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I have to agree. It used to be on like the Top Tier parks in SF with Great America & Magic Mountain. But them closing Ka has me dropping it down to like a level with Over Georgia & New England
huge part of it has been how they've sanded down every part of the park that was unique, and have let the rest fall into disrepair. great example is the chunk of rolling thunder they left up. it very quickly went from a great tribute to a historical part of the park to a dilapidated pile of garbage because they let it become fully overgrown. the skyride leaving is gonna be another huge blow. the DC area feels completely empty and lifeless (not to mention the busted Justice League ride). every show building has been left to rot for a decade. empty park with nothing to do but shuffle between rides and spend 45 dollars on a burger.
 
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if this really is the end (im delusionally keeping hope for now) it might really mark the turning point moment for this park. The last half decade really has been such a sad decline for this park already, and losing Ka would erase about half of the identity it has left. Growing up in middle school riding it was THE rite of passage once you hit the height mark, and I still remember being in awe when one of my friends first came to school in the "I conquered Ka" shirt.

The last few years, even pre-COVID, the park felt noticeably emptier in the summer as tickets got more expensive and investment felt like it was getting cheaper. I remember circa 2013 when, on a mid-summer weekday, lines for EVERYTHING were an hour plus long (and this was before so many of the rides got dropped down in the number of trains operating). Batman was always lined up down the stairs, Superman + GL took ages, and the "big 3" of Nitro, Ka, and Toro would always take up a major chunk of time. Contrast with this past July on a Saturday, I was able to get on every single coaster and be on the highway by 2pm.

Even as they've added more rides, the park has felt cheaper and cheaper. Removing all the major shows, not updating themeing, all while pushing to seem more like a luxury resort experience has made this park go from a tier below Disney/Universal to Morey's Pier with bigger coasters. A real shame.

You used to be able to see real concerts here for the price of admission. Now you get slow operated rides that haven't been painted in a decade, and a dice roll on whether or not the big rides are even gonna be open when you go.
I feel that the decline isn't just Great Adventure, but the entire industry is declining. Even the Disney parks are not what they used to be.

If this really is the end of KK, I will miss seeing the Philly skyline from the top of the coaster, especially at night.
 
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Me like big boom

Gonna be honest here… I rode it on Friday and found literally everything working. Didn’t spot a single thing not working.
might be off on that one then. haven’t ridden it in a couple years, but when I did they weren’t even handing out 3D glasses but still had the 3D on, and half the effects were broken compared to opening year
 
I feel that the decline isn't just Great Adventure, but the entire industry is declining. Even the Disney parks are not what they used to be.

If this really is the end of KK, I will miss seeing the Philly skyline from the top of the coaster, especially at night.
I feel this is happening with every major company in several industries, like they’ve stopped caring about quality because they know the general public will still give them their money because they’re stupid. Tbh it’s become quite hard to find a Fortune 500 company that still cares about the quality of their product
 
its really unfortunate because obviously they see the potential for GA to be a destination park given the location and "investment" they're putting into it (there's 0 doubt in my mind that Savannah Sunset is gonna be a complete flop and a money pit). but they have absolutely refused to put the money into it necessary to actually make it a prestige experience. even just fixing up the landscaping and painting a couple fences would make a huge difference. instead the park feels like half an empty movie set and half an active construction site with temporary fencing. there's such a stark difference between the old and new parts of the park (especially the new walkway from golden kingdom)


also not to keep ragging on them too much, but what a sorry state skull mountain is in these days
 
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I don't personally know anything about this guy but he seems to know what he is talking.

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Great video. This guy has tons of experience in the industry and really gives a great explanation as to why there was no farewell tour for Ka.

He seems very set on the replacement for Ka and GL being a record-breaking B&M giga (which is probably the only realistic option to replace this … right?)

Another interesting note from the video is him saying demo on Ka, GL, etc. will start ASAP. I agree with this and feel as if a massive project such as a Giga is happening they are gonna wanna get a head start and make sure this thing is ready for March/April 2026.

As i stated in one of my earlier posts, this giga will be a 2026 project as not only does the park want to let Flash get its glory year in 2025 but clearing the land, manufacturing the track, and just straight up getting this ride assembled and together just is not feasible by 2025.

Last note, I truly believe whatever is replacing Ka and GL WILL be the greatest steel coaster ever made in the West. Might not be better than Falcon’s Flight but it will DEFINITELY be better than any steel coaster we have in the US. While this may come off as a dumb move to many of us enthusaists and even the GP of closing Ka without warning, Cedar Fair is NOT dumb and WILL NOT just replace Ka for nothing. They understand GA attracts crowds from NJ, PA, NY, DE, and practically all of the northeast. They want a new, record-breaking, stunning, news-breaking attraction that will drive people from all of these regions.
 
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Great video. This guy has tons of experience in the industry and really gives a great explanation as to why there was no farewell tour for Ka.



Last note, I truly believe whatever is replacing Ka and GL WILL be the greatest steel coaster ever made in the West. Might not be better than Falcon’s Flight but it will DEFINITELY be better than any steel coaster we have in the US. While this may come off as a dumb move to many of us enthusaists and even the GP of closing Ka without warning, Cedar Fair is NOT dumb and WILL NOT just replace Ka for nothing. They understand GA attracts crowds from NJ, PA, NY, DE, and practically all of the northeast. They want a new, record-breaking, stunning, news-breaking attraction that will drive people from all of these regions.

