Wednesday, February 27, 2019

Copperhead Strike Comes to Life at Carowinds + Be a First Rider


© Carowinds
Full scale testing of Carowinds' new double launch roller coaster, Copperhead Strike, has started at the park.

Ahead of the theme park's season opening on March 23rd, the coaster has begun the first of many test runs.  Happily for us, Carowinds' was quick to share both on-ride and off-ride footage of the experience, up through the ride's second launch.

Check it out:

Looks like a blast!  Copperhead Strike features an initial launch, which can be seen in this video, that will send the trains from zero to 42 miles per hour in 2.5 seconds.  Riders then encounter a vertical loop, followed by a great looking air-time hill.  The twisted course then takes over, with trains maneuvering through a tangle of track.  When the ride is finished, passengers will have made it through a total of 5 inversions spread over 3,255 feet of track.

© Carowinds
© Carowinds
This video also gives us a peek at the ride's launch house, which is filled with theming that compliments the storyline of the ride.  These images, from the video, show a ton of theming that is already in place, though things don't look totally complete at this point.  I love that Carowinds has created such a full backstory for the ride, and I can't wait to see all that takes place in this building just before the first launch!

If you're excited and want to be one of the first to ride Copperhead Strike, Carowinds is auctioning off the first three trains of riders to benefit Make-A-Wish Central and Western North Carolina.  The event will take place on March 21st, a couple days before the park opens for the season.  Bids can be made for a pair of seats at a time, and the highest bidder will get one of the first rides on the coaster!  To make your bid and learn more about the auction, click here.

© Carowinds
Finally, the park just shared a really neat aerial fly-over of Copperhead Strike.  Check out the video here!


Monday, February 25, 2019

New Dining Options + Signature Festival Opening at Cedar Point in 2019



Cedar Point already announced their largest addition for 2019, Forbidden Frontier, some months ago, but has revealed even more being added to the park this year.

The announcements coincide with the park's annual Winter Chill Out event, an off-season tour of the park for fans that benefits A Kid Again.  Each year the event raises tens of thousands of dollars for the organization, $60k this year alone, and the park usually offers some announcements to go with the backstage goodies.

New in 2019 is the park's signature special event, the Frontier Festival, which replaces and builds on the former Brew & BBQ event.  The "immersive Old West, sunflower-inspired street festival with local artisans, kids’ crafts and games, continuous live entertainment and wild food and drink to sample and savor" will run June 7th through June 30th from 4 pm to 10 pm.

The Frontier Festival's live entertainment includes the Bluegrass Jamboree and local bands on the Gossip Gulch Stage - plus line and square dancing lessons will be available at the Hubbub Hoedown.  Visitors can purchase tasting cards to try items such as "two-meat barbeque, baked beans, bison chili, pulled pork sliders, fire roasted chicken drums, smoked wings, toasted sunflower vinegar slaw, smoked brisket, wild strawberry shortcake, peaches & cream and more."

On top of the entertainment and tasty eats, there will be activities such as "the Flower Patch – an opportunity for kids to choose their own flower and decorate their own flowerpot; the Junkyard Jamboree – where guests can make their own music on antique metal items; and the daily Balloon Stampede – where kids can stomp on balloons for prizes."

Cedar Point also announced two major changes to the park's dining operations.  Those who participated in Winter Chill Out got a look at these changes, embedded above is one of many views of these projects that hit social media.  CP Food Blog posted this image of Hugo's Italian Kitchen, which will replace the Midway Market along the main midway.

© Cedar Point
Hugo's Italian Kitchen will offer "traditional Italian fare like hand-made pastas, fresh pizzas baked in a large open-flamed brick oven, chicken parmesan sandwiches, salads, meatball sandwiches and fresh desserts."

Also announced was the mystery project that is taking up the space formerly occupied by Witches' Wheel along the Gemini Midway.  An expansive new restaurant, named BackBeatQue, is currently under construction.

Blending live music and shokehouse barbeque, BackBeatQue will be a "new rock ‘n’ roll and Motown-inspired eatery will serve smoked brisket, rotisserie chicken, pork platters and fresh perch. Southern sides like okra, cornbread muffins and house-made mac & cheese will also be available."

The development will come with a large outdoor dining space where guests can eat, relax and enjoy the sounds of the BackBeat Quartet.

