Paranoyd390
05-06-2001, 01:18 PM
Started off my coaster season yesterday with a trip down to Kings Island with a friend who came to visit me at OSU from Michigan. Overall, the day was great, with lots of sunshine and manageable crowds. Got on basically everything we wanted to, in roughly this order:
<BR>
<BR>Drop Zone
<BR>- After entering the Action Zone around 9:45, we decided to start off with Drop Zone. We had to wait a little longer than we had expected, though, because they were having some technical difficulties with the ride. Eventually we got on. I love the rotating seats on the way up, and how it builds anticipation at the top when you slow down. The view was great, and the drop ripped me out of my seat. A great rush to start the day.
<BR>Rating: 9/10
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<BR>King Cobra
<BR>- What a wonky little contraption this restraint system was. We rode in the front, and I don't think there was any point when I was actually standing straight up. Some interesting things were done to my knees on this ride, but it wasn't painful at all. Some nice g-forces in the helix and the little trick track section were the highlights here. Overall, nothing special, but fun.
<BR>Rating: 6/10
<BR>
<BR>Son of Beast
<BR>- We had a surprisingly short wait for this coaster, but decided to wait a little longer for the front. The drop out of the station and turn into the lift was a neat element. The first drop was absolutely amazing, as was that giant double helix. I think I browned out during both helixes! There were also points where it felt as if the train was going to fly off the rails. That loop was definitely a unique experience. The ride was quite turbulent, but not painful. My eyes were watering even after we got off! This is an amazing ride!
<BR>Rating: 9/10
<BR>
<BR>Top Gun
<BR>- After we grabbed a bite to eat, we headed back over to Top Gun. A rather short wait, we rode in the front on this one as well for that experience of flying. This is one short and sweet ride, my second-favorite Arrow Suspended after the Big Bad Wolf. This ride keeps up its speed throughout the whole thing and has some great swings and near-misses. My one complaint: WAY too short!
<BR>Rating: 7/10
<BR>
<BR>Adventure Express
<BR>- After a not-surprisingly short line, we got in the third row of this surprisingly rough Arrow mine train. I liked how it began with some twists and turns through a tunnel before it hit the first lift, but overall the ride is nothing special. It's a fun ride to make fun of, especially with the cheesy theming and special effects. My personal favorite were the "disco statues," as we called them, in the final lift tunnel.
<BR>Rating: 5/10
<BR>
<BR>Racer
<BR>- This is one incredibly photogenic coaster. The white paint and its setting make it a great ride to just watch. We rode first in the front seat going forwards, and it was actually quite a bit on the rough side. Some decent airtime on the hills, but nothing too wonderful. We came back later after doing some other stuff to ride it backwards. I must say, it added quite a bit. I loved not seeing where I was going, and I thought there was better air on the backwards trip as well.
<BR>Rating: 7/10 forward, 8/10 backwards
<BR>
<BR>Flight of Fear
<BR>- What an incredibly long line! This was the longest we had to wait for anything all day, nearly 2 hours. The theming was amazing, although we had to watch the pre-show about 3 times straight through, and every time the lights went out, stupid people screamed. As for the ride, I'd never ridden it with the OTSR's so I can't make a comparison, but the lap bars were a welcome addition. The launch was great, the ride was smooth, but it seemed to lose a little something in the middle.
<BR>Rating: 8/10
<BR>
<BR>The 7th Portal
<BR>- A decent 3-D simulator attraction, but it didn't really seem like the seats were moving with the action. The animation and 3-D effects were cool, but it wasn't really worth the wait. A decent excuse to get out of the sun for a few minutes.
<BR>Rating: 5/10
<BR>
<BR>Vortex
<BR>- Ugh! This was one awful ride, and the line was moving horribly slow because they were only running one train. This is one horribly rough ride, not aging well at all. It also looks like a piece of crap, with fading and peeling paint all over. Some of it looked like it had a coat of fresh blue paint, but I want to know why they only did from the exit of the second corkscrew through the boomerang and helix to the brake run.
<BR>Rating: 4/10
<BR>
<BR>The Beast
<BR>- HOLY ****! I had no idea anything could be this good. We rode it the first time in the front seat as it was getting dark, and despite being pummelled with bugs, it was an amazing experience. The speed was incredible, and the huge helix before the second lift was one of the most intense elements I've ever been on. We rode a second time in the back seat, this time in complete darkness, and it was even more incredible not being able to see a thing. The pitch-black tunnels were amazing, the speed was amazing, everything about this ride was amazing. Definitely my new #1 woodie. A perfect way to end the day.
<BR>Rating: 10/10
<BR>
<BR>Overall, I very much enjoyed PKI. It is a great park with some great coasters. We didn't ride Face/Off because the line was ridiculously long all day, and I doubt we would've missed much on what is basically a boomerang with a gimmick. Food service was quite fast, the park was clean, and the employees were decent. I'll definitely be going back someday.
