After leaving Scene75 in Columbus, which you can read about in the trip report, “Scene75: Columbus – Credit 399 Finally Obtained,” it was on to Kings Island to get my 400th credit on Orion – the only coaster at the park that I had yet to ride. Prior to this past weekend, I had only visited Kings Island twice in my lifetime – once with James in 2013 and then again in 2017 with Mindy. This visit would be both Sam’s and Kaylee’s first visit.
Needless to say, we were all looking forward to this day for weeks leading up to the trip. Both Sam and Kaylee were looking forward to experiencing some of the park’s most notable rides such as Banshee, Diamondback, and Mystic Timbers. I, of course, was seeking my 400th credit on Orion, but I was excited for re-rides on some of my past favorites.
More Rides in 6 Hours Friday Than in 13 Saturday
With only six hours on Friday, 6 p.m. to midnight, we weren’t sure how many rides we would be able to squeeze in. Thankfully we’d have another 13 hours on Saturday too with the park being open from 11 a.m. to midnight. Little did we know, however, the lighter crowds and threat of rain in the region allowed us to get in 10 rides the first night, but just nine the next.
Banshee
The first coaster we made our way to was Banshee. Sam was super excited to ride this invert. She has an immense love for Alpengeist, Great Bear, and Talon and Banshee was a bucket list coaster for her. This would be her first time experiencing the newer vest restraints, however, something I wasn’t too keen on back in 2017.
After about a 20 minute wait we boarded the train and set out for our ride. No sooner did we pull back into the station, Sam was spouting off about how Banshee just surpassed Alpengeist on her Top 10. I was stunned. She loves Alpengeist. It was her number one coaster until she fell in love with Skyrush. I asked her if she really meant it, or if she was she just in the moment. She said she wanted another ride on it to be sure, but it was certainly in the conversation.
Both Kaylee and I enjoyed the ride as well. I found the vests to be more tolerable this time. They didn’t feel like they were trying to tighten on me throughout the entire course. I too wanted another re-ride because if that one rode like this, it would be climbing my own favorites list.
Orion
After getting in rides on Bat, Invertigo, and Adventure Express, it was time to ride what I was looking forward to the most – Orion. Well, obviously Sam and Kaylee were really looking forward to this one too. This would be Sam’s third giga coaster and Kaylee’s second. The two of them both experienced their first earlier this year during their first-ever visits to Kings Dominion respectively when they rode Intimidator 305. Sam was also able to grab Fury 325 at Carowinds in August.
I will admit, going in here I didn’t know what to expect. I heard some hate for this ride from other enthusiasts. Most of it seemed to be along the lines of Cedar Fair not surpassing Fury, so I gave it little merit. I needed to find out for myself. Even if were able to come close to what Fury offered, or heck, offer something different, yet enjoyable, it would be a win in my book.
Walking into the loading station I asked if we could wait for the front since there was only three people in the queue. We were granted our request, which was like an added bonus on what would end up being a memorable ride. I’ve really come to like front seat rides on some of the Bolliger & Mabillard (B&M) hyper coasters and preferred the front row ride over the back row we had on Fury in August. Sam also felt the same way.
When this ride made its initial drop, I knew I was in for a great ride. There was so much wind in our face and it just felt so fast. I loved the airtime, especially those two sideway moments throughout the coaster’s course. Wow, just wow! Sam and Kaylee loved those moments too as I could tell by their reactions when rolling through them.
By time we got off the ride, Sam was considering putting Orion over Fury. To be honest, I was considering it as well. That might be an unpopular opinion, but to us, these two B&M hypers are neck and neck. I wanted a daytime ride, however, since I am always partial to night rides and I have yet to experience a night ride on Fury.
Diamondback
Ever since Sam truly became a full-fledged enthusiast, one coasters she’s always had high on her bucket list has been Diamondback. She’s even bought Diamondback merchandise from the park’s online store, Kings Island Gear, several times over the past year. James, always the comedian, constantly teased her about wearing her Diamondback mask or hoodie since she hadn’t yet ridden it. Well, now she has and… she wasn’t as impressed as she thought she’d be.
