Busch Gardens Tampa announced their 2014 addition: the long-rumored drop tower installation, called Falcon's Fury. It will stand 335 ft tall (making it the 6th tallest drop tower in the world, counting Zumanjaro going up in SFGAdv, and the 3rd tallest in America, also counting Zumanjaro). It is replacing Sandstorm and will open next Spring. I'm really excited for this installation!
Looking at the future, 2015 and beyond, one has to wonder what could possibly be the next coaster installation in the park. Rumors are actually spreading about the next coaster already. Unfortunately, however, these rumors seem to point to another coaster departing from the park.
Yes, if rumors are true, Gwazi will be getting removed in the coming years. At this point, Gwazi's maintenance budget has taken a huge toll, and the ride has been stripped to running only one side (Lion). It even got to the point where some of the trains have been dismantled and a bridge has been built over the old Tiger station last year. Very sad to see, but it's the truth.
So what could possibly replace Gwazi? While I am one of the few who like Gwazi, I think if they replaced it with a better coaster, I will be pleased! I've narrowed it down to three options: B&M Wing, B&M Giga, and RMC/Intamin Wooden.
B&M Wing
I think this is least likely, because I think a Wing Coaster will fit better in SeaWorld Orlando. Though it'd be cool to see a keyhole inversion over the Serengeti Express (with the "keyholes" themed as rockwork). Maybe the ride could be themed as some bird of prey, though it could be redundant with SheiKra being themed to a bird of prey. Then again, Gwazi has lions and tigers, and Cheetah Hunt has... cheetahs.
B&M Giga
There is one type of coaster Florida has been lacking for a long time: a coaster designed for nothing but AIRTIME. The only problem is space, but I suppose it could run through the service roads behind SheiKra. I think it'd look better in the Rhino Rally plot, interacting with Kumba (similar to Shambhala running through Dragon Khan, and Leviathan running through Dragon Fire) and running to Congo River Rapids and back. That or behind Jungala and running through Rapids and Kumba (interacting with it) and towards the employee lot by Kumba and back. I think it's possible for it to be a giga, because Busch has proven that they can go above 300 ft with Falcon's Fury. Also, Central Florida has a demanding theme park audience. A giga will bring in the money!
RMC/Intamin Woodie
This is my favorite choice! After riding El Toro last summer, I have fallen in love with Intamin Plug n' Plays! Also let's face it: the general Floridian view of wooden coasters isn't too spectacular (though I'm not sure about White Lightning at Fun Spot. I personally enjoyed it and other woodies). If an El Toro-type ride comes, this could change this less-than-stellar view. Florida needs a great and large wooden coaster!
I also think a Rocky Mountain coaster is possible. There has been a recent popularity in these rides, starting off with "Iron Horse" conversions, like New Texas Giant at SFOT (2011), Iron Rattler at SFFT (2013), and Medusa: Steel Coaster at SFMexico (2014), to full-on coaster installations, like Outlaw Run (SDC) (2013) and Goliath (SFGAm) (2014). I would also love to see one of these rides in Florida, and this can also fill in the airtime criteria!
Well, we'll see how this turns out! With Universal going all out with additions left and right, BGT is going to have to find some way to combat back!
Tuesday, September 24, 2013
Carowinds to Build a Giga for 2015?
It seems like for their next coaster, Carowinds will be going BIG!
http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2013/09/18/4323933/new-carowinds-ride-to-be-70-feet.html#.UjqthhC76tN
As for the giga, I think this is possible considering what Cedar Fair did at Canada's Wonderland when they added Leviathan in 2012. The park already had Behemoth as a hyper and I think this will be similar at Carowinds with Intimidator as a hyper. I have yet to ride Leviathan, but I think that ride is designed more as a "speed" coaster then airtime after airtime like Behemoth. I think this will be a similar case with Carowinds's Giga, either Intamin or B&M (most likely B&M).
Taking a nod from another recent Cedar Fair installation (Gatekeeper at Cedar Point), I also expect to see changes come to the North Gate, possibly involving the giga interacting with the entrance plaza like an airtime hill going right over the entrance (similar to Gatekeeper's two keyholes over CP's entrance).
Having been to the park once, I think a giga will definitely drag me back there (I loved the park in my visit too). Expect more news to come soon!
...though I hope I have time to post it! LOL
http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2013/09/18/4323933/new-carowinds-ride-to-be-70-feet.html#.UjqthhC76tN
Cedar Fair Entertainment, the parent company of Carowinds, plans to build a 300-foot-tall roller coaster – 70 feet taller than the park’s biggest attraction, the Intimidator – according to a closed-session transcript the Charlotte City Council released Wednesday.
The council and Mecklenburg County commissioners voted this week to give Cedar Fair $922,000 in incentives through rebates on property taxes over three years.
The incentives drew some criticism from council members, who said the projected number of new jobs from the park’s $43.5 million expansion would be too small. Carowinds expects to create 15 full-time jobs with an average salary of $43,000 and 270 seasonal jobs that would pay as much as $8.25 an hour.
Some also questioned whether Cedar Fair would expand with or without the incentives.
The closed-session discussion, held in June, gives additional insight into Cedar Fair’s plans and the city’s deliberations:
• At a news conference in August at the Charlotte Chamber announcing the expansion, Cedar Fair was vague about its plans, saying only that it would build new rides, improve restaurants and make other infrastructure improvements.
The city economic development office had given council members more details about plans for the park in June.
The new 300-foot roller coaster would cost $30 million. In addition, the park would spend $2.5 million on a new water slide, $7 million on a new food complex and $4 million on ticket booth and parking lot improvements, according to Peter Zeiler of the city.
• In the June closed session, only two of 11 council members voted against the project – Democrats Patsy Kinsey and Michael Barnes.
Barnes voted against the deal again Monday, but Kinsey has since been elevated to mayor. She did not veto the incentives Monday.
Her replacement, Democrat Billy Maddalon, voted no Monday, as did Democrats Claire Fallon and Patrick Cannon. Fallon and Cannon voted for the incentives in closed session.
“I just have a sense that when something like this comes through the Chamber or somebody else, I feel pressured for one thing, but secondly I just don’t know if the Chamber says, ‘Oh, well, you can go to the city and county to get some money,’ ” Kinsey said during the closed session.
