Cedar Point's announcement is tomorrow, August 1. However, Dorney Park's announcement isn't until Thursday, August 10. I expect the rest of the Cedar Fair announcements to roll out in the 1-2 weeks after Dorney Park's.
Project 2025/Caldera: Rapterra (Launched B&M Wing Coaster)
- Thread starter horsesboy
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Can't wait for Volcano: The Blast 2 in 2025! 
Survey work taking place on the Volcano site now meshes with rumors I've heard. I don't know for sure whether or not there's still a chance at a 2024 project, but if one exists, I'm pretty certain it won't be the coaster slated to replace Volcano. Thread title updated.
Until further notice, we will start trying to keep Jungle X addition discussions split up more diligently. Discussions of further ride/dining/shop rethemes or minor attraction additions (flat rides and the like) belong in the Jungle X-Pedition Phase II thread. We're going to try to keep this thread on the topic of, specifically, Kings Dominion's next major coaster addition which, to be clear, is, from what I've heard, slated for Jungle X-Pedition—most likely in 2025.
Until further notice, we will start trying to keep Jungle X addition discussions split up more diligently. Discussions of further ride/dining/shop rethemes or minor attraction additions (flat rides and the like) belong in the Jungle X-Pedition Phase II thread. We're going to try to keep this thread on the topic of, specifically, Kings Dominion's next major coaster addition which, to be clear, is, from what I've heard, slated for Jungle X-Pedition—most likely in 2025.
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Given it will be 5 years at that point since Volcano maybe they're hoping that people would have forgotten what was there? Got to say, I'm a touch disappointed they have taken so long to take any action on the site. I know Tumbuli was slated to happen before Volcano went down, but doing waterpark and Grizzly work with such a huge hole feels like they are trying to make people forget.
Given KD now has no suspended coaster I would like to maybe see VTBC's successor be a suspended coaster of some sort. I know people are pushing for an Axis, but maybe another option is out there. They could use Zamperla's new trains to make their own Maverick like coaster back there. They could go heavily themed like Maverick is and theme it to a jungle chase.
That could save an invert/wing/axis coaster for elsewhere in the park.
From what I know of the timelines, that is incorrect. Volcano was murdered in 2018 and removed in 2019. During 2019, Kings Dominion was in talks with manufactures about replacement proposals for the site—including that notorious B&M wing coaster plan KDFans leaked.
In parallel, The Crypt was having big problems and it became clear that it needed to be removed as well. This left KD with two large holes to fill with next to no notice and very little funding available. The choice was made by early 2020 to prioritize the Crypt replacement since they could get get funding for a small, quick solution there for 2021. Then COVID hit and the rest is history.
Cedar Fair doesn't like to add notable rides to parks back to back so there was probably always going to be a couple years between Tumbili and the Volcano replacement. I, too, wish that it was 2024 instead of 2025, but, broadening our analysis out to the chainwide scale, a certain other problem at the flagship park arose post-COVID that required an immediate, huge outlay of unexpected funding. I wouldn't be surprised at all if Dragster took cap-ex funding from a few smaller projects this year.
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It could be because they did indeed know how people were struck by Volcano's removal, so they've spent the past few years trying to figure out what could go there that matches or exceeds the predecessor's level. Actually, putting something extremely thrilling in there would be a great finale to a multi-year Jungle X-Pedition expansion. I was also thinking about the POSSIBILITY of a Zamperla Lightning going in there as the replacement. Check this out:
Direct Link to Embedded Media Source
Note there is a new track design for the Lightning coaster in this animation. Looks very similar to modern track from Premier and S&S. Hopefully that is an improvement over Zamperla's past work with coaster track.
I mean, Richard Zimmerman was GM of Kings Dominion around the time Volcano debuted, and now he heads Cedar Fair so he probably knows the success it's had with park guests.
EDIT: just saw @Zachary's reply including the COVID stuff so that's also a factor.
Thank you for correcting my memory on that. I don’t know why I felt like it was the other way around. COVID really screwed with my memory of when that all happened.From what I know of the timelines, that is incorrect. Volcano was murdered in 2018 and removed in 2019. During 2019, Kings Dominion was in talks with manufactures about replacement proposals for the site—including that notorious B&M wing coaster plan KDFans leaked.
In parallel, The Crypt was having big problems and it became clear that it needed to be removed as well. This left KD with two large holes to fill with next to no notice and very little funding available. The choice was made by early 2020 to prioritize the Crypt replacement since they could get get funding for a small, quick solution there for 2021. Then COVID hit and the rest is history.
