RCjunkie

My experience too. And to change that impression CF has to take a risk, invest a little more than normal and build a worthy thrill ride (most likely a coaster)to increase attendance and get people to the park. Just like when they broke a million visits after putting in WT. Build it, promote it and they will come. Keep putting in so-so rides and falling behind your competition that is adding new rides and you can't expect your park to grow.

Nowhere? Really? Adventureland just installed a Wind Seeker last year called Storm Chaser. Adventureland is located in Altoona, IA which is just northeast of Des Moines. From Minneapolis it only takes 3.5 to 4 hours to get to Des Moines. VF needs something thrilling. Wind Seekers are pretty tame when it comes to thrills. They can be fun and provide good views but not very thrilling compared to most rides that size.

Don't forget Carowinds getting a Hyper and Giga since 2007 along with CP getting Gatekeeper and a remodeled Rougarou. As a VF fan I am only asking for one new coaster during that time for the park. VF is due, CP needs to build a new coaster in the next 2-3 years at VF.

Exactly, I also feel they just need to use the land they have. With the wave pool, new slide package and splash pad the water park is now two sharply divided area's. All I just listed is the NEW part of the water park (post year 2000) on the east side and the OLD part of the water park which is now on the west side (pre year 2000). The Panic Falls body and speed slides have been there since the 80's and have been there for over 25 years so the park has seen their return on investment for those and they could and should easily be removed and replaced with something new to bring the entire waterpark up to speed. And you still can move Looping Starship to create even more space for the water park. With the recent water park upgrade to the east side I see them redesigning the west side in the next 1-3 years to finish the update. And if they decide to use Excalibur or Thunder Canyon space (which I hope they don't, I just think to they need to update the space they have before expanding) they could always build a bridge over the service highway from the water park to either of those area's if needed.

I am more focused on an improved pathway because I will walk that pathway about 2 dozen times next year vs. the one time I visit the waterpark to check out the new slides. That pathway and how traffic flows on it will affect my park experience much more than the new slides for sure. An improved pathway in the grand scheme of things is not that big of a deal but it will be more meaningful to me than the slides . The only reason I am excited about the new slides is that it indicates CF is willing to invest some cash into what looks like a thrilling and above average slide complex compared to other parks of similar size in the chain. Hopefully this leads to bigger crowds as expected for the park followed by a new coaster or flat ride based on the increased attendance.

^ Now that the 90' slides are up it is starting to look like fantastic addition. And now that I see the area next to the slides is being used for the water park area instead of the path (like it looked at first when it was just dirt) I have to change my mind and say I don't think traffic congestion in this area will be any better like I first thought. But you never know until you experience it and see it close up. I hope I am wrong.

Me too. Amazing what a simple POV and some still shots of new steel will do for you. It gets you excited for the upcoming season and hope for a new steel coaster at VF someday.

This is so true! Sunday's during Haunt are a perfect time for visiting VF and experiencing low crowds. Unfortunately/fortunately I am also a football junkie like a lot of other people which I think is one of the main reasons why that time of year on Sundays is a slower time for visitors. Good luck on the run and hopefully you can recap your experience here and let us know how it went in terms of crowds and everything.

Good deal because we need as many people who like to have fun and post in the VF forums as much as possible. When you make such a dramatic statement like,"I guess an invitation to speculate away can't be taken at this point in good fun." I was so worried.

Hard to tell since they have never done this before but I have to imagine it will add more people to the park and it all depends on how many runners sign up and participate. I wonder this too because some of the best times to visit VF are the first 2 weekends of the season before school lets out and the 2 weekends between the end of the season and Haunt since the crowds are usually low. These times seem to attract mostly season pass holders vs. general visitors. Obviously VF is hoping this event will bring more people in at this slower time of year.

I don't know where you got the "...where a lot of people here have suspected..." part from these forums. A few maybe but not a lot. Now, I have seen a lot of people speculate that a flat ride or two could go there but not a coaster which makes much more sense. Oh come on. That was getting thrown around on these forums months before I even began posting. I guess an invitation to speculate away can't be taken at this point in good fun. It was getting thrown around by a handful of people not "...a lot or people..." like you state. Most people realize that turn around in WT where the amphitheater sits now could house a large flat, 2 regular size flats or a very small coaster. Speculate all you want, it is part of the fun of these forums. But with freedom to speculate comes the freedom to criticize or disagree. So if your going to do that your going to need to develop a little thicker skin if someone disagrees with you. I speculate here all the time and not everyone agrees with me. My speculation is that the next full size coaster will sit where Excalibur currently is today. Remove a dog and add a coaster that will make people travel all the way to the back of the park. VF in my opinion needs quality over quantity and from an operational stand point it makes sense money wise. After that I agree with the speculation in this forum that a coaster could go up front and use some of the parking lot and possibly redo the entrance in the process but I don't see that happening until the Dino's leave.

