Orion Reviews

[Driver8rws]

19 hours ago, NegativeGs said:

I've not 'greyed' out on Orion's helix. The upward helix on the Backlot Stunt Coaster feels more extreme to me. 

 

I have occasionally grayed out on the upward helix of Backlot Stunt Coaster.  I definitely did on parts of Intimidator 305 as well.  

Definitely NOTHING close feeling like it on Orion to me.

Depends on how hydrated you are, if you've eaten, etc though.

[BoddaH1994]

Coaster Studios review of Orion:

 

[Xdog42]

1 hour ago, BoddaH1994 said:

Coaster Studios review of Orion:

 

Idk, I personally liked his response. When Orion got revealed I had a hard time explaining my disappointments with the ride. Of course, everybody expects and likes different things, but honestly, I thought we would get a low to the ground, terrain Giga. I really don't think anybody had a serious issue with the rides height, because like Taylor said, the drop is 300 ft and feels like any other Giga drop. If anything else, it was the length that had people bummed, but I guess most people understand that for Cedar Fair, from a business point of view, there aren't many perks for making the coaster longer. I can't lie, the entire off-season I was frustrated about Orion and the coaster it could have been. But as Taylor said in the video, you got to appreciate it for what it does right and from the video, it looks like it does a lot of things right. During the offseason, I was trying my hardest to be excited about Orion, but I really was never looking forward to the ride opening. But I recently asked myself the questions, "Is The Giga perfect?" Far from. "But does it do a lot of things right?", Yes! After watching the video, it seems I was sleeping on some of the coaster's elements that I thought would probably be "underwhelming". But in reality, there might be some hidden gems on this ride. Honestly, after watching the video, I cant wait until I'm able to ride Orion so I can make a definitive opinion for myself.

[NegativeGs]

Awesome Coaster Studios review of Orion. Totally agree with the feel of the speed hill and the last airtime hill. Regarding a possible rattle, as a structural engineer I do not feel the ground beneath B&M coasters at Kings Island is the cause of the so-called B&M rattle. As a mechanical engineer, I would feel it has something to do with dampening. Personally, I love Diamondback's rattle. A visit to Kings Island would pail without the sound of her rattling over the first airtime hill. And in the wild, Diamondback rattlesnakes rattle.

[Nutterie]

has the soundtrack for orion been released yet? i heard snippets from videos in area 72 and i really wanna hear the full thing

Sent from my SM-N960U using Tapatalk

[Thabto]

I got 2 rides on it over the weekend. So far, I like it. I'll need a few more rides before I can make a good judgment on it. It's a solid addition to the park. As of now, Fury 325 remains my favorite giga coaster. 

[FUN&ONLY!]

Barnum Painting putting some finishing touches on Orion’s paint job!

 

[Phantom Theater]

Saturday I was able to ride Orion! Thankfully, I was able to get in just as they opened. I was allowed to get in line without a time ticket, and after the ride I got a return time of 11-12 and rode again. The theme of the ride is my favorite thing. I love that they tied so many rides in KI's history into a great story and themed area, and I particularly like that they continued with FoF's theme, despite it being over 24 years old. As for the ride itself, it was a blast. I think this is the first coaster that ever made me blackout at the bottom of the first drop. The speed and force of the ride is awesome. My only issue is the length, it is incredibly short. I overheard many people saying the same thing while exiting, but were also praising the ride at the same time. 

Overall, this has been an excellent addition to the park. Banshee is still my #1 at KI though. Hopefully the next coaster is not another B&M.

[LovinMeSomeBanshee]

19 hours ago, Driver8rws said:

 

I have occasionally grayed out on the upward helix of Backlot Stunt Coaster.  I definitely did on parts of Intimidator 305 as well.  

Definitely NOTHING close feeling like it on Orion to me.

Depends on how hydrated you are, if you've eaten, etc though.

I've had 20 rides on Orion thus far, in all rows.  I've never greyed out on Orion.  In comparison, I grey out about half the times I ride BLSC.  

