Arms down. Head back. Hold on!
This ride, in some ways, is almost too much, but it does not escape description. Nor criticism. My very first ride was about 25 minutes after opening in the front seat. I left my glasses on and as soon as we took off I put my hands over the side of my head the entire ride in fear they would fly off.
The sustained acceleration is startling. The trip up the tower is almost lost since you are still overwhelmed by the speed. During that first ride I did not notice airtime at the top. The descent is a bit surprising but then it is over. My third ride ride was in the back seat early on my second day at the park. It was nowhere near as good as the front. However, my last ride of the night was around closing at 10 PM in the front seat, and in the dark it was really disorienting. This time I noticed massive airtime at the top of the hill, and it was very hazy at the crest of the tophat, which was pretty cool. I could not see or anticipate the descent, which made it even more exciting. The night ride was great.
That last ride aside, Kingda Ka gets a 9 from me. I could argue it down to an 8 very easily, but that late-night thrill pushes my overall opinion just enough. The lack of overall elements and sustained fun prevent me from going any higher. It seems like such a waste of speed and height to end in 28 seconds. In comparison, I have not been on Storm Runner in 2 years, but I remember it (albeit short itself) to have a higher get-off, get-on rideability.
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