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Blown away by a Vortex

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History of the Theme Park Kings Island

Kings Island’s history begins, interestingly enough, with that of another amusement park, Cincinnati’s Coney Island, which was badly damaged by a flood in 1964. Since the future expansion areas were also limited, the idea of relocating the park to a new site was considered early on.

Things really got rolling in 1969 when the park was taken over by the locally based Taft Broadcasting Corporation, which saw Coney Island as an excellent opportunity to raise the profile of its television programmes, especially the Hanna Barbera cartoons. Gary Wachs, the son of the owner of the park at the time, was given the role of building the park on a 1600 acre site northeast of Cincinnati.

America’s finest Amusement Park moved and became part of a much larger project. With Disneyland in Anaheim and the two Six Flags parks in Texas and Georgia, there was admittedly still very little competition, but the trend towards new theme parks was there and they planned big from the outset. The four themed areas Happy Land of Hanna-Barbera, Rivertown, Oktoberfest and Coney Island, all starting from International Street with its dominant replica of the Eiffel Tower, were to shape the park in the future. Interestingly, it was the latter area that was King Island’s unique selling point, since it was here that roller coasters, amusement arcades and classic rides were built.

Tour of Kings Island

When you enter the park, you immediately find yourself on International Street with its large fountain in front of the Eiffel Tower. To the right and left of the fountain, a number of shops and cafés invite you to take a stroll. All around are the entrances to the individual areas, as well as to the large theatres and the park catering. The Eiffel Tower, designed by Intamin, towers over everything and offers a wonderful view of the entire park.

Invertigo

You can currently ride a total of 14 roller coasters at Kings Island. I would like to start with the roller coaster that was themed to Nicolas Cage’s film Face/Off back in the Paramount days, but now only bears the manufacturer’s roller coaster model name: Invertigo.

A total of five examples of this roller coaster were built, but currently only four of them are still in operation. This is basically the suspended version of a timeless roller coaster classic – the Vekoma Boomerang – but Invertigos wouldn’t be Invertigos if they didn’t have even more special features. First of all, the seating arrangement allows you to reverse the proven experience in its order, and you can also watch your fellow riders while doing so.

The ride through Cobra Roll and Looping is, as usual, extremely intense and absolutely brilliant. As with Tornado from the former Danish amusement park Sommerland Syd and Diabolik Invertigo from the Italian Movieland Park, the ride characteristics are quite impressive. Basically everything is smooth and even small bumps are only present to a very small extent, which is why at least for me the ride was a lot of fun again and therefore offers a high repetition factor. Especially with a waiting time of 0 minutes, this is an absolutely worthwhile experience.

Congo Falls

When the Action Zone theme area was launched in 1999, no effort was made to integrate the Spillwater Congo Falls, built in 1988, into the theme. So it continues to shine in all its glory, while the rest of the area resembles computer graphics from around the turn of the millennium and in the meantime doesn’t quite want to fit into the park in its colorful appearance. Unfortunately, Congo Falls also joined the list of water attractions still closed in April, which is why I sadly had to forgo a ride with a heavy heart.

Drop Tower

Fortunately, however, right next to it is the Drop Tower, which is the highest gyro drop tower in the world. Wait a minute, we know that slogan from the Lüneburg Heath, don’t we? That’s right, because Scream from Heide Park Soltau still uses it all too often. In fact, the ride length of the 7m smaller tower in Kings Island is a good 9m longer at 80m than the 103m tower in Lower Saxony. Of course, this is no comparison to the much taller Highlander from Hansa Park, which premiered just on the day of my visit; but the tower, as we all know, is not a Gyro Drop, but just a competing product. The Drop Tower at least is absolutely, 100% good – height record or not.

The Bat

Somewhat inconspicuously hidden in the farthest corner of the park is the suspended coaster The Bat. The name is a tribute to the very first suspended coaster in the world, which stood at another location in Kings Island – but more about that later. Opened in Paramount days as Top Gun, the coaster was renamed Afterburn for the Cedar Fair takeover. The aircraft carrier theming fits quite well with the Arrow Coaster’s elevated station and the far too long queue, yet The Bat really needs a little bit of theming right now. A few gravestones, a forest, maybe a crypt with an organ playing animatronic and it would be perfect.

Instead of boarding the Vampire roller coaster at Chessington World of Adventures, however, we find ourselves in Mason, Ohio and, after some delay, finally board the classic suspended coaster train.

The ride on The Bat begins immediately with the entrance to the lifthill. We make our way up through an aisle and enjoy the view of the neighboring Great Wolf Lodge resort for a brief moment. Once at the top, a banked turn awaits us at lofty heights before we plunge down a straight-line drop. Just above the bottom, this then transitions into a right turn, whereupon lateral forces push us beautifully outward. Shortly after, we change direction in a climb and are neatly transversed in the subsequent turning maneuver before we plummet to the ground another time. Close to the ground, we now steadily change direction at a fast pace before we come across a downhill helix in a wide clearing. With a lot of momentum we now tackle the way back. Over hill and dale we make several detours back to the station. It seems that the rhythm of the directional changes has increased once again. After a last detour, we reach the braking section, where we swing out cheerfully for the time being. Shortly afterwards, we reach the station again.

I like suspended coasters, but The Bat fell short of my expectations. Although the ride is incredibly fast and the swings are remarkable, the ride is ultimately a bit too predictable for me. Here, a repeat ride in the late afternoon would probably have made sense to be able to give a final verdict, but unfortunately it didn’t come to that. Nevertheless, The Bat offers the proven suspended coaster fun and thus submits itself to the list of ultimate family coasters. It’s a wonder that there are so few examples of this type of coaster.

Banshee

Right next door is Banshee, the latest inverted coaster from B&M. Built in 2014, the ride scores points mainly for its height and length – less popular, however, is the ride’s restraint system, which, similar to the Wing Coaster from the same company, relies on a belt system instead of rigid restraints.

The ride on Banshee begins with a short left turn, after which we already climb the ride’s lift. We pass through the ride’s first loop before arriving at the starting height of 167ft and immediately entering a steep turn. We approach the ground without any consideration for losses and then cross the first valley with a lot of pressure. In an oversized dive loop we slowly turn upside down before we plunge down a half loop. Now we enter the equally oversized loop with a lot of pressure. A long zero-G roll skillfully turns us once around our own axis, whereupon the transition to the next element is immediately initiated. In the world’s only Pretzel Knot we follow the course of an oversized pretzel and see the world upside down twice. This is followed by loop no.2, which is a lot more intense than the first one due to its much smaller proportions. Afterwards we spiral upwards in a steep turn, at the end of which we immediately enter an in-line twist. Here we turn once around the axis of the track, refusing to follow the heart line. Then we enter a downward helix very smoothly. With a little pressure on our feet, we then say goodbye into a right turn, whereupon the braking section of the ride is already waiting for us.

Banshee is a quite nice inverted coaster with great pacing and an exceedingly solid ride track. Unfortunately, ride element follows ride element, so that bigger surprises fall a little by the wayside. The ride itself is fun, and especially convinces in the evening hours.

Delirium and Viking Fury

Fans of large swings will get their money’s worth with the HUSS Giant Frisbee Delirium and the nearby Viking Fury boat swing. While the HUSS ride does what all swings of this size do, the Intamin Bounty Viking Fury scores especially with its location and the rather long swinging phase. It’s just a shame that the operator here has to do half a climb each time before the swing can be set in motion.

Adventure Express

With the best view of the Banshee roller coaster, the Adventure Express makes its way through the dense undergrowth in Mason, Ohio. Kings Islands Mine Train is one of the last examples of the manufacturer Arrow Dynamics and promises, like Thunderation from the amusement park Silver Dollar City the day before, an extremely exciting and family-friendly ride.

This also starts immediately with a series of right and left turns, which lead us out of the station in the direction of the lift. The whole thing is underpinned by a small drop, as well as several straights and two short tunnels, both of which are quite nicely themed. The first lift is characterized by several slanted archways, but otherwise the theming is discreet. At the top, we quickly pick up speed in a downhill right turn before we cut a building in a left turn and gain some altitude. A classic Bavarian curve follows, followed by an extremely crisp helix just before we enter a tunnel. Here we change direction once before we leave it again in a right-hand bend. Back in daylight, we take a left turn through a valley and gain momentum for a small climb. At the end of it a kind of temple ruin awaits us. Inside we meet the second lift of the ride, accompanied by music and rhythmically drumming animatronics. After this design highlight, the end of the ride awaits us after a short right turn.

Even though the Adventure Express is a bit anticlimactic in its storytelling, the ride on the two-stage Mine Train is simply great entertainment. The ride is extremely fast and has some really nice passages, which are also nicely staged by the existing design elements. Sure, the ending with its “Now you will pay!” announcement is a bit silly, the Terrain Coaster at least is not.

