Volcano: The Blast Coaster

[Unagi]

Volcano was KD's pathetic attempt to counter Alpengeist.

BGW received so much worldwide fanfare with the addition of Alp in 1997 that KD practically became an after-thought. They wanted something similar but knew they couldn't get a B&M because of BGW's exclusivity contract so they took a huge risk with Intamin and built a prototype that would cost them a ton of money just to get working.

 

[Nicole]

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 seriously couldn't hear her when I was there in the Spring. Odd. It is totally one of the funniest things in the park.

I think the singing would be novel for about two seconds and then would slowly drive me mad.

 

[Nicole]

Volcano was KD's pathetic attempt to counter Alpengeist.

BGW received so much worldwide fanfare with the addition of Alp in 1997 that KD practically became an after-thought. They wanted something similar but knew they couldn't get a B&M because of BGW's exclusivity contract so they took a huge risk with Intamin and built a prototype that would cost them a ton of money just to get working.

So...um...I like Volcano more than Alpengeist. I know, I know. I will probably be banned from the forum now. Shall I prepare myself for the firing squad? Alpengeist always just feels like a nice breeze to me. I don't get the thrill that all y'all do. Not sure why.

 

[redsoxfan787]

I feel like you can't compare the 2, they're a lot different

 

[destroyer421]

Wait, BGW has an exclusivity contract with B&M? Can someone please elaborate on this? This is the first I'm hearing of it.

 

[Unagi]

Wait, BGW has an exclusivity contract with B&M? Can someone please elaborate on this? This is the first I'm hearing of it.

It was never officially announced but industry insiders have discussed this on other forums in the past. BGW has a regional contract with B&M. I believe the details were that no park within 200-250 miles of BGW were allowed to purchase and install any brand new B&M.

The evidence is telling as KD and SFA have B&Ms but they are both RELOCATED coasters from other parks (Dominator from Geauga Lake and Apocalypse from Six Flags Great America). The closest parks with B&Ms are Carowinds, Dorney Park and Hersheypark, which are well out of reach from BGW. Another thing that helps solidify this contract is the fact that BGT's GM announced a company-wide exclusivity clause with the Dive Machines when Sheikra first opened back in 2005. Him stating that verifies that the company does indeed engage in these types of business deals.

 

[netdvn]

Any "exclusivity clause" the Busch would've had would've expired long after the last B&Ms were built at BGW (even less for the Tampa park as Universal built a pair of inverts and a looping coaster shortly after the likes of Kumba/Montu debuted).

So what about the relocated floorless/stand up coasters?

It's definitely cheaper to move a coaster from one place to another than to build a brand new coaster from the ground up, plus its better to move the coaster to another place and market it as a new ride than it is to scrap it. Since Dominator was still a huge ride, it would definitely be perfect for a major park like KD. I feel moving Iron Wolf to SFA was more of a last minute decision since the park rarely got any major attractions outside the water park to begin with.

But yeah, I actually really liked Volcano a lot. Maybe even more than Alpengeist. It's been a while since I rode it so my memory is fuzzy, but I still remember it being really fun.

 

[b.mac]

I feel moving Iron Wolf to SFA was more of a last minute decision since the park rarely got any major attractions outside the water park to begin with.

Only reason why it's at SFA and not in the scrap heap is because Six Flags Great America couldn't get the height clearance for Chang to be moved to the park in Iron Wolf's place. What Six Flags did instead was keep Iron Wolf around for one more year in Illinois and move Chang to New Jersey, and then a year later move Apocalypse to SFA.

Just recently Great America got permission to build a roller coaster 165 feet tall, which was what they tried to get when Chang was being moved there in 2010.

 

[Unagi]

Any "exclusivity clause" the Busch would've had would've expired long after the last B&Ms were built at BGW (even less for the Tampa park as Universal built a pair of inverts and a looping coaster shortly after the likes of Kumba/Montu debuted).

Again, the regional clause was only for BGW, not BGT. BGT didn't need one because they get a ton of tourism off visitors to the Orlando parks year-round in addition to being situated in a major metropolitan statistical area. BGW doesn't have that luxury so they need more uniqueness to draw visitors.

So what about the relocated floorless/stand up coasters?

It's definitely cheaper to move a coaster from one place to another than to build a brand new coaster from the ground up, plus its better to move the coaster to another place and market it as a new ride than it is to scrap it. Since Dominator was still a huge ride, it would definitely be perfect for a major park like KD. I feel moving Iron Wolf to SFA was more of a last minute decision since the park rarely got any major attractions outside the water park to begin with.

And again, the clause is for brand new B&Ms, not relocated ones.

Dominator wouldn't be located in KD had Cedar Fair not bought out Geauga Lake and shut it down.