• Carowinds also told the city that half of the 270 seasonal jobs likely would be filled by North Carolina residents and half by South Carolina residents.
The city estimates the expansion would generate an additional 20,000 hotel room nights, about 0.4 percent of the total Mecklenburg hotel market. The city doesn’t expect that to be large enough to drive any new hotel development. Carowinds told the city that about two-thirds of its current hotel stays are in North Carolina.
• When the city’s incentive, called a Business Investment Grant, expires after three years, the city expects the Carowinds additions to generate an additional $110,000 a year in new city property taxes.
• The city said in June that Sandusky, Ohio-based Cedar Fair was deciding whether to expand Carowinds or its King’s Dominion park in Virginia. Some council members were skeptical, saying they believed expansions were likely at both parks.
But city staff didn’t discuss in detail the park’s announcement in 2011 that it had bought 61 acres of vacant land next to Carowinds. That purchase suggests that a Carowinds expansion was a priority for Cedar Fair.
Read more here: http://www.charlotteobserver.com/201...#storylink=cpyAccording to the latest Screamscape report, the coaster is supposed to replace Xtreme Skyflier (which will be removed at the end of 2014) and will be located in the Thrill Zone section of the park:
2015/2016 - New Coaster - (9/23/13) Carowinds’ official revealed at a Q&A session this weekend that the park’s Skycoaster (Xtreme Skyflyer) would be removed at the end of the 2014 season. Since we know the new 300+ foot roller coaster coming in 2015 will also be placed entirely on the North Carolina side of the park, this makes sense as the most logical location for Carowinds to place the station and queue for the 2015 coaster.I think that is the perfect location for a coaster in Carowinds, as the North Carolina side is lacking in attractions compared to the South Carolina side (when I visited in 2011).
If it were me and we were looking at a long / narrow style coaster layout, I’d love to see the coaster run from here along the treeline down to the freeway and back.
As for the giga, I think this is possible considering what Cedar Fair did at Canada's Wonderland when they added Leviathan in 2012. The park already had Behemoth as a hyper and I think this will be similar at Carowinds with Intimidator as a hyper. I have yet to ride Leviathan, but I think that ride is designed more as a "speed" coaster then airtime after airtime like Behemoth. I think this will be a similar case with Carowinds's Giga, either Intamin or B&M (most likely B&M).
Taking a nod from another recent Cedar Fair installation (Gatekeeper at Cedar Point), I also expect to see changes come to the North Gate, possibly involving the giga interacting with the entrance plaza like an airtime hill going right over the entrance (similar to Gatekeeper's two keyholes over CP's entrance).
Having been to the park once, I think a giga will definitely drag me back there (I loved the park in my visit too). Expect more news to come soon!
...though I hope I have time to post it! LOL
I'm A Proud UCF Knight+My Dream Park
Hey everyone, once again I neglected the blog, over a YEAR. This is one of my most prized possessions and I shouldn't be neglecting it like this.
But with that said, as of now I am a Freshman in college (UCF - Go Knights!) going for the Civil Engineering degree, so it will be difficult to update my blog. However, I think I will make a commitment to try and post every month (at least three times).
I have also finally started designing my theme park that I will build in the future. South Florida has some quality places: South Beach, Miami, great shopping districts, other great beaches, great nighttime entertainment, etc. The only thing South Florida lacks is a quality theme park, the closest one(s) being three hours away in Tampa/Orlando. Now, I live in the Oviedo area now, but I would still love a theme park in South Florida, for that reason. And that is what I am designing now.
My park is apocalyptic-themed. No this won't be the occasional "zombie theme park" that some keep hearing (though it will have zombies). Some of this park will be inspired from Universal Orlando, Busch Gardens, and Europa Park (theming wise) and combined with high speed roller coaster thrills found in Cedar Point and other Cedar Fair parks, as well as Six Flags parks. There is a big division in the theme park universe: theming vs. thrills. I am intending this apocalyptic-themed park to combine BOTH aspects (theming AND thrills). Europa Park serves as a great example of this: they have an abundance of amazing coasters and they combine it with heavy theming and dark rides. This will be much more special then just a "zombie theme park."
This apocalyptic-themed park will have 7 sections: Hollywood, Rocky Mountains, New York, La Palma, Africa, Europe, and Asia. Some of my coasters will include an B&M Giga (themed to a meteor impact), a Rocky Mountain woodie (themed to the Big One - an earthquake that is supposed to devastate Los Angeles), a unique Intamin hyper coaster/dark ride combo combining I305 and Expedition Everest (themed to Yellowstone), an Intamin strata (themed to Cumbre Vieja and the megatsunami that will strike the eastern seaboard), and other coasters like a Premier Shuttle (like Superman Ultimate Flight in SFDK), B&M Dive Machine, dueling MACK LSMs, B&M Inverted (similar to Banshee in Kings Island), B&M Wing Coaster, as well as dark rides such as a Godzilla ride (like Indiana Jones in Disneyland), a shooter ride (like MIB in Universal), and a 3D thrill ride (similar to what has been seen on Spider-Man and Transformers). There will also be flat rides like a HUSS Giant Frisbee, a drop tower, and many more (yes, there will be water rides).
Of course, we gotta have stuff for the little kids too. While the park itself sounds scary being apocalyptic-themed, to cater to the families this park will need a kids area, as well as many family rides scattered throughout the park, like a spinning coaster from MACK, family dark rides, and small flats like the scrambler. It will be themed "apocalyptically" but at the same time cater to families of all ages. Additionally, this park would have a new resort hotel and shopping district
The name of the park may sound stupid at first, but thinking about it, it fits the theme of the park nicely:
APARKALYPSE
Basically, take "Apocalypse" and replace the "poc" with "park."
I even thought of a great location for the park at this point. South Florida still has plenty of space for a theme park, mainly in the area around I-75 and the Homestead extension of the turnpike. What I am looking at is the HUGE plot to the southwest corner of that intersection. No water retention, no land buyouts (as opposed to the northwest corner which I was originally looking at). Plus it will bring plenty of attraction to an otherwise poor looking area (as well as new jobs for South Floridians):
This plot is 2927.28 acres. It's big enough for not only a theme park, but plenty of new shopping districts and resorts (of course, keeping the apocalyptic theme). The only difficulty is traffic, and flow from the Florida Turnpike and I-75. A few adjustments, as well as the addition of a highway in the southern section of the plot, will do the trick.