The Racer

When Kings Island opened, the double wooden roller coaster The Racer was the star of the theme park, after all, the roller coaster was the longest, highest and fastest roller coaster in the world at the time. The industry was also amazed at the time when Kings Island staked all its cards on a new roller coaster. The success in turn proved the theme park right and led to a renaissance of roller coasters – now everyone wanted to have the fastest, highest and longest roller coaster in their park.

The ride on the two lanes of The Racer roller coaster begins immediately with the front turn, whereupon both lanes meet after a few meters and climb the lift hill together. During this time, the passengers have enough time to spur each other on, which also strengthens the team spirit in their own train; after all, they want to win together. As it usually happens, the first train plunges into the abyss, while the second has just reached the crest. After a powerful valley, both tracks lead over a rather low hill with a subsequent bunny hop before they separate from each other on the crest of the following hill. While one side now continues to the left, the other side now bends to the right. With momentum and all kinds of airtime we now go through another valley including a hill, at the end of which the rear turn awaits us. Where we managed to follow the other train quite easily so far, it now becomes a bit more difficult on the return to the station. After another downhill and a great airtime hill we come across the already completed track. Now we race parallel to it over a series of smaller airtime hills before we finally disappear into the woods at the height of the First Drop and are even confronted with a white tunnel on the braking section. Shortly after that we enter the station again.

The Racer is addictive. The ride on the racing coaster with its many airtime hills and the out and back design is simply great fun, which is why, thanks to the low crowds and the use of both tracks, I made it my mission to ride the roller coaster until I would eventually win. A lot of bad luck led to seven rides in a short time, after which I gave up the action; after all, the rest of the park still wanted to be explored.

Coney Mall

In the Coney Mall area in Kings Island you can still find some treasures from the Coney Island time. In addition to the well-known US classic Scrambler, you can also ride a Monster from the Eyerly Aircraft Co. Here the ride is similar to a Schwarzkopf Monster, except that the eccentric cannot be lowered and therefore only two gondola arms can be loaded at the same time. Due to the construction, this quickly leads to longer waiting times, but this can easily be topped by the loading process itself. The nacelles are too high during loading. However, there is a remedy, because the front part of the gondola can be folded down and then serves as a staircase, which makes it easy to get in and out. Once folded up and secured, however, the seating position in the gondola is not quite as comfortable, as you sit relatively flat on the ground. The ride cycle itself is then also a bit too short and not very revvy, which is why I can only recommend a ride when the crowds are low. It is at least nice to see that Kings Island cares so much about their older rides.

Flight of Fear

Passing the wave swinger Zephyr, we now head to the indoor roller coaster Flight of Fear. After having just missed the spaghetti coaster at Six Flags Fiesta Texas, I was even more excited about the indoor version of this ride, which played a major role in the use of LIM modules on roller coasters. The queue at least puts you in the right mood for the subsequent space flight, which I was able to spend as a single rider in the front row thanks to a closed seat next to me.

Unlike the Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster from Walt Disney Studios Park, the launch takes place directly out of the station. With full speed, we immediately enter the extremely pressurized Cobra Roll, before we whiz across the hall floor after two headstands. After a pressure-packed valley, we immediately go up a Sidewinder before cruising a bit through the upper part of the ride. After several swerves, we are then slowed down a bit in a block brake before heading into the lower part of the ride. In a constant up and down motion we spiral down continuously before we change direction after a wide left turn. Quite swiftly we now approach the hall floor once more, whereupon we make another change of direction. After two more steep turns close to the ground, we find ourselves upside down for the fourth time in a corkscrew, whereupon we reach the braking section and soon find ourselves in the exit station of the ride.

Flight of Fear is a very solid roller coaster with a nice track design and a great setting; it’s just a pity that the hall was a bit bright thanks to the incoming light and the ride has no other effects except for the darkness. In addition, the ride is a bit jerky, just like Mr. Freeze Reverse Blast from the theme park Six Flags Over Texas, which is why you can only be very happy to have experienced it without the originally installed shoulder restraints. A ride in the evening would certainly have been beneficial here, but the waiting time at this roller coaster was a bit too long for me for a second ride.

Kings Mills Antique Cars and Wind Seeker

The nearby vintage car ride Kings Mills Antique Cars could show the longest queue on my visit day, after all, it was also the novelty from this year. The ride was built in the spirit of the 70s – so it resembles the original vintage ride Les Taxis with its internal combustion engine.

At the rear turn of The Racer roller coaster, a true monster towers into the sky. The Windseeker is a Mondial Rides ride that gives you a similar view as a Funtime Star Flyer, but with rigid bars instead of filigree chains. The result of this is probably that the ride always stops immediately in stronger winds due to undesirable ride characteristics, as it did on the day I visited. Interestingly, however, the Windseeker opened again shortly before closing time, but I didn’t take the chance, because I didn’t want to miss a night ride on a legendary roller coaster, but more about that later.

Vortex

Before that, however, we turn our attention to the also very legendary Arrow coaster Vortex, which unfortunately had its last season this year. It was the first roller coaster with six rollovers and at the time of its opening it was the highest roller coaster in the world – two records that went hand in hand for a long time. Without the extremely maintenance-prone suspended roller coaster prototype The Bat, on the other hand, it would probably never have come into existence.

When The Bat first swung its wings at Kings Island in 1981, none of the people in charge at the time probably expected that just six years later the next roller coaster would be standing in its place. The swinging bat rocked without mercy through the minimally inclined curves, which in turn led to problems at the welding seams. Shock absorbers on the carriages reduced the swing; but this was again accompanied by very high wear and tear. Last but not least, the brake mechanism, thanks to its decoupling from the rail, was also decisive for the premature end of the ride, as the swing of the cars led once again to increased wear.

All the problems of The Bat roller coaster were taken into account in the design of the XLR-8 roller coaster from the Six Flags AstroWorld theme park and Big Bad Wolf from Busch Gardens Europe. However, a rebuild of the complete track was rejected for cost reasons.

Instead, a large part of the existing infrastructure was used for the Vortex roller coaster. The already existing station house including sidings, as well as the already existing foundations shaped the new roller coaster.

The ride begins with a short right turn in the direction of the lift. This then transports you to the starting height of 148 feet. At the top, you can enjoy the view of the Diamondback and Mystic Timbers roller coasters for a short moment before you plunge into the abyss after a right turn. With about 55 mph we now shoot through the first valley. Far above the park visitors we then complete a rather wide turn, which also leads us quite elegantly through a dip. On a longer, sloping straight we now take a run-up for the two loops of the ride, which are driven through intensively as usual. Interestingly, these have been set very high. After a short uphill and a tight right turn we find ourselves in the first braking area of the ride. Here we reduce our speed to a minimum before we plunge towards the ground once more. In an exceedingly bizarre way, we now enter the first corkscrew, which awaits us in a curve with a very strong lateral inclination. Now we see the world upside down two more times as we make our way between the two loops. In a wide right turn we then glide over into the Batwing – an inversion element where first a half corkscrew turns into a half loop and vice versa. Thanks to the clever use of the terrain, the Batwing is a real eye-catcher, which adds to the already incredibly aesthetic look of Vortex. After a long left turn, an upward helix awaits us before the ride soon ends in the brakes. Here we have to wait for some time, because interestingly enough Kings Island operates the ride with all three trains despite the low crowds.

Vortex was an extremely good roller coaster that still ran very well even in its final year. The brilliant start, the unusual inversion sequence and the special aesthetics of the ride spoke for themselves. I am very glad that I was able to ride it in its final year of operation and would have been very happy if it had been kept for a few more years. Nevertheless, I am already looking forward to its successor. The area is large and Kings Island will certainly make good use of it.

Shake, Rattle & Roll and Backlot Stunt Coaster

Past Shake, Rattle & Roll – a HUSS Troika from 1975 – I was drawn to the Backlot Stunt Coaster. The coaster opened under Paramount times as Italian Job: Stunt Track is a special effects coaster from Premier Rides and can, as the name suggests, fall back on some special effects. At the same time, the compact layout also offers some other moments of surprise.

The first one follows right at the beginning of the ride. The launch in the direction of the parking garage, where you then spiral upward in an increasingly narrow helix, is a brilliant and, above all, breathtaking start. So far, I have never been pressed into the seat as hard as I was here. After the 900° helix, you only have a short time to catch your breath, as the downhill run immediately starts at a high gradient. In the valley, we now pass police cars, billboards and containers in small, barely inclined swerves. At the end of the passage we change direction in an Immelmann turn before climbing up a hill. After a short right turn swerve, we plunge into a valley once more in a wide left turn. Shortly after, we climb the track to the big special effects scene. With much fanfare, a helicopter attacks and a fire effect triggers. Shortly after, we are accelerated into a tunnel. A steep curve, leading to the right, follows before we make our way to the light at the end of the tunnel after a change of direction. The ride through the drained water basin follows, after which the end of the ride also awaits us after another curve.

