ariznglori

That's interesting...and opens up even more possibilities. Maybe a coaster with a station in that area, perhaps a straight launch over the midway to the amphitheater space! I love coasters that have some midway interaction, and that would certainly bring some foot traffic to that part of the park that is usually just a walkthrough to get to other areas. (Unless it's something skinny with a micro footprint, like a ZacSpin or that Batman 4D coaster...I'd decline those. Seem like more expensive versions of a carnival Zipper ride.)

If we got a new flume, I'd love to see it bring a sense of adventure--a darker theme, like the old Skull Mountain at SFA (pardon my nostalgia for a different park, it was one of the coolest things Six Flags America had, really fun to see, now just a backdrop for a meh coaster). I think seeing something like this somewhere in Valleyfair---whether looming to the left as you walk in (by the amphitheater) or going through a wooded area to the back of the park to find it (or hidden among the trees of the old picnic grounds)---would certainly leave an impression. I loved it when I was 11. Not even counting the possibilities for Valleyscare (illuminate it with red floodlights, or maybe just the eye sockets and the mouth? Perhaps dyeing the water red like SFGA does for Carousel Plaza?). Not too scary, is it?

If Riptide goes (they have mentioned in the past removing rides that are "underperforming", however that is defined), I'd like to see another water ride of some sort for the dry park. Perhaps a new log flume on the site of the amphitheater...? It would really change the front of the park.

What could go in its place?

With Dorney removing Hang Time, is it possible we might see Riptide removed soon?

That's gonna be a lot of stairs.

Is it bad if I think that idea is awesome?

I thought Extreme Swing was a great "weeeee!" ride, not scary but fun, and it had one of the longest lines in the park when I went. Don't see it going anywhere, its appeal is too great.

I imagine this cold snap isn't helping. But it looks like they're getting some stairs on the slide tower, so that's still progress. Pretty sure we'll see a massive leap in progress when the weather improves!

Sorry for getting off topic What if there were jumping fountains at Valleyfair? I don't see them nearly as often in parks as I'd like. They add a little touch of whimsy and I find them memorable. Would be a great addition to the path leading into Soak City!

That's news to me. Curious about your source. I know B&M was rumored to be building a looping coaster with 10 inversions or so, but no price was mentioned as far as I know. If that is true then I suspect B&M has found ways to reduce the cost of its coaster construction moreso than Intamin if they can do Fury nowadays for so much cheaper, otherwise Fury would have cost $42.6 million with inflation (of course a hefty discount probably also was factored in with Cedar Fair's amount of huge new B&Ms--Gatekeeper, Leviathan, Banshee, Fury, Centurion, etc., always buy in bulk).

I don't think that B&M is cheaper than Intamin... Millennium Force was a 25 million dollar coaster in 2000. Fury 325 is 30 million today, but that's 14 years later. Today it would cost 34 million to build Millennium Force factoring in inflation.

True!

I believe Wild Thing can hit 74 mph.

I think it's less to do with reliability issues than with Cedar Fair changing leadership and their vision, now realizing that they have to fill in holes in their parks' lineups to recapture the family market that spends the most money. Take the Breakers Hotel upgrades for instance. Cedar Fair put renovations off for years, making the hotel a cash funnel for guests who would spend most of the day waiting in line for lower-capacity rides and would need multiple days to hit up the attractions. The hotel was so bad that you couldn't even stay in the rooms in the rotunda, which was visually the most appealing part of the hotel. The new CEO is from Disney, he's going to make sure that the guest feels their experience is worth the money. If you can improve the guest experience and the perceived value of your product, you can charge even more for it (rinse and repeat until you're Disney World). New gate=increased perceived value, especially with a 20-30 million dollar coaster to greet you. New hotel rooms on the lake within walking distance of the best coasters on earth=increased value. Rides that break records on paper and devour lines so people can get on with shopping and eating and spending=increased value. Not to mention if the new rides have mass accessibility and appeal to grandparents and grandchildren alike, and everyone can enjoy most of the park together=increased value. Far beyond Intamin, B&M is right up that alley, offering a wider variety of unique train types and insane capacity, and are cheaper, less scary, the trains are comfy, and each coaster riding style evokes a reaction of "Ooh, I gotta try that, it looks fun and different," whether it's a floorless or invert or standup or flying or wing (some of these are not as fun as they look). Break records on paper as much as possible without scaring people so that the public feels like the ride is the best on earth, and have an occasional ride for the thrill-hungry, but don't break the bank on it. Most people won't enjoy it. BUT! Valleyfair is an excellent family park and lacks the perceived value that is injected by big additions and the occasional thrilling coaster. So we are going to get more thrilling additions, but almost always coupled with family-friendly upgrades so the public doesn't feel that the park is only for thrill-seeking teens who will ruin your family outing with their obnoxious hormones.

