Orion Coming to Kings Island in 2020

[STLcoasters33]

For those of you familiar with how other recent installations went, should I expect Orion to open with the park? I typically plan my KI trips for when the Cardinals play the Reds, but unfortunately the baseball schedule isn’t aligning with the coaster schedule this year, which means multiple trips, because I’m not waiting until August to ride this thing! I’m half tempted to make the drive when it opens to the public. I would expect crazy lines for Orion, but I really don’t know what to expect for the park as a whole the first few weekends. My only trip this year was on a Sunday night in July when they shut some of the rides down for about 30 minutes For lightning around 5:30, and after that just about everything had less than a 10 minute wait. We were able to get multiple rides on just about every coaster, including 7 rides on Diamondback, including a sneaky reride for the LROTN during the fireworks (shoutout to the KI employee seated behind us for calling us out but not ratting us out, we drove 6 hours thank you for letting us have it lol). Best coaster experience of all time, hands down. Not sure how uncommon that is for KI, but having SFStL as my home park, that is definitely my style lol. Do new coasters generally bring out a lot more people, or is it a bit of a wash because those people are in line for that ride?

[McSalsa]

^

I would say yes, all 3 of the last big coasters (Diamondback in 2009, Banshee in 2014, and Mystic Timbers in 2017) opened with the park on opening day and Orion will likely be no different. I would avoid actual opening day though: Banshee and Mystic Timbers both pulled 4+ hour waits on their opening days (I was there- and waited for it- when Banshee opened). However, weekends afterwards should be MUCH better, at least until around July when the summer crowds start to kick in. And I expect even Orion will have pretty short wait times on most weekdays before local schools let out.

[MDMC01]

Re: Orion's effect on existing ride wait times- I love the idea of Invertigo having a shorter line; it's actually a decent coaster IMO (best seat is right side, going forwards up the first lift). However, I'm still very excited about Orion and expect it to eclipse The Bat as my favorite coaster in the park.

[DeltaFlyer]

 

I actually cried I laughed so hard. 

[Bdd127]

31 minutes ago, DeltaFlyer said:

 

I actually cried I laughed so hard. 

Kentucky Kingdom has no chill, I wish every park would be like this 

[JonahWilliamson]

Wow shots fired. OOOOF you think they asked KI to post this?

[IndyGuy4KI]

1 hour ago, JonahWilliamson said:

Wow shots fired. OOOOF you think they asked KI to post this?

I highly doubt it. The question for me is if KI will respond.

[JonahWilliamson]

Yea I think it's hilarious and all in good fun. But I wonder if Chad and the Cedar Fair team love the parody of there 30 million dollar coaster. 

Small group of people called it Onion but now the GP is made aware. I bet it doesnt stay on twitter. I think the park will ask them to take it down. 

[BeeastFarmer]

Once it's online, it's there for good.  Just like that picture of when you did.....(and by "you" I am meaning anybody, whether it is a questionable selfie or drinking when you are 13).

[calakapepe]

I love Kentucky Kingdom's internet presence haha 
They've had interactions with even Universal because of their nonstop meme-age :p

I also love that they acknowledge the roughness of T3 when they advertise that ride on Instagram :p

[Shawn Meyer]

I know this might be irrelevant to the topic, but has anyone heard when Opening day might be in 2020?

 

[IndyGuy4KI]

36 minutes ago, Shawn Meyer said:

I know this might be irrelevant to the topic, but has anyone heard when Opening day might be in 2020?

This might be a good clue?

 

[QuantumMechanicsInMotion]

On 12/24/2019 at 1:42 PM, BoddaH1994 said:

I love it! I wonder what the feeling of the track being actually on the ground will be like!

Here is an embedded version:

 

I don't think that Orion is much appreciated by coaster enthusiasts, such enthusiasts are trolling and doing too much of a comparison to the likes of other giga-class coasters. The first drop is 300-feet, but the trains will be coasting it at an angle of 85-degrees, which if you would like to compare, that is the same angle of descent on Intimidator 305 at Kings Dominion. Also, I, myself, extremely appreciates the curvature of Orion. A steep first drop followed by a side-way airtime element reaching heights taller than the Banshee roller coaster, is insanity and all-out thrilling. The g-forces the ride will pull will be insane. This reminds me of 07' back when Maverick was introduced to Cedar Point and how coaster enthusiasts trolled it and the ride turned out one of the greatest of all time without the reputation of breaking world records. All world record-breaking coasters aren't good coasters, take Kingda Ka at Great Adventure for example. Kingda Ka is the tallest roller coaster in the world, has insane stats but isn't even in the top 10 in the annual Golden Ticket Awards. Correct me if I'm incorrect, but I don't think that the world's tallest, fastest and longest coasters even make the top 10 on Golden Ticket Award lists. If I'm correct, that speaks VOLUMES. People should stop complaining and start appreciating what a good coaster we have here.