The Backlot Stunt Coaster is an extremely worth experiencing roller coaster with nice ride elements and effects. The ride is extremely fast and also surprisingly intense due to the launch into the triple helix. In any case, the former blockbuster coaster is quite a big deal at Kings Island!

Planet Snoopy

Planet Snoopy is, without much exaggeration, probably the most remarkable children’s land in a theme park far and wide. Originally opened as Happy Land of Hanna-Barbera, this area has been skillfully entertaining its target audience since the 1970s. Over time, this area was expanded again and again before Paramount claimed large parts of the themed area for itself with the children’s channel Nickelodeon. In the year of the takeover by Cedar Fair, the remaining Hanna-Barbera rides were also redesigned, so that from then on there was only one huge children’s area with Nickelodeon Central. When the license agreement with Nickelodeon expired in 2010, it was decided to focus on the well-known Peanuts characters, just like in the other parks of the group.

Great Pumpkin Coaster

As soon as you enter the themed area, you come across the Great Pumpkin Coaster. This is a small family coaster from E&F Miler Industries from 1992, which has a quite compact layout and may only be used by families with smaller children. Because of this and a generally somewhat longer waiting time, I decided against a ride.

Boo Blasters on Boo Hill

The interactive dark ride Boo Blasters on Boo Hill originally opened as Scooby-Doo! and the Haunted Castle in 2003. At the time, the Mystery Machine ride followed two-dimensional scenes featuring characters from the popular Hanna-Barbera series, where you could trigger your own effects and even unmask the villain at the end. Now, however, there are only ghosts. This continues to be exceedingly cheesy and nicely done, but the spirit of the original attraction is unfortunately not captured by Boo Blasters on Boo Hill. Kids won’t care much, but for the adults with nostalgic feelings, I recommend a visit to the Spanish theme park Parque Warner, where you can still experience the original concept of the dark ride today.

Woodstock Express

Right next door is the Woodstock Express, the smallest of the four wooden roller coasters at Kings Island. The ride through the compact layout of the roller coaster, which is completely painted in blue, begins after a short right turn with the ascent of the lift hill. Once at the top, the ride immediately descends the first drop. With a speed of about 35 mph, we pass through the first valley, whereupon a turning curve awaits us at a lofty height. After another downhill we whiz over a small speed bump before we cross the wooden structure and enter another turn on the other side of the ride. Now we race a bit over hill and dale before we dive into the wooden structure below the first turn and follow the course of it. Back in the open air, we dive into a small dip, whereupon we find ourselves already on the braking section of the roller coaster and the extremely fun wooden roller coaster ride soon comes to an end.

Surf Dog and Flying Ace Aerial Chase

Past Surf Dog – a rare Zamperla Skater Coaster – we now head to the suspended family coaster Flying Ace Aerial Chase. Funnily enough, the layout is a tried and tested classic from Vekoma, but this time with free dangling feet. Accordingly, the ride starts with a short turn out of the station, whereupon the lift hill is already waiting. Immediately we complete a left-leading steep turn with subsequent upward helix, cross a short valley and a wide right turn near the station. Over a hill we cross the course we have just covered, whereupon we lose some altitude in another helix. A left turn follows, whereupon the braking section is already waiting and the quite pleasant ride comes to an end – for children, at least, the ride is first class.

Race for your Life Charlie Brown

The same applies to the ride on the neighboring log flume Race for your Life Charlie Brown. Although it only has one descent, the rest of the ride is all the more convincing with its fast whitewater passages. Here, at least, you don’t bob around in the canal for minutes on end, but rather whizz through it very smoothly. At the end, an all-drenching shoot awaits you whereupon you can step out of the boat very happily. Superb!

Mystic Timbers

The newest wooden coaster at Kings Island to date is Mystic Timbers, which became famous thanks to its advertising campaign and the question “What’s in the Shed?”. Unfortunately, however, the mystery surrounding the shed has led to a certain hype, which in turn could not be fulfilled according to first reviews, because roller coaster fans worldwide expect a naturally breathtaking world novelty after an Alton Towers-esque announcement and just not a showroom.

The ride on Mystic Timbers starts with a short right turn, whereupon after two smaller dips the lift hill of the ride awaits us. Having reached a height of 109 ft, we immediately descend a steep curve. With a speed of now 53 mph we race through the first valley, whereupon we climb a rather high hill. After a left turn, we then plunge to the ground another time. Close to it, we now race over a series of bunny hops and even cross the park’s rapid river. At a fast pace, we now go over hill and dale in constant changes of turns, while being lifted out of our seats in the most delightful way. Interestingly, the descents and ascents are now getting higher and higher before we set off for the turning curve, diving into a tunnel in the process. The ride now continues with some momentum through a longer valley, whereupon we start the return journey to the station. Still close to the ground and with fast pacing, we go over the rapid river once more, whereby the frequency of the airtime hills increases more and more. For the finale, the track bends a bit to the left and to the right before a larger climb leads us directly into the shed. Here we find the maintenance house and afterwards the aforementioned showroom with projection mapping and numerous effects. After the station has been released, we enter it and the ride comes to an end.

Mystic Timbers is a really good GCI woody with fantastic pacing and breathtaking airtime moments. The ride is simply outstanding until the end. Compared to all of the manufacturer’s European wooden roller coasters, Mystic Timbers goes one step further, so it hardly bothers that they meant it a little too well with the ride in terms of marketing; although the secret of the shed is actually a pretty nice feature. Mystic Timbers, at least, is my new favorite GCI.

K.I. & Miami Valley Railroad and White Water Canyon

Much of the K.I. & Miami Valley Railroad’s route runs through the woods at the back of the park. While riding the steam train, you have an outstanding view of the wooden roller coaster Mystic Timbers and the Rapids Ride White Water Canyon, which was unfortunately closed during our visit. In between, the train stops at the Soak City water park, which also serves as a connection between the water park and the amusement park; however, you can also reach it on foot along the huge Picnic Grove picnic area.

Diamondback

Kings Island has been home to the B&M Hyper Coaster Diamondback since 2009. It is the first hyper coaster with a water splash as the brilliant finale of the ride.

Shortly after leaving the station, we climb the 70m high lift hill of the ride. With the best view of the showbuilding of the former HUSS Giant Top Spins The Crypt (Tomb Raider: The Ride) and the wooden roller coaster Mystic Timbers we immediately plunge to the ground. With a lot of pressure we cross the first valley, whereupon we climb a193 ft tall camelback. With good airtime we cross the crest and immediately plunge towards the ground again. Here we turn left and race over another airtime hill. Immediately we make a turn at a dizzy height. This is followed by another airtime hill. Very close to the ground, we then enter a powerful upward helix, at the end of which the block section awaits us.

Parallel to the first hill, we plunge to the ground another time and immediately glide over two more hills. In a very compact helix we increasingly gain altitude before we enter the splash finale of the ride. After a short climb, we immediately find ourselves in the final braking section of the ride.

Diamondback is a fantastic hyper coaster. The ride characteristics are terrific and the airtime is insanely good. There is absolutely nothing to complain about here; it’s simply a great ride!

The Beast

The fourth and final wooden roller coaster in Kings Island is The Beast. The longest and probably most legendary wooden roller coaster in the world has been the reason to visit Kings Island since 1979 – after all, the ride, which was designed and built entirely in-house, broke all records in the roller coaster world. It was the longest, fastest, highest and above all most breathtaking roller coaster far and wide.

It begins relatively harmlessly with a wide turning curve. Shortly after, we reach the lift hill. Once at the top, we immediately plunge down into the first tunnel of the ride. With a slight lateral inclination, a left turn close to the ground follows before we dive far into the forest after a camelback. Following a short climb, we head towards a wide right-hand bend. On a longer straight we then gain more and more speed before this is immediately taken away from us again by a trim brake. However, the descent on the ramp is not yet over and so we quickly pick up speed. In a left turn we then drive into a longer tunnel. Always close to the ground, we then continue through a very wide right-hand bend and continue to pick up speed. A short climb then leads us to the second lift hill of the ride.

Once at the top, we can enjoy the panorama for a bit before we increasingly gain speed on a ramp with a gradient of only 18°. With rising speed, the lateral inclination also becomes greater, which becomes necessary for the spectacular double helix finale of the ride. In the transverse 540° helix we now go through two tunnels at breakneck speed before we start our way back. Parallel to the first drop, we then approach the long braking section of the ride and soon the station.

