Orion Reviews

[BoddaH1994]

21 minutes ago, coaster sally said:

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.

If by many years you mean 3.  

Here are the list of incidents from the above mentioned article... just in the past 10 years.

• Quote

   

  • On April 29, 2010, a ride train on Expedition GeForce partially derailed from the track, fully occupied with passengers. Riders were stranded 20m in the air, with eight of them complaining of nausea and bruising.^[25]
  • On July 8, 2011, a 29-year-old guest was killed when he was ejected from Superman: Ride of Steel.The rider, an Iraq War veteran whose legs had been amputated, was on the front row of the roller coaster when he was thrown from the train during the course of the ride. Park officials stated that the ride was in proper mechanical order and that the various safety restraints were also working normally at the time of the incident, but that the attraction would remain closed pending an investigation.^[26]
  • On February 24, 2012, a 14-year-old girl died in an accident at Hopi Hari, Vinhedo, São Paulo State, Brazil. She fell from the La Tour Eiffel Drop Tower ride, suffered cranial trauma, and died on the way to hospital. Initial investigations suggested the possibility of mechanical failure in a restraint latch.^[27]
  • On July 24, 2012, the launch cable of the accelerator coaster Rita at Alton Towers, Staffordshire, UK, snapped during a morning test run. There were no passengers aboard at the time and no injuries occurred.^[28]
  • On July 19, 2013, a boat on the Shoot the Rapids log flume at Cedar Point, rolled back down the ride's lift hill and flipped over, injuring seven, and was said to leave them stranded under water for a few minutes before park employees could get them out. Six were cleared by park medical staff, and one was examined at a local hospital before being released. The ride closed during the investigation. Cedar Point reopened the ride in May 2014.^[29]
  • On July 7, 2014, a teenager was killed after his harness sprung open on Inferno, a ZacSpin coaster at Terra Mítica in Benidorm, Spain.^[30]
  • On May 9, 2017, an 11-year-old girl Evha Jannath died from her injuries after she fell from the Splash Canyon ride and into the water at Drayton Manor Theme Park in England. The water ride has remained closed for the foreseeable future, following the HSE safety examination.^[31]

   

  Also, no one has mentioned downtime too.  How often is Banshee, Diamondback, Orion, Fury, etc down?  How often is literally any Intamin coaster down? 

[lifetimecoaster]

1 hour ago, coaster sally said:

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.

 Their safety record, rather good or bad, was overshadowed by one of their own PR people effectively saying we're going to end up killing some people with rides, but we just need to find the appropriate number of people to kill. I can't remember the exact statement, but it's out there on the internet somewhere. 

Edited to add: 

Quote

"It's impossible to avoid an accident. Every accident is tragic and we should strive not to have any, but accidents do happen. The question is what is an acceptable number?" he said.

https://www.courant.com/news/connecticut/hc-xpm-2004-05-04-0405040040-story.html

[TombRaiderFTW]

2 hours ago, Shaggy said:

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

So like, I don't have that much sympathy if they had their phone out. But if they didn't, can you imagine much it would suck to have made it through the whole ride and lose your phone on the brake run?

[IndyGuy4KI]

Just now, TombRaiderFTW said:

So like, I don't have that much sympathy if they had their phone out. But if they didn't, can you imagine much it would suck to have made it through the whole ride and lose your phone on the brake run?

I always thought the same thing with flip flops/sandals on the break run and turn into the station on DB.

[Shaggy]

20 minutes ago, IndyGuy4KI said:

I always thought the same thing with flip flops/sandals on the break run and turn into the station on DB.

I'm ready to volunteer to get on top of the awning over the Diamondback storage bay, as well as The Beast's final brake run, to sweep off all those hair/wrist bands.  I mean, what the heck is that about? Why is it a thing? And why on earth have they been there for years and years?

Its like the "gum trees" that used to be in lines.  There's no purpose and its unpleasant to look at.

At least with the low crowds this season, it will take the GP longer to come up with some way of ruining something in the Orion Queue.

 

[Benjamin22]

4 minutes ago, Shaggy said:

I'm ready to volunteer to get on top of the awning over the Diamondback storage bay, as well as The Beast's final brake run, to sweep off all those hair/wrist bands.  I mean, what the heck is that about? Why is it a thing? And why on earth have they been there for years and years?

Its like the "gum trees" that used to be in lines.  There's no purpose and its unpleasant to look at.

Yeah it’d be nice if they get around to cleaning all that stuff off. I’m happy Orion won’t have that same problem.

[PKIDelirium]

27 minutes ago, TombRaiderFTW said:

So like, I don't have that much sympathy if they had their phone out. But if they didn't, can you imagine much it would suck to have made it through the whole ride and lose your phone on the brake run?

Literally the ONE TIME I forgot my belt holster in 2010 (still had a flip), the phone managed to get out of my pocket and fall into the seat. By the time I noticed it was missing, the train had already been dispatched again with that car empty.

