BoddaH1994 Posted October 23, 2019 Share Posted October 23, 2019 1 hour ago, Bdd127 said: So sorry for the dumb question but how do you get funpix? Because I'd really like to get my pictures from the final rides this weekend Scan your season pass or Funpix card at the kiosk. It will be added to your myFunPix account. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
homestar92 Posted October 23, 2019 Share Posted October 23, 2019 5 hours ago, fyrfyter said: Looking back on everything, I suspect this message came from above KIs control. I suspect they were told to lose the coaster that costs money but was lacking in attendance and sadly that’s the oldest one we have that fit that profile. I get what you're getting at, but Vortex doesn't really fit that profile actually. Vortex's ridership is still higher (as of 2014 which was the last time stats were published, anyway) than many coasters that are perceived (perhaps falsely) as being more "popular" and it has historically not been an expensive coaster to operate. I highly, highly doubt that corporate arbitrarily told them they need to get rid of a coaster, even if there was one with above average maintenance cost and below average ridership (Firehawk fit that bill, but the reason for its removal is quite obvious and was definitely not a last minute decision). All we will ever have is speculation, but the closest thing we have to a "consensus" among those speculating is that something is damaged in a way that would be extremely expensive to fix. The apparent suddenness of the announcement would also seem to point that way. In my mind, the most likely thing is metal fatigue or other structural issues that would require complete replacement rather than a patch job. However, deep down in my mind, I would really appreciate the irony if it turns out the reason it's going away ended up being because a sinkhole formed under it. That would actually make me chuckle, which is something I haven't done much of regarding this removal. One did form seemingly out of nowhere under the Corvette museum, so I suppose that's a thing that can happen. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flightoffear1996 Posted October 23, 2019 Share Posted October 23, 2019 I am surprised I haven't seen more retro Vortex shirts at the park. I have seen a few knock offs online but I would rather have something official from the park. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BeeastFarmer Posted October 23, 2019 Share Posted October 23, 2019 ^^Most sinkholes happen suddenly. If something like that were to happen under Vortex, it would be catastrophic. The Beast and Racer would have to be undergo some serious analysis as well and would likely be closed for an extended time period. And the serious structural integrity theory: If the ride was dangerous, the park should have closed it immediately instead of keeping it running on the weekends. Think of the liability if something were to happen on one of these last days. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
King Ding Dong Posted October 23, 2019 Share Posted October 23, 2019 ^ The ride might not be dangerous yet but if analysis showed it could become after another season then they needed to retire it. We will probably never the real reason until someone retires and writes a book about their career. Maybe sooner if it is replaced with something quickly. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fishleehooker Posted October 23, 2019 Share Posted October 23, 2019 They are planning something there. It'll be a few years, but plans have started rumor is. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flightoffear1996 Posted October 23, 2019 Share Posted October 23, 2019 I know they aren't built very often but with the removal of Firehawk I think a massive B&M flying coaster in the old Vortex spot would be a great fit. There are not many in the Midwest. Me personally I would like B&M classic looper like Incredible Hulk to go in that spot. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KIghostguy Posted October 23, 2019 Share Posted October 23, 2019 57 minutes ago, King Ding Dong said: ^ The ride might not be dangerous yet but if analysis showed it could become after another season then they needed to retire it. We will probably never the real reason until someone retires and writes a book about their career. Maybe sooner if it is replaced with something quickly. The real reason will be included in my book, which is coming out May of next year. The reason is not as dramatic as many of you think. 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joshua Posted October 23, 2019 Share Posted October 23, 2019 18 hours ago, homestar92 said: In my mind, the most likely thing is metal fatigue or other structural issues that would require complete replacement rather than a patch job. I think this is what it is. I don't think it has much to do with ridership or the park wanting to remove "eye soars" (i.e. the Paramount years). 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hueney020 Posted October 23, 2019 Share Posted October 23, 2019 7 hours ago, KIghostguy said: The real reason will be included in my book, which is coming out May of next year. The reason is not as dramatic as many of you think. You make it sound like it is a budget reason. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KIghostguy Posted October 23, 2019 Share Posted October 23, 2019 14 minutes ago, Hueney020 said: You make it sound like it is a budget reason. Not exactly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArrowChainLiftNoiseMakesMeHappy Posted October 24, 2019 Share Posted October 24, 2019 Is it impossible to think we could get a Morgan makeover? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TombRaiderFTW Posted October 24, 2019 Share Posted October 24, 2019 ^ Yes, because Morgan's not a company anymore. Chance Rides absorbed them, though, and may be up to the challenge if the money is right. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheBEASTunchained Posted October 24, 2019 Share Posted October 24, 2019 Not that Kings Island or Cedar Fair particularly care about preservation and historical legacies of rides when making decisions but.... You guys should take a look at how Efteling retracked most of Python, their Arrow looper, a few years back. KI could've done something similar to the Python transformation with leaving the lift, drop, and brake run while retracking the rest of the ride. By all accounts, Python's retrack was a success and the ride is much smoother now. https://www.efteling.com/en/press/eftelings-python-roller-coaster-with-loops-re-opens-to-visitors/ The park went with a company called CSM Manufacturing, but I've also heard that Vekoma was willing to do the job (presumably with their new track design) but at a much higher cost. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CoastersRZ Posted October 24, 2019 Share Posted October 24, 2019 But that renovation cost several million to complete. Not saying Vortex isn`t work that, but I am sure the cost of doing something like that verse the return on attracting visitors simply didn`t make it viable. I would say that Cedar Fair cares about preservation. After all, they are renovating the engine on the Worlds of Fun Railroad (and even purchased one of the former Kings Dominion engines) so that the railroad can get up and running again. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bjcolglazier Posted October 24, 2019 Share Posted October 24, 2019 Seems pretty clear to me that CF strategy is to bring a big new ride every 2-4 years so long as the economy is good. I don't care how much of a people-eater Vortex is, there's typically a short line if one at all...until the announcement they were closing it down. Giga going in for 2020 to bring folks into the park; might as well save on Vortex maintenance costs for a couple years then build the next big hyped thing in its place---whatever it will be. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IndyGuy4KI Posted October 24, 2019 Share Posted October 24, 2019 New blog post about Vortex's last weekend. https://www.visitkingsisland.com/blog/2019/october/last-call-for-rides-on-the-vortex-roller-coaster 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan Posted October 24, 2019 Share Posted October 24, 2019 A lot of you don't seem to realize how roller coaster safety works. There is nothing wrong with Vortex. If there was something wrong with Vortex it would not be operating right now. The only reason it is being removed is to save on operating costs. 1 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheRickster Posted October 24, 2019 Share Posted October 24, 2019 1 hour ago, Dan said: A lot of you don't seem to realize how roller coaster safety works. There is nothing wrong with Vortex. If there was something wrong with Vortex it would not be operating right now. The only reason it is being removed is to save on operating costs. That's not really how engineering works either. They could know it has some amount of cycles left before nearing it's safety factor and are choosing to just close it now than to close it halfway into a season. They know pretty much exactly when parts will fail. It could also have to do with off season climate etc. But yeah, just because something is "wrong with Vortex" doesn't automatically mean that it's not safe. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kenban Posted October 24, 2019 Share Posted October 24, 2019 Roller coasters are inspected regularly, and the inspections are used not only to find existing problems which need corrected but also potential issues, parts which are still in spec but not by much. Basiclly it is safe to operate for right now but will need replaced or refurbished in the near future. When the track reaches that point, it is rarely worth the expense to fix. Which is what has happened to several Arrow coasters. From what I remember sections of the rails on Vortex have been cut off the ride and had replacements welded in place. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
standbyme Posted October 24, 2019 Share Posted October 24, 2019 20 hours ago, KIghostguy said: The real reason will be included in my book, which is coming out May of next year. The reason is not as dramatic as many of you think. That is until your publisher tells you that you need to “spice It up” a bit to sell more copies....then the reason will read something like: “The engineers had known for years, Vortex was a death-trap on wheels...”. 1 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Benjamin22 Posted October 25, 2019 Share Posted October 25, 2019 To all those getting their final Vortex rides this weekend I hope you enjoy it. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
homestar92 Posted October 25, 2019 Share Posted October 25, 2019 2 hours ago, Ben43065 said: To all those getting their final Vortex rides this weekend I hope you enjoy it. I will enjoy my Vortex rides, as I always do... But I can tell you that for me and probably many others, it will probably not be a happy day. There will be tears, and probably not only from me. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fishleehooker Posted October 25, 2019 Share Posted October 25, 2019 We are going tonight. I am all about many rides on The Beast and Mystic Timbers. And the last 3 times I have been, we havent rode but one flat ride and that was Bumper Cars...Oh and Pirate Ship. I'll ride a few flats, Obviously Banshee and Diamondback. Mystic Timbers and Beast I'll try to Marathon a few times. And I do love Adventure Express night rides. I save Racers more for Summer and twilight rides. Flight of Fear at least once as my wife loves it. Here is my conundrum. A few weeks ago I said my goodbye kind of to Vortex, which was my first big ride; the one I was forced onto against my better instincts. I remember _____ my pants up the hill and the drop was a cross between more ____ into my pants and so fun! i was immediately hook-line and sinkered! That was Vortex's first year. Anyway a few weeks ago on my Goodbye run, it broke down for 20+ minutes and we were forced to sit there coming into the station. That seems a fitting end. But I really kinda want to ride it again. The line might well be the decider there. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
disco2000 Posted October 25, 2019 Share Posted October 25, 2019 WLWT just reported that Vortex will be torn down at the end of the season...so are they first, fast, and accurate or just simply misunderstanding what was being told (cross threading...)....time will tell.... 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DeltaFlyer Posted October 25, 2019 Share Posted October 25, 2019 Temporary queue lines have been set up for this weekend. I am hoping the lines don’t get too crazy tonight, but I’m sure they will. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bjcolglazier Posted October 26, 2019 Share Posted October 26, 2019 2 hours ago, DeltaFlyer said: Temporary queue lines have been set up for this weekend. I am hoping the lines don’t get too crazy tonight, but I’m sure they will. Tomorrow is almost certainly going to be a soaker of a day. If it's raining hard tomorrow night---which it might---I doubt lines get too crazy but who knows? If it's dry Sunday like they are saying it will be I think it starts slow, but fills up with locals over time. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Benjamin22 Posted October 27, 2019 Share Posted October 27, 2019 Today’s the day 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
purdude86 Posted October 27, 2019 Share Posted October 27, 2019 YEa imagine a lot of locals and enthusiasts will fill the queue up most of the day with it beign the final day. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThrillKingsFitzy Posted October 27, 2019 Share Posted October 27, 2019 I wish I could get my new credit on it before it closes. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.