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I finally got back to Kings Island after a 13 year absence. The weather was HOT and humid. I broke a sweat just making the short walk from my car to the main gate. I’m glad PKI will give you free water, I must have drank two gallons that day.
The crowd was very light and I think many people opted to spend much time in the water park (I didn’t go myself). I had forgotten what a pretty looking park PKI is. The main midway with the shops, Eiffel tower, and the water fountains has to be one of the best entrances anywhere.
I decided to hit Vortex first. No wait and the ride is pretty much how I remember it. Not as rough as I thought it would be and still very fun. I still think this is one of the best looking steel coasters.
Next I walked over to Flight of Fear. Minimal wait (although that would change later in the day). I was excited about riding this for the first time and wasn’t disappointed. The first half of the ride is totally disorienting. And the corkscrew right before the end is a real surprise. I thought it would be darker in the building then it was. The first time I rode I thought someone had left the lights on.
I figured I should hit SOB before the lines got to long. I got there and the line wasn’t even snaking through the queues yet. I though, ‘great, this should take about 30minutes’. Well, I was wrong. After 1 hour of watching an incredibly slow moving crew, I was getting a little ticked off. Can SOB run more then two trains? And why do they have to wait for the 2nd train to be completely stopped before they dispatch the train from the station? Does this ride have no mid-course safety brakes? Finally got on in the back seat. I have to say the ride was a disappointment. Maybe it was the long wait, but I just found the ride to be very boring. The 1st drop wasn’t that good and the rest of the ride was just a lot of turning in circles. Oh well, SOB was the only disappointment for the whole day, so I guess I shouldn’t complain.
Next was Top Gun - what a sweet ride. Non-stop swinging and lots of close calls with the foliage. I would have rode it more then once, but the queue was not getting any breeze and it felt about 110.
Next up was the Racers. I was greeted at the station by no line and a hustling crew. Now this is more like it. This ride is just plain fun, especially riding backwards. Good airtime and that little but of roughness I like in a wood coaster. No wait, so did a bunch of laps. Very nice.
My memory on the rest of the day is sort of hazy at this point. I think the heat was getting to me. I rode FOF again. The line was long, but air-conditioned, so I didn’t care.I did tomb raider. Short 30 minute line (also air conditioned, yeah). Cool ride but a little short. I was waiting for the big finish that never happened. I would wait 30 minutes to ride this, but no more.
At some point I rode Adventure Express and Invertigo. AE surprised me, it was a lot faster then I remembered.
I saved the best for last (drum roll please) - the Beast. I was a little apprehensive about riding the Beast after a 13 year absence. Was I first rode the Beast, it was the king of coasters in my book. I have rode a lot of bigger, faster rides since and was worried that the it wouldn’t be the same. Boy, was I wrong. After that first drop and left handed turn I knew the Beast still had its fangs. The first part of the ride actually felt faster then I remembered. The only trim brake that was real obvious was the one in the brake shed. If any others where on, I didn’t notice. There is nothing like cruising through the wood in a fast moving wood coaster. And the final helix was a wild as I remembered. Line was short so did a bunch of laps in the back and one in the front seat. I just wish the park was open later so I could have gotten a night ride. When I got back to the hotel that night, I noticed I had a big bruise on my right thigh – a mark from the Beast.
I ended up buying a baseball hat, golf ball, and tee-shirt – all with the Beast logo. Cost me about $30 – not too bad,
An excellent trip to PKI. I guarantee I will not wait 13 years for my next visit.
(P.S. I purposely avoid any comparisons to my home park in this report. All of these ‘my park is better then yours’ post are getting very irritating. Doesn’t anyone just go to a park to have fun anymore? Does everything have to be a big competition? So what if the coaster you are riding doesn’t have as much airtime as some ride 600 miles away. Sorry for the rant, had to get that off of my chest)
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Bob M.
*** This post was edited by RPMGuitar on 6/10/2002. ***
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X-Flight World's Only flying coaster!
Batwing World's only flying coaster!
S:UF World's only flying coaster! Don't you love SF ?
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Why do they report power outages on TV?
RPMGuitar said:
Can SOB run more then two trains? And why do they have to wait for the 2nd train to be completely stopped before they dispatch the train from the station? Does this ride have no mid-course safety brakes?
Bob,
Son of Beast does have a blocks to run three trains but they currently only run two. Also, most of the times I have ridden it, the train in the station is dispatched as soon as the train in front of it is going through the loop or soon after. I have no reason why they were waiting for the train to hit the final brakes before dispatching another train.
(P.S. I purposely avoid any comparisons to my home park in this report. All of these ‘my park is better then yours’ post are getting very irritating. Doesn’t anyone just go to a park to have fun anymore? Does everything have to be a big competition? So what if the coaster you are riding doesn’t have as much airtime as some ride 600 miles away. Sorry for the rant, had to get that off of my chest)
Glad to hear someone else shares the same view I have on this subject! I fully agree.
-Sean
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