Let's now look at all the Cedar Fair parks that got B&Ms within a year or two I-305 was built - Carowinds gets I-232, Kings Island gets Diamondback, and Canada's Wonderland gets Behemoth and Leviathan.

It makes one think how did all these major Cedar Fair parks get these B&Ms yet KD gets an Intamin (and a problematic one at that which needed a major reprofile after its first operating season and is currently SBNO). It would've made sense business-wise for KD to install a new and reliable B&M to go head-to-head with BGW considering it bolstered their reputation with the additions of Alp, AC and Griffon. What KD got instead was a major coaster with poor ridership because it's too intense for many people to ride so when it comes to the most popular ride there it's pretty sad that your most expensive coaster installation is second fiddle to Volcano.

 

[netdvn]

Let's now look at all the Cedar Fair parks that got B&Ms within a year or two I-305 was built - Carowinds gets I-232, Kings Island gets Diamondback, and Canada's Wonderland gets Behemoth and Leviathan.

Cedar Point got Shoot The Rapids in 2010 too. It could've been part of a package deal. Not only that, but CF and Intamin had a solid relationship at the time. Yes Intamin has its share of problems, but Millennium Force, Maverick, Dragster, and Xcelerator are still huge crowd pleasers years after they opened. Millennium Force still ranks as one of the best roller coasters in the world. They may not be the most reliable, but their coasters almost always end up in top 10 - top 5 lists more than Boring & Mundane could ever do (I305 included).

As for moving Dominator, there's really no reason they should've scrapped it since it's still a huge ride that could draw crowds. If CF decided not to close GL, it would probably still be chilling in Ohio and KD would've gotten something different.

It makes sense that KD gets a huge record-breaking Intamin over a run of the mill mega coaster. Leviathan looks kinda bland, everybody talks about how much the new wing trains rattle your head around, and from a reliable source Carowinds had problems with I232 tearing up wheels and running too fast on hot days like 305 did. Not as prominent or extreme as 305 but still problematic enough.

KD tends to take risks with a lot of their investments, so there's no reason they can't go head to head with Busch considering we have our own lawn ornament that had to be reprofiled/rebuilt more than 305.

 

[Unagi]

Yes Intamin has its share of problems, but Millennium Force, Maverick, Dragster, and Xcelerator are still huge crowd pleasers years after they opened.....

It makes sense that KD gets a huge record-breaking Intamin over a run of the mill mega coaster.

And I-305 is not a hit as it hasn't lived up to the hype they expected it to. If it did the queue would be constantly full more so than any other ride in the park. Volcano still owns it as far as popularity goes.

Leviathan looks kinda bland,

Leviathan also isn't SBNO and didn't require a major reprofile after its first operating season.

everybody talks about how much the new wing trains rattle your head around,

I didn't notice any rattling at all on Wild Eagle. However I didn't find it too exciting but the ride is popular and crowds are flocking to it.

and from a reliable source Carowinds had problems with I232 tearing up wheels and running too fast on hot days like 305 did. Not as prominent or extreme as 305 but still problematic enough.

That may have happened with the wheels but I-232 isn't experiencing any massive downtime like I-305 curently is. It is just bad business to have your largest coaster shut down for a long period of time especially during the summer season.

KD tends to take risks with a lot of their investments, so there's no reason they can't go head to head with Busch considering we have our own lawn ornament that had to be reprofiled/rebuilt more than 305.

KD has not gone head-to-head with BGW in a long time. This is due to Paramount taking some of these risks and stripping the park of its luster that people grew to love before they took over. While Cedar Fair has made some improvements they still have a LONG way to go to restore the park to its glory days. When we see KD's gate count approach, match, or surpass BGW's total annual attendance then we can really start talking about them going head-to-head. However I don't see that happening in the near future.

 

[netdvn]

And I-305 is not a hit as it hasn't lived up to the hype they expected it to. If it did the queue would be constantly full more so than any other ride in the park. Volcano still owns it as far as popularity goes.

Actually Volcano just has horrible capacity. Each train fits only 18 people (about as many as Verbolten's trains do). Considering there's only a max of three trains, that kinda creates a backup of people. Think about how Verbolten runs with three trains on the slowest of days (the line is still 45 minutes long). I believe 305 seats double that amount in one train, so its bound to eat through people a LOT faster than Volcano does.

I didn't notice any rattling at all on Wild Eagle. However I didn't find it too exciting but the ride is popular and crowds are flocking to it.

B&Ms will do that to you. Eagle is still the newest roller coaster at DW so people are gonna flock there. That being said, the staggered hyper trains trains are pretty shaky.

It is just bad business to have your largest coaster shut down for a long period of time especially during the summer season.