The Beast is without question an interesting and good roller coaster. In fact, it is perhaps a bit too long and it is not really exhilarating compared to today’s wooden roller coasters. Nevertheless, it is and remains a fan favorite and that has one main reason: When it gets dark, the predictable beast falls into a breathtaking frenzy of the senses. With no sight of anything, the ride travels through the forest at breakneck speed with a mighty thud – an extremely breathtaking experience.

Pictures Kings Island

Backlot Stunt Coaster • Premier Rides Special Effects Coaster

Boo Blasters on Boo Hill • Sally Interactive Dark Ride

Flight of Fear • Premier Rides LIM Coaster

Flying Ace Aerial Chase • Vekoma Suspended Family Coaster

Race for your life Charlie Brown • Arrow Log Flume

The Beast • In-House built Wooden Coaster

The Great Pumpkin Coaster • E&F Miler Industries Family Coaste

Woodstock Gliders • Larson Flying Scooter

Conclusion Kings Island

Imagine visiting a theme park with 14 roller coasters and all of them tested are good. Then imagine yourself in a beautifully designed park landscape with numerous nice looking areas. Add to that an exceedingly low crowding with the simultaneous use of all rolling stock. Cedar Fair, you got me! Kings Island has done it to me and I am completely thrilled.

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TKathke April 26, 2019 February 27, 2022 Kings Island / Texas Round-Up Day 9 and 10

The Six Flags of Texas

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The History of Six Flags

If we want to talk about the big chains in the amusement park industry, we have to talk about Six Flags and there is no better place to start than Six Flags Over Texas. The park in Arlington nearby Dallas opened its doors in 1961 after a short planning phase of just two years. The real estate developer Angus G. Wynne, Jr. wanted a park like the just opened Californian amusement park Disneyland in his home state of Texas. The initial idea of the park was to show Texas under six flags – the title quickly changed to Six Flags Over Texas, as Texas can’t be under anything. The six flags represent the six nations that have governed Texas during its history: Spain, France, Mexico, the Republic of Texas, the United States of America, and the Confederate States of America.

Interestingly, the park was never intended to last for long. With more than 8000 visitors on the first day of operation, Six Flags Over Texas was an initial success and was set to stay. With the investment of the Pennsylvania Railroad and the New York Central Railroad two more parks (Six Flags Over Georgia (1967) and Six Flags Over Mid-America (1971)) were constructed. In the following years Six Flags continued to grow by acquiring independent parks such as AstroWorld (1975), Great Adventure (1977) and Magic Mountain (1979). With the acquisition of Marriott’s Great America in Gurnee (1984), Six Flags obtained the rights to use the Looney Tunes characters by Time Warner.

In 1982 the Oklahoma based real estate company Tierco Group bought the theme park Frontier City. Plans for converting the park into a shopping centre quickly dropped due to an oil bust in Oklahoma City. By investing into the park and new family-friendly rides, the popularity increased. In 1992 Tierco acquired the Maryland based Wild World (now Six Flags America) and changed its name to Premier Parks. In 1995 Premier Parks acquired Funtime, Inc and their properties Geauga Lake, Wyandot Lake, Darien Lake and Lake Compounce. A year after, Elitch Gardens, Great Escape, River Side Park (now Six Flags New England) and the Waterworld USA parks were bought, while Lake Compounce was sold to Kennywood. In 1997, Premier purchased Kentucky Kingdom and Marine World (now Six Flags Discovery Kingdom). During the same time, Premier Parks agreed to buy 94% of the European Walibi Group, adding six more parks to the portfolio.

Six Flags being perfectly stable was sold to Premier Parks in 1998. Premier Parks continued its rapid growth by acquiring the German theme park Warner Bros. Movie World (now Movie Park Germany), the Mexican Reino Aventura (now Six Flags Mexico) and taking over a small share in the upcoming major theme park project Warner Bros. Movie World Madrid (now Parque Warner Madrid). It’s no surprise, that the European Division didn’t last for long. The increasing depts lead to the parks being sold to Palamon Capital Partners in 2004. Six Flags Worlds of Adventure (Geauga Lake) was sold to Cedar Fair, which led to its closure some years later. Six Flags Astro World was sold and cleared due to its real estate value but did not even made half of it and Six Flags New Orleans was destroyed by hurricane Katrina. Six Flags now fighting was hardly stroked by the financial crisis of 2007/08, which led to the reconstruction of the company.

Nowadays, Six Flags doesn’t grow as rapidly. Since this year the theme parks Frontier City and Darien Lake are back under Six Flags. A park in China will be licenced with the Six Flags name and the project of Six Flags Dubai has been finally cancelled.

Six Flags Over Texas

After this small history lesson, it is time to move on. I think you can understand the importance of this true giant in the amusement park industry. Although, I already visited all of the former Six Flags parks in Europe, my first visit to an actual Six Flags park was always intentioned to be at Six Flags Over Texas. Therefore, I looked forward to my visit for quite a long time.

After a short night in Wichita Falls, I drove all the way to Arlington and ended up spending quite some time in a traffic jam because of a giant interstate/turnpike road work. With best views of the Shock Wave roller coaster and the observation tower Oil Derrick, the anticipation of the visit changed to steadily into despair. It didn’t help that all the other roads towards the park were congested as well. With a fantastic view on Judge Roy Scream, I finally arrived at the parking. Due to my Six Flags membership, I did not have to pay for parking, which is a good thing regarding the parking fees at most of the American theme parks. After a while, I found a parking spot at the rear part of the parking lot.

When walking towards the entrance, I admired the view on Titan, the biggest roller coaster of the park, and their cool bobsled coaster La Vibora. After standing in line for the security control for quite a while, I realised that I’ve left my wallet in my car. After a ten-minute walk back and forth, I was finally ready for my visit at Six Flags Over Texas. By scanning my voucher at the entrance and after a picture has been taken, I quickly had my membership card in my hands. The included member bottle for unlimited soft drinks could be picked up at the membership office, but the line was way to long to even consider it.

Stepping into the park you find yourself on a small plaza. From here you could begin your journey clockwise and counter-clockwise. You could also take a ride on the Silver Star Carousel which is located slightly above the plaza.

Conquisador and El Aserradero

We start our journey in the clockwise direction, where we immediately find the Spanish theme area. The signature coaster of this area showed a rather long line and the beautiful swing boat ride Conquisador was down due to the construction on the Larson Giant Loop El Diablo Looping Coaster. Therefore, we moved on to the parks log flume El Aserradero.

El Asseradero was the first log flume ever build. Back in 1963 Arrow Development has created a new kind of ride, which quickly became the most desired attraction in every theme park around the globe. In Germany, the manufacturer Mack licenced the patent of Arrow to build the log flumes for the European market. Log flumes were everywhere. Some years after the first installation, the capacity of the ride was enhanced by building another one right next to the first one. Nowadays, the second flume is the one being in operation. Till 2019, the first log flume was used on crowded days. The remaining ride features a lot of curves and just one drop at the end of the ride. Unluckily, the ride was not in operation during my visit.

Oil Derrick

Following the pathways through the older section of the park, we quickly encounter the almighty Oil Derrick. This observation tower is one of the first projects of the ride manufacturer Intamin and features a great view at Six Flags Over Texas, the water park Hurricane Harbour in the distance and the surrounding area. Unluckily, due to strong winds the tower did not operated most of the day of my visit. It opened in the late evening and I had to rush to get a ride on the bobsleigh coaster La Vibora before the park’s closure.

Shock Wave

Just behind the shiny tower, which just got a new coat of paint last year, you can find the entrance to the legendary roller coaster Shock Wave. This Schwarzkopf classic was the first roller coaster being constructed in regard of the heart line. This all new concept allowed for smoother ride for the ride passengers as their hearts would not experience any abrupt motion nor high lateral G-Forces. Due to this change, steeper curves and other manoeuvres were possible.

Nowadays, Shock Wave does look quite tame from the outside. The rides significant loops were placed right next to the interstate and feature a nice advertisement to the park, but apart from that the layout does not offer anything special. To be honest, this is true for most of the rides being build in the 70’s – but Shock Wave is indeed the perfect coaster.

After climbing the lift hill the train quickly gathers some speed before the big drop. Without any merci we quickly run over the hilltop and shoot down to gather some speed for the two inversions. Forcefully as always, the world keeps on turning upside down till we climb the next hill. Up here, we take another turn before we drop down once again. With a significant amount of negative G-Forces we are pulled out of our seats immediately. Back in the valley we experience very high positive G-forces. This delta of forces speaks for the ride. With a big smile on the face, we quickly pass through another curve above the station, before the game of G-Forces repeats itself several times. After a short lefthand curve, a descending straight and a very long righthand curve, we quickly approach the brake run of the ride. Shortly thereafter, the ride is done.

