SKULLY

The Big Bad Wolf is clearly high up on the list but I think that closure has been pretty well explained already. Still, I have a hard time believing it was an expiration date so to speak as it was a lack of rider numbers to support maintaining such as unique ride system. As for some really sad ride closures, I think that Disney takes the cake. Here's just a few.... The Original Journey Into Your Imagination!!! This was a truly wonderful and rather lengthy classic Epcot attraction. The ride that they replaced it with completely down scaled the whole experience and I am unsure as to what Disney was thinking when they spent so much money for something smaller and much less immersive. The sets and props on this attraction were amazing and truly mesmerized me the only time I went on it when I was around seven. Even the return of Figment and limited appearances of Dream Finder don't pay adequate tribute to this lost attraction. As others have said, the rather violent destruction of Horizons was quite a disappointment. Sure, it displayed another future that never was but it was a rather uplifting attraction and could have just as easily defined Epcot had it been placed inside its own giant golf ball. Truly, another very missed attraction. What's almost as sad is the total lack of reference to it within the modern Epcot. Atleast there's the logo inside M:S's queue. Finally, the Disney loss that hurts me the most is by far 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea. They took the Disney Land Submarine Voyage ride system, expanded it, and gave it a much more in depth theme. Yet, they only let it live for a bit over twenty years before silently shutting it down with little explanation. Sure, it was difficult to get into, the submarines burned through fuel, and the props were beginning to be slightly out of date but these were all fixable. This is extremely evident in the newly revamped Submarine Voyage which proved that this ride system can be brought back up to modern standards. Yet, while Disney Land made the decision to return their classic, Disney World made the decision to let theirs rot for over ten years, scrap the submarines in a landfill, and act as if the lagoon was just a prop for Fantasy Land. Check out the below link for a look at the kind of condition Disney let it fall into after closure. After all, as far as I know, this is the ONLY E Ticket Disney ever shut down!!!! As it may seem, the most magical places on Earth are also the most likely to destroy what they have in the name of "progress." Of course, you could also add other attractions to the "we wish it were never replaced list," notably Alien Encounter. In fact, the Sorcery In The Sky firework show also never seemed to receive a true replacement as Fantasmic is an entirely different show but try telling Disney that. I supposes they only need one show every night. Oh well, it's still great to reminisce on these blasts from the past. Here is the awesome 20K Leagues ride site. In addition to these post operating pictures, be sure to check out all this site has to offer. http://www.20kride.com/photos_after.html

I have only made it out to this park once and this particular attraction was closed. Thanks for giving me a much better idea of what's going on in there.

Considering you can sky dive from over 12,000 ft. for only around $100 is some areas, this seems incredibly expensive. If you're going to charge this much, give me a bungee.

Thrill rides have been boring me lately while dark rides and park atmosphere have been becoming more enjoyable. As such, Disney wins without question. I truly do enjoy the Hulk, DD, and the dark rides that Universal does have. It's just that g-forces with little else to back it up haven't been doing it at all lately, I need and have found bigger thrills.

Orlando = Extension of Disney Property!

While I love the charming feel of Disneyland, as others have said, I just can't feel immersed in it. The lands all look great...until you walk for thirty seconds and you're in another land. It's crazy standing inside Adventureland and seeing New Orleans Square, the entrance to Fronteirland, and possibly the Astro Orbiter if you're in the proper location. Not to mention, you can indeed see outside the berm in a few locations. Don't get me wrong, I love the park and enjoy many of its quirks, but it works against it as well as for it. It's just nice to know that if you go one mile in any direction in the MK, you're still on Disney property. Do that in Disneyland and you wouldn't feel so great about your location. Not to mention that Indy, Disneyland's best exclusive attraction, seems like two thirds amazing with one third nothing. As for WDW vs. DLR, that has been answered time after time.

Sorry to continue with it but the World's Tower of Terror combines incredible theming, insane effects, an intense ride experience, and a plays on people's fears in a way that few other attractions do. The Disneyland version isn't in itself a bad attraction but it only feels like 75% of its Orlando sibling, much like a reverse of the Space Mountain situation in which the DL ride destroys the Orlando attraction. We're lucky that WDW management built it when they did. Otherwise, we would probably have something more akin to the other towers around the globe. As for my top five, that's a bit difficult and would possibly take into account some of the many wonderful extinct attractions that once existed in The World.

