Shavethewhales

From the release. Oh wow, I had been switching back and forth from the other announcements and didn't see that. Hot damn, that is going to be incredible. Kudos to SF for going all-in on that, it's going to make this thing outstanding.

I don't think they are having you go around twice, but the concept artwork is indeed confusing on that issues because it doesn't show the full setup of the stations, etc. While it would be badass to go around twice for coaster enthusiasts, it's unnecessary, and therefore SF wouldn't want to pay for it when they could get double the capacity (or rather, be able to alternate keeping one side closed and one side open in a few years). The ride looks great though, I love the stall. Better make sure we all get our classic woodie credits in while we still can, no wooden coaster is safe from RMC anymore!

For what it's worth, I actually enjoy Super-Loops. I do despise SF's marketing, but the ride is a solid experience. Could be worse!

I like it, looks like a neat concept that will improve upon all the issues with the ZacSpins. I'm a little skeptical of the capacity though, that's always been my issue with this ride style. I'm not sure I understand why big parks keep buying smaller, low-capacity rides. I don't get why all the fanboys are "let down" because of the teaser campaign though. EVERYTHING is being teased these days, and there never was any precedent for a teaser campaign being used for ONLY huge additions. This ride is a pretty big deal in any case, and like it or not it will be fun and most visitors will eat it up. I think the best part of this announcement is just the fact that S&S is still chugging along and selling coasters. They have so many great concepts that I would like to see flourish again. Please start marketing the family launched coasters again!

I've never made it to SFFT, but from looking at the park from aerial images, it looks to be hands-down the most beautiful and well-planned SF park I've ever seen. I'm a little surprised that there's been little reaction to plopping down a cookie-cutter gotham city in the middle of what seems to be a fairly unique and pleasant environment that is hard to find in a typical SF park. I'm curious to get an honest reaction from someone who's visited the park for an appreciable number of years. I mean, Gotham City could be OK if they reuse this environment, but some of the other implementations at other parks just feel underwhelming, and Rockville looked neat.

OK, that's actually a legitimately disappointing announcement. The kiddie pool is nice, but the swan boats almost sound like the park management was really reaching for SOMETHING that they could add for as low budget as possible just to say they added something. If they didn't want to do a big capital expenditure this year, they would have been better off focusing on (and marketing) smaller improvements throughout the park such as area theming, benches, shade trees, staff training, etc. The swan peddle boat announcement is almost cringe-worthy. Like that's going to add value to the guest experience? Really? I would literally be more enticed to visit the park with a promise of cleaner restrooms for 2015.

Huh? Your trip report is bizarre and doesn't make much sense. You seem to like most of the rides and the water park, but hate the park? Did you even ride Viper? I don't understand how it's "gross". What specifically about the park was so awful, other than the one train operations? The one train operations thing still has me in disbelief though. I imagine the upper echelons of CNL just gave up on the idea because they didn't want to spare the expense when they just want to off-load the park anyway.

I think there's a twilight deal after 3pm on days where they close at 6pm, but a lot has changed in recent years and I haven't kept up on it. I've been hearing good things about Classic Motor Inn, and they usually give you a discount if you mention SDCFans.com Crowds at the park will be fairly light, especially with the heat. We're right in the transition between final end-of-summer vacations and the fall which is focused more on older and "classic" patrons who aren't just here for the coasters. Still too hot for a lot of the old people though. What does the Danzig shirt have on it? If it's one of the more vulgar ones, they'll probably straight up ask you to leave at the gate. HFEC doesn't mess around with that, especially at SDC and DW, and especially more so during a Gospel event. HFEC is a privately owned christian company and Marvel Cave and other parts of the park are actually owned by a Presbyterian church and leased to the park under certain conditions. You'll find that SDC is a very christian-oriented park, more so than DW even. It's not really in-your-face and you can easily ignore it, but you shouldn't go in there planning to disrespect it.

