Kings Island (KI) Discussion Thread

I'm heading to King's Island for the first time this Thursday. As of now, it's looking like 60% chance of rain. That doesn't really bother me since it may help keep crowds away. What I'm wondering is what their policy is on running the rides and coasters in the rain? I may not get the chance to come back for quite some time, and I'm looking forward to being able to get on a new coaster in its debut season! Thanks in advance.

As long as there's no thunder everything will be running at maximum capacity.

I never thought I'd say this, but Mystic Timbers is my favorite ride in the park. It's so much fun. Its low to the ground for the majority of the ride, all the airtime hills, and the first drop. I also love how the lift hill is slow to start, speeds up, slows down when the speakers tell you not to go in the shed, and then the lift speeds up over the hill.

I never thought I'd say this, but Mystic Timbers is my favorite ride in the park. It's so much fun. Its low to the ground for the majority of the ride, all the airtime hills, and the first drop.

When we were there we went back and forth from Diamondback to Mystic Timbers and I couldn't help but think the same thing. I don't know which one I like better, but it is dang close between the two. I can't stress how fun this little ride is.

I was at KI on Monday (Fast Lane Plus) and Tuesday (no FL), May 15 and 16:

Scorecard:

The Beast: 18x

Mystic Timbers: 6x

Racer: 1x

Woodstock Express: 1x

Diamondback: 4x

Adventure Express: 2x

Back Lot: 1x

Flight of Fear: 1x

Bat: 1x

Shake, Rattle, & Roll: 1x

Monster: 1x

Scrambler: 1x

Sounds like a really great visit. One question though: no Banshee?

I seem to be literally the only person that feels this way but I have found the first drop on Mystic Timbers to be very meh. I've ridden in almost every row and find it to be the only disappointing part of an otherwise very fun ride.

^ Well damn them for not being perfect!

^I know right?!?

I just meant that a lot of people seem to have really high praise for the drop but I have found it to be underwhelming.

^I know right?!?

 

I just meant that a lot of people seem to have really high praise for the drop but I have found it to be underwhelming.

I can see why you feel that way. Curved drops never really do much for me. I love the straight drop on GhostRider (yes, I know it's not an original GCI, but still). I'll pretty much take a straight wooden drop over any other claire curve on GCIs.

One question: Does the chain on lift 1 speed up when the other train is on lift 2, or when it has cleared lift 2?

The chain on the first lift of The Beast speeds up after the train in front of you clears the second lift hill. The MCBR used to act as a block but the park realized a few years ago capacity is the same with it or without it so it now just acts as a trim.

I didn't think MT's first drop is anything too special. The second drop towards the river is way better than that though!

Besides it being their "thing", I think GCI does the curved drop purely for the aesthetics. They have some of the most visually appealing rides out there and you can tell they put a lot of thought into that with their designs.

I seem to be literally the only person that feels this way but I have found the first drop on Mystic Timbers to be very meh.

Have you literally waited by the exit every operating day and literally surveyed each and every rider on their opinions of the first drop? No? Well then you literally can never be sure that you are literally the only person have found the first drop on Mystic Timbers to be very meh.

Also, have you figuratively waited by the exit every operating day and figuratively surveyed each and every rider on their opinions of the first drop? No? Well then you figuratively can never be sure that you are figuratively the only person have found the first drop on Mystic Timbers to be very meh.

I'm hoping to ride it for the first time on Friday and will alert everyone of the "meh" factor. Stay tuned for updates.

I loved MT first drop, especially in the back row

By now I think I've lost all my creditably on this thread

^ I agree wholeheartedly. The entire ride in the back row especially hauls.

I was actually pretty impressed with the front row and don't think I could pick which ride was "better"

I was actually pretty impressed with the front row and don't think I could pick which ride was "better"

The back row IMO gave a more intense ride and a little bit more airtime

Fun fact: on the KI park map MT has a thrill rating of four, do you know what else has a rating of four?

