whole refresh of this entire section of the park, especially if Anaconda is also removed in a few years (given what happened to Vortex I imagine Anaconda will eventually meet the same fate).

Having gone to Banshee's opening day in 2014, as well as Passholder Preview in 2018 & 2019, I think I can give a decent estimate on crowd levels: -Orion will have a 4 to 5 hour wait regardless of weather, unless it is truly pouring rain all day or something (in which case it may just be closed). Flight of Fear, being right next to Orion, will also likely have a huge wait too. -The rest of the rides will depend on how the weather is, most likely. In 2014 and 2018, the weather was very nice when I was there on Banshee Opening Day and Passholder Preview and everything had pretty long lines- on Banshee opening day, I only rode 3 rides all day, though that was mainly because I actually stood in the 4 1/2 hour Banshee line. But I also had to wait 45 minutes for Backlot Stunt Coaster and about a hour for The Beast at Night. On PPN 2018, I didn't wait nearly as long for anything but that was because we rode mainly less popular rides (my first ride of the day was Adventure Express) and we bought a few spins at the "Wheel O' Fast Lane" near Diamondback and got lucky to get Diamondback and Banshee on 2 of the spins. However at PPN 2019 (and Opening Day 2019), it was cold and rainy and there were very light crowds- most rides had next to no wait, save the brand new Kings Mills Antique Autos and Beast during the T-Shirt giveaway which reached 2 hours...I waited in that line too BTW. Got my shirt. -As King Ding Dong said, people are gonna be getting their season-long drink vouchers processed, which is gonna make drink lines long. Food lines are also gonna be long, and ride operations won't be as good as later in the year for one main reason: a bunch of the employees are gonna be brand new, and this is gonna be their very first day at work. -Also: almost all the rides will be "waking up" from at least 4 months of "slumber", even moreso for the ones that didn't run during Winterfest and closed in November. There will likely be some breakdowns- even Orion will likely go down a few times, since this will be the first day it is going to have actual people on it. Banshee was shut down a few times on its opening day due to breakdowns as well as...uhh...vomit trains. Standing in a 4+ hour line and then riding a roller coaster will make some people barf.