Shock Wave is a great coaster full of speed, powerful inversions, great ejector airtime and high positive G-Forces. The ride is just perfect, which should not come by surprise as this ride has been built by the famous ride manufacturer Schwarzkopf based in Münsterhausen, Germany (nowadays the site of Gerstlauer Amusement Rides). Although we basically invented the modern vertical loop, we always thought of an American invention. The world is rather strange.

Roaring Rapids, Caddo Lake Barge and Superman Tower of Power

After the brilliant ride of the Shock Wave and the great weather I wanted to cool down a little bit. Unfortunately, the big Intamin rapid ride Roaring Rapids just had a break down when I passed by. The ride itself does not offer anything special, apart of the loading system which uses two parallel stations and therefore requires two lift hills right next to each other.

Passing by the beautiful looking Zamperla Rockin’ Tug Caddo Lake Barge, I quickly hopped on a ride of the Superman Tower of Power, which offered a great view at the park and a hint of airtime. Apart of the massive tower, the ride does not fit in greatly. The theme is negligible and looks rather off. Especially since the DC universe part of the park is located at a different corner of the park.

Runaway Mine Train

The roller coaster Runaway Mine Train certainly looks better. The second oldest roller coaster based on tubular steel pipes does a great job. It is the first true mine train roller coaster and defined every element still being popular on modern roller coasters of this type of ride.

After boarding the ride, the operator wishes us fun on a mine train of one of the Six Flags parks before releasing the train. This is kind of geeky, but I had my fun. The ride starts with a small lefthand curve out of the station. After passing the transfer track, the first lift hill is reached. Arrived at the top, the ride builds up some speed during a descent of alternating left- and righthand curves. When passing by the roller coaster Mr. Freeze Reverse Blast the train crosses a hill and dives into a helix. This is followed by a wild ride over hill and dale, which also passes through a tunnel. After another curve, the second lift hill is reached.

After a short hill climb, the track starts its very flat descent. It basically takes a while passing some right and left turns and lots of straight track until the train gets some speed. After passing a building and a righthand curve, the third lift hill is reached. Things reach their climax when we pass through a saloon and dive directly into a tunnel. This is were we hit the last curve before we reach the brake run of the ride.

The Runaway Mine Train is a fantastic family coaster. The ride is not fast nor high, but it delivers many great moments of pure fun. The wacky and way to narrow curves, the small hills and the tunnels all come together for a complete roller coaster package, which somehow looks kind of odd when seeing onride footages of the ride. For me, the ride was a complete surprise and one of the best roller coasters of the park.

Mini Mine Train

Therefore, it doesn’t surprise me that the Runaway Mine Train was a complete hit among the park visitors. Many similar rides where build in a similar fashion in parks all around America in the following years. Due to its popularity, Six Flags Over Texas even built a smaller version of the ride right next door: The Mini Mine Train.

While the name of the roller coaster is not really creative, the ride certainly is. Even though it looks kind of unremarkable from the outside. After climbing the lift hill, the ride starts with a small and flat descent into a left turn. After a short straight the train then enters a tunnel followed by a small righthand curve. When leaving the tunnel, the ride surprises by one of the best views onto the roller coaster Mr. Freeze Reverse Blast you could ever imagine. This moment is simply amazing, especially at night. After a small drop and another tunnel and passing through another curve the train quickly crosses over a hill and dives into the final curve of the ride before it reaches the brake run. Although, the ride is a rather short one, it is a fun one as well and should not be missed.

The Gunslinger and Mr. Freeze

Passing by the wave swinger The Gunslinger, we quickly change the theme when entering Gotham City. Here we find a lot of rides allocated to the dark knight and his villains. This area was expended in the last years, but it surprisingly started by the launch of the LIM Shuttle Loop Coaster Mr. Freeze in 1998 by Premier Rides.

Initially the trains were launched with the riders facing forward. Interestingly, the ride featured over the shoulder restrains for the first years until they got removed on all the Premier Rides installations in all the Six Flags parks back in 2002. The second big change happened during the year 2012 when the trains got rotated to face the first half of the ride backwards. A change that was set to stay, as it enhances the ride experience like nothing else.

Being launched backwards is kind of an amazing feeling, as there is only the lap bar to be pushed in rather the whole back of your seat. After reaching full speed the train quickly climbs the inside Top Hat element, where the riders experience an intense upside-down moment before falling to the ground. With full speed a large steep turn is being taken before the train climbs the vertical spike at the end of the ride. The train is now pushed upwards by linear induction motors in order to have enough energy to be able to finish the cycle. At the same time, the riders are experience a great moment of pure weightlessness by facing ground forward. Back on the ground the train takes the large turn once again and climbs back into the Top Hat, where it just passes it without getting stuck upside down. Soon after, the train slows down on the launch track. When entering the station, the train then get transferred to the loading position.

Mr. Freeze Reverse Blast is a heck of a ride. The ride is extremely intense and features many great moments. The inside Top Hat is simply amazing and the vertical Spike at the end of the ride is just awesome when facing to the ground. Unfortunately, the ride is also kind of shaky. I’m glad to not have experienced this ride with over the shoulder harnesses, as it is simply not a smooth ride. The whole experience is great, but it also could be better at the same time. Nevertheless, Mr. Freeze Reverse Blast is one of the most intense roller coasters I’ve been on.

Batman: The Ride

Seven years after the first Batman: The ride was built in Six Flags Great America and another copy was already established in Texas, the dark knight finally found its place in Six Flags Over Texas in 1999.

After climbing the lift hill, a pre-drop awaits its passengers before the train finally plunges down the first drop in a steep turn. When passing the valley high G-Forces awaits the passengers before entering the first loop. In the twinkling of an eye the second inversion, a Zero-G Roll, is taken. Another loop follows. The blood pressure in your feet suddenly increases when passing through an upward helix and a straight section of the ride. Without merci, we drop down toward the ground level, whereupon the first corkscrew awaits. This element is just pure madness when riding in the back of the train, as the acceleration suddenly changes. After a short righthand turn, the second corkscrew is taken. This is followed by a left turn into the brake run.

Batman: The ride is still one of the best inverted roller coasters out there. The ride offers an intense ride layout with a lot of positive G-Forces on a rather small footprint. Apart of the theming, the ride experience does not vary between the different installations, which is a good sign. Due to the more immersive experience I prefer Batman: Arkham Asylum in Parque Warner Madrid but this is just personal taste.

The flat rides of Gotham City

Passing by the Telecombat Batflyer, we quickly enter the new part of Gotham City where most of the other villains found their home and got some great amusement rides. Personally, I don’t like this area as all the rides were just placed on a big concrete filled place with no theme at all. The rides themselves are solid. Catwoman Whip is a Zamperla Endeavor and therefore a fancy enterprise style ride, which HUSS would like to sell to somebody someday. Riddler Revenge is a Giant Discovery – also by Zamperla – and therefore automatically a good ride, which at some day was the biggest one of its kind. Harley Quinn Spinsanity however was once a HUSS Troika and is now an ABC Rides Tourbillion (the name is great, so why not keep it) which I would like to have tested. This new kind of multiaxial Top Spin ride was down on the day of my visit.

The Joker

The last ride being left in this area is the S&S Free Spin roller coaster The Joker. After riding the similar roller coaster Arashi at the Japanese theme park Nagashima Spa Land I was not looking forward for a ride on The Joker, as the ride was uncomfortable and rather boring. I nearly skipped it. As I’m also a curious person, I wanted to make sure that my feelings regarding this type of ride were right.

As a single rider, I met a nice woman and had a great chat with her before boarding. Whilst on the ride, our vehicle flipped itself over a dozen of times offering a ride of a lifetime. At the end of the ride, we were rushed by all the adrenalin pumped into our body and left the ride with a big smile on our faces. It is hard to say that the marble run roller coaster The Joker could not convince me. The ride is epic!

Aquaman Splash Down, Texas Sky Screamer and Judge Roy Scream

Do you remember the roller coaster we saw just when entering the parking lot? Well, I nearly missed it as I couldn’t find the entrance to it. Even a look on the map does not really help you out, as there is only a small sign above a small tunnel which gives you a hint where the roller coaster is located. If you are coming from Gotham City and passes by the now demolished Shoot the Chutes Aquaman Splash Down you already missed it. It is easier if you just want to take a ride on the giant Funtime Star Flyer Texas Sky Screamer, as the entrance to Judge Roy Scream is right next to it.

The roller coaster with the unusual name is named after Phantly Roy Bean, Jr. better known as the justice of the peace (Judge) Roy Bean. Back in the days, Judge Roy Bean used his saloon as a court and officially sentences two man to death by hanging, one of them escaped. In Western movies he is usually referred as the hanging judge; what a pleasant theme for a family roller coaster, isn’t it?

