Cedar Fair and Vekoma

[SonofBaconator]

I know there’s already a thread on Camp Snoopy but I wanted to focus solely on the choice of manufacturer for our new coaster: Vekoma. With one of our Vekoma’s being demolished, another one living on borrowed time, and another one being labeled a “hang and bang” it comes as somewhat of a surprise to me that Cedar Fair decided to work with them again. Granted this is a relatively smaller addition, I think this could be the benchmark for future business with the company. Could this be what CP did with Zamperla and Wild Mouse/Top Thrill 2? Could this just be a one off with this park? Could we see more Vekomas in other CF properties?

[WoodVengeance]

Personally I don't find this shocking at all, as a matter of fact I felt it was fated to happen. Ever since Vekoma reworked their coaster division, their newer coasters in Europe and Asia have received a lot of critical acclaim, far different from the boomerangs and SLCs they were known for building prior. In addition to that, Vekoma is usually regarded as one of the most reliable manufacturers in the industry, with even Disney relying on them often for this reason alone. Historically, Cedar Fair has been selective with the manufacturers they choose for their projects. B&M and GCI are selected quite often for Cedar Fair coaster additions due to their reliability, whereas Intamin and RMC are often neglected due to previous issues the chain has had with their coasters. If Vekoma can build coasters as reliable, if not more-so, than a company like B&M while also providing elite ride experiences, then you bet Cedar Fair is going to be interested in working with them. I very much believe we're about to see a Vekoma renaissance in the states not just with Cedar Fair, but with other chains and parks throughout the entire country.

[Tr0y]

Intamin too has been having a sort of a renaissance. We might never see another Intamin installation again at a CF park, but it’s nice to see them popping up at other parks within the states, such as Disney, Busch Gardens, Universal.. 

Intamin gets a bad rep for all the accidents, but with further reading a fair amount of those incidents was out of their control.  Not saying they haven’t been responsible with some design flaws. (Flight Commander) They’re biggest issue is with the reliability and maintenance, however from what I’ve heard they’ve been more conservative as of late.

[johnjniehaus]

I am really excited to see what future years hold...vekoma is making some really good looking coasters and I hope we see a return of their projects to the US. 

[WoodVengeance]

Potential spoiler for a 2024 coaster in the US:

Spoiler

This isn't confirmed (yet), but word around the grapevine is that Great Adventure is getting a Vekoma Super Boomerang for next year. If this is true, then that's another big chain getting involved with new-gen vekoma and possibly the first new-gen vekoma in the country to be a thrill coaster (assuming Circuit Breaker might not open by then).

 

[Tr0y]

Vekoma has been doing business in the US for a while now. They’ve had a pretty strong relationship with Disney. It’s just now that Vekoma is willing to take on the low hanging fruit jobs again. 

[disco2000]

1 hour ago, Tr0y said:

Vekoma has been doing business in the US for a while now. They’ve had a pretty strong relationship with Disney. It’s just now that Vekoma is willing to take on the low hanging fruit jobs again. 

It's thanks to guests like you that hand CF your credit card and tell them to take what is fair 

[Oldschool75]

On 8/10/2023 at 6:19 PM, SonofBaconator said:

I know there’s already a thread on Camp Snoopy but I wanted to focus solely on the choice of manufacturer for our new coaster: Vekoma. With one of our Vekoma’s being demolished, another one living on borrowed time, and another one being labeled a “hang and bang” it comes as somewhat of a surprise to me that Cedar Fair decided to work with them again. Granted this is a relatively smaller addition, I think this could be the benchmark for future business with the company. Could this be what CP did with Zamperla and Wild Mouse/Top Thrill 2? Could this just be a one off with this park? Could we see more Vekomas in other CF properties?

Vekoma of old is not the Vekoma of new. 

[Tr0y]

26 minutes ago, disco2000 said:

It's thanks to guests like you that hand CF your credit card and tell them to take what is fair 

This is the way.

 

22 minutes ago, Oldschool75 said:

Vekoma of old is not the Vekoma of new. 

I assume they’ve learned a lot from Walt Disney Imagineering. They should be experts at this point with family coasters. Smart move on CF for picking them to build this next family coaster.