For more photos of all the new projects, as well as some awesome photos from backstage at Cedar Point, check out coverage from Pointbuzz, CP Food Blog, ThemeParkArchive, and the Sandusky Register.


Saturday, February 23, 2019

Renovated Entrance Area + New "Play" Pavilion Headed to Epcot


© Disney
Epcot, one of Disney World's four theme parks, is already seeing a large amount of development that has been announced in the past year or so.  A Guardians of the Galaxy themed indoor roller coaster is currently being built, along with a brand new lagoon show on the horizon, the Ratatouille ride in the France pavilion, and a space themed restaurant for Future World.

But wait, there's more!  Additional changes for Epcot were revealed this week.  The park's entrance area will see the Leave A Legacy display moved to outside the park's gates and replaced with beautiful gardens and a "reimagined" fountain (see concept art up top).  The area will be much more open and feature plenty of green space, and honestly, seems like it is reverting back to how it was when the park first opened.

The park also plans more changes between Spaceship Earth and the Worlds Showcase promenade, but those will be detailed at a future time.

© Disney
Also announced this week was a brand new, not-yet-named, "play pavilion" that will be built in the long closed Wonders of Life pavilion.  The park describes the pavilion as a space that "will include first-of-their-kind experiences devoted to playful fun, inviting guests into an innovative, interactive city bursting with games and hands-on activities.  Guests at Epcot will interact with their favorite Disney characters in an energetic metropolis unlike anything ever seen before in the park."

That leaves a lot of room for interpretation, but the concept art for the attraction, shown above, makes it look visually impressive at the least.

These two developments, along with all the others previously announced, will be displayed in a new Experience Center that will be within the park.  That is planned to open its doors later in 2019.


Friday, February 22, 2019

Name + Opening Date Released for Islands Of Adventure's New Coaster


© Universal Orlando
This past week - finally! - saw some news break regarding the new launched family roller coaster that we have been watching be built at Islands of Adventure for months now.

The attraction will be called Hagrid's Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure.  That's a long name, and the acronym HMCMA doesn't exactly roll off the tongue, so I think most will just call the ride Hagrid's Motorbike Adventure, or with the general public, the "Hagrid coaster."

The announcement came with few details.  For one the full concept art up top was revealed, similar to a teaser version from a couple months ago, only this time showing the ride vehicle on the tracks, the ride's station building, and at least one magical creature.  As expected, the train will consists of cars that feature a motorcycle style seat along with a sidecar seat.

Second, the ride will have its grand opening on June 13th, 2019.  Of course we all know that major Orlando park attractions pretty much never open without a preview period, so I'd expect to have riders on it at least a couple weeks before that date... if not longer.

As for as the gritty details of the ride, well we'll have to wait on those.  The park's description of the ride is equally brief, acknowledging again that it is their most themed coaster to date.  They also say that you'll be able to, "for the first time ever, join Hagrid as you fly far beyond the grounds of Hogwarts castle on a thrilling roller coaster ride that plunges into the paths of some of the wizarding world’s rarest magical creatures."  The park promises more details as the opening date draws closer.

Hopefully you've all been following Bioreconstruct's aerial photos of Hagrid's Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure, like the one above, as many details are becoming visible on the heavily wooden ride site.  If not, follow that link and make sure to check them out!


Wednesday, February 20, 2019

Dollywood Offers a Look Inside Park's All-New Wildwood Grove Themed Land


© Dollywood
Dollywood is hard at work on their largest expansion ever, the 5-acre, $37 million Wildwood Grove themed land.  Set to open in May, most of the area's rides and attractions have already been installed and work is continuing on adjacent buildings, landscaping, and other special features.  When complete, Wildwood Grove will offers visitors 11 attractions set in a beautifully themed grove filled with unique surroundings including the massive Wildwood Tree, filled with hundreds of glowing butterflies.

© Dollywood
Fans of the project have probably been keeping tabs on the construction via the park's webcam, available on the Wildwood Grove website.  A shot of the cam can be seen above, with all of Wildwood Grove visible.  Guests will enter the area right by Mystery Mine's entrance, encountering rides and attractions as they move deeper into the land.  One of the largest rides in Wildwood Grove is the green and black roller coaster you can see in the upper left, a family suspended coaster named DragonFlier.

