Have to remember also that wood is cheaper and easier to replace than a steel section of a coaster, especially since Arrow is no more.

22 minutes ago, cdubbs727 said:

They said in the release it had reached the end of its service life. It's likely as simple as that. No more parts available for a 33-year-old ride. There could have been inspections or maintenance that revealed it was not going to be feasible to run it another season. 

Parts availability is not and has never been a problem. I don't know why the ride is being removed, but I do know that's not the reason. S&S still produces replacement parts for all Arrow coaster models.

Heck, they actually still produce actual 4D coasters, which were an Arrow creation.

6 minutes ago, homestar92 said:

Parts availability is not and has never been a problem. I don't know why the ride is being removed, but I do know that's not the reason. S&S still produces replacement parts for all Arrow coaster models.

Heck, they actually still produce actual 4D coasters, which were an Arrow creation.

Oh, they'd have no issue getting parts.  However it's likely that the track structure is in need of some sort of major overhaul and they deemed it to not be economically feasible.  Don't get me wrong, this has been an emotional roller coaster (no pun intended) for me too but we have to be understanding that steel rides do have an expiration date.   

I don't disagree with you on that. I knew this day was coming one day, and in the not-too-distant future (though the timing feels like a gut punch from left field). I was responding in particular to the supposition that parts are no longer available and that being the reason for the ride's closure, which is definitely not true. Maybe we're splitting hairs, but I don't consider structure or track to fall under the same umbrella as "parts"

And my reply was more towards cdub about wooden coasters lasting longer. Not necessarily parts. But if a board is bad on a wood coaster, replace it. Steel coasters are in huge sections.

Yeah, maybe saying parts weren't available was a wrong choice of words (I have no engineering or mechanical expertise). But I see it feasible that, for some reason, a 33-year-old roller coaster just can't do what it used to. At 40, I feel ya, Vortex. 

Well... that announcement came out of nowhere lol I'm surprised they didn't tease it like Firehawk!

Honestly, I'm glad Vortex is leaving. Like Firehawk, it was down more than it was open.  Plus, it gave so many injuries. I quit ridding it after I blacked out on it a few years ago. I hope they work on the land and put a new attraction (a flat or a coaster) in its place.

Just now, Sebastien6221 said:

And my reply was more towards cdub about wooden coasters lasting longer. Not necessarily parts. But if a board is bad on a wood coaster, replace it. Steel coasters are in huge sections.

You are right on that one. Especially older Arrows. While modern steel coasters are bolted together, which makes replacing a small section of track a little more feasable, old Arrows were welded in many cases, so the only way to remove a section of track is to cut it off. If there are structural problems (which seems the most reasonable explanation to me given how sudden the announcement was, but I certainly don't know for sure) then it would be an incredible pain to fix them.

I know that the park is willing to go through those efforts if they deem it worth the cost, as a few small sections of track got replaced when Flight Deck became The Bat. I guess this time, they needed some extensive work and deemed it not worthwhile.

While I have no idea what the reasons for the removal are, I'm confident that it's not parts (as in the normal wear and tear parts that need replaced regularly on any coaster) and I'm fairly confident it's not that they want that land for some plans in the immediate future. Which is why a stucture problem seems more likely, but heck, it could be a matter of not feeling it's worth paying 4 ride ops to run that one whenever the park is open anymore.

2 minutes ago, ki95 said:

Well... that announcement came out of nowhere lol I'm surprised they didn't tease it like Firehawk!

Honestly, I'm glad Vortex is leaving. Like Firehawk, it was down more than it was open.  Plus, it gave so many injuries. I quit ridding it after I blacked out on it a few years ago. I hope they work on the land and put a new attraction (a flat or a coaster) in its place.

You must have had supremely bad luck on days you visited, because Vortex had extremely little downtime compared to most of the other coasters, and I'd challenge you to find me even one reputable report of an actual injury on the ride (no, a headache is not an injury).

Also, hate to double post, but I don't know how to edit a quote into an old post...

 

I am devastated about the news, its such an iconic coaster for the park and has been such an integral part of it history.  I just rode it this past Sunday and told a friend i was optimistic it would get a paint job in the off season and that it needed an ACE landmark recognition.  And while i am going to try and be optimistic about what will replace it someday... i don't buy for a second that it had reached its end of service. I honestly believe it could of been rehabbed and saved... but clearly the park wants to allot money elsewhere.  That's a poor decision in my view.

1 minute ago, bschwegman said:

i don't buy for a second that it had reached its end of service.

"Reached the end of its service life" seems to me that it's industry speak for "we're removing this attraction and we don't want to share the exact reasons"

Which, honestly, is fair. We don't need to know why and very little good would likely come from the general public knowing the park's M.O. in situations like this.

