That's what popped into my mind as the train hit the brake approaching the station on Diamondback, Kings Island's new Bolliger & Mabillard mega-coaster. Diamondback's all about natural speed - a celebration of the vertical drop, the element Theme Park Insider readers selected last year as their favorite on a roller coaster.
We rode in the front row of the second car, allowing us a peek over each hill before a burst of acceleration kicked in as the train crested. And what acceleration it was - up to 80 mph of pure, natural, gravity-driven power, sweeping us into the next element on the track. Natalie declared, "It's so smooth, it didn't even mess up my ponytail."
She's right. Diamondback is pure Bolliger & Mabillard butter - smooth, silky and satisfying.
And yet...
I didn't find it exhilarating, the way the greatest coasters can be. Maybe it was the lack of inversions. Maybe it was just... too smooth and two-dimensional to really fire up a coaster pro like me. But I didn't have same giddy feeling that I enjoyed when I got off The Voyage last weekend. Don't get me wrong - it was very good, just not an all-time, world-class great like The Voyage.
And that's the way I felt about the rest of Kings Island. It's a good regional amusement park, with some moments well worth recommendation, but little these days to elevate it to "must visit" status for folks outside the U.S. midwest.
I brought the wife and kids to KI today, both so that I could experience Diamondback and so that I could show the kids one of the parks that I spent a great deal of time in as a kid.
Goal one: accomplished within 15 minutes, thanks to arriving at the front gate 10 minutes before the park opened. Goal two, though, initially appeared to be a total failure.
This isn't the same park I last visited on grad night in 19*coughcoughcough*. The half-scale Eiffel Tower, The Beast and the Racer are still here - otherwise Kings Island's various owners over the past decades totally have remade this park. The safari is gone, as are coasters such as The Bat, The Screamin' Demon and the King Cobra. The Hanna-Barbera land was consumed by a much larger Nickelodeon Universe. And what little Disney-esque theming once existed is slowly giving way to a more generic iron park, much the same as I am seeing at its Cedar Fair-owned sister park, Knott's Berry Farm in California.
None of that makes Kings Island worse than it was when I frequented it as teenager living in Indianapolis. Just different. Heck, if Kings Island were the same park it was in the Brady Bunch episode that my kids have committed to memory, fans would have abandoned this park years ago, and justifiably so. Parks should change.
Diamondback's a great addition to a line-up of solid coasters that offer an impressive variety of experiences, from the indoor coaster Flight of Fear to the heels-over-head fun of the six-inversion Vortex. Heck, today's Kings Island coaster line-up knocks the smack out of what it offered when I was a kid.
The Beast used to tower over the other rides in the park. Today, it stands meekly in the shadow of Diamondback, barely clearing the treeline of the surrounding woods. I'd forgotten how much this once-pathbreaking wooden coaster emphasized straight-line speed over airtime, unlike more modern, world-class woodies.
As we stood in the gate, waiting to board, I told Natalie that I was her age, 12, when I first rode The Beast, as she would be doing today. The Beast was the coaster that turned me on to a world beyond kiddie and family rides, a love that became a lifelong passion when I rode the Loch Ness Monster at Busch Gardens Williamsburg later that year.
Natalie took her first step into that world with a ride on Knott's Ghostrider earlier this year. And I could see her apprehension as she agreed to try The Raven with me at Holiday World last weekend. She was game for The Legend, after that, but not yet ready to tackle The Voyage.
She said she'd give Diamondback a go, after watching the YouTube video of it yesterday. As we came back to the station this morning, while I was wondering if the ride was too smooth for me, Natalie yelped.
"I love big drops!"
Hmmm....
By the time we got off The Beast, I could see the coaster fever in her eyes. A week ago, she wasn't sure about thrill rides. Now, she's a dedicated fan.
These were the perfect next coasters for her, for where she's at as a roller coaster fan. So while my daughter didn't see the same park as I did when I was 12, she saw today a park that did the same thing for her as it did for me back then. So I guess goal number two was accomplished after all.
That's the value of Kings Island. You can't drag most kids straight onto an extreme coaster and expect those kids to become coaster fans. More likely, if you put a kid on a coaster that's too advanced for them, you'll turn 'em off coasters for life. Regional parks like Kings Island give kids (and some grown-ups) the opportunity to experience a variety of coasters and thrill rides, attractions that can help give them the fever to chase the most unique thrills all over the country, and the world, as they grow older.
Our next stop on that path? C'mon, can't you guess?
Join us next week on Theme Park Insider's Summer Roadtrip, as we visit... Busch Gardens Williamsburg.
You're gonna love it, Nat.
Tweet
To the fellow who asked about Curse of the DarKastle, I enjoyed that attraction quite a bit when I re-visited BGW last year. I was very impressed with Busch's attempt to replicate IOA’s Spider-Man. I do think they fell short in the attempt, but the ride is well done, fun, and worth your time.
Oh, and by the way, Robert, I was really looking forward to re-riding Loch Ness last year after a near 20 year absence, and honestly, my memories of the ride were much better than the reality! However, it is my 9 year old son's favorite coaster to date, so I totally concur with your sentiments about slowly bringing the kids along and not just forcing them on the biggest, baddest coaster you can find! ;)
I do miss Screamin' Demon. I remember climbing up and down the stairs over and over. This was a platform coaster. Down a hill, loop, up a hill, then do it in reverse, done!
Cobra - ahhh, my first ever stand up coaster including a loop and helix at the end. Too short, but fun!
Safari - well, the parts of it are at Jungle Jim's International Market in Fairfield, OH - an adventure all its own.
I would give a mention to history that's still there. The Racer is a classic out-and-back that feature two mirror tracks that "race". It was honored with by ACE a few years ago.