The bumper cars.

So far . . . how much ridership has Mystic Timbers gotten this season?

So far . . . how much ridership has Mystic Timbers gotten this season?

I think the general public enjoys the coaster. Maybe this is just in my experience, but I've noticed that the line for MT seems to be shorter than Diamondback or Banshee. I think this may have something to do with the GP's view, the majority thinks bigger is better.

Some of it may also be related to a still-present irrational stigma some people have of wooden coasters being unsafe. I can't tell you how many times when roaming around El Toro at SFGAdv I hear people saying they won't ride it because they don't do wooden coasters.

I imagine it has as much to do with comfort as it does with perceived safety. Wooden coasters (as a category) are more likely to be viewed as rough; rides that'll really beat you up. They could be enough to keep people off a hood wooden coaster.

Some of it may also be related to a still-present irrational stigma some people have of wooden coasters being unsafe. I can't tell you how many times when roaming around El Toro at SFGAdv I hear people saying they won't ride it because they don't do wooden coasters.

Ive had non-enthusiast friends tell me they won't do woodies because they are "rough". Then Ive dragged them kicking and screaming on Toro and blown their minds.

So far . . . how much ridership has Mystic Timbers gotten this season?

I think the general public enjoys the coaster. Maybe this is just in my experience, but I've noticed that the line for MT seems to be shorter than Diamondback or Banshee. I think this may have something to do with the GP's view, the majority thinks bigger is better.

When I've been there this year, the line for MT has been considerably longer than anything else. Mostly full queue lines and a couple times outside into temporary barriers outside the ride entrance.

I thought for sure someone would have posted a Coasterstock TR so I could sit this one out (since I'm really a sporadic photographer and not the best at relaying everything that happened throughout the day). However, since no one has done it, I'll post my photos and mention the highlights.

Day 1: Friday May 19.

-6:30 check-in begins, but since we drove from an hour away and wanted at least some amount of sleep, we didn't make it until around 8:00, which meant we wouldn't get to the 8:30 ERT until almost 9. Our fault. They did have coffee and donuts for us, but our fault for not making it earlier to relax and enjoy it.

-8:30-10:00 ERT on Banshee and Bat, then starting at 9:00, Delirium, Drop Tower, and Invertigo. Adventure Express was supposed to be one of them, but I don't think it actually opened during ERT. We were able to get a ride on it pretty soon after the park opened, however. There were too many rides to choose from! We ended up riding everything about once or twice, but our time could have been spent marathoning Banshee and it still would have been great.

-1:00-2:30 lunchtime. We heard from Logan Joiner and his father, founder of Koaster Kids. Logan grew up with severe autism and had developmental troubles, but once he found roller coasters, he started to feel more brave and became a whole new kid at home and at school. He began opening up and getting excited about roller coasters. When he began filming for Koaster Kids, he received a huge amount of support from individuals all over the world and kids who could relate to Logan who were inspired by him. One kid, from a war-torn area of Israel, even said that if Logan can be brave and ride roller coasters, then he can be brave and go to school every day. It really was a great story and I'm not doing it justice, you should check out his channel, youtube.com/koasterkids.

Next, Lance Heal, King's Island's Manager of Entertainment spoke. He talked a little about Haunt and shared that a maze would be leaving this year, and we would also see something new. Also, they would be focusing on bringing in more backstories for some of the mazes that previously didn't have them. They were also working to acquire animatronics for some mazes, including Blackout and I can't remember the second, it may have been Slaughterhouse. He also talked about Winterfest and couldn't share which rides would or would not be open, but shared that they are working with the rides maintenance department to get that sorted out. He talked step-by-step about what Winterfest would look like. I just remember they said it would be similar to CGA Winterfest, that the ice skating rink on the pond would be a bit bigger, and that preparations are already underway to prepare the main plaza for the giant tree and other decorations.

