Attraction Skyride

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Attraction Type
Transport Ride
Attraction Status
Existing
Again not defending parks here (especially BGT because of what the skyride covers), but the business case for taking out skyrides is that more foot traffic means you can’t skip over stands and opportunities to spend.

But I am starting to find it interesting that some of the places keeping those style attractions are places where its not used to transport one spot to another. The one that sticks in my head is Hershey got rid of the transit style chair lift and kept the out and back, the monorail no longer goes anywhere it just makes the loop out of the park and back, and the Dry Gulch Railroad just makes a round trip.
 
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Bring Back Questor 87 said:
These people talk to each other, and the "short-term cost savings" realized at one location portends badly for the other when it comes to SEAS nowadays I feel.
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The issue I’ve got with SEAS nowadays is not just their dogshit additions in regard to presentation, but also that they’re prioritizing short term gains over long term investments that will pay off in future. Sure, putting a lot of money into existing infrastructure won’t seen an immediate gain, but it also makes sure it’s done before it falls apart on someone (I’m referring to structural and safety concerns in this regard), and now they have a lawsuit on their hands. The Skyride is an example of you wouldn’t see an immediate ROI after having to pour a lot of money into getting it running again. But the capacity numbers and guest satisfaction values from having it open would make a very solid case for having the attraction open. The only reason the BGT Skyride is down is because it went down and they haven’t touched it since. It’s gonna take a lot more than a few hours of test cycling to reopen their Skyride.
 
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According to the Busch gardens Tampa fan reddit post the skyride signs are now cowered, next chance I get will go up to check to be certain
 
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This is very interesting here. They've been working on the Skyride more and more within the past few weeks. In fact, they've been doing work and pressure washing all the beams, even trimming trees around the line with the maintenance gondola. All the gondolas are being repainted from plain blue to different colored gondolas. they have green, blue, and yellow ones so far.
 
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SEAS has demonstrated lately that they are only going to add coasters, and tried to regurgitate the same customers.

in closing rides like this they are alienating the non-coaster riders, and chasing them away from the parks.

We saw how well that worked for six flags in the 90s and led them to bankruptcy.

I don’t believe the addition of Darkoaster has increased attendance much at BGW. It has, however, made the line shorter for Pantheon. Agsin they are just regurgitating the same customers by adding nothing but (poorly thrmed) coasters. This formula is going to backfire.
 
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Python_Survivor said:
That's not the only one gone....
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I would like to also point out that even today when they took down the signs, they were still doing some work, it looked like painting work on the beams today. It could very well be the signs are just old and being replaced, I would find it very weird that they would still be working on it today with it being closed for good.
 
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MysteryManBGT said:
I would like to also point out that even today when they took down the signs, they were still doing some work, it looked like painting work on the beams today. It could very well be the signs are just old and being replaced, I would find it very weird that they would still be working on it today with it being closed for good.
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I agree to an extent. Personally what I saw today seemed a lot more electric-based then painting. It does seem super weird that they would remove all in-park and online references to it for a simple rebrand- especially one that's supposedly been in progress for months.
 
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While I don't make it down to BGT very often, I really missed the skyride during my last visit. It provides some of the most beautiful views available in the park, and serves a useful transportation function given the park's fairly unfortunate layout.

Allowing that Tampa's skyride isn't quite the same transportation staple as its full-circuit, three-station, terrain-bounding, train-counter-revolving Williamsburg cousin, it nonetheless remains a most welcome means to travel between the back half of the park and the front -- without treading the meandering oblong squished donut that comprises something like 4/5ths of BGT's guest accessible acreage.

Which is not to call the park unattractive on foot. Far from it. But it's uniquely beautiful from the air, and honestly you don't even get a full sense of scale of the place at all anymore except from the skyride (save for a hopelessly fleeting moment at the top of one thrill ride or another). I find much of the "Serengeti" viewing space along the walkable park's eastern edge to alternately be weirdly cramped, partially obstructed, and/or oddly low-feeling relative to the terrain. The skyride gets you above all of that with its commanding and unobstructed views.

Or at least, it used to.

If it actually does go away, it will be a medium-unfortunate loss for park transportation and a really huge loss for the park's overall aesthetic experience. I know plenty of people whose "we've gotta go back there" memories from past amusement park visits seem to center around particularly strong memories of just three experiences: the huge thrill attractions, the animals/sights (e.g. castle, volcano, Eiffel tower, huge metal sphere, oil derrick, etc.), and oddly enough the skyride.

Unmatched views, a vague sense of minor peril dangling from a wire, and the fact that you're up there taking it all in for several minutes rather than just a few seconds. Little wonder that a skyride can make powerful memories for so many.

Major mistake if it does indeed disappear. Here's hoping it stays.
 
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The maps still have the ride on there , not sure how long it will take to update them , both the website and the app , I would assume they would take the attraction off the map right away as well
 
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