Fixing the "Just Okay" Orion

[KI Guy]

Orion is widely seen as a fun ride that is just ok. What if Kings Island had B&M change that?

This is more for fun because I don't see it happening even though it should.

What Id do:

Make the first drop 25 feet longer and add a spiral element to the drop. This will add some much needed intensity throughout the layout.

The second hill with the sideways airtime wave turn instead becomes an immelman. This makes Orion the fastest inverting coaster in the world.

Where the break run is now add a zero g stall lastly add a reverse banked helix to the end before bringing the coaster up high to burn off speed for the brakes

I kept the changes moderate but effective for improving the ride. The closest thing ever done to this is the transformation of Steel Phantom into the vastly superior Phantom's Revenge.

How about you, what would you do?

 

*This topic was inspired by Tower Topics who recently discussed  drawbacks of Orion. Thanks for the inspiration!

[Losantiville Mining Co.]

Either adding a few inversions or some on ride audio/lighting during the design process would've been my pick. Having the first inverting giga coaster might've also helped quell to some of the disappointment brought on by the minimum height and length. Painting a red stripe on the bottom of the track like Fury 325 would be fun as well. I like the idea of the immelman going there too.

I'd also see about doing a little more with Firehawk's little pre-station turnaround bay. Just something to play into those giant "doors" that go "under" the Area 72 plaza. Maybe a truck with crates in the back.

[jbeast]

Seems like I am one of the few true coaster nerds that really enjoy Orion for what it is. Ha! Just kidding.

It's no Fury 325, and is on the shorter side of overall length, but it I love that first drop, fun elements and tons of speed. It's a great combo with Diamondback's airtime and repeating big hills. And it is very re-ridable for most everyone. I can marathon both easily which is nice. I think we are lucky to have it at our home park.

Now just we need a really amazing install in The Vortex old spot...it's just so empty back there without it.

[SonofBaconator]

If they were to alter the ride as it currently stands, I would make it 100% thematic.

Make the show building a must walkthrough. Sometimes, attendants have non-fastlane riders bypass the show building entirely before heading up the stairs which I’m not a fan of. It adds to the theme and everyone should have to go through it.

Add the IMAScore soundtrack in the station.

Add lift-hill audio featuring either the IMAScore soundtrack, instructions from the “Captain” or something in between.

Have audio on the final break run with the IMAScore soundtrack and/or audio encouraging riders to come back. 

This wouldn’t cost them anything but would add more theming and make the experience more immersive and memorable.

[TheCrypt]

Orion is a fun ride, but it doesn't hold its own in comparison to the other coasters of its class. It's a shame because I honestly think it's just one or two elements away from being outstanding. In my perfect world, there would be a fairly forceful inclined loop before the turnaround and a few low to the ground turns and airtime hills. One or both of those improvements would extend it just a little more and give the ride actual character.

[Diamondback_Is_King]

Make the entire queue line indoors. I know it's not realistic, but who cares it's just a concept. Make the queue indoors, then make the show building a legit preshow. Let some people in, close the doors, then play the video. Although there isn't enough line after the pre-show for it to work, so I guess it wouldn't work, but still cool! After the preshow you head up the stairs (still indoors) and reach the station (also indoors). Then when the ride starts you are getting ready to launch to space (the lift hill). And instead of the blue LED lights on the lift hill, add occasional white streaks to act like comets or shooting stars. As for the ride layout, it's not great. But if the theming was increased, the ride would be better. Flight of Fear has more theming then Orion. I don't even know the storyline of that ride, but it's more memorable because of the creepy alien theme. Orion is memorable because of the crazy drop and the speed, but imagine how more memorable it would be if it had an indoor queue and some actually good theming with a working preshow. I know it would be way too expensive and never happen in real life, but that's why I play Planet Coaster!

[SonofBaconator]

8 minutes ago, TheCrypt said:

It's a shame because I honestly think it's just one or two elements away from being outstanding.

I always argued they could’ve gotten one or two more elements in if they simply extended the break run closer to Flight of Fear. 

[WoodVengeance]

• Add an additional 15ft to the lift hill (302ft) and the first drop (315ft). This would make it taller than Millennium Force, but still not as tall as Fury 325. Also, there wouldn't be people arguing whether or not it's a giga. 
• Change some of the elements to be lower to the ground to better emphasize the sense of speed
• Add one or two more elements before heading into the final brake run

This is just what I would do if I had the opportunity to change the ride. I would still keep it smaller than something like Fury 325, since that is the standout coaster for that park and would still give people more of a reason to travel to Carowinds. However, the added height would still give it an advantage over something like Millennium Force, which is currently 26 years old. This is just a what-if scenario however, as I feel there are other things that should be a much higher priority to address, such as that 6-year old dirt pile in the back of Coney Mall...

