Park Thoughts

Invasion of the Windseekers continue with Kings Dominion announcing a Windseeker for 2012.  The announcement comes just weeks after Carowinds announced they will be adding a Windseeker to their 2012 line-up.  Kings Dominion appears to be an identical version of the Mondial model standing at 301 feet, 32 carriages of 2 passenger seats, and the elaborate lighting/audio package.  Kings Dominion brings the total Windseeker count to 6 for Cedar Fair parks.

In addition to Windseeker, Kings Dominion will also add Dinosaurs Alive! animatronic dinosaur park.  Occupying 6 acres, this interactive educational experience will be a 3,000 foot walk through including 36 dinosaurs, 3 of which of interactive.  However, just like the Kings Island version which opened one earlier this year, Dinosaurs Alive! will require an additional fee with park admission (fun eh?).  Dinosaurs Alive will be located near the Grizzly wooden coaster.

Cedar Point also announced they will add Dinosaurs Alive!, with similar statistics.  At Cedar Point, the attraction will be located on Adventure Island, under Millennium Force.  In order to create access to the island, the park will have to remove the Paddlewheel Excursions attraction, which has generated some public out roar on the park’s Facebook page.

I have to say, Kinzel is leaving a mess for Ouimet to clean up.  Mass purchasing dysfunctional attractions, and now installing lame, up-charge Dinosaurs at several park is not particularly a grand exit leaving a great impression.  Nice to see that Cedar Fair is turning into Six Flags of the early 00′s.  I am certainly looking forward to a management change.

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This morning, Six Flags Discovery Kingdom, Northern California’s #1 theme park, announced it will be replacing Tony Hawk’s Big Spin with a new, first-of-its-kind creation: Superman: Ultimate Flight. This truly unique coaster will tower at 150 feet as well as what are sure to be some very exciting elements! From the Press Release:

The familiar refrain, “It’s a bird, it’s a plane, it’s Superman!” will become part of Six Flags Discovery Kingdom’s lexicon with the official announcement today of the park’s exciting new roller coaster, SUPERMAN Ultimate Flight.  The ride, created in a partnership between Six Flags Discovery Kingdom, Warner Bros. Consumer Products and DC Entertainment, is slated to open in spring 2012.

This one-of-a-kind super launch coaster features the tallest inversion west of the Mississippi and will rank alongside the tallest coaster inversions in the world. At 150 feet high, riders will experience lightning speeds of 62 miles per hour, with two upside-down twists and two vertical rolls over a track length of 863 feet.

“We’re excited to bring this caliber of ride to Discovery Kingdom,” said Dale Kaetzel, Park President. “Since we opened our super coaster Medusa in 2000, the public has been waiting for a ride to match that intensity. We believe that SUPERMAN Ultimate Flight will satisfy even the most fearless thrill-seeker, and then some.”

As Discovery Kingdom’s first DC Comics-themed ride, the new addition is the perfect complement to the park’s unique collection of marine life, wildlife and wild rides. Thrill rides include the aforementioned Medusa, along with Kong, Roar, Vertical Velocity and Boomerang, and SUPERMAN Ultimate Flight’s addition solidifies Discovery Kingdom’s standing as Northern California’s best place to experience thrills of all kinds.

Brightly painted in Superman’s colors — vibrant blue, red and yellow — the steel coaster will be visible from Highway 37 and beyond from its location on the eastern side of the park.  Construction on SUPERMAN Ultimate Flight will begin in early 2012.

SUPERMAN Ultimate Flight is being manufactured for Six Flags Six Flags Discovery Kingdom by Premier Rides.

Initial 2012 Thoughts - Six Flags continues to not mass purchase coasters but instead individually select different designers per a park.  And this method surely does appear to be working with this new prototype form seeming to be a welcomed addition to the already fantastic Six Flags park.