I don't know where you got the "...where a lot of people here have suspected..." part from these forums. A few maybe but not a lot. Now, I have seen a lot of people speculate that a flat ride or two could go there but not a coaster which makes much more sense.

Valleyfair needs a real steel coaster that is at least 3000' long. It definitely does not need a short one trick pony ride like Full Throttle.

Thanks for sweet trip report updating us on the worst kept secret at BGW. But in all seriousness BGW has to be loving it. They spent almost next to nothing on the promotion of this ride, just let enthusiasts and others speculate about it for free and it will probably have the same effect as a full blown marketing campaign but much cheaper. But more importantly Chuck, can you tell us more about the Ghirardelli chocolate you mentioned? Will there be a new Ghirardelli shop? Or are they just going to feature Ghirardelli chocolate at places all over the park where food is already sold?

^ The midway path's did not need to be that much wider, they just needed to fix that bottle-neck corner caused by the bathroom and old patio. It will not be perfect but it should be much improved with the extra width added to the pathway. With the cement paths put down today (bummer, no pavers but at least it is not asphalt) they left a part 'open' right at the corner, does anyone know if this will be a new entrance to the waterpark? Any guesses? It is starting to look that way. If they do put an entrance/exit to the waterpark there then the added pathway width at the corner may not help as much. New cement path near the waterpark.

A photo from GM Dave's Twitter account that shows the new pathway by Mad Mouse. This is going to help so much with pedestrian traffic during busy days. New path for the sidewalk by Mad Mouse and the water park.

And I guess no one said anything to you either. My mom said they definitely will make me remove them on Dragster, but my cousin Ashley even rode Dragster with them and had no one say anything to her, so I guess your case is exactly the same as Ashley's. I'm feeling a bit more confident now. I have always been able to keep them on for TTD, Maverick. MF, etc. Unless things have changed since 2013 they will let you use them also. The most that ever happens to me is that they ask me to turn my head so they can see and confirm that I do have a strap attached and that it is snug. At my home park VF they ALWAYS check to make sure I have the glasses secured with a strap when riding Steel Venom and have never asked me to take them off and that ride has some forces on the launch. From my experience this is how all CF parks operate and I have never been asked to remove them at a Six Flags park either as long as I have them secured.

I ride with $200-$330 dollar pairs of sunglasses all the time with a strap and I have never lost them. For the last 5 years I have been using a strap I bought at Sunglass Hut that can be used for sun glasses or regular glasses. Been on all the rides at Cedar Point with them so that gives you and idea of what type of forces the strap has faced and no losses yet. If it is snug before the ride you should be good.

High Roller really does need a fresh coat of paint because it is starting to look 'worn out' (at least the paint) in a lot of area's. After the bad winter last year I was waiting in the line for HR on the opening weekend Saturday and a mother said to her son next to me after he asked about why it looked so bad and she responded, "Due to the long winter they must have not had time to paint it this year.....". As much as I wanted to show off my coaster geekness and tell her that no park has the resources to paint a coaster every year I just bit my lip and kept quiet like I should have. But when the GP starts making comments like that it is time for a paint job. Don't know what the insurance risk would be to the park but I would volunteer my time for free to help paint it if they asked and I could probably find some others to help. SV does need a refresh paint job too because it is fading after 10 plus years in the sun. That will take real painters who know what they are doing though, not nearly as easy as an all white wood coaster.

And there is no way they would do that because of the money it would take to raise that roof just for a new ride or two. According to a documentary I saw on the Discovery channel I was amazed that MOA does not have a single heater in it but 400 plus air conditioners for summer. It relies on that roof with special glass and angles to allow sunlight in and trap it for it heat along with using body temperature of anyone in the place.

^ Nope. If it is jungle themed it must be a Cheetah Hunt clone.

Me too. And that visit or two usually happens between December to March so I consider it my 'winter park'. It is really nice to have Sponge Bob and some other rides so I can get my 'fix' and get through the long winter. In this climate we are lucky to have such a good indoor park but like you I much prefer Valleyfair.

Dead on description. Especially the 'dreadfully unfunny part'.