Additionally, I said it will bring "plenty of attraction to an otherwise poor looking area." I was also talking about the areas in the southern section, around US 27 and NW 138th St. I think with the addition of a new apocalyptic-themed complex, this area will thrive into a new Intl Drive-like district (like what Walt Disney World did to International Drive).
Thus, I think the addition of a theme park in South Florida will not only be a great addition to an already thriving metropolitan area, but it will also bring in great benefits to this area as well. I will try posting ideas of Aparkalypse in the coming months. I have plenty of ideas already! :)
But with that said, as of now I am a Freshman in college (UCF - Go Knights!) going for the Civil Engineering degree, so it will be difficult to update my blog. However, I think I will make a commitment to try and post every month (at least three times).
I have also finally started designing my theme park that I will build in the future. South Florida has some quality places: South Beach, Miami, great shopping districts, other great beaches, great nighttime entertainment, etc. The only thing South Florida lacks is a quality theme park, the closest one(s) being three hours away in Tampa/Orlando. Now, I live in the Oviedo area now, but I would still love a theme park in South Florida, for that reason. And that is what I am designing now.
My park is apocalyptic-themed. No this won't be the occasional "zombie theme park" that some keep hearing (though it will have zombies). Some of this park will be inspired from Universal Orlando, Busch Gardens, and Europa Park (theming wise) and combined with high speed roller coaster thrills found in Cedar Point and other Cedar Fair parks, as well as Six Flags parks. There is a big division in the theme park universe: theming vs. thrills. I am intending this apocalyptic-themed park to combine BOTH aspects (theming AND thrills). Europa Park serves as a great example of this: they have an abundance of amazing coasters and they combine it with heavy theming and dark rides. This will be much more special then just a "zombie theme park."
This apocalyptic-themed park will have 7 sections: Hollywood, Rocky Mountains, New York, La Palma, Africa, Europe, and Asia. Some of my coasters will include an B&M Giga (themed to a meteor impact), a Rocky Mountain woodie (themed to the Big One - an earthquake that is supposed to devastate Los Angeles), a unique Intamin hyper coaster/dark ride combo combining I305 and Expedition Everest (themed to Yellowstone), an Intamin strata (themed to Cumbre Vieja and the megatsunami that will strike the eastern seaboard), and other coasters like a Premier Shuttle (like Superman Ultimate Flight in SFDK), B&M Dive Machine, dueling MACK LSMs, B&M Inverted (similar to Banshee in Kings Island), B&M Wing Coaster, as well as dark rides such as a Godzilla ride (like Indiana Jones in Disneyland), a shooter ride (like MIB in Universal), and a 3D thrill ride (similar to what has been seen on Spider-Man and Transformers). There will also be flat rides like a HUSS Giant Frisbee, a drop tower, and many more (yes, there will be water rides).
Of course, we gotta have stuff for the little kids too. While the park itself sounds scary being apocalyptic-themed, to cater to the families this park will need a kids area, as well as many family rides scattered throughout the park, like a spinning coaster from MACK, family dark rides, and small flats like the scrambler. It will be themed "apocalyptically" but at the same time cater to families of all ages. Additionally, this park would have a new resort hotel and shopping district
The name of the park may sound stupid at first, but thinking about it, it fits the theme of the park nicely:
APARKALYPSE
Basically, take "Apocalypse" and replace the "poc" with "park."
I even thought of a great location for the park at this point. South Florida still has plenty of space for a theme park, mainly in the area around I-75 and the Homestead extension of the turnpike. What I am looking at is the HUGE plot to the southwest corner of that intersection. No water retention, no land buyouts (as opposed to the northwest corner which I was originally looking at). Plus it will bring plenty of attraction to an otherwise poor looking area (as well as new jobs for South Floridians):
This plot is 2927.28 acres. It's big enough for not only a theme park, but plenty of new shopping districts and resorts (of course, keeping the apocalyptic theme). The only difficulty is traffic, and flow from the Florida Turnpike and I-75. A few adjustments, as well as the addition of a highway in the southern section of the plot, will do the trick.
Additionally, I said it will bring "plenty of attraction to an otherwise poor looking area." I was also talking about the areas in the southern section, around US 27 and NW 138th St. I think with the addition of a new apocalyptic-themed complex, this area will thrive into a new Intl Drive-like district (like what Walt Disney World did to International Drive).
Thus, I think the addition of a theme park in South Florida will not only be a great addition to an already thriving metropolitan area, but it will also bring in great benefits to this area as well. I will try posting ideas of Aparkalypse in the coming months. I have plenty of ideas already! :)
Tuesday, July 31, 2012
Silver Dollar City 2013
I have been following the construction of this wooden coaster in Silver Dollar City for a while... let me first tell you guys an interesting story.
It's of a new company on the scene... Rocky Mountain Construction, or RMC. This company is known for totally transforming Texas Giant in Six Flags Over Texas, with new steel railings, or topper track. Next year, they will transform Rattler in Six Flags Fiesta Texas and are building their first-ever wooden coaster from scratch... and this one has quite a bit of stuff worth looking into... and apparently there was a leak on this ride just yesterday. Oh, and rumors point to the name being "Outlaw."
For starters, the first drop looks incredibly mind-blowing (this is coming from MidwestInfoGuide's 6/27/2012 update):
Word has it, the first drop is 81 degrees. If what I rode at SFGAdv (El Toro with its 76 degree drop, different manufacturer but still) is ANY indication of how the ride's first drop will be... um... why on earth does this have to be more than 1000 miles from where I live (you know, Miami, all that stuff...)?
Apparently the speed on this thing is 68 mph, which puts it under El Toro as the second fastest wooden coaster on Earth (El Toro is at 70 mph). Voyage at Holiday World will come into third at 67 mph. Oh, what's this... El Toro's now the fastest woodie on Earth? Yes, the old record breaker (Son of Beast at 78 mph) is no more... Son of Beast was confirmed to be removed a few days ago... I'll get into that later.
