News The King Is Dead: Kingda Ka (& Zumanjaro) Closure & Demolition Confirmed
- Thread starter Python_Survivor
- Start date
If they actually gut this ride without any announcement, it be better be getting replaced with the world's tallest giga coaster. Yes, I sound like some cringe 12yr old enthusiast right now, but that's literally the only thing I can think of them doing that would somewhat make up for this mess, and even then I think people would still be pissed, rightfully so.
I wasn’t able to go this weekend due to other plans, but maybe I’ll drop in next weekend if the weather looks good.
I'm gonna burn my 5,000th post on these here forums to suggest that the thread name gets updated to:
Bloodbath: Kingda Ka, Zumanjaro, Green Lantern, Twister, & Skyride closing.
There will be no social media announcement about these closures.
Bloodbath: Kingda Ka, Zumanjaro, Green Lantern, Twister, & Skyride closing.
There will be no social media announcement about these closures.
You almost have to wonder if this is the first, of possibly many, park overlap rationalizations happening due to the merger. New SF likely sees Dorney and Great Adventure as a single market and will adjust strategy accordingly.
Legacy SF didn't exactly drive high ticket prices or revenue, and it may simply be seen by new management that renovating those parks isn't worth the investment.
Legacy SF didn't exactly drive high ticket prices or revenue, and it may simply be seen by new management that renovating those parks isn't worth the investment.
So does that mean GAdv is going to be prioritized as much as Dorney now going forward? They should just scrap the park if that's the case, a park in between NYC and Philly shouldn't be getting the same kind of investment as Six Flags America
I think it’s more that Former CF execs don’t want to spend money if they can help it. You can fault Former SF for a lot but they attempted to keep rides going if they could.
Most often Ka has stayed open through November Days but it's unpredictable, also they're open a second weekend between FF and HitP so who knows about that one.
As closing the ride without a last chance to ride would leave money on the table, I don't buy it unless they're just going to run it until an expensive part dies and IF that happens before an announcement that's too bad.
There will be no official last chances, when it closes it closes. There will be no announcement, no fanfare. They're doing the radio silence treatment like Cedar Fair has done every other time they fucked up massively since Volcano in 2018. This is a corporate decision.
Everyone is so confident at this point it’s not looking good
Guess I’ll never ride it
Guess I’ll never ride it
I think you'll see Great Adventure and Dorney rationalized in a way that the parks aren't cannibalizing revenue from each other. It's very unlikely both will get similar investments and it wouldn't surprise me if one got severely downsized at the expense of the other.
Depending on what happens at Great Adventure may be a preview of SFA's future.
This is just downright some pathetic BS dude. Im 100% buying it now because someone as huge and big of a reach and people look up to as Coaster Studios is NOT going to make a post like that with any slight doubt. It makes you wonder in the future what else are they gonna close with 0 care or announcment. El Toro? Milli? Literally anything. They let people get their last rides on Wicked Twister but not KA?
I didn’t want to fully react until we knew the fate of Ka, but at that point it will be too late…
This decision (if true) is absolutely inconsiderate of GAdv guests. Sure it stinks to have a ride of such magnitude close, but the way that the CF execs are doing it is problematic. Recently, GAdv has not delivered opening additions on time with Flash, the Ferris Wheel, and the Log Flume. In addition, there are rumors that the Sky Ride, Twister, and Green Lantern are all closing. Couple that with Kingda Ka and Zumanjaro suddenly closing without warning, it has been a tough “50th Anniversary celebration year”. As a guest, it feels like this park has been neglected with no end in site the past few years, despite the crowds it pulls in from the tri-state area and worldwide.
Cedar Fair execs have a history of great decisions, with enhancing park environments and stabilizing park operating costs. However, they have made some illogical decisions when it comes to PR. Closing Volcano with no farewell, buying and closing Geauga Lake because of its proximity to their other properties, and choosing an unproven manufacturer in Zamperla to redo Top Thrill Dragster because they are too set in their ways to work with Intamin (based on an outside view).