<BR>
<BR>
<BR>
<BR>Drop Zone
<BR>- After entering the Action Zone around 9:45, we decided to start off with Drop Zone. We had to wait a little longer than we had expected, though, because they were having some technical difficulties with the ride. Eventually we got on. I love the rotating seats on the way up, and how it builds anticipation at the top when you slow down. The view was great, and the drop ripped me out of my seat. A great rush to start the day.
<BR>Rating: 9/10
<BR>
<BR>King Cobra
<BR>- What a wonky little contraption this restraint system was. We rode in the front, and I don't think there was any point when I was actually standing straight up. Some interesting things were done to my knees on this ride, but it wasn't painful at all. Some nice g-forces in the helix and the little trick track section were the highlights here. Overall, nothing special, but fun.
<BR>Rating: 6/10
<BR>
<BR>Son of Beast
<BR>- We had a surprisingly short wait for this coaster, but decided to wait a little longer for the front. The drop out of the station and turn into the lift was a neat element. The first drop was absolutely amazing, as was that giant double helix. I think I browned out during both helixes! There were also points where it felt as if the train was going to fly off the rails. That loop was definitely a unique experience. The ride was quite turbulent, but not painful. My eyes were watering even after we got off! This is an amazing ride!
<BR>Rating: 9/10
<BR>
<BR>Top Gun
<BR>- After we grabbed a bite to eat, we headed back over to Top Gun. A rather short wait, we rode in the front on this one as well for that experience of flying. This is one short and sweet ride, my second-favorite Arrow Suspended after the Big Bad Wolf. This ride keeps up its speed throughout the whole thing and has some great swings and near-misses. My one complaint: WAY too short!
<BR>Rating: 7/10
<BR>
<BR>Adventure Express
<BR>- After a not-surprisingly short line, we got in the third row of this surprisingly rough Arrow mine train. I liked how it began with some twists and turns through a tunnel before it hit the first lift, but overall the ride is nothing special. It's a fun ride to make fun of, especially with the cheesy theming and special effects. My personal favorite were the "disco statues," as we called them, in the final lift tunnel.
<BR>Rating: 5/10
<BR>
<BR>Racer
<BR>- This is one incredibly photogenic coaster. The white paint and its setting make it a great ride to just watch. We rode first in the front seat going forwards, and it was actually quite a bit on the rough side. Some decent airtime on the hills, but nothing too wonderful. We came back later after doing some other stuff to ride it backwards. I must say, it added quite a bit. I loved not seeing where I was going, and I thought there was better air on the backwards trip as well.
<BR>Rating: 7/10 forward, 8/10 backwards
<BR>
<BR>Flight of Fear
<BR>- What an incredibly long line! This was the longest we had to wait for anything all day, nearly 2 hours. The theming was amazing, although we had to watch the pre-show about 3 times straight through, and every time the lights went out, stupid people screamed. As for the ride, I'd never ridden it with the OTSR's so I can't make a comparison, but the lap bars were a welcome addition. The launch was great, the ride was smooth, but it seemed to lose a little something in the middle.
<BR>Rating: 8/10
<BR>
<BR>The 7th Portal
<BR>- A decent 3-D simulator attraction, but it didn't really seem like the seats were moving with the action. The animation and 3-D effects were cool, but it wasn't really worth the wait. A decent excuse to get out of the sun for a few minutes.
<BR>Rating: 5/10
<BR>
<BR>Vortex
<BR>- Ugh! This was one awful ride, and the line was moving horribly slow because they were only running one train. This is one horribly rough ride, not aging well at all. It also looks like a piece of crap, with fading and peeling paint all over. Some of it looked like it had a coat of fresh blue paint, but I want to know why they only did from the exit of the second corkscrew through the boomerang and helix to the brake run.
<BR>Rating: 4/10
<BR>
<BR>The Beast
<BR>- HOLY ****! I had no idea anything could be this good. We rode it the first time in the front seat as it was getting dark, and despite being pummelled with bugs, it was an amazing experience. The speed was incredible, and the huge helix before the second lift was one of the most intense elements I've ever been on. We rode a second time in the back seat, this time in complete darkness, and it was even more incredible not being able to see a thing. The pitch-black tunnels were amazing, the speed was amazing, everything about this ride was amazing. Definitely my new #1 woodie. A perfect way to end the day.
<BR>Rating: 10/10
<BR>
<BR>Overall, I very much enjoyed PKI. It is a great park with some great coasters. We didn't ride Face/Off because the line was ridiculously long all day, and I doubt we would've missed much on what is basically a boomerang with a gimmick. Food service was quite fast, the park was clean, and the employees were decent. I'll definitely be going back someday.
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