Da Vinci's Cradle

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The first entry in this thread is a WikiPost. As such, it can be edited by anyone with the appropriate permissions.

Manufacturer
Zierer

Model
Flying Carpet

Hamlet
San Marco (Italy)

Debut
1983

Closure
2022

Riders Per Cycle
40



Da Vinci's Cradle was a Zierer Flying Carpet flat ride located in the Da Vinci's Garden of Inventions area of Busch Gardens Williamsburg's San Marco hamlet. It debuted in 1983. After an extended closure, Busch Gardens Williamsburg announced on April 26, 2022 that Da Vinci's Cradle would be removed. Its final operating day is unknown.


Marketing Materials​


Ride Footage​

 
Last edited by a moderator:
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pandorazboxx said:
They also stopped all the outside ropes and stuff from moving. And the ride does not go around as much. lame. I rode it this year and I got far less nauseous than usual. It's not as fun now.
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Actually. I have noticed that ride duration is longer when there is a low crowd. My family has gotten some LONG cycles this year as well as short ones. They all seemed dependent on the crowds.
 
My friend who used to work I-rides said that the reason is just that they want people using their hands to brace themselves so they don't get doubled over and smack themselves on the bar due to the motion of the ride.
 
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My guess and this is purely a guess is that something locked up and that it's sitting there on it's own not locked in place and there worried about it falling.
 
I will also take an uneducated guess. The ride is under going through a lifespan overhaul and some of the bearing needing to be replaced can't be reached unless the ride is up. The way the tape is wrapped makes it look like it is to remind workers, not the public. Juat an optimistic guess.
 
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Might be a liability or more likely some over paranoid lawyers idea of liability issue one of those well some one could just wonder under either employee with permission but not paying attention or trouble making GP jumping the fence and get hurt but if we bought this tape around it warning them of the danger and they still do it we are not at fault. type of thing.
 
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PfQD8em.jpg


Is it perfect? No, but at least it's not like last year where it was covered completely, and you would need a machete to see it.
 
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Zachary said:
I was milling around YouTube today and stumbled upon something I hadn't seen before: The original ad for Da Vinci's Cradle. Sounds pretty neat, right? Wrong. This is one of the creepiest ads I've ever seen. Between the crazy-looking old man, the young girl singing in the background, and the narrator's somewhat seductive tone, I'm royally disturbed. Watch at your own risk. This cannot be unseen.
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I completely rememeber this commercial

Shane said:
I thought the commercial was kinda cool. Neat to see the themeing done on the little scale model. Makes me wonder, did not all of the rides in Da Vinci's garden open at the same time?
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No they were not. If I recall correctly DC was added the second year this area was open.
 
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Zimmy said:
Shane said:
I thought the commercial was kinda cool. Neat to see the themeing done on the little scale model. Makes me wonder, did not all of the rides in Da Vinci's garden open at the same time?
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No they were not.  If I recall correctly DC was added the second year this area was open.
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Correct.

Davinci's Cradle didn't open with the Ram, Flying Machine and the kiddie rides. The park heavily promoted Cradle as that commercial got tons of local airplay and gained the ride a lot of interest. It was a hit when it debuted!
 
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It may be my imagination, but I swear, when I was in the 90s the flying machine and the cradle were far more intense then they are now.
 
They even seemed slower in 2003. I do recall that Flying Machine used to break down constantly. I wonder if age is a problem.
 
Da Vinci's cradle was practically closed everytime I visited the park as a child, it was the Mach Tower of the time. After it got neutered it has had much better maintenance, although, it's not as thrilling.
 
I hate to be pedantic, but as an artist and student of history I must point out that the name of this ride should either be "Leonardo's Cradle" or "Leonardo da Vinci's Cradle". "Da Vinci" isn't Leonardo's surname, it's where he's from, literally "of Vinci", Vinci being a tiny village near Florence. Leonardo didn't have a surname.
 
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The first entry in this thread is a WikiPost. As such, it can be edited by anyone with the appropriate permissions.
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