[BeeastFarmer]

5 hours ago, SonofBaconator said:

If they were to alter the ride as it currently stands, I would make it 100% thematic.

Make the show building a must walkthrough. Sometimes, attendants have non-fastlane riders bypass the show building entirely before heading up the stairs which I’m not a fan of. It adds to the theme and everyone should have to go through it.

Add the IMAScore soundtrack in the station.

Add lift-hill audio featuring either the IMAScore soundtrack, instructions from the “Captain” or something in between.

Have audio on the final break run with the IMAScore soundtrack and/or audio encouraging riders to come back. 

This wouldn’t cost them anything but would add more theming and make the experience more immersive and memorable.

^^They have lift hill audio theming already. I wonder why they don't use it?

 

[flightoffear1996]

They could have made it slightly taller and kept the layout super close the ground.  Most likely cheaper too as they wouldnt be building a massive wave turn and a super tall turn around.

[TombRaiderFTW]

All gigas with lift hills have a wow factor based on how tall the lift hill feels as a rider.

In my opinion, gigas are most enjoyable when they follow that up with extended high-speed moments to let riders grasp just how fast they're going. Millennium Force, Pantherian, and Fury 325 do this excellently. I think Fury does it best.

Orion and Leviathan, in my opinion, try to make an impression based on height alone. To me, the remainders of both rides don't feel different from the respective B&M hypers in the same park, and I can't fully explain why. I think part of it is that the "look how high up we are" factor just doesn't calculate for me once I'm already past the anticipation of the first drop. If I'm experiencing floater airtime over a camelback, my mind isn't lingering on how high up we are; I'm thinking about how odd weightlessness feels with just a lap bar to hold me in. Which is the exact same experience I have on Behemoth and Diamondback, which coincidentally I already don't have strong feelings about. Orion breaks the mold just enough that I do like it marginally more than Leviathan, but like... As someone whose favorite ride in the park is Adventure Express, I'll take a mine train over a B&M hyper or giga any day (except Fury.)

I guess I'd probably "fix" Orion by giving it more Fury-like low turns. If the wave turn must exist, make it take the ride behind WindSeeker, over Racer, and over the midway to the east half of Vortex's plot, where a gorgeously-lit ampersand turnaround a la Shambhala becomes a cool icon of the park before a low camelback takes riders back across the midway.

[Outdoor Man]

Not much they could do with it than what is already there. If not mistaken, it was designed to be in the San Francisco park and the "just over" giga requirement would have far surpassed anything that is/was currently there.  I don't remember why the change.  If it had been designed specifically for KI maybe the end result would have been different. But, the investment was already spent and needed a place to go. If it didn't go to KI, then the giga crowd would be claiming a miscarriage of justice.

Problem is, now there is a $30M "2.0" version of a coaster already onsite, that may not be taller or faster- but has better elements. My fear is that legitimate installations that will sell tickets will ALWAYS go to Cedar Point- so long as KI remains a Six park. The park will get new, and somewhat innovative, attractions in the future... though they will be "ordinary thrills, available at other parks too." CP will get the innovative investment $'s.  

Dollywood, on the other hand- installs a $50M investment that WILL sell tickets and be a boon for the Pigeon Forge area for several years. 

[RollerColt]

1 hour ago, Outdoor Man said:

Not much they could do with it than what is already there. If not mistaken, it was designed to be in the San Francisco park and the "just over" giga requirement would have far surpassed anything that is/was currently there.  I don't remember why the change.  If it had been designed specifically for KI maybe the end result would have been different. But, the investment was already spent and needed a place to go. If it didn't go to KI, then the giga crowd would be claiming a miscarriage of justice.

Problem is, now there is a $30M "2.0" version of a coaster already onsite, that may not be taller or faster- but has better elements. My fear is that legitimate installations that will sell tickets will ALWAYS go to Cedar Point- so long as KI remains a Six park. The park will get new, and somewhat innovative, attractions in the future... though they will be "ordinary thrills, available at other parks too." CP will get the innovative investment $'s.  

Dollywood, on the other hand- installs a $50M investment that WILL sell tickets and be a boon for the Pigeon Forge area for several years. 

