CoasterFreak45 Posted June 21, 2011 Share Posted June 21, 2011 WindSeeker was nice, truely a pleasant ride.I really liked it. I cant wait to ride it at night. I was also a First rider too! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kingsrattler Posted June 21, 2011 Share Posted June 21, 2011 How are the seats? I'm going to head over after work, but have to admit, the way the seats look do frighten me a little. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fire-Beast-OF FEAR Posted June 21, 2011 Share Posted June 21, 2011 The ride was amazing best Flat in the park! Great view of The Beast,Racer,the park and the surrounding woods! If you look close enough you can see Cincy and the little Miami river. The music on the ride also added a very nice touch. The only bad Part was the short duration of the ride and It took a while to load but that was because the Ride-ops where new to the system. I was also a first rider. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trint2004 Posted June 21, 2011 Share Posted June 21, 2011 the seats are little weird to get use to at first, but overall they are pretty nice. I felt a little scared when we first took off up the tower. But im not a fav of drop zone, so when we started to move i clinched hard on the lap-bar. but as we go near the top it became a nice spin. I didnt find it scary or that high of a thrill. I found it to be more like a family ride. The views are amazing, but still left me with craving a more thrilling ride. I would ride it again, want a night ride more then anything now. but wouldnt wait more then a hr for it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beastrider97 Posted June 21, 2011 Share Posted June 21, 2011 What is the line like today? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fire-Beast-OF FEAR Posted June 21, 2011 Share Posted June 21, 2011 When I last saw WS the line was about a 30-45 minute wait. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skywriter Posted June 21, 2011 Share Posted June 21, 2011 Is WindSeeker large rider friendly ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ahank Posted June 21, 2011 Share Posted June 21, 2011 Yes, the seats do appear to be large rider friendly. Kings Island just tweeted a photo stating "Guests are enjoying the new 301' tall WindSeeker ride today at Kings Island." A picture was also posted giving us a very nice view of the seats, and they look fairly roomy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IslandAddict Posted June 21, 2011 Share Posted June 21, 2011 I've always hated spinning flats, but I might give this a try next time I'm at the park. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChazyG Posted June 21, 2011 Share Posted June 21, 2011 I wouldn't say its large user friendly... While i know myself to be bigger. I can ride every other ride in the park and the sensor on the seat said i was good but the sensor in the control room wouldn't allow me to ride it. I was on the third ride and had to take the WOS Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
standbyme Posted June 21, 2011 Share Posted June 21, 2011 I wouldn't say its large user friendly... I can ride every other ride in the park ... I am just double checking to make sure I understand you correctly...you can ride Diamondback but not WindSeeker? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChazyG Posted June 21, 2011 Share Posted June 21, 2011 that is by far a correct statement went to Diamondback after i got off! also i just got back from Cedar Point where I rode everything but wicked twister and Mantis. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
standbyme Posted June 21, 2011 Share Posted June 21, 2011 that is by far a correct statement went to Diamondback after i got off! That is dissapointing. I have a family member who can't ride Diamondback...it seems to be more of a larger hip size than weight issue. It will kill me if the same thing happens with WindSeeker. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChazyG Posted June 21, 2011 Share Posted June 21, 2011 My wife has the same problem shes not big in the belly more the backside since she had our child she has been unable to ride Diamondback as well Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sheikra_rocks Posted June 21, 2011 Share Posted June 21, 2011 The park map has this ride listed as a 4 thrill. I found it to be teetering on 2 - 3 thrill. The anticipation is the worst. I was really let down. Don't get me wrong, the view was great, and it was a pleasant ride. It definitely is not a 4 thrill. I was on the second ride cycle of the day! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Browntggrr Posted June 21, 2011 Share Posted June 21, 2011 Has there been any major downtime today? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dieseltech20 Posted June 21, 2011 Share Posted June 21, 2011 You gotta remember though, one person's 3 is anothers 10. My daughter is terrified of Adventure Express and my brother almost passed out on a log flume, lol. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SOB_TOM Posted June 21, 2011 Share Posted June 21, 2011 The thrill factor is based not on the individuals thrill, but on several other factors such as speed, ride intensity, and forces you will encounter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarketingExpress Posted June 21, 2011 Share Posted June 21, 2011 WindSeeker ride opens at Kings Island http://www.wcpo.com/dpp/news/region_north_cincinnati/mason/WindSeeker-ride-opens-at-kings-island Stephanie Denlinger, from Colerain Township, was not as enthusiastic. "It was fun, like I said, but not as fun as everyone made it out to be. I wouldn't ride it again if the line was that long." She added that she thought the ride would have a drop component similar to Drop Tower where the ride plummets toward the ground. She was a little disappointed in the "thrill" factor. Seriously? You would have thought between all the marketing and waiting in line for the ride she would have noticed it doesn't freefall like DT. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChazyG Posted June 21, 2011 Share Posted June 21, 2011 Yeah I'm with you... As we were walking up to ride i overheard a conversation with two girls one asking what wind seeker was? I mean you are here for ERT and you don't know what your riding? I know you have heard of Google? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flat Freak Posted June 21, 2011 Share Posted June 21, 2011 I arrived in the parking lot about 850 am and was about ten deep at the metal detectors. I hoped to be on the first ride but had no intention of running. Quite a few of the younger set sprinted back ASAP, but I only did a fast walk. I had resigned myself to second ride. Got in the queue, and to my surprise, I was on the first ride of the day (open to non-VIPs anyway)! I was a single guest today. My usual park companion, my daughter, is at Dollywood today with her mom and relatives. Ride Thunderhead for me sweetheart! She was disappointed last night when I told her WindSeeker was opening today (and she would miss it), but thrilled for me when I texted "first ride!" to her later. I located another single rider and took the seat next to him. Thanks to you, stranger. You're a great ride partner. The first thing I noticed was that loose articles are placed on the ground inside the circle of the swings. The swings return to the same spot they start from, so loose articles should be reasonably secure. The second thing I noticed is that the seats are fairly roomy. I'm 5'11", 200#, and I had a little wiggle room. Only the largest riders should have a problem here (and no offense to our larger members). The seats form a complete shell around your hips and backside, so very few people should have problems with keys/wallets/phones in pockets. I know it goes against what others have said in the thread, but I feel tighter in the Diamondback seats than I did here. The control booth has a bright shiny "11" sticker on it signifying (assuming) WindSeeker's state certification. It looks exactly like the sticker you put on your license plate when you renew your registration. I sat down and strapped in. This consists of lowering the lap bar and attaching the seat belt (similar to restraints on Delirium but it's not an OTSR). After some photo ops and cheering, we started up. The carriage goes straight up for the first 100 feet or so, then begins to rotate. We climbed and swung out. The weather was beautiful at open, and visibility was very good. I enjoyed looking down at Racer, out to Beast, at the trees in the distance, and straight down at the queue and the people in the midway. I was slightly disappointed that the carriage does not ascend all the way to the top of the tower. Even if it's designed that way, it's visually disappointing to look up and see an extra 20 feet that we could have climbed. This is a VERY minor gripe. We spun for a minute at the (almost) top and the spinning slowed as we descended. When the spinning stopped, we lowered to the ground. "Welcome back WindSeeker riders, how was your ride?" "Pretty darned fun, thanks!" I was hoping for a t-shirt, free Dippin Dots, or a pat on the back from Don Helbig. I was disappointed to receive none of the above. I dodged the cameras, not wishing to be interviewed. (I know they had a couple shots of me in their raw footage, which I don't mind.) EDIT Ha- I'm on TV! 0:33 in this video the goofy looking guy in the light blue t-shirt. I was excited to hear the music at the top of the tower, based on the reviews I've seen here. I noticed the music clearly on my first ride, but it's not consistent in volume around the whole tower. I wonder if it's possible to add a speaker or two to the circumference of the tower. On my second trip, I did not hear music at all and reported it to the supervisor in the control booth. I went back a little later in the morning for a second ride. I enjoyed it that much that I was willing to accept the wait that I knew would happen because of the interest in the new ride. When I returned, the line was out the queue by about 20 people (they had some temporary extra rails in and the line was just inside those). That turned out to be about a 35 minute wait (sorry I didn't think to time it). The ride cycle from the departure of one group until the departure of the next group was eight minutes (I did time that). That seems slow for a three-minute ride cycle, but perfectly understandable on opening day. I hope it's closer to five minutes in practice. Ride spoilers in white (click and highlight to read): As far the ride itself: this is the epitome of smooth. Absolutely no jerking of the carriage at any time including when the lift begins, upon commencing rotation, or at the bottom. There was absolutely zero lateral movement of the swing on the ride, except what happened naturally due to centrifugal force. There was very little front-to-back swinging during the ride, but a little on the way down as the carriage was slowing. At no point did I fear touching the swing in front, nor do I think I could have reached them with my foot (which is forbidden anyway). Although I've never been in fear of riding WindSeeker, there are four items that I thought could be intimidating about this ride for some people. 1) The angle. From the ground and from videos, it appears that the riders are leaning inward at a significant angle. I'll say that it doesn't feel that way when you're up there. The lean is not significant enough to be uncomfortable , but it's certainly noticed. I was concerned (but not afraid) that it would feel like you were about to fall out the left side. In reality, there is no concern about this at all. 2) The spin. I don't like to spin. Rides like Shake, Rattle & Roll will rarely get my custom. The 30mph rotation speed of the ride is intimidating on paper, but in reality, the circumference of the carriage is large enough that I don't consider this a spinning ride. It's like Delirium...it rotates slowly enough that it's visually interesting without dizziness or constant extreme lateral forces. At no point did I feel any uncomfortable lateral acceleration (again, only enough to swing the seats out). 