Well, the Ellocoaster Poll results are in! Here is a link to the results page- there is a full top 25 for both wood and steel, as well as downloadable Excel files for the full results: http://www.ellocoaster.com/poll-results Now, to answer the questions I asked above first... #1- The best new ride of 2019 is...Untamed at Walibi Holland (it ranked 22nd overall of 921 ranked steel coasters)! Wow, I forgot that one. Zadra @ Energylandia didn't get enough votes, but would have beaten Untamed if it did. Best new in North America is...Hagrid @ Universal Orlando! Wow, I forgot that one too. I guess being more of a family coaster didn't hurt it all, it placed 71st out of 921 steel coasters. Of the coasters I did list above, Yukon Striker ranked highest at 79th with Copperhead Strike right behind it in 82nd. The only new for 2019 wooden coaster that got enough votes this year was Kentucky Flyer, so it was the year's best new woodie by default. #2- Vortex placed 422nd out of 921 coasters, so a little above mid pack- it mainly beat a lot of wild mice, kiddie coasters, and Vekoma Boomerangs and SLCs as well as a bunch of smaller Arrow Loopers and Corkscrews. It was the lowest rated non-kids coaster on the steel poll at Kings Island. #3- Could Wildfire @Kolmarden Zoo defend its title...NO! Wildfire actually drops to 5th! The coasters that beat it were...#4 Outlaw Run...#3 The Voyage...#2 El Toro (SFGadv)... and the new #1 is...Lightning Rod at Dollywood! LR has been getting rave reviews since it opened in 2016, so it will probably win more polls like this in the future, but the other coasters in the Top 5 could make a charge in the next few years. #4- The winner of the all-new steel poll is...STEEL VENGEANCE. (My prediction was spot on, but I imagine no one is suprised) Taron, Helix, Hyperion, and Fury 325 round out a elite Top 5 of the first Ellocoaster steel poll. #5- Fury 325 was ranked #5, as said right above. Leviathan was a bit further back, at #27- which is still great considering there were 921 coasters on the steel list that had enough votes to get ranked. As for other gigas: Intimidator 305 was #21 (2nd only to Fury 325 among the Gigas), Millennium Force was #35, Steel Dragon 2000 was #51, and Red Force was #158 (if you count that among the Gigas, it is more of a Mini TTD). I would say Orion has a great shot at at least being Top 50 in the world when it opens in 2020. #6- The MOST SUCK (ranked 921/921) steel coaster is... Grand Exposition Coaster at Silver Dollar City, apparently. It's a kiddie coaster. Viking Coaster at Energylandia is a Wild Mouse that was ranked very low as well. Of the "large" coasters, T3 at Kentucky Kingdom appears to take the cake ranking at 906th and still being clobbered by numerous kiddie coasters, wild mice, other SLCs, Boomerangs, etc. As for "most suck", on the wooden side we have a ride related to a defunct one at KI...RCCA's (the makers of Son of Beast) Coaster Express at Parque Warner Madrid has the disgrace of finishing 174th out of 174 wooden coasters ranked. And finally, here is how all the coasters at Kings Island did: STEEL (of 921 Ranked) ***** Diamondback- 52nd, 94.74 win % (#4 B&M Hyper, #6 if you count the 2 B&M Gigas) Banshee- 72nd, 93.12 Flight of Fear- 214th, 79.99 The Bat- 235th, 77.45 Backlot Stunt Coaster- 361st, 64.65 Invertigo- 400th, 60.85 Adventure Express- 404th, 60.49 Vortex- 422nd, 58.25 Flying Ace Aerial Chase- 771st, 26.78 Great Pumpkin Coaster- 858th, 16.54 WOOD (of 174 Ranked) ***** Mystic Timbers- 13th, 90.27 win % (Top Rated GCI!) Beast- 48th, 69.25 (Good but controversial- it ranked about the same in the old Mitch Hawker polls too) Blue Racer- 120th, 29.94 Red Racer- 122nd, 29.41 Woodstock Express- 165th, 6.14 Note: The wooden coasters tend to have much lower win% because there are a lot more kiddie steel coasters for those to "beat up on", versus kiddie wooden coasters. For the full results, I would suggest downloading the excel files. You can even sort them this year- look up what the best rides by each manufacturer were, by year, etc. that way.

I do expect a full ride on Orion will end up taking about 3 minutes: -About 1 minute just to climb the lift hill: Orion DOES just have a chain lift and not a super fast cable lift like Millennium Force does. You will actually have some time to think "Oh crud this is actually really tall" during the ascent. -1 minute of actual ride section -1 minute of brake run until you return to the station Granted this was likely by design, as it also gives the ride crews about 60 seconds per cycle to dispatch trains without too much stacking. With the fact Orion is likely not gonna have loose articles (will probably use lockers) this thing is gonna have awesome capacity (probably similar to Banshee's), which it will probably need on opening weekend as well as on busier days like July Saturdays and Haunt.

I have only been to Kings Island & Cedar Point among the Cedar Fair chain, so my options were a bit limited... Arrow: Magnum XL-200 B&M: Diamonbdack Note for B&M: Fury 325, Leviathan, and Orion all seem like I would enjoy them even more than Diamondback but I have not ridden any of those yet. Diamondback just edges out Raptor & Banshee of the B&Ms I have ridden as my current favorite from the company. Intamin: Maverick Wooden: The Beast (why isn't this a option? It is one of Cedar Fair's most famous and popular wooden coasters!) Vekoma: Firehawk (better than its only challenger, Invertigo)

Before 2018, I didn't see a single show except maybe snippets of ones I walked past when going through Festhaus or something (save Blood Drums during Haunt 2016- I saw that and actually stayed for the whole show because I liked it so much), but in 2018 due to bad weather I ended up watching a dog show in the International Showplace (was fun but not epic), as well as Gravity in the Kings Island Theater- which I fell in love with (saw it 2 more times in 2019). While I generally am just going around from ride to ride at Kings Island, now I may stop once or twice and see a show if it sounds appealing.