Cedar Fair doesn't like to add notable rides to parks back to back so there was probably always going to be a couple years between Tumbili and the Volcano replacement. I, too, wish that it was 2024 instead of 2025, but, broadening our analysis out to the chainwide scale, a certain other problem arose post-COVID that required a huge outlay of unexpected funding to right. I wouldn't be surprised at all if Dragster took cap-ex funding from a few projects this year.
This has been my biggest 'industry' related question. So based on this, X amount of capex is available and they (corporate) assign it where they choose? Does the park president have a say in what gets added? Any chance to know if Six Flags the same? Is Jeffrey Siebert just a total anomaly & allowed do whatever he wants? Sure feels like the latter
As for a theoretical Zamperla Lightning launcher in JX, [pending TT2's success] I'd be cool with that addition. Just hope it wouldn't resemble that lifeless sample layout above.
No, you're not alone. I had to go double check all the timelines to make sure I had it right. We've just been waiting for some of these projects for so long—well outside the normal rumor to debut schedule.
Yeah, this is typically how things work from what I understand of the likes of Cedar Fair and SEAS. Corporate decides budget allocations (namely, here, how much Cap-Ex the chain wants to spend for a season) and identifies which properties they want to invest in. Then there's collaboration between corporate, the park, and contractors/manufactures on how that money should be spent.
In the case of Cedar Fair and SEAS, yes.
I have never really had a good look inside a SIX project before, but I can imagine things being more top-down in that chain since they buy in bulk so often.
My guess would be that SIX has identified Fiesta Texas as a place worthy of investment. Hard to know exactly why, but presumably the chain wouldn't keep investing if the returns weren't there. It's possible Jeffery Siebert just runs a super tight ship, picks his investments well, and always ensures the returns will be there. It's also possible that SIX sees some larger market factors that they want to play into or get ahead of.
Anyway, just some random thoughts. Should probably stick closer to KD's next coaster again.
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So the JUICIEST bit of the day for this thread.
Ladies and gentlemen, the door to modern Vekoma cracked just thaaaaat much today. Just a little. The idea of Fonix being in that plot has me salivating a tad but who knows what’s under contract.
Ladies and gentlemen, the door to modern Vekoma cracked just thaaaaat much today. Just a little. The idea of Fonix being in that plot has me salivating a tad but who knows what’s under contract.
I still want a Vekoma flying coaster over Lake Charles someday.
Gerstlauer is actually quite a substantial choice. Not as elite as B&M or Mack but the infinity coaster has versatility, being able to have launches, vertical lifts, drops going past 90 degrees, lots of inversions, and the ability to pack extensive layouts in tight places. With the area where Volcano used to be, they could fit in something huge with this model. Infinity coasters are also relatively cheap. The main problem is roughness, but could it really be any rougher than Alpengeist? It would probably be rough but still enjoyable. I did also mention Vekoma, and now that a family boomerang is going to Kings Island, that could make them a possible manufacturer for replacing Volcano. What I really want is a flying coaster from them.
Though I’ll personally take an infinity coaster over a B&M wing, the latter would be too graceful to replace a ride with such a punchy experience and would be more pleasing for the general public than enthusiasts. I still can’t fathom why people think that’s what it’s gonna be because of a small wing layout that was leaked.
Parks' jobs are to please the general public and, to be fair, Kings Dominion, for its size and stature, is VERY light on large, wide-audience, crowd-pleasing coasters. In fact, I'd argue that Volcano was just about the most crowd-pleasing coaster the park has ever built—and it's gone now.
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Problem was it was one more of the Paramount era prototype rides that wasn't ready for prime-time.
Not sure if I quite follow that, but I think a launched wing would be quite appreciated as a successor - plus it'd likely have much higher capacity and uptime than Volcano ever did.
Not sure if I quite follow that, but I think a launched wing would be quite appreciated as a successor - plus it'd likely have much higher capacity and uptime than Volcano ever did.
Thunderbird was $22 million, that’s why I steer away from that when making predictions. But honestly I’m open to hearing any way of how a wing could be better than an infinity. Actually, I would save the wing coaster for later down the line. As for infinity coasters, they also appear to be good crowd pleasers based on Hangtime’s hit at Knott’s. We just need something that balances tastes of both GP and enthusiasts.
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