© Knox News
Dollywood just held a construction tour of Wildwood Grove, showing off all they have completed thus far.  The Knox News has a feature story on the expansion, along with an expansive photo gallery of the area - one photo from the gallery is seen above.  Check out the full story and photos at this link.

Wildwood Grove looks like it's going to be quite beautiful when it is finished, as the park is spending heavily to cover the area in new trees and other landscaping. 


Tuesday, February 19, 2019

Innovative Flying Theater Ride Slated to Open at The Island in Pigeon Forge


© The Island
Located in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, The Island is an entertainment, dining, and shopping destination that aims to give families a multitude of entertainment options.  The location just announced a brand new, $20 million flying theater attraction that is scheduled to open in 2020.

The Island already offers many rides and activities, including the massive Great Smoky Mountain Wheel, a ropes course, fountain show, family roller coaster, bumper cars, a 7-D dark ride and more.  There are dozens of shops at the Island, along with restaurants such as Paula Deen's Family Kitchen and Jimmy Buffett's Margaritaville.

© The Island
The new flying theater will "combine a state-of-the-art ride system and a custom film featuring some of the nation’s most beautiful natural wonders and iconic landmarks."  The experience is being created by Dynamic Attractions, which has provided ride hardware to some of the biggest names in the theme park industry.

“We are very excited to bring another premier attraction to The Island in Pigeon Forge,” said Island President Bob McManus. “This flying theater will truly be a one-of-a-kind, immersive entertainment experience. From The Island, guests will be transported to places that they otherwise may never have the opportunity to see, and experience the beauty of America in a unique and unforgettable way.”


Monday, February 18, 2019

Rye Playland Gets Yet Another New Development Plan + A New Ride in 2019?


© Standard Amusements
Unfortunately the past decade hasn't been a very productive one in terms of developments at Rye Playland, a classic amusement park located in Rye, New York.

The history of the operations and future development of the park in recent memory have played out like a soap opera, with several big plans being drawn up only to have pretty much nothing actually happen.  If you scroll the posts here, you can follow along with that history.

Still, the park has been managed by Standard Amusements for a couple years now though disagreements between the County and the operator have persisted and there has been no tangible investment to date.  Yet another new plan (seen above) has hit the internet now, showing what Standard Amusements would like to do at Rye Playland long-term.

There are plenty of new ride additions, changes to the beach, restorations of the park's classic midways, and most notably a recreation of Rye's former Aeroplane wooden coaster.  I'm sure that has grabbed a lot of people's attention... but will it ever happen?  This news article features some quotes from government officials that make it sound like this is very much a blue-sky plan, and there are by no means shovels ready to hit the dirt.

And then... more drama - but this may result in a new ride (the first at the park since 2008).  The County has put out a request for bids for an operator to bring a new ride to the park by July 3rd, 2019.  It sounds like a flat ride of some sort is desired, at least when reading this story.  The odd thing is that the County is looking to add the ride, and it seems their operator, Standard Amusements, is playing no part in this request - pretty much the opposite of what you would expect.  Perhaps some development, regardless of how it gets done, is better than none?


Saturday, February 16, 2019

Heard On... Six Flags Entertainment's 2018 Full Year and 4th Quarter Earnings Call


This past week was also Six Flags Entertainment's earnings announcement, covering 2018 in total along with 4th quarter results.  The stock market had a pretty substantial negative impression of the results, even though they were record breaking in many aspects.  Let's take a closer look.

•  For full year 2018 Six Flags saw record revenues of $1.46 billion, an 8% increase.  Attendance was up 5% to 32 million, though mostly due to adding 5 new parks mid-year.  Adjusted EBITDA was up 7% to $554 million and per capita spending increased 2% for the year.  They also report spending $133 million on new capital expenditures in 2018, $23 million to acquire the 5 new parks, and paid $267 million to shareholders via dividends.

© Six Flags
•  The 4th quarter also saw new records achieved, with revenues of $270 million, up 5%, fueled by a 6% increase in guest spending and a 3% increase in attendance.  The numbers benefited from the addition of two new parks offering the Holiday in the Park event.