[Orion742]

If CF and KI would work with Vekoma on a new coaster in the future would you like to see a Top Gun model or a Wildcat model come to KI?

[WoodVengeance]

4 minutes ago, Orion742 said:

If CF and KI would work with Vekoma on a new coaster in the future would you like to see a Top Gun model or a Wildcat model come to KI?

If I had to pick between the two, probably the wildcat model. The top gun model looks nice as well, but I really don't think it would be a good fit for Kings Island, mainly due to the capacity with those 8-person trains.

Personally if I had to choose a new-gen Vekoma to go to the park, I would go with a tilt coaster. It would be highly marketable with the general public and be different enough from a ride like Valravn to justify its placement in the same state. My only concern with the tilt coaster is that we don't really know how much of a maintenance issue the tilting track would be, as no new-gen tilt-coasters have opened up yet to really serve as an example. Of course Gravity Maxx exists, but that's a 20-year old coaster and doesn't have the same technology found with new-gen vekomas.

[Hawaiian Coasters 325]

If I were to pick a Vekoma model for KI, I would go with the bermuda blitz model in the style of Lech Coaster at Legendia. I have heard nothing but good things about Lech Coaster and people who have been on it have raved about how intense it is. I think if KI got a ride in the style of Lech coaster it would become that new shining star attraction to enthusiasts. Here's a POV of Lech Coaster: 

 

Another good option is the double launch shockwave model in the style of Abyssus at Energylandia. Now if KI were to go with any Vekoma looping coaster launched or not, I really would love to see them pay homage to Vortex and do a batwing element like what Abyssus has in the same spot as Vortex's batwing.

[SonofBaconator]

I keep wondering if Vortex’s replacement should embrace new IP or pay homage to its predecessor and I always go with the latter. Top Thrill Dragster/Top Thrill 2 up to the north utilized an IP that has become synonymous to guests of Cedar Point; I argue Vortex is the same for KI. 
 

Vortex was the tallest coaster in the park for 13 years and it was impossible to miss on the skyline. It was the first big looping coaster for a lot of guests. Despite its roughness as it aged and a lot of smoother coasters to come after it, I think people miss the IP. If it could be resurrected, a lot of people would be happy. 

[WoodVengeance]

3 minutes ago, SonofBaconator said:

I keep wondering if Vortex’s replacement should embrace new IP or pay homage to its predecessor and I always go with the latter. Top Thrill Dragster/Top Thrill 2 up to the north utilized an IP that has become synonymous to guests of Cedar Point; I argue Vortex is the same for KI. 
 

Vortex was the tallest coaster in the park for 13 years and it was impossible to miss on the skyline. It was the first big looping coaster for a lot of guests. Despite its roughness as it aged and a lot of smoother coasters to come after it, I think people miss the IP. If it could be resurrected, a lot of people would be happy. 

Something I thought about was retheming the back portion of Coney Mall to an area called Vortex Valley, an area themed to severe storms. The new coaster could have its own name, but still tie back to that storm-related theme. That way, you'll have a new coaster with its own identity while also using The Vortex IP to pay tribute to the fallen attraction.

[SonofBaconator]

17 minutes ago, WoodVengeance said:

Something I thought about was retheming the back portion of Coney Mall to an area called Vortex Valley, an area themed to severe storms. The new coaster could have its own name, but still tie back to that storm-related theme. That way, you'll have a new coaster with its own identity while also using The Vortex IP to pay tribute to the fallen attraction.

WindSeeker already fits. You could retheme BLSC to storm chasers but I don’t think that would to over well considering a tornado hit Goshen not too far away.

[DJSkyFoxx]

I can honestly say that Vekoma's designs and innovation have always been really cool to me. Granted the Vekoma of yesteryear is notoriously rough, they had the idea and the spirit. It's good to see they've grown up and shown out to be the company I have always believed they could be. And this small purchase of a family boomerang from them gives me hope for a bigger badder project down the pipeline with them. Anyone who has followed my responses knows I'd love to see a new gen Vekoma take the place of Vortex. It just seems fitting to have something that has hint of nostalgia with today's tech and smooth ride. I think if they were to do something like that it would be an instant hit and it would fill the void that has been left since Vortex's demise.