People come to GAdv for the unique and record-breaking rides (Kingda Ka, El Toro being the big 2). There will be a massive void without Ka. Removing a ride like this is not something you can hide, as this 456 foot beast of a ride can be seen the second you enter the property. If the execs are seriously considering removing this ride + more, they are going to need a mammoth of a new ride or rides to try to get close to the park’s aura pre-removal.
It goes without saying that both the execs and guests are looking for a bright future of this park. We will see what happens in the coming days and months, but the execs at the new SF should expect backlash from the GAdv faithful that pour their money, time, and love into a park that they call home.
This decision (if true) is absolutely inconsiderate of GAdv guests. Sure it stinks to have a ride of such magnitude close, but the way that the CF execs are doing it is problematic. Recently, GAdv has not delivered opening additions on time with Flash, the Ferris Wheel, and the Log Flume. In addition, there are rumors that the Sky Ride, Twister, and Green Lantern are all closing. Couple that with Kingda Ka and Zumanjaro suddenly closing without warning, it has been a tough “50th Anniversary celebration year”. As a guest, it feels like this park has been neglected with no end in site the past few years, despite the crowds it pulls in from the tri-state area and worldwide.
Cedar Fair execs have a history of great decisions, with enhancing park environments and stabilizing park operating costs. However, they have made some illogical decisions when it comes to PR. Closing Volcano with no farewell, buying and closing Geauga Lake because of its proximity to their other properties, and choosing an unproven manufacturer in Zamperla to redo Top Thrill Dragster because they are too set in their ways to work with Intamin (based on an outside view).
People come to GAdv for the unique and record-breaking rides (Kingda Ka, El Toro being the big 2). There will be a massive void without Ka. Removing a ride like this is not something you can hide, as this 456 foot beast of a ride can be seen the second you enter the property. If the execs are seriously considering removing this ride + more, they are going to need a mammoth of a new ride or rides to try to get close to the park’s aura pre-removal.
It goes without saying that both the execs and guests are looking for a bright future of this park. We will see what happens in the coming days and months, but the execs at the new SF should expect backlash from the GAdv faithful that pour their money, time, and love into a park that they call home.
I can't believe how quickly I've been forced to pivot from "I love the hydraulic launch on this and would prefer they hold off as long as possible on a Top Thrill 2 style launch" to "Holy shit they're going to axe our Strata entirely."
Sure it had its usual moments of downtime (I am more than willing to accept those from a ride like this), but there were also a lot of days throughout the year where this thing was completely on point. The operators achieved almost unbelievable consistency, with a lot dispatches taking under a minute. Countless times, a train would be rolling to the launch pad before the second could even make it back to the station. Earlier this month, I overheard the ops team declare a closing hour dispatch count of 56, with one in the group being beside himself that they didn't make it to 57. This behemoth absolutely has some gas left in the tank (or some hydraulic fluid left in the motors, as it were) if there's a willingness to use it. Evidently, there is not.
I fully believe that Six Flags, as it was prior to the merge, fully intended to keep this roller coaster intact. They put a lot of TLC into refurbing the teal train and wrote a very heartfelt blog post extolling the ride at the beginning of the season.
Needless to say, I currently have an overwhelmingly negative opinion of the merger and the CF corpos that came in with it. Until proven otherwise (and I dearly hope that one day it will be), I'll always see them as heartless suits with no regard whatsoever to the customer experience. Say what you will about Six Flags' previous inabilities to get projects done on time; succinctly plan anniversaries; reach that next level of park maintenance; stop naming rides "Goliath" or "Batman The Ride;" whatever. I can't imagine them ever performing an all-time rug pull like this.
This could very well be an overreaction (it almost certainly is - I'm upset), but this kind of stuff makes me worry that this conglomerate doesn't want their crown jewel, Cedar Point, to be usurped in any way. I worry that valuable resources will be siphoned away from Great Adventure because they feel it can just print money on its own. Most prominently, I worry that whatever replacement they agree to here will not live up to its predecessor by any metric aside from time spent in the seat.