Ha, funny about Son of Beast... that ride experience also had a record-breaking vertical loop... Outlaw, however, is rumored to have a double barrel roll, making this the first wooden coaster to have a "roll" inversion. The double barrel roll came from the leak, but another element of uniqueness caught my attention (first pic from Screamscape today. Second pic from chadster on Facebook (found this on ThemeParkReview) way back on July 8th):
Initially I thought this was going to be a zero-g-roll... but it looks more like an insane Stengel dive (which is also a world's first on a woodie)... that one element is really insane-looking! I'm really in love with Stengel dives, especially the ones on Maverick and Skyrush.
All this will be done on stagecoach-themed cars, with lap bars! And we don't have to wait too much longer either... the announcement will come on August 9th, just 9 days from now!
You can find more pics on Screamscape, ThemeParkReview, and MidwestInfoGuide.
It's of a new company on the scene... Rocky Mountain Construction, or RMC. This company is known for totally transforming Texas Giant in Six Flags Over Texas, with new steel railings, or topper track. Next year, they will transform Rattler in Six Flags Fiesta Texas and are building their first-ever wooden coaster from scratch... and this one has quite a bit of stuff worth looking into... and apparently there was a leak on this ride just yesterday. Oh, and rumors point to the name being "Outlaw."
For starters, the first drop looks incredibly mind-blowing (this is coming from MidwestInfoGuide's 6/27/2012 update):
Word has it, the first drop is 81 degrees. If what I rode at SFGAdv (El Toro with its 76 degree drop, different manufacturer but still) is ANY indication of how the ride's first drop will be... um... why on earth does this have to be more than 1000 miles from where I live (you know, Miami, all that stuff...)?
Apparently the speed on this thing is 68 mph, which puts it under El Toro as the second fastest wooden coaster on Earth (El Toro is at 70 mph). Voyage at Holiday World will come into third at 67 mph. Oh, what's this... El Toro's now the fastest woodie on Earth? Yes, the old record breaker (Son of Beast at 78 mph) is no more... Son of Beast was confirmed to be removed a few days ago... I'll get into that later.
Ha, funny about Son of Beast... that ride experience also had a record-breaking vertical loop... Outlaw, however, is rumored to have a double barrel roll, making this the first wooden coaster to have a "roll" inversion. The double barrel roll came from the leak, but another element of uniqueness caught my attention (first pic from Screamscape today. Second pic from chadster on Facebook (found this on ThemeParkReview) way back on July 8th):
Initially I thought this was going to be a zero-g-roll... but it looks more like an insane Stengel dive (which is also a world's first on a woodie)... that one element is really insane-looking! I'm really in love with Stengel dives, especially the ones on Maverick and Skyrush.
All this will be done on stagecoach-themed cars, with lap bars! And we don't have to wait too much longer either... the announcement will come on August 9th, just 9 days from now!
You can find more pics on Screamscape, ThemeParkReview, and MidwestInfoGuide.
Disaster Transport is Dead and More 2013 Rumors
Two days ago, Disaster Transport at Cedar Point gave its last rider. As of yesterday the attraction is no more (and good riddance to that). Demolition is expected to begin Thursday (apparently).
More rumors are spreading on the theme of the coaster (possibly a mythological beast theme) and the name either Lotan or Gate Keeper:
That said, if it's called "Lotan," will this Wing Coaster possibly have 7 inversions? After all, the mythical Lotan has 7 heads. Could this be the equivalent of the number of inversions this ride might possibly have?
We shall see... I think this next month should be pretty interesting to say the least!
More rumors are spreading on the theme of the coaster (possibly a mythological beast theme) and the name either Lotan or Gate Keeper:
2013 - Wing Coaster - Semi-Confirmed - (7/27/12) While the dragon / serpent / monster themes keep building up steam, we got another email this week backing up the Gate Keeper name once again. I suppose they could work together… but somehow I think the park will sell more T-Shirts and merchase with a beast themed logo like Behemoth, Leviathan or Hydra than they will with Gate Keeper. (Unless they sell a shirt for your significant other to wear that says Key Master…)I actually like the name "Gate Keeper." It makes sense (since, it's going through the park entrance), but also I think the name just sounds so cool! When I think of "Gate Keeper," I think of a Gothic-type of beast/dragon that guards the entrance to a castle or something else. "Lotan" is a great name too! I also wouldn't mind if they reused the Leviathan name (though I'd prefer Gate Keeper or Lotan).
(7/26/12) Some interesting digging about another possible name for the 2013 Cedar Point coaster has come from CoasterFusion this week. They believe it could be named Lotan, named after a mythical 7-headed sea serpent / dragon beast that is the representation of floods, oceans and winter.
(7/25/12) The latest buzz from The Point seems to indicate that Sandusky could become home to a cousin of Canada’s Leviathan. I can only hope that this dragon will also demand his own cave lair and other fun environmental stuff to fly through. The dragon rumor has also been confirmed by our friends at CoasterFusion as well as some comments on the possible color of the coaster track being green… but with the sighting of the blue wing image on DT being so similar to the colors used on Leviathan, I’m hoping for another blue / cyan combo paint job myself.
That said, if it's called "Lotan," will this Wing Coaster possibly have 7 inversions? After all, the mythical Lotan has 7 heads. Could this be the equivalent of the number of inversions this ride might possibly have?
We shall see... I think this next month should be pretty interesting to say the least!
Tuesday, July 17, 2012
I'm Back From Another Amazing Trip...
Last year, I visited 3 parks (Carowinds, Kings Dominion, and Cedar Point)... this year I visited 5 PARKS (BGT, Kings Dominion, Hersheypark, Cedar Point, and Six Flags Great Adventure)... and yeah, pretty chill... or should I say SUPER AWESOME COMBO!
I've probably ridden around 50 coasters in this trip, including Hersheypark's newest addition, Skyrush (which on the wings is just a whip of an experience! I really loved it)! These last 4 weeks rocked (I came back Wednesday July 11th, and the trip started on June 16th)! Visited BGT on June 17th, Kings Dominion on June 20th, Hersheypark on June 22nd, Cedar Point on June 26th, and Six Flags Great Adventure on June 30th. I visited Hershey again on July 9th (just last Monday).
