Kings Island announced on Friday that after 33 years, they would be closing the Arrow Looping coaster, Vortex . When the ride opened in 1987, it was a record breaker, being the tallest, fastest and holding on to a slew of other records. As a kid growing up around Kings Island, it was intimidating to say the least. It was the ultimate thrill test.
Now, it’s considered a “family ride” with a height requirement of just 48 inches, and nowhere near as big and tall by today’s standards. In 2020, King’s Island will open their newest thrill machine, Orion, which will be “themed” (as far as Kings Island themes things) to a training mission to escape the end of the world by star storm. That coaster will have a first drop of 447 feet, thats more than three times the first drop on Vortex.
While Kings Island hasn’t made any official plans for a replacement for Vortex, the park is following a similar plan to Firehawk and Orion. In 2018 it was announced that Firehawk would be closed, and in late 2019 Orion was announced. Now Vortex is closing, so we can likely expect to see something new pop up in the same spot in 2021. Will it be yet another coaster? Possibly, but don’t hold your breath. With a major coaster in 2020, it’s unlikely (though possible) that the park will roll out two huge coasters, back to back. Given the track record for the rest of the company, it’s not likely.
In the meantime, final rides will be happening on Vortex until the end of the season on October 27th.
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