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Photo TR: Cedar Fair's King's Island


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It was supposed to be just a driving day. Then, looking at the atlas, Misty says, "Is there anything interesting in Cincinnati?"

 

"Well...."

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Okay, which one of you other losers was at King’s Island on Friday?

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Okay, so instead of two hours, it was more like seven. And we still have a long drive home. But, at least I got this exciting King’s Island T-shirt!

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The best part of this photo is the little kid amazed at how childish we are.

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The interior queue. I’m so glad we stopped for this. It was really good!

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Wait, what’s this? A shooting dark ride? Well, I guess a few more minutes in the park wouldn’t hurt anything....

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And that’s just awesome.

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Looked fun, but the line was too long for the time we had.

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Walking out through the Nickelodeon section.

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I didn’t even know King's Island had a train. (Super double awesome photo by speedmetal.)

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World’s biggest dippin' dots stand. Also, the train station.

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I thought this section was interesting. The way they’re just kind of dumped in here, it looks like it might actually be possible for boats to pass each other.

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Hey, I hiked all this way, so you’re gonna get a picture or two.

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Um, yeah. Anyone who complains about Dueling Dragons’ queue being long has never walked down White Water Canyon’s exit path.

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Misty was really impressed by the inclusion of "pants."

 

Let’s just run down to the observation area and get a quick photo or two!

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Not sure what all the effects even are, but I didn’t notice anything obviously missing. What a great family coaster!

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The trains are slightly cramped, but I guess that fits the Mini Cooper theme. And I love the little doors!

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And it was awesome. A bit short, but that’s never been a deal-breaker for me.

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This would be my first Italian Job/Backlot Stunt Coaster.

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One more coaster before we leave. How about that one?

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I was kind of thinking that Diamondback’s splash area was lame, since there’s no way for bystanders to get wet--but it’s actually much more visible from the midways than I’d thought.

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Two coasters, three trains. Can’t beat that.

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Firehawk and Racer. Neither were on the agenda for today.

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I know it’s insane, but there’s a little part of me that really believes Cedar Fair removed Son of Beast’s loop just to rub in its victory.

 

That's Adventure Express in the foreground. We did ride that, and we both liked it.

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Challenge Park, or X-Treme Action Cool Zone, or some such nonsense.

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The oddly-named Runaway Reptar.

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For some reason, I didn’t get to go up in the Eiffel Tower on my previous visit.

 

Wait…Ohio law forbids dropping objects? Must suck to play for the Reds.

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So imagine my surprise when Misty didn’t like it--especially after she liked Iron Dragon!

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Top Gun/Flight Deck is actually my favorite suspended coaster, and one of my favorite coasters of any kind.

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Yeah, just kidding.

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Okay, we don’t have much time. Which one should we ride?

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This pirate ship was lame in its swinging, but terrifying in its crazy noises.

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This is the Festhaus. You know, like at Busch Gardens. Inside, you’ll find Panda Express, LaRosas Pizza, video games, and TV monitors playing country music. Parents, tell your kids about theming...or Cedar Fair will.

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I guess King’s Island has different "themed" sections...supposedly.

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I rode this back when it had over-the-shoulder restraints, and found it fairly head-bangy. Even having gone to lapbars only, I think it might actually be a worse ride now: violent, slow, jolty and weird. I can’t even imagine it with the old OTSR still on.

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Inside the Flight of Fear queue.

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Granted.

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King’s Island is very “coaster built way outside the berm.” Not that there actually is a berm, mind you.

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Vortex. Maybe next time.

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It’s notoriously hard to photograph, though. This is the best I could do. It’s an okay ride. Might be better if it was a bit smoother--in fact, it should really just be steel, now that I think about it.

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Misty’s first visit to King’s Island and first ride on The Beast. I think she liked it.

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I nominate Beast for worst coaster entrance ever. Such an historically important and well-regarded ride deserves better than playing second-fiddle to a bunch of drink machines.

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Cool. What else have we got?

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We rode once in the outside back seats, and once in the inside front seats. It’s very similar to like SFOG’s Goliath, in my opinion--except that where Goliath sits me down hard in the front seat during the second half of the ride, Diamondback sits me down hard in the back seat during the first half of the ride. Both are excellent, but I still prefer Apollo. I guess I’m an old-school B&M hypercoaster kind of guy.

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The plan was to spend maybe two hours in the park, ride Diamondback and maybe Flight Deck, and then get back on the road. Yeah....

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I’d only been to King’s Island once before this visit, in 2000--the year of Millennium Force vs. Son of Beast.

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Not sure what all the effects even are, but I didn’t notice anything obviously missing. What a great family coaster!

Except that it's height restriction is 48", which is the same as The Beast, Vortex, Son of Beast, etc.

 

IMO, Kings Island has one of the best "kids areas" but almost nothing for kids under 48" outside of the kids area. (Same problem that Cedar Point has).

 

To me it makes no sense that rides like Top Gun, Adventure Express and Italian Job are all 48"

 

There is no 'progression' in their rides at all.

 

I really *thought* that Top Gun, Adventure Express, and Racer used to all have a 42" or 44" height restiction but now they are all 48". (Cedar Fair did the same thing with Jaguar at Knott's.)

 

While Italian Job's launch *may* be a little too intense for someone 42" I don't think it's thrilling enough for the 48" kid, especially considering the other 48" options.

 

I really, REALLY wish Cedar Fair would re-conisder the height restrictions on some of those coasters. I mean, c'mon guys - Tower of Terror is 40" and I personally think that Italian Job is nowhere NEAR as scary as freaking TOWER OF TERROR!!!

