The Vortex Poll

[King Ding Dong]

What issues are there with Maverick?  I found it very comfortable, there is nothing to bang your head on.  Rougarou has some head banging after the MCBR but is just tolerable as it mostly just hurts my ears.

[silver2005]

^The new restraint may be somewhat softer, but it still hurts with the quick transitions.  

I will say I like Maverick because the overall ride experience is better than Vortex, thus the payoff from fighting against the train is better, but those super snappy transitions are a big, big flaw. 

[jeffywest]

For nostalgia sake I would like see the ride remain. I agree with you folks that replied that it is one of the best drops in the park and the experience you have while walking by is unequal at KI as it is rare that one can see the entire coaster in operation. The rough ride is indicative of Arrow Coasters, you just expect it. And even though it is jarring I ride at least once every time I visit.

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[Oldschool75]

All I can say is when a big coaster like Vortex loses its picture booth, you have to think the end is near. It's now only on funpix kiosk. They know it doesn't have the ridership to even staff someone for pictures.


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[homestar92]

25 minutes ago, Oldschool75 said:

All I can say is when a big coaster like Vortex loses its picture booth, you have to think the end is near. It's now only on funpix kiosk. They know it doesn't have the ridership to even staff someone for pictures.


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So then what of Firehawk and Flight of Fear?

[Xdog42]

10 hours ago, homestar92 said:

So then what of Firehawk and Flight of Fear?

Well I don't have numbers but from what I Know Firehawk and Flight of Fear are not going anywhere. At times they are both the 2 busiest rides at the park. Also, not much hate goes towards these rides unlike Vortex. The picture booth not working is a tad suspicious but I don't think that it is a clear enough sign that Vortex is leaving super soon.    

[medford]

Vortex is a people eating machine, in the numbers I've seen in the past, it generally gives roughly 1 million rides a year, Flight of Fear is around 700-800K and Firehawk is roughly 600k.  The wait for Vortex is shorter than those 2 simply because it cycles thru riders much quicker than the other 2.

[YOULLBEBACK]

I want to love this ride, and the banging isn't the issue.  It is #1 - the quick blackout feeling on the 2nd loop, and #2 - the restraints *kill* my shoulders by the end of the ride.  If it had a over the shoulder restraint like Banshee, I'd ride it a lot more. 

 

Any advice to help with the blackout feeling? 

 

[VortexBFForever]

Stay hydrated! Also if it is cooler out, then chances of graying out are much less likely.

[SonODiamondback]

Locaton is what gives Vortex its riders

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[VortexBFForever]

On 7/14/2017 at 11:33 AM, SonODiamondback said:

Location is what gives Vortex its riders

Especially during Haunt. Since one of the Haunt attractions is in the former Action Theater, WindSeeker and Vortex are very often packed because they are the closest rides.

Plus, on any given day, the two rides' showy, "in your face" views and the fact they are clearly visible from almost anywhere in the park are one of their main draws.

-BFF, whose crew firmly believes that Vortex is on track to give one million rides this season.

[PKIVortex]

I'd would love for that to happen but it's been a few years since that has happened.

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[Xdog42]

22 hours ago, VortexBFForever said:

-BFF, whose crew firmly believes that Vortex is on track to give one million rides this season.

I mean it is possible but like every time I go to the park it feels like nobody is on Vortex, a few times I saw empty trains go up the lift. The only time I remember the wait being like 15 min+ is on Saturdays.

[VortexBFForever]

Well, light crowds on weekdays are not uncommon, especially if it is hot (since most go to the waterpark). In fact, on those days, most if not all the rides have very short/non-existent lines.

Weekends are definitely busier by a long shot. And Haunt is going to be busy too, which is going to help us get to one million.

[Arrow]

1 hour ago, VortexBFForever said:

Well, light crowds on weekdays are not uncommon, especially if it is hot (since most go to the waterpark). In fact, on those days, most if not all the rides have very short/non-existent lines.

Weekends are definitely busier by a long shot. And Haunt is going to be busy too, which is going to help us get to one million.

Last time I went to Kings Island, Vortex's trains were almost always full, and the wait was around 25+ minutes. It was a Sunday.

[IndyGuy4KI]

I don't understand the line lenght argument. People say it doesn't have a lot of ridership because the line is not long. As long as you are sending mostly full trains, no matter the length of the line the ride has a top hourly capacty.. So whether the line is 10 minutes or an hour, it is dispatching the same number of people hourly regardless.

