The Bat is down

[Orion13]

The Bat is NOT open

[Orion742]

17 hours ago, gforce1994 said:

How do you see this website? Also how accurate is it.

[KI FANATIC 37]

^I believe that is the Kings Island app that shows you wait times only when you are in the park. It has not been too accurate for me, but I have a small sample size. 

[FUN&ONLY!]

48 minutes ago, Orion742 said:

How do you see this website? Also how accurate is it.

Those waits are from a website called Queue Times which pulls wait time data straight from the Kings Island app. However, since the app is not always accurate, the website is not always accurate. I have noticed that early in the morning, the app and Queue Times still show wait times from the previous night, so those are usually inaccurate.

[Orion742]

1 hour ago, FUN&ONLY! said:

Those waits are from a website called Queue Times which pulls wait time data straight from the Kings Island app. However, since the app is not always accurate, the website is not always accurate. I have noticed that early in the morning, the app and Queue Times still show wait times from the previous night, so those are usually inaccurate.

Ok thanks.

I checked the website and it says Mystic is 45 minutes??? Is this from last night like you said? It won’t let me pull up rides like Diamondback and Orion though.

[FUN&ONLY!]

7 minutes ago, Orion742 said:

Ok thanks.

I checked the website and it says Mystic is 45 minutes??? Is this from last night like you said? It won’t let me pull up rides like Diamondback and Orion though.

Usually the data is only from the previous night during the first 1 or 2 hours of operation the next day. I assume the 45 minute wait time for Mystic Timbers is from today, but still, that wait time could have been reported an hour ago and now be rather outdated.

[Orion742]

8 minutes ago, FUN&ONLY! said:

Usually the data is only from the previous night during the first 1 or 2 hours of operation the next day. I assume the 45 minute wait time for Mystic Timbers is from today, but still, that wait time could have been reported an hour ago and now be rather outdated.

Are you sure this isn’t from last night. If it isn’t and this is true this is crazy, looks worse than a weekend.

[disco2000]

As expected, due to the weather, the park does have a decent crowd.  Walking around the park, I think the wait times are probably 5-10min too high on the app right now for most rides, but an influx of FastLaners can easily cause the time shown to be accurate, so they sometimes account for that as well in the estimate.

[DoomPlague]

I've found the accuracy to improve as the season progresses. Early in the season, most of the times shown were double what they were in reality.

And yeah, apparently crowds were super light on Sunday. I'm planning to head there Wednesday hoping the heat thins out the crowds.

[KIEagle33]

14 hours ago, MDMC01 said:

I just caught up on this thread after seeing the headline on Screamscape re: the wheel incident. That talk of this being the end for The Bat scared me. That's one of my favorite rides in the park; I've been riding it since I was a kid! Also, it's one of the only remaining parts of Adventure Village (Skyflyer being the other one), so losing that piece of history would be unfortunate, to say the least. Though some complain about the long walk, I enjoy The Bat's secluded location and the foliage surrounding the ride. Though Orion is faster, cooler and newer, The Bat (fka Top Gun) will always have a place in my heart,

Agreed 100%! I too have rode this ride my entire life, and was startled by reading the above posts. If they ever did tear it down, whatever would go back there to replace it would never have that secluded feel that The Bat has, as you said.

[Taylor.B03]

Replace top gun with California's top gun /J

[Orion742]

Was The Bat still down all day yesterday?

Anything noteworthy happen yesterday?

[rlentless]

If they did tear it down, which I hope is not the case any time too soon.  Do you build a new coaster on The Vortex site or The Bat site?  I believe the next coaster will go at The Vortex site and the secluded The Bat site would go empty for several years.

[KIEagle33]

6 hours ago, rlentless said:

If they did tear it down, which I hope is not the case any time too soon.  Do you build a new coaster on The Vortex site or The Bat site?  I believe the next coaster will go at The Vortex site and the secluded The Bat site would go empty for several years.

If they did take down The Bat and left the land barren for awhile, I would probably be left staring back there at the old Bat land. 

[Orion13]

There was a crane working on The Bat today. I saw it from the Adventure Express lift hill.

[disco2000]

1 minute ago, Orion13 said:

There was a crane working on The Bat today. I saw it from the Adventure Express lift hill.

The disassembly begins  

(just kidding...I hope...)

[CorkscrewMcPuke]

On 6/28/2022 at 10:02 AM, rlentless said:

If they did tear it down, which I hope is not the case any time too soon.  Do you build a new coaster on The Vortex site or The Bat site?  I believe the next coaster will go at The Vortex site and the secluded The Bat site would go empty for several years.

The land around The Bat is a lot more expansive and accommodating for new construction. Only time will tell what Cedar Fair chooses to do, but I firmly believe that if they are planning to expand then The Bat/Lion Country Safari land offers better potential for growth.

[FUN&ONLY!]

I really don’t want to see The Bat removed soon. I love the ride, and Vortex needs replaced first before anything else goes.

[CoastersRZ]

I agree.  They need to put something in where Vortex sat.  Seeing that fence and an open area of land just doesn`t seem very pleasant.  Heck, I would be happy if they added some more flat rides back there, or even a wild mouse coaster.  Just something  back there to provide some action and interest instead of a wood fence.