Perhaps you should point out that the game Greg Brady played trying to pick up on that groovy Cincinnati girl is still there in Coney Island. The throw the football through the receiver's arms game.
The de-theming of the Cedar Fair parks are sad. However, Paramount was already removing a lot of the character of the Kings parks before Cedar got involved. While Volcano is a solid coaster, I will always mourn the removal of the Haunted River and Smurf Mountain at Dominion.
I agree with James that The Loch Ness Monster has a better memory than reality. The tunnel effects no longer exist and the coaster has slowed down and become more bumpy with age. However, it is still a great first coaster for the kids and it may be the most photogenic coaster on the planet.
Robert, can you try to find out any info on the rumored removal of The Big Bad Wolf? The Wolf is another great family coaster and I would prefer to see it updated instead of removed. It is perfectly integrated into the unique landscape of BGW and, like Loch Ness, is a classic.
And just to clarify my previous comment (and to keep my Theme Over Thrills Club membership intact), while I do indeed love a 200 ft drop and 75 mph helix, I would trade any coaster at my local Cedar Fair park, Worlds of Fun, for Expedition Everest (DAK) or Revenge of the Mummy (USF), without a second thought.
It's too bad that you didn't get the front seat. That's the money seat. Robert you have totally dated yourself with your reference to The Bat and Screamin Demon, and Natalie...welcome to the dark side. The Beast has a way of doing that.
Raul, I would cry if Big Bad Wolf was removed. Were it not for the near dead stop in the middle of the ride, before the final drop, that coaster would absolutely make a run for best ride in the park. And the low height requirement (42") makes it the best (and only) whole-family coaster at BGW. I would hate to see it go.
The original theming of KI was such an obvious Disneyland rip-off (with a Coney Island-style addendum - hey, KI beat DCA to the punch!), that I'd have been happy with KI going in a new direction. But there's no consistency or flow to what's been done over the years.
Overall, I'd have to say that KI's better park for thrill fans today than it was when I was a kid. But in other respects, it's still lacking.
One *big* one I do want to bring up is food. Sorry, TPI readers, but I have got to smack y'all down for the 9s (!) you've given to LaRosa's and Skyline.
You. Have. To. Be. Kidding. Me.
I don't know how LaRosa's is outside the park, but here it's barely a step above frozen pizza quality. And the prices are just ridiculous. I thought it pretty weak, overall.
As for Skyline, I didn't grow up with it, so I'm just not used to sweet chili that tastes like cinnamon. But hiding the stuff under two inches of cheese doesn't exactly express confidence in the taste of one's chili. If you're a Cincy native with a hankering for the stuff, I could see going as high as a 7. But for anyone else, it's a 4 - tops.
Under no circumstances should counter service joints be getting a 9. C'mon, folks.
On the food topic, does anyone else remember when there was restaurant above the main entrance? I never ate there, but remember that one was up there and I'm curious.
Here are some photos of the former International Street Restaurant
I am interested on how you thought the roller coaster was too smooth. Two of my favorites, Krakken of SWO and Raging Bull of SFGA are both very smooth and more for the sweeping and dropping element than inversions (ok Krakken has a few). I think its the up and down that lets you see the whole park that makes it so great. Did it give good views?
I have to agree about the counter service remark. I don't think any theme park food, including the fare at renowned locations like Epcot, should get anything above an 8 (maybe a 9 if the service and surroundings are exceptional). It's theme park food. Mass-produced and shoveled out.
Theme park hotel food, contrarily, can be excellent.
You know what I miss most at King's Island? It's another type of Voyage. THE ENCHANTED VOYAGE! That boat ride was pure magic. It was replaced over the years by other dark rides; first the Smurf boat ride (laid right on top the Enchanted Voyage), then the fairly cool Phantom Theater and finally Scooby Doo and the Haunted Castle. The Scooby Doo interactive ride is cool (I love the Castle facade), but nothing will ever replace the Enchanted Voyage.
Laurie reminds me that I should give props to the Starbucks on International Street, which she reports has made the best latte she's had in the Cincinnati area. She's a coffee freak, and always tries to order a vanilla latte with one-and-a-half shots of espresso. She said that not only did the KI Bucks people not look at her funny, they nailed the order. So there ya go.
The Skyline thing pains me a bit, because I like to endorse local food options around the country. But I just can't reconcile the taste of that chili with anything they serve it with - hot dogs, spaghetti and especially cheese. Perhaps if I could get a small cup of it, plain, I might be able to appreciate it. But I am past wanting to try. For folks who grew up with it, or who like massive quantities of cheese... enjoy. It's all yours.
As for Diamondback, I say you MUST ride in the very back of the train. That makes for a much different & much more intense ride experience. I personally prefer coasters that aren't as smooth as glass, but the force and the airtime delivered in the backseat of Diamondback won me over.
Good report, but a minor correction is in order -- the Eiffel Tower is a one-third scale replica (this was a question on the Ride Warriors scavenger hunt earlier this season).
And while Diamondback isn't as eye-watering as Apollo's Chariot, it DOES have more air time. I'm guessing you had the lap restraint too tight. The trick is to keep it three fingers loose, then you'll feel the rise out of your seat over each of the hills. And sit in an even-numbered row -- those are outside seats, allowing you an unobstructed view of NOTHING on the side but air. Flap your arms like a birdie!
I've been blessed to be able to try many different parks, so I appreciate another point of view on some of those I've visited. I just wish I had a gimmick to make the trips tax deductable like you...
Oh, and Kaycee -- PM me an address and I'll mail you a few cans of Skyline Chili!
This article has been archived and is no longer accepting comments.
