garyman6

Its been a bit quiet here lately so I'm gonna throw something out there. I'm sitting on a VERY exciting rumor for 2016 but I promised the person who told me that I would not spill the beans just yet. I don't want anyone getting into any trouble with the company they work for. That's all I can say right now! O.K. next thing! Have we forgotten already that most likely, by the end of this monthl we are going to know what is in store for the waterpark expansion for 2015. At least that is what we have all come to believe is going to happen. So let's have fun speculating. I'll go first. There will be a brand new entrance to the waterpark and perhaps rebranded to another name. The panic falls slide package is gone and will be replaced with probably drop slides of some sort. The raging rapids, while a fun ride, will be gone also (low capacity and lots of energy and water to make it work). Hurricane falls will stay (its the most popular waterpark attraction next to the wavepool). Ripple rapids will remain but be remodeled and improved. A new large splash station will go into the space that is now just a sand pit for the kids. The old spash station will be improved as it's geared toward very young children already. Similar to Carowinds new Surfers Swell and Dorsal Fin drop could be added where the IMAX once stood. The area where Hydroblaster was could be a new mat racer slide. Future waterpark expansions could possibly be where Mad Mouse and Looping Starship are. Mad Mouse would be relocated but I'm not sure about Looping Starship. The later two would be after areas just to the north are reallocated as midway space instead of maintenance etc. We could even see a water coaster put in there somewhere. Maybe The Wave might even be relocated to the waterpark area. That would open up a large plot of land for new development. Just my thoughts. Now, let's hear everyone elese's!

No one on this forum has made an argument that a new coaster is coming next year. I believe 2016 is our year for a B&M coaster. As for where to put it, well let's just remember where Mr. Frazier was GM before VF. Nick U! If you have been to Nick U, you will notice how they have managed to fit an amazing array of good quality attractions into a 7 acre park. With that in mind, a new B&M coaster could be put into a lot of areas. It would simply have to weave in and out and around other attractions and over the midway's and walking paths. Mr. Frazier told me directly, when I asked him about Corkscrew, that it was not going anywhere anytime soon. Why would VF give up their only coaster with inverts just to put in a new one. I'm not so sure Excalibur is going anywhere either. Mr. Frazier told me he does not want to loose any coasters. You could place the station for a new B&M north of Mad Mouse and have it weave around Renegade, Thunder Canyon and Excalibur. You could place the station north of High Roller and use the old Picnic point area. Think OUTSIDE the box on this people! One more comment on a coaster, WE DO NOT WANT A CLONE! We want something unique! As for the waterpark, well, the writings on the wall. The only thing to speculate on is how big are they going to go! All signs point to a massive makeover, not just adding a new slide package. My prediction for next year is that we will not recognize our old outdated Soak City. I believe we will see a newly branded waterpark with a new entrance and a LOT more to offer.

I'd write valleyfair a letter or try to find him around the park, If you work there like I do you see him pretty much everyday! I am not at liberty to give out Mr. Frazier's information but I would be willing to pass questions on to him. Also, he does read every post on facebook and valleyfairzone. If you want to say something to him that would be a good way to do it!

All of those coaster may be good coasters, but Valleyfair needs a new coaster that is unique. Mr. Frazier told me himselft that he is really pushing for a unique layout and not just a clone. Something unique is what will attract more people. On another exciting note; I asked Mr. Frazier if he was in a position to confirm a waterpark expansion or makeover for next year and. He replied back to me with "I can't say right now" and "An announcement should be coming before the end of August." So they may just announce it the same time as they announce the new giga coaster for Carowinds!

I totally agree!

Parts of Valleyfair have a height restriction according to an interview I read on Valleyfairzone a while back, so 275 isn't necessarily the limit. As much as I would love a giga coaster, I don't think it will happen at Valleyfair anytime soon because Cedar Fair would probably bring giga coasters to larger parks like Kings Island, Knott's, or maybe even Dorney before they build one at the smaller parks. Even though Valleyfair is slated for significant growth, hoping for a giga coaster might be setting yourself up for disappointment if you ask me. I agree, we NEED inversions in the worst way possible! A B&M invert that is a completely unique layout is the best thing Valleyfair could get right now. The next best, I think, would be a B&M flyer. Both have several inversions which is what we desperatly need. On a side note, does anybody remember that dude that was a major naysayer about Valleyfair getting anything significant? I won't say his name but you all know who it is. He threw out all kinds of garbage of why Valleyfair won't get anything significant. When I confronted him with facts he just disappeared. Haven't heard from him since! I personally would rather get my hopes up for something BIG and settley for something a little less than to not hope for anything and end up with a bad attitude about it all. Anyway, August is just around the corner and If our predictions are true about the Soak City makeover, we should hear the announcement next month! Let's hop BIG!