•  Six Flags is happy to report that during the year the Active Pass Base, those who have either a membership or season pass, increased 8%.  They rolled out new tiers at the start of 2018, and this led to pricing increases that also helped increase revenues as more signed up for higher tier plans than they expected.  For the year, pass and membership holders amounted to 63% of all attendance.  At the end of 2018 there were almost 8 million active pass members, more than 2 million of those are memberships.

•  Six Flags has had a Project 600 goal for some time now, which aimed to see $600 million in EBITDA by the end of last year.  They hit $554 million, but the failure to meet the goal meant some big bonuses were unaccrued which also helped the 4th quarter results.  They also wanted to hit $750 million by 2020, and now admit that probably won't happen, but think it could in 2021.

© Six Flags
•  In 2018 Six Flags recognized $42 million in revenue from licensing agreements.  They had to reverse $15 million in revenues in the 4th quarter due to delays on the parks in China.  The first parks are now expected to open in 2020, previously 2019, then more in 2021 and 2022.  The Dubai park is permanently on hold, and my never happen.  Since starting these agreements in 2014, Six Flags has booked $133 million in revenues from them.

•  Six Flags plans to continue to purchase water parks and other smaller operations in coming years located in "feeder" markets to the big parks, with "dozens" of opportunities available.  Since starting this in 2017 they've already added 8 parks.


Friday, February 15, 2019

Heard On... Cedar Fair's 2018 Year End and 4th Quarter Conference Call



Yesterday was Cedar Fair's 2018 Year End and 4th Quarter earning release, in which the company reported another successful year that saw record revenues of $1.35 billion.

Between the release and the usual earning conference call, there was plenty to be told about the company's year.  Let's dig in.

•  Looking at 2018 in total, revenues were up 2% to 1.35 billion, with a 1% increase of attendance (189,000 visits) to 25.9 million guests, per capita revenue was up 1%, and a 6% increase in out of park revenues to a total of $152 million.  Full year EBITDA was down 2% however, to $460 million.

•  The 4th quarter for the company was an especially good one.  During the period revenues hit $250 million, up 9% from last year, and record EBITDA for the period was achieve at $68 million, up 11% from last year.  The company had one more park started Winterfest this year, which helped the quarter greatly.

© Cedar Point
•  Season passes continue to be a focus for Cedar Fair, along with all park operators.  Right now season pass sales are up 25% over last year at this time.  During 2018 more than 50% of park attendance was from season pass holders.

•  Since 2012 the company has started stretched out payment options for passes along with utilizing a strong customer relation management system to increase pass sales.  Since that time the annual revenues from season pass sales have nearly doubled, with more room to grow in their opinion.  The current season pass base across all parks is around 2.5 million people.

•  This season a couple parks (not sure which) will roll out a rewards program for season pass holders.  It will let them redeem rewards at the parks and even some when the parks are closed.  2019 is a test of the program, will a full rollout planned for 2020.

© Carowinds
•  The company is pleased with their out of park revenues, which were a record.  Higher occupancy rates at their hotels, along with higher room rates, were the reason behind the results.  No new announcements have taken place aside from the hotels at Carowinds and Canada's Wonderland, but they're still focused on expanding in this area.

•  A new long term strategy has been set in place to achieve a yearly goal of $575 million in EBITDA by 2023 - which is about 4% growth each year.  The company will get there through three areas of focus - broadening the guest experience through new activities and events, expanding their season pass program even further, and increasing market penetration through focused marketing.  For example, Knott's has 49 million people living in the market around it, and they only get 2% of those as guests.  If they add even 1% more that's equal to 500,000 more guests at the park.

•  A lot of discussion on capital spending took place.  It seems in reaction to guests looking for "multidimensional entertainment" Cedar Fairs parks will push hard for more events, festivals, and special time-limited offerings.  They will leverage their existing inventory of thrill rides to space out larger investments, meaning more years in between the big rides, and focus each year on "interactive and immersive family attractions."

© Knott's Berry Farm
•  Knott's Berry Farm is the example of this method, where all their events - marketed as 5 seasons of fun - have pushed annual attendance up over the six million mark.  This year the company will roll out the 'seasons of fun' message to more parks.  They also cite Cedar Point's Forbidden Frontier and the addition of Winterfest at Canada's Wonderland as examples of how to build upon this plan.

