Kings Island from Above


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Racer hasn’t been running to well lately, however seeing Racer and Orion in action together was the best. (I’m a total operations nerd, I admit).

On the topic of amazing color schemes around Kings Island, such as Banshee and Diamonback, the interstellar blue glow of Orion hovering over the park is heavenly.

We have come to the conclusion that we don’t necessarily hate the big wave turn, as it is still a sprawling element on the Giga coaster. However we wish it felt as if it did more. The first turns on Leviathan and Fury 325 do a bit more.

I am however, a big fan of the helix! I’m also a big fan of the fact that we managed to get Racer trains in almost every Orion shot we took from above.

I wrote a detailed review in our past Kings Island report a few weeks back, but will reiterate that if you came for just airtime, you came for the wrong thing. Orion really does a good job combining a bunch of different elements.

I really like the ride’s plot being surrounded by trees. All the other Gigas are out in the open, however this one still manages to feel like you’re leaving the park. So Kings Island.

Orion sure manages to get long lines. Unfortunately only 2-seats are filled per train on Orion for the time being, due to social distancing. I get the sentiment, however Banshee does not do this. Riders are still quite far removed from one another if sitting directly behind each other. I hope the park moves to a 1-party-per-row system for this coaster too.

Racer is definitely better enjoyed from up here now it creates for a beautiful foreground of Orion.

The presence of Orion at Kings Island is impressive. It is a graceful looking coaster that doesn’t at any point cross paths with any other attraction or guest-accessible infrastructure. Again quite unique.

Absolutely stunning!

I will say that I am impressed that even though 2020 happened, the park does run Racer with four trains. Quite the capacity for this old coaster in an unprecedented time.

I do not exactly know why the B&M Gigas all end with super tall brake runs, like the 83ft tall brake run on Orion.

We did rank Orion among the rest of the Traditional Giga Coasters in the world, as we are privileged enough to have ridden them all. So check out the rankings here.

Let’s throw in a few more shots!

Before we wrap up the report, I do want to shout out the park some more for the immense maintenance and upkeep that keeps every inch of the park looking maintained. The entrance plaza for example is gorgeous. Other regional theme park chains in the US (yep, you know the one) just can’t seem to do things this way.

We stayed for the whole day, so we also got some awesome night rides in. The weather is approaching fall, so it was super comfortable out.

Kings Island you are just perfect. We forgive you for ripping out parts of our hearts with the removal of Firehawk and Vortex. (But for real, leave Invertigo alone.)

We got our night rides on Beast, Adventure Express, and twice on Bat, We’re satisfied!

As I wrap things up, we’ll finish by properly appreciating how gorgeous the light package for Orion is.

Thanks for checking out this report! Stay tuned for a new podcast episode of Coaster Kings Radio discussing Cedar Point and Kings Island, and which one is objectively better!

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