July 7, 2007

[CoasterKrazy]

Here's a (somewhat) brief description of my trip yesterday, which was my first visit to the park for the season.

Started off with Flight of Fear. The pre-show was in use, despite the fact that the entire lighting package was not operating. The mid-course brake run brought the train nearly to a stop, which added a definite lull to the middle of the ride, although I enjoyed coasting down the drop following the MCBR.

Followed up FOF with Firehawk. The landscaping in this area is very nice, and I think the placement of Firehawk is perfect. We waited about 1.5 hours, which was not bad in my opinion for two-train op. They were using both stations, and the mechanism that switches the track leading from one station to another was very amusing. The ride itself is simply amazing. Very smooth, very comfortable, and an overall great addition to the park.

Vortex was up next (with the queues in the station house open; not something I see very often) followed by Italian Job. They were running all three trains, and the fire and helicopter effects were working (the helicopter remained in the "up" position) but the water and fog effects were not (the spray at the end of the ride not included).

Next was lunch at Wings. While I like the idea of a buffet at an amusement park, the price ($14.99 plus tax) and the presentation (styrofoam plates and plastic utensils) are unacceptable. Having been to Midway Market at Cedar Point (which is cheaper, with table service and real tableware), Kings Island has a considerable amount of work to do. Whether the facilities support industrial dishwashers or not, the price demands higher standards, and I believe that a refurbishment is in order.

We then headed over to Nick Universe for my first ride on Avatar. This little baby really is a great ride, and offers an experience that was fairly unique, especially when the car was perpendicular to the track and suspended over the midway. Next was Scooby Doo and the Haunted Castle. Two fluorescent lights were used in the queue, but all other themeing seemed to be working. My gun and my friend's both seemed to work as designed.

Headed over to Action Zone for Top Gun and Son of Beast. SOB broke down while we were in the station for what was going to be "over an hour," so we made our way to Tomb Raider. The music in the outdoor queue was working, as well as that in the tomb. The light on the blood diamond in the entrance has been removed entirely, and the monkey room is not in use (so no chamber opening sequence). The pre-ride show was working. Now to the bad stuff. The ride itself is an absolute joke (as expressed by the riders who swore never to ride it again, and the guests outside the queue saying the ride is pointless {I agree}) . The drumbeat was working, but there was absolutely no audio during the ride, and needless to say, only a select few special effects were working. This ride is ENTIRELY dependent upon the audio and visual sequences, and is utterly useless without them. At this point, I think the ride should be restored, or removed entirely, given that a new ride cycle is probably out of the question.

Went to Son of Beast, which had reopened. The trains are certainly more spacious than the old, and the ride experience has improved, but in my book, going from an F to a D isn't very impressive. It's worth giving it a go with the new trains, but they aren't the panacea some were hoping for. Racer followed, with nice airtime.

Overall, it was an awesome day, and I couldn't have started out the season any better.

[The Interpreter]

Excellent trip report.

How long did you wait on Son of Beast the second time around (after the breakdown)?

Thanks for posting!

[CoasterKrazy]

If I can remember correctly, our first wait was around 40 minutes, not including the approximately 10 minutes we waited until the ops announced the issue would not be resolved for over an hour. (The queue began just after the tunnel beneath the access road, and we got inside the station before the breakdown) Our second wait was less than half an hour (which began on the second level of ramps, and obviously through the rest of the queue).

[The Interpreter]

Thanks! So, on a busy day (I assume it was with Spirit Song and being a Saturday with glorious weather), the wait was less than a half hour when you finally did get to ride.

Wow.

[CoasterKrazy]

We did enter the line the second time only a few minutes after re-opening, so I don't believe that wait is indicative of what we can expect for the rest of the season. The first wait, however, was no longer than what I had seen last season on busy days, so it seems that the popularity of ride (which is mediocre at best, in my opinion) has not changed.