[SonofBaconator]

2 hours ago, lifetimecoaster said:

 Their safety record, rather good or bad, was overshadowed by one of their own PR people effectively saying we're going to end up killing some people with rides, but we just need to find the appropriate number of people to kill. I can't remember the exact statement, but it's out there on the internet somewhere. 

Edited to add: 

https://www.courant.com/news/connecticut/hc-xpm-2004-05-04-0405040040-story.html

 

[Skibum]

3 hours ago, BoddaH1994 said:

If by many years you mean 3.  

Here are the list of incidents from the above mentioned article... just in the past 10 years.

• Also, no one has mentioned downtime too.  How often is Banshee, Diamondback, Orion, Fury, etc down?  How often is literally any Intamin coaster down? 

If we go beyond ten years, both Top Thrill Dragster and Xcelerator also had injuries caused by the launch cable snapping.  Hagrids has issues but I think that has to do more with the fact that it uses a high number of launches plus the show scenes.  Thus far, B&M does not appear to have any although it could be that they just haven't been publicized.  Intamin seems to push the envelope to obtain more intense rides.  Then, they go a little too far and things like removing Maverick's heartline roll plus all the other issues crop up.

With that said, I think that Intamin is figuring out how to dial it back a little, which is why they seem to have dropped the hydraulic launch systems.  Still, even with new ride hiccups, B&M is as about as good as they come for reliability.

[LovinMeSomeBanshee]

8 minutes ago, Skibum said:

If we go beyond ten years, both Top Thrill Dragster and Xcelerator also had injuries caused by the launch cable snapping.  Hagrids has issues but I think that has to do more with the fact that it uses a high number of launches plus the show scenes.  Thus far, B&M does not appear to have any although it could be that they just haven't been publicized.  Intamin seems to push the envelope to obtain more intense rides.  Then, they go a little too far and things like removing Maverick's heartline roll plus all the other issues crop up.

With that said, I think that Intamin is figuring out how to dial it back a little, which is why they seem to have dropped the hydraulic launch systems.  Still, even with new ride hiccups, B&M is as about as good as they come for reliability.

Coaster Sally seems to like using the "confused" reaction for every post he/she disagrees with.  If you're that confused, I think you need to educate yourself.  Intamin's safety and reliability has a well-documented shady past, and it wasn't a distant past, either.

[Skibum]

5 hours ago, LovinMeSomeBanshee said:

Coaster Sally seems to like using the "confused" reaction for every post he/she disagrees with.  If you're that confused, I think you need to educate yourself.  Intamin's safety and reliability has a well-documented shady past, and it wasn't a distant past, either.

I am very envious of your 2020 Ride Count.  Mine would read Hulk: 20, Hagrids: 1, and 7 Dwarves Mine Train: 3.  I think that is it.  Stupid COVID virus.  I am waiting to see if KI posts the August calendar soon so that I can sign up for a day.  Then, I can give my own Orion reviews although I figure that my reviews will be positive as it's a 300 foot drop and goes 92 mph.  How can I not like that?

[dbackdreams]

So I got to ride oroin today.  They put is near the back very scary but I loved it!!!!! The hill is fast but then you go really fast and it over and I faint in the circle but I'm ok!!!!!! Rode Daimonbdack again and I love it!!!!!!  But it's different than oroin. I'm not scared as much like last year and I hope the government doesn't close it up

[IceePirate]

After a few more rides, I think I can give a much better opinion. The first drop is great, nobody is arguing about that, the turn into the break run is good too. I also like the wave turn and find I get floater for the most part. Aside from that, I think it's trying to do a lot of things without a whole lot of track to do them in. I believe if it truly had an extra thousand feet of track or so, then it could do some of these elements a lot better. Add another speed hill or two and turn the wave turn into a massive zero g roll. (also make it 14ft higher, but that doesn't really make much of a difference) I'm kind of going back and forth on if I like Diamondback or Orion better. On one hand, Diamondback is a spectacular hyper providing lots of floater air, but it has a fairly bad rattle at points. Plus, Diamondback turns into a water ride if you're sitting in the back row and try to touch the water in the splashdown like I did today lol. (my whole left side was soaked). On the other hand, Orion provides a pretty similar experience to Orion with the long graceful transitions, and a good amount of airtime included. Orion hasn't had time to let it's grass grow in yet, but even without it, I think Orion is the superior ride because of it's lack of a rattle. We also haven't experienced Orion with a full train yet, so that's likely to make it better. If Diamondback didn't have it's rattle though, I think this would be a much closer comparison. I think a good way to put it is that Orion is a more technologically advanced ride. The lift is faster, the chain dogs don't make contact with the anti-roll backs allowing for a silent lift almost, the ride itself is quieter due to B&M learning how to deafen their track, and the area gives off a sense of advancement due to the theming. So I suppose you could call it Diamondback 2.0 if you'd like. It's a pretty similar experience, but B&M worked on the hyper model some more to deliver what we have today.

[SonofBaconator]

@IceePirate Aren't Diamondbacks supposed to rattle?

