News The King Is Dead: Kingda Ka (& Zumanjaro) Closure & Demolition Confirmed
- Thread starter Python_Survivor
- Start date
As much as I’ve been more optimistic than a LOT of people online regarding Ka’s closure (not here, y’all seem to share a lot of the views I do on it), I gotta admit that these pictures got me.
Rolling Thunder was the coaster that made me fall in love with the hobby, but Kingda Ka was the coaster that made me an enthusiast. I vividly remember seeing it for the first time in 2005 from the Wawa on Monmouth Rd, and being in awe of it. Seeing it (and El Toro!) up close the next year made me swear I’d ride it when I was tall enough.
In 2008, I specifically had my parents buy me Skechers that gave me an extra inch so that I was at 54” lmfao. That 28ish second ride changed my life in the form of the trajectory of many vacations I’ve taken since. I remember being 9 years old in the station, telling grown adults who were talking themselves out of it, that there was nothing to be scared of and that I had done it several times.
A lot of rambling, but all in all, while it was far from the best coaster I’ve been on, it was the most impactful. Really gonna miss it, but looking forward to seeing its replacement.
Rolling Thunder was the coaster that made me fall in love with the hobby, but Kingda Ka was the coaster that made me an enthusiast. I vividly remember seeing it for the first time in 2005 from the Wawa on Monmouth Rd, and being in awe of it. Seeing it (and El Toro!) up close the next year made me swear I’d ride it when I was tall enough.
In 2008, I specifically had my parents buy me Skechers that gave me an extra inch so that I was at 54” lmfao. That 28ish second ride changed my life in the form of the trajectory of many vacations I’ve taken since. I remember being 9 years old in the station, telling grown adults who were talking themselves out of it, that there was nothing to be scared of and that I had done it several times.
A lot of rambling, but all in all, while it was far from the best coaster I’ve been on, it was the most impactful. Really gonna miss it, but looking forward to seeing its replacement.
I at coaster count 88 with Ka having been number 87. It was probably in the bottom of my top 10. I got 5 rides on and every single time I felt my pulse raise with a slightly nervous but excited thrill waiting for that launch and every time let out a yell as it launched. The only other two rides that have come closed to that feeling for my have been 305 and Skyrush. I never got up Cedar Point when Too Thrill was running so maybe it would do it but there was just something special about Ka for me. My brain understands why this was probably the right call for the park but my heart will likely hurt for a long time at it's demise.
Ka was my 11th coaster ever out of 104. Most of the ones before it came from a Disney World trip 4 months before (Bubbles at Storybook Land was my first). I’ve got it at 17 overall, Top Thrill Dragster beat it out by a single spot for lap bars alone, but it was truly incredible. Seeing a station I was in no less than a hundred times torn down is bittersweet.
There was such a feel to that station. The dim multicolored lamps, the elevated operator booth, the observation aspect when getting off the ride (or, in earlier years, choosing a side of the track), and my absolute favorite, the hanging banners with all of the records on them. It's all vividly burned into my memory, and I don't think I'll ever experience such a range of emotion just from a station wait (let alone the ride itself) ever again.
Maybe I can actually bring myself to watch this one day, but in the meantime, for everyone here:
Direct Link to Embedded Media Source
Maybe I can actually bring myself to watch this one day, but in the meantime, for everyone here:
Direct Link to Embedded Media Source
The last roller coaster I ever rode with my dad was Kingda Ka. I’ll miss it for that reason alone. One of my better memories with him. RIP KA - Certainly one of the most iconic rides in this country… gone.
Every time I see more progress on it’s demolition the reality hits like a truck. I can’t imagine Great Adventure without Kingda Ka, the fact that this is even happening still doesn’t feel real. I’m trying not to question the current direction for the park but man it’s hard to when I watch the footage of the station demo. Zimmerman you better not screw this up, there’s no room for error now.
You know I was beginning to move on but I just watched ElToroRyan’s 4 train operations video and I’m mad again. We were absolutely robbed.
Before the merger the following was planned for 2026
- Train restorations for all 4 trains
- Return to 4 train operations
- Repaint of Ka
- Renovation of plaza and queue
- Reconstruction of the hydraulic room
- Double sided lockers like Toro
To think that this was actually planned and in motion and now cancelled with the ride being demolished…..
I’m pissed again, this stupid spinner isn’t cutting it anymore, I was beginning to accept it but not anymore.
Before the merger the following was planned for 2026
- Train restorations for all 4 trains
- Return to 4 train operations
- Repaint of Ka
- Renovation of plaza and queue
- Reconstruction of the hydraulic room
- Double sided lockers like Toro
To think that this was actually planned and in motion and now cancelled with the ride being demolished…..
I’m pissed again, this stupid spinner isn’t cutting it anymore, I was beginning to accept it but not anymore.
I was wondering if the new coaster would use Ka's station, Lantern's or a new one. This still isn't conclusive but brings back up the subject. Using Lantern's would reduce comparison, coming with a bigger layout difference. I'm ready to give substantial odds to a hotel being planned in the area of the top hat tower. A coaster could span the plots, maybe taking the corner of the parking lot with it. The hotel, if multi-story, would mainly face away from the parking lot, at least for the expensive rooms.
That would be interesting, if that is the case I would believe the Mack Tower isn’t the replacement because of the long launch track needed. I do know they have a lot of interest in building an on site hotel.
Given the efficiency they achieved running 2 - 3 trains, it would be tough to envision a return to 4 train ops (unless a redo of the queue line somehow played into that), but I absolutely believe the train revamp and double sided lockers were in motion. Assuming any of the other stuff was actually planned, each bullet point on that list makes things exponentially worse.
I know it's a very closed minded stance to take and I hope I eat crow, but I don't want to hear corporate beating their collective chests about a $50 million investment if this is what we could have had (especially when a good amount of that investment is probably getting allocated to taking this down).
I was pretty amazed at what they were able to accomplish with 2 trains on its last weekend, but to be fair the ops were running in absolute overdrive.
The operators had those restraint checks and launches down to a science. They were tremendously efficient all year long. Even when there were less people staffing the ride, they were flying through the checks and sprinting to their control panels to dispatch the trains. It seemed like every individual working in that station was fully committed to the experience. I've encountered plenty of wonderful, praise-worthy ride operations across many parks, but this was something very special.
Just buckle up, this could get ugly in the coming months!
I mean with the path Great Adventure seemed to be on under Selim (and still very likely is, just without Ka) I definitely could see them deciding to go back to 4 train operations. It seemed like Selim was pushing to make Great Adventure the flagship park again. Not that it matters anymore.
Direct Link to Embedded Media Source
They definitely made quick work of the airtime hill. As much as I made fun of $300 slices of Maverick’s heartline roll, I’d cough it up for a slice of Ka. Granted, this is also something people have actually been on lmfao