One thing Sam learned from our visits to Carowinds is that she prefers the four across seating over the staggered seating found on both Intimidator and Diamondback. I am in the same boat, although in the back, those longer trains do offer more whip going over the airtime hills and during their first drops. What we dislike the most about the seating aside from it not allowing groups of three or four to sit next to each other is a rattle from the rear seats on each car. My theory is that the rear seats are bolted into a raised section whereas the seats in the front row are bolted right into the floor. Has anyone else noticed this or have any theories as to why this might be true?
While we did enjoy our ride, I think Sam felt that Diamondback would challenge Nitro, her favorite B&M hyper. Alas, it did not. I also have Nitro slotted as my favorite B&M hyper, but I have Diamondback a close second. I just have so many fond memories and great rides on Nitro over the years. That plays into my rankings.
Mystic Timbers
One of the coasters I was most looking forward to re-riding at Kings Island was Mystic Timbers. It blew me away when Mindy and I got in three rides during its opening year. It was wild and oh so smooth at the same time. I had my fingers crossed that it would still be that way four years later. I also hoped I hadn’t built this coaster up so much that it wouldn’t live up to the hype for Sam and Kaylee.
Once we boarded our train, it didn’t take me long to find it was just as good, if not better than I remembered. After the drop, I also could tell that my wingmen were having a blast being thrown all over the place with that wild airtime. After leaving the shed, we couldn’t stop talking about how awesome that was, especially since we got to do it at night.
Beast
Our final ride came around 11:30 p.m. on the Beast – a coaster you must ride at night. As we waited in line a light drizzle began to fall. A threat of a storm lingered on the radar earlier in the day, but it looked to have moved on when we checked the forecast a few hours prior. Well, it looked to be back in Mother Nature’s agenda again.
As we made our way into the station, the rain picked up a little more. When we finally made our way to the top of the lift hill, it really let loose. In my head I was kind of mad that this would be Sam’s and Kaylee’s first impressions of the Beast. It’s always been a coaster that I’ve loved, but I knew this was going to hurt.
After holding our hands over our faces the entire ride and being tossed around, we came off the ride to find out we were the last train sent out for the night. At least we got it in, but I told Sam and Kaylee that I wanted them to ride it again tomorrow to give it a fair shake. They agreed. We then grabbed our last ride photo of the evening and hit up a couple of shops on the way out. None of the rides were running to squeeze in anything else.
Final Ride Counts
Adventure Express (1)
Banshee (1)
Bat (1)
Beast (1)
Diamondback (1)
Invertigo (1)
Mystic Timbers (1)
Orion (1)
Racer: Blue (1)
Racer: Red (1)
Day 1: All Coasters, No Haunts
Since we were able to ride almost every coaster on Friday, Saturday’s plan was to get the last remaining credits first thing followed by whatever re-rides we wanted. Then, if we had time, Sam and I wanted to try some of the haunts. It would all depend on how the crowds were as the forecast was free from rain, but was a good 10 degrees colder.
Before we’d find out if those plans would come to fruition, we had a long, wet run back to the car. We had wet clothes hanging up throughout our hotel since they removed the guest laundry room. It was a good thing we all brought extra shoes and jackets along! Still, what an amazing first day at Kings Island.
Kings Island Photo Gallery - October 15, 2021
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CREW MANIFEST
The following flight crew members attended this park, & earned the respective credits below:
Patrick
CAG
New Credit(s): Orion
Sam
Admiral
New Credit(s): Adventure Express, Banshee, Bat, Beast, Diamondback, Invertigo, Mystic Timbers, Orion, Racer: Blue, Racer: Red
Kaylee
Lieutenant
New Credit(s): Adventure Express, Banshee, Bat, Beast, Diamondback, Invertigo, Mystic Timbers, Orion, Racer: Blue, Racer: Red