So for my ride lists:
BUSCH GARDENS TAMPA (6/17/2012)
Here we have just spent it as a normal BGT day, except we didn't go south... but north...:
1. Gwazi (Lion) - GCI Wooden Coaster (dueling)
2. Gwazi (Tiger) - GCI Wooden Coaster (dueling)
3. SheiKra - B&M Dive Machine
4. Tanganyika Tidal Wave (2x) - Intamin Shoot-the-Chutes
5. SheiKra (2nd time) - B&M Dive Machine
6. Kumba (2x) - B&M Sit-Down Coaster
7. Ubanga Banga Bumper Cars - Bumper cars ride
8. Skyride - Vonroll Sky ride
9. Cheetah Hunt - Intamin LSM Blitz
10. Montu - B&M Inverted Coaster
11. Phoenix - Intamin swinging ship ride
12. SheiKra (2x) - B&M Dive Machine
KINGS DOMINION (6/20/2012)
Last time we were here was last year. This year, we rode Eiffel Tower (so I now know how an observation tower in a park is, as this is my first one), we dug further into the water park (Pipeline Peak), and completed the ride collection credits with Crypt and the two water rides (Shenandoah Lumber Company and White Water Landing). We also knew what not to waste our time on (Anaconda) from last time. We also rode their WindSeeker (which opened this year):
1. Eiffel Tower - Observation tower
2. Intimidator 305 - Intamin Giga Coaster
3. Volcano - Intamin LSM Inverted
4. Crypt - HUSS Top Spin
5. Intimidator 305 (2nd time) - Intamin Giga Coaster
6. Scrambler - Scrambler ride
7. Baja Bends - Water slide combo
8. Pipeline Peak - Tubed/non-tubed water slide combo
9. Tornado - ProSlide Tornado
10. Triple Spin - Orbitron ride
11. Shockwave - TOGO Stand-Up Coaster
12. Drop Tower - Intamin Gyro Drop
13. WindSeeker - Mondial Wind Seeker
14. Hurler - Intl Coasters Wooden Coaster
15. Grizzly - TAG Wooden Coaster
16. Shenandoah Lumber Company - Log flume
17. White Water Landing - River rapids
18. Rebel Yell - PTC Wooden Coaster (back row just pushed this ride up from a 2-Star, to a high 2-Star! Just insane)
19. Dominator - B&M Floorless Coaster
20. Volcano (2nd time) - Intamin LSM Inverted
21. Crypt (2nd time) - HUSS Top Spin
22. Flight of Fear - Premier Indoor Poltergiest layout
23. Intimidator 305 (3rd time) - Intamin Giga Coaster
HERSHEYPARK (6/22/2012)
Huzzah! New park, new credits (very nice park BTW)! However, that day, it was raining around the area, and we ended up not doing everything we wanted, so we got an "after-sunset pass" and came back July 9th (towards the end of the trip) after 5:00 pm. This was a good day though. Skyrush was a great ride that day, but the restraints weren't changed (yes, they added more padding later) so it was kind of bad for the legs. After two rides, the restraints became too much to bear, and we ended up saying "no third Skyrush ride." But the airtime, speed, and whipping rocked (especially when you get the winged seats)! Next time however (July 9)... well, you'll see. After our second Skyrush ride, it ended up raining, so we watched "Rock the Jukebox" in Chevrolet Music Theater. Then we rode Fahrenheit, and it was great! It was forceful, and even had some nice airtime in the middle! Afterwards, the water park (which became my favorite water park at this point). Awesome slides, and Tidal Force won the award for "Through My Eyes' Best Water Ride). TF guarantees you get soaked with a giant splash which rains down on you after the splashdown. Then it rained, and everything was down for the rest of the day (well, other than the Music Express, a few others, and the Hershey Factory Tour). =( I liked the place though. Definitely a recommended place:
1. Skyrush - Intamin Winged Hyper Coaster
2. Sooperdooperlooper - Schwarzkopf Looping Coaster
3. Great Bear - B&M Inverted Coaster
4. Skyrush (2nd time) - Intamin Winged Hyper Coaster
5. Chevrolet Music Theater (Rock the Jukebox) - Musical
6. Fahrenheit (2x) - Intamin Vertical Lift
7. Vortex - Proslide Bowl
8. Whirlwind - Proslide Tornado
9. Tidal Force (2x) - Shoot-the-Chutes (AWESOME RIDE!!)
10. Hershey Chocolate World - Dark ride (outside the park)
CEDAR POINT (6/26/2012)
Here, we focused the day on riding our favorite coasters (Top Thrill Dragster, Millennium Force, Maverick, Magnum, etc). Also finally rode MaxAir (OMG, this ride kicked butt), Skyhawk (kicked butt too, but not as much as MaxAir!), and Power Tower (great drop tower combo). Also, like in KD, we avoided the crap rides (like Disaster Transport, though I did visit the area to take pics of new markings for the 2013 coaster)! However, some rides we just forgot or just didn't have time (like Blue Streak. =( I liked it last time). Maverick was down for a while, but went back up. Amazing as usual. Couldn't ride TTD at the end of the day, but this is the first time during the day! =) So we wrapped it up with Millennium Force (just as great!). Also got a new credit (Mine ride):
1. Raptor - B&M Inverted Coaster
2. MaxAir - HUSS Giant Frisbee
3. Troika - Troika ride
4. Wicked Twister - Intamin LSM Impulse
5. WindSeeker - Mondial Wind Seeker
6. Mantis - B&M Stand-Up Coaster
7. Top Thrill Dragster - Intamin Accelerator (Strata)
8. Millennium Force - Intamin Giga Coaster
9. Maverick - Intamin LSM Blitz
10. Mean Streak - Dinn Wooden Coaster
11. Cedar Creek Mine Ride - Arrow Mine Train
12. Skyhawk - S&S Screamin' Swing
13. Gemini - Arrow Hybrid Coaster
14. Magnum - Arrow Hyper Coaster
15. Power Tower - S&S Combo Drop Tower
16. MaxAir (2nd time) - HUSS Giant Frisbee
17. Millennium Force (2nd time) - Intamin Giga Coaster
SIX FLAGS GREAT ADVENTURE (6/30/2012)
So we were in New York City, and we went to another new park, filled with more new credits! Their best coasters, however, blow me away (Kingda Ka, El Toro, and Nitro)! Kingda Ka was short, but that launch packs a great punch! It was just super (probably, dare I say this, my favorite coaster. Smooth, forceful, insane speed and height. Could be longer but... the launch just makes it)! El Toro is a wooden coaster, but here's a twist! It's really smooth and packs an awesome punch (and AIRTIME)! I love my rough woodies, but El Toro just devoured every wooden coaster I've been on! Intamin Plug n' Play, come to Florida!! BGT I'm looking at you (big Timbuktu refurbishment maybe squeezing in one of these, destroying Rhino Rally even more (and relocate Phoenix and Scorpion)? YES PLEASE!)! Nitro = amazing Hypercoaster w/ AMAZING AIRTIME! Overall, great park. Also, in this SF park trip, we've been on 19 rides (counting re-rides), the most we've done at any Six Flags park! SFMM was 9 rides (counting re-rides) and SFOG was 4 rides (lines were awful there, but it was after BOA so...). SFGAdv = Epic win. Only issue is the water rides... the log flume was okay... the river rapids was just awful and stupid! I didn't get wet that much... probably least favorite in this park. If you're looking to waste your time, ride Congo Rapids! XP :
