Brad Bishop

Some of my pics from 2 years ago: https://flic.kr/s/aHsjXUySBt It's a great park. If you're near it or driving by it, it's worth checking out.

In other words, the same problems the original Flying Saucers attraction had. It seems like a better version of this would have been well-themed bumper boats.

I don't mind them shortening the river and I think there are many valid points made with the wasted space up at that end PLUS it looks like it'll be really nice when done. I think it's great that they're keeping the Rivers of America, Tom Sawyer Island, and all that instead of filling it in. My argument would be against making a whole new "land" out of a movie or movie franchise at Disneyland or the Magic Kingdom in FL. It makes more sense at DCA or DHS but it seems like a mistake at parks where the themes are more generic like Adventureland, Fantastyland, Tomorrowland, etc. It's like adding Wizard of Oz Land to the mix. It just doesn't quite fit. SWL will likely be spectacular but it just doesn't feel like it belongs there.

I'm with you on this. I think they'll be built and, shortly after the newness has worn off, they'll be abandoned in 5-10 years just sitting there as an eyesore. I think the same will happen to a lot of the huge ferris wheels going up, especially at locations with nothing to view. I'd think it'd be hard enough to keep one running for a decade at a location like Myrtle Beach, but it could be done.. Putting one in the middle or Orlando makes no sense to me. There's no skyline. There's no coast to see. Maybe I'll be proven wrong.. I grew up in Panama City, FL and would see these kinds of contraptions go up, be popular for a few years, and then sit there, dead for another decade or so because the newness had worn off and there wasn't anything else there to support the business.

Seeing that the first Miracle Strip closed, and then the second one, I'd have to say it's pretty clear the area doesn't seem to be able to support a park like this (which is sort of weird), so either the parks were just very poorly managed, or Panama City, which is quite a popular vacation destination for locals, simply just don't want a park like this. I'd say the odds are not good. I'm not sure what happened. Before reading this thread I had heard that the Meeks had applied for the permit to build a giant ferris wheel (I think 200ft tall). Then, after they got that permit, they sold the land, permit, and park, to some investor. The thing that struck me odd is that a 200ft tall wheel isn't all that giant. The location blocked, in part, by condominiums across the street, doesn't seem so great. Here's the kicker: There was a 200ft tall ferris wheel just down the beach in Pensacola which no one knew about, except locals, and no one went to. It didn't last a year and made it's way to downtown Atlanta. From the lawsuit mentioned above, it looks like the Meeks bit off more than they could chew with the expanded park as they were over a year behind in rent.. Also, it seems kind of dumb to build an amusement park on rented land. A few rides at Pier Park, Ok. When you start building permanent structures your tied to whatever your landlord decides to charge because it won't be cheap to move.

The Cannonball at Lake Winnie is an awesome coaster. What's weird is that it's nearly the same as the Starliner but the Starliner kind of sucks in that it beats you up.

I grew up in PC and worked at Miracle Strip for 5 years in the 1980s. The Starliner was, at best, an "OK" coaster. More typically it was an unpleasant coaster that'd beat you up. When they first were talking on their FB page about bringing it back to PC I posted, "No. This is a bad idea. It's not a good coaster. It beats you up. Start fresh. Buy a good coaster." Mostly it was about nostalgia.

Just happened upon this on CNN: http://edition.cnn.com/2015/01/04/travel/exciting-attractions-opening-2015/index.html I still kind of wonder if this is pie-in-the-sky type stuff. Supposedly, they're going to open Memorial Day 2015. So far, if you look at their Facebook page or even posts here, it sounds like the only thing they have done is clearing some land and maybe doing some underground utility work. I swear I've heard about this project for nearly 10 years but the oldest reference, from this thread, seems to be 2009. I hope it happens but it seems like they ought to be way further along than clearing some land if they're going to open in 2015 (especially by Memorial Day). I think Houston would be a great city to have a large park in based on it's size, the surrounding area (you can pull people from deeper in Texas as well as over to Louisiana (New Orleans) and maybe even as far as Mississippi). Astroworld didn't close because it wasn't popular. It closed because Six Flags executives were being bone heads for years and got into trouble. Still, for as long as I've heard about this park coming, it really does seem like a lot of wishful thinking. It's on the order of the age-old rumor of, "Disney is eyeing Texas for a third theme park!" (which wouldn't be a bad idea, IMO - I've just heard it nearly my entire life).