[Thabto]

40 minutes ago, Phantom Theater said:

Overall, this has been an excellent addition to the park. Banshee is still my #1 at KI though. Hopefully the next coaster is not another B&M.

I'm actually hoping for a ground-up RMC in The Vortex spot. 

[IceePirate]

2 minutes ago, Thabto said:

I'm actually hoping for a ground-up RMC in The Vortex spot. 

You and everyone else lol. Either that or an intamin blitz

[bengalsguy23]

2 hours ago, IceePirate said:

You and everyone else lol. Either that or an intamin blitz

I have a love hate relationship with rmc. On one hand they produce crazy exhilarating rides that wow me every time I get off. But on the other hand they hurt my thighs like crazy to the point we’re I feel like I can’t ride in the back on some. And the capacity and reliability isn’t that good. Especially the Cedar Fair ones.   

[Driver8rws]

On 7/2/2020 at 12:52 PM, Driver8rws said:

I know I'm going to RIPPED up on here for saying, but this is my opinion.

Nothing special...

FURY 325 destroys Orion.

Nothing on Orion other than the drop was memorable.   Didn't even feel a desire to immediately ride again.  The line all the way back to Vortex lot probably had something to do with that.

I'll DEFINITELY ride it every time I come to KI, but I think Diamondback and Behemoth are actually better cause the ride is MUCH longer.  

Giga wise, Leviathan and Intimidator 305 are also slightly better than Orion.  And like I said, you GOTTA go ride FURY 325, THEN compare! 

I don't want to be a "hater".  I WANTED it to be amazing.  After all that time and money and planning.  It's a FINE ride.  Great theming.  Other coasters are just a LOT better.

 

 

I got to ride FRONT row today, and it is a VERY different experience!   SO MUCH BETTER!! 

Trust me, I am ALWAYS a "back row" person for coasters!   I love getting PULLED over the drop and through elements so much more than getting pushed and hanging and waiting for the drop in the front row.

But today in the front Orion felt SO much FASTER, the drop was insanely better, the speed hill AND helix were also so much better! 

I still say the "sideways" (2nd) hill and the turnaround are just "ehhhh..." and nothing special.

But my son and I BOTH couldn't believe how much more we enjoyed Orion in the front rather than the back.  Much more intense!   It's moved up above Levithan for both of us.  

 

Something I'd like to compare sometime is how long (time or distance) the STRAIGHT part of all the giga drops are.  Sure Orion has an 85deg drop but it seems like it's a VERY short part of the drop that is actually straight 85deg.  It seems like the curve at the bottom starts REALLY high up on Orion.  Is the straight part of the drop a lot longer on other gigas?   I feel like it is from my ride experiences and just looking at images of the drops...

[LovinMeSomeBanshee]

18 minutes ago, bengalsguy23 said:

I have a love hate relationship with rmc. One one hand they produce crazy exhilarating rides that wow me every time I get off. But on the other hand they hurt my thighs like crazy to the point we’re I feel like I can’t ride in the back on some. And the capacity and reliability isn’t that good. Especially the Cedar Fair ones.   

Let's be honest - RMC's reliability is on par with Intamin, and the capacity is even worse.

[jsus]

At least INTAMIN rides to date haven't required metal detectors and lockers for pretty much anything you have on you, even prohibiting the use of cargo or jacket pockets...

[bengalsguy23]

19 minutes ago, jsus said:

At least INTAMIN rides to date haven't required metal detectors and lockers for pretty much anything you have on you, even prohibiting the use of cargo or jacket pockets...

I don’t think that has anything to do with rmc. Rather Cedar Fair. 

[JimParker85]

Twisted Colossus at Magic Mountain also has mandatory pouches. Any major RMC will empty your pockets. 

[Thabto]

It's just a response to a rider getting hit with a phone on Twisted Timbers. Just like how Universal required empty pockets after a loose article incident on Dueling Dragons.

[LovinMeSomeBanshee]

If Cedar Fair didn’t want to seem so cash-grabby about it, they’d offer lockers for free for however long the current ride wait time is, then charge after that time elapses.  Steel Vengeance is an absolute joke in that Cedar Point makes you pay for park admission, then makes you pay for a locker to even get on the ride you already paid for.  It’s slimy and shady.

