Volcano Goes Extinct

[b.mac]

While I myself and perfectly okay with a couple of flat rides being added I will say a lot of us are grossly overestimating KD's clout within the Cedar Fair chain, along with the general capital expenditure practices of the major chain amusement parks.

Cedar Fair is very conservative with their construction of new rides for all of the parks, even now that they're starting to focus on themeing and storytelling (oh my god I'm still gonna vom saying that..). Kings Dominion has been one of the more consistent parks in the Cedar Fair chain, and while attendance has waned a little and fluctuated over time since the economy crashed KD has found itself as a consistent performer in the Cedar Fair change, but not the biggest money earner. Barely the biggest money owner of the non-flagships actually. Dorney is right behind them with a much smaller park.

Cedar Fair only gives major rides to these parks when they feel they need them, and unfortunately from what I can grasp Twisted Timbers and Winterfest did not have quite the impact corporate and the park themselves were shooting for. While I'd love to blame weather and all that jazz, last year was a mess in terms of events inside the park with Twisted Timbers ERT basically never happening and Volcano going down for the count. They can pat themselves on the back all they want but in simplest terms they fell short of the finish line, well short.

So what does that have to do with Volcano? Well, depending on how the park performs with the removal of Volcano it will definitely have an impact on KD's development future and status within the chain. Dorney is only a short step behind them in terms of annual gross earnings, they're next in line for a big coaster in the smaller end of the Cedar Fair chain, and they have a better market to tap into with a big new addition. If attendance doesn't fall, and in park spending isn't affected much with the potential drop in merch sales, FLP, and other minor impacts Volcano had on the park, then it will prove to Cedar Fair they made the right decision.

 

[Logang]

What I would love to see them do is take out Volcano and the mountain, and put an out and back GCI or hyper crossing over Flight of Fear. There's plenty of space behind Avalanche to keep it there, and there's plenty of space next to Flight of Fear behind Intimidator. Honestly, a huge GCI like Mystic Timbers is something the park desperately needs, and it's the best thing I see going back there since you have Apollo's Chariot an hour away already. With BGW adding in possibly their biggest project ever, Cedar Fair is going to have to rival it to prevent attendance dropping.

 

[UncleDuncan]

Couple of thoughts up front: I doubt they'd level the plot and make flat rides, but I kind of don't care if they do. They have plenty of coasters. They have plenty of flats though too, when I think about it. I also have no preference in keeping the mountain intact.

I do have a half-formed theory that seems to differ a little bit from everyone else, if only a tad. What if... the decision to close Volcano wasn't mechanical in nature? Maybe CF sees an opening where BGW has failed spectacularly; specifically, the closing of DK and the lackluster opening of BfE. There are no real dark ride showstoppers in this area anymore, sans Escape from Pompeii (I guess). Consider the fact that The Crypt is probably near the end of its service life and Volcano was an albatross. Factor all that in, and I wouldn't doubt they're going to take a chance on creating a dark/themed experience.

 

[mwhinva]

Going forward, I don't see KD's next major coaster going in Volcano's spot. I stongly feel the next coaster will be in the Old VA section.

As for a dark ride to come back to Volcano's spot, I'm just not sure if CF would go with yet another VR ride. They experimented with variations of VR attractions in the chain; with theater style VR at CGA and Carowinds. They tried a traditional style dark ride with tracked cars using VR at Knotts, and a hybrid coaster/VR dark ride that did neither very well at Canada's Wonderland in Guardian.

I keep thinking that CF/KD will try to bring back "The Lost World" in some form. With how many and of what type of attractions is TBD. I would expect attractions to be spread out over 2-3 seasons.

Anyway, I just don't see another coaster going in that spot right now. If the mountain structure is removed along with Volcano's ride structure, then anything goes.

 

[madmax]

Why does everyone want a dark ride so badly? When has Cedar Fair shown they can properly do one? WMG and Iron Reef look really sad for what they're trying to be.

 

[Mushroom]

I don't think a dark ride needs to replace Volcano, but I don't think another coaster has to go into the spot either.

