Kings Island TR - AUG 30, 2008

[troymello]

Since 1974 (I was 2 yrs old.), I have visited Kings Island approximately every 3 years. However, I recently managed allow the passing of 6 years without a visit. Of course, I was very excited to return because (1) I had my eyes on three rides that were new to me and (2) the recently new ownership.

CONS:

1. Though tasty, I found it very odd a Panda Express was in the Festhaus. If a place is to be themed, it should be all or none. Poor choice of locations for Panda Express. Also, I hated to see so much of the architecture inside the place was hidden and painted over with white (or off-white) paint. (It may have been this way on recent visits... I can't remember.) I would love to see this building restored to its original condition.

2. Firehawk: Wait time was too long. Of course, I expected this somewhat for obvious loading/prep reasons. Though there were many cooling fans in the queue, it would have been much better if KI was a little more generous with the random covered areas to provide shade from the sun. (Probably isn't a big issue on a cooler days.)

3. SOB: I was anxious to try it, post loop, but was disappointed. I could probably say the roughness has improved, but only slightly... still too rough for me. Note: I am comparing front-seat, first-car experiences.

4. The Beast: Very upset... as if I lost an old friend. At any visit, I usually take a front-seat, first-car ride... once during the day and again at night. Now, during my last visit, I noticed the skid brakes had been replaced, but for the most part, the ride was still a great, enjoyable experience. For this visit, in the same seat, the ride was extremely rough... very comparable to SOB. I can't figure it out. Was there lighter people in the car? Heavier? Something must have been different. Since I was a kid, the ride was always rough, but more of an aggressive massage. This experience was a heavy, up & down pounding. I didn't ride again at night... just wasn't up for it. I will certainly ride again in the future to see if the ride (for me) is more enjoyable.

5. When exiting the park, only one lane was open through the security gate. This bottlenecked the crowd and I almost waited as much when leaving as I did when I was entering.

6. Those TVs while waiting in line... those are in rough shape. The picture quality was horrible on all. I am assuming the park is tucking away a little money for a total replacement in the future.

PROS:

1. FOF: This was probably my favorite ride of the day. I have always loved this ride and even more so when the OTSR were taken away several years ago. The launch felt faster than ever (of course, I'm sure it was really no different). I did notice, as others have, that the train is almost completely stopped at the MCBR. Still... a fun, smooth ride.

2. Though I tend to get a little nostalgic and like things to remain the same, the colored lights shining on the Eiffel Tower was very nice to see after the sun was history. It complimented the fountains very nice.

3. This was my first time to experience IJST. Though stripped of "IJ," the BLSC was nice. I tend to enjoy any launched coaster. The road signs in the queue were funny, too.

4. Nick U: I completely understand why KI gets the golden ticket every year for best kids area... it's incredible! It's not comparable to Disney World. Nick U isn't so much a "fantasy" land as it is its own amusement park for kids who want rides, rides, and more rides!

5. Some friends had recommended Avatar in Nick U (they rode it with their little girl). Now, I don't have any kids, but it appeared I wasn't the only childless adult in line for this thing. This was a great ride! It "teetered" on the edge of being a thrill ride, but held back a little. It was a good way to relax... like a porch swing... but much more fun!

6. I was glad to see the return of souvenir Eiffel Towers return to the gift shops.

7. The soundtrack pumping out of speakers all over the park sounded great.

8. It sure was nice getting to see Diamondback construction in person for the first time!

9. Though it is a short ride, it had a very short line all day: Flight Deck. I've never thought it was a scary ride, but it is still fun.

QUESTIONS:

I saw the floral clock, but did not see the floral date. Is the date gone or did I just miss it?

The lights on The Racer ran up the lift, down the first drop, and ended there. Didn't they used to run the length of the coaster (inner side)?

Thanks for reading... have a great day!

