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I honestly think a dueling triple launch coaster would be amazing. It would also give off the spirit of rolling thunder. Otherwise, Spinda Ka would be AWSOME!!!
 
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I’m hoping it’s not a shuttle— swing launch full circuit would be OK, but shuttles just don’t have the capacity for a major park like Great Adventure. I was half hoping that Flash would have been sent somewhere else…
 
The only way a shuttle would work ok at GAdv is if its a dual track like with the old Chiller. A single track shuttle is a bad idea for a achor coaster at a major park. Unfortunately the new chain management may see the capacity issue as a feature instead of a bug to help promote flash pass sales.
 
The only way a shuttle would work ok at GAdv is if its a dual track like with the old Chiller. A single track shuttle is a bad idea for a achor coaster at a major park. Unfortunately the new chain management may see the capacity issue as a feature instead of a bug to help promote flash pass sales.
Supposedly Ka was super popular for a few years but was straddling around 10th or so in terms of ridership since then. What doesn't make sense to me about this replacement is that if Ka didn't have alot of ridership, then what makes them think a mack shuttle will do any better?

I keep flip flopping between the mack shuttle being a good and bad replacement, so I'll just have to wait and see what's actually coming. I agree with you though, I hate that they would rather put out a product that inconveniences guests (making them buy a flash pass) than putting out something people would actually like. If they want to push flash pass sales, they should focus on getting park attendance up to a level where they're not pulling nearly 1mil less guests than Hershey.
 
My big question is why they ruled out a giga so quickly? Like if you’re spending this much and have this much space it feels to me like it’s almost a no brainer.

I just need something that makes this shuttle go away, it’s eating at me right now. Something that I saw someone else point out is that this addition would be a disaster if it turned into Superman and couldn’t make it up to the top and let riders hang over the edge, which is clearly the best part of the ride.
 
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I don't have an issue with the "Comfortably crowded" level of attendance that the new Six Flags is going for. There were times when I was a teenager, especially during the Fright Fest months, where getting on 12 coasters in a day without a Flash Pass bordered on being a legendary feat. I just hope they go about it the right way (high quality attractions that draw people in) instead of making it arbitrary (low capacity rides that are annoying to wait for above all else).

There are a lot of great options available with the space the park now has, and even the concepts that I'm lukewarm on sound like they could be crowd pleasers! The suspense of awaiting the announcement is rough, but I'm also somewhat relieved that a bunch of exciting possibilities can still be thrown around.

With the wound of losing such an important landmark being so fresh, though, I'm having trouble envisioning anything being capable of taking that spot. I don't think I'm in a position where I can give any alternative to Kingda Ka a fair shake right now. Maybe the passage of time will help with that.
 
My big question is why they ruled out a giga so quickly? Like if you’re spending this much and have this much space it feels to me like it’s almost a no brainer.

I just need something that makes this shuttle go away, it’s eating at me right now. Something that I saw someone else point out is that this addition would be a disaster if it turned into Superman and couldn’t make it up to the top and let riders hang over the edge, which is clearly the best part of the ride.
It just confuses me as to why they've been so lackluster with coaster additions since the 09' bankruptcy. Every single coaster they've added to the park (not including Flash since nobody has ridden it yet) has been poorly received by the general public with the exception of JDC. Outside of Toro and Nitro, there aren't many rides at the park that I really want to ride more than once per visit. Would it kill them to add something that would make a solid 1-2 punch with Toro? They could add something along the lines of Alpenfury and I swear they wouldn't have to add anything else for years so long as they took the time to focus on general improvements.
 
It just confuses me as to why they've been so lackluster with coaster additions since the 09' bankruptcy. Every single coaster they've added to the park (not including Flash since nobody has ridden it yet) has been poorly received by the general public with the exception of JDC. Outside of Toro and Nitro, there aren't many rides at the park that I really want to ride more than once per visit. Would it kill them to add something that would make a solid 1-2 punch with Toro? They could add something along the lines of Alpenfury and I swear they wouldn't have to add anything else for years so long as they took the time to focus on general improvements.
Idk about Alpenfury, I obviously haven’t ridden it yet but the layout seems overly repetitive. It seems to me like they tried to come up with as many ways to make a barrel roll as possible lol. I doubt it would happen but right now my choice would probably be a Mack Stryker.

I'm really feeling like Ka is going to be the next Volcano. A ride that's so iconic that it'll be hard for anything to live up to the expectation of its predecessor, even if the ride experience of the replacement will technically be superior.
I mean let’s be real if the Mack shuttle id coming then it’s moreso the park choosing poorly when it comes to replacements. Raptera looks fun and I love wings but there are certainly more exciting options they could have gone with. I still think that ride will be a huge success though. With Ka though, let’s not act as though it’s impossible to replace, put a B&M Giga or Intamin Blitz in that spot and I think you’ll see people won’t mind at all they removed Ka.
 
