News Project 2027/Purple: Delayed “World Record Breaking Coaster" (Phantom Spire?)

[mattkopp23]

At ACE’s Eastcoaster event (kindly uploaded by Coliwood Studios), they mentioned that starting next year the park will be working with Intamin to replace 80 pieces of El Toro in 3 phases.

Wonder if Intamin will also be at the park to work on the 2026 coaster?

 

[MaxxForceFan]

Wonder if Intamin will also be at the park to work on the 2026 coaster?

They are obviously making space for a mirror of Falcon's Flight. lol

 

[the_pantsmith]

Probably still wouldn’t be enough for some

 

[The Master]

Probably still wouldn’t be enough for some

Considering the park lost 16% of its rides in one year it indeed would not be enough. This would be a good start towards salvaging the 2026 season but it would still need 7 replacement rides. Mass ride removals like this don't indicate a rosey future for a park. Hopefully it doesn't end up like another Geauga Lake.

 

[the_pantsmith]

Sincere question, what would be enough in that case? If a park removes 10 Wacky Worms and replaces them with a Giga B&M Dive, is it still a net loss because they lost 9 attractions? It seems like you’re being purposefully argumentative when you say Falcons Flight wouldn’t be enough to replace a top spin, parachute drop, and B&M stand up

 

[italianstallion]

Sincere question, what would be enough in that case? If a park removes 10 Wacky Worms and replaces them with a Giga B&M Dive, is it still a net loss because they lost 9 attractions? It seems like you’re being purposefully argumentative when you say Falcons Flight wouldn’t be enough to replace a top spin, parachute drop, and B&M stand up

And stating a Falcon’s Flight sized addition “still wouldn’t be enough for some” out of nowhere was being purposefully argumentative to those who have said they don’t like the concepts currently on the table. But what @The Master is arguing is that only adding Falcons Flight does not fill the lineup void created by the breadth and depth of the removals thus far, and therefore a not immaterial demographic of Great Adventure park goers is going to still feel like they lost out massively.

 

[The Master]

And stating a Falcon’s Flight sized addition “still wouldn’t be enough for some” out of nowhere was being purposefully argumentative to those who have said they don’t like the concepts currently on the table. But what @The Master is arguing is that only adding Falcons Flight does not fill the lineup void created by the breadth and depth of the removals thus far, and therefore a not immaterial demographic of Great Adventure park goers is going to still feel like they lost out massively.

Agreed, the ride assortment at GAdv has been poorly rounded compared to other parks like Hershey and Dorney for a couple of decades and CF just made it worse. The poorly rounded ride lineup is hurting the park. I like coasters but I don't want to ride nothing but coasters at a park, though it seems I may be in the minority with that opinion around here. Seems like many enthusiasts are content with GAdv hemorrhaging several rides at once for just the slightest of chances for a single new coaster. This was how forums were like 20 years back with Red Zone and Shapiro who had many staunch defenders. I still miss the park having two flume rides and a simulator which probably predates many here. There are probably some enthusiasts who be happy if the safari was ripped out to make room for another coaster. Mass ride removals like this always seem to contentious.

This what got SF into trouble before, only installing big fancy coasters and removing many family rides. This discurages familes from attending the park and attracts teens and yahoos leading to a bad reputation and rowdy atmosphere. Personally I rather see a skyride replacement than A KK replacement. A 16% loss Is pretty significant and a new big coaster in 2026 will only fill KK's void, but what, if anything will fill the voids of the parachutes and skyride? What is beyond 2027? The park still has voids from 20 years ago like the second flume and splash down, they don't need more voids that will likely never be filled and the GP knows it.

I have low confidence with CF with how they handled Dorney. I had a SP there from 1992 to 2019. But in the 2010s operations and quality at Dorney took a steep decline as well as increasingly rough clientele. Didn't bother visiting Dorney during 2020 and realized I didn't miss it and stopped going there. We saw sharp declines at GAdv in 2024 which has me concerned for GAdv's future. If my stance makes me unpopular then so be it.