Development in Branson has been a little slower recently, and over the past decade or so SDC has often taken "off-years" after major additions such as OR, TGS, RiverBlast, and probably FL. Heh, I remember the old days when the scattered few Dollywood fans that existed would complain about how SDC got all the big rides and special treatment... Just shows how much the chain has grown and tourism growth is shifting. Branson is fighting through a generation shift and up and down local economy, but it is poised to still do well into the future. For 2016, I wouldn't be surprised to see a ride, but it would be a lower capital investment. Something like the Frisbee ride that was once proposed for the Grand Expo, or a smaller ride to "balance" out the west end of the park. What I actually want to see is new shops, shows and craftsmen. If we're going to have an "off-year" from rides, at least focus on strengthening the lighter aspects of the park that make it special. A new major show production is a likely possibility. They've really dropped off on those lately in favor of magicians or generic tv show characters. "Into The West" or whatever it was called a few years ago was critically acclaimed and had lines stretching across the park. I guess having major shows requires paying actors though...

This line of thought makes literally no sense, and makes you come off as a spoiled, stuck-up brat. How immature do you have to be bitch about a nice new family area? Some of the so-called "enthusiasts" these days are just unbearable. A "big announcement" doesn't always mean coaster, and it never has. Why is that so hard to understand? Sorry it doesn't fit into your roller coaster tycoon-inspired thought process, but here in the real world you don't get to just delete track and move it over somewhere else with a few clicks. Celebration City failed, all of the rides that could be removed are gone. If HFEC had a buyer for the property, they would have sold it by now. As it is they just use it for offices and lease out the rest. OzCat is dead - they left it standing and maintained it for awhile when they were considering alternate attractions on the site, but they have since abandoned those plans at least until the highway extension is built and Branson numbers pick up significantly so they don't cannibalize SDC's gate again. OzCat will probably be demolished when it makes sense for them to do so. You can't truly "move" wooden coasters, most attempts to do so end up simply replicating the layout with 80% or more new material. Take a look at what happened to Zippin Pippin, Starliner (both at Cypress Gardens and the new Miracle Strip), and several others. OzCat was a stellar layout and is worth replicating, but they don't have a space to do it so it's all moot anyway. For some reason the few complaints I've heard about this area really just drive me up the wall. It really shows that some people can never be pleased. Makes me understand why the park has a hard time listening to "fans".

If CNL is ready to offload the park, HFEC will absolutely make an offer. They want the park. It does indeed fit into their line of properties and they probably won't get another opportunity to pick up a property like this anytime soon. The "Lake Monster" project would be a sure thing by now if HFEC had sole ownership. Maybe if the deal goes through by the end of the year they'll get it ready for 2016. By the way though, Kennywood is owned by Parques Reunidos, a Spanish company, so they won't be buying anything.

I've been on this site for almost 10 years watching all kinds of theme park developments across the world. I'll tell you this much, you've got to appreciate good, thoughtful effort by a park, even if the attraction isn't aimed at your demographic. I've seen a lot of crappy developments where parks just throw in singular rides with no imagination, and in a few years they're just kind of forgotten about - just blended into the fabric of a bland park that has to keep adding gimmicks just to stay relevant. This is a good development because it creates a unique, immersive environment that is based around creating unique experiences rather than just waiting in line for rides. There's great theming, nice atmosphere, and a nice fabric of additions that will make it a place where the entire family can stay for awhile as a group. It also revitalizes an area of the park that had some issues. If you are disappointed because they didn't WOW you with an extra $10 million thrill ride on top of all of this, then you're going to be unhappy following this industry. I mean, there's a difference between "looks nice, but not for me", and "boo hoo they didn't add a coaster I'm so disappointed". Coaster enthusiasts used to be really bad about saying the latter. If you followed the rumors, which were pretty reliable and pretty much spot-on (I mean, they were based off of the park's own attraction surveys), then you would know not to expect anything more than what was announced.

Oh man, I'm not the biggest fan of SFOT, but if Judge gets topper track I'll come back just for it.

I think stretchsje's point was that they could be hinting at adding a RECREATION of an older ride, with SFNE's Cyclone LAYOUT being a possibility, not that they would move Cyclone to SFFT. I'm not sure I buy it, but that's an interesting interpretation of the clues, and it would be cool if it did turn out to be correct. I could see a new ride inspired by a classic layout as a possibility, emphasis on inspired.