I visited the park last thursday and had a great time with my daughter. Didn't see anything new or out of place. All markers and flags were gone with the exception of the one posted earlier by where Hydroblaster was. It was almost as if the park was purposly trying to quiet things down.

Gonna be at the park on Thursday! Anybody else gonna be there that day? I'm looking forward to snooping around and finding new clues about what exactly is coming. I'll keep ya posted.

I may be wrong and I'm not trying to start anything but I am using facts as we know them to base my speculations. Just because Valleyfair is a smaller park doesn't mean the Cedar Fair isn't going to invest in it. The whole idea to grow all properties and gather a larger base of customers than your competitor.

Is CGA that much larger than VF? When you look at the Adjusted EBITDA(see below) pie chart provided by Cedar Fair, VF earns a much higher profit than CGA. I think Cedar Fair realizes that the Minneapolis/St. Paul Metro area is ready for a large investment in Valleyfair. Valleyfairs total population to draw from is the same as Carnada's Wonderland (9 million, also information provided by Cedar Fair) Let's just be straight up about this. If you want to increase attendance, then put in something to attract the population. It's not rocket science! And as for "They can't add much cause their operating season is too short", not so fast. VF has nearly an identical operating season as every other park except for Knott's Berry Farm. The only difference is some parks open a couple of weeks earlier. In its presentations, the Company may make references to Adjusted EBITDA, which represents earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and other non-cash items. The Partnership believes Adjusted EBITDA is a meaningful measure of park-level operating profitability.

I don't think this should be an issue at all. Just because they planted trees doesn't mean they can't use that space. They could move the trees if they needed or just discard them. Parks like this thrive on being beautiful and would think nothing of planting large spruce trees for just one season. Why did VF even bother to put in sand volleyball courts. We all know they are coming out. They could have just left it a grassy field for a year and nobody would have cared a bit. Well, I'll be thir first to say on this forum. HAPPY INDEPENDANCE DAY! God is good! Enjoy your time with family or friends or whatever else you plan for today! Take a moment to say a prayer of thanks to God for the great nation He has blessed us with! Thank the Lord for Amusement parks! It give us all a lot to talk about!

I too was sad to see the old log flume go away but it was needed for the wave pool expansion. Hydroblaster was just removed this last off season. Nick U. has one of the best log flume's in the world in my opionion so that made it easier to take. Valleyfair desperatly needs a major upgrade to its water park, it is very outdated and drab so still popular. I can see a pretty significant attendance boost when a new expaned water park opens most likely next year. Route 76 is awesome! I love the new area and the new Northern Lights disko coaster is very fun! That was a great addtion to the park. I think a new coaster is on tap for 2016. Can't say for sure but if I was a bettin man, i'd put money up on it!

Just confirmed this information from an e-mail from Mr. Frazier. He said the water is receding fast but can't give a timeline for opening Renegade, Excalibur or Thunder Canyon yet. He also confirmed that the track work near the amphitheater is just that. They are making repairs to the track. Sorry, nothing to see here, move along.

The main rumor I've heard is that VF is going to get a slide package from White Water West, and they made the Snake Pit that went to Dorney Park this year, so a Snake Pit could definitely happen at VF. Also, I'd be all for repainting the current slides because they are honestly an eyesore to look at. From what I'm learning from all the rumors is that the current white slides are going to go away and something new replacing it. This is in addition to a new slide package where IMAX used to be. I think the only rides that will remain for the "New" Soak City are Hurricane Falls, maybe ripple rapids and the wave pool. Everything else is gone! I think we are looking at an extreme makeover. Just my opinion!

So I just read a rumor on Valleyfairzone's twitter account the President Obama is visiting the park today to see the flooding. I wonder, just maybe, that the President may put in a word to allow Valleyfair to expand their flood berm. That is such a touchy issues these days. Mr. Frazier told me that he wished the original owners would have just filled in the whole area when they bought the property. No special permission was needed. Now, it's like pulling teeth to get any kind of fill permit. We will see!

