News The King Is Dead: Kingda Ka (& Zumanjaro) Closure & Demolition Confirmed
- Thread starter Python_Survivor
- Start date
I'm not sure how long these processes typically take, but it could be that Great Adventure filed for these permits some time ago; it was likely within their original pre-merger intentions to demolish these rides. Being blindsided by corporate on Ka, as has been heavily hinted at here, could have led to a KK/Zumanjaro permit being filed later and requiring separate approval.
Ideally, I'm just ignorant to how all of this works and no such permit exists.
Ideally, I'm just ignorant to how all of this works and no such permit exists.
I saw 3 good theories into this, that I'm not sure I buy but I could see:
1 - The tower is staying for some reason, so there's a little bit of confusion around filing for partial demolition.
2 - The way they propose bringing it down is specialized work, therefore it's taking more time to file.
3 - As alluded to by @Great Adventurer - the word on removing KK/Zum came so late that they are just now getting to file the paper work.
As far as I am aware with the situation:
- Zumanjaro was planned to be SBNO next year regardless of the corporate takeover, staff allocation and costs to run did not justify its ridership and its isolation also did not help things
- Ka was planned to operate next year but corporate forced the park's hand. There was a push for a Memorial Day operating sendoff but the costs did not justify continuing to operate it even for 3 months
- Lantern was at end of service life and was likely to be removed at the end of this season anyways
- Parachutes has been SBNO since 2022 and has only remained standing b/c it houses the park's signal repeaters, now that they have the submissions to install another tower elsewhere in the park it's coming down regardless of any other ride schedule
- Twister was at/near the end of its service life and the choice was either between it or Cyborg as to removal
- Skyride was deemed structurally deficient and was forced to be closed, the park did not plan to remove it
If we all band together and demand the return of the $1.99 surcharge, with a pinky promise that every single purchase will be made on a separate transaction, we can make this happen.
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Everyone join the prayer circle
*only Intamin not Zamperla tho*
So they struggle to attract workers to the park? Is the park located in a weird spot with not many houses nearby or is the pay just so low there? Is there to many rides and they need to cut the fat or only open them when they are busier? Intamin is the only one who can save Ka lets get this straight, the company still works with them just not often.
If Six Flags really wants to preserve historic rides. They’d
*work with Intamin on a Kingda Ka revamp
*possibly commission proper trains for TT2
If everything that's being said is true, it's REALLY hard to tell whether this is an effort to make tough decisions for the good of the chain's future/new vision, or if it's asswipe corporate penny pinching.
That is my secret hope for the park, and considerations like legacy engineering and service life and current condition be damned.
A 456 foot tall traditional full circuit coaster with its tallest structural element already engineered, fabricated, transported to site, and built. Still a hugely expensive project but now a bit less so.
Fanboy level delusion. But who doesn't indulge from time to time?
The theory that was put forth was with it you could actually keep Zumanjaro, and by putting the station of a Giga closer to the tower, and getting GL, Para, and Twister out of the way you created a HUGE midway that you can put in a ton of flats, stands, and other things for guests to do. With that simple flip you fix a lot of issues.
To be fair Six Flags America has taken loving care of Wild One which if I remember correctly is now the oldest operating coaster in the US and among the 5 oldest operating ones in the world.
No it requires 6 operators just to run for a single shift so it's better to allocate them elsewhere in the park.
Also I'm just going to clear the air on this. Kingda Ka is not going to be revamped. It is not going to be preserved for a future attraction. It will be coming down.
Great Adventure has ALWAYS had staffing issues. Initially because it was the "middle of nowhere", and also because it's just a tight labor market. They've always had to pay above not only minimum wage, but above the going rate from competing businesses.
Why must you ruin everything?
Lol jk. I figured this was the most likely scenario. The question remains tho, what will they replace it with?
6ABC just talked about the rumors surrounding Kingda Ka.
Is Six Flags' Kingda Ka rollercoaster closing? Rumors fly as videos circulate on social media
Is Six Flags' Kingda Ka rollercoaster closing? Rumors fly as videos circulate on social media
My brain believes all the evidence points to this but my heart will hold on to that last slim little hope to it's officially announced.
In last week's investor call, Zimmerman called growing attendance the Six Flags chain's "Highest priority." Maybe I misjudge the objectives and overestimate the savviness of the casual customer base, but removing a drawing card of this magnitude seems like one hell of a way to tank that objective right off the bat.
I can't even begin to imagine the feeling of pulling off route 537 and having no choice but to stare at a vast swath of nothingness on the approach to the parking lot entry area. That scenario appears to be well on its way, but it's incomprehensible.
I can't even begin to imagine the feeling of pulling off route 537 and having no choice but to stare at a vast swath of nothingness on the approach to the parking lot entry area. That scenario appears to be well on its way, but it's incomprehensible.
The news has started to really spread on national mainstream media platforms. To list just a few that I can find reports on.
MSNBC
Philadelphia Inquirer
ABC news
CNN
one would think with that level of attention a official statement has to be coming pretty soon right?
MSNBC
Philadelphia Inquirer
ABC news
CNN
one would think with that level of attention a official statement has to be coming pretty soon right?
If Zamperla got it right with TT2, do you think it would be a different story with Ka not coming down?