 

15 minutes ago, homestar92 said:

Arrows were welded in many cases, so the only way to remove a section of track is to cut it off.

Last year at IAAPA, I was talking to Adam Yerdon (Skyline Attractions, formerly an engineer at GCI) about Vortex. He shared that he had a fondness for the ride, and would love the opportunity to re-engineer some of the track sections and smooth out the transitions- but usually the owner doesn’t want to put in the investment. That being said, it is possible to fix any major issues that could have arisen, it is just a matter of cost and a return on that investment. 

As you can recall, Vortex received a new compressor last year and also had many of its footings replaced. 

I am trying (very hard) to not get my hopes up that this isn’t [truly] the end of Vortex, but another part of me would like to know if a Chance retracking (a la Phantom’s Revenge) would be possible.

I can dream, right?

-DeltaFlyer, who is heartbroken. 

3 minutes ago, DeltaFlyer said:

I am trying (very hard) to not get my hopes up that this isn’t [truly] the end of Vortex, but another part of me would like to know if a Chance retracking (a la Phantom’s Revenge) would be possible.

I can dream, right?

-DeltaFlyer, who is heartbroken. 

If we are talking about possible situations like Mantis where they announce it's being retired but it actually isn't, I think the most likely situation would be a Blue Hawk conversion with new trains, paint, and a new name. If there are structural problems, though, that would do nothing to address the issue. If it's a popularity problem and the ride is otherwise fine, then it might.

Be very careful, and pay attention to the words used in the announcement by Don.  Very similar to what CP said when they closed Mantis.  

We're not just losing Vortex, we're losing the original Bat station too. 

1 hour ago, JubJester said:

Same day. Also the same time they announced Firehawk was leaving. 

Am I the only one that reads this as "We are not dismantling Vortex!"  This, to me, seems more like a Mantis situation. Maybe some track improvements, new trains, new name. etc. 

Disregard this post. I'm clearly an idiot. 

13 minutes ago, CedarIslander said:

Am I the only one that reads this as "We are not dismantling Vortex!"  This, to me, seems more like a Mantis situation. Maybe some track improvements, new trains, new name. etc. 

You realize that is the tweet from last year and not today...

8 minutes ago, disco2000 said:

You release that is the tweet from last year and not today...

I'm an idiot. 

It's a shame we're parting with Vortex. KI lost 11 inversions in a year.

Just got off what could be my last ride, checked by Vortexbff so it was great

Sent from my SM-S767VL using Tapatalk

At least the park is letting people know about the removal. When I arrived at the park opening day 2002, I found my favorite coaster King Cobra in pieces being dismantled. I had no forewarning and that was a low point for my Kings Island memories.

Two major coasters gone in two years, so sad.  Has any other park lost as many rides as KI over the last 20 years?  Since 1999 we've lost Kenton's Cove Keelboat Canal, Phantom Theater, Scooby's Ghoster Coaster, Tomb Raider, Antique Cars, Flying Eagles, Vortex, FX Action Theater, Firehawk, King Cobra, SOB.

For those of you clinging to hope that Vortex is being “re-profiled” or “redesigned” or such...  let me rip the bandaid off.  It’s being taken down... removed completely... kaput.  I understand it’s not due to one issue but rather several... metal fatigue, cost of maintenance, low ridership, low marketability. It sits on prime “real estate” and the area will be better used in the future.

it will always hold a special place in my heart, but it’s time.  Can’t make an omelette...

9 hours ago, flightoffear1996 said:

However they removed two coasters and added one. 

Since Cedar Fair acquired the Paramount Parks in 2006, they’ve added five coasters (one relocation), and removed three (one being the aforementioned relocation), which is a net gain of 2. They’ve been investing heavily into the park for the past decade and a half.

This is sad news for many KI fans and guests. 

Whenever something this old is removed people feel like they're having a piece of their past/memories removed. I think it's not such a nice thing to criticize people for being sad at this news. It might just mean more to them than it does to you.

Now, with that being said,  I would hate to see a dive coaster on the former Vortex/original bat site someday. I've never ridden one and walked off thinking they were anything but average.

One other request if possible, (ADA compliance), I'd like to see the station preserved for the next coaster just as it was from the (old) Bat to The Vortex. 

 

 

Loved Vortex part of the show....

 

Finally got the ride in 5-1 tonight that I’ve read about here all these years.  It didn’t disappoint.  It wasn’t as rough as I remembered. Farewell, old friend.

Shocking, startling, and saddening news.

It was a incredible run Vortex; Coney Mall will never be the same without you!

ME ^^ 
 

Vortex is my favorite coaster at the park.. not the most comfortable for sure, but my fav!