•  This is not to say that rides will not be built, (even Knott's, as the example of the plan, got a big coaster this year) but there will be a stronger mix of other interactive and special events in between them.  Cedar Fair plans to spend around $140 - $150 million a year on capital, with items like hotel developments above and beyond that figure.  In 2019 they are spending $140 on marketable additions, and $30 - $40 million more on the two hotels at Carowinds and Canada's Wonderland.

•  Also worth noting is that the company feels they have accomplished some heavy capital plans that took years to finish, such as renovating group catering facilities at all the parks, investing in wifi (the last two parks will get it this year), etc.  With that behind them, they have created a new plan for the future focused on splitting between big rides and interactive attractions and events.

© Carowinds
•  And interesting quote was given on capital plans - they will "continue to place an emphasis on building to scale in all of our projects, as we believe it differentiates our parks and helps protect the integrity of our business models for years to come."  That can be taken different ways, and I wish they had elaborated more on it.  Still, they also said they will make sure they have something that they can market for each park each year... but that's not to say it is a new ride like Six Flags does.

•  In the next couple weeks they will be announcing some sort of new event that is designed to drive urgency and visits during the early season.  They would not give details, but reference the Boysenberry Festival at Knott's when speaking about it.  That event has created some of the busiest days at the park for the entire year when it takes place, and it sounds like they want to duplicate it (though not in focus on boysenberries) at the other parks.


Wednesday, February 13, 2019

Sesame Place Building New Sesame Street Neighborhood with Live Character Show in 2019


© Sesame Place
Sesame Place will be celebrating their 50th anniversary in 2019, and is completely redoing their Sesame Street Neighborhood to mark the occasion.

Nestled in the center of the park, the Neighborhood has long been a true recreation of the set of the popular children's show, however that set has evolved over time.  The park is updating to better match the current appearance of the neighborhood, and expanding with new offerings at the same time.

© Sesame Place
This concept art gives a sample of what the new Sesame Street Neighborhood will look like.  You can also see drawings of the entire block in this promotional video:

The street will feature famous storefronts such as Hooper's Store and the 123 stoop along with Abby's Garden and more.  There will be several photo spots, including a brand new Big Bird's Nest, along the route and Sesame Place promises special interactive areas that will engage guests and delight young visitors.  For the first time ever, visitors can meet Snuffleupagus in person at the park this year as well.

Another big premier will be a new live show titled "Our Street Is Sesame Street," featuring the actual Muppet characters, including Elmo, Abby Cadabby and Big Bird, for the first time at the park.  I'm not sure if the show will take place in the storefronts of the Neighborhood, but the concept art above does feature the characters looking out of the windows.  The show promises to have guests singing, dancing and clapping along to the production.

© Sesame Place
The Neighborhood will also have a new location to get delicious treats named Cookie Monster's Foodie Truck.  Guests can sample snacks that both Cookie Monster and Gonger would be sure to devour, according to Sesame Place.

“Having been in this position now for just over a year, it is incredible to think of the remarkable transformation that has taken place at the park,” said Cathy Valeriano, Sesame Place Park President. “We have invested more resources than ever before into ensuring an outstanding experience for our guests.  From becoming the world’s first theme park to be designated a Certified Autism Center, to the opening of our second roller coaster, Oscar’s Wacky Taxi, and now opening our brand-new Sesame Street Neighborhood, the entire park will come to life in a way guests have never experienced before.


Tuesday, February 12, 2019

Six Flags Announces Improvements + Name Changes to Four Properties


© Six Flags
Six Flags has formally announced the rebranding of three of the latest parks to join the company's family of properties and a new name for an existing one.  Darien Lake, Wet & Wild Splashtown and Wet & Wild Phoenix will all have brand new names, and the water park at The Great Escape will be renamed.

Six Flags Darien Lake, as it will be called (again) was an easy one to see coming, and honestly the park has already made it clear that was the direction they were headed.  The park is building the Six Flags SkyScreamer for 2019, a 242 foot tall swing ride that will move passengers in seats at 35 miles per hour.

The park's website also offers that guests arriving at the park will be greeted by a "revamped main gate area with a towering, new digital pylon and a new Six Flags Darien Lake entrance sign."