One issue is space. Volcano has a small footprint. Just a few yards beyond the turnaround after the first launch are train tracks, boxing in the plot of land between Avalanche and Flight of Fear. Sure, you could build a coaster there, but it would have to be either extremely compact, or it would have to bridge over Flight of Fear's launch tunnel and utilize the woods between it and I305—effectively killing off space for future expansion on that side of the park. I see no reason to shoehorn a coaster into that area when plenty of spaces throughout the park, such as Dinosaurs Alive's old grounds or the woods behind the Kings Dominion Theater, have no such constraints.

Another reason is that this gives KD the opportunity to finally balance out Safari Village's lineup. Without Volcano, that area still has four coasters and just two flats; only two of those rides are considered family-friendly by the park. Using Volcano's space for one or more family-compatible attractions could help draw more families to that section of the park.

Then of course there's my personal desire to keep the mountain. In my opinion, it is nearly as much a park icon as the Eiffel Tower itself. Not only does it provide the unique opportunity for potentially several themed, indoor-outdoor attractions, but it's what one of WDW's original Imagineers called a "weenie." It's a massive, recognizable landmark that imparts a sense of place and immersion. It breaks up the monotony of trees, rides, and expansive midways with something unique for guests to take note of and remember. It anchors Safari Village and makes KD special, and I think that if it can be saved with Volcano's demolition, it needs to for the sake of what it adds to KD's uniqueness, visual interest, and memorability.

If the mountain can be saved, I think it would be totally fair to "replace" Volcano in the coaster lineup without putting the coaster in that space. Like someone else mentioned here, this isn't without precedent—Dominator "replaced" Hypersonic despite being on opposite sides of the park. My ideal scenario would be for the mountain to stay and be spruced up, serving as an elaborate facade for several attractions housed within the mountain. If you look closely at the mountain, the infrastructure for the enormous waterfall from the Lost World days still exists. With a moderate investment, I bet the waterfall could be restored, which could make the mountain have as much a visual impact as it had back in its pre-Volcano days.

Edit: And for what it's worth, I really enjoyed Voyage to the Iron Reef. I rode it several times.

 

[CoasterAuditor]

I just hope whatever goes into Volcanos spot is a quality attraction that improves the overall value of Kings Dominion. It’s certainly going to be weird walking around that area the next few years.

 

[madmax]

Having actually been on Wonder Mountain's Guardian (can't speak on Iron Reef) I thought it was really fun. The queue was pretty darn well themed, as was the station area. The coaster portion was a fun touch and the 3D was really well done as well. One of the most memorable rides from my mini Canada trip actually.

I don't think anybody is screaming that they want a dark ride. We are thinking of what makes logical sense instead of yelling out 25+ million dollar rides.

@madmax You say they look sad, yet you haven't been on it. It's a screen based ride, thus it's hard to capture the rides full effect on a camera.

I’ve been on DarKastle, which was fun but nothing great. Those two are the same exact style ride except you shoot stuff and the theming is inferior.

I cannot comprehend why anyone would want to replace a one of a kind coaster with a glorified video game.

 

[Zimmy]

Plenty of spots? Uhhh what?

And the park has plenty of flat rides lol. They have one of the best drop towers out there, a frisbee, a looping pirate ship, a top spin, a ferris wheel, a scrambler, a monster, and multiple swings/

Do you have any idea how much unused land KD has? I will put it this way, it far exceeds any other CF park. Gavin once posted a site plan for KD that actually shows how little they have used.

 

[b.mac]

Do you have any idea how much unused land KD has? I will put it this way, it far exceeds any other CF park. Gavin once posted a site plan for KD that actually shows how little they have used.

They're also painted into a nasty corner right now with where all the buildings and rides are placed now. Only Dinos Alive and Volcano provide any space relief at the moment. They have a ton of space but they have not been smart about using it.

 

[warfelg]

They're also painted into a nasty corner right now with where all the buildings and rides are placed now. Only Dinos Alive and Volcano provide any space relief at the moment. They have a ton of space but they have not been smart about using it.