Nevertheless, the name is creative and original. The layout of the ride on the other hand is quite normal for an Out & Back Woody. After the climb and the first drop, the train runs over a series of airtime hills before turning in a large curve at the other end of the ride. The return itself also features a bunch of smaller hills, which indeed makes it a perfect family roller coaster.

After I finally found the entrance to the ride, I really enjoyed my rides on Judge Roy Scream. It is not the perfect airtime machine, but it is a classical wooden roller coaster offering a lot of great moments. During my last rides on the Judge, I was sitting next to a small boy who could otherwise not ride alone. He reported me everything about his visit and his family in just around 3 minutes in a deep southern accent. This pretty much made my day 😊.

Pandemonium

Another interesting encounter happened at the Gerstlauer Spinning Coaster Pandemonium, where an employee immediately identified by Dragon Khan shirt and asked me some questions about Port Aventura, as he planned a coaster trip during the summer. I ended up recommending him the fast pass of the park, as Port Aventura truly isn’t any fun without.

After climbing to the top of the lift, the ride immediately starts with a curvy drop which sets the cars into rotation. Two small hairpin curves then enhance the spin before two helices in style of a figure eight are taken along. After a small drop, a large Bayernkurve follows. With a good spin, a larger drop follows with a funny camelback hill right after. A final upward helix joins in, before the brakes are being hit and the funny ride comes to its end.

Justice League: Battle for Metropolis and Looney Tunes Boom Town

Passing by the extraordinary dark ride Justice League: Battle for Metropolis and the rather ugly kids area Looney Tunes Boom Town with its coaster Wile E. Coyote’s Grand Canyon Blaster – which I have not tested – we quickly make our way to the other side of the park where La Vibora still needs to be tested.

La Vibora

As a big fan of the now demolished Bobbaan of the dutch theme park Efteling, I was looking forward for my ride on La Vibora. Even in Roller Coaster Tycoon 2, the ride was one of my favourites to be placed in every scenario where possible due to its beautiful looking alternating colour scheme resembling the German flag.

After reaching the top of the lift hill, the train rapidly descent in a right bend. The valley is driven through with an absurd force with the first change of direction directly following. A helix then leads you up into the first brake run. Another curvy drop follows and leads you into another powerful valley. A swinging S-curve combination adds itself and leads you into the second block brake run. This game now repeats itself in the same brilliant manner. After the third and final block brake, the train swipes down a lefthand curve and into the final upward helix. Shortly thereafter, the brake run of the ride is reached.

La Vibora is an extraordinary coaster. Due to its train design (it features the trains used on the Bob in Efteling before its change to the two-seater rows) the ride is even wilder than I could ever imagine. This train design adds a lot to the thrills, as you are always in fear to fall over. The rest of the ride is quite forceful and offers a great and fun experience. Thanks, Six Flags Over Texas for keeping this ride alive.

Runaway Mountain

In search of the roller coaster Runaway Mountain we pass by basically every corner of the old section of the park. At our way we meet the HUSS break dance Rodeo and the Chance Trabant El Sombrero, but don’t bother a ride. Finally, we stand in front of a giant and impressively decorated rock face covering the hall of the park’s only indoor roller coaster.

Runaway Mountain is basically a copycat of the Italian coaster model Hurricane by S.D.C. build by Premier Rides in 1996. It therefore features a rather compact layout with a very interesting element in the middle of the ride. As the hall is not perfectly dark and no theming elements can be found within the cave, let’s focus on the ride’s layout.

Right after climbing the lift hill, the train takes a gentle descent in a left turn and runs over a small hill. On the other side of the ride the train gains some height before plunging down the big drop. After an uphill curve, a very steep drop follows quite surprisingly. In the same motion an even steeper ascent adheres twisting the riders like crazy. After a small even section, the train takes a downhill helix into a small drop. Another helix at the other side of the rides acts like the grand finale of the ride before the brake run is reached and the fun ride comes to an end.

New Texas Giant

As everything is bigger in Texas, it doesn’t come by surprise that the park featured once the biggest wooden roller coaster on earth. The ride was massive and although it had a brilliant reputation during the first seasons, the ride’s comfort got worse with time. The construction company Rocky Mountain Construction just provided a new solution for typical wooden roller coaster problems and Six Flags Over Texas was pleased to try it out. The rest of the story is coaster history and led to one of the biggest success stories in the amusement park industry. RMC was set to stay and to become a market leader.

Due to technical difficulties, the New Texas Giant was the only ride in the park running with one train only which led to a waiting time of around two hours. It did not help, that the team working on the roller coaster was not in their best mood and worked rather slow. Overall, the New Texas Giant was the only roller coaster in the park with dispatching times of up to six minutes. Apart of the many downtimes on the day of my visit, every other ride did very well.

After finally taken my place at the back of the train, the ride is about to start. After a small turnover at the end of the transfer track we reach the ride’s lift hill. At a height of 153 ft (~47m) we suddenly fall down a fantastic 79° drop. With full speed we jump over a hill and continue our way upwards in a long and heavily banked curve. At the peak of the hill we take another drop down. In the same manner as the first hill, we bank ourselves sideways in the upcoming hill before falling back to the ground. Once again with full speed we climb a slightly overbanked turn before flying over a small hill after which we hit the first brake run.

Without losing any speed, we drop back into the action by flying over a series of airtime hills towards the other side of the ride. Next to the final brake run and the station, we surpass the rides support structure in a curve at ground level after which we continue our way through out another series of airtime hills. Suddenly we enter three tunnels in a row, each having their own dips and turns. Back into sunlight, we pass over another two airtime hills before we reach the final brake run of the ride.

The roller coaster New Texas Giant is a surprisingly tame RMC coaster providing a pleasant re-rideability to the overall madness experience. All the hills offer an excellent floating airtime, which lets you fly over each of the countless camelbacks and bumps. The first drop is brilliant, and the large curves provides a good feeling of pacing. You simply can’t do anything wrong when boarding this great ride.

Titan

Passing by the Scrambler Sidewinder, we quickly encounter the last ride of Six Flags Over Texas we need to talk about: the almighty Titan. One year after Goliath at Six Flags Magic Mountain was being build, a bigger roller coaster had to come to Six Flags Over Texas. It is the second hyper coaster ever built by Giovanola (former subcontractor of Intamin and B&M) and the last out of the three coasters built by the company before going bankrupt.

After riding the New Texas Giant, I was kind of worried about the dispatch of the biggest roller coaster of Six Flags Over Texas, but I was wrong. Apart of a small down time, the line moved surprisingly quick. Every now and then, a train left the station and it didn’t take long until I could ride it in the back of the train.

Leaving the station, the train takes a right turn whereupon we hit the lift hill of the ride. When reaching a height of 245ft (~ 75m) the train starts its long and amazing descent into a tunnel leading to an overall height difference of 255ft (~78m). With a speed of 85 mph (~137kph) the train head upwards into an impressive looking overbanked turn. After completing the turn, the train heads down another drop which is followed by a fantastic airtime hill. A long ascent then leads into a forceful upward helix. At the end of the helix, the train hits the mid-course brake run and got slowed down to near standstill.

The train continues its journey in a slow pace, before it finally gets some speed in a hard left turn. In a fluent motion, the train changes its direction and we drop down towards the ground level. This is followed by a powerful and insane 585° helix. Then, the track turns upwards and banks to the left. After another powerful valley, the train takes an ascending right turn which leads us into the final brake run of the ride.

What a ride! Titan is a beast of a roller coaster. It is forceful, fast and perfectly paced. I cannot even describe how much I admire this roller coaster, as it jumped directly into the Top 10 of my favourite roller coasters. It is by far the best hyper coaster, I’ve ever ridden. Man, I love this ride. Unluckily, I could only ride it twice in a row. But there will be a next time in Six Flags Over Texas and I’m already looking forward for some more rides on the Titan.

Pictures Six Flags Over Texas

El Diablo Looping Coaster • Larson Giant Loop

Judge Roy Scream • William Cobb Wooden Coaster

Mr. Freeze Reverse Blast • Premier Rides LIM Shuttle Loop Coas

Pandemonium • Gerstlauer Spinning Coaster

Runaway Mountain • Premier Rides Indoor Coaster

Superman Tower of Power • S&S Combo Tower

Conclusion Six Flags Over Texas

Although my first impressions of Six Flags Over Texas were flawed by the many down times during the first half of my visit, I managed to get all the rides I wanted to ride. Especially in the late evening, I could ride a lot of rides without any big waiting times. Overall, I really enjoyed the park. It has a lot of charming places and a bunch of great rides. While Six Flags Over Texas is not a flawless park, it tries its best to be one. Therefore, I’m looking forward to my next visit. Your new for 2020 roller coaster could be a reason, as Pulsar of Walibi Belgium (ex Six Flags Belgium) is a blast of a ride.