© Six Flags
Formerly known as Wet & Wild Splashtown, Six Flags Hurricane Harbor Splashtown will be making a, well, splash in the Houston, Texas area this summer.  The 48 acre park will debut all new Caribbean theming to match the new name, along with a major new waterslide.

© Six Flags
Known as the Wahoo Wave, the thrilling family raft ride will stand six stories and "send four riders into near vertical motion as they experience extended hang times and zero g-forces.  Riders plunge 30 feet straight down before sweeping across the top of a massive waterfall, then descending into a refreshing pool below."

© Six Flags
Next up is the transformation of Wet & Wild Phoenix into Six Flags Hurricane Harbor Phoenix.  While there will be no major new attraction at the water park this year, it will also receive all-new Caribbean theming to match the name, along with an updated dining area with plenty of expanded seating.

The Great Escape is changing the name of their water park to Hurricane Harbor to better fit the portfolio of the company, it was also announced today.  It will introduce "two brand-new family attractions: Bucket Blasters, where riders will spin around in barrels for a good old-fashioned water gun battle and Shipwreck Cove, a fun activity pool with interactive water sprays, geysers, and fountains for hours of water play entertainment."


Monday, February 11, 2019

New Plans Show Massive Coaster Headed to Busch Gardens Williamsburg in 2020


© Google Maps
According to new plans located by BGWFans, the above open area within Busch Gardens Williamsburg will look very different in 2020.  The space, located adjacent to the Italy themed section of the park, has been rumored to be the location of a big new roller coaster for almost two years now.

BGWFans, was able to find some plans that were submitted to local planning authorities, and share the results of their analysis.  This link will get you to their story, but here's a front page shot from their social media feed:

As you can see, the site was able to locate some blueprints that reveal plans for footings that give a general layout of the new coaster.  The good news is that it looks to match up to the images that were leaked last fall.

The ride appears to use a launch to perform an initial swoop down toward the Rhine River in what would be the bottom right of the aerial up top.  The ride will have a second launch after that which will make use of switch-track to allows trains to be launched up a high point, then go backwards up a spike, then full blast launch one more time and up a top hat or similar element.

Then comes what looks like a massive drop down toward the river which could involve some serious elevation change and speed.  The leaked images show a big fan turn afterward to burn off some of that speed, and BGWFans' layout shows some more twists and turns on the way back to the station.

Obviously this is all very preliminary but it's very encouraging, and looks like a thrilling attraction is on the way!


Sunday, February 10, 2019

The Steel Curtain is Looking Massive at Kennywood!


© Kennywood
If you haven't been following Kennywood on social media, Twitter especially, then you've certainly been missing out on some awesome Steel Curtain construction photos the last few weeks.

Despite freezing temperatures and a passing snow storm or two, Kennywood has started the 'tall' phase of construction, with The Steel Curtain's tallest supports going up.  The park used smaller cranes to put up all of the lower portions of the ride earlier, and those completed sections can be seen in these photos.

© Kennywood
The park even went up to the top of the Racer to take some great photos of the new coaster.  This is certainly one of the most interesting coasters to go up in recent memory... so massive and different than most coasters lately.

© Kennywood
When finished The Steel Curtain will stand 220 feet above the park and feature 9 different inversions, two of which can be seen above, and a top speed of 76 miles per hour.  The ride will be the centerpiece of Steelers Country, a new themed area created from a partnership with the Pittsburgh Steelers.


Saturday, February 9, 2019

Volcano - The Blast Coaster to Fade into Retirement at Kings Dominion


© NewsPlusNotes
Last night Kings Dominion published an official blog post that revealed that Volcano - The Blast Coaster has run for the last time at the park, and is being permanently removed.  The ride was dormant for most of last season and rumors have been swirling that the ride was never going to open again, and now we know that for sure.

The park's blog post is short and to the point:

Part of getting ready for a new operating season includes an expert evaluation of our rides and operations. As a part of that evaluation, every aspect of our rides and attractions are analyzed, from guest satisfaction, throughput and rider capacity to reliability, uptime and maintenance. After thorough evaluation, the decision has been made to remove Volcano: The Blast Coaster. This wasn’t an easy decision for us, because we know that people love this one-of-a-kind coaster; however, over time it became nearly impossible to keep the ride up to our high standards of reliability and guest satisfaction, and for these reasons we had to make the tough call. We apologize to anyone who is inconvenienced by the removal, but hope they will understand that it was done to enhance the overall guest experience here at Kings Dominion.