[silver2005]

On the line length discussion- Vortex is one of the best line chewers in the park, up there with Banshee, Beast and Diamondback.  A wait out to the queue entrance is probably only 20 minutes.  

I sure don't hear this discussion when Banshee is a walk on during weekdays.

[jcgoble3]

On 7/16/2017 at 6:08 PM, silver2005 said:

I sure don't hear this discussion when Banshee is a walk on during weekdays.

Because most people generally adore Banshee, whereas people have mixed feelings about Vortex. One is more likely to (over)reach for excuses to remove a ride when they don't like that ride. It's partly confirmation bias; a person looks at a short line for a ride they like and exclaims that it's a people-eater, then the same person looks at the same length line on a ride of the same capacity that they hate and complains that it's unpopular and needs to be removed.

[Rivertown Rider]

Yeah the line length argument is always strange.  Vortex has always chewed people.  Something like Flight of Fear and Backlot (which I both love) have lines but they have horrible capacity for the most part.  Even if Vortex is running half full trains it is still probably doing better numbers overall than those rides.  I also think for people over 30 who grew up going to the park that Beast, Vortex, and Racer are generally rides that are must-do if they only go to the park once or twice a year.  As long as Vortex is not a maintenance nightmare for the park it will still be there for a while hopefully with a paint job.

[Xdog42]

Yeah for some reason the line for Banshee is typically short, I went to KI on a Saturday once and it was only a station wait. So I guess like stated above the line argument isn't really that strong. 

[SonODiamondback]

It might be just me but I have notice The Vortex line being a little longer this year

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[IndyGuy4KI]

I think people are spending more time in the back of the park this year with MT. Just a guess.

[MaestroJr]

Most likely that's why, Mystic Timbers certainly has drawn some attention for sure! 

[VortexBFForever]

Last night while I was working I met a guest who had grown up riding Viper at Six Flags Magic Mountain. He rode Vortex once (his first time!) and he told me (when he came around to ride again) that he liked it better than the hundreds of rides he's taken on Viper! He likes Vortex better because it offers better pacing and a smoother ride than Viper.

That being said, if I ever get to ride Viper at Six Flags Magic Mountain (which I REALLY REALLY hope becomes a reality), I probably shouldn't expect it to be as smooth as Vortex. I have heard this now from two people (the aforementioned guest, and one of my fellow crew members who also grew up in California - he says Vortex feels like Banshee compared to Viper. He's also ridden Demon at California's Great America 732 times. ).

Long story short, be thankful we (still) have Vortex and that Kings Island takes great care of their Arrow Megalooper!

[Arrow]

I wish more parks would get Chance/Morgan to redo their old Arrow coasters instead of just throwing them out the window. We've seen it done with Phantom's Revenge, and it was pretty dang successful. I feel like coasters such as Viper will be taken down soon due to people complaining about roughness, instead of giving it a makeover to make it even better.

[patrickbateman]

In time it will go.  Maybe not this year but I can see a possible chance late next year.  The bad thing about Arrow mega loopers is they age badly.  The wear and tear on old Arrow tracks is there.  It's only a matter of time before Vortex is on the chopping block.  Viper at MM is heavily rumored to get the axe in September.  It just happens.

Do I love it? HELL YEAH.  I think it's incredible but I do love every Arrow I have ever ridden.  I don't think it's rough or jerky for being an old large steel roller coaster.  When they do remove it, that's when I can see a Giga going someplace in the park or a dive machine replacing Vortex to make up for the loss.  Vortex is a classic icon of KI.  A staple and a must ride every visit for me.

[KIBeast]

I would also add something that I have heard from the GP and there is some truth to it. They feel that the coasters at Cedar Point are a lot smoother and more accommodating than KI's coasters. Vortex is one of those that are brought up. They do not know which ones were built last year compared to which ones were built in 1987. All they know is, Vortex seems to be a headbanger and the track rougher.

[silver2005]

Well, I'm feeling pretty good about having ridden Great American Scream Machine (NJFTP's,which, I rather liked) now with the news on Viper.  

I think malem or someone usually gets hold of and posts the ridership numbers for each season.  I think Vortex still performs near the top of all the KI rides if my memory serves me right.

[SonofBaconator]

I read somewhere that Anaconda at Kings Dominion always had really decent ridership until Dominator came along. I still give Vortex the benefit of the doubt though since it still gets a good amount of ridership even though Banshee has been the main looping coaster for the past 3 years.

[silver2005]

^Vortex also has a lower height requirement than Banshee or practically any other of the looping coasters at KI.