Volcano: The Blast Coaster
- Thread starter I305Evan
- Start date
I like this ride but I don't hate it. I do refuse to ride it if the line is anything over a half hour, but that changes since it's my brothers favorite ride. I like the slow inversions. To me a find it a cool sensation when I'm up-side-down for a long period of time. A fast exhilarating beginning to a nice slow middle and semi-fast pickup at the end. But it's all personal preference on what type of rides people want/like.
I'm going to use my hope/ common knowledge but I'm sure if the final brake run wasn't clear it won't even launch on the first launch. If the 2nd launch was a seperate block I can see lots of malfunctions with "ghost trains" and the 2nd launch stopping the train causing a roll back.
I like riding Volcano. I think it would be nice if they cleaned up the ride area. It looks junky.
Found this footage online.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=izBznoA79Dw&list=UU7udq7FMAxI0gwz2RYzFrVg&index=8
This guy has tons of old skool Travel Channel docs on various coasters from the early 2000s on top of early POVs. I'd recommend checking all of them out.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=izBznoA79Dw&list=UU7udq7FMAxI0gwz2RYzFrVg&index=8
This guy has tons of old skool Travel Channel docs on various coasters from the early 2000s on top of early POVs. I'd recommend checking all of them out.
This thread has been cleaned up. For posts regarding the former Free Fallin' Slide please visit this thread.
As for the above video, I love some of the camera angles that they provided. Very nice find!
As for the above video, I love some of the camera angles that they provided. Very nice find!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=II4aOE_i3oQ&list=PLNndjeym7CmE6Sdu3ckOTWmb97W4KQI1l
A quick look inside the Volcano.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dF_AvgLWGsk=
Volcano on Extreme rides television show.
A quick look inside the Volcano.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dF_AvgLWGsk=
Volcano on Extreme rides television show.
It's a good ride. Nothing more or less.
Has anyone been on the ride when it doesn't reach the top of the launch? WHOA. Now that's fun.
Has anyone been on the ride when it doesn't reach the top of the launch? WHOA. Now that's fun.
Photo Credit: KD Golden Years Facebook Page
I knew Volcano had many issues involving the launch system, but had no idea they actually removed seats. Imagine the capacity back then with 8 seats vs. the 16 seat trains now.
Also, there are still plenty of issues with the launch system now-a-days. They are most notable during rainy/ cold days. During these days they restrict anyone from sitting in the last car of each train.
More evidence in my list of claims as to why Intamin is the worst active manufacturer today.
Alright so I rode this thing yesterday and I'm so pissed off about waiting five minutes to ride this that I have to post a hardcore hate post about it.
Disclaimer: Foul language ahead, don't let your kids see.
This ride is the largest piece of crap ever, seriously I'm sure if I call up the Guiness Book of World Records they'd agree with me and give this thing a shiny diploma acknowledging that it's single-handedly the worst investment any amusement park has ever made. I'm sure this thing is a worse investment than a Vekoma SLC, hell the two SLCs I've been on rank higher in my favorites list than this thing.
I don't know what the hell Paramount was thinking when they built this and I don't know what the hell Intamin was thinking when they designed this. Oh wait Intamin never thinks when they design their rides in North America, I mean just look at Maverick, Millennium Force, Top Thrill Dragster, Storm Runner, Skyrush, Kingda Ka, Pompeii, Xcelerator, i305, and all three of the Superman: Ride of Steels. I haven't even gone out of the United States, and I don't want to. There must've been so many drugs used in the decision to build this gigantic piece of utter crap that the DEA would've shit a brick.
The ride is a protypical, inverted launch coaster. When it comes to Intamin the word "prototypical" should be raising about 30 million red flags in your head going "NOPE, DO NOT WANT." It is built on the remains of a hollow plastic volcano that was years overdue to be demolished before this crappy monstrosity was built on/in it. The inside needs to be cleaned out worse than Six Flags New Orleans and Kentucky Kingdom need to be combined, and the paint is so damn worn out on it that you couldn't notice the holes in it from the supports of Volcano.
It's a capacity nightmare that can barely push out more than 500 people an hour and even on an empty day like yesterday where all the other rides (WITHOUT i305 OPERATING) had no more than 20 people waiting in line at all times, this piece of utter garbage had a FORTY FIVE MINUTE LINE at 11 am. The park wasn't even open for 45 minutes and it already had a build up of people from its lack of output. The worst thing about that is that the park uses it as an excuse to point out it's popularity because it constantly has a damn line the length of the ride itself from head to tail, and sometimes even longer!