My daughter (20yo) loves it. I think that the twisted loop is kind of cool but, overall, it's just an OK/sort of good coaster to me. Nothing particularly amazing about it other than that twisted loop.

I think it'll get built but I question the financial feasibility of it. I figure that, just how people are and things go: - the cost to build it was low-balled - there were be unexpected issues when they actually get to building it - there will be cost overruns in building it - they're figuring "best case scenario" for what they're going to charge and people lining up to pay it. For operations it's a massive structure that must be maintained. So, can you get enough pph paying some huge ticket fee required to pay for and maintain this coaster? I don't think you can. If they put a normal coaster in the same spot I think it'd be tough business because there are so many other attractions around. The audience isn't your average person but your die-hard coaster fan and thrill seekers willing to pay big bucks to ride. There's also the question of there being, I think, a likely bump in attendance when it first starts up and I'm guessing that will wane after a short while (like 6mo - 1yr). From growing up in a beach/tourist community I've seen my fair share of similar giant contraptions built and later abandoned (and eyesores) shortly after. Make no mistake, I don't wish this upon the investors. I hope they have a thriving business! I'm just saying it looks incredibly risky/likely to fail to me. No matter how you slice it, you have to have enough cash coming in from each person riding it to not only pay for it all (being built and ongoing maintenance) but also to generate a profit. That number per head seems like it'd have to be really big.

I remember when they first came onto the scene. The first one I rode was the one at King's Dominion. I think it was 1988 or so. I remember looking at it from the midway and thinking, "Looks like a one-trick pony. It's trick is "standing"." It really was. At no point during my day there did I think, "Oh, I want to ride that again!" I don't think it even had much of a line. There was just nothing to it except "standing". When the Scorcher came to Six Flags Over Georgia I wasn't too enthused. I rode it, though. I think the Scorcher is a pretty good ride but standing really doesn't add anything to it. It's just a good coaster layout all on it's own. The problems I have with standing coasters: - increased load time as they lock things down, someone doesn't have it right, they unlock, then relock, then someone else doesn't have it right. It seems like they go through this, at best, just twice but more likely 3 or so times with each load. - standing really doesn't add anything to the ride. There's no extra thrill to standing. - The seats/restraint aren't particularly comfortable. I kind of hope that they're done with standing coasters, myself.

I think that they just need to get the color temperature and intensity right for the super bright ones like on the carousel in the photo. One thing I really miss from coasters is the chaser lights. I think most parks gave up on them because they were a maintenance hassle (incandescents burning out). I'd love to see them make a return via LEDs.

I think that the flat rides are, overall, good for the park. Calling the Super Loop a "coaster" bugs me a bit. If you look at how much they have improved from 10+ years ago, it's pretty amazing: - trash cans get emptied - park is A LOT cleaner - employees are much friendlier and much more attentive. 10 years ago they were on the ride-phones talking about nothing all day and not even checking restraints. - they're actually putting out more flowers and trying to do more landscaping which, I think, is a really good thing. I think that during the 1990s everything was becoming a "coaster park". It wasn't about integrating a ride into the environment or trying to have a well balanced theme park. Each year it was, "Let's take out part of the parking lot and add a new coaster!" Compare the Mind Bender to Batman or Scorcher. Batman was basically, "Take part of the parking lot," and Scorcher didn't have any trees or anything added just a bunch of granite underneath. No landscaping at all when, if they had taken time with some trees, etc., it'd be quite nice by now. It's a bit like going to a steak house and asking, "What are your sides?" "We have steak as a side!".. Or, "What desserts do you offer?" and getting, "We have Filet Mignon!" It's not a good time when that happens. You need the sides. I think a lot of folks expect the next "bigger than Goliath" ride and, in reality, because of the nearby airport, that's as good as it's going to get.

The only thing that sucks about the low prices on passes is that it makes the parks a lot busier. That's good for Six Flags but makes for a bad customer experience. Disney seems to do well with balancing price and guests. Six Flags seems to go with the: Make the passes cheap and then get them with food, drinks, and souvenirs.

More flat rides are needed at SFoG so it's not a bad addition. I still would like to see them get a giant ferris wheel. Something along the lines of what SFSL has. Them marketing Joker's Chaos as a roller coaster isn't right but it's what they do. They held onto the Mind Bender as being the world's first triple loop coaster for the longest time (they may still call it that). That one non-loop when you first enter the second section is the "second loop". So dumb.