[BoddaH1994]

1. Though tasty, I found it very odd a Panda Express was in the Festhaus. If a place is to be themed, it should be all or none. Poor choice of locations for Panda Express. Also, I hated to see so much of the architecture inside the place was hidden and painted over with white (or off-white) paint. (It may have been this way on recent visits... I can't remember.) I would love to see this building restored to its original condition

What can I say? American southern music, Italian and Japanese food all within a German building? Yeah, the theme's pretty gone. I wouldn't be surprised to see the Festhaus rethemed to something a little more country-ish in the near future. I eat at Panda almost every time I go to the park and have only found it nasty once. Wish I could say the same about some of the other eateries, but Panda has always been guaranteed for me.

4. The Beast: Very upset... as if I lost an old friend. At any visit, I usually take a front-seat, first-car ride... once during the day and again at night. Now, during my last visit, I noticed the skid brakes had been replaced, but for the most part, the ride was still a great, enjoyable experience. For this visit, in the same seat, the ride was extremely rough... very comparable to SOB. I can't figure it out. Was there lighter people in the car? Heavier? Something must have been different. Since I was a kid, the ride was always rough, but more of an aggressive massage. This experience was a heavy, up & down pounding. I didn't ride again at night... just wasn't up for it. I will certainly ride again in the future to see if the ride (for me) is more enjoyable.

The Beast is a fickle creature. How rough it is really depends on the time of day, temperature, weight, etc. It also seems to get a little rougher as the season presses on.

6. Those TVs while waiting in line... those are in rough shape. The picture quality was horrible on all. I am assuming the park is tucking away a little money for a total replacement in the future.

Or maybe even remove them. Paramount probably intended to use them for marketing, but Cedar Fair mainly plays music videos on them. Many of those things are over 10 years old... and you can tell.

7. The soundtrack pumping out of speakers all over the park sounded great.

That's an improvement that came about two weeks ago. They seemed to have switched from random pop music to classic rock. No complaints here.

I saw the floral clock, but did not see the floral date. Is the date gone or did I just miss it?

Nope, it's still there. If you were facing the tower with your back to the fountains, it would be behind the tower to the left, as it always has been. I'm glad they keep that thing up. It's really nice.

The lights on The Racer ran up the lift, down the first drop, and ended there. Didn't they used to run the length of the coaster (inner side)?

To the best of my recollection, it's always been just the first hill. I could be wrong. Any takers?

Cool trip report!

[PKIDelirium]

Racer had lights on the hill right before the split, but they've been off/removed for several years.

[Outdoor Man]

I have a 3 year old daughter and have been stuck in Nick-Land all year! Which, by the way- there are a few EXCELLENT ride ops in NU that really need to have a huge pat on the back. Each time we go (and it's usually several nights a week)- I always go to Guest Relations to compliment the best ride ops of the night- because there are some who have no business in Nick Universe..... Tonights winners were from the Nick O'Round and Lil Bill's Giggle Coaster. They were the absolute best young ladies working there tonight. I am always grateful when ride ops are kind and interractive with my daughter.

I got out... i don't want to rain on troy's trip report because it was a good TR from a "not-so-new-member" - but new poster. but this all happened on the same day... I'm getting old. I got sick on my first roller coaster. I think they should rename Vortex - Vertigo..... It seems every year the thing gets faster and I get dizzier once I exit.... this weekend did me in. $#@^%@#^$@ Finally get out of Nick U- and it all ends on the first ride.

[troymello]

PKI Delirium: Thanks for mentioning The Racer lights. I didn't think I head dreamed them up. Honestly, my strongest memory of the (lengthier) lights is from a picture or a postcard... would be great if I could find it.

BoddaH1994: As odd as I thought Panda Express was in the Festhaus... I did eat there... and it was good! I didn't mean to come down so hard on the Festhaus. It was still a good place to chow down and relax for a while. Also, I completely forgot to mention, as one of my PROS, the return of entertainment to the Festhaus. Good stage and good performance! Thanks for correcting me on the floral date. When I returned home (Louisville), I only remembered the clock... I guess I just wasn't paying attention. Very glad it's still there! I'm a big classic rock fan, too. Holiday World has a decent soundtrack as well... lots of Beatles... I was told Wil Coch like the Beatles, so that explains it!

