jbeast

Great article Don! Next to a Beast night ride, The Voyage is hands down my favorite wooden coaster ever. The Voyage is the most unrelenting and aggressive coaster and I love every second of it. I was lucky enough to ride it over 20 times in one day last time I was there a couple years ago. Cannot get enough of it, although as I get a bit older I have to recuperate a bit the next day...ha!

I absolutely love Orion. it is a bit short, but I love the speed it hauls through the layout. Getting a bit older so short rides are not too bad...ha! Love Diamondback too for the abundance of airtime it gives. Love The Beast just cause it is one badass coaster. We are spoiled with the coasters we have at our park. I have ridden Fury and I-305 or whatever it's named now, and Fury is in a class all its own. Obviously, there was some money to spend on that one, because after I rode it the first time I was floored. The elements and pacing of that ride are what makes it my favorite steel coaster I have ridden. My favorite things in coasters are sustained speed, some airtime and a wild ride. Voyage I cannot get enough of. Rode it 25 times last time at Holiday World. Speed and airtime. And after finally riding Top thrill 2 last year, it is a must ride every year. That backwards launch up the spike is the real speed I was looking for. It is such a rush! That's why I love The Beast too, not so much airtime, but it has speed and is a wild ride. And nothing comes close to the final helix at night. It is a zen moment every time hauling through those tunnels.

I was a pretty young kid when I got to ride it. The line seemed like it was always long, due to it being a great ride and out of the hot summer sun. I remember bits and pieces of the ride experience. There was a small hill the boat went over during the ride and I could not wait for it. The budding coaster nerd was being realized. The Scooby Doo was my first coaster, but I was scared to death of The Racer. Fast forward a few years later and after a ride on the original Revolution at Magic Mountain on vacation and I was hooked. Rollercoasters became a passion.

I have ridden it quite a few times in my college days in Dallas. Me and my best friends would hang out as much as we could at the park and ride The Judge, the original version of The Texas Giant and Shockwave as many times as we could. My early years of truly understanding my joy of coasters. There used to be an awesome all you can east Chinese restaurant just across the road from the Judge that we would always eat lunch at. Fun days!

The Beast and Bat commercials were the best! No social media in existence or even thought of at the time and I could not wait to see them on TV.

Wow, that is crazy to think about. I rode Revolution the 2nd year after it opened. I was so scared to ride it. My uncle, who lived in Los Angeles, was the person who encouraged me to ride it. It was my first 'big' coaster that catapulted me into the joys of my love for rollercoasters.

Regarding a coaster doesn't have to be the tallest to be an airtime machine. Maverick is one of my absolute favorite rides ever for the intensity and airtime. The first time I rode Lightning Run, I was floored how much airtime and how much fun it is in a small footprint. Fury is in a class by itself. I rode it 25 times the day I was there last. It is a truly incredible ride, and I traveled all the way there just to ride it (and my former Eagles too). Saying that, I love Orion's height, quick lift to the first drop and the speed it keeps up throughout the ride. Out of the hundreds of times I have ridden it, no one riding with me has been disappointed afterwards. It's just a lot of fun and I am happy to have it in my home park.

With respect. I think there is a difference. Orion keeps it's speed throughout much of the ride and Diamondback, which I love, is more of an airtime machine. I absolutely love the speed Orion has. Sure, maybe some low to ground curves like Fury could add to that effect I agree. But I ride Orion because it hauls. That's why I love The Voyage and Top Thrill 2 so much...it's zen feeling for me going that fast on a coaster.

Seems like I am one of the few true coaster nerds that really enjoy Orion for what it is. Ha! Just kidding. It's no Fury 325, and is on the shorter side of overall length, but it I love that first drop, fun elements and tons of speed. It's a great combo with Diamondback's airtime and repeating big hills. And it is very re-ridable for most everyone. I can marathon both easily which is nice. I think we are lucky to have it at our home park. Now just we need a really amazing install in The Vortex old spot...it's just so empty back there without it.

I have not ridden Flight of Fear in many years. Being 6' 4" and size 16 feet, I don't fit in those tiny trains anymore. Got to pace myself and any looping coasters now anyway. Love Banshee, but wow does it hit me hard now. Equilibrium just isn't what it used to be. I remember well when the coaster first opened and how revolutionary is seemed with the indoor launch. Could not wait to ride it. And laughed at how many people would get up to the station, watch the train take off into the tunnel and then turn around and walk out of line. It was quite intimidating when it was a new thing. KI was good at that for awhile...bringing new tech to the forefront with a ride. I was in awe when I first heard about The Beast. And thank goodness they are keeping my favorite coaster going strong. And, when the original Bat was built, as a kid I just marveled at the way the trains on that thing snaked under the track. I am incredibly lucky that I was able to get alot of rides on it. Then came King Cobra. A stand-up coaster, seriously...that's what we all thought at that time. Love Diamondback, Banshee, Mystic and Orion as amazing coasters in my backyard, but KI definitely had a bit different feel in those days it seems.

Too bad it hasn't worked in there. On my last Disney trip, one of my favorite places was the Biergarten in Epcot. Met people from all over the world at our table, enjoyed some decent German food, had a couple of giant glasses of exceptional beer and thoroughly enjoyed the band playing and working the crowd. It was amazing! Such a festive atmosphere!

I had a great time the two days we spent there last summer. Some uptime issues with Top Thrill 2 and Millie and it was so hot outside and a bit crowded, but we were able to get several rides on each. My youngest son who just found his love for coasters a couple years ago, was floored by his first Intamin experiences. It had been about three years since I had been up there, and I was reminded why I have driven that 4 plus hours so many times to experience such an amazing park!

Of the many things I love about The Beast which is my favorite coaster ever is the angled drop going into that impossibly small tunnel into the helix. The helix itself at night is a zen experience for me every time I have ridden it since its opening year. The crazy helix, feeling like almost going off the rails in pitch black...nothing else like it! Over the years, quite a few changes have happened with the ride and I am super happy they keep updating The Beast with new track...the little pop of air off the first tunnel going into the valley is amazing! But I hope they keep the wild and out of control feeling going into the helix and the helix itself. No other coaster has such an intense ending and that's why I love it so much...even if it does beat me up a bit.

Having the meal plan and drink plus plan the past few years, I can say that KI has some amazing options for food. My go to is Brewhouse for the Pub Burger. Grain and Grill and Island Smokehouse are my other favorites. I have not been to Jukebox in ages. Not when I can stop in Brewhouse, in air conditioning (or heat) and get a far superior Cheeseburger. And I love my blue raspberry Icee and hot chocolate having the drink plus plan...won't go without it now. My youngest son and I went to Cedar Point this past summer (his first trip ever), and for the most part, the food was great, but wow did the burger and fries suck at Coasters as our last meal after 2 days there. I was shocked how bad it was. I stomached it because we were hungry before the park closed and it was close to where were getting after just riding Siren's Curse. Won't eat there again.

DJSkyFoxx...I cannot agree more on your take on both coasters. That backward launch on TT2 caught me totally by surprise on how forceful it is. Just could not believe it. I loved the original version, and the updated version is just the best. And Siren's Curse is just a flat-out amazing coaster in every aspect. The hangtime waiting to be let go is so much fun and it is one snappy coaster through the rest of the course! So much detail in that coaster! My only hope is KI gets something on that par and even better for the old Vortex spot.