Not 100% the place for this convo, but I’ve suggested before that they move park ops, employee parking, and the park side of Soak City all back to that area. I know it’s expensive to do, but there’s so much of that park tied up in this 3 areas.

 

[madmax]

Anaconda provides space relief and I wish they canned that and invested in Volcano.

 

[bill s]

This happening is exactly why they will need to eventually get a new coaster. Surely they knew this was coming, just not quite that soon. Volcano's space is now open so an obvious location. For a mature park, rides become an ebb and flow. They may try to keep up the quantity or not, but either way they will slowly move towards quality. Just very slow from our point of view.

As much as I like looking the ride, the mountain would look a lot better without the coaster on it. I don't know if that would be would be worth the cost just as scenery though. But it's not just iconic, KD's land is kind of boring and flat. I think they would move away from having anything expensive and permanent inside it. More like use it like it's a natural rock formation.

 

[Mushroom]

As much as I like looking the ride, the mountain would look a lot better without the coaster on it. I don't know if that would be would be worth the cost just as scenery though. But it's not just iconic, KD's land is kind of boring and flat. I think they would move away from having anything expensive and permanent inside it. More like use it like it's a natural rock formation.

Totally agree. If the mountain happened to stay, it would add a lot of visual interest to an otherwise geographically uninteresting area of the park. Without the mountain, what's there to visually anchor Safari Village? Lake Charles??

Thomas jokingly mentioned using the mountain for projection mapping shows, but if the structure happened to be staying anyway, it would be a great use for it. Canada's Wonderland already does a projection show with their Wonder Mountain so that type of show wouldn't be unprecedented within the chain. Plus, it would offer all sorts of possibilities for Winterfest, if the event eventually expands into Safari Village.

Obviously, that shouldn't be the justification for keeping the mountain, but it would be a nice perk.

 

[Thomas]

I have good ideas sometimes.

 

[Mushroom]

Nothing new, but fan comments on KD's social media are absolutely vicious. It's amazing how rabid people can become over a coaster, acting like the park "owes" them a last ride and has "disgraced" their "loyal" fans. Too bad they literally couldn't get the ride back to a state where it could give a last ride- hence the reason it's being removed.

My absolute favorite is a guy who's been commenting on all of KD's posts claiming Volcano is the sole reason he's been a passsholder for the past 25+ years. Volcano opened 20 years ago.

 

[horsesboy]

Nothing new, but fan comments on KD's social media are absolutely vicious. It's amazing how rabid people can become over a coaster, acting like the park "owes" them a last ride and has "disgraced" their "loyal" fans. Too bad they literally couldn't get the ride back to a state where it could give a last ride- hence the reason it's being removed.

My absolute favorite is a guy who's been commenting on all of KD's posts claiming Volcano is the sole reason he's been a passsholder for the past 25+ years. Volcano opened 20 years ago.

While I agree in part with you I think some of the blaim for this goes to the park and their choice to be as secretive on what has been going on.

 

[b.mac]

My personal favorite so far is someone has been posting permit applications online stating that KD is already working on a replacement attraction.

Those permit filings? For food coolers and a new Racer 75 operator panel.

 

[Mushroom]

While I agree in part with you I think some of the blaim for this goes to the park and their choice to be as secretive on what has been going on.

Totally disagree. I think it's perfectly reasonable to believe that, given the nature of Volcano's demise and the park's apparent efforts to save the ride until the very end, this decision to remove the coaster was made recently. The park was clear and kept fans in-the-know with their blog statement; they could have quietly removed it during the season or kept it SBNO indefinitely. What "secrecy"?

 

[Mushroom]

My personal favorite so far is someone has been posting permit applications online stating that KD is already working on a replacement attraction.

Those permit filings? For food coolers and a new Racer 75 operator panel.

And those permits offer a valuation of around $100,000 for the project. Apparently KD is replacing Volcano with a 1974 Pinfari Zyklon.