Great Adventure will always be a special place for me. Despite some of their missteps and follies, I've had a wonderful time going to the park this season and it's abundantly clear to me that there are a lot of employees on the ground here who love the park dearly and appreciate its rich history. I've rewarded the park more than I ever have financially because of this and don't regret a single penny of that expenditure. It very much deserved (/deserves) my money.
This though? This could force me to spend some time holding my purchase of the souped up Prestige Pass and the All-Park Passport for next season in contempt. Fanatics and casual parkgiers alike deserve far more respect than this corporation is purporting to give them.
Sure it had its usual moments of downtime (I am more than willing to accept those from a ride like this), but there were also a lot of days throughout the year where this thing was completely on point. The operators achieved almost unbelievable consistency, with a lot dispatches taking under a minute. Countless times, a train would be rolling to the launch pad before the second could even make it back to the station. Earlier this month, I overheard the ops team declare a closing hour dispatch count of 56, with one in the group being beside himself that they didn't make it to 57. This behemoth absolutely has some gas left in the tank (or some hydraulic fluid left in the motors, as it were) if there's a willingness to use it. Evidently, there is not.
I fully believe that Six Flags, as it was prior to the merge, fully intended to keep this roller coaster intact. They put a lot of TLC into refurbing the teal train and wrote a very heartfelt blog post extolling the ride at the beginning of the season.
Needless to say, I currently have an overwhelmingly negative opinion of the merger and the CF corpos that came in with it. Until proven otherwise (and I dearly hope that one day it will be), I'll always see them as heartless suits with no regard whatsoever to the customer experience. Say what you will about Six Flags' previous inabilities to get projects done on time; succinctly plan anniversaries; reach that next level of park maintenance; stop naming rides "Goliath" or "Batman The Ride;" whatever. I can't imagine them ever performing an all-time rug pull like this.
This could very well be an overreaction (it almost certainly is - I'm upset), but this kind of stuff makes me worry that this conglomerate doesn't want their crown jewel, Cedar Point, to be usurped in any way. I worry that valuable resources will be siphoned away from Great Adventure because they feel it can just print money on its own. Most prominently, I worry that whatever replacement they agree to here will not live up to its predecessor by any metric aside from time spent in the seat.
Great Adventure will always be a special place for me. Despite some of their missteps and follies, I've had a wonderful time going to the park this season and it's abundantly clear to me that there are a lot of employees on the ground here who love the park dearly and appreciate its rich history. I've rewarded the park more than I ever have financially because of this and don't regret a single penny of that expenditure. It very much deserved (/deserves) my money.
This though? This could force me to spend some time holding my purchase of the souped up Prestige Pass and the All-Park Passport for next season in contempt. Fanatics and casual parkgiers alike deserve far more respect than this corporation is purporting to give them.
You'll forget all about this once Seagull Striker 375 opens.
I know I’m grasping but perhaps the ride will close in 2025 with some kind of reimagining in 2026? That would certainly make the silence make more sense if they view it as exciting future rather than a sorrowful goodbye
Maybe that’s just copium from me but if it’s the other way I already miss Cedar Fair and Six Flags being separate entities.
I already have a trip planned to cedar point for 2025 so I don’t think I can really afford to go to Great Adventure and especially not within 10 days. If that’s really how they are doing it I have so much less desire to want to visit this park. I’m going to outlive most my bucket list coasters before I can get there lol
Maybe that’s just copium from me but if it’s the other way I already miss Cedar Fair and Six Flags being separate entities.
I already have a trip planned to cedar point for 2025 so I don’t think I can really afford to go to Great Adventure and especially not within 10 days. If that’s really how they are doing it I have so much less desire to want to visit this park. I’m going to outlive most my bucket list coasters before I can get there lol