© Kings Dominion
The post does not elaborate on exactly why the ride is being removed, and I doubt we will ever have an official reason.  Theories and speculation run across the spectrum from structural issues with the track and supports to the ride's habitual downtime versus cost of running it.  Either way, most will remember the ride fondly as it was quite unique.

Volcano - The Blast Coaster opened in 1998 when launched roller coasters were still rather new and novel.  This ride was the first suspended coaster to be launched, and it set the bar high hitting a top speed of around 70 miles per hour.  The park reused their giant mountain to actually launch the ride through the top of it, 155 feet in the air, and for some time there was even fire involved!  The rest of the layout was unique, even weird, with several heartline rolls in a row with 180 degree turns in-between them.  Then suddenly a large drop sent the ride into the final brakes.

The ride was powerful and exciting, and when it opened was certainly one of the top coaster experiences to be found anywhere. 


Thursday, February 7, 2019

Cedar Fair Purchases Hotel Adjacent to Castaway Bay Near Cedar Point Entrance


© Google Maps
Cedar Fair is continuing its trend of purchasing plots of land located around the entrance to the causeway that leads to Cedar Point.  The latest purchase is the Budget Host Inn, according to the Sandusky Register.  The paper is reporting that the hotel was purchased for just over $1 million.

Looking at the aerial above, the purchased land is in the red box, and located adjacent to Castaway Bay, the park's hotel with an indoor waterpark.

I have not stayed at the Budget Host Inn, but in looking at photos of the property, it does not appear to be up to Cedar Fair's accommodation standards.  That makes me wonder if it will be renovated, or even demolished, perhaps becoming a future expansion area for Castaway Bay.  The hotel is not currently taking any reservations, at least on Booking.com.

© Google Maps
The new purchase is along Cleveland Road, which is also home to the recently developed Sports Force Parks.  The new purchase is in red above, and the Sports Force Parks is in yellow.  It makes sense for Cedar Fair to want to develop along Cleveland Road, as that's a heavy traffic area for guests involved at events at the recreational complex... and to be honest the drive into Cedar Point isn't the easiest on the eye.  To that end, it will be nice to see Cedar Fair continue to possibly redevelop that stretch!  Plus, work on the massive indoor expansion to the Sports Force complex is progressing, meaning there will soon be a need for more year-round hotel rooms in the area.

The amount of land that Cedar Fair now owns in the area is substantial.  Over on Pointbuzz Walt has created a map of the land they currently own, which is very interesting to check out.  These purchases hint toward very long term development goals, but it's exciting to see Cedar Point continue to move toward being a hyper-regional or even national destination.


Wednesday, February 6, 2019

SeaWorld Entertainment Posts New CEO As Company Plans Next Stage of Growth



SeaWorld Entertainment has finally announced a new CEO, Gustavo Antorcha, who replaces the company's Interim CEO, John T. Reilly.  Mr. Reilly has held the Interim CEO position since early last year when Joel Manby left the position.  He will now be the company's Chief Operating Officer, the second in command under Mr. Antorcha.

Gustavo Antorcha comes to SeaWorld Entertainment from Carnival Cruise Lines, where he was the Chief Operating Officer and held various positions at the company over eight years.  Before that he worked at a leisure industry consulting firm.

© SeaWorld Entertainment
While Mr. Antorcha has no direct history in the amusement industry, there are certainly similarities to theme parks and cruise ships, which both hold captive audiences that must be kept happy in a successful operation.  It will also give SeaWorld an outside perspective to their operations, and as this article from the Orlando Sentinel points out, will allow them to have a CEO that does not have any emotional ties to the way the parks have been run in the past.

SeaWorld Entertainment's real turnaround started just as Mr. Manby exited, and really flourished during 2018 while Mr. Reilly led the charge.  The company has turned to investing heavily on new rides that accompany and highlight existing wildlife educational exhibits, a plan that has already created an increase in attendance and profits for the first time in years.

I'm quite interested to see how the company will grow under Mr. Antorcha's leadership.  They've looked in the past at adding hotels to their parks as a way to grow, but neither Mr. Manby or Mr. Reilly acted on the plan, in fact an announced hotel partnership for SeaWorld San Diego was actually cancelled last year.  With the new CEO's given history, perhaps this will move back to the forefront as a path to growth.