[IndyGuy4KI]

53 minutes ago, QuantumMechanicsInMotion said:

I don't think that Orion is much appreciated by coaster enthusiasts, such enthusiasts are trolling and doing too much of a comparison to the likes of other giga-class coasters. The first drop is 300-feet, but the trains will be coasting it at an angle of 85-degrees, which if you would like to compare, that is the same angle of descent on Intimidator 305 at Kings Dominion. Also, I, myself, extremely appreciates the curvature of Orion. A steep first drop followed by a side-way airtime element reaching heights taller than the Banshee roller coaster, is insanity and all-out thrilling. The g-forces the ride will pull will be insane. This reminds me of 07' back when Maverick was introduced to Cedar Point and how coaster enthusiasts trolled it and the ride turned out one of the greatest of all time without the reputation of breaking world records. All world record-breaking coasters aren't good coasters, take Kingda Ka at Great Adventure for example. Kingda Ka is the tallest roller coaster in the world, has insane stats but isn't even in the top 10 in the annual Golden Ticket Awards. Correct me if I'm incorrect, but I don't think that the world's tallest, fastest and longest coasters even make the top 10 on Golden Ticket Award lists. If I'm correct, that speaks VOLUMES. People should stop complaining and start appreciating what a good coaster we have here.

It is disappointing that people jump to conclusions due to stats. Would it have been cool to say we have the tallest/longest Giga at our park, sure. We obviously need to ride it first to make a complete assessment, but if it rides as good or better than Fury, I will be ecstatic. This is going to be an awesome addition to KI regardless of stats over other CF parks. There is only what 2 coasters taller at a SIX park, and they have no Gigas. Just something to also consider.

Back on Topic. Here is a pic I took last week coming down Tylersville Rd. It sure adds to the skyline really nice!

[Mystic1017]

6 hours ago, IndyGuy4KI said:

It is disappointing that people jump to conclusions due to stats. Would it have been cool to say we have the tallest/longest Giga at our park, sure. We obviously need to ride it first to make a complete assessment, but if it rides as good or better than Fury, I will be ecstatic. This is going to be an awesome addition to KI regardless of stats over other CF parks. There is only what 2 coasters taller at a SIX park, and they have no Gigas. Just something to also consider.

Back on Topic. Here is a pic I took last week coming down Tylersville Rd. It sure adds to the skyline really nice!

What is the other coaster that is taller besides Kingda Ka?

[Mystic1017]

Also we should be greatful that Cedar Fair owns all of the Giga Coasters in North America. That is why I don't see why anyone is complaining about this coaster. It is adding to the Cedar Fair Collection. And of all 7 in the world Cedar Fair owns 5 of them there is where the bragging should be lol

[IndyGuy4KI]

15 minutes ago, Mystic1017 said:

What is the other coaster that is taller besides Kingda Ka?

Superman at 415'

https://www.sixflags.com/magicmountain/attractions/superman-escape-krypton

[Mystic1017]

3 hours ago, IndyGuy4KI said:

Superman at 415'

https://www.sixflags.com/magicmountain/attractions/superman-escape-krypton

I guess lol if it is over 400ft though wouldn't that be strata? When I rode it I hardly considered it a coaster lol

 

[IndyGuy4KI]

44 minutes ago, Mystic1017 said:

I guess lol if it is over 400ft though wouldn't that be strata? When I rode it I hardly considered it a coaster lol

 

Yeah, not a complete circuit and SIX has 2 "stratas" but no Giga's. 

[ThrillKingsFitzy]

Was everyone this excited when Diamondback was announced like people are this excited for Orion?

[silver2005]

1 hour ago, ThrillKingsFitzy said:

Was everyone this excited when Diamondback was announced like people are this excited for Orion?

I'd say people were more excited due to it being the park's first B&M and the fact that enthusiasts weren't whining over the stats.   

I also think it won't suffer in its lines as much as many on here think it will with Orion's presence.    

[CoasterNerd]

Kinda on topic kinda off topic. Being up late has my thoughts everywhere. I seen a forum where people were discussing it. What would a coaster that's 500-599 feet tall be called. I personally think it depends on what time. If it's like TTD or like Orion, Fury, etc. My personal opinion is if it's like TTD, then it would be Mesa Coaster. Named after the Mesosphere which is above the stratosphere. However, if it's like Orion, then it should be Tera. Giga comes from the Greek word meaning Giants. Sooo, shouldn't a coaster bigger than that come from a Greek word meaning Monster. To comment on the post about the haters. I was curious so I looked at elevations for Mason,Ohio and Charlotte, North Carolina. If you add the coasters height to that, elevation for fury is 1086' while Orion is 1097'. Also, since Orion's drop is 300ft, that means if you move Orion forward, then it's height would be 300ft, but because of elevation of the park, moving it to make it's height 300, makes it's drop shorter. So stop hating. This ride is going to be amazing. It's drop is only 20ft shorter than Fury. That's more than likely less than the length of the train car. Are you really gonna notice a difference? Most likely no, the only difference you'll notice is the drop angle. Like I said, lot on my mind since I can't sleep. Lol, thanks for reading! 