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Supposedly Ka was super popular for a few years but was straddling around 10th or so in terms of ridership since then. What doesn't make sense to me about this replacement is that if Ka didn't have alot of ridership, then what makes them think a mack shuttle will do any better?
I've rarely seen Ka not have a line even though I make it a point to be there at the least crowded of moments. Ridership was limited by capacity, so I don't see how you can judge popularity except by wait times, which was probably the biggest turn-off of the ride, long wait short ride (odd, with Volcano it was longest line=most popular, even though it wasn't physically possible). Even Green Lantern had better capacity than Ka with 1 station ops. When they used both sides the increased capacity tended to be matched by increased breakdowns. I don't believe the Mack shuttle theory though.
 
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Also Ka had it's share of downtime, which cuts ridership.

I'm really feeling like Ka is going to be the next Volcano. A ride that's so iconic that it'll be hard for anything to live up to the expectation of its predecessor, even if the ride experience of the replacement will technically be superior.
In the case of Volcano, they allowed years to pass before a replacement, which I actually think was smart, and part of why people are taking to the replacement quite well now. Volcano is dead and gone. The memories aren't fading, but it's feeling less painful now. Time heals all wounds and such. Ka will still be a pretty fresh kill when it's replacement opens.
 
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I was looking at the overhead view of the park and was wondering if there is a chance that the new coaster layout can go over the entrance. Cedar Fair has done that with a few of their parks (Cedar Point, Carowinds), where they redo their entrances and incorporate a new coaster layout. The biggest limiting factor here is that Flash is directly on the other side of the entrance, so the layout would need to account for this. In addition, the entrance is far from the current Ka plot, so I’m not sure if a coaster that large would be in the works.

IMG_1462.jpeg
 
I was looking at the overhead view of the park and was wondering if there is a chance that the new coaster layout can go over the entrance. Cedar Fair has done that with a few of their parks (Cedar Point, Carowinds), where they redo their entrances and incorporate a new coaster layout. The biggest limiting factor here is that Flash is directly on the other side of the entrance, so the layout would need to account for this. In addition, the entrance is far from the current Ka plot, so I’m not sure if a coaster that large would be in the works.

View attachment 35325
Assuming that the entrance stays as is I don't really see a practical way of doing that.
 
The entrance has long needed an update— the issue is crossing the guest pathways and having a covering between them and the track.
 
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It just confuses me as to why they've been so lackluster with coaster additions since the 09' bankruptcy. Every single coaster they've added to the park (not including Flash since nobody has ridden it yet) has been poorly received by the general public with the exception of JDC. Outside of Toro and Nitro, there aren't many rides at the park that I really want to ride more than once per visit. Would it kill them to add something that would make a solid 1-2 punch with Toro? They could add something along the lines of Alpenfury and I swear they wouldn't have to add anything else for years so long as they took the time to focus on general improvements.

If the rumors hold true and KK was costing the park millions of dollars to operate, there's a good chance the budget towards new rides/infrastructure improvements was being funneled into keeping KK operational. Without the one giant maintenance headache pulling resources from the rest of the park, now they can use that money elsewhere.

Even if it just cost $1 million a year to run, that's $19 million going to one ride over 19 years. You could buy at least 2 RMCs with that money.
 
They did just redo the entrance. They pushed it further up. They got rid of the secondary part where you originally entered and added the looney toons statues as soon as you enter the park. This was a really under the radar move and i didnt notice it until i went for Ka’s last operating weekend.

You can see the red gravel on the ground where the second part of the entrance used to be.

Its hard to explain with words I wish I had pictures but hopefully someone can further elaborate.
 
They did just redo the entrance. They pushed it further up. They got rid of the secondary part where you originally entered and added the looney toons statues as soon as you enter the park. This was a really under the radar move and i didnt notice it until i went for Ka’s last operating weekend.

You can see the red gravel on the ground where the second part of the entrance used to be.

Its hard to explain with words I wish I had pictures but hopefully someone can further elaborate.

Unfortunately they aren't from the exact same distance (nor time of day), but these shots give a general idea of what you're talking about.

Before:
IMG_20240902_141940343.jpg

After:
IMG_20240928_232347912.jpg
 
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If the rumors hold true and KK was costing the park millions of dollars to operate, there's a good chance the budget towards new rides/infrastructure improvements was being funneled into keeping KK operational. Without the one giant maintenance headache pulling resources from the rest of the park, now they can use that money elsewhere.

Even if it just cost $1 million a year to run, that's $19 million going to one ride over 19 years. You could buy at least 2 RMCs with that money.
What does it cost to maintain other rides? Surely not $0. Probably way more than that? So, just to take an example, how much does it cost to maintain Nitro?
 
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