OK. Now there is missing track? I rode on that train just a few weeks ago. This is a very positive sign! The bubble is about to burst

Believe me when I say that we who call Valleyfair our home park, are painfully aware of what is needed. I know what you mean about Nick U. It really is a unique park. Something that you may not know. Dave Frazier, Valleyfairs GM, was the GM of Nick U before coming to VF. He was in charge of all the changes that took place when Nick U. assumed the lease on the park. Many of the rides and attractions were his doing! Cedar Fair asked him to take over at Valleyfair. This is his third operating season and in the few years that he has been at VF there have been some major improvements. Most of the improvements were to prepare for larger more diverse crowds. For example, picnic point now has the ability to seat thousands and produce 3000 meals per hour. Planet Snoopy, Dino's alive and Route 76 make VF the place to go for families. Next year's addition is looking more and more like a massive remaking and expansion of Soak City. I've also heard some pretty compelling rumors of a new major steel coaster in 2016. One last thing, Cedar Fair has listed Valleyfair as one of three parks in the chain that they have marked for significant growth. While I'm sorry that you were disappointed by your visit, don't give up on Valleyfair just yet. Make plans to return in 2 to 3 years and I believe your going to be pleasantly surprised.

One thing to remember, especially with a steel coaster. If they keep the tracks above the known flood water levels there should be no reason why they could not operate it during flooding periods. When Mr. Frazier told me about the open field just north of the parking lot, where they could locate coaster footings there but not a station, that makes me believe that they could still run the trains with flooded conditions. Besides, how cools would it be to have almost an entire coaster over water as would be the case in a flood. Excalibur tracks are submerged in a flood. I'm not sure why they didn't make sure Renegade tracks would not be flooded but they should have.

While I am not a big haunt fan I do recognize that ValleyScare has become huge for Valleyfair. I agree that more haunt locations are necessary to keep attracting people to ValleyScare but the location you are pointing out is much more valuable as a full operating season location for a new attraction. It's a very large area and would make more sense to locate a major flat ride or roller coaster in this area. You need to remember that ValleyScare needs to mix up the venues they have now to keep things fresh. They can't just keep adding new haunt locations. They have been doing a good job of that already. You also need to think outside the box. Here are a couple of examples. How about a haunted hayride? The field just north of the parking lot could be planted with corn and used as a haunted hayride. How about using the Thunder Canyon path and turning it into a "Haunted Hike" On another note. I'm beginning to think that we are going to have some kind of announcement coming from VF soon! There is just too much going on right now for them to keep things quiet for much longer. I'm excited to hear of marker flags up around the amphitheater. Even when the theater was usable they didn't use it to it's full potential. I saw a couple of good shows there but mostly it sat unused. Thinking about that area, that might be a really good place for an awesome dark ride! Something VF does not have. I personally don't think that our next roller coaster (2016 ?) is going to be located in the front of the park. Route 76 has brought the crowds back to the front but now I think VF wants to give more reasons to venture to the back of the park. The waterpark expansion next year will be huge but I believe our next coaster will be located back there somewhere with maybe the loading station where the current maintenance building is. What is everyone else's thought on this?

I just checked the valleyfairzone twitter account and they are talking about ValleyScare. There are rumors of a new maze and were coming up with ideas. Did anybody see the Blacklist episode called "The Stewmaker"? He is a hired assassin that literally melts his victims down with chemicals then flushes them down the toilet. Pretty scary! It would make a great haunt. I'm not really into that stuff either but it's huge for Valleyfair. Mr. Frazier told me that Buck Hill isn't going to do their haunt anymore. That means more people will be coming to ValleyScare this year.

Did Mr. Frazier say what buildings? I'm thinking the maintenance building. I think they want to open up more midway space by opening up area's just north of Wheel of Fortune. As for getting a huge invervt like Banshee, the park is focusing on a waterpark makeover for next year. That's getting pretty obvious. 2016 is the year to focus on a new coaster. Of course Mr. Frazier can't reveal any plans and it would make sense for him to divert attention to other areas. Which picnic area was he talking about? The old one or the new one? Thanks for the update.

Welcome to Valleyfair! Hope you have a great day! I too love the brake on the back spire. Steel Venom is my favorite along with Renegade. Get ready for a VERY intense ride of Renegade! Remember, the first hill after the initial drop on Wild Thing is the worlds longest low gravity zone! Don't forget to stay past dark and see the new LED lighting on the ferris wheel, Northern Lights, Scrambler and Tilter. Please give us a trip report when your done.

Just adding a few more pics of our day. See you at the park! Power Tower Looking Good! My Daughter has this strange thing growing out of her head! We really should get that checked out! Mad Mouse was seriously ticked off today. Made it that much more fun!