 

[the_pantsmith]

And stating a Falcon’s Flight sized addition “still wouldn’t be enough for some” out of nowhere was being purposefully argumentative to those who have said they don’t like the concepts currently on the table. But what @The Master is arguing is that only adding Falcons Flight does not fill the lineup void created by the breadth and depth of the removals thus far, and therefore a not immaterial demographic of Great Adventure park goers is going to still feel like they lost out massively.

It’s far from out of nowhere. It’s because there are people in every thread about great adventure throwing out insane conspiracy theories about future removals and dooming that the park is done for.

There’s enough heinous evil shit happening in the real world, forgive me for being sick of constant whining and negativity in the hobby that’s supposed to be a break from that.

Great Adventure will be fine. Go to Reddit if you wanna do the overreactionary debbie downer song and dance. I feel like most people on this forum would rather have real discussions. That being said I need to stop responding to these posts, so part of this is on me lol

 

[RDL]

Considering the park lost 16% of its rides in one year it indeed would not be enough. This would be a good start towards salvaging the 2026 season but it would still need 7 replacement rides. Mass ride removals like this don't indicate a rosey future for a park. Hopefully it doesn't end up like another Geauga Lake.

I have similar feelings with the Geauga Lake part. I don't think they plan on GAdv entering that kind of situation right now as they wouldn't be planning a new coaster for 2026 otherwise, but I do think they'll realize in 2029-2030 that unless they decide to make GAdv the no.1 flagship of the chain outright, there's going to be no chance that they'll be able to recover from the damage done by JRA post bankruptcy (making the park only really cater to low income guests and teenagers, only to eliminate that target audience by raising prices, killing their attendance) to be a solid competitor to Hershey. Do they need to overtake Hershey in attendance and popularity? No, but in my opinion, they DO need to pull atleast 2 million guests a year in order to justify the parks existence from a financial standpoint, and they're currently not meeting that quota. You can clearly notice the lack of guests at the park these days, and it's gotten to a point where it looks and feels alot more like Funspot Atlanta than a park that pulls alot of crowds (which I can say, since I've been to both). That's what @The Master is trying to say about all of these closures, is that GAdv was doing pretty poorly before this, and now they're removing several rides with a confirmed replacement for only one of them, and the damage won't really be fixed with people returning again until 2030 at the earliest. There's reason to be concerned about the parks future up until that point.

edit: I'm not rooting for the park to fail, nor is anyone else. It's just reasonable to be frustrated with how everything has transpired so far, and reluctant towards the idea of there being a way to make up for all these closures.

For any sportsball people out there, the recent Luka Doncic trade reminds me alot of what GAdv has been doing lately.

 

[italianstallion]

It’s far from out of nowhere. It’s because there are people in every thread about great adventure throwing out insane conspiracy theories about future removals and dooming that the park is done for.

There’s enough heinous evil shit happening in the real world, forgive me for being sick of constant whining and negativity in the hobby that’s supposed to be a break from that.

Great Adventure will be fine. Go to Reddit if you wanna do the overreactionary debbie downer song and dance. I feel like most people on this forum would rather have real discussions. That being said I need to stop responding to these posts, so part of this is on me lol

I get the frustration. But I thought that was a valid discussion point to expand on, as they were right, a roller coaster no matter what it is won’t replace everything lost.

 

[Nicole]

Agreed, the ride assortment at GAdv has been poorly rounded compared to other parks like Hershey and Dorney for a couple of decades and CF just made it worse. The poorly rounded ride lineup is hurting the park. I like coasters but I don't want to ride nothing but coasters at a park, though it seems I may be in the minority with that opinion around here. Seems like many enthusiasts are content with GAdv hemorrhaging several rides at once for just the slightest of chances for a single new coaster. This was how forums were like 20 years back with Red Zone and Shapiro who had many staunch defenders. I still miss the park having two flume rides and a simulator which probably predates many here. There are probably some enthusiasts who be happy if the safari was ripped out to make room for another coaster. Mass ride removals like this always seem to contentious.