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Click here for the next report of the Texas Round-Up Tour

TKathke April 19, 2019 February 26, 2022 Six Flags Over Texas / Texas Round-Up Day 2

Baron Hooghmoed, Prime comes before the fall!

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Preface

No other amusement park made it so easy this year to visit the park as easy as Efteling. In order to promote his new roller coaster Baron 1898, the park gave me, as many other people, a free ticket out of the blue. Therefore, in the middle of October – shortly before the ticket expired – on a very rainy day, I took a trip to the Dutch village of Kaatsheuvel.

Efteling

The Efteling amusement park originated as a fairytale forest in 1952, but originally as a nature park in the 1930s, where a total of 10 fairy tales were told. Under the direction of the artist Anton Pieck, after whom the central square with a few smaller carousels in the Marerijk area is named, the fairy tale forest grew steadily and – unlike most other theme parks – never lost its importance. Beside the talking tree Sprookjesboom, which tells the children the fairy tales of Sprookjesbos in Dutch, you will find some bizarre and very interesting things, such as the Indian water lilies or the flying fakir. Especially with smaller children you can easily spend most of the time in the park in this area.

Droomvlucht

However, the most popular and most visited attraction in the Efteling since 1993 has been the Droomvlucht dark ride, which takes you past larger scenes of fairies, elves, trolls and other fairy-tale creatures in suspended gondolas. Although the dream flight, as the English name suggests, could hardly be more cheesy and superimposed, the ride through the dream scenes is definitely fun and the descent taking place in a 1080° helix is truly unusual.

Villa Volta

Next to the Ravelijn show, for which translations are available, there is the prototype of all modern Mad House attractions, the Villa Volta. The story of the Bokkenrijders, a band of robbers from the 18th century, is presented. Hugo van den Loosche Duynen is the aged landlord of the villa, who robbed a deserted, but richly stocked abbey with his gang and was cursed by a suddenly appearing woman and since then cannot find his peace anywhere. Only a person with a clear conscience can release his spell, which is why Hugo invited volunteers to his house.

A Mad House is a ride in which a gondola, with two rows opposite each other, in a rotating drum is swivelled about 30° to both sides. The rotating, highly decorated drum gives the impression of turning upside down in a room, the pivoting of the passenger carrier underlines this by the generated accelerations. The event is accompanied by suitable music and lighting, and if necessary by various other effects. The Villa Volta is not only the pioneer of this type of attraction, but also one of its best examples.

Volk van Laaf

In the village of the people of Laaf you can watch the Laaf during their daily life or take a monorail tour through the colonnades of the houses. The people of Laaf are reminiscent of Holle Bolle Gijs, who can be found throughout the park. These are talking garbage cans that say “paper here!” and encourage the little guests of the park to throw their garbage into the gullets of the never-full inhabitants of the park.

Monsieur Cannibale

Monsieur Cannibale also likes to eat one with pleasure, although it is only a teacup ride in which you sit in some bigger cooking pots instead of cups. The ride is not so interesting because of the heavy to turn gondolas, but the catchy tune of the song of the same name by Sacha Distel certainly contributes to it.

Carnaval Festival

The best you can do in the Reizenrijk is to travel, therefore a ride in the cars of the Carnaval Festival dark ride should not be missed. Accompanied by a merciless catchy tune, you accompany the jester Jokie on his always cheerful journey around the world, whereby the clichés of the corresponding countries were excellently staged. Carnaval Festival does not need to shy from the comparison with Disneyland Parks’ role model It’s a small World, as the ride offers everything a good dark ride needs to offer and in my opinion is even a bit better, as it is much less annoying.

Vogel Rok

Located next door is the dark roller coaster Vogel Rok, which immerses you in the world of the stories of 1001 Nights, at least in the stories of Sindbad the Seafarer. After the train has left the station it passes a short gradient within a right turn, whereupon the lifthill of the ride follows. Accompanied by laser effects we climb to the top of the lift and then immediately enter the main drop of the ride. With a slope of 55°, the train now races towards the ground in a left-hand bend. The height difference of 21m results in a speed of 67 km/h, which is kept constant in a very wide left turn close to the ground. Shortly thereafter the train shoots up and approaches the ground again in a slightly smaller radius. In the following valley we change direction. A curvy hill, past one of the name-giving birds, later we pass through an uphill helix, at the end of which we are eaten by a snake. Then, we pass a block brake before racing towards the ground in a left turn. The track then increases in height before the radius of the curve narrows down into a downward helix. The train now moves off the ground one last time and dives into a tunnel of lights. After that the brakes are reached and immediately after another right turn there is the station, which is usually approached with the loud music of the onboard sound system.

Vogel Rok is a great roller coaster of the type MK-900 by the Dutch manufacturer Vekoma, which delivers a short but thoroughly thrilling yet always harmonious ride. It is amazing how fast you can accumulate your laps on this coaster, if you stay a while when the park is less busy.

Gondoletta and Pagode

For those who like it a little more relaxed, the boat trip Gondoletta is the perfect choice. For 20 minutes the extra long Tow-Boat Ride of the company Intamin takes you across the entire lake and it is quite big. Since this year, in addition to the obligatory feeding of birds and the resulting siege of countless water birds, you have a really great view of the roller coaster Baron 1898. A similarly interesting view is guaranteed from the observation ride Pagode, a Flying Island also from the manufacturer Intamin, which brings you to a height of 45m without any tower structure. This happens basically by an oversized lever at whose end the passenger gondola is suspended and at whose other end the oversized counterweight is located.

Halve Maen, D’Oude Tuffer and Polka Marina

The swinging ship Halve Maen, which is currently the highest ship swing in Europe, can also be classified as a relaxing ride. Next to it you will find the vintage car ride D’oude Tuffer, which allows its cars to travel the long distance with rapid pace. Equally interesting, although only due to the outwardly inclined curves, is the Polka Marina ride by Vekoma, which always makes me smile.

Python

However, the things you are interested in in the Ruigrijk area are certainly not flat rides of the area, rather the roller coasters that reign this corner of the park. The first one was the Python steel roller coaster in 1981, which carried its passengers not only through one loop, but two consecutive loops. In fact Python was the highest steel roller coaster in Europe at that time and with its four inversions the most exciting roller coaster on the continent. Just as exciting as the coaster Carolina Cyclone of the American amusement park Carowinds, which was the first roller coaster worldwide to entertain its passengers with four turn-overs a year before. Efteling was therefore thinking big even back then!

The train leaves the station on a small gradient, followed by a left turn. Shortly after the train enters the lift chain, which brings it to 29m. A small slope and another 180° left turn follow before the train races down the main shot. Then the train passes through a powerful valley and enters the first loop, whereupon the game repeats itself in a second loop. On a straight incline the train gains some height and immediately throws itself into a curve. This leads the train to the starting position of the corkscrews, into which one enters at a remarkable angle. While the carriages screw their way through the corkscrews, the world is upside down two more times. After a small hill an upward spiral follows. Immediately afterwards the braking track is reached.

Python is a great roller coaster of an older design, which doesn’t have to hide itself due to its truly intense performance, especially in the evening. After the original Arrow trains, as well as the second train generation of the manufacturer Vekoma and trains of the manufacturer KumbaK had been used on the track, modern trains of the fourth train generation by Vekoma now enrich the the ride. Unfortunately I could not test them during the current visit, but the KumbaK trains gave a solid impression during a past visit.

Joris en de Draak

Wooden roller coasters have a long tradition in Efteling, dating back to 1991 when Pegasus, an absolutely boring and slowed down roller coaster for children, was built in the park. It was the first wooden roller coaster in the Netherlands. A year after its removal, Efteling build Joris en de Draak. This ride introduced two more wooden roller coasters of the popular manufacturer Great Coaster International (GCI) to the park. The background story is dedicated to the patron saint of the English, the dragon slaughterer Georg. The layout is divided into two tracks, Vuur and Water, both of which are duelling each other whilst showing different but somewhat balanced riding characteristics.

Both sides start parallel to each other, but a few meters apart, with a small gradient out of the station to which the lift hill is immediately added. Once at the top, both sides make an S-curve and a turn mirror-inverted to each other, so that the sides meet in the middle and thus deliver a race during the first drop. The trains then shoot through the first valley, which is immediately followed by a triple up, i.e. a triple combination of hills that always leads upwards. In the following right turn the sides lose each other.

With a double down, Water is showing its wild side right at the beginning of its independence. In a bumpy curve you fight your way to the right side of the course to cross more hills along the lake. In the same manner the train now makes a turn to the left.

