Trogdor: The Burninator!!

As much as I'm pissed off at Blackfish for scoring an undeserved victory by forcing SeaWorld to abandon the Killer Whale shows, I remember when I used to work at SeaWorld, senior management took pride in being a family friendly alternative to Knotts and Six Flags. Now SeaWorld has to adapt to current circumstances by making more coasters and thrill rides so from an enthusiast perspective this is a great development, it just sucks it had to take an animal rights propaganda film to force this kind of direction... Even though it's just a clone, it's way better than a Boomerang or a Batman clone IMO so I can't wait til this thing opens!

With the exception of Revolution and maybe Gold Rusher, no other coaster in the park needs to be preserved for nostalgic or historical purposes. SFMM has always been sort of the Las Vegas of theme parks; constantly changing, out with the old in with the new. I won't lie, I will tear up a little bit if it leaves, the way it dominates the skyline gives it a unique aesthetic, especially as it's a become a rare Arrow looper that is increasingly outnumbered by B&Ms and others but we shouldn't let nostalgia cloud our judgement. It lost its mojo only a few years after it opened. I first rode it in 1998 and even then it was jerking people necks around. It should've been removed the same time Deja Vu and Psyclone got the ax, if not sooner. But for so long it was cheap to maintain and operate but that's no longer the case. I'd love to see a Intamin giga as much as the next guy but a dive coaster would still be an awesome choice as well IMO.

This. Glad to know I'm not the only one who thought the same thing. That and while you wait to come back into the station is much more comfortable on lying on your back than on your stomach!

Dude I know right??

So DCA is supposed to be all about the magic and wonder of the Golden State. An idealized vision of the magical essence that is California as envisioned when a young and ambitious little man named Walt Disney first arrived back in the 1930s. To keep true with this tradition, Disney is gonna invest a ton of money into themed rides totally unrelated to California, like Guardians of the Galaxy and Soarin over the World. Starting out with a well thought out theme only to ditch it a year later is the kinda thing we usually give Six Flags crap for, now it seems a bunch of short sided corporate executives at Disney are following suit. I think Disney should drop any pretense of DCA being a park about California and just rename it Disney Hollywood Studios cause that's the direction the park seems to be going right now, a bunch of blockbuster movie franchises getting their own uniquely themed lands adjacent to each other. Unlike the Frozen refurb, which fits the Norway pavilion beatifully, DCA is constantly having to re-theme itself and giving itself face lifts, as if it's going through an identity crisis or something. As for the ride itself, I would've preferred an American Horror Story or Supernatural overlay as that would keep the haunted house theme consistent, but like others have said, I've been to the one in FL and there's just no comparison, so long as that one stays untouched I'm open to see how this one turns out so we'll see...

I think what made Ghostrider so awesome and intense in the first place is what made it so rough and unbearable a few years later. Typical for a lot of CCI coasters and those big ass Dinn Corp coasters in the 90s, what we've been saying about Ghostrider is what a lot of people people were saying about Hercules at Dorney, it got rave reviews and was considered one of the best wooden coasters ever but the bigger the climb the harder the fall, that freakishly intense drop followed by the long turn took its toll after just a few years and ultimately got replaced with a fun but meh by comparison B&M floorless. I think GCI, in an attempt to prove the skeptics wrong with concerns over the botched Gwazi refurb, is taking the long view by re-engineering it a way that may not be quite as intense as the original but will still be an kick ass ride that will endure much longer. Here's to Knott's and CGI hoping this thing works out in the long run!

Were you ever a fan of the original Alien Encounter? I rode it when I was 8 and was absolutely terrified, but totally loved it at the same time! I can understand why Disney felt obligated to tone it down but when I read the announcement about the Lilo and Stitch conversation I intuitively knew it was gonna suck...

Yeah they pulled something similar with Journey to Atlantis, apparently the ride exceeded the 30 foot high limit for roller coasters as outlined by city law and they were like "Oh it's a water ride not a roller coaster." The ride got built and it's still running so they did something right! But yeah I think given the circumstances with the state judiciary ruling routinely against them it's the best thing to do moving forward, I really can't wait for all this Blackfish BS to blow over...

