One Year Since Orion

I can't believe it's been a year already since the announcement of Orion at Kings Island. How were you guys feeling when they announced it? Excited? Disappointed? I wanna know!

Pretty sure I was asleep since I think it was one of those 10:30pm announcements. But I remember first thinking "that'll be a great addition to an already great park that enthusiasts will nitpick and bitch about" and I was right on all accounts

I guess that's two "get off my lawn" credits for me today.

I thought Orion was incredibly awesome.

Comparatively, I think I liked it better then both Leviathan and Fury (though the latter I rode on a day I felt off and the dew point was after referring to the chart: opressive).

Maybe Orion's perfect because it's as much as I can handle. I couldn't hang with Banshee this year and solidfied my opinion that Dback is one of my least cared for hypers (being my 3rd visit on it, I couldn't chalk it up to a lousy day). I don't understand why though cause that ride's spec is usually my bag.

Back to Orion, it rode more like a bucking hyper then the speed model, which was a good thing cause it bests all in the B&M 200' cat. Layoutwise feels similar to the new Hershey ride actually, but much better.

The paint is refreshingly unique and the lighting package especially the lift is sexy. The theme is quite detailed as a ballistic space missle program. KI took the FoF theming and created a land. It works and is really well done all around.

Interesting take on it. I think I'm probably one of very few that prefers Intimidator at Carowinds over Fury. That's not to say Fury is bad, it's one of the best coasters out there. But a front row ride on Intimidator has some of the best airtime out there, IMO.

I also really like the blue chaser lighting on Orion's lift that stands out just like the green lighting they added to Raptor a few years ago.

I’m sure I’m not the only one but after riding B&M hypers I long for that style seat and restraint on their inverting coasters.

@Brett V, I think the Carowinds and PCW versions are the best I've ridden too. Whereas I dislike PKI and SFoG and everything else (Mako, Candymonium, La Ronde etc...) falls between.

It's weird because unlike the inverts, where my feeling are pretty obviously aligned with scale and intensity, I cannot figure out what defines my opinion of the B&M hypers.

Taking back this thread from the bots...

I thought it was fine. There was nothing amazing about it, but nothing wrong with it either. I don't know that it's as different from Diamondback as I would like it to be, but it definitely seemed like a crowd pleaser.

That said, I only got one ride on it, and I'm sure my opinion will change and become more nuanced as I get more rides on it in subsequent visits.

Yeah it doesn’t have the Millie vs. Maggie differential in experience that the CW B&M speed coasters have to their respective hypers.

It also doesn’t look or feel significantly taller, which I guess it isn’t: Smaller giga (287’) vs larger hyper (230’). This is definitely noticeable having the lift hills lined parallel across the midways.

I agree, it feels like they just built a much better Diamondback. I know I’m being captious, but I wonder if the public will feel the same not being aware of the nuances. Hershey built two hypers right next to each other that offered significantly different ride experience, not here.

I rode Orion last week for the first time, and I completely agree with the above comments. Orion is a great ride, but only the first few elements of the ride (drop and wave turn) really set it apart from Diamondback.

I've never ridden Shambhala, but it seems like Orion has more in common with that ride than it does with Fury 325 or Leviathan.

Kstr 737 said:

Hershey built two hypers right next to each other that offered significantly different ride experience, not here.

In that one of them is painful and the other is not?

I've never had a painful experience on Skyrush. I still don't get all the complaints.

Must be the suit...

Huh? Oh, the uniform...

I personally think Skyrush is fun. But it's probably the most intense coaster I have ever ridden and I completely understand anyone who doesn't like it. It's definitely not a "sit back and enjoy the ride" type of thing and is one of two rides I would actively suggest certain people I know not even ride once (the other being Mission: Space orange side). I would full understand anyone for saying they hated it and it made them miserable and they never wanted to ride it again.

I found the intensity of Skyrush to be incredible and fun and fantastic. I found the leg crush restraints to completely ruin the intensity and then some.

How f'ked up Skyrush and I305 are is the reason the "Millennium Forces" at the rest of Cedar Fair were not built by Intamin. An ironic repeat of history within the chain after the Morgan Magnums.

I don't think Skyrush is as unrideable as the Dominion ride. I'm good for one lap... But there is no way in hell family-friendly Hersheypark purposefully signed up for a ride that intense. They built what they initially wanted eight years later.

Yeah, I completely get if someone finds Skyrush too intense to ride. I was referring to the thigh pain Andy mentioned that a lot of people have complained about. There’s definitely a good amount of pressure on the thighs during the moments of extreme airtime, but it’s never caused me pain, or even unbearable discomfort.

But for the "gray out turn" on I-305, I think Skyrush is actually the more intense ride.

But I do agree they both leave me walking down the exit ramp thinking "how in the f**k did that get the green light to get built?!" Typically as I'm walking around to get back in line.

Goliath and Titan are borderline unridable to me, but they seem to command decent lines.

I don't care for the Skyrush restraints, but I really don't care for feeling like I'm going to be thrown laterally out of the train given Intamin's history.