An apparent “leak” suggesting Kingda Ka is getting the axe

[johnjniehaus]

It's sad when the former PR guy conveys more information than the current PR people do. Last winter I found out about the Kings Island show auditions from Theme Parks by Don and told my sister and her boyfriend who are music majors about it and my sister told me she couldn't find anything from Kings Island about having auditions. I told her to trust me that I had a source better than the Kings Island communications and about a week before the audition was scheduled was when the actual PR made an announcement. My sister said that a lot of people they go to college with said they would have auditioned but were unaware about the date and time or didn't feel they had enough time to prepare. All I'm saying is that I don't even bother reading the KI blog articles or reading their press releases anymore because I'm not going to get any information I'm interested in or want to know anyway. Tower Topics and KIC have been much better sources of information since the public relations changed at KI 

[KIBeast]

I am going to express some disappointment in the closure of KK. As we have seen previously, an announcement was made so that guests could get one last ride and this was not done. I would not have made a special trip to ride on it, but I'm betting there would have been several of their loyal guests that would have done so, similarly to what happened with The Vortex. 

[SmartCat7162]

On 11/15/2024 at 10:43 PM, Vortex1987 said:

Exactly. The problematic hydraulic launch combined with the fact that Cedar Fair now runs the Six flags parks when Cedar Point has Top Thrill 2 makes me seriously wonder if that Ka was being axe'd because A: The problems with the hydraulic launch and the maintenance nightmare and  B: So that Cedar Point can still be the king, so that  they can have the tallest and fastest coaster in North America, not Great Adventure. It keeps Cedar Point the king and it cuts maintenance costs due to the costly hydraulic launch. Its a win win for Cedar Fair.  Cedar Point will always be the golden child and Ka's removal will keep that true.

 

This is exactly why I despise Cedar Fair.

I get why people want to say they want to keep Cedar Point king. But I don’t think they would remove a whole ride unless the maintenance was just so much money. If you look at ride stats it gave on average less than a million ride a year which is awful capacity for a park that big.

[johnjniehaus]

22 hours ago, SmartCat7162 said:

I get why people want to say they want to keep Cedar Point king. But I don’t think they would remove a whole ride unless the maintenance was just so much money. If you look at ride stats it gave on average less than a million ride a year which is awful capacity for a park that big.

To be fair, top Thrill Dragster probably seldom if ever operated with a single train but when I went to Great Adventure in 2022, Ka was one train ops and opened late. When Kingda Ka most likely was one train ops on a regular basis and considering was down for half the season on multiple occasions, that can really hurt the annual ridership. 

[DJSkyFoxx]

So. Does anyone think they will follow suit with other past attractions and sell off a limited number of track slices? I wouldn't be surprised if that becomes a thing right before Christmas. 

[johnjniehaus]

On 11/21/2024 at 9:17 AM, DJSkyFoxx said:

So. Does anyone think they will follow suit with other past attractions and sell off a limited number of track slices? I wouldn't be surprised if that becomes a thing right before Christmas. 

Probably, because they know they can get the money. I personally won't be buying one even if they did. Nothing against anyone who does but in my perfect world the fans of ka would all unite and stick it to the park that they refuse to pay $300-$500 for a small piece of scrap after the park refused to be upfront about the closure plans. To me it's insulting to expect fans to pay hundreds of dollars for a track slice of a coaster you didn't even have the common decency to notify the public of the impending closure. I hope they do offer track for sale because it would mean alot to the fans of the ride but I still think it's morally wrong to not tell people an iconic coaster is closing and then to have the gall to offer track for sale for hundreds of dollars. Six Flags has proven they have no respect for the fans and they don't care about them. They only care about money hence Ka was closed because it was too expensive to maintain, hence they refused to notify the public so their pass sales didn't tank, and hence they will sell off the track for hundreds of dollars not because they care about the fans but because they can make some really good $$$ off selling them scrap 

[Diamondback_Is_King]

19 minutes ago, johnjniehaus said:

Six Flags has proven they have no respect for the fans and they don't care about them. They only care about money hence Ka was closed because it was too expensive to maintain, hence they refused to notify the public so their pass sales didn't tank, and hence they will sell off the track for hundreds of dollars not because they care about the fans but because they can make some really good $$$ off selling them scrap 

The new Six Flags corporation is now under Cedar Fair as well. In my opinion, it was Cedar Fair calling the shots and not Six Flags. I believe Six Flags took pride in Ka and knew what it meant to all of the fans of this ride. In fact, before the merger, Ka's regular maintenance schedule was still intact and they took one of the trains off to take it apart and then reassemble it. But, suddenly maintenance stopped post-merger. To me, this seems like something happened post-merger to close the ride. This could be the reason as to why there was no notice before it closing. It's really Cedar Fair that is calling the shots right now. ElToroRyan has a great video on this. Regardless, the ride is still closing and it doesn't really matter why. It is what it is and we just have to accept it. Ka will always remain a legend in the coaster world and we can all appreciate the rides it gave us.

