Kings Island Teasing Ride Removal

According to multiple outlets Kings Island has started teasing the removal of one of their big rides by setting up a funeral Halloween scene. Rumor has it the Vortex will be gone.

Rumor has it that Firehawk will be gone.
Rumor has it that Windseeker will be gone.
Rumor has it that Racer will be gone.
Rumor has it that Stunt Track will be gone.
Rumor has it that The Bat will be gone.

And everyone knows for sure. And everyone is boosting their FB page with endless discussions, making “news” about nothing. Ugh.

"The air is eerily calm as we make final preparations for the ill-fated demise of one of our own."

I hope it's not Vortex, but that line makes me think it's either that, or Firehawk.

Ideally, it'd be Invertigo to Dorney for the lulz.

I'd prefer Firehawk leaving over Vortex... I just have a soft spot for the old Arrows and there aren't many left. It's got good capacity, but does it matter when folks are reluctant to ride? Firehawk always seemed too gimmicky and a PITA to load/unload. No biggie; I'm sure the replacement will be better than either.

I've always heard the Vekoma flying dutchman models were quite a joy to ride, though I've never been on one. Vortex would be a shame too for reasons mentioned above. But couldn't it be Racer if they're planning to RMC it?

If it is Firehawk, I wonder if they'll simply relocate it elsewhere? Dorney or Michigan's Adventure?

^ Or Nighthawk at Carowinds cannibalizes it and evolves into Supreme Hawk.

I think Vortex is the likely candidate. Then again what do I know?

With the parks 50th anniversary coming up I wonder if this is the first move of several to introduce something big for 2022? I remember some odd flyer that CF PR wouldn’t really comment on being distributed prior to the antique cars announcement. Maybe there is a relationship?

If it is Vortex I can only assume a roller coaster will replace it, that spot couldn’t really support much else. Seams like a nice dive coaster would fit there really well. I’m really more disappointed thinking the station that was built for the Bat might come down compared to the thought of losing Vortex.

Fun times speculating, anyone talk to the dippin dots guy yet?

If it’s Firehawk I’ll be bummed because of the Geauga Lake nostalgia. I still remember queueing up for what seemed like ages to ride it for the first time in 2001 at Worlds of Adventure. But on my last trip to Kings Island, it was down more than it was up and I never got a ride simply because everything else had a 10-15 minute wait and it was an hour. I have many great memories of the ride, but they are all from Geauga Lake.

If it’s Vortex I’ll be bummed because it is one of the better, if not the best, surviving Arrow multi loopers and I actually enjoy it.

I just really hope it isn’t The Bat or Adventure Express - those two rides are still great!

On one story I saw someone comment that they were certain it was Vortex being removed. They were told by employees it had been sinking for years and they couldn’t fix it.

This is why we can’t have nice things.

I hope they were joking, I fear they were not.

bjames said:

I've always heard the Vekoma flying dutchman models were quite a joy to ride

Having ridden both Batwing and Borg AssHawk, I'll respond to this statement with a resounding "meh".

^I'll respond to this statement with a resounding "ugh."

I find the Vekoma flyers to be super duper uncomfortable and really unpleasant all around. I say dump Firehawk; no big loss.

I actually like the Vekomas on pretty much all counts except capacity and reliability.

Hm just stating what I heard of flying dutchmans. I’m no fan of Vekoma apart from their Disney rides. Still they are unique inasmuch as they’re uncommon clones.

The sinking Vortex rumor could totally be true as well. It happens to a lot of structures over time, why not coasters?

It happens to Magnum and they're both Arrows, so...

Also, with the exception of Manta, I prefer Vekoma to the B&M flying coasters.

Kentucky Kingdom’s teaser for a aviation-themed ride called Kentucky Flyer is now causing some speculation that Firehawk has been sold to KK for relocation.

For the lulz, I checked out KK on satellite because I didn’t recall from my one time there in 2006 any possible place they could even put it, and with Chang’s location having been replaced by waterpark stuff... Nope, nowhere to fit it, unless it replaced the amphitheater behind T3, shoehorned in the very back corner.

Flying Dutchman coasters are among my favorites. Although Nighthawk has aged badly and is now painfully rough, Firehawk was wonderful when I rode it in April. If KI gets rid of it I will be absolutely devastated. As to Vekoma in general, I don't like their SLC's and find most of their boomerangs meh but get a kick out of Goliath at SFNE, which I rode last weekend and was happy to see still standing, as someone I met at the park last year suggested that it was on the way out due to maintenance and technical issues. (It did in fact experience technical issues over the weekend; went back for a reride only to find it closed.)

I wasn't able to get a ride on Goliath last month when I was there, but I wasn't surprised. The GIB has been the one coaster which has continuously evaded me due to excessive reliability issues. However, on the topic of Vekoma, I must say that Riddler Revenge at SFNE was shockingly impressive for an SLC. It was not headbangy or rough, and was very quick and super intense. I was very surprised at this and expected the ride to be a dud going into it.

TheMillenniumRider said:

However, on the topic of Vekoma, I must say that Riddler Revenge at SFNE was shockingly impressive for an SLC. It was not headbangy or rough, and was very quick and super intense. I was very surprised at this and expected the ride to be a dud going into it.

Surprised to hear this. When it was Mind Eraser it was so punishing as to earn the distinction of being the 2nd worst coaster I ever rode. (The 1st is Steeplechase at Luna Park.) As a result I avoided it on this visit.

bjames said:

Hm just stating what I heard of flying dutchmans. I’m no fan of Vekoma apart from their Disney rides.

Yeah, my "meh" feeling about these rides have little to do with the fact that they're Vekoma and more to do with the fact that they're flying coasters. I just don't find the ride experience at all comfortable. Batwing was my first, and I thought it was awesome, but the novelty wore off entirely during ride #2. I've never experienced such a drastic and immediate loss of thrill before or since.

kpjb said:

Also, with the exception of Manta, I prefer Vekoma to the B&M flying coasters.

Only B&M I've ridden is Supes at SFGAdv, but to me it's a wash. I think I preferred the B&M by a hair because the flying sensation I found a little smoother and better designed...but the stupid pretzel loop canceled that out because it was just mightily unpleasant.

Just as a data point, new generation Vekoma rides are absolutely fantastic. Lech Coaster is top ten material.