Kings Island 9/1/23

While visiting family in Ohio this past weekend, I got the chance to visit Kings Island for the time since I was a small child. We only had a few hours but tried to make the most of it. My dad and I did get gold passes with the all park passport so we’ll hopefully be back next year as well as getting around to some more parks. Growing up I never liked coasters and only in the past couple years realized I’m somehow an enthusiast now. Anyways here’s my thoughts on the rides I got to do for the first time.

We did Diamondback first and it was pretty much a walk on so we did it twice. Very solid ride I think. My only (minor) complaint would be a little bit of a rattle (appropriate given the name I guess) but that didn’t take away from the experience at all. The only comparable coaster I’ve done is Candymonium which to me has better airtime and is completely smooth. I really loved Diamondback’s layout though, not totally sure why. The length seemed good and satisfying and the water is a very cool and unique touch. Overall I think I rank Candymonium ahead but I have nothing bad to say about this ride. Loved it.

Next we did the log flume since it was nearby and not everyone in our group liked coasters. This turned out to be the longest wait of the day. Good predictable ride with pretty tame drop. Solid family ride but not really worth the wait if you’re mainly there for coasters. Not much else to say about this one.

Mystic Timbers, Wow! This one blew me away. I’d heard it was good but it actually exceeded my expectations. Although I’m not recalling any standout airtime moments, the pacing was fantastic from start to finish and kept me on my toes throughout. The first drop even caught me off guard because I was in the back seat and didn’t realize it turned around right away until we were yanked over the top. The shed is a little weird but the theming is pretty fun too. While I haven’t ridden Voyage or El Toro, which seem to top many enthusiasts’ lists, this is my new favorite wood coaster. Just an awesome awesome ride.

My dad worked at Kings Island back when The Beast was brand new and it’s his favorite (mostly for nostalgia), so it was on our itinerary for sure. Of course it got stuck when we were almost at the front of the queue. After about 10-15 minutes, we were able to about abandon ship to make sure we’d have time for something else. We were just jumping out of line when they started it back up again. Fortunately the nice folks behind let us jump back in. Now onto the ride. Even as an older wood coaster, the Beast is definitely still worth the experience. The ride was a little rough but not unbearably so and not at all unexpected for what it is. It carried some speed throughout and felt especially out of control on the helix. And if you like long rides this is the one for you. I’m pretty sure I would’ve had time to write most of this post on that break run back in. It might not be as special by today’s ride’s standards but I can see why it would’ve stood out when it opened.

We were going to do Orion but decided on Flight of Fear next because it was right next door. The queue has fun theming but this one also ended up being down for about 10 minutes while we were in line. Then we get into what might be the most uncomfortable seat and restraint I’ve experienced. Does anyone else know what I’m talking about? I felt squished and awkwardly contorted. I wouldn’t even call it painful at all, just very uncomfortable. For reference, I’m a pretty normal sized guy (like 5’ 9 1/2” 195lb). Besides the restraints it was a pretty fun ride. It was little disorienting because it was fairly dark in there but I enjoyed the whole thing. Some moments felt a little slow but not really in a bad way. And again the ride length seemed pretty good for what this was.

Now Orion. I was looking forward to this one, as up to this point the largest coasters I’d ridden were Candymonium and Diamondback. Annnd it was little bit of a disappointment. I’ve heard it gets mixed reviews from enthusiasts and I’d agree with those that say it’s missing something. And quite honestly, other than a larger first drop, it just didn’t do a whole lot for me that Candymonium doesn’t do. I don’t want to sound like a hater, it is a very good ride but it seemed a little bit forceless to me. Maybe it’s a B&M thing but it was kinda predictable too. It probably didn’t help that I was in row 4 as I’m sure it’s better in front or back but is what it is. Again, very solid ride, it just didn’t blow me away like I’d hoped. It was good enough for a second lap though lol. There was hardly any line because they were shutting down for fireworks at 9:40 so we got right back on again. I got row 4 again (face palm emoji). My impression didn’t change much after a second ride but it’s definitely still a ride I would do all day if lines weren’t a thing.

We probably could’ve gotten on something else but everyone was pretty tired at this point, so we called it a night. Didn’t get to do Banshee but that’s ok. It’ll be a new one for next time.

Here are some final thoughts on the park. It seemed very well kept up. We didn’t get to every corner of the park, but there wasn’t anything that made it seem rundown the least bit. Ride operations were some of the finest I’ve seen as well, at least as far as efficiency goes.

If you’re still reading this, sorry this was way more long winded than I’d expected. Here’s a cookie 🍪. Thank you for coming to my TED talk.

Darth Scott :

Then we get into what might be the most uncomfortable seat and restraint I’ve experienced.

You should have ridden it back when it had OTSRs for the full "uncomfortable" experience.

Darth Scott :

While I haven’t ridden Voyage or El Toro, which seem to top many enthusiasts’ lists

I finally got to ride The Voyage this season and Mystic Timbers is far and away the superior ride.

Yeah, but you can't park mid-Voyage.

Mystic Timbers might be a perfect coaster, all things considered. Like, if you’re a park and you could pick any coaster to add to your lineup, factoring in cost, footprint, maintenance, capacity, and quality of the ride experience. Just great bang for your buck.