Word.

Wildcat and Gwazi were only partial re-tracks? I never knew that, can anyone verify this? Was Boulderdash a complete or a partial re-track does anyone know?

Had one of the best time at WCB ever! Thanks again Robb and Elissa for your time and effort you guys put into this event year after year. I gotta say though, despite SFMM stepping up their game from last year with behind the scenes tours of TC. the crowd starting off heading into morning ERT seemed a lot calmer and mellow this year. Not necessarily a bad thing but it definitely was lacking the same level of dynamism I saw last time with everyone chanting YOLO after storming the park entrance. At least that's the vibe I picked up, anyone else notice the same thing? Oh and BTW Twisted Colossus was absolutely incredible!! Great to finally have an airtime machine in Southern California.

anything they do to brighten up any part of the park, i'm all for. bringing back revolution to a point where it's a solid ride in their lineup is something i'm all for. i sort of hope they trim some of the trees so we will be able to see more of the ride from the pathways. And get rid of those damn trim brakes while they're at it! To be honest though I actually like the trees around the coaster. Gives it a quasi-Boulder Dash or Beast kinda experience, specially at night.

On the surface of it, it looks like the cheapest and most unoriginal thing to do. Putting lap bars and some strobe lights on it and call it new? Big effing deal. But with SFMM notorious for investing in great ideas only to abandon the maintenance of it two years later, it's really refreshing to see them put in some much overdo TLC. I love bashing SFMM as much as the next guy, but it's equally great to finally say something genuinely good about them. Hopefully this trend continues!

Dive machines are freaking awesome!! Surprised its taken this long for a non-Busch Garden park in America to finally build one. A great investment by CP!

GP: "Oh you like roller coasters? My favorite one of all time is the one in China." Me: "Which one?" GP: "The one in Shanghai, the one that's as tall as those two really tall towers..." Me: "... you mean the Shanghai World Financial Center??" GP: "Yeah, it was superduper tall, but the drop only went a like halfway down and it wasn't very fast."

Ghostrider... either with or without the shed!

First they gutted the log ride for the Yolocoaster, now they're slaughtering moose to make way for a YoloBar-n'-grill... Walking around SFMM sometimes feels like you're in the East coast or Midwest somewhere, especially the area past Viper walking towards Tatsu. Call me a tree hugger but it seems the park more and more feels like its turning into an uninspired field of concrete. Yolocoaster is an awesome ride, don't get me wrong, but Six Flags can do better than an erector set for a coaster station!

Now that you mention it, SROS style bunny hills on Desperado would totally kick ass!

If people can abuse something and get away with it, they will and will do so in large numbers. I've done my share of taking advantage of the 3 free hours next to Snoopy's HQ, and I'm a conscientious law abiding kind of guy compared to many people. It kinda sucks but ultimately I think it's probably wise that Knott's is starting to crack down on this. As far as the 25 dollar fine goes: I saw Metallica at San Diego State a few years ago and got slapped with a 60 dollar parking ticket by the college police for an expired parking permit, by 10 minutes! 25 dollars isn't the most egregious parking fine out there I'm sure. Anyone know how much Buena Park P.D. levies on their parking citations?

Fair point. The idea I'm trying to convey is that there are a lot of old Arrow coasters, particular old Arrow loopers that have a lot of potential but should have been built by a different manufacturer. Put another way, if you could tear down an old Arrow coaster and have B&M rebuild the ride using the same track design what one would you pick?

Sup everyone? Long time reader, first time poster. GCI and RMC are all about refurbishing old CCI coasters, but what if B&M did the same for old Arrow coasters? I was watching old footage of Drachen Fire at BGW the other day and I thought how cool would it be if B&M were to rebuild the ride using the same layout as designed by Arrow. Especially the first drop with the diving corkscrew, that would be amazing. If you could pick one coaster to get a B&M treatment, which one would it be and why?