Volcano has a poor, uninspired layout that needs to putz around for 30 seconds after it exits the mouth so you feel like you've done something interesting after waisting 20 seconds getting up to speed with a gigantic ass u-turn just to get you lined up to burst out of the damn thing. After you putz around for 30 seconds sliding down the side of that mountain like the barrels from Donkey Kong and doing three "super awesome" barrel rolls you have to take a diving turn into the volcano and the brake run. Yeah the most entertaining moment of the ride goes right into the brake run. There's no speed outside the launch and once you get up to speed you hit the brake run into the volcano that need I mention again looks like a tornado and a hurricane did dirty dancing together inside of it. Did I forget to mention that you sit in there forced to absorb the fact that the ride is built on a pile of crap? They don't even hide it from you! They make you sit in there and take it in proudly proclaiming that you wasted a chunk of your day to get launched out of a pile of crap then literally sit inside of it 30 seconds later before they even let you off the damn train?
Everything about the ride is crap. The layout is crap. The company that designed it is crap. The volcano itself is crap. Even the entire themed area that is tied down to that gigantic festering pile of garbage is crap and is so overdue for removal that they shouldn't be delaying themselves any longer to get started on it. Getting rid of this ride would be a huge improvement for the park, and it'd actually open up a spot for expansion that the park desperately needs due to how badly of a corner they painted themselves into. Seriously even if they invested in a Vekoma SLC as their inverted replacement it'd be a great improvement over what monstrosity is already standing there.
Disclaimer: Foul language ahead, don't let your kids see.
This ride is the largest piece of crap ever, seriously I'm sure if I call up the Guiness Book of World Records they'd agree with me and give this thing a shiny diploma acknowledging that it's single-handedly the worst investment any amusement park has ever made. I'm sure this thing is a worse investment than a Vekoma SLC, hell the two SLCs I've been on rank higher in my favorites list than this thing.
I don't know what the hell Paramount was thinking when they built this and I don't know what the hell Intamin was thinking when they designed this. Oh wait Intamin never thinks when they design their rides in North America, I mean just look at Maverick, Millennium Force, Top Thrill Dragster, Storm Runner, Skyrush, Kingda Ka, Pompeii, Xcelerator, i305, and all three of the Superman: Ride of Steels. I haven't even gone out of the United States, and I don't want to. There must've been so many drugs used in the decision to build this gigantic piece of utter crap that the DEA would've shit a brick.
The ride is a protypical, inverted launch coaster. When it comes to Intamin the word "prototypical" should be raising about 30 million red flags in your head going "NOPE, DO NOT WANT." It is built on the remains of a hollow plastic volcano that was years overdue to be demolished before this crappy monstrosity was built on/in it. The inside needs to be cleaned out worse than Six Flags New Orleans and Kentucky Kingdom need to be combined, and the paint is so damn worn out on it that you couldn't notice the holes in it from the supports of Volcano.
It's a capacity nightmare that can barely push out more than 500 people an hour and even on an empty day like yesterday where all the other rides (WITHOUT i305 OPERATING) had no more than 20 people waiting in line at all times, this piece of utter garbage had a FORTY FIVE MINUTE LINE at 11 am. The park wasn't even open for 45 minutes and it already had a build up of people from its lack of output. The worst thing about that is that the park uses it as an excuse to point out it's popularity because it constantly has a damn line the length of the ride itself from head to tail, and sometimes even longer!
Volcano has a poor, uninspired layout that needs to putz around for 30 seconds after it exits the mouth so you feel like you've done something interesting after waisting 20 seconds getting up to speed with a gigantic ass u-turn just to get you lined up to burst out of the damn thing. After you putz around for 30 seconds sliding down the side of that mountain like the barrels from Donkey Kong and doing three "super awesome" barrel rolls you have to take a diving turn into the volcano and the brake run. Yeah the most entertaining moment of the ride goes right into the brake run. There's no speed outside the launch and once you get up to speed you hit the brake run into the volcano that need I mention again looks like a tornado and a hurricane did dirty dancing together inside of it. Did I forget to mention that you sit in there forced to absorb the fact that the ride is built on a pile of crap? They don't even hide it from you! They make you sit in there and take it in proudly proclaiming that you wasted a chunk of your day to get launched out of a pile of crap then literally sit inside of it 30 seconds later before they even let you off the damn train?