Now, during both of these speeches while everyone was enjoying burgers and hot dogs, I was working with the staff to get a veggie burger, which eventually arrived but took a long time. So, regretfully I missed some of what was said, or was too busy enjoying my veggie burger when it finally arrived to catch every detail that was said in the speeches. I am thankful to the staff for accommodating me, but I do wish they had had a vegetarian option on hand and I didn't have to wait 30+ minutes for them to go find one and bring it.

2:45-4:00 pm we took a lights-on tour of Slaughterhouse and Blackout. I wish could have taken our time in the mazes more, as I felt pretty rushed. They told me at Blackout they didn't mind if I shared photos of the interior of the mazes, so I'll share the rushed photos I did take.

It started storming not too long after this, so the 5:00 behind the scenes photo op. of Diamondback had to get moved. My group ended up taking shelter at the bar by the pond. Apparently, nowhere was selling beer until 5:00, but it was still raining by 5:00 and we were able to get a couple beers and stay in our shelter. It's darned expensive, but oh boy did I want it. Eventually, it stopped raining and the park was DEAD, so we got a couple pre-ERT rides on Beast and Mystic.

10:30-Midnight: ERT on Mystic Timbers, Diamondback, Beast, and Flying Ace Aerial Chase. We rode all of the former 3, having the most rides on MT in the end. We already knew Beast night rides are the shizz, but Mystic Timbers night rides are AMAZING as well! Like I seriously had a hard time deciding between the 3 which coaster I wanted to ride at any given time (since I love Diamondback at night as well). Good thing they're all close to each other!

Okay, here are some photos.

It got really hot, so D. and I decided to ride "Race for You Life, Charlie Brown!" and both sit in the front....this was the result.

Taking a photo with Snoopy was one option for the scavenger hunt!

Lights-on tour

Rawr

IIRC there was a moving saw blade in here.

During this whole tour, the kid behind me kept saying, "I'm going vegetarian now!!"

Good thing I don't eat bacon

On the roof

Animatronic

Did I mention that I hate animatronics in Haunt mazes? They scare the crud out of me, so I always run past them as fast as I can. This is probably the closest I've ever gotten to this thing.

"Do you want to play a game?"

We didn't realize how demented this maze gets toward the end until we got to stop and really look at the props with lights on.

Like seriously, WTF? So twisted....I LOVE it!

So I have a history with this maze, and I was beyond excited to tour it. I went through it 3 or 4 times during Haunt, and it was one of my favorites. The first time I went through this, I entered a room and saw a tall shadowy figure. Right as I was looking at it, the lights flicked on and there was a crash and there's this HUGE tall scary thing right in front of me. I freaked! It was one of the best scares in all of Haunt. After the maze, I was going on and on about it, and the person I was with (DILinator), said he hadn't seen it! The next few times I went in the maze (and admittedly closed my eyes in the room by the third time), the people I was with DID NOT SEE THE TALL THING! By the last day of Haunt, the tall thing had become a myth that apparently only I had seen, which was weird because of how BIG it was. So I went into lights-on Blackout intending to prove that the tall thing exists, and that it is really as scary as I remember it being!

Even walking in with lights-on, this thing still scared me a little!

THE TALL THING EXISTS!! Okay, okay, it might not look that scary to you all, but in the dark with flashing lights and crashing sounds and whispers this thing is TERRIFYING!!

Facing my fears of the tall thing.

These things blink and glow along the walls.

Giant spider puppets lunge toward you.

Credit goes to James H. for this gem.

We were waiting out the storm, but this guy didn't seem to mind.

Another scavenger hunt duty was to take a picture with someone new we met. @QueenOfSkyrush Emily has been on Skyrush over 1500 times!

Always beautiful at night.

We went up to the top to watch the fireworks.

OOH, AHH!

"Whatever you do. Don't. Go in. The shed!"

They gave us free FunPix for the event, but I already had it on my pass.

He made me ride in the back. Am I screaming in excitement or terror??

Diamondback ERT!!

Mystic Timbers at night is a MUST do!!