This what got SF into trouble before, only installing big fancy coasters and removing many family rides. This discurages familes from attending the park and attracts teens and yahoos leading to a bad reputation and rowdy atmosphere. Personally I rather see a skyride replacement than A KK replacement. A 16% loss Is pretty significant and a new big coaster in 2026 will only fill KK's void, but what, if anything will fill the voids of the parachutes and skyride? What is beyond 2027? The park still has voids from 20 years ago like the second flume and splash down, they don't need more voids that will likely never be filled and the GP knows it.

I have low confidence with CF with how they handled Dorney. I had a SP there from 1992 to 2019. But in the 2010s operations and quality at Dorney took a steep decline as well as increasingly rough clientele. Didn't bother visiting Dorney during 2020 and realized I didn't miss it and stopped going there. We saw sharp declines at GAdv in 2024 which has me concerned for GAdv's future. If my stance makes me unpopular then so be it.

A few thoughts.

I’m not sure how much you have looked at threads outside of the Great Adventure sub-forum, but the active members across this do not actually tend to be interested only in coasters. There is a huge appetite for quality entertainment, sophisticated dining, responsible animal exhibits, immersive dark rides, new water rides, and interesting flats. In fact, if you look at the BGW section, you will see a lot of discussion about the removal of beautifully-themed flat rides.

Given that the biggest story at Great Adventure right now is the removal of coasters, it hardly seems surprising for that to be the main topic of conversation. I wouldn’t assume, however, that people are only interested in riding coasters, based on the current focus.

While I wouldn’t say that Dorney is perfect, I have found it to be quite charming recently, and their Haunt event has houses that rival what we experience in Florida. I think, perhaps, you are being too harsh.

 

[bill s]

From a standpoint of getting business, a big new coaster could be far more effective than maintaining yesterday's headlines. If they can then add something big and NEW to round out the park soon after that they can start to change without immediately losing their core audience.


From the recent Coliwood Eastcoaster video, a slide said: "A world-record-breaking launch roller coaster that will push the limits of design and thrill, making Six Flags Great Adventure the ultimate destination for coaster fans." Impressive but not sure it's much more specific.

 

[the_pantsmith]

Echoing what Nicole said, I’d also add that the people less upset by these moves are that way because we’re hoping the money saved will be put to use on more than just a giant shiny money pit coaster. I’d actually hate if Falcons Flight came to Great Adventure, because I’m hoping the park takes a similar path to KD/KI. Redditors are the ones who really only care about coasters, and they’re upset.

I’ll agree losing the skyride REALLY sucks

 

[GASM]

Something I think has been forgotten, especially since Great Adventure started closing rides nearly 3 months ago, is that you’re allowed to be upset with how something was handled, be sad that certain rides are closing, and still not be negative about the overall situation.

I’ve disagreed with a lot of the changes made to this park in the nearly 20 years I’ve been an enthusiast. Like does anyone really think a guy named GASM was happy that the Scream Machine closed for a used stand up coaster? Hell no, but I was still there during passholder previews for Green Lantern, because at the end of the day, even if I don’t like how some things go down, I genuinely just love this park (even if I haven’t been there in 3-4 years).

 

[Nitro230]

Something I think has been forgotten, especially since Great Adventure started closing rides nearly 3 months ago, is that you’re allowed to be upset with how something was handled, be sad that certain rides are closing, and still not be negative about the overall situation.

I’ve disagreed with a lot of the changes made to this park in the nearly 20 years I’ve been an enthusiast. Like does anyone really think a guy named GASM was happy that the Scream Machine closed for a used stand up coaster? Hell no, but I was still there during passholder previews for Green Lantern, because at the end of the day, even if I don’t like how some things go down, I genuinely just love this park (even if I haven’t been there in 3-4 years).