Everything about the ride is crap. The layout is crap. The company that designed it is crap. The volcano itself is crap. Even the entire themed area that is tied down to that gigantic festering pile of garbage is crap and is so overdue for removal that they shouldn't be delaying themselves any longer to get started on it. Getting rid of this ride would be a huge improvement for the park, and it'd actually open up a spot for expansion that the park desperately needs due to how badly of a corner they painted themselves into. Seriously even if they invested in a Vekoma SLC as their inverted replacement it'd be a great improvement over what monstrosity is already standing there.
Actually, I rather enjoy Volcano. But you rant was highly entertaining.
B.mac, your point is well-taken, but I have to disagree. I will say that Volcano is a very poorly-designed coaster. However, Volcano is one of my favorite rides at the park. Those launches roaring beneath the tracks and blasting straight up knock my socks of every time (unless I wore flip-flops that day, in which case I was just astonished. INSERT "BAD PUN" GIF). After blasting out of the mountain, twisting around the top is not only amazing (to me!), but it lends some exceptional views of the area while twisting around up top. I personally feel like the GP in that even though it's not a very good ride, I think it's very fun and really love it just for being fun, regardless. Plus, it lends greatly to the theme and feel of the Congo, especially with Flight of Fear, i305, and Backlot all tearing away at that.
As for the horrible capacity, I agree it really stinks. What I always do is either line up at the rope near Planet Snoopy and hightail it to Volcano as soon as the security guards open the rest of the park. That way, I'm the first one there and can get a few walk-on rides, or I'll show my pass and get in 10 minutes early for some eased free walk-ons onto Volcano. That way, I can turn and laugh around noon as I walk by the poor suckers waiting in a two-hour line for it later on. You gotta get up pretty early to pull one over on... uh, Volcano!
Like I said, it's not a great ride on its own, but it's really enjoyable in my opinion, and even though its popularity can't be fairly determined based on the long lines, almost everyone I've talked to says it's either their first or second (behind Intimidator) favorite ride at the park. Even Pat Jones said in an interview that it's her favorite ride. No, it's not well-designed, but it's fun. And that's what matters.
As for the horrible capacity, I agree it really stinks. What I always do is either line up at the rope near Planet Snoopy and hightail it to Volcano as soon as the security guards open the rest of the park. That way, I'm the first one there and can get a few walk-on rides, or I'll show my pass and get in 10 minutes early for some eased free walk-ons onto Volcano. That way, I can turn and laugh around noon as I walk by the poor suckers waiting in a two-hour line for it later on. You gotta get up pretty early to pull one over on... uh, Volcano!
Like I said, it's not a great ride on its own, but it's really enjoyable in my opinion, and even though its popularity can't be fairly determined based on the long lines, almost everyone I've talked to says it's either their first or second (behind Intimidator) favorite ride at the park. Even Pat Jones said in an interview that it's her favorite ride. No, it's not well-designed, but it's fun. And that's what matters.
The only thing that really bothers me about Volcano is the boarding area. It is the worst design I have ever seen. Assuming it was actually "designed."
I miss the faux-Belgian female voice talking about "loose articles." It was hilarious.
I miss the faux-Belgian female voice talking about "loose articles." It was hilarious.
Nic, she's still there, assuming you're talking about the recorded voice that comes over the queue. When nobody's there yet and it's quiet still, you can hear her talking, "Loose ottticles are NOT permitted on Volcano, the Blost Coasteh! (Type-imitating her foreign accent). She also thanks you for riding just before the unload area. It gets annoying after a while, but at least it fits the theme! 
I recently went to Dorney Park (Cedar Fair park in Pennsylvania), in which at least five coasters/thrill rides had a recording of somebody singing the ride rules to a rhythm. It was cool, but remarkably annoying - I'll take the foreign Volcano lady for now, thanks.
I recently went to Dorney Park (Cedar Fair park in Pennsylvania), in which at least five coasters/thrill rides had a recording of somebody singing the ride rules to a rhythm. It was cool, but remarkably annoying - I'll take the foreign Volcano lady for now, thanks.
b.mac said:
This. So much this. In what no doubt will offend many of the KD fans, Volcano summarizes what KD does best; mediocre roller coasters that focus on speed and stats more than a well-rounded experience. It's a gimmick coaster that has two features, going up through the mountain and going down the mountain using the same inversion three times. Not to mention that if the layout alone wasn't bad enough, it has terrible capacity. I've been to the park on days where i305 was walk on and Volcano has a 45 minute wait.
And that is why Flight of Fear is going to be the best coaster in KD's history.