[Stoan]

I enjoyed Orion. The drop is a doozy, but it's very Diamondback-y without being as fun as Diamondback.

 

Definitely a fun ride and I'll look forward to riding it each trip, but if it's a toss between Orion or DB, I'll choose DB.

[PilotDude]

Okay, its time for my review of Orion as I have somewhere between a dozen and a dozen and a half rides on her. I would rate Orion a 3.6, not great but also not terrible.  It is an okay ride at best and to me that is a bit disappointing.  If I had to choose Orion or one of the other B&M's in the park, Orion would be my third choice of B&M's in the park.  This was a huge investment from the park, and I am incredibly thankful for the investment, but this is not a ride that people will travel for. Millennium Force is known as a ride to travel for, which brings new money to the park, I just don't see Orion having the same effect.  Will I ride it again, of course yes! But I wouldn't wait more then a half hour to 45 minutes for it, I would rather spend that time waiting in line for something else at the park.   Should you ride it? Again that is a yes, it has some fun elements, speed hill and turn into the brakes, even if others leave more to be desired, looking at you wave turn and turn around, but everyone should ride it and form their own thoughts on her.

[malem]

I moved the conversation about Steel Vengeance loose articles to the relevant thread, so this topic can stay focused on Orion.

https://kicentral.com/forums/index.php?/topic/33751-steel-vengeance-no-longer-allows-cell-phones-on-the-ride-or-in-line-with-you

 

[IBEW_Sparky]

With the very pleasant temps and reasonably low humidity, I took the opportunity yesterday to spend the day at the park.  I rode Orion three times, using the first to simply get a feel for the ride and establish a baseline, and then I took a more analytical approach with my second and third rides in order to offer my thoughts and feelings concerning the ride.  Before continuing, understand... or don't... that I Love roller coasters that leave me in a complete frenzy, and put as many different forces on my body as possible.  Also, please understand that I fully comprehend marketing and ROI in amusement park installations, and I applaud Cedar Fair and B&M in their collaboration in designing, building, and installing a solid ride that most certainly offers and delivers on what the park and the vast majority of park goers want.

 My first ride was in row 8, seat 4 (right) at roughly 1230pm, my second ride was in row 8, seat 1 (left) at approximately 6pm, and my last ride was in row 1, seat 3, which was a back to back ride with my second row 8 ride. The drop on my 1230pm 8-4 ride, and my 6pm 8-1 ride were within 1 or 2 mph of each other, but the whip effect was better on the evening ride which was quite a pleasant surprise!  The drop in 1-3 gave really nice views of the park on the lift, just enough hangtime to be fun, and a very good feeling of speed as well as a bonus of a nice ram-jet of cool air through the vents on my mask.  My verdict on the drop is that, it's honestly better than Millies in regards to feel, and is tied for the most solid part of the entire ride experience.  AN interesting observation I noted was, when riding DB after my first ride on Orion, you truly get a representation of the height difference when you realize how quickly in comparison you roll out of the drop on DB.

The inaccurately named wave turn was a nice 90* banked curve that reminded me basically of one of Voyage's 90* turns and scrubbed off little to no speed that was picked right back up on the down which was good, but the turn provided very little on my internal positive G meter in either row 1 or 8.

The right hand vertical banked turn was better in 8-1 than 8-4, but to be blunt both left me waiting for forces that were supposed to be there and were not, and the same went for my row 1 ride.... it literally felt like I was just being turned on my side through the corner, again like one of Voyage's 90* turns.

The speed hill was fast and smooth, and provided smooth and gentle sustained floater in row 8, with similar in row 1 along with just the slightest thrust in row 1.... calling it flo-jector would be pushing it greatly but we can. The second "airtime" hill that leads into the helix is better in row 1 than row 8, because the trim takes any possible flo-jector that would exist and tosses it in the bin, but in row 1 it allows my body to rise out of the seat just a bit and hover nicely down and settle into the seat just as the train enters the helix.