The layout of this creation is unlike anything I’ve ever seen before, and when the first concept art was leaked, I immediately assumed it was a Mauher Sohne, however as the last line indicates in the article, the coaster is in fact manufactured by Premiere. The trains show a great resemblence to those of Sky Rush at Kennywood.  And while I do fear this could be a capacity nightmare, the 60 mph launch + spectacular views should make it well worth the wait.

I am definitely looking forward to riding this next summer. What do you think? Leave a comment with your Park Thoughts below.

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The biggest and most anticipated announcement from Six Flags this morning comes as news for Six Flags Great America. Next year the park will add a Bolliger & Mabillard coaster, called X-Flight. Press Release:

Gurnee, Ill.  (September 1, 2011)  – Get ready to take flight!  Six Flags Great America announces plans to add a state-of-the-art roller coaster for the 2012 season.  X-Flight is a ground-breaking wing coaster featuring cutting-edge technology. The Gurnee theme park is the first to announce plans for a wing coaster in the U.S.

X-Flight will take riders on a flight that defies gravity, with no track above or below them.  Riders sit in pairs, suspended on either side of the track with their feet dangling, as they begin their climb up a 12-story plunge launching them into speeds of 55mph through 3,000 feet of intense drops and five inversions, including a barrel roll and zero-g roll. One of the most adrenaline-pumping moments on the ride is an extreme fly-through where the coaster speeds straight toward a structure, before making a last-minute vertical flip to fit through a keyhole cut-out.

“Six Flags Great America has a long history of introducing legendary rides and first-of-its-kind roller coasters,” said Hank Salemi, Six Flags Great America Park President.  “What makes
X-Flight so unique is soaring through 3,000 feet of high-speed drops, loops and turns, with nothing above or below you.  The coaster’s train actually looks like a plane with seats suspended on either side of the track.  It’s like nothing you have ever experienced before.  We are thrilled to bring this revolutionary wing coaster to our guests for the 2012 season.”

X-Flight is designed by acclaimed Swiss manufacturer Bolliger & Mabillard, who also designed Six Flags Great America favorites: Raging Bull, SUPERMAN: Ultimate Flight and BATMAN: The Ride.  The wing coaster will make its home in the County Fair section of the park. Construction begins this Fall.  X-Flight is scheduled to open Spring of 2012.

Six Flags Great America is located between Chicago and Milwaukee and offers fun for the entire family with 14 heart-pounding roller coasters, a free 20-acre water park, spectacular shows, a nighttime illuminated parade and three children’s themed areas. Soar on X-Flight all season long with a 2012 Season Pass, now on sale for $64.99 for four or more.  Buy now and get a
2012 Season Parking Pass free. Sale ends October 30, 2011.

Intitial 2012 Thoughts - At first glance, it does appear to show a resemblance to The Swarm. Although Thorpe Park hasn’t released any concept art or a video for their ride yet, Six Flags Great America’s version looks decently intense with what should be a forceful immelmann.  The diving first drop is becoming a great signature B&M Wing Rider element.

With 5 inversions, as well as some solid theming, there’s no doubt this will be an excellent addition to the park.  Bravo Six Flags. Can’t wait to see this one take shape.

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After a troubled final two seasons at California’s Great America, last winter, Great America announcd that Invertigo would not be apart of the park’s 2011 line-up and dismantled the ride.  Pieces were spotted ...

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For the past two weeks we asked you what was your favorite Gravity Group coaster? However since not all of the company’s 2011 additions are quite open yet, I decided to exclude the 2011 additions and save those for ...

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Despite seemingly countless delays, it appears Cedar Fair has decided to move forward with adding more “Windseeker“‘s to their parks in 2012.  Carowinds, being the first to announce. With the Wright Brothers creating the first successful airplane in the Carolinas, it is natural that the park will ...

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After much anticipation, Canada’s Wonderland has pulled back the curtain on the park’s 2012 project: Leviathan. The 306 ft B&M giga coaster will reach speeds of over 90 mph, feature over 1 mile of track, ...

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