ReedObsessor

What was once the biggest part of my vacation plan this year is now the most expendable. Having not been to KD since 1994 or 95, when I was just a kid, Anaconda was a bucket list coaster for me. The removal news came on Christmas Day. It sometimes felt like it was designed specifically to make me miserable at the worst time possible. Then there's the elimination of Winterfest and the Pantherian situation, which makes KD feel a bit like Six Flags Adventure in New Jersey, which had the great taken out of it. As of now, nothing is even being done to Pantherian, and rumors are suggesting things like August or even 2026. Busch Gardens Williamsburg (last visit 2006), the other 50th anniversary park, is more important to me. So is Six Flags America (never been there), given that it will be my only chance to ever go there. So I am willing to cut out KD from my vacation plan if there are too many bad weather days during my vacation. Crappy Anniversary!!!

Actually, from what I am hearing, it's a lift motor replacement they are waiting for. It seems that the one they had broke down last March and it's a custom part that isn't easy to replace.

As of now, I have planned a vacation for July 26 to August 3 to the Virginia/DC area. The plan is to visit 3 parks (KD, BGW, SFA). I've set things up so I can still cancel hotel reservations in the middle of July if I need to (and postpone my trip until later in August)... this depends on Pantherian primarily, along with BGW's Verbolten. There are rumors of Pantherian not opening until August, or possibly not at all this year, so I am taking that into consideration. I already had a nice big lawn ornament to deal with last summer (Top Thrill 2 @ CP), and I don't want to visit another one this year.

A Screamscape post indicated that Six Flags Darien Lake is getting a second train for their Ride of Steel coaster (the original source is behind a paywall). They suggest that that second train was originally intended for SFA's Ride of Steel, but diverted it due to SFA shutting down for good at the end of the season. The Darien Lake and SFA coasters are identical. This, to me, may also be a sign that the SFA Ride of Steel is going to end up as scrap. I don't see this as coming to Michigan's Adventure or any other spot with the potential space available for it.

As a person who grew up with Cedar Point, I feel like the Nebulaz should go there. There haven't been a lot of new flat rides added since 2014, and there are at least 3 spots I would consider: 1: the Boardwalk area, replacing the 3 Point Challenge. Also the former site of Chaos and Schwabinchen. 2 or 3: Near Corkscrew, where Matterhorn and Scrambler were before being relocated to the Boardwalk. As for Kings Island, I would aim for Ragin Cajun, though I am not sure where it would be located.

Unfortunately, I think most of these coasters will be scrapped. Batwing is obviously getting scrapped. Firebird (the first ever B&M) has aged like milk. So has Roar. Wild One and Superman have large footprints, and may not fit anywhere else. Joker's Jinx is just as much on death watch as four other Premier LIM coasters. Professor Screamore: does anybody really want an SLC? Rajun Cajun and Great Chase are the only two I can see getting relocated. Att the same time, it seems like SLCs manage to keep going. Only two outright removals have taken place, and both of those ended up with Kumbak trains. ...and I have this weird thought that Screamore will go to KD where Anaconda was, as their "Scorpion" ride. But that would hardly be any better...

OK, I have a different Pantherian question. Is the re-theme still being built, or is it done? In the case of the latter, it likely means they need to repair or replace the lift motor (and are waiting for parts).

They brought the Hall of Justice to a KI roller coaster. The original Hall of Justice.

My thoughts: B&M: less so due to saturation. An exception would be the Family Invert, which could potentially replace Arrow suspended coasters. RMC: not that likely. There's room for conversions, along with new rides, but I think the relationship won't improve anytime soon. Intamin: Zimmerman isn't over the rocky past with Intamin. That said, I cannot rule them out for a Ka replacement. Vekoma: this new era does seem to be the next big thing. However, to me it doesn't feel like there are that many modern Vekomas right now. Zamperla: after Top Thrill Lawn Ornament, I see them being restricted to flat rides, mice, and smaller scale rides. Mack: it feels like this is the one that is going to be getting a lot of newer rides, with the extreme Spinners leading the way. Of course, this is just rumors at this point. S&S: In terms of ride experience, I would love to see more of these. Unfortunately, with many of their coasters being problematic, I can't see anything more than 4D Free Spins at this point. Some names you left out: Premier: though AlpenFury is just the first new Premier coaster in legacy Cedar Fair parks (the others were Paramount era), I can see growth there. This includes potential retracking of rides like old Arrow loopers (not including mega-loopers). Gerstlauer: Not many coasters as of now, and I don't see many coming. I'd love to see a 15 inversion Infinity Coaster one day. That said, does Hangtime at Knotts have a lot of downtime. GCI, Gravity Group: not sure how to answer that, since wooden coasters often get maintained and re-tracked using their parts. I'm not including SBF Visa (primarily kid/family oriented), Zierer (family oriented with two exceptions) Jinma (Chinese manufacturer with a lot of copycats), or Skyline Attractions (they earned this.)

Kennywood and Dollywood under the same ownership... something about that feels a bit odd to me. Kenny Rogers often did duets with Dolly Parton, and people often mistakenly associate Kennywood with him. Kennywood (and their Jack Rabbit coaster) have been around well before Kenny Rogers was even born. Also, I dug up an article about Kenny Rogers suiting up with the Steelers in 1980 for the "Kenny Rogers' America" special on CBS. So putting something Kenny Rogers related in Kennywood isn't completely out of the question (though it would add to the confusion).

https://globalnews.ca/news/11081803/canada-wonderland-time-warp-rollercoaster-removed-tomb-raider/ I've been watching over this rumor for months. I've been hearing a lot of people saying that this coaster, a Zamperla Volare, was one of the worst coasters in North America, perhaps the one ride that deserved to be denied a sendoff. Again, I condemn this decision and stand by my "unofficial rule" regarding ride removals, which I decided to put in as my signature, I was only really thinking about going to Canada's Wonderland after the Christmas Day removal announcement of Anaconda, since I felt desperate to ride a different "rumored removal" coaster that was fairly unique from my point of view, and in part because I want to know if Time Warp was even rougher than Cedar Point's Mean Streak. It was a long shot regardless, considering the passport cost, the costs of being in another country, inclusion of other attractions (including the use of CityPass), and the effects of Trum--Ok, I don't want to talk politics. Also, it means that there could still be more removals taking place around the chain before opening day. This includes the KI attractions (Bat, Invertigo, Drop Tower, Congo Falls) among others. And why are they spreading out the removal announcements?

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