I hate to come in here and buck the trend but I certainly didn't feel the safest on this coaster. Sure, it probably would have taken a bit of effort to have flung myself out of it but I can see somebody else eventually making it. It's a fun coaster but definitely something I couldn't ever see CF or SF setting up on their property for a variety of reasons similar to this. It makes an occasional stop at the CA State Fair, not sure if it's every year.

How about a special high price event in one of the parks for adults 21+ only? That sounds plausible and has potential to make some money from those of us who may like to enjoy the parks in a more adult-friendly atmosphere. Of course, I have no idea how many people in the real world would pay $100 or more for this sort of thing to stay up all night. Just a dream right here.

Could anybody see this sort of overhaul fixing Mean Streak or is that already a lost cause? That is, of course, assuming that the money would even be spent on it.

Having moved out here in 07 and only visited the park once since then, this information is starting to hurt. I really have little desire to visit the park after that one visit but I was expecting there to eventually be a reason to go back, not a plot of concrete.

Add another Drachen Fire fan right here! I was also a bit younger while riding it for the final time, 9 years old, but the whole experience was much more enjoyable than people make it out to be. It never ruined my day and despite how prone I am to headaches, I was able to re-ride without interference. The first drop with the corkscrew was something I have yet to see repeated with very good hang time at 140+ ft. In addition, as others have said, it was a great color with a beautiful support structure and some of the coolest looking trains on any coaster. The day it was ripped out hurt me quite badly. Of course, it was the original "BIG" coaster from my childhood but it still holds a place in my memory next to BBW. Who would have thought back in 1994, in the hugely thriving Oktoberfest, that there would be a day when both spots stood empty? It's a crazy world we live. As for the new coaster, I think that this 90 degree upward launch seems a bit overboard but who am I to decide? While it would be an engineering nightmare, the mechanism needed to launch a car vertical wouldn't exactly have to do it quickly as you're starting out at 1G anyways. It would just need enough to get over the top and stop in case of a rollback. Once again, I doubt we will see this but it should be incredible regardless of what gets built. I'm really hyped up to see what the park can do with an indoor section and just how long the duration will be. Too bad we have around eight or so months before it gets announced if things go as usual.

I've never gotten to one of your events and this looks like it would be a great start, atleast in terms of Discovery Kingdom. As mentioned above, will there be many non-thrill ride type activities as it would be much more enjoyable if my very young boy could come along?

I have been on BBW and the Iron Dragon but it's tough to even make a comparison. As for the removal, I have a few reasons for being upset about the loss of the Wolf. First, it has a HUGE footprint in my coaster memory as either my first or second major attraction at age four or five...I think. Naturally, you're going to be upset when anything from your childhood is not just changed but destroyed, kind of like watching a familiar house get demolished or learning your Mom threw away one of your better toys. I can't remember BGW without the Wolf being there. Second, it was great eye candy. Yes, coasters are NOT exactly created for their aesthetic appearance but this one looked good going down into the ravine. I can't think of another drop that was so tame yet packed so much visual anticipation into the onlookers walking over the bridge into Oktoberfest. Not to mention, the town was very attractive while onride and also looked great back when the Drachen Fire area gave you a clear view of the entire setting. Third, we can all agree that it was a unique ride. When another coaster is bulldozed there is usually a similar alternative within the same park or atleast at a reasonable driving distance. With the Wolf, you don't get that and the experience is simply gone. Yes, there are other suspendeds still running (for now) but the ravine was unique. And lastly, it was completely unexpected. The ride, while old and a bit small compared to its neighbors, was still quite enjoyable for most of us as well as the GP who were still riding it. Had they proposed the plan to remove it at the beginning of its 25th season I think that its demise would have settled in a bit better. However, they gave almost zero time for some of us to get ourselves out there and have one last go on it. Many of us couldn't even imagine the famous Big Bad Wolf would ever go, especially so suddenly. Now to be honest, none of these are good enough reasons to have kept the removal from happening and I am sure that BGW weighed other options. It was just something sad and unexpected and those of us with a strange affection towards the ride were quite bummed, especially if our last ride was years ago. However, I keep on hearing about this new attraction going in its place. With the latest news and rumors, I think that the thought process behind taking down the BBW starts to become more clear. Despite that, it will always have a lasting impression on some of us just like your first car may have had an impression on you. No matter how flawed it may have, you miss it and would sometimes like to pay it a visit.