It looks like fun! But I'd want to just go for an Intamin at that point; they have the best airtime.

Wing coasters are more flash than substance. They appear fun from the ground but leave the rider underwhelmed, rather like Wild Thing. No thank you. We need a real thriller. I was thinking about those cones in the parking lot...again... We know Dinos doesn't leave until 2019/2020...is it possible we may see a huge coaster that fills up the Dinos spot and takes up that part of the parking lot (perhaps even behind High Roller) along with a new entrance for 2020-21? I know that is a long way out, but it would open up a lot of land at once and factors in the necessary time to plan the ride. The park would most likely continue to work on other areas in the meantime and may even have a new coaster well before then in another location.

What about a custom S&S LSM launcher at Valleyfair? We should get a full-circuit launched coaster after all. Sure the capacity is lower than I'd like, but the ride could be worth a wait. Looks fun to me

I love B&M flyers, but agree with the pretzel loop being the most forceful part. Would love to see a flyer with a vertical loop if possible, or a new element not on any other flyer. Even with just the force in the pretzel loop, Superman is still more fun than X-Flight.

That would match the concept art, yup. The blue "roofs" on the top platforms should still add some visual height to the whole structure. This slide complex should be quite imposing! Can't wait to see how visible it is in the park come summer.

So we will be able to get a glimpse of the slides from the road after all!

These slides are no joke. It's definitely adding to a trend of more intense experiences at Valleyfair--not two but FOUR drop slides and two even-taller speed slides, like thirty feet higher than the old ones. I'm sure that people will go on them, and the number of slides purchased suggest that the executives expect the slides to be packed. Once you get a taste of bigger thrills you can't help wanting more.

The park looks really pretty in that shot. I love it.

Hmm, let me change it up... 2016-amphitheatre destroyed, Mad Mouse and Looping Starship relocated to its space along with a Zamperla pendulum thing. Like a meandering Planet Snoopy-style area for the big kids. 2017-second major waterpark expansion into former Mad Mouse and Looping Starship area, paths rerouted around High Roller's final turn. Massive year for waterpark, seriously. Even get the old slides replaced. 2018-Wild Thing revamping and Windseeker in Wild Thing's turnaround as one big project. Park now has a great hyper after 22 years. (Actually, let's move this up to 2016 for the 20 year anniversary and push everything else back...) 2019-Dinos last year. Small Planet Snoopy expansion in area between Corkscrew and Ferris wheel with Larson flyers, bumper boats in Corkscrew pond. 2020-Long-awaited invert in Dinos spot, new entrance, carousel remodel, pavers from entrance to Planet Snoopy. 2021-massive RMC in Excalibur's spot or Intamin Intimidator 205 (lol). This year is the second part of a one-two punch of rollercoasters that brings Valleyfair's attendance way, way up. 2022-dark ride in back of park, new restrooms and eatery as well. 2023-New log flume, why not. New amphitheatre as well. 2024-themed areas. 2025-chairlift from back of park to Route 76, for the lazy (me)

Definitely more supports, especially shorter ones coming forward from the tower location.