3) The restraints. A lap bar and a seat belt 300' in the air? Really? Well, never mind, because the deep seats, with the little between-legs bump in the middle, combined with the lap bar and seat belt, mean that your lower torso feels very secure in this ride, while your arms, shoulders, and vision are completely unhindered. 4) The height. I was never concerned about this, but heights don't bother me much as long as I feel secure. I guess people that are afraid of heights will have a hard time. The people are pretty small down there. Bottom Line: From the ground, the ride is somewhat intimidating. The height, the speed, the legs swinging out into the open air, the small restraints...all conspire to make WindSeeker look like a thrill ride. In reality, once you're up there, it's not, but what it is...is lots of FUN. All in all, this ride is not much of a thrill only in the sense of not causing fear. The thing is that there's absolutely NOTHING to be afraid of (unless you're afraid of heights). However, that does NOT mean that the ride is not tons of FUN. It is absolutely capital F- Fun, and I am thrilled to ride it again. It is so smooth that great-grandma can ride it and you don't have to worry about it hurting her. It is so tame that any kid that is tall enough (48") should be able to ride it if they can handle the heights. The ride is actually quite family-friendly. I think of it as a Ferris wheel, except it turns in a different direction. Plus, there's no stopping and rocking while other cars are loaded up. If the lighting and music package are right and consistent (not saying they're not, just saying "if they are,") this will be a fantastic fun addition to the park. I am looking forward to my first night ride on a future visit. For now, I'm glad it's included in ERT, because I'll most likely want to do this early in the day and not want the long lines when the general public gets in. I'm happy to have this on ERT while general interest remains high in this ride. Next year, I hope it changes, but for now,it will do nicely. This ride is fun enough that I believe I will do it twice every visit. Once upon arrival, and once at night. We'll see if that feeling continues after several more visits. I'd say stock up for WindSeeker, though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RaptorGuy Posted June 22, 2011 Share Posted June 22, 2011 I am officially announcing that I DID in fact ride WindSeeker at Kings Island. I figure, if politicians can change their positions, I can too! But, the ride is great! I'll ride it some more! Looking forward to comparing it to CP. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Browntggrr Posted June 22, 2011 Share Posted June 22, 2011 ^ And here I thought the World was to end in 2012. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bkroz Posted June 22, 2011 Share Posted June 22, 2011 My favorite was when someone says "Does it drop?" and their friends say, "Yeah, it does, but slowly." Uh... That's called lowering to the ground. ^^^ Also, the ride at Cedar Point went all the way to the very top of the tower. Perhaps Kings Island's is / was running a different program for its first few days, because I assume the capability to lift all the way to the top is there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
windshawne Posted June 22, 2011 Share Posted June 22, 2011 I enjoyed it. It's a bit nerve wracking at the top, because it gets really windy up there, but its quite a rush. One thing, though, I did get dizzy at the top, but the second ride wasn't as bad. It was worth the wait Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
markr Posted June 22, 2011 Share Posted June 22, 2011 I loved it-Windshawne was right behind Raptorguy and myself. The most thrilling part of the ride was the heavy winds at the top-I can hardly wait to ride CP's version with the added factor of Lake Erie's winds. We rode it as it was getting dark and its especially breathtaking with the beautiful lights. Loved the music-they were playing the Star Trek theme when we rode. All and all, too very strong thumbs up from me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhantomTheater Posted June 22, 2011 Share Posted June 22, 2011 ^Which ST theme (PT showing his inner Trekkie). I will be at CP on Thursday and will try to get all 18 musical scores written down. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SOB_TOM Posted June 22, 2011 Share Posted June 22, 2011 I think what he means by all the way to the top is the fact that the carriage was designed with the arms about 20 ft below the top of the carriage, meaning that if the carriage was designed with the seats higher, it wouldn't have been so much excess room at the top. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest rcfreak339 Posted June 22, 2011 Share Posted June 22, 2011 WindSeeker does what it looks like it does.....it takes you up, spins you a little a brings you down. Why was everyone thinking this was going to be some huge thrill ride? Magic unicorns aren't just going to come out the top of it and have rainbows coming out their butts, WindSeeker is EXACTLY what it looks like, a mild thrill ride. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
standbyme Posted June 22, 2011 Share Posted June 22, 2011 I am officially announcing that I DID in fact ride WindSeeker at Kings Island. What. WHAT?!! I was your biggest defender that you would stick to your word. YOU OWE ME RESTITUTION!!! (I am glad you changed your mind though...life's too short.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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