I hope that they can pull off a good indoor section with more than just a brief glimpse of the interior, if the building has any sort of theme that is. Each time I hear something new about this coaster, it's something good and I can only hope it lives up to the huge list of expectations piling up.

Did they actually keep your speedometers in operation? When I tried snowmobiling in Colorado just past Copper Mtn., they disabled all of them. I assume this is so nobody would attempt to hit a dangerous speed for bragging rights. Either way, full throttle down a hill on one of these is amazing. Not to mention, can any other motorsport provide and interact with scenery quite the same?

Unfortunately, the American Top Gear is too "Americanized" to appeal to those us of who loved the original. I have heard NASCAR mentioned time after time but not F1 or any other form of racing. Also, I like the Reventon but the thing is just too heavy. Then again, every Murcielago seems to be overweight and needs to have that AWD converted into RWD before they can really provide a pure experience again. Just my opinion but you don't see AWD F1 cars. BTW The new M Series Coupe looks great so I hope that they can trim off some weight to make it a real performer.

Smashing Pumpkins tonight at the HP Pavilion in San Jose with other My Chemical Romance among others opening. I have looked forward to seeing these guys for quite awhile so I hope this new lineup is as good as the critics are making it out to be!

I can't believe that the economics of reprofiling the terrain would benefit the park, especially with the river branching out into that area. I guess that if they do indeed reprofile it then they must have decided that area is better used with something place onto it.

A nice dark ride section prior to a launch would be awesome. Or better yet, a dark ride portion prior to launch with the coaster making multiple passes through the building which would reveal more dark ride scenes. And while I'm at it, how about filling it with wolves and drachens. Now for the real world, I wonder if there really is any relation to the coaster. I can't imagine that it would be another live show or restaurant with the Festhaus there so I can only hope that it will be some sort of dark portion of the coaster or another attraction in itself. But what do I know?

I didn't think about the ride's stopping ability. Perhaps that would cause an issue or two. Well, since it's attempting to recreate a Formula One experience, why not have it stop like one too? I have heard that the real cars do 124 mph. to zero in 1.9 seconds! The real drivers experience the stopping power around a thousand times each race so we know somebody could handle it. Why stop there, replace the goggles with full face helmets and give riders racing suits! And yes, I understand the stupidity of subjecting the average Joe to that so please don't take any of this seriously.

Given just a lap bar or even an OTSH, I understand that your thighs would nearly bleed and your body would probably suffer from whiplash in all directions. Come to think of it, a 4 point harness would have to be a minimum requirement for anybody riding and that's nearly impossible to implement on an attraction due to capacity, cost, complexity, adjustments per rider, etc. However the g tolerances would probably still be well within limits of a human who wants to or has had previous experience enduring such forces. Not to mention, G suits are nice but there are many pilots out there such as the Blue Angel naval demonstration team who perform without them. I am in no way saying it would be the most practical idea out there, I'm just saying I would give it a go. But after thinking about it, I wouldn't touch it without some sort of proper harness installed. After all, -2G's would feel like 320+ pounds forcing my thighs into a lap bar. Once again, this will never happen so dreaming will have to suffice. Also, the turns would hurt but the extreme aerodynamic drag created at 150 mph. would probably cause the train to lose half of that speed much more quickly than other coasters. That doesn't mean the first turn wouldn't be a bruiser.

Personally, I would love to give it a go without the trims. You can call me crazy but I still highly doubt that the g forces experienced would be nearly as powerful or sustained for as long as those an aerobatic pilot experiences during a routine. I'm not saying that I don't understand their reasoning for trimming it. There would put much more stress placed on the structure and much more wear and tear (expenses) due to that. Not to mention, it could even prove painful for riders during all of the elements and no doubt stir up the average park guest. And let's face it, a full racing harness would be required to ride it without bruising your thighs. However, just like aerobatics, that bit of strain placed on your body would be the price to pay for such an incredible experience. A price that I would gladly pay, although I can't guarantee I would line up for a second ride.

I don't know how I feel about Fernando Alonso sitting where Kimi Raikkonen should still be. Sure, Kimi had a bad season and a half but he gave Ferrari the titles that they so badly needed again. Motorsports aside, this park is beating ALL of my expectations and it's great to see even one of the U.A.E. dreamparks coming along just as you would expect if not better. Being both a huge gear head and coaster nut as well as one of the tifosi really won't help my bank account.