RCjunkie

Where did you hear or read that CF was going to split the 2016 budget for new rides among the smaller parks? How do you know what the budget is going to be for the next coaster at VF? VF spent $11 million on Wild Thing in 1996 which is $16 million in today's dollars with inflation added in. Doing that once every 20 years is not out of the question. Not saying it is going to happen but your predictions and saying you 'know for sure' all sound just like every one else...pure speculation.

^ Yes, I have been going to the park since it opened. I also remember the dolphin show, the maze where Power Tower now sits, the old Rotor ride like the one Worlds of Fun still has and when the current entrance to High Roller was actually the exit and vice versa before they changed it. If you have never seen a Rotor ride here is a video:

Solid idea. With CF adding dark rides to CW and Knott's (my guess CP is next) that would give the park an attraction like it has never had, appeal to many park visitors and would replace the IMAX as a place to go to cool down on a hot day.

The area where the old Tilter was would be perfect if they decide to relocate it and keep it. I don't want RipTide removed, just a better use of the space between it and the Depot Refreshments would be nice to add some new rides or attractions.

I have heard it was due to guest behavior and it became a safety issue because of that. I am not 100% sure so if someone does know the real reason why please share it. For those of you who did not ride it when it had the canopy top cover it definitely added an element to the ride that made it more fun. It was a cloth cover that was stored in the middle of the ride and then it would stretch from the center of the ride over the top of the train and the cover the ride while it was operating. The cloth was striped yellow and green/black which when it was active covered the top of the riders and looked like a caterpillar from the outside. (If I remember right that was the original name of the ride; The Caterpillar). Also when the ride was running you would hear the music that was piped into the rest of the park but then when the top came over it played different music that was local to the ride and then go back to the normal music once the top came back down. It would cover the ride for about 15-20 seconds at a time and do it 3-4 times during the ride cycle.

With the new Haunt structure that went up this fall I agree with you now that nothing will go in that area for a while. The front area of the parking lot to the right of the entrance where the cones were spotted at this fall could make sense too, especially if the Dino's are removed. At that point you could even rebuild the entrance and incorporate a ride into the design like CF and CW. (It's fun to dream ). Not that I want it but I still think a removal of a coaster (Excalibur) is a 50/50 shot if/when the new coaster arrives. Another thing that I speculate about is the re-design of the entire game alley from the Depot Refreshments to Riptide. Anybody else thought about this and care to opine? This is just not the area it used to be when the park opened in the 70's and into the early 80's. Back then it seemed much more popular and created a fair atmosphere with all the people but the modern day amusement park visitor just doesn't seem to play games like earlier generations did. You can see they have already removed 3 game fronts over the last 2 years and converted them to self serve soda and food booths. My guess is due to cost and return on investment, the game area is not not as popular as it once was and you don't need all those attendants standing around sucking up payroll with no return. Am I way off base about this or have others noticed the decline in the area over the last 5 years? Maybe my perspective if off but that is what I see when I visit. Shrink the game fronts in half, move Supercat and you would have some nice space to work with.

The 'bionic' robot bar looks cool and interesting, can you shoot a of video of them in action and post it? And do you think a TPR Cruise Crew could wear those robots out? Thanks for sharing all the pictures of the new area's and features. But as a trip report for my personal entertainment value I wish it was more of a 'Klassy' cruise......and I'm sure your glad it's not.

Not really if that truly is a pipe, it all depends on the pump behind it. An attack fire hose (the one from the truck used to put out a fire and not the one from the hydrant to the truck) run only between 1.5 to 3 inches in diameter. Splice that pipe off into 6-8 different directions from the main pipe and with the right pump behind it and that could be enough pressure for a simple splash pad.

^ That stick looks like a water pipe to me so my guess is that will be the main line supplying water to the splash pad. Then again, I am no expert so it could be anything. Looking at the live construction cam today they are digging up even more land and don't seem to be delayed by the weather so far so that is a good sign.

Sure I would try it, but only after I see a few people ride it without getting killed, hurt or maimed. This is my personal litmus test for any ride.

Thanks to the whole crew who helped with this years IAAPA coverage! It was fantastic and provided some fun updates on all the new attractions. One question for those who did go, what is your opinion of the Intamin presence at the show? The domed ride looks interesting but bringing a 3 year old Cheetah car for display makes it look like all the other manufactures are passing them buy with all their new offerings. Do you think maybe Intamin is losing some of its mojo?

^ WOF and CP both have swim up bars in their water parks for adults only. If VF did this I could see me spending more time in the water park.

Thanks again Chuck for another fun and witty trip report. The "Ming the Merciless has hit rock bottom." line cracked me up and made me feel old at the same time. Maybe he has been hanging around Maurice The Space Cowboy too much.

So, I am not the only hearing this from the GP! Good to know. Twice this year in the exit queue of WT thing I heard the same thing. First time in July I overheard a pair of girls (about 13-14 years in age) both say, "That ride was boring." and then in August a group of four boys (about 15-16 years old) in the exit queue also indicated that it was boring and that they should go back to Steel Venom. I agree with GwaziBSRider1, it looks like rebar sticking up in that picture so they look like footings for sure. And since they are in that area it means they are for the new slides if the concept art for the Soak City expansion is accurate.

They sure are very comfy trains, you can re-ride it over and over with no pain. I would usually agree with you on this and that money should be spent on something else like a new ride. But when the biggest and 'baddest' signature ride in the park is one of the mildest rides in the park I would be open to anything that tries to improve the ride experience on it. After the drop hill and first camel back it quickly goes from Wild Thing to Mild Thing.

So true! But you have to ask yourself, if they didn't break down more than other rides would they be as thrilling? Meaning, I think they have more downtime because they try new things to make the rides more thrilling and that is the trade off. Thrilling vs. Reliability. And we already have B&M for reliability.

Bummer.

Due to this sponsorship will all the racing slides now only take left turns?

There are a lot of good drugs in southern California, this could easily explain some of it.

^ Hard to tell without a description. Come on Dave, help us out! It could be anything from where they are going to put the new water pumps and filters to like you said a possible footings area. Very hard to tell from this. I imagine they want to get the place excavated, water pipes put into the ground and the area's for the pumps and filters built so they can lay concrete before it freezes. Then come spring the slides should arrive to go vertical. Just my guess though, I know nothing about water park construction. The good news is it looks like the early snow is not stopping them at all.

^ It is great to finally see those Mad Mouse bathrooms totally removed. Nothing wrong with the bathrooms but now the worst traffic area in the park when it is busy can now be fixed. Curious to see if they will keep that corner asphalt or change it to concrete or pavers.

^ That is going to be tough to do due to them taking the WT trains off the track last week.

If you have a pair of sunglasses with a securing strap already attached in the glove compartment of your car so when you visit the park you can swap those with the sunglasses you already have on. This way you never forget the strap and can ride everything without taking them off. (Guilty as charged).

Cedar Point all the way! For me it is all about the rides and WDW just doesn't have any that thrill or interest me.

"Please coaster Gods. I'm almost on. No Intamin ailments." ^ The mantra of coaster geeks everywhere.