1. Kingda Ka - Intamin Accelerator (Strata)
2. El Toro - Intamin Plug n' Play Wooden Coaster
3. Rolling Thunder - Rosser/Cobb Wooden Coaster (lame ride...)
4. Kingda Ka (2x) - Intamin Accelerator (Strata)
5. Skyride - Vonroll Sky Ride
6. Congo Rapids - River rapids ride (WORST RIVER RAPIDS EVER!)
7. Nitro - B&M Hypercoaster
8. Batman: The Ride - B&M Inverted Coaster
9. Dark Knight - MACK Wild Mouse (indoors)
10. Skull Mountain - Intamin Custom (indoors)
11. Blackbeard's Lost Treasure Train - Zierer Kiddie Coaster
12. Saw Mill Log Flume - Log flume ride
13. Bizarro - B&M Floorless Coaster
14. Superman: Ultimate Flight - B&M Flying Coaster
15. Green Lantern - B&M Stand-Up Coaster (formerly Chang at Kentucky Kingdom. This is a nice ride!)
16. Nitro (2nd time) - B&M Hypercoaster
17. El Toro (2nd time) - Intamin Plug n' Play Wooden Coaster
18. Kingda Ka (4th time) - Intamin Accelerator (Strata)
HERSHEYPARK (7/9/2012)
So, here we had unfinished business. We accomplished a lot more that day! We first rode the ones we didn't ride. Also, Skyrush's new restraints (while they could still work on it a little) were much better. Afterwards, Skyrush took the throne as Hershey's best, as it should have (...so for the final phase of destroying Rhino Rally, we should tear out the whole ride for a version of Skyrush, but taller. Also, for a WindSeeker and a dark ride, all in a new area of BGT...):
1. Storm Runner - Intamin Accelerator
2. Sidewinder - Vekoma Boomerang
3. Tidal Force - Shoot-the-Chutes
4. Coastline Plunge - Water slide combo (w/ Vortex and Whirlwind)
Riptide - Water slide
Vortex - Proslide Bowl
Surge - Water slide
Whirlwind - Proslide Tornado
5. Wildcat - GCI Wooden Coaster
6. Lightning Racer (Thunder) - GCI Wooden Coaster (dueling) (Lightning won)
7. Lightning Racer (Lightning) - GCI Wooden Coaster (dueling) (Lightning won! Haha!)
8. Fahrenheit - Intamin Vertical Lift
9. Skyrush - Intamin Winged Hyper Coaster
Overall, GREAT TRIP! Go to these parks, they are wonderful! =)
I've probably ridden around 50 coasters in this trip, including Hersheypark's newest addition, Skyrush (which on the wings is just a whip of an experience! I really loved it)! These last 4 weeks rocked (I came back Wednesday July 11th, and the trip started on June 16th)! Visited BGT on June 17th, Kings Dominion on June 20th, Hersheypark on June 22nd, Cedar Point on June 26th, and Six Flags Great Adventure on June 30th. I visited Hershey again on July 9th (just last Monday).