 

Adventure Express - 42"

Top Gun - 44"

Racer - 44"

Italian Job - 44"

The Beast - 48"

Vortex - 48"

 

Seems to make a lot more sense to me.

 

--Robb

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I nominate Beast for worst coaster entrance ever. Such an historically important and well-regarded ride deserves better than playing second-fiddle to a bunch of drink machines.

 

You know, when I made my first visit to Kings Island back on opening day, I spent about 5 minutes trying to figure out where the entrance to Beast was......There was no signage except a sign no where near the entrance. They need to do something because if someone goes for the first time by thierself....I can see someone not finding it.

 

BLSC, a good ride?? It's been a long, long time since I heard that one. Either way, I'm glad you guys had a good time. Looks like it was a good day without much of a crowd.

 

I enjoyed my ride on it also....it is a good ride. Even though on the day I went, the water splashdown effect wasn't working.

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Even though on the day I went, the water splashdown effect wasn't working.

 

From what I've heard (haven;t been to the park yet to see for myself), the splash has been off all year. I also heard that the jets themselves were removed, but I don't know if that's true or not.

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I'm also surprised that The Beast has such a lackluster entrance. That's the coaster that put KI on the map, for god's sake.

 

Vortex still looks pretty well-maintained after all these years...I'll bet it's just as head-bangy as the other surviving Arrows though.

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Kings Island is a great park if you want variety.

-Flying coaster

-Suspended

-B&M Hyper

-Arrow Multilooper

-SOB/Beast

-Racer coaster

-IJST - FOR THE RECORD....the ARTIFICIAL watersplash has been gone since last year.

-Launched Coaster

-Mine Train

-Inverted Coaster

-Giant Drop

-Huss Giant Frisbee

 

There ya go. It may be mediocre...but now we have Diamondback.

 

I totally agree about Beast. For the 30th year they add a small sign and "give it a new entrance"....thats extremely hard to find. COUNTLESS times people come up to me and ask where it is. And the ride is just okay, nothing special to me. Well...at night it's better. A LOT better.

 

And Robb, the height restrictions used to be lower. I'll try to find my old park maps....but CF raised them and put on the seatbelts.

 

Restricting riders too small or too big!

-Zach

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What a great family coaster!

Except that it's height restriction is 48", which is the same as The Beast, Vortex, Son of Beast, etc.

 

Fair enough. To be honest, not having kids, I really don't even look at the height restrictions most of the time. Backlot Stunt Coaster just felt like a family coaster to me.

 

I totally agree with you, though. It's all part of Cedar Fair's approach to safety: The fewer people who can ride, the fewer people who can potentially get hurt.

 

/Wonders how many CF management types can actually ride their own coasters.

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I agree with you---BLSC is one of my favorite coasters at the park!

 

Rob, Racer and Adventure Express both used to have 44" height requirements. However, in 2005, Racer's height requirement was raised to 48", and the new IJ:ST was given a 48" height requirement as well.

 

When Cedar Fair took over, they raised AE's height requirement to 48", and added seatbelts to all of the Arrows in the park.

 

 

Nice TR, Erik! Just FYI, Flight of Fear is running unusually rough this year. I'm not sure what the problem is, but it has never been this bad since 2000. Were the lights on during your ride?

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I am loving this thread for some reason. Nice discussion!

I want to belive the Beast is the greatest wooden coaster ever, but my last few rides, I seem to get really bored after the first drop and the next, and only, great drop on the ride. For historical purposes you want to love it, but in reality, it isn't that great

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^ This was Magnum's year...maybe 2010 is The Beast's year.

That's true, but that kind of bothers me, cause the Beast is legendary. I realize Magnum is the first hyper coaster, but the beast is literally famous( there is a book by RL Stein called The Beast, and it is a terrible horror story about the coaster) CF sucks, they should give this coaster the respect it deserves. It may not be the king of terrain coasters(boulder dash is in my opinion, but I have never ridden either) but it still deserves glory.

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That's Sean Flaherty's car. He doesn't really get on coaster boards anymore, or go to any events, but I've known him for 11 years. Nice guy, but doesn't really get along with TPR for some reason or other. He doesn't seem to hold it against me, though.

 

Glad you had a good time at the park a couple miles from my house!

 

-James Dillaman

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The only time I have ridden FOF was back in it's first or second year...... am I confused or didn't the trains used to be single seats? Anyway, It beat the hell out of my head and I haven't been back on it.

 

Last year I thought The Beast was the best ride it had been in a number of years. I remember we had to leave the park a few years ago after a ride on the Beast because my head and back hurt to even walk.

 

Hoping to make it down in July for a ride or several on Diamondback!!!!

 

Nice report!

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That's Sean Flaherty's car. He doesn't really get on coaster boards anymore, or go to any events, but I've known him for 11 years. Nice guy, but doesn't really get along with TPR for some reason or other. He doesn't seem to hold it against me, though.

 

Sure, I remember Sean from the RRC days. Pretty sure I would have recognized him if I'd run across him in the park. It's funny that I parked right next to his car, though.

 

Actually, it was Misty who spotted it. I was too busy looking at the big shiny roller coasters.

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Where was that Diamondback and train shot taken? I wouldn't mind taking something similar when I go out there this August.

 

The photo was taken in the White Water Canyon exit. I believe the exit sign says something about an observation deck. Which is one of the reasons we headed that way, but be warned it is a long walk.

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