RollerColt

I agree. I took my family on a trip to Orlando last summer and spent 2 weeks between Disney and Universal. In addition to the premium ride experience (pretty much every ride is heavily themed and designed and is considered world class), the IP is really what sets them apart. I can admit we spent a lot of money in the shops for all of exclusive items. Harry Potter, Super Mario, How to Train Your Dragon… Star Wars, Stitch, Toy Story… It’s really hard to beat that. And then you toss in that these parks are in geographical locations that allow them to stay open year round…

I was only 12 at the time, but I really enjoyed Son of Beast’s campaign. The giant box violently shaking and growling was really cool and intimidating. Lot’s of mystery and speculation leading up to the announcement.

Vekoma has really upped their game. All of their recent designs and track layouts have been stunning.

Companies collect tons of data in relation to their product. For example Kroger keeps tabs on every interaction a customer has, tracks data on trends... follows what the customer is buying down to the microscopic level. They look at analytics in terms of attendance, and they also use surveys a lot. All companies do this. Is it really that much of a stretch to you that Kings Island would take a vetted interest in consumer data in relation to opinion on the biggest investment in the park's history?

I’m just glad it’s making way for Supercharged to be removed. That was one of the strangest and saddest experiences I’ve had at Universal. The story… the acting… the lack of… cars lol.

We do? As an enthusiast I’m pretty aware that my opinion on rides and parks will be vastly different compared to the GP. And I think we often sell the average guest short on their opinions and feelings.

Meanwhile Stardust Racers is/are small all things considered in height… but packs a ton of airtime throughout the entire duration of the experience. Definitely shows you don’t have to have a record breaker to draw crowds. I agree with you about Orion. It’s missing something, and for me personally it ends too quickly. It doesn’t have that “final act” moment.

Not a clone of the California version from what I can gather. Makes sense, since the Hollywood Studios coaster uses the terrain.

The Fast and Furious version at Hollywood confuses me. Is there no theming? I see a lot of videos being shared of the test runs and it seems very slow? And not drifting?Perhaps it’s not close to opening yet? I have so many questions…

I think it'd be cool if for one night they kept some of the pools open and had a movie playing for people to swim and watch. Similar to what Disney does at their resorts.

Same! They make more sense being out before the entrance gates.

Oh my God... I forgot about that survey... Touche. haha...

I am already wishing for warmer weather and longer evenings. These cold, dreary days damage my inner soul.

Exactly this. I mean it's fun to think about hypotheticals and all. But there's no way the park would spend extra money to improve Orion from a construction standpoint. I do wish the ride layout was more about speed and terrain and less with the air time and the similar Diamondback "out and back" format. It does indeed feel a little redundant to have a taller version in the same park.

I never rode King Cobra... I spent my entire childhood watching that thing every year, just mesmerized. Once I was tall enough my dad tried several times to get me to ride it. No joke, in the summer of 2001 I was with him in the ride station, and at the last minute I chickened out and told myself next year I would finally do it. And of course next year never came for King Cobra as we all know lol... I learned a lesson to just do it after that, no matter how scared I am of a ride I always take advantage of the opportunity to ride.

They did it. They actually did it. And I'm not gonna lie. The park looks incredible. Falcon's Flight looks incredible. It's still hard to wrap my mind around the fact that this thing even exists and is operational.

I like yellow as well. So much airtime and I love the vantage point you get during the celestial spin.

Have fun! I consider it one of the best experiences at Universal.

Sounds like they updated their warning signs. If they’re reopening so soon I imagine they’re pretty confident in defending the allegations against them.

https://www.fox35orlando.com/news/universal-orlando-ceo-stardust-racers-epic-universe-opening-date.amp Stardust Racers will reopen as soon as tomorrow.

Really unfortunate what happened. But I think Stardust being classified as "intense" is a bit much. It's one of the best rides I've ever been on, but I wouldn't put it into even the top 10 of most intense roller coasters I've ridden... I've received headaches from plenty of rides in the past, including Invertigo and Vortex. But it never crossed my mind to sue the park... Not even sure how that woman is going to be able to prove her injury with how long ago it happened.

We realized pretty quickly that most of the merchandise was available either online or at the City Walk. Once that happened we were more selective on shopping lol.

Awesome! Well done Kings Island! I remember going to Epic Universe and being disappointed that there weren't any shirts for the specific rides. Still waiting on a Stardust Racer shirt!

As a musician, this story really piques my interest!

LOL I just saw my mistake there. Toy Story Mania is at Hollywood Studios! But smartphone shaped blasters... oh my gosh that would be hilarious.