Meanwhile Vuur also passes under its opponent in a double-down. In a flattened right bend you cross the truss of the lift hill whereupon a drop takes place immediately above the sidewalk. With a short look at the Vliegende Hollander a left turn is initiated. Over several hills one makes one’s way over the lake, whereby these are not so frequently present as on Water. A smooth right curve, which serves as a turn, follows. Thereupon both sides run next to each other again.

After a short straigth section, a smaller slope follows, to which a rather wild combination of right-left curves is attached, whereby both sides can show track sections inclined to the wrong direction. Soon the finish is reached and the winner of the race will be announced at the brake track. Afterwards you pass through the maintenance house and two left turns to the respective station, where you enter under fanfare or loud booing.

Joris en de Draak offers two good wooden roller coasters, but the rides are quite different and therefore not quite the same. Water offers the apparently wilder ride, because it is going over smaller hills and also the curves seem a little more daring, while Vuur is more careful with its gradients and therefore a little more efficient to tear his passengers back and forth. I can hardly explain why I preferred Water during my last visit in Efteling, as it was Vuur who convinced me more this time.

Vliegende Hollander

On the other side of the lake there is the Vliegende Hollander, a water roller coaster with a moving history. By this I don’t mean the problematic manufacturing process of the installation, where even another company was called in to solve the initial problems, but the story of Willem van der Decken, the captain of the Dutchman, a ship of the United East India Company. Due to his greed, the captain is more and more subject to piracy and even storms and holidays, when it was forbidden to set sail, didn’t stop him. “I will sail, storm or not, Easter or not. I will sail, even until Judgement Day,” said Willem, drawing a curse on him. Damned for eternity to sail the seven seas of the world, the Flying Dutchman races across the sea as a ghost ship with his black hull and burning sails.

The journey begins in a 17th century seaport. After leaving the station you can see in the first scene how your own boat sets sail. Fog is coming up and is getting denser, only a lamp at the bow gives some light. A storm comes up and with it the Flying Dutchman shows itself to the passengers. Through the hull one enters the interior of the ghost ship. A surprising drop follows and thereupon a rise, in which one is held immediately by a brake. Here Willem van der Decken shows his true face, whereupon the lift chain grabs and brings the boat to a height of about 22m. Immediately a steep turn follows out of the building towards the ground and through a fog-flooded building. A camelback is attached and shortly afterwards a horseshoe, i.e. an elevated turn, which you pass through with a considerable cross slope. A short ascent leads to a block brake. This is followed by a small drop and a long bend, which then turns into a shot into the water basin. After the watering, the boat is transported back to the station by circulating chains.

The Vliegende Hollander offers an almost perfect mix of a dark ride and a water roller coaster, which was skillfully staged. The part in front of the lift hill is so atmospheric that you could almost skip the ending. But this one also does a good job, even if the finish could be wetter.

Baron 1898

On a highly atmospheric path, which also provides some nice insights into the roller coaster part of the water coaster, you can walk to this year’s novelty, the Dive Coaster Baron 1898. Even from far away, the appearance is convincing by its industrial charm and the framework structure, which carries the lift, as well as the first drop. The Rijksmijn winding tower transports the miners down into the shaft, where they are to mine as much gold as possible on behalf of Baron Hooghmoed. But the Witte Wieven, white women in Dutch folklore, who watch over the gold, want to prevent this. Gustave Hooghmoed doesn’t listen to the warning, so he urges the miners to climb into the mine. With a fearless “Glück Auf!” he says goodbye to his workers.

After boarding the train and lowering of the floor, the train starts moving towards the next room. In a musical way the Witte Wieven reappears. This time, it is not just a simple warning and they announce the sabotage of the descent, as pride comes before the fall. At a fast pace we climb the steep lift, which brings us to the starting height of 30m. Arrived at the top, a small section continues straight ahead whereupon we are pushed over the edge. Now we are held in this position for a few seconds until a bell rings and releases the train. From here we descend the vertical drop into a fog-flooded tunnel. The 37.5m difference in altitude produce a speed of about 90 km/h. At top speed we now enter the first inversion, an Immelmann with a relatively late rotation around its own axis. With a lot of power we pass through the following valley before we turn upside down in a Zero-G Roll. A short straight section later the train increases in height in a helix and immediately decreases in a small drop, whereby the transition takes place a little rough. After another hill we take a right turn, which releases us into the braking track. This is followed by the return to the station.

The exit from the station is via a gallery, which leads into a narrow corridor and, after a long staircase, releases the miner from the building. Funnily enough, an employee handed a CD with the Baron 1898 remix by DJ Hardwell as a personal souvenir. On the way back home the CD was heard almost continuously, although the connection to the Baron 1898 was not really clear. It’s just a nice song, which serves ideally as background music and an even nicer little gift from the amusement park.

The Baron 1898 is without exaggeration the best designed dive coaster in the world. Although it is only a compact version of this type of roller coaster, the ride in combination with the lush design and the worth seeing implementation of the storyline is a truly first-class roller coaster. The used baggage system, in connection with the tickets for the two shafts and the corresponding rows, works very well, so that from my point of view there is hardly any potential for improvement.

Piraña

One of the first major attractions of the amusement park is the Rapid River Piraña, opened in 1983, which was also the first of its kind in Europe. The ride in the round-boats along the concrete canal, which has some rapids and other elements, is good and can easily get you wet. There is also a possibility to get the passangers wet from the outside of the ride that can be used free of charge, but which can soak you with a bit of bad luck.

Spookslot

The Spookslot is one of the most famous and oldest attractions of the Efteling amusement park, although you should not expect a classic ghost train when you enter the haunted castle, although the outward appearance and the design of the queue make you expect a dark ride. Instead, you will find yourself in a larger room with several standing rows and watch a show worth seeing with countless mechanical figures.

Panda Droom

The ancient 3D film Panda Vision at the 4D cinema Panda Droom in the immediate vicinity is not quite as worth seeing. Anyhow, the special effects are rather special and should not be missed. In contrast to the many other venues in which this film was shown, the film was created especially for the Efteling in cooperation with the WWF, which is why animal welfare is far more important here through a preshow and further information options in the exit area.

Bob

In 1984 a truly new roller coaster concept from Intamin opened in the USA and, as so often the case, found its way to the Efteling a year later. The idea of a roller coaster with gondolas running free in a canal instead of on rails is not new since the flying turns of the 30’s, but the gondolas of the Swiss Bobsleigh pass through steep ascents and descents.

The ride in the Bobbaan, better known as Bob, begins on a straight out of the station. After a left turn you reach the lifthill, which brings you to a height of 20m. A steep left turn takes you downhill. The following valley is driven through with an absurd force, with the first change of direction taking place immediately. A swinging S-curve combination leads you up into the first block brake. Once again we descend in a steep left turn and get stoked by the high forces in the next valley. After a right turn, a left turn leads into the next block brake and also here the change of direction takes place in a powerful way. Also this block brake is left in the usual way. As we already have experienced before, the next valley is passed with a lot of momentum before a simple right helix leads us upwards. The car now crosses the last block brake and crashes towards the ground one last time, however this time in a right turn. A last change of direction, but not so brute, follows. After this turn the brakes follow and shortly after we reach the station.

Bob is a unique roller coaster, at least in Europe, although the American models now also have an exotic status. In comparison to the bobsleigh runs of the manufacturer Mack, which are better known in this country, the Swiss Bob can distinguish itself above all through its smooth running and the more adventurous course with its brilliant dynamics. The ride is simply fun and produces a permanent grin in my face which is why I always like getting on Bob again and again.

Fata Morgana

In a similar way I am very satisfied with the dark ride Fata Morgana, which convinces or better said overwhelms me with its oriental design. Although the ride was put into operation in 1986, it seems very modern and timeless with its human-like mechanical figures. The individual scenes are well equipped and very detailed, whereby the journey does not become boring even after several times. In addition, there is a continuous storyline with single moments of tension.

Aquanura

Every evening Aquanura, one of the biggest water shows in the world, takes place directly at the lake. It picks up the songs and rides that were experienced during the day and processes them with water, light and fire effects. During the day this is quite impressive, but at night it is definitely better.

Pictures Efteling

Conclusion Efteling

Efteling has always been a great amusement park, but it’s funny how often I forget about it, otherwise I would have visited the park more often. The park has so much to offer and with Baron 1898 and Aquanura even more, which is why I would like to call Efteling the best amusement park in Europe and not just because the park gave me the admission and a CD out of the blue. Despite the terrible weather, the park managed to entertain us very well, although our ride in the first row of Baron 1898 was by no means pleasant. With this year’s novelty everything has been done right, so I am looking forward to future projects from the park.

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TKathke October 14, 2015 May 1, 2023 Efteling