When friends and family ask me how I feel about the park my response is this “things suck right now and it’s probably gonna get worse before it gets better, but in the end we will be better off with the changes being made”

The new changes announced today to the park and concept images do definitely have me excited for what is going to come. I still don’t have faith in this 2026 coaster yet but I have faith in the park as a whole.

 

[warfelg]

While I wouldn’t say that Dorney is perfect, I have found it to be quite charming recently, and their Haunt event has houses that rival what we experience in Florida. I think, perhaps, you are being too harsh.

I'll get back to SFGA in a second but I think the best thing Dorney has going for it that helps the charm is their coasters 'breathe' in that they are spread out from each other. When that happens you can really fill things in nicely. I feel like too many Legacy CF parks built coasters on coasters with entrances almost right next to each other and then you need those large footprint queues it kills charm.

Anyways back to SFGA:

Echoing what Nicole said, I’d also add that the people less upset by these moves are that way because we’re hoping the money saved will be put to use on more than just a giant shiny money pit coaster. I’d actually hate if Falcons Flight came to Great Adventure, because I’m hoping the park takes a similar path to KD/KI.

I think what's tough about this situation in both ways though (experience vs cost) is that taking down a record breaking coaster and replacing it with a record breaking coaster might not be the return they were hoping for.

We're kinda seeing the issue (IMO) that existed during the coaster wars - everyone, especially CF (now SF), is so locked in on records, records, records; that what most people want is being missed. You want a full day escape with the family from the norm to forget about life an enjoy yourself. Like one of the complaints many (rightfully) BGW people had was the jump in height from Grover to InvadR to everything else was so big, and too many flats were coming out, that a large swathed age of kids had little to do in the park.

IMO that's what SFGA is in danger of having happen for real. They are going to lose a large amount of their middle group. Those 6-12/13 year olds that are going to be too 'mature' for kids only rides but not big enough for so many other coasters. So if that's all you have to offer and you keep losing flats, those families will start going to places like Dorney since they do have things that reach that demographic.

Now in the end, I get it. They took out Kingda Ka, so you need to replace it with something iconic. But I think it will run into issues (sorta like Volcano and BBW) where the ride was so iconic that it's tough to truly have its spirit carry on. But what SF needs to hop on fast IMO is filling that area they put this in at with a theme, flats, stands, and make this section of the park feel alive.

 

[Nitro230]

IMO that's what SFGA is in danger of having happen for real. They are going to lose a large amount of their middle group. Those 6-12/13 year olds that are going to be too 'mature' for kids only rides but not big enough for so many other coasters. So if that's all you have to offer and you keep losing flats, those families will start going to places like Dorney since they do have things that reach that demographic.

I think that's already happened. Anyone who is in that age group that would consider going to other parks, is already going to Dorney or Hersheypark. Hershey is especially attractive now for families. It would take a lot of investment to change that and make families once again consider Great Adventure as a legitimate option.

 

[SLC Headache]

Echoing what Nicole said, I’d also add that the people less upset by these moves are that way because we’re hoping the money saved will be put to use on more than just a giant shiny money pit coaster. I’d actually hate if Falcons Flight came to Great Adventure, because I’m hoping the park takes a similar path to KD/KI. Redditors are the ones who really only care about coasters, and they’re upset.

I’ll agree losing the skyride REALLY sucks

I was about to say that the problem is that the East Coast doesn't have a "coaster capital" that can get away with less atmosphere the same way the West Coast does with Magic Mountain or the Midwest does with Cedar Point, but thinking about it, Hersheypark seems to be that park now.

 

[GAcoaster]

The good thing/silver lining is now between Great Adventure and Dorney passholders have two options under the same umbrella. So one park can be more "thrill intensive" with less strict noise and height restraints, and the other can be more family focused.

 

[the_pantsmith]

Someone mentioned park enhancements/concept art that was announced yesterday, did I miss that? Or are you talking about the El Toro retracking?