[Vortex1987]

With Cedar Fair calling the shots Cedar Point has to stay the king, not Great Adventure. Ka was taller and faster than TT2 so removing it makes perfect sense to keep Cedar Point the king. 

 

This is exactly why I hate Cedar Fair's guts. All the other parks get crap and Cedar Point gets everything.

[beastfan11]

4 hours ago, Vortex1987 said:

With Cedar Fair calling the shots Cedar Point has to stay the king, not Great Adventure. Ka was taller and faster than TT2 so removing it makes perfect sense to keep Cedar Point the king. 

 

This is exactly why I hate Cedar Fair's guts. All the other parks get crap and Cedar Point gets everything.

Oh yeah. Cedar Fair thinks Kingda Ka is a threat to the totally fine and operational Top Thrill 2. The raving success of that ride had led them to close Kingda Ka out of sheer vengeance and not because the ride concept has been a total disaster since opening, 

Makes sense. 

[Vortex1987]

1 hour ago, beastfan11 said:

Oh yeah. Cedar Fair thinks Kingda Ka is a threat to the totally fine and operational Top Thrill 2. The raving success of that ride had led them to close Kingda Ka out of sheer vengeance and not because the ride concept has been a total disaster since opening, 

Makes sense. 

Look how Cedar Fair has treated other parks. KI for example, got a "lackluster" giga so it couldn't surpass Cedar Point, Canadas Wonderland got a lackluster giga so Mille could be better, Kings Dominions RMC wasn't nowhere near as big as SteVe so Cedar Points can be king, KI always has gotten 'OK" additions since Cedar Fair has purchased them from Paramount. They want Cedar Point to be the top park and now that Cedar Fair management is in charge with this merger, they're going to do whatever it takes to keep Cedar Point king. Even if it includes Demo-ing Ka. Also, for example, Cedar Point is getting ANOTHER new coaster AGAIN for what, 3 or 4 years in a row? Complete crap. They want Cedar Point as the flagship and  they're going to do what it takes to ensure it stays the flagship. 

 

Man I HATE Cedar Fair.

[silver2005]

So riddle me this people who are on the KK conspiracy train- if they're taking KK down, for, as you say, to let TT2 reign supreme, how does that now factor in with the very real possibility that TT2 may be torn down if Zamperla fails to deliver?

Also, 'lackluster' is a very subjective word to use. 

[Diamondback_Is_King]

Ka's removal was not because of Cedar Fair wanting to become king, it's all about business. From a business/maintenance standpoint, the ride wasn't reliable and very expensive for the company. Cedar Fair (Six Flags) is just making the business move to get rid of this expensive coaster. It stinks to lose Ka, but Cedar Fair didn't want to pay for Ka anymore. 

[beastfan11]

10 hours ago, Vortex1987 said:

Look how Cedar Fair has treated other parks. KI for example, got a "lackluster" giga so it couldn't surpass Cedar Point, Canadas Wonderland got a lackluster giga so Mille could be better, Kings Dominions RMC wasn't nowhere near as big as SteVe so Cedar Points can be king, KI always has gotten 'OK" additions since Cedar Fair has purchased them from Paramount. They want Cedar Point to be the top park and now that Cedar Fair management is in charge with this merger, they're going to do whatever it takes to keep Cedar Point king. Even if it includes Demo-ing Ka. Also, for example, Cedar Point is getting ANOTHER new coaster AGAIN for what, 3 or 4 years in a row? Complete crap. They want Cedar Point as the flagship and  they're going to do what it takes to ensure it stays the flagship. 

 

Man I HATE Cedar Fair.

[TombRaiderFTW]

11 hours ago, Vortex1987 said:

Look how Cedar Fair has treated other parks. KI for example, got a "lackluster" giga so it couldn't surpass Cedar Point, Canadas Wonderland got a lackluster giga so Mille could be better, Kings Dominions RMC wasn't nowhere near as big as SteVe so Cedar Points can be king, KI always has gotten 'OK" additions since Cedar Fair has purchased them from Paramount. They want Cedar Point to be the top park and now that Cedar Fair management is in charge with this merger, they're going to do whatever it takes to keep Cedar Point king. Even if it includes Demo-ing Ka. Also, for example, Cedar Point is getting ANOTHER new coaster AGAIN for what, 3 or 4 years in a row? Complete crap. They want Cedar Point as the flagship and  they're going to do what it takes to ensure it stays the flagship. 

 

Man I HATE Cedar Fair.