^I'm told Fire Wagon is a rethemed and refurbished Zamperla Crazy Bus originally from Wild Adventures. The Balloons are indeed the same (refurbished) ride that was removed from SDC in 2008. The concept artwork goes back and forth on how many seats the shot tower has. The overall area image shows the typical 12 seat configuration, but the closeup image shows additional seats added at the corners to make an octogon shape. I'm inclined to believe the closeup was done to embellish the look of the ride and it will just have the old configuration. Luckily it's a short ride cycle, but I'm anticipating this thing will have some lines. Edit: nope, looks like the concept artwork is just warped so that you see three sides at once. It looks like it will use the original configuration. It also sounds like it will be running a drop tower program instead of the double shot?

The "Around the World in 80 Days" theme has essentially been thrown in the trash by CF. They haven't done anything to act like it's still a thing for years now. They really don't care about the impacts of theming unless it supports a single ride, and even then they typically do it halfheartedly. Nice photos, good to know about your experience with the timeshare too. I did something similar with my family a few years ago and also really enjoyed it. Branson is a great place for family reunions and gatherings.

^FiTH is basically on the opposite side of the park from this.

I think that DW will get a drop/shot tower at some point as well, but keep in mind that the only reason this development has one is because it was left over from CC and they wanted to recycle it. The kiddie swings also originated from CC (they were moved to SDC in 2011 and will be moved once again into this new area). I've been told the Fire Wagon came from WA, can anyone confirm just so I'm sure? The balloons were actually original to SDC in 1989 but were removed to make way for the splash battle in 2008. I think the dalmatian ride and the kiddie tower are the only new rides here.

^The shot tower is from CC, but I believe the kiddie one is new? A well-thought out addition. They have really responded to complaints about the Grand Expo and created an area that features rides while also promoting the larger park and creating a unique atmosphere and overall experience. I am a little bummed that the water cannons will not be kept, but that is a minor complaint, and I understand the reasoning behind it. They are completely tearing out all of GG to build this new area. The construction we've been watching behind the current structure is actually for the new structure rather than the rides themselves like I had been assuming.

I have been told some other things would probably be announced, but I think they were referring to shows, festival improvements, and such. I don't think they'll be announcing long term plans for SDC. For one thing, their plans keep changing! Branson tourism has been up and down, and there's just a lot still in flux right now with Branson in general. The area will grow in the long-term though, and big things are on the way for SDC. I do think they'll get a hotel someday relatively soon, but I'm not looking for it in the next five years.

^Not to mention ThuNderaTion and Fire-in-the-hole. So 3 out of 6 coasters can be classified as family-friendly, and there's one more that's a kiddie coaster. The announcement is at noon. There will not be a coaster with this addition, but there will be a nice little S&S tower.

It's not the free spin, I can almost guarantee it, but I don't want to pretend like I actually know exactly what the park has in store. I have followed this development since last year when the first concept pitches first went out. I'm very excited to see the end result of that process. HFEC, SDC in particular, is extraordinary in their ability to really get at the root at what their guests want through surveys, focus groups, etc. They don't just listen to what guests say, but what they really mean, if you catch my drift (most people will always just yammer on about how they want a big coaster or whatever). We've been consistently pleased with their results following this process, which have recently included The Giant Swing, Outlaw Run, and Half Dollar Holler. With this addition, what I'm looking for most is character. The rides will be typical kiddie/family rides, the play area will be nice. To really make this addition something that advances the park it will need all the SDC charm they can throw at it, and they know it. I'm confident it will look great.

There is no coaster being added with this addition, unless something seriously changed in the last couple of months. We already know the essential details of what's being added, and it's been discussed in this thread a number of times. I'll refrain from reposting it since the announcement is only a few hours away. There'll be a little something for everyone, but mostly the target audience here is younger kids. We're expecting the announcement to go out sometime around 11:30am.

The ferris wheel looks nice, but everything else in that little glimpse is a bad indicator that fans of the originals will like this game. I'll wait a little longer to pass final judgement, but the double teacups, weird looking plane ride, and odd coaster trains are already telling me that this will be a generic appeal-to-common-denominator game with made up rides and goofy gameplay.

Interesting idea, but I doubt that either Premier or CNL would want to take a gamble on a prototype, especially one that costs $7 million. It's possible, but there's a lot of better things they could and should get. You can also cross SDC off the list, they are getting a collection of fairly small flats + a rebuilt playhouse for 2015. So the list of major parks that aren't already solidly rumored to get something else can't be all that long... lets throw a few others out there: Valleyfair? Darien Lake? SFA?