[kissfan4]

I saw a picture posted on Facebook, I will not share here, but they are repairing the track section. They had the damaged section removed looked close to having a new section welded in. 

[Orion742]

1 hour ago, CoastersRZ said:

I agree.  They need to put something in where Vortex sat.  Seeing that fence and an open area of land just doesn`t seem very pleasant.  Heck, I would be happy if they added some more flat rides back there, or even a wild mouse coaster.  Just something  back there to provide some action and interest instead of a wood fence.

A wild mouse would be perfect fit for that area with a couple flats as well.

[BeeastFarmer]

1 hour ago, CoastersRZ said:

I agree.  They need to put something in where Vortex sat.  Seeing that fence and an open area of land just doesn`t seem very pleasant.  Heck, I would be happy if they added some more flat rides back there, or even a wild mouse coaster.  Just something  back there to provide some action and interest instead of a wood fence.

I disagree.  Rather than just something, add the right thing, even if time passes.  (Hopefully) good things come to those who wait.

[FUN&ONLY!]

2 minutes ago, BeeastFarmer said:

I disagree.  Rather than just something, add the right thing, even if time passes.  (Hopefully) good things come to those who wait.

I agree with you. I do want Vortex replaced soon, but only if it is a well thought out good addition. I just don’t want anything else removed before Vortex is replaced.

[disco2000]

^+1 exactly!  We certainly don't need another round of basketball games LOL.

Despite the official "reached its useful life" status, given the short notice, many believe that during a comprehensive inspection that it was determined that an expensive repair was on the horizon that accelerated when the useful life status hit....meaning that if that were the case, this was an unplanned piece of land to be slated for an attraction in the 5 year plan and thus had no plans slated...meaning that unless they revamped the CIP plan significantly (which can happen), that other attractions are already slated elsewhere and this one would be worked into the next round of planning cycles.

Still surprised we haven't heard someone post a Son of Beast rumor next to The Beast so The Beast can watch over the child 

[BeeastFarmer]

Remember, the end of useful service life doesn't mean the ride is unsafe.  In @KIghostguy's book, he interviewed Mr. Kootnz who said he rode it, and it was not a comfortable ride.  To make it so, it would have to have a new control system, new paint, new trains and IIRC, new track.   And it would still be Vortex.  So, it was decided to scrap.  If they had foreknowledge of the devasting pandemic that was to come, I'd venture a conjecture that the ride would still operate to this day.

[FUN&ONLY!]

10 minutes ago, BeeastFarmer said:

Remember, the end of useful service life doesn't mean the ride is unsafe.  In @KIghostguy's book, he interviewed Mr. Kootnz who said he rode it, and it was not a comfortable ride.  To make it so, it would have to have a new control system, new paint, new trains and IIRC, new track.   And it would still be Vortex.  So, it was decided to scrap.  If they had foreknowledge of the devasting pandemic that was to come, I'd venture a conjecture that the ride would still operate to this day.

Vortex probably did not have to be removed. It likely could have operated as is for a few more years. Eventually, though, it would have needed a repaint and a new controls system to modernize it. I don't remember Mike Koontz saying it would need new trains and track in Kings Island: A Ride Through Time, but that is certainly a possibility if management wanted to make the ride more enjoyable. Ultimately, I guess management didn’t believe the cost of such upgrades to be worth it.

[BeeastFarmer]

6 minutes ago, FUN&ONLY! said:

Vortex probably did not have to be removed. It likely could have operated as is for a few more years. Eventually, though, it would have needed a repaint and a new controls system to modernize it. I don't remember Mike Koontz saying it would need new trains and track in Kings Island: A Ride Through Time, but that is certainly a possibility if management wanted to make the ride more enjoyable. Ultimately, I guess management didn’t believe the cost of such upgrades to be worth it.

It's been a while since I have read the book, so I could be mistaken.  But either way, he was not satisfied with the guest experience.  If the ride posed a dangerous risk to people, I'm sure they would have pulled the plug immediately.  No last rides.

[FUN&ONLY!]

19 minutes ago, BeeastFarmer said:

It's been a while since I have read the book, so I could be mistaken.  But either way, he was not satisfied with the guest experience.  If the ride posed a dangerous risk to people, I'm sure they would have pulled the plug immediately.  No last rides.

Mike Koontz for better or for worse seems to have something against rough and uncomfortable rides. During his tenure, The Racer and The Beast have undergone major track work that has dramatically improved smoothness. His potential disdain for rough and uncomfortable rides may have cost us Vortex, but it at least gave us improved wooden rollercoasters with The Racer and The Beast.

[disco2000]

Let's get The Bat is down thread back on track...speaking of track, the damaged part of The Bat track has been removed (already noted above, but getting the thread back on track)....

[SonofBaconator]

6 minutes ago, FUN&ONLY! said:

Mike Koontz for better or for worse seems to have something against rough and uncomfortable rides. During his tenure, The Racer and The Beast have undergone major track work that has dramatically improved smoothness. His potential disdain for rough and uncomfortable rides may have cost us Vortex, but it at least gave us improved wooden rollercoasters with The Racer and The Beast.

Naturally, parks should always have the guest’s safety and comfortability in mind when it comes to their rides. Would you want to drive a car that rides rough?