Hopefully a Fury on steroids! 🤞
 
I mean. There’s still a (small) possibility of some kind of layout extension project.
I truly hope it is. My gut feeling is that it’s not and everyone is right about it closing. But it would be sweet if Six Flags was holding the cards close to the chest and they are at least considering someway to revamp it. Like maybe it sits a year and then they announce what will happen….

I just can’t imagine a Giga coaster coming in(or something else)and Impressing people when it’s 100 feet less than what was there before. I’m not saying it wouldn’t be a good ride but as I understand it KingDa Ka is a great ride with a unique launch. But then again thoosies are not always indicative of what people want. A less intense ride might be a selling point for the average person.

I’ll say it again, if Six Flags really did this with no official announcement they deserve tons of backlash in my honest opinion. By the time all the coaster channels were saying definitely come ride it, it’s not realistic for most enthusiasts to come from all over the world a week before closing. Especially when you factor in people having Jobs and scheduling for a Holiday.

And no Falcons Fury doesn’t make me feel better. That’s across the world and a totally different experience.
 
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Great video. This guy has tons of experience in the industry and really gives a great explanation as to why there was no farewell tour for Ka.

He seems very set on the replacement for Ka and GL being a record-breaking B&M giga (which is probably the only realistic option to replace this … right?)

Another interesting note from the video is him saying demo on Ka, GL, etc. will start ASAP. I agree with this and feel as if a massive project such as a Giga is happening they are gonna wanna get a head start and make sure this thing is ready for March/April 2026.

As i stated in one of my earlier posts, this giga will be a 2026 project as not only does the park want to let Flash get its glory year in 2025 but clearing the land, manufacturing the track, and just straight up getting this ride assembled and together just is not feasible by 2025.

Last note, I truly believe whatever is replacing Ka and GL WILL be the greatest steel coaster ever made in the West. Might not be better than Falcon’s Flight but it will DEFINITELY be better than any steel coaster we have in the US. While this may come off as a dumb move to many of us enthusaists and even the GP of closing Ka without warning, Cedar Fair is NOT dumb and WILL NOT just replace Ka for nothing. They understand GA attracts crowds from NJ, PA, NY, DE, and practically all of the northeast. They want a new, record-breaking, stunning, news-breaking attraction that will drive people from all of these regions.
Is 500 ft a possibility? Get all this Giga talk out of here lol

Just asking 😛. At least give me a B&M strata
 
Is 500 ft a possibility? Get all this Giga talk out of here lol

Just asking 😛. At least give me a B&M strata
i feel like my most hopium take if they are gonna re do it would be to correct the biggest flaw with it currently, which is the duration and lack of anything but the hill. they could extend it back into green lantern/twister/parachute's plot, re-do the launch to switch away from the hydrualics (which are really the core of the problem) and make it into an actual full-fledged coaster. would preserve the tophat and make it into a far better coaster than before.
 
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While GAdv has been struggling lately with maintenance, ride closures, and long delays, it looks like the park should be getting most of those issues out of the way come 2025 with a major Golden Kingdom expansion in 2026. The new entrance plaza seems like a response to something huge as they basically got rid of the old turnstiles in favor of a more open entrance portal, plus they upgraded the security check a few years ago.

I've heard a weak rumor about the park getting a massive Golden Kingdom expansion with KK2.0 (or its replacement) being the headliner and the park is still on good terms with Intamin. Now I'm not 100% on this as this person has been the only person saying this, but they've been relatively trustworthy so far.

Funny enough, I've heard another weak rumor about the park pushing to have Flash previews this year, but I'm taking that one with a huge grain of salt right now.

Of course until the park actually comes out and says something about KK (or maybe we'll start seeing KK merch go on clearance during Holiday??), I'm taking all these rumors with a huge grain of salt. Even the park itself has been fairly vague on this. Maybe we'll start seeing demolition start, but I can't see them doing anything significant until Flash is 100% complete. Having multiple construction projects going on at the same time isn't really benefiting the park in any way right now.

Its a bummer that we're losing KK, but in all honesty, people ragged on the ride for so long for being too rough or the awful locker policies. It's the worst of the big 4 in the park and I wouldn't mind seeing a new and improved coaster of any kind going on that spot. Even if its just replacing the hydraulic launch with a swing launch and a spike.

Just my 2 cents
 
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If KK does close, I doubt anything will replace it in the near future. More likely kk's and gl's former spots will just remain empty as part of a plan to downsize great adventure to more economical operations. Companies often downsize stuff after mergers.
 
I doubt GAdv would've upgraded their entrance to make it more streamlined and add tons of space if they weren't planning on building a massive headliner to handle heavier crowds. Plus SF is seriously considering making the park a full-fledged destination resort by changing the park's title to SFGAdv Resort and adding the onsite hotel. That definitely wouldn't work very well if they didn't have an immediate plan to replace KK.

The park is in an extremely lucrative location between two huge cities. Getting rid of one of the reasons people visit the park and keeping that plot of land empty would only hurt the park in the long run.
 
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