2019 was a pretty good year for me, not quite as epic as 2018 was but last year was really epic and I dunno if I will surpass it anytime soon. Here are how my 2019 Trips went: Passholder Preview Night (April 19th) This day kinda sucked- not because the park did anything bad or wrong, but because the weather was awful. It was cold, and very rainy at the same time. Lots of usually awesome roller coasters like The Beast and Banshee were made unenjoyable due to rain bullets (and Banshee actually DUMPED WATER ON US!). We did get some dry rides towards the end on Mystic Timbers and Diamondback thankfully, but it was so wet and cold I just couldn't enjoy it very much. Luckily... Opening Day (April 20th) We came back the very next day, and while it was still a bit cold, it was MUCH drier and that alone made everything much, much better. The threat of rain also kept crowds away, so I was able to ride pretty much every big ride in the entire park save the 3 Arrow coasters (it was too cold for them). I actually managed to tie my personal record for most rides ridden in a single day, in spite of waiting 2 hours for The Beast in the morning to get one of the free T-Shirts (though the ride I got- which was from 6-3, the very back row of the last car- was awesome and probably the best daytime ride I have ever gotten on Beast). I also joined up with other KIC Members for the first time and rode WindSeeker, The KI & MV Railroad, and Boo Blasters with them (getting my best score ever on Boo Blasters!). The day ended with some incredible night rides on Mystic Timbers, Diamondback (which was giving stronger than usual airtime for some reason), and The Beast. Memorial Day Weekend: Sunday (May 26th) This trip was kind of a spur-of-the-moment decision made on the Friday before, but it was a good one! Made sure to ride the Arrows on this trip as they were closed on Opening Weekend, and also saw Gravity for the first of two times in 2019. I got a new coaster credit- Flying Ace Aerial Chase. It was quite rough, even worse than a lot of the bigger rides! We also got tricked into thinking there was a cat trapped in a locker at Soak City- it wasn't, it was behind the lockers. A few storms also passed through, causing some brief ride closures. I ended this day by riding Banshee and The Bat at night, and then we saw the updated for 2019 fireworks show. I also broke my record for most rides in a day, riding a whopping 27 rides (includes re-rides) in a single day! July Summer Trip (July 13th) This was my final trip to KI in 2019, I didn't get out for Haunt or Winterfest this year like I did in 2018. This trip was hot and crowded- I actually had to wait 30 minutes for Vortex at one point, and this was before it was announced that the ride would be closing (I got 3 rides on Vortex on this day- they were, I did not realize at the time, my final 3 rides). Then again the crowds I was kind of expecting, it was a July Saturday and the park would be open until midnight for a reason. I was also able to take pictures on this trip as I had my own phone finally. I also saw Gravity for the 2nd time this season (3rd overall) for the final time. We stayed until Midnight, missed the fireworks cycle of WindSeeker by just 1, and then we rode Beast twice at night- including the last ride of the night- to finish the trip. Cedar Point Halloweekends (September 14th & 15th) Taking advantage of the Platinum part of my pass, we headed up to Cedar Point in September to celebrate my sister's birthday. And oh lord, did it get crowded on Saturday- even the less popular rides like Rougarou or Magnum XL-200 were pulling 30 to 45 minute waits, and popular rides like Millennium Force were over 2 hours, with Steel Vengeance hitting 3 hours plus! We did get a few rides in, but not a whole lot for obvious reasons. I felt smart for doing Millennium Force around opening and only waiting 20 minutes then. I also got my best ride ever on Raptor, after waiting 45 minutes for it (it was re-opening from a breakdown and had a 90 minute wait afterwards). We ended Day 1 with a night ride on Steel Vengeance, thankfully as everyone tends to leave near park close the wait was "only" 75 minutes then...not great, but a heck of a lot better than THREE HOURS. Sunday was much better, the big rides still got big hour plus waits at peak but everything else was 15 minutes or less at least. Save Top Thrill Dragster, which was broken all day. Typical TTD- it and Cedar Creek Mine Ride were the only 2 coasters I didn't ride at least once on this trip. We knocked out Valravn and Maverick early, so we avoided the huge waits for them. I also got my first ride on Power Tower, which felt like Drop Tower in reverse as you shot up 240 feet in the air. At the end of the day we took a awesome dusk ride on Millennium Force, ending this trip on the same ride we began it with- also because I wanted to experience and get used to a 300 foot drop because Orion was announced not long before this. And that was my 2019. It was great, though I still think my 2018 was better (In 2018 I went to CP twice for a total of six days instead of 2 total, went to Holiday World, and also went to Haunt and Winterfest at KI) but I do think years like 2018 are gonna be rarer and thus hard for me to beat. But hey, maybe 2020 can beat 2018...