The helix is.... odd. Its smooth and carries nice speed, then slows down, and then speeds back up again right before passing under the head-chopper and on ride camera location, and that mid helix slowdown due to the increasing radius really just felt out of place and took away what COULD have been an amazing high G moment in that decreasing radius right before the head-chopper. There was no part of the entire helix that came remotely close to producing enough sustained G force to cause anything even approaching a grey out with me, and I am firmly in the "there are likely conditions such as heat, hunger, or dehydration causing those feelings" camp.

The curving rise out of the helix produces a VERY cool few seconds of funky sideways flo-jector air in both row 1 and row 8 that absolutely tie the first drop as the stars of the ride, and would be absolutely mental with the elimination of the aforementioned trim on the pre-helix airtime hill, or with a more consistent radius in the helix.  It reminds me of the sideways airtime moment coming out of the pre-shed corner on Mystic Timbers, and the multiple sideways airtime moments in the final series of S curves on Voyage, and Id like to see more installations with that type of element throughout and/or towards the end of the ride.

All in all, Orion is a good, infinitely re-ridable ride that most definitely suits Kings Island, and will absolutely serve the park well in giving it a high capacity (once the restrictions are lifted hopefully next year) people pleaser. I don't think its a bad ride at all, and I don't hate the ride, but beyond the drop and that last gem of a sideways air element it genuinely leaves me wanting more. Of the three 300+ foot drop roller coasters I've ridden, I305 is my #1 by a mile, because it does exactly what I want a roller coaster to do. I will kindly chart Millie and Orion as #2a and #2b, due to Orion having a superior first drop and that sweet sideways airtime element. Beyond those two elements, 20 year old Millennium Force... AGAIN IN MY MIND... does it better, plain and simple.

[coasterdime]

On 7/3/2020 at 10:01 AM, RayFields said:

What I meant is riders that have a larger coaster count and who obviously exhibit more broad mindedness and intelligence are those whose opinions I naturally favor. Just like if I'm looking to buy a new sports car I'll listen to the professional drivers who know how to utilize all the performance of the car than a novice/intermediate driver who is narrowing in on perceived faults that arise due to his lack of skill ( not being able to counter slight understeer, not shifting or getting on the brakes at the right time, etc)

I’ve ridden every US giga, and have a coaster count pretty close to 500. While I like Orion, I’m just left wanting a little more. It’s not a miss, but it’s also not a top 5 (for me)

The Orion merch, on the other hand, is an absolute home run!

[disco2000]

Sounds like he enjoyed Orion....and had it make a positive impact on his well-being!

https://www.wcpo.com/news/crime/mason/how-i-lost-190-pounds-to-ride-kings-islands-orion

[jsus]

38 minutes ago, disco2000 said:

Sounds like he enjoyed Orion....and had it make a positive impact on his well-being!

https://www.wcpo.com/news/crime/mason/how-i-lost-190-pounds-to-ride-kings-islands-orion

I just want to point out that the article is (or at least was originally) filed under crime.  The crime would be not losing the weight and depriving yourself of a ride on Orion. 

[NegativeGs]

31 minutes ago, disco2000 said:

Sounds like he enjoyed Orion....and had it make a positive impact on his well-being!

https://www.wcpo.com/news/crime/mason/how-i-lost-190-pounds-to-ride-kings-islands-orion

Now nice to read a positive review of Orion written by a gentleman who had to make a significant life change to enjoy the ride. 

[SonofBaconator]

When people go out of their way to defend Intamin, I go out of my way to remind them there's a whole Wikipedia section dedicated to their safety incidents

[Shaggy]

BTW - as of early last week, it looked like Orion had already laid claim to at least one phone...  

Tsk Tsk Tsk

[coaster sally]

16 hours ago, SonofBaconator said:

When people go out of their way to defend Intamin, I go out of my way to remind them there's a whole Wikipedia section dedicated to their safety incidents

Time to give it up.  Its like an old person saying they walked 10 miles in the snow to school.  Intamin has had a perfect safety & reliability  record for many years now...Intamin is quite popular across the globe.