Banshee media day at Kings Island

The water tower was there 2 years ago I think.

I was around, except when I wasn't. I did go back to GWL for breakfast from about 8:30 to 10, at which point I fetched my family.

I'm bummed that I didn't check this thread late last week. By the time I checked it Thursday, the group photo had already occurred. Would have been nice to meet everyone face to face.

I think KI did an incredible job with both Banshee and the media day.

From everywhere but the front seat, Banshee is sorta meh. The front seat is where this gal sings. The speed off the first lift hill is miles better than Raptor. At first, you don't notice the elevation loss, only the speed pickup midway thru the ride. And those last spins. Wonderbah. The theming getting up to the station is lovely (I didn't notice the archway until the 4th ride), it's only too bad they didn't use real coaster names on the tombstones instead of Gaelic names we've never heard of. But the station's architecture is quite lovely...reminds me of a Queen Anne gingerbread house...they didn't need to have this much detail, but I am sure glad they did...it makes for a wonderful experience.

Speaking of the lovely experience..the only thing KI could have done better on Thursday is open another coaster to alleviate the Banshee lines. We rode the Bat several times (without even leaving the loading platform) and we maybe had 4 or 6 other riders with us. But the ride ops were really enthusiastic. They get the prosthetic leg award for opening weekend.

And Krause...funny you should mention the guiltless Chicken Shack. My brother and I had that same conversation Thursday afternoon!

Banshee is far from "meh" in any seat. Everywhere I rode was equally intense. The front and back really stand out, for different reasons, such as either hanging and falling from the top of the lift, to getting absokutely yanked over and down the drop, but there really isn't a bad seat on that ride.

Oh, I didn't think Chicken Shack was anywhere near what that other place sells.

What I did see the minute I was served, however, was Raising Canes, a chain that sells what are possibly the best chicken fingers on earth. Founded in 1996 by a guy named Todd Graves, near Louisiana State University, they serve outta sight chicken fingers, crinkle cut fries, toasted bread, and Cane's sauce. I thought Chicken Shack must be attempting a knockoff of that brand, but in checking I found a restaurant by that name out of Michigan, but all I see on their menu is bone-in chicken and ribs with traditional bbq sauce. Anyway, KI's was delicious, all right, and so close, but truth told, Cane's is even better.

Cane's can be found thru the south and Ohio and in checking their website I see new locations coming to Texas, Arkansas, and places like that. How I came across 'em is there is a franchisee here in Columbus who has been very successful with multiple locations, the first one was an instant hit near OSU campus.

So, if you ever come across one, pull in and see how you think they compare to KI's Chicken Shack. Columbus guys, feel free to chime in here and tell me what you thought.

sirloindude said:

Has any re-theming been done to The Bat's station, or is it still the aircraft carrier-ish station it's always been?

Nope. It literally looks like they painted it orange and that was it. Oh, and they put up a new sign.

Regarding the former water tower in the Action Zone, I seem to remember that a more elaborate stunt show was planned, but then the Columbine shooting happened in the Spring of 1999, right before or after the Action Zone debuted. It was changed/modified and never was all that great.

Actually, that entire lower "floor" to the station, where they had the props, is gone. Not sure what year that happened.

That lower floor was removed this past offseason.

Some signs of its former theme remain, like the stars over one of the concrete tunnels and the giant painted American flag in one of those tunnels.

There is another tunnel with nothing on its walls. I'd love to see Kings Island hire some high school artists to paint a cool "bat" themed mural in there.

What I assume is an aircraft carrier number is also still painted on the floor of the transfer area.

That long, secluded queue lends itself quite nicely to some spooking theming. The potential is definitely there, but I doubt if we'll see anything because it's probably not worth the cost to spruce up the queue of a 21-year-old ride.

I've always thought that long, long queue would be the perfect spot for additional rides and attractions. Or maybe 35 to 45 more seconds of Bat-ness.

Jeff said:
What I assume is an aircraft carrier number is also still painted on the floor of the transfer area.

It's probably an inside reference, like Tom Cruise's Scientology membership number, or possibly the number of minutes of screen time Goose had before getting his goose cooked.

I almost forgot, I scored some reverse POV for me and my darling wife. That sure beats an on-ride photo (though I do have one of those as well)!

One other thing I forgot to mention was the lack of seat belts on The Bat. I can't remember that last time I took a ride, but I know that some years back they had added seat belts (there are still notches in the seats where they were located). Not sure if that was a new for 2014 thing or not.

I know Im late to the party, but I want to say to KI thanks for hosting such a great event. It really was a lovely day, and that coaster is incredible.

Jeff, that vid of you and Diana is so sweet. What a keepsake, and it's great to see her first time reaction. The ride looks so fast there.

You know, we held hands during our ride, too. I have no idea who the guy was, but he finally caught on to the fact that I wasn't letting go.

My photos from this past weekend (Banshee stuff only, for now):

https://www.flickr.com/photos/invertalon/sets/72157644203158315/

Bakeman31092 said:

That long, secluded queue lends itself quite nicely to some spooking theming. The potential is definitely there, but I doubt if we'll see anything because it's probably not worth the cost to spruce up the queue of a 21-year-old ride.

I dunno... CP put a good amount of effort into Disaster Transport the year Wicked Twister opened. They didn't have to paint the whole ride, obviously, but they painted the entire queue in "3-D" green and orange and even sold 3-d glasses for your wait in line. And it made the lift hill especially trippy.

Much like The Bat and Banshee, they understood that a new marquee attraction would bring more traffic into an otherwise forgotten area of the park.

Wow, SteveWoA, those are some amazing pictures of Banshee and the event! Great job. Thanks for sharing.

What can I say that has not already been said. What a fun event and a great ride. It was nice to meet and re-meet some others from CoasterBuzz (even if I did have to head into work for a few hours mid event).

It's nice to see Ceder Fair opening up these kinds of events to coaster clubs. Perhaps there will be a similar event at Carowinds next year.