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​

 
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Let me raise this question once again, while we saw the writing on the wall about this attraction coming to it's final days with shorter ride cycles and more downtime over the recent years.... Why didn't the park say that it reached the end of it's service life in the email announcement about it's permanent closure?

Recalling that the park used "end of service life" language for the closure of Wolf in 2009. I guess what I am trying to point at is what was the ultimate demise of Cradle? Was it maintenance related, lack of parts, insurance, or simply a convenient attraction and/or time to close an attraction to save on operating costs just after a new attraction opens?

Furthermore, if it's end of service life related... what's the next attraction at the park nearing it's end of service life?
 
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While I get the sentiment of wanting to know why a ride is going away and what’s next, personally, I don’t feel it’s owed.

And I’ll explain my position before I get the angry faces and thumbs down:
I would love love love to get last rides. But, sometimes, the unexpected happens to a ride and it comes out before planned. So if they were to say, announce that Skyride is next, then suddenly something on Mach Tower happened that caused it to shut down, people would be upset they got onto skyride and missed MTs final days.
 
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To answer your question @rvadude85, from what I understand, a major maintenance issue arose and getting parts (likely entirely custom manufactured) would have been too costly/too difficult to justify given the ride's age, popularity, future reliability prognosis, existing operational difficulties, etc. Everything I've heard says that they had every intention of reopening the ride until they learned they couldn't.

warfelg said:
While I get the sentiment of wanting to know why a ride is going away and what’s next, personally, I don’t feel it’s owed.

And I’ll explain my position before I get the angry faces and thumbs down:
I would love love love to get last rides. But, sometimes, the unexpected happens to a ride and it comes out before planned. So if they were to say, announce that Skyride is next, then suddenly something on Mach Tower happened that caused it to shut down, people would be upset they got onto skyride and missed MTs final days.
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HARD disagree. Just because you can't all the time doesn't mean you shouldn't when you can.
 
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Zachary said:
To answer your question @rvadude85, from what I understand, a major maintenance issue arose and getting parts (likely entirely custom manufactured) would have been too costly/too difficult to justify given the ride's age, popularity, future reliability prognosis, existing operational difficulties, etc. Everything I've heard says that they had every intention of reopening the ride until they learned they couldn't.



HARD disagree. Just because you can't all the time doesn't mean you shouldn't when you can.
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My counter is it sets a bad precedent for when they can’t do it like here. Because on the flip, we do know of times that an older ride has been saved by others of its type going down and having parts that are useful.

I mean, the only recent closure in the area I feel was unjustly closed with no fanfare was DarKastle. Otherwise:
Davinci’s Cradle - Parts issue
BfE - COVID
Volcano - Parts issue
Crypt - Parts issue

Additionally - IMO - publishing that its service life means soon to be closed has the potential of being a PR nightmare given the way the media covers parks. I can see places running with articles about rides being shutdown due to being unsafe, don’t ride older rides, and the like.

1-2 months out? Yea I can see “last chance” announcements. Especially if it’s still running.

I guess my long story short is, yea while it would be nice, I don’t feel it’s owed.

Edit: And maybe I’m on an island feeling this way. And that’s fine with me.

And maybe this is just a feeling of some reactions in general (and this is more social commentary than ParkFans) that for some reason disagreements always tend to have to end with a right/wrong. I’ve long respected the way you disagree because you do it in a way that makes me feel ok about having a differing opinion.

But back to this, the reason I don’t feel it’s owed is because the unexpected can happen (which is my point) that can cause something to reach the end of its service life much sooner than anticipated.

Like I would hate knowing Pompeii is ending it’s service life, so I spend time enjoying it one last summer, then suddenly something unrepairable on Nessie happens and I feel like I didn’t get enough goes.

To me, not knowing what may soon comes out is what gets me to ride as many as I can and appreciate every ride I have on something.
 
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Oh, I don't expect "nearing the end of life" announcements—I just expect announcements right when the actual decision is made. I don't care if that's while the ride is operating or while the ride is down for maintenance or even if it's while the park is closed—I just think the park needs to announce IMMEDIATELY when the decision is actually made.

Sometimes that will allow for final rides and sometimes it won't—I accept that that's how the cookie crumbles.
 
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Zachary said:
Oh, I don't expect "nearing the end of life" announcements—I just expect announcements when the decision is made. I don't care if that's while the ride is operating or while the ride is down for maintenance or even if it's while the park is closed—I just think the park needs to announce RIGHT when the decision is actually made.

Sometimes that will allow for final rides and sometimes it won't—I accept that that's how the cookie crumbles.
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I agree for some rides but not for all. But this is fair enough.
 
I put this here as a potential replacement for the cradle. I was surfing earlier, and I found this traveling carnival in the Netherlands. They have better flats than BGW has. The flat on the right; you need to watch an entire cycle. It's crazy. And, to think it is all mobile and they move from place to place. Also in the right background is a ride that puts FF to shame.

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Rothbury said:
The flat on the right; you need to watch an entire cycle.
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The big swinging ride on the right as a Cradle replacement?

That won't ever happen. It's too big for the location. That is the tallest rotating transportable flat ride on the planet. It's a KMG Airborne (or KMG Speed 32 which is the production name). At 65 meters in height it stands a yard taller than the first drop on Apollo's Chariot.
 
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Didn't a smaller version of this ride used to exist at the Virginia Beach Oceanfront?
 
Jonesta6 said:
Didn't a smaller version of this ride used to exist at the Virginia Beach Oceanfront?
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That was a Gravity Works Skyscraper ride. It only holds 4 people (2 in each pod) where the KMG Airbone holds 32 riders (16 on each end, 8 seats wide positioned back to back).
 
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