Tuesday, February 5, 2019

Tigris Towers Over Busch Gardens Tampa As Track + Supports are Completed


© Busch Gardens Tampa
Visitors are one step closer to being able to take a ride on Tigris, Busch Gardens Tampa's new-for-2019 roller coaster.  The theme park recently completed the ride's circuit, with the 150 foot high heartline roll being the last of the 863 feet of track to be installed.

The park finished up the construction during the evening hours, and shared these photos of the newly completed track lit brightly against the night sky.

© Busch Gardens Tampa
One of Premier Rides' Skyrocket II designs, Tigris will send riders on several launches to get the trains moving at more than 60 miles per hour and up to the top of the ride.  The slow heartline roll - which looks extra scary as it has no direct supports attached to it - takes place next, with riders staring down at the ground 150 feet below them.

The rest of the ride includes elements such as a non-inverting loop and a steep plunge with a 180 degree twist in the middle of it.  For more on Busch Gardens Tampa's Tigris, check out the park's official website.


Sunday, February 3, 2019

American Dream Releases New Names + Details of 4 Coasters Opening at Nickelodeon Universe


Yesterday was the American Coaster Enthusiasts' (ACE) annual Eastcoaster event, held at Hersheypark, where various parks give presentations on the latest news from their property.

Representatives from The American Dream, the large shopping and entertainment complex just outside Manhattan in New Jersey, gave some new information on the roller coasters opening at the park later this year.  We have seen ride manufacturers give some details on the rides in the past, but this is the first I've seen the park update the public.

ACE shared some of the information released on Twitter, so let's check out the coasters.

First up, TMNT Shellraiser is the name of the large Gerstlauer Euro-Fighter, a near clone of Takabisha but with one difference - the drop after the vertical lift hill is one degree steeper than the Japanese ride.  I believe that means it will be 122.5 degrees, making it the steepest in the world.

There is another roller coaster, now known as The Shredder, that intertwines with TMNT Shellraiser at Nickelodeon Universe.  This is another Gerstlauer coaster, one of their spinning models, and features a totally unique layout.  The ride stands an impressive 85 feet tall, quite large for a spinning coaster.

We now know a bit more about one of the park's more mysterious coasters, a twisted and compact creation from Intamin to be called Sandy's Blasting Bronco (I'm assuming this is Sandy of SpongeBob fame).  The park shared a photo of the ride, which looks a lot like a big pretzel and will utilize LMS launches to get around the course.

Last but not least, the park's family coaster, created by Chance Rides, will be named Slime Streak.  This ride got some press at last Fall's IAAPA expo, but this is the first time I've seen a layout for the coaster.  It appears as though it will travel over much of the layout of Nickelodeon Universe.

Roller Coaster Database is also reporting that the park will open a Surfrider from Intamin, a half-pipe shuttle coaster, but I didn't see any mention of that in this presentation.  The American Dream is supposed to open in phases, starting this spring.  Happily, the Nickelodeon Universe theme park is said to be a part of the first phase.


Saturday, February 2, 2019

California's Great America Gives Drop Tower a New Inspired-By-Nature Look for 2019


© California's Great America
While there are no large capital expansions on deck for California's Great America's 2019 season, the park is still taking on plenty of projects to improve the property for this season.

One of them was just detailed on the park's official blog, and that's the transformation of Drop Tower's color scheme to one inspired by Northern California's famous sequoia and redwood trees.  The ride is currently being scrubbed of its former paint scheme and soon will have a totally new look.

© California's Great America
The park released this image to give an idea of the ride's finished look.  Just as on the giant trees of the area, the ride will start with brown at the bottom and slowly transform through orange to green, with the highest part of the tower the lightest green color.

The ride's six cars are also being refurbished and will include new paint schemes to match Drop Tower's new look.  The blog does not make any mention of a new name for the attraction, but perhaps that's still in the cards - it would be a perfect time to give the attraction a unique name that better fits its new California-inspired look.

Drop Tower, created by Intamin, opened in 1996 and stands 224 feet tall.  Riders free fall toward the ground at speeds of around 62 miles per hour.