My favorite personal memory from the 2010s actually happened fairly early on: October 16th, 2010. It was my first time to Halloween Haunt and I was with a group of friends, and we waited 90 minutes to ride The Beast at night (everything had monster lines as it was a Haunt Saturday- Beast was actually overflowing nearly into the main Rivertown midway!). But the ride we got was EPIC. The park had fog machines along the track, and even a Beast "monster" prop in the woods before the 2nd lift. And the ride was running about as good as I think it ever has. My friends screamed so much in the cool air (it was in the low 50's) that the next day, when we went to a local short race track for a race, I was the only one of the group who could still talk. As for my favorite new addition to the park, while Mystic Timbers is great, I would personally give the nod to Banshee. Waiting 4 1/2 hours to ride it on its grand opening- and not be disappointed at all- is another memory I vividly hold from this decade. Though that same day we got in a minor car accident because someone decided to car line jump us before we even got in the park, which is a low point from this decade IMO. (Thankfully our insurance covered it and yes, the idiot who wrecked into us got in trouble for it) I also have to agree with KIGhostguy, Kings Island improved a LOT this decade to the point where I can easily say the 2019 version of the park is far superior to the 2010 version. At that is in spite of losing 2 roller coasters (3 if you could SOB which didn't operate this decade), including Vortex which was a ride I am really gonna miss. And now, in no particular order, are some "honorable mention" memories as I think of them (besides The Beast one that I feel "won" the decade): -Waiting 4 1/2 Hours for Banshee, and still enjoying the ride enough to feel it was worth it (as stated earlier) in 2014 -Visiting Kings Island on my 27th Birthday in 2017 and getting my first ride on Mystic Timbers that day -Kings Island saving our butts because the car we drove to the park had a faulty gas gauge and we ran outta gas, so they gave us some to get to a gas station in 2010 (Thanks KI!) -Diamondback going crazy on Opening Day 2019 and giving what felt like SUSTAINED EJECTOR AIR. I feel the weather may have been a part of why- it was cold and had been running all day. It felt more like Steel Vengeance than the usual Diamondback ride! --Waiting 2 Hours to ride The Beast for a 40th Anniversary T-Shirt, riding in the very very back, and getting a epic ride that felt worth it even if they were out of shirts...but they were not so I got one! Also Opening Day 2019. -Also getting to meet with KIC members and ride a few rides (including my best ever run on Boo Blasters!) on Opening Day 2019 -Conquering my fears and riding Drop Tower for the first time in 2010 with my best friend (happened same visit as the above Beast night ride, but much earlier in the day) -Discovering how much better Vortex was from 5-1, also in 2010 -Red Racer giving a glass smooth and airtime packed ride the morning of May 5th, 2012 (usually Racer is at least a little rough so this stood out to me a lot) and then it happened again on Blue Racer in 2018 -Riding Flight of Fear during Haunt 2016, and the MCBR being OFF, resulting in one crazy intense ride -Watching Gravity, my favorite show of the decade at KI, in both 2018 and 2019 -Enjoying all the Christmas lights and riding Flight of "Cheer" and Mystic Timbers with minimal wait times during Winterfest 2018 (didn't get to come to Wintefest '17 and '19 sadly) -Too many epic Beast night rides- including the one above- to list. And I am gonna stop myself here but I think the point gets across: I had a ton of fun during my first decade going to Kings Island regularly (first trip in the "modern" era was 2009 when I got over my fear of big roller coasters). Hopefully the 2020s are just as good, if not better. Orion does look like it's gonna be a promising start to the decade...