So for my ride lists:
BUSCH GARDENS TAMPA (6/17/2012)
Here we have just spent it as a normal BGT day, except we didn't go south... but north...:
1. Gwazi (Lion) - GCI Wooden Coaster (dueling)
2. Gwazi (Tiger) - GCI Wooden Coaster (dueling)
3. SheiKra - B&M Dive Machine
4. Tanganyika Tidal Wave (2x) - Intamin Shoot-the-Chutes
5. SheiKra (2nd time) - B&M Dive Machine
6. Kumba (2x) - B&M Sit-Down Coaster
7. Ubanga Banga Bumper Cars - Bumper cars ride
8. Skyride - Vonroll Sky ride
9. Cheetah Hunt - Intamin LSM Blitz
10. Montu - B&M Inverted Coaster
11. Phoenix - Intamin swinging ship ride
12. SheiKra (2x) - B&M Dive Machine
KINGS DOMINION (6/20/2012)
Last time we were here was last year. This year, we rode Eiffel Tower (so I now know how an observation tower in a park is, as this is my first one), we dug further into the water park (Pipeline Peak), and completed the ride collection credits with Crypt and the two water rides (Shenandoah Lumber Company and White Water Landing). We also knew what not to waste our time on (Anaconda) from last time. We also rode their WindSeeker (which opened this year):
1. Eiffel Tower - Observation tower
2. Intimidator 305 - Intamin Giga Coaster
3. Volcano - Intamin LSM Inverted
4. Crypt - HUSS Top Spin
5. Intimidator 305 (2nd time) - Intamin Giga Coaster
6. Scrambler - Scrambler ride
7. Baja Bends - Water slide combo
8. Pipeline Peak - Tubed/non-tubed water slide combo
9. Tornado - ProSlide Tornado
10. Triple Spin - Orbitron ride
11. Shockwave - TOGO Stand-Up Coaster
12. Drop Tower - Intamin Gyro Drop
13. WindSeeker - Mondial Wind Seeker
14. Hurler - Intl Coasters Wooden Coaster
15. Grizzly - TAG Wooden Coaster
16. Shenandoah Lumber Company - Log flume
17. White Water Landing - River rapids
18. Rebel Yell - PTC Wooden Coaster (back row just pushed this ride up from a 2-Star, to a high 2-Star! Just insane)
19. Dominator - B&M Floorless Coaster
20. Volcano (2nd time) - Intamin LSM Inverted
21. Crypt (2nd time) - HUSS Top Spin
22. Flight of Fear - Premier Indoor Poltergiest layout
23. Intimidator 305 (3rd time) - Intamin Giga Coaster
HERSHEYPARK (6/22/2012)
Huzzah! New park, new credits (very nice park BTW)! However, that day, it was raining around the area, and we ended up not doing everything we wanted, so we got an "after-sunset pass" and came back July 9th (towards the end of the trip) after 5:00 pm. This was a good day though. Skyrush was a great ride that day, but the restraints weren't changed (yes, they added more padding later) so it was kind of bad for the legs. After two rides, the restraints became too much to bear, and we ended up saying "no third Skyrush ride." But the airtime, speed, and whipping rocked (especially when you get the winged seats)! Next time however (July 9)... well, you'll see. After our second Skyrush ride, it ended up raining, so we watched "Rock the Jukebox" in Chevrolet Music Theater. Then we rode Fahrenheit, and it was great! It was forceful, and even had some nice airtime in the middle! Afterwards, the water park (which became my favorite water park at this point). Awesome slides, and Tidal Force won the award for "Through My Eyes' Best Water Ride). TF guarantees you get soaked with a giant splash which rains down on you after the splashdown. Then it rained, and everything was down for the rest of the day (well, other than the Music Express, a few others, and the Hershey Factory Tour). =( I liked the place though. Definitely a recommended place:
1. Skyrush - Intamin Winged Hyper Coaster
2. Sooperdooperlooper - Schwarzkopf Looping Coaster
3. Great Bear - B&M Inverted Coaster
4. Skyrush (2nd time) - Intamin Winged Hyper Coaster
5. Chevrolet Music Theater (Rock the Jukebox) - Musical
6. Fahrenheit (2x) - Intamin Vertical Lift
7. Vortex - Proslide Bowl
8. Whirlwind - Proslide Tornado
9. Tidal Force (2x) - Shoot-the-Chutes (AWESOME RIDE!!)
10. Hershey Chocolate World - Dark ride (outside the park)
CEDAR POINT (6/26/2012)
Here, we focused the day on riding our favorite coasters (Top Thrill Dragster, Millennium Force, Maverick, Magnum, etc). Also finally rode MaxAir (OMG, this ride kicked butt), Skyhawk (kicked butt too, but not as much as MaxAir!), and Power Tower (great drop tower combo). Also, like in KD, we avoided the crap rides (like Disaster Transport, though I did visit the area to take pics of new markings for the 2013 coaster)! However, some rides we just forgot or just didn't have time (like Blue Streak. =( I liked it last time). Maverick was down for a while, but went back up. Amazing as usual. Couldn't ride TTD at the end of the day, but this is the first time during the day! =) So we wrapped it up with Millennium Force (just as great!). Also got a new credit (Mine ride):
1. Raptor - B&M Inverted Coaster
2. MaxAir - HUSS Giant Frisbee
3. Troika - Troika ride
4. Wicked Twister - Intamin LSM Impulse
5. WindSeeker - Mondial Wind Seeker
6. Mantis - B&M Stand-Up Coaster
7. Top Thrill Dragster - Intamin Accelerator (Strata)
8. Millennium Force - Intamin Giga Coaster
9. Maverick - Intamin LSM Blitz
10. Mean Streak - Dinn Wooden Coaster
11. Cedar Creek Mine Ride - Arrow Mine Train
12. Skyhawk - S&S Screamin' Swing
13. Gemini - Arrow Hybrid Coaster
14. Magnum - Arrow Hyper Coaster
15. Power Tower - S&S Combo Drop Tower
16. MaxAir (2nd time) - HUSS Giant Frisbee
17. Millennium Force (2nd time) - Intamin Giga Coaster
SIX FLAGS GREAT ADVENTURE (6/30/2012)
So we were in New York City, and we went to another new park, filled with more new credits! Their best coasters, however, blow me away (Kingda Ka, El Toro, and Nitro)! Kingda Ka was short, but that launch packs a great punch! It was just super (probably, dare I say this, my favorite coaster. Smooth, forceful, insane speed and height. Could be longer but... the launch just makes it)! El Toro is a wooden coaster, but here's a twist! It's really smooth and packs an awesome punch (and AIRTIME)! I love my rough woodies, but El Toro just devoured every wooden coaster I've been on! Intamin Plug n' Play, come to Florida!! BGT I'm looking at you (big Timbuktu refurbishment maybe squeezing in one of these, destroying Rhino Rally even more (and relocate Phoenix and Scorpion)? YES PLEASE!)! Nitro = amazing Hypercoaster w/ AMAZING AIRTIME! Overall, great park. Also, in this SF park trip, we've been on 19 rides (counting re-rides), the most we've done at any Six Flags park! SFMM was 9 rides (counting re-rides) and SFOG was 4 rides (lines were awful there, but it was after BOA so...). SFGAdv = Epic win. Only issue is the water rides... the log flume was okay... the river rapids was just awful and stupid! I didn't get wet that much... probably least favorite in this park. If you're looking to waste your time, ride Congo Rapids! XP :
