Project 2022: Tumbili, Reptilian, Arachnidia, & Jungle X-Pedition

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^This. If the parks do make history and BGW and KD both introduce new coasters in 2021, then that gives them an INCREDIBLE opportunity to revive their "Virginia Thrills" partnership and market joint tickets to out-of-state regions. Two great parks with two new coasters would be a great selling point to drive in vacationers from the surrounding region.
 
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CoasterMac said:
Rides like Fēnix and Flug Der Dämonen are just 30ft taller and do a lot more for just a few $mil more. For the price point though (I'm going to assume $12-15m for the KD ride), I feel like that budget could've been better used on a killer GCI woodie or a Gerstlauer Infinity
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Repeat after me... R-O-I, R-O-I

KD had not had a great ROI aka return on investment the past few years. CF isn't going to keep staking a few extra million on a ride that isn't going to be bringing in the needed revenue if they don't have to. ROI and MARKETABILITY are the most important words in the coaster industry.

This coaster will be "cheap and reliable." Two things that CF and Park maintenance will love. This ride will "ONLY" cost around 15-18 MM (THANKS PRICE OF STEEL) and that's adorable in today's terms.

For instance Orion is costing KI $30 MILLION wheres five years ago Fury 325 cost Carowinds $30 MILLION. Inflation would have put the cost of Orion around $45-48 MILLION to make a clone of Fury. For what? 13 extra seconds of ride time. Yeah, parks will always choose an attraction that will yield the best ROI. Building a 130-140 ft wing coaster that goes to the park entrance and back or blah blah blah isn't going to bring the revenue boost needed to pay for it. Simply having the first wing coaster on the east coast will be enough. That's where Marketing comes in

R-O-I, R-O-I....

BGW spent over $50 MILLION on the Oktoberfest rehabilitation. Between Verbolten, Mach Tower, the Pretzel Shop and over facelifts, it's a brand new hamlet. I'd bet it did more for return on investment than if the park had spent more money to build a super duper looper or sometime. Finding the best additions to match your desired R-O-I is key.

I am glad KD isn't over investing. They need to stay in the business of adding appropriate size quality attractions and not have they multi year hangover they had after I305. And people wonder why the park did "nothing" for several years after I305.
 
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@KDcoasterMAN - I am well aware of ROI. It's more than likely the reason we're (possibly) getting this layout: a small addition that CAN act as a replacement for Volcano that corporate all but knows won't generate any worthwhile ROI. The fact they're willing to drop $12-15m on this ride when there are definitely cheaper, more interesting options out there both fascinates and haunts me. I guess it's just the combination of Cedar Fair loving their B&M's and the $$$ they're willing to spend.
 
CoasterMac said:
The fact they're willing to drop $12-15m on this ride when there are definitely cheaper, more interesting options out there both fascinates and haunts me.
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I think you're underestimating the power of marketing in this business. To the average guest, a wing coaster is a unique and cool concept. I'll bet most members of the GP around here have never even heard of a wing coaster before. The only type of coaster I can think of that's equally marketable is a Raptor. While something like an Infinity would make us enthusiasts happy, I feel like the GP would see little difference between that and other looping coasters like Dominator, FOF, Anaconda, etc. - at least not when they're sitting at home and see an ad for the ride.

And I 100% agree with RollyCoaster, I'm totally fine with the new direction CF has been taking KD lately. When KD was constantly adding thrill rides, people still (rightly so, in my opinion) hated on the park for being trashy and not well-rounded. I'd much rather have a quality park experience with quality rides added here and there and that's where KD (and its guests) seems to want it to be headed.
 
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If that's how it ends up it looks to me like left side will be the place to ride. You get more close to the ground sections. Overall it looks fun.
 
Thunderbird cost $22 million to build. A similar sized coaster without the launch from B&M goes for about $5-7 million less.
 
b.mac said:
Thunderbird cost $22 million to build. A similar sized coaster without the launch from B&M goes for about $5-7 million less.
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How much of that includes the building, expansion, changes around Voyage, land clearing?
 
warfelg said:
How much of that includes the building, expansion, changes around Voyage, land clearing?
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That is the listed price via Holiday World, without explanation of what exactly that number encapsulates.

I imagine even with all of the buildings and the clearing for TBird's footprint it would still run a significantly higher price compared to a bare bones wing coaster of similar size that used a traditional lift hill. That's if the $22 million price tag is total cost and not just for the coaster.
 
b.mac said:
That is the listed price via Holiday World, without explanation of what exactly that number encapsulates.

I imagine even with all of the buildings and the clearing for TBird's footprint it would still run a significantly higher price compared to a bare bones wing coaster of similar size that used a traditional lift hill. That's if the $22 million price tag is total cost and not just for the coaster.
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Yeah launch coasters seem to be more expensive due to the extra programming needed. I may be wrong, but I don't believe T-Birds track was fabricated at Clearmont. If it needed to be shipped from Europe, that would jack up the price as well.
 
All B&M track has been manufactured and shipped from the Clermont facility since 2004.

If you're talking hardware for the launch system, then yeah it could have come from a third party across the pond.
 
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Any ideas on how much this theoretical wing coaster would cost? Not only is it on the smaller side, but I wonder if it’s a lot cheaper by being a near-clone of an existing model instead of designing a new layout from scratch. Plus, the land is already cleared and would need minimal alterations, and the park could even save a decent amount on infrastructure costs by reusing the existing Volcano queue house for lockers, on-ride photos, and a gift shop.
 
Joe said:
Any ideas on how much this theoretical wing coaster would cost? Not only is it on the smaller side, but I wonder if it’s a lot cheaper by being a near-clone of an existing model instead of designing a new layout from scratch. Plus, the land is already cleared and would need minimal alterations, and the park could even save a decent amount on infrastructure costs by reusing the existing Volcano queue house for lockers, on-ride photos, and a gift shop.
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CoasterMac, previously in this thread, stated his belief that it was in the 12 to 15 million dollar range.

CoasterMac said:
I honestly have no problem with Cedar Fair's love for B&M. As Zach said: great guest satisfaction, incredibly reliable, and essentially no risk in installing one. I'm very welcoming of a Wing coaster for KD, but, my main problem is THIS layout. It's such an insignificant use of a wing coaster. Rides like Fēnix and Flug Der Dämonen are just 30ft taller and do a lot more for just a few $mil more. For the price point though (I'm going to assume $12-15m for the KD ride), I feel like that budget could've been better used on a killer GCI woodie or a Gerstlauer Infinity (à la Monster @ Adventureland). Y'all get the point
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I've never ridden a wing coaster so I 'm ok if that is what they get (even though I was never blown away by wing POVs and have heard unenthusiastic reviews). Seems like a safe and quality investment even if it is a bit short in height and length to enthusiasts. I'm really more eager that they theme it a little more than usual. Keyhole elements, tunnels, etc go a long way in ride experience, especially if they fit a overall theme.
I know theming is not exactly Cedar Fair's M.O. But regardless of what you thought of the ride itself, it's pretty safe to say that volcano was one of the best themed high-thrill coasters on the planet.
As well, some sort of remembrance of the mountain/volcano is the least they can do. A plaque, photos of the mountain's transformation and attractions over the years, something...
Another thing that caught my eye if those predictions are what/where they build. There is a bit of room for a future attraction(s) behind the expanded plaza area between avalanche and "project 2021". Not a ton of room, but room.
 
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