I shall join in this. For my review, I choose the ride that made me fall in love with roller coasters in the first place... The Beast @ Kings Island Experience: 6/6 (5/6 if Daytime) The Beast is a epic ride experience. It feels very fast and out of control, as the train bounces around the track, feeling at times like it is going to break loose and fly off- especially in the double helix. The wooded setting of the coaster makes it feel like you are far from civilization at points, and gives the entire ride a horror movie vibe. Especially at night when everything becomes nearly pitch black. You even get some epic views from both the lift hills. Layout: 3/5 The layout of The Beast is very unique, and it is massive and sprawling, and the double helix finale is super epic. But it does have a bit too much straight track so I can't say the ride's layout is insanely good. Capacity: 3/4 While the ride doesn't have the fastest dispatches in the world, they are OK, and the 36-passenger trains really help the line move at a solid pace. Theming: 2/3 While there isn't much as far as theming goes on the actual coaster save that one Mine Shaft you see when exiting the station and heading for the lift hill, the signs in the station, the station design itself, the entrance building, and the returning-for-2019 paw prints are all great touches. The ride also has a nice backstory behind it, something I think more rides should have. Restraints: 1/2 Standard PTC Lap Bars. They aren't the greatest, they aren't the worst, they are just OK. TOTAL SCORE: 15/20 (75%) Note that while I only give Beast a 75% overall here, IRL Experience matters a bit more to me than a lot of the other factors and I adore this ride. Thus just because another coaster may earn more total points doesn't mean I'd like it more than Beast. I may also do more of these this off-season.

Great Trip Report! Also, this photo is awesome: I know you were just going to try for a Vortex Panorama most likely, but I love how in a ironic twist you can see Orion to the left and Diamondback to the right, and they look like they are facing each other (and they appear around the same size) with Vortex stuck in the middle of them.

Oh- oops. My bad- now that I think of it, I don't think I ever saw or heard Vortex stop there, so all I ever heard was the "Cleared Lift" bell.

This is awesome- it is nice to have all these classic Vortex sounds archived. (I had a idea for a use for it in No Limits 1 but it didn't work like I'd hoped- I'll still enjoy just being able to listen to Vortex's sounds again) Also I had heard that bell ringing noise dozens of times while in line for Vortex, and never realized until now it was for when a train had crested the lift hill or if 3 trains were stacked on the brake runs.

I perfer "The Darkest Day"- though TBH while it is listed here under Paramount, they played it until at least 2010- 4 years into Cedar Fair's ownership. I remember vividly it playing on my first ever Beast night ride back in 2009. I have heard the 2nd song (Wanna say they changed the Song in 2011), but feel like I haven't heard music on the lift hills in a while. Just the usual "Welcome To The Beast. Please keep hands and arms inside the ride. Thank You." spieling. Though a song I will associate with Beast is this, as when I was waiting for the ride on Opening Night 2014 (aka when Banshee first opened- it was a 90 minute wait which was peanuts compared to the 4 1/2 hour Banshee wait I did earlier in the day) with my sister this played on the then-new FunTVs in the que and I thought it fit the vibe of the coaster we were about to ride perfectly (especially because it was a night ride):