Yeah, it's definitely weird favoritism for literally no reason (the current Six Flags CEO was GM of Kings Dominion from 1998 to 2007, a.k.a. a time in which Paramount Parks was in competition with Cedar Fair and in which Kings Dominion added things like Volcano, Hypersonic, and Tomb Raider: Firefall, which were big deals at the time) and not because Cedar Point is the closest thing to a destination park in North America outside of Florida and California.

YOU think Orion and Leviathan are lackluster, and YOU think getting a smaller RMC is a sign of disrespect or whatever. That you think those things does not make them correct. Coaster enthusiasts do not know how to run amusement park chains.

Intamin hydraulic launches are unreliable and always have been. They've shredded launch cables multiple times and injured riders. They have more moving parts than any other launch type in the modern era. Intamin's spare parts availability seems atrocious. That they've lasted as long as they have is honestly surprising--I think if the upfront cost wasn't as large as they were, we'd have seen them go away sooner because parks wouldn't have bothered trying. Note that when a train on TTD shed a part that hit a rider, CF didn't bother with, for instance, building barriers between the ride and the adjacent guest areas, which surely would've been cheaper.

Cedar Fair tried an alternative on Top Thrill 2, the ride they sold passes and tickets based on the promise of riding, that worked so well that it operated for a few weekends in May and then closed for the rest of the year. I think that, very understandably, was the last chance for the industry to try to make the stratas sustainable. I expect that SF will do what they can to make TT2 work for 2025, but if something major comes up, it'll get removed and fall into that The Bat-Son of Beast-Hypersonic XLC category of rides where in 10-15 years, people on social media will incessantly post things like, "Who here got to ride TT2 while it briefly existed? What was it like compared to the original? Don't you think Six Flags should've tried harder to make it work/shouldn't Cedar Point rebuild TT2?" In the meantime, I honestly understand the decision to remove Kingda Ka, and I think Xcelerator is ABSOLUTELY on borrowed time.

Amusement parks are businesses.

[Vortex1987]

12 minutes ago, TombRaiderFTW said:

Yeah, it's definitely weird favoritism for literally no reason (the current Six Flags CEO was GM of Kings Dominion from 1998 to 2007, a.k.a. a time in which Paramount Parks was in competition with Cedar Fair and in which Kings Dominion added things like Volcano, Hypersonic, and Tomb Raider: Firefall, which were big deals at the time) and not because Cedar Point is the closest thing to a destination park in North America outside of Florida and California.

YOU think Orion and Leviathan are lackluster, and YOU think getting a smaller RMC is a sign of disrespect or whatever. That you think those things does not make them correct. Coaster enthusiasts do not know how to run amusement park chains.

Intamin hydraulic launches are unreliable and always have been. They've shredded launch cables multiple times and injured riders. They have more moving parts than any other launch type in the modern era. Intamin's spare parts availability seems atrocious. That they've lasted as long as they have is honestly surprising--I think if the upfront cost wasn't as large as they were, we'd have seen them go away sooner because parks wouldn't have bothered trying. Note that when a train on TTD shed a part that hit a rider, CF didn't bother with, for instance, building barriers between the ride and the adjacent guest areas, which surely would've been cheaper.

Cedar Fair tried an alternative on Top Thrill 2, the ride they sold passes and tickets based on the promise of riding, that worked so well that it operated for a few weekends in May and then closed for the rest of the year. I think that, very understandably, was the last chance for the industry to try to make the stratas sustainable. I expect that SF will do what they can to make TT2 work for 2025, but if something major comes up, it'll get removed and fall into that The Bat-Son of Beast-Hypersonic XLC category of rides where in 10-15 years, people on social media will incessantly post things like, "Who here got to ride TT2 while it briefly existed? What was it like compared to the original? Don't you think Six Flags should've tried harder to make it work/shouldn't Cedar Point rebuild TT2?" In the meantime, I honestly understand the decision to remove Kingda Ka, and I think Xcelerator is ABSOLUTELY on borrowed time.

Amusement parks are businesses.

Im insanely lucky I managed to get TT2 on opening day. It was incredible. 

 

Im serious though, Cedar Fair wants Cedar Point to stay king and they're going to do what it takes to ensure they stay on top. I forsee Magic Mountain going downhill and removing X2 as well. 

[TombRaiderFTW]

1 minute ago, Vortex1987 said:

Cedar Fair wants Cedar Point to stay king and they're going to do what it takes to ensure they stay on top.

Cedar Fair does not exist. And no, they don't. Six Flags doesn't operate how YOU play Planet Coaster. You didn't read what I said.

[Diamondback_Is_King]

13 hours ago, Vortex1987 said:

KI for example, got a "lackluster" giga so it couldn't surpass Cedar Point, Canadas Wonderland got a lackluster giga so Mille could be better, Kings Dominions RMC wasn't nowhere near as big as SteVe so Cedar Points can be king, KI always has gotten 'OK" additions since Cedar Fair has purchased them from Paramount.