1. Kingda Ka - Intamin Accelerator (Strata)
2. El Toro - Intamin Plug n' Play Wooden Coaster
3. Rolling Thunder - Rosser/Cobb Wooden Coaster (lame ride...)
4. Kingda Ka (2x) - Intamin Accelerator (Strata)
5. Skyride - Vonroll Sky Ride
6. Congo Rapids - River rapids ride (WORST RIVER RAPIDS EVER!)
7. Nitro - B&M Hypercoaster
8. Batman: The Ride - B&M Inverted Coaster
9. Dark Knight - MACK Wild Mouse (indoors)
10. Skull Mountain - Intamin Custom (indoors)
11. Blackbeard's Lost Treasure Train - Zierer Kiddie Coaster
12. Saw Mill Log Flume - Log flume ride
13. Bizarro - B&M Floorless Coaster
14. Superman: Ultimate Flight - B&M Flying Coaster
15. Green Lantern - B&M Stand-Up Coaster (formerly Chang at Kentucky Kingdom. This is a nice ride!)
16. Nitro (2nd time) - B&M Hypercoaster
17. El Toro (2nd time) - Intamin Plug n' Play Wooden Coaster
18. Kingda Ka (4th time) - Intamin Accelerator (Strata)
HERSHEYPARK (7/9/2012)
So, here we had unfinished business. We accomplished a lot more that day! We first rode the ones we didn't ride. Also, Skyrush's new restraints (while they could still work on it a little) were much better. Afterwards, Skyrush took the throne as Hershey's best, as it should have (...so for the final phase of destroying Rhino Rally, we should tear out the whole ride for a version of Skyrush, but taller. Also, for a WindSeeker and a dark ride, all in a new area of BGT...):
1. Storm Runner - Intamin Accelerator
2. Sidewinder - Vekoma Boomerang
3. Tidal Force - Shoot-the-Chutes
4. Coastline Plunge - Water slide combo (w/ Vortex and Whirlwind)
Riptide - Water slide
Vortex - Proslide Bowl
Surge - Water slide
Whirlwind - Proslide Tornado
5. Wildcat - GCI Wooden Coaster
6. Lightning Racer (Thunder) - GCI Wooden Coaster (dueling) (Lightning won)
7. Lightning Racer (Lightning) - GCI Wooden Coaster (dueling) (Lightning won! Haha!)
8. Fahrenheit - Intamin Vertical Lift
9. Skyrush - Intamin Winged Hyper Coaster
Overall, GREAT TRIP! Go to these parks, they are wonderful! =)
KD's Next Coaster: When, where, and what?
We're in the middle of 2012, and Kings Dominion, while they are not overdue just yet, will soon be due for a new coaster. 2013 is rumored to be a Planet Snoopy expansion, while Volcano's station may get a redo, so it looks like no coaster next year (which is fine for now). However in 2014, it will be 4 years since Intimidator 305 opened (dang, that moved fast!). So this leaves the question: will KD open their next coaster in 2014 or possibly even a year later? It certainly seems possible for a 2014 coaster to be built, but probably no later than 2015.
Where will it go? Apparently reports have Shockwave being removed by the end of the season (from this morning):
Park News - (7/17/12) According to a post at CoasterCrewNetwork , the time may have come to remove Shockwave . To be honest, I’m surprised this Togo Stand-Up coaster has lasted this long as it’s sister ride (King Cobra) at Kings Island was removed years ago. If true, the only remaining Togo Stand-Up coaster in North America would be the SkyRider at Canada’s Wonderland which will likely find itself on the chopping block before too long as well.
The Dippin Dots guy told me today that Shockwave is on its way out the door. Now this is not throw some of my normal channles so I don't know if its true or not.Later in the day, however, reports show Shockwave staying. Actually, IMO, removing Shockwave (despite the lack of lines) is a stupid idea, especially if they were putting up a new coaster (and I actually enjoy this ride. Unlike other stand-ups, this has awesome airtime. It also has great forces. If you ask me, take out Anaconda). Last season, the park repainted the ride (green and blue) and removing it so soon would mean all that money for the repaint would go to waste. Also, this ride doesn't take up the biggest space in the park... maybe an Intamin Impulse or something like Superman: Ultimate Flight (in SFDK) can fit good (though that can still be cool)... but I think the maximum that can fit in the area is probably a GCI Wooden Coaster (involving the end of Flying Ace and Snoopy's Splash Dance). Then again, SFGAm surprised me by plopping a Wing Coaster (X-Flight) in the old Splashwater Falls plot, so maybe this can happen here to. Still, I'd rather see Anaconda bite the dust, way before Shockwave.
However, let's evaluate the sections of the park. Congo has the most coasters in the park (Intimidator 305, Flight of Fear, Volcano, Backlot Stunt Coaster, and Anaconda) so no need for a coaster in that section (if they take out Anaconda, though, that will open up a large plot. Maybe a Wing or Flying Coaster that interacts with the lake). Maybe Old Virginia, possibly squeezing a coaster by White Water Canyon, and having it sneakily travel behind Dinosaurs ALIVE, Grizzly, and Hurler, and go back through the old Hypersonic lot. Or the Grove, where they can plot one taking over the rest of the old Hypersonic lot and the plot behind Hurler (of course, keeping the trees).
Another possibility is relocating the part of the water park before Rebel Yell with the rest of the water park (possibly an entrance by Hurler and Ricochet). That would open up a decent plot of land, and an even bigger plot would open if Anaconda gets torn out. However, I'd rather they not knock down Anaconda for a coaster there, as much as I dislike Anaconda. I'd want to see something else take Anaconda's space, possibly interacting with the lake.
What will it be? My gut tells me they want a "big" coaster again, so it can be a few possibilities. An Intamin Blitz can do wonders. I think a B&M would be perfect though, as there is only one (Dominator). A Wing Coaster would be an awesome addition, a Flying Coaster (though I think they should save one for Anaconda's replacement), or even a Hypercoaster (traveling from White Water Canyon to the back of Grizzly and Hurler). The difference with Canada's Wonderland installing Leviathan while they have Behemoth is that one has mostly airtime (Behemoth, just airtime hills) and the other has mostly speed (Leviathan, speed curves). I305 has mostly speed (mostly speed curves with airtime hills) and this hyper can have mostly airtime (just airtime hills). Though I think a Wing Coaster has a huge possibility (let's see how Cedar Point's 2013 Wing Coaster will go)!
I'm sure wherever the next coaster will go, the park will make as much necessary space as possible. Look at what Six Flags Great America did! They squeezed in a Wing Coaster in a plot that was home to a small shoot-the-chutes ride, and it still looks to pack a punch!
For now, we shall wait and see what happens next year... But 2014 should be an interesting year!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