Elmer Fudd: When I told my friends at work that my ride on The Beast was the roughest ever, they told me that I was older now! Say it ain't so!!!

Thanks for the good info, guys!

[gigacoaster2k]

2. Firehawk: Wait time was too long. Of course, I expected this somewhat for obvious loading/prep reasons. Though there were many cooling fans in the queue, it would have been much better if KI was a little more generous with the random covered areas to provide shade from the sun. (Probably isn't a big issue on a cooler days.)

3. SOB: I was anxious to try it, post loop, but was disappointed. I could probably say the roughness has improved, but only slightly... still too rough for me. Note: I am comparing front-seat, first-car experiences.

5. When exiting the park, only one lane was open through the security gate. This bottlenecked the crowd and I almost waited as much when leaving as I did when I was entering.

6. Those TVs while waiting in line... those are in rough shape. The picture quality was horrible on all. I am assuming the park is tucking away a little money for a total replacement in the future.

PROS:

3. This was my first time to experience IJST. Though stripped of "IJ," the BLSC was nice. I tend to enjoy any launched coaster. The road signs in the queue were funny, too.

4. Nick U: I completely understand why KI gets the golden ticket every year for best kids area... it's incredible! It's not comparable to Disney World. Nick U isn't so much a "fantasy" land as it is its own amusement park for kids who want rides, rides, and more rides!

7. The soundtrack pumping out of speakers all over the park sounded great.

Agreed!

I never enter Firehawk's line without a bottle of water. I learned this the hard way after almost passing out from the heat in a 2 hour line on a 90+ degree day.

SOB is the worst coaster I've ever been on. That oversized pile of firewood gave me 3 bruises, a backache, and a headache. Advil was my best friend for the next 2 days.

Never again. I'll ride Mean Streak at CP before I'll ride SOB again.

As far as exiting, I exit through the gate where I want, whether it's marked or not. I always get glares from the guards, but I hate crowds and I just don't want to deal with it.

Those TVs are horrible. They are gum magnets and no one watches the vids on them anyway.

I LOVE BLSC. I don't care what anyone says. That ride is a ton of fun. It's no sky scraping steel monster, but it's proof that a coaster doesn't have to be a record breaker to be a good ride.

Nick U blows away any kid park I have ever seen. I too understand why it's won the Golden Ticket award 7 years in a row. I don't have kids, but if and when I do, you better believe I will take them there.

I love the midway music too, it gets you pumped! I'm sorry but they always had such cheesy music playing when Paramount owned the park. Now they play real music, and I love it.

4. The Beast: Very upset... as if I lost an old friend. At any visit, I usually take a front-seat, first-car ride... once during the day and again at night. Now, during my last visit, I noticed the skid brakes had been replaced, but for the most part, the ride was still a great, enjoyable experience. For this visit, in the same seat, the ride was extremely rough... very comparable to SOB. I can't figure it out. Was there lighter people in the car? Heavier? Something must have been different. Since I was a kid, the ride was always rough, but more of an aggressive massage. This experience was a heavy, up & down pounding. I didn't ride again at night... just wasn't up for it. I will certainly ride again in the future to see if the ride (for me) is more enjoyable.

I have never found Beast to be terribly rough, and that's why I still ride it. Maybe for a second or two in certain spots, but it's the best wooden coaster I've been on to date.

Then again, I'm an Intamin fan so I may be a tad spoiled on smooth coasters.

[The Interpreter]

Intamin fan....smooth coasters....wood...

You SIMPLY must get up to Great Adventure and ride El Toro...

[gigacoaster2k]

Intamin fan....smooth coasters....wood...

You SIMPLY must get up to Great Adventure and ride El Toro...

Yeah, I know. I don't make any sense, do I?

My favorites are HUGE steel coasters with launches and/or insane vertical drops. Thankfully, Intamin has unveiled many such a coaster.

But I'll ride whatever coaster I can get, I'm pretty open minded and always up for a new ride experience.

I've heard El Toro is pretty sweet. I really want to ride Voyage though.

I have a huge list of coasters I need to ride.

[The Interpreter]

Kingda Ka is up there waiting on you, too....