Ok, but KI also has Diamondback which CP does not have a great hyper. Look at KD. They're getting Rapterra, which is probably going to be better than GateKeeper. Fury 325 at Carowinds is probably the best giga, so its not like other Cedar Fair/Six Flags parks don't get new and thrilling additions.Yes, I agree that Cedar Point gets more additions, but its not like other parks get left out. And I know I keep saying this but after all, it is really all about business.

[Gordon Bombay]

16 hours ago, beastfan11 said:

The raving success of that ride had led them to close Kingda Ka out of sheer vengeance

I think it was out of steel vengeance, actually. 

[silver2005]

Also, when Banshee was being decoded, a good portion of the members of this site were dead set on it not having any larger stats than Raptor, but yet...

[johnjniehaus]

On 12/7/2024 at 5:10 PM, Diamondback_Is_King said:

The new Six Flags corporation is now under Cedar Fair as well.

Yes I am aware of the merger but the company is now six flags and I was referring the the merged six flags company that currently owns all the legacy Cedar Fair and legacy six flags parks. The current six flags/Cedar Fair merged company doesn't care about the guest other than whatever money they can squeeze out of them hence the complete lack of honesty and transparency about multiple ride closures during the pass renewal season. That's my point is it was a financial decision to keep it on the downlow and it was very disrespectful to the fans of the park and fans of the coasters that were silently closed. 

As for Cedar Point being the best and staying at the top of the chain? Absolutely they will...that's been obvious from day one. I think we will see other parks get some good investments but CP will ALWAYS be #1. I think we will see some good things come from the merger but I don't think that betraying the confidence of your consumer by selling passes and then removing multiple rides without any official announcements or last rides is starting things out on the right foot. I'm going to continue loving the coasters and the parks but I definitely think the fans and the public have every right to have disappointed and upset feelings about the lack of announcements and transparency out ride removals. I think everyone has a right to say "six flags should be better than this" 

[beastfan11]

7 hours ago, Gordon Bombay said:

I think it was out of steel vengeance, actually. 

You got me there. 

[SonofBaconator]

Cedar Point has had a long history of building record-breaking roller coasters to generate hype and draw attention. However, these records are often short-lived, serving more as marketing tools than lasting achievements. Rides like GateKeeper and Valravn were promoted for their impressive stats, but once newer attractions came along, the focus quickly shifted, and those records lost their significance.

Take GateKeeper, for example. When it debuted, it was celebrated for its records, but by the time Valravn opened, much of the attention had moved on. Valravn broke several Dive Coaster records—tallest, fastest, and longest—but just a few years later, Yukon Striker at Canada’s Wonderland surpassed many of those stats, highlighting the temporary nature of such accolades.

This trend isn’t new. Magnum XL-200, which broke the 200-foot barrier in 1989, was groundbreaking at the time, holding the title of the tallest and fastest coaster in the world. However, as other parks introduced their own hyper coasters, Magnum’s record-breaking status faded. This is simply the nature of the amusement park industry—what’s new and exciting rarely stays that way for long.

Cedar Fair has strategically spread its record-breaking coasters across multiple parks instead of keeping them all at Cedar Point. Coasters like Fury 325 at Carowinds, Banshee at Kings Island, and Yukon Striker at Canada’s Wonderland gave each park something unique to promote. It wasn’t just about Cedar Point holding all the records—it was about ensuring each park had a standout attraction.

However, when records fade, the experience the ride provides becomes what truly matters. A coaster might not hold records anymore, but if it still delivers great thrills, unique elements, or a smooth, fun ride, people will keep coming back. Magnum, for example, may no longer be the tallest or fastest, but it’s still loved for its airtime and nostalgic charm. GateKeeper may not be breaking records, but its graceful inversions and lakeside views continue to draw fans.

Ultimately, records are just a tool to spark interest when a ride is new. In the long run, it’s the ride itself—how it feels and the memories it creates—that determines its lasting popularity.

Other parks will get fed, it’s just a matter of restructuring.

[PKIDelirium]

Meanwhile there's not much left of Green Lantern. Very much NOT a relocation.

 

[johnjniehaus]

1 hour ago, PKIDelirium said:

Meanwhile there's not much left of Green Lantern. Very much NOT a relocation.

It's just sad to see. Maybe it had some mechanical issues and they didn't want to relocate it again but I thought it was a decent ride when I rode it in 2022. Just shows you that stand-ups are still a dying breed. 

[Orion-XL200]

While standups are not my favorite, I had hopes that it'd relocate. 

A part of me hoped that it'd make it's way back to Kentucky Kingdom. Another part of me hoped it would have received the floorless conversion and arrive at another Six Flags park.