[bengalsguy23]

1 hour ago, dbackdreams said:

So I got to ride oroin today.  They put is near the back very scary but I loved it!!!!! The hill is fast but then you go really fast and it over and I faint in the circle but I'm ok!!!!!! Rode Daimonbdack again and I love it!!!!!!  But it's different than oroin. I'm not scared as much like last year and I hope the government doesn't close it up

Are you gonna change your name to Oriondreams or is dback still number one?

[SOBwasaSOB]

I've definitely noticed a rattle on Orion.  I do not mind it though.

[NegativeGs]

2 hours ago, SonofBaconator said:

@IceePirate Aren't Diamondbacks supposed to rattle?

And in the wild, Diamondback rattlesnakes rattle.

[Driver8rws]

11 hours ago, Shaggy said:

I'm ready to volunteer to get on top of the awning over the Diamondback storage bay, as well as The Beast's final brake run, to sweep off all those hair/wrist bands.  I mean, what the heck is that about? Why is it a thing? And why on earth have they been there for years and years?

 

 

I do NOT understand why they don't clean it off!? 

[calakapepe]

It's a mirror for the people

[dbackdreams]

9 hours ago, bengalsguy23 said:

Are you gonna change your name to Oriondreams or is dback still number one?

No I'm staying me lololol

I love Daimonbdack but I just ride oroin so I just have to see I didn't like fanting in the circle though!   But I'm ok

[1176Frankie]

On 7/13/2020 at 3:07 PM, Driver8rws said:

 

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...

You should go back and put an UPDATE disclaimer on your initial post. I'm sure people would like to read about the differences between the experiences since you have a new outlook on the ride

[SnakePlissken]

On 7/15/2020 at 2:40 PM, Shaggy said:

I'm ready to volunteer to get on top of the awning over the Diamondback storage bay, as well as The Beast's final brake run, to sweep off all those hair/wrist bands.  I mean, what the heck is that about? Why is it a thing? And why on earth have they been there for years and years?

Its like the "gum trees" that used to be in lines.  There's no purpose and its unpleasant to look at.

At least with the low crowds this season, it will take the GP longer to come up with some way of ruining something in the Orion Queue.

 

Last year it was Carnivale beads.

[Hawaiian Coasters 325]

Just rode front row and it was outstanding! Loved that wind in the face feeling! It was also my sister's first ever ride on Orion and she loved it! 

[NegativeGs]

4 hours ago, Hawaiian Coasters 325 said:

Just rode front row and it was outstanding! Loved that wind in the face feeling! It was also my sister's first ever ride on Orion and she loved it! 

Agreed, Orion is definitely a front row ride.

[Kingsislandfanboy2017]

I rode Orion this morning. I truly love this coaster. The first drop is ridiculous. What a smooth fast ride

[BringBackOurEagles]

2 hours ago, Kingsislandfanboy2017 said:

I rode Orion this morning. I truly love this coaster. The first drop is ridiculous. What a smooth fast ride

Does anyone know why B&M profiles the tops of their drops like this? With the pinched apex instead of a fuller, rounder shape like MF has? I feel like the shape is part of the reason it doesn't look as steep as it is, and I haven't ridden this yet, but I've always thought Fury's drop would be more fun if you came over a bigger, more rounded crest.  I'm sure there's an engineering advantage to this shape, just curious if anyone knows what that is? 

[IceePirate]

22 minutes ago, BringBackOurEagles said:

Does anyone know why B&M profiles the tops of their drops like this? With the pinched apex instead of a fuller, rounder shape like MF has? I feel like the shape is part of the reason it doesn't look as steep as it is, and I haven't ridden this yet, but I've always thought Fury's drop would be more fun if you came over a bigger, more rounded crest.  I'm sure there's an engineering advantage to this shape, just curious if anyone knows what that is? 

I assume it's to allow for a steeper drop, you're already tilted more going into the drop, and it likely allows for more airtime.

[MoreFogPlease]

They did not let us ride at 6:00 today, as they said some 6:00-7:00 passes had been distributed. The guy at the line entrance didn’t really seem like he knew what was going on though. We didn’t stick around, I don’t know if they ultimately let people get in line without a ticket or not.

[skyride72]

This looks just like the big blue coaster at Cedar Point.  I have not gotten to ride that one yet and I hope to ride this one very soon though.  I am happy did not totally destroy another area (Frontier Trail, etc.) to put this one in. 

[super7]

On 7/15/2020 at 2:40 PM, Shaggy said:

I'm ready to volunteer to get on top of the awning over the Diamondback storage bay, as well as The Beast's final brake run, to sweep off all those hair/wrist bands.  I mean, what the heck is that about? Why is it a thing? And why on earth have they been there for years and years?

Its like the "gum trees" that used to be in lines.  There's no purpose and its unpleasant to look at.

At least with the low crowds this season, it will take the GP longer to come up with some way of ruining something in the Orion Queue.

 

It’s just trashy but it says something about the people that do it  

 

All the need to do to stop it on The Beast is install a solid wood wall on the brake run side of the lift hill so the brake run roof is not visible.