Its bad business to have Mock Tower down all the time too (and the likes of Iron Rattler/Texas Giant etc).

KD has not gone head-to-head with BGW in a long time. This is due to Paramount taking some of these risks and stripping the park of its luster that people grew to love before they took over. While Cedar Fair has made some improvements they still have a LONG way to go to restore the park to its glory days. When we see KD's gate count approach, match, or surpass BGW's total annual attendance then we can really start talking about them going head-to-head. However I don't see that happening in the near future.

Paramount screwed up a lot of their parks. Even then KD still gets regular additions. I can't vouch for gate numbers and I haven't visited the park in a while but CF seems to be on the right track with their additions. Plus BGW is in the middle of a tourist area while KD is sorta plopped down in the middle of nowhere. BGW's attendance should naturally be higher than KD's.

Volcano still sits in my top 10 though (at least until a run on 305 dethrones it )

 

[Nicole]

Plus BGW is in the middle of a tourist area while KD is sorta plopped down in the middle of nowhere. BGW's attendance should naturally be higher than KD's.

For what it is worth KD is an easy day trip from DC, whereas BGW is a logistical challenge. I can realistically go to work in the morning for a few hours, drive down to KD, and arrive when the park opens. I really only get to BGW, when I visit my parents; and I can't reasonably ditch them for the park every time I'm in VB.

That said, I still go to BGW more often, because I like it better.

 

[Unagi]

Actually Volcano just has horrible capacity. Each train fits only 18 people (about as many as Verbolten's trains do). Considering there's only a max of three trains, that kinda creates a backup of people. Think about how Verbolten runs with three trains on the slowest of days (the line is still 45 minutes long). I believe 305 seats double that amount in one train, so its bound to eat through people a LOT faster than Volcano does.

I know it has horrible capacity. But I've been to KD many times in the last three years and have seen an hour plus line for Volcano where I-305 was a walk-on. Capacity-issues aside, Volcano is still more liked by the GP.

Its bad business to have Mock Tower down all the time too (and the likes of Iron Rattler/Texas Giant etc).

While Mach Tower's downtime doesn't help, people don't flock to parks for drop rides unless it's Tower of Terror. They come for the coasters.

Paramount screwed up a lot of their parks. Even then KD still gets regular additions. I can't vouch for gate numbers and I haven't visited the park in a while but CF seems to be on the right track with their additions. Plus BGW is in the middle of a tourist area while KD is sorta plopped down in the middle of nowhere. BGW's attendance should naturally be higher than KD's.

KD never had attendance issues pre-Paramount despite the location of the park especially being part of the Richmond metro area and only 80 miles south of the DC area. I remember going to KD in the middle of the week during the summer in the late 80s and early 90s and many times I'd stop by BGW on the way up to ride Nessie and BBW before heading to Doswell. BGW would be dead yet when I would arrive at KD it was packed. It wasn't really surprising though as KD had more things to do and more variety of attractions. Even the first couple years Paramount owned the park KD had great attendance when they opened Wayne's World and Outer Limits. That all changed when BGW installed Alpengeist.

 

[I305Evan]

Volcano had a short break down today. Something broke in the first launch with what i'm assuming the launch fins.
[tweet=https://twitter.com/kdfansonline/status/374626312754716672]

 

[cartidge]

It broke down today... Unknown reasons

 

[I305Evan]

Probably needed a system reset. That seems to be a common issue with Intamin launch coasters.

 

[Nicole]

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.

So, I figured out why I didn't hear the Belgian Lady when I was at KD in the Spring. I noticed that the ride attendants talk over her now. She got in about 3 words, before she was cut off by an announcement. It kinda made me sad.

On the other hand, they seemed on Sunday to be actively trying to make the line at the station less horrifying. There was a guy standing at the end of the outdoor maze controlling how many people could enter the dark, hot passageway down to the loading area. So, people were standing in that sauna for less time. Then in the station, they were telling people who weren't in line for the back car to go around and fill ion the other queues.

I have often observed that the back-up is in part caused by a blend of good manners and stupidity. Most of it, however, is a lack of anything resembling planning the layout of the loading area. Regardless, it was the first time I have seen them attempt to manage the problem.

 

[I305Evan]

If you were watching instagram, Facebook, or Twitter. We all saw that I got to experience a roll back (WOO!). Any who. I just want to say it's such a great experience. Maintenance was there very quick. Because it's magnetic brakes, the train will never stop, but will slowly roll back until it makes physical contact. That process took 15 or so minutes of rolling backwards at about.1mph.

I had my phone on me (obviously) so I took some pictures inside the mountain which I will share at another time. Great time though. I will share more later.

 

[wombat96]

Where in the ride did you rollback?