Exactly this. 

I mean it's fun to think about hypotheticals and all. But there's no way the park would spend extra money to improve Orion from a construction standpoint.

I do wish the ride layout was more about speed and terrain and less with the air time and the similar Diamondback "out and back" format. It does indeed feel a little redundant to have a taller version in the same park. 

[KI Guy]

5 minutes ago, RollerColt said:

Exactly this. 

I mean it's fun to think about hypotheticals and all. But there's no way the park would spend extra money to improve Orion from a construction standpoint.

Yes, this topic is mostly for fun. I would say highly, highly unlikely rather than never. Afterall, the park tossed around the idea of adding onto The Beast (survey from 2023? I think) can we really say this is impossible?

[RollerColt]

Just now, KI Guy said:

Yes, this topic is mostly for fun. I would say highly, highly unlikely rather than never. Afterall, the park tossed around the idea of adding onto The Beast (survey from 2023? I think) can we really say this is impossible?

Oh my God... I forgot about that survey... 

Touche. haha... 

[DispatchMaster]

On 1/12/2026 at 6:33 PM, KI Guy said:

Orion is widely seen as a fun ride that is just ok.

According to what metrics?

[Orion-XL200]

Sure, Orion isn't the best of the best....it's not a MF or a Fury (which isn't my favorite by any means)...but it is what it is. It wasn't originally meant for KI...but we got it. It's my favorite in the park and my 2nd favorite Giga. 

Literally the only people I see who complain about Orion are the 'thoosies online. The roller coaster 'thoosies are the most unenthused people about their hobby. 

 

[KIBeast]

What you have to keep in mind, is that every opinion of all coasters/rides/installations on this site are through an enthusiast lens. The general public likely doesn't see Orion as just a taller version of Diamondback. They see it as yet another highly enjoyable coaster that is the tallest in the park to date.

It seems @Orion-XL200, we were typing up similar responses at the same time.

Edited Wednesday at 06:07 PM by KIBeast

[SonofBaconator]

On 1/13/2026 at 6:26 PM, BeeastFarmer said:

^^They have lift hill audio theming already. I wonder why they don't use it?

 

THIS! I know I wasn’t imagining things! 

This would be such an easy thing to do. They spent the money to record this audio- take full advantage of it.

[Outdoor Man]

21 hours ago, DispatchMaster said:

According to what metrics?

typical guest sentiment. it's a fun ride experience.... and largely one you can find at most other legacy CF and SF parks... including it's own home.  Nothing sticks out as a "must spend $$$" investment to go out of your way to experience. 

[DispatchMaster]

9 minutes ago, Outdoor Man said:

typical guest sentiment

Where is this customer feedback?

 

[Hawaiian Coasters 325]

12 hours ago, SonofBaconator said:

THIS! I know I wasn’t imagining things! 

This would be such an easy thing to do. They spent the money to record this audio- take full advantage of it.

Wonder if @DonHelbig can answer to why this soundtrack wasn't used on the lift. I mean he was digital marketing manager at the time. 

[DonHelbig]

22 minutes ago, Hawaiian Coasters 325 said:

Wonder if @DonHelbig can answer to why this soundtrack wasn't used on the lift. I mean he was digital marketing manager at the time. 

Because digital marketing doesn’t make those decisions. 

[Outdoor Man]

1 hour ago, DispatchMaster said:

Where is this customer feedback?

 

I'll go with you. Where does Orion fit in this list? This list, by the way was in no particular order- it was just as I could think of them, and I'm probably missing a few notable ones.

• Top Thrill 2
• Millenium Force
• Orion
• Diamondback
• Fury 325 
• Thunder Striker
• Pantherion
• Wrath of Rakasha
• Yukon Striker
• Leviathon
• Behemeth
• Goliath
• Apollo's Chariot
• Mako

Don't get me wrong. It's a good coaster, but "middle-of-the-pack"- behind Diamondback. A low bar to clear for the largest investment in the history of the park. My point, instead of Diamondback 2.0, create something truly unique that will sell tickets. 

[Hawaiian Coasters 325]

3 hours ago, DonHelbig said:

Because digital marketing doesn’t make those decisions. 

Do you know anything about that soundtrack and was it discussed being used on the lift? I also think some sort of "mission accomplished" soundtrack on the brake run would've been cool. Kinda like the old "Awesome Great Job folks!" thing used on the Italian Job brake run back in the day.