 

[Bansheelover]

2 hours ago, CoasterNerd said:

Kinda on topic kinda off topic. Being up late has my thoughts everywhere. I seen a forum where people were discussing it. What would a coaster that's 500-599 feet tall be called. I personally think it depends on what time. If it's like TTD or like Orion, Fury, etc. My personal opinion is if it's like TTD, then it would be Mesa Coaster. Named after the Mesosphere which is above the stratosphere. However, if it's like Orion, then it should be Tera. Giga comes from the Greek word meaning Giants. Sooo, shouldn't a coaster bigger than that come from a Greek word meaning Monster. To comment on the post about the haters. I was curious so I looked at elevations for Mason,Ohio and Charlotte, North Carolina. If you add the coasters height to that, elevation for fury is 1086' while Orion is 1097'. Also, since Orion's drop is 300ft, that means if you move Orion forward, then it's height would be 300ft, but because of elevation of the park, moving it to make it's height 300, makes it's drop shorter. So stop hating. This ride is going to be amazing. It's drop is only 20ft shorter than Fury. That's more than likely less than the length of the train car. Are you really gonna notice a difference? Most likely no, the only difference you'll notice is the drop angle. Like I said, lot on my mind since I can't sleep. Lol, thanks for reading! 

 

To add a little to this the angle of descent in interesting as well. 

Millennium Force 80 degrees

Intimidator 305 85 degrees

Leviathan 80 degrees

Fury 325 81 degrees

Orion 85 degrees also have heard its 86 degrees

 

It will be interesting to feel the effects of the drop on your body. Millennium Force and Fury 325 are the only giga coasters I've rode, and it feels to me like you are strapped in a NASCAR because of speed. Never really feel an airtime moment. Orion descent is closer to Steel Vengeance who's is 90.  SV feels like a free fall, and then crazy speed into an airtime moment banking turn.  After Mystic Timbers I will never look down my nose at stats of height and speed. I have rode every coaster Cedar Point, Carowinds, and Kings Island and nothing is like Mystic Timbers. This is why I don't think the height of Orion is a factor. Once you conquer the large drop on the other gigas you never reach that height again. The speed and angles of Orion are going to be intense.

[Waltny]

4 hours ago, Bansheelover said:

To add a little to this the angle of descent in interesting as well. 

Millennium Force 80 degrees

Intimidator 305 85 degrees

Leviathan 80 degrees

Fury 325 81 degrees

Orion 85 degrees also have heard its 86 degrees

 

It will be interesting to feel the effects of the drop on your body. Millennium Force and Fury 325 are the only giga coasters I've rode, and it feels to me like you are strapped in a NASCAR because of speed. Never really feel an airtime moment. Orion descent is closer to Steel Vengeance who's is 90.  SV feels like a free fall, and then crazy speed into an airtime moment banking turn.  After Mystic Timbers I will never look down my nose at stats of height and speed. I have rode every coaster Cedar Point, Carowinds, and Kings Island and nothing is like Mystic Timbers. This is why I don't think the height of Orion is a factor. Once you conquer the large drop on the other gigas you never reach that height again. The speed and angles of Orion are going to be intense.

I can not find it at the moment, but I believe I read somewhere that the 85 degree portion of the drop is only for 7 feet of track. Doesn’t seem like much at all, but I’m sure with the shaping of the drop it will feel MUCH steeper than DB. I remember coming back to KI after we did 5 days and probably close to 80ish rides on Fury and 3 days and 60 some rides on i305  riding DB thinking how short the drop was and how quickly it pulled out of the drop. 

[purdude86]

The distnace is probably not far off but its the same on all of them. because of the forces and speed the hill has to even out pretty high up. So probably just be 85* for a small portion of the drop but you'll still notice it. 

[flightoffear1996]

I think the pull outs on B&M coasters are more drawn out than other rides. I not sure what the G forces are on the bottom of the drop but I would venture to say in the 3.5 range. 

[Joshua]

On December 30, 2019 at 9:54 PM, silver2005 said:

I also think it won't suffer in its lines as much as many on here think it will with Orion's presence.    

I wouldn't be surprised if a lot of people decide to chase their Orion experience with a lil' taste of Diamondback.*

 

*Sorry, there's something about New Years that gets me thinking about drinking.  

[Kenban]

On 12/30/2019 at 2:53 PM, IndyGuy4KI said:

Superman at 415'

https://www.sixflags.com/magicmountain/attractions/superman-escape-krypton

I have always hated how this coaster is called 415' tall.  The problem is that it is the exact opposite of how Orion is built.  Orion used the terrain to be taller then the distance from the ground to the top of the lift hill, with a 300' drop but only 287' tall.  Superman has the station built on the top of a hill, then the track goes out over the downward slope but curves upward.  If it had been built on level ground it would only be around 330' feet tall.  The drop from the top of the tower is 328.1 feet.  Even worse the ride no longer is going anywhere near fast enough to get to the top anymore, the 50 to 100+ feet of unused track at the top means the trains are realistically only going around 200-250 feet upwards (in relation to the height of the station, not from the ground under the spike).

[ethancoaster]

I made a lighting package for Orion in Planet Coaster based off of Fury's:

 

[FUN&ONLY!]

7 minutes ago, ethancoaster said:

I made a lighting package for Orion in Planet Coaster based off of Fury's:

 

Looks really cool!