InsaneCoasterJunkie

Goals for Waldameer this season?

Was browsing the internet yesterday and I found Spider on a used rides website asking for $65,000 and being available in September which right at the end of the season. Call me crazy but I think Spider could be removed at the end of the season and be replaced by something cooler! I'll post the link down below if you want to read more but already some intriguing stuff before the season starts!! Link: https://irmrides.com/product/eyerly-spider-2/

Won't say much but an article was just released that Waldameer owner Paul Nelson passed away yesterday morning at the age of 89. Just read the article and it's pretty emotional to say the least... Article may be have a paywall attached so I'll copy the contents below https://www.goerie.com/story/news/local/2023/05/22/paul-nelson-owner-of-waldameer-park-water-world-dies-at-89-lake-erie-amusement-parks-roller-coaster/65377466007/

Something to watch out for and good news on Rocket Blast Full Article: https://www.yourerie.com/news/local-news/waldameer-and-water-world-preparing-newest-attraction-as-opening-day-nears/

I wonder what Waldameer might in have in store for us come opening day... My speculations/predictions have been rather wild this off season and I can't wait to see what upgrades they might make!

I'm already starting to think about the next coaster at Waldameer. Even though it might not be for a few years, I think I have a solid prediction. I personally am returning to that RMC idea awhile back as the manufacturer released two new concepts on their website. Either or could work out for the park when space and money allows. All pictures are from the RMC website and I will link them below! Just some food for thought :) Links: https://www.rockymtnconstruction.com/steel-coasters/ https://www.rockymtnconstruction.com/family-hybrid-coasters/

I can agree that Waldameer has a great relationship with Zamperla. The park has added 8 rides since 1999 and I don't see why they can't continue with that. I say most likely, the next ride will be Zamperla due to these circumstances. An air race is definitely possible as Waldameer has proved that upside down rides can work for the thrill seekers. An Endeavour could also work as well. That new Gryphon does look intriguing and I could see Waldameer jumping early to trends. Down below is a Zamperla wish list of rides I could see- 1. Air Race/Super Air Race (Named Aeronaut) 2. Endeavour (Name Free Spin) 3. Gryphon (Named Gryosphere) 4. Nebulaz (Named Neubla) 5. WindstarZ (Named Windstar) 6. A custom variation of the Thunderbolt coaster model (Fit to the park's specific needs)

I'm going to make my best guess on what could had been. I speculate that the rides would've been manufactured by Zamperla since the park works very well with them and I could see more rides from them going forward. One of the rides I could had seen was a Air Race replacing Spider and the other one could of been a Endeavour or Nebulaz replacing Mega Vortex or going next to Chaos. That's just my speculation and anything could change in the plans but that's my best educated guess :)

I was at Season Pass Photo Day this past Saturday and wanted to update you all on what I saw- 1. Various rides and other things were repainted (Mega Vortex, Spider, Umbrellas, Steel Dragon, Charlie the Clown) 2. Water World entrance just removed the turnstiles and added tables for what I believe will be for bag checks 3. The new food tent is huge and I personally will call it "Bigger Blue Tent" 4. The Ravine Flyer II retracking looks great. You would be fooled if you said it looked like a GCI 5. Carousel Delights surprised me! The Dippin Dots Sundaes are new for 2021 and they are delicious 6. Only 3 rides were open to ride. Music Express was scheduled to open but cycled empty the entire day 7. Not everything in the park is ready but that's okay. They'll definitely be ready for opening day 8. According to the website under COVID-19 protocols, now all attractions will be open which means Pirate's Cove could possibly open! 9. Overall crowds surprised me which is a good sign. People want to come back and I hope they make a profit this season. Hopefully new ride 2022? Overall I was impressed with the park. Even though it wasn't perfect, I was excited to return to my home park, see all the familiar faces, and document what's new for this season. As a shameless plug, I have 4 videos coming to my YouTube channel from Season Pass Day (Amusement Drive-Thru, Construction Update, Vlog, Park N Eat). I can't wait to share them to the public starting May 13th! Next step: Opening Day on the 15th!

There are less than 10 days until Season Pass Photo Day and I just wanted to update on progress at Waldameer. Pieces are starting to come together for the 125th season but I will be investigating more in the coming weeks. The Food Stand Reveal: Last month, I mentioned about a new food stand coming where the former Zeke's Shack game used to operate. Now we have an answer regarding it. The name of this place will be Carousel Delights and will be severing foods such as nachos, Dippin Dots, and much more. I am a bit disappointed that a new food option wasn't coming but it will be another place for food in the amusement park. New Spider Sign: Old Man Winter visited Erie yesterday morning for one last time and Waldameer posted it's yearly snow picture to their social media. In the picture, there is a new sign for Spider. The sign is now all black, matching the ride and a brand new web on top of the letters. I personally love the new sign and should be a good "sign" of things to come. A "Stupid" ICJ Plug: As it gets closer to Waldameer's opening, I am optimistic about how this season will operate. With COVID protocols being relaxed a bit and the fun cosmetic upgrades looking promising, I can't wait to see what my home park has to offer. I'll be visiting on both Season Pass Photo Day (May 1st) and Opening Day (May 15th) for my first rides of the season as well as any other updates that the park have made so stay tuned on this thread and my YouTube channel InsaneCoasterJunkie for more updates regarding Waldameer. I know this might be a shameless plug but Waldameer is my second home and I'm very passionate about how this park operates :) New Spider Sign: https://www.instagram.com/p/CN7VOSWLcTk/

It's been awhile since the last post but there are some hopes for the 2021 season at Waldameer. It was revealed in a local news article that the park is making several changes to improve the park for it's 125th season. Here's the breakdown: The Fate Of The "2021" Rides: In the original plan, Waldameer was going to continue their current 10 year plan and add two new rides to the park. The type of ride and location were not known but what do we know is that these rides are cancelled according to owner Paul Nelson. He revealed that only 27% of their regular attendance showed up to the park for 2020 and with borrowing over $1 million just to open this year, it was almost no shocker that these rides are cancelled. Now it's possible it could be on hold for 2022 but even 2022 is uncertain at this time. Fun Cosmetic Upgrades: Over the past few months, it was revealed over social media that several rides would get "fun cosmetic upgrades" for the 2021 season. It's unknown what rides will be repainted or what but it's basically open arms at this point. Speculate all you want and what happens but I am interested on what rides get these upgrades. It can be anything from repaints to new lights or other improvements but again, all open arms! New Water World Entrance: Nelson revealed that a new and improved entrance will be constructed for Water World. According to Nelson, this new entrance can get you in twice as fast. As for my speculation, I think there's one area to address and that's the current entrance near Comet. This area can be a bottleneck, especially on busy days and for the expanding water park, a new and improved entrance is well needed. I am overall happy that a bottleneck area is being addressed. It's possible a brand new entrance could be constructed but I have my doubts with that. New Food Stand: Nelson reveled that a new food stand will debut for the 2021 season. This will go where the former Zeke's Shack shooting game used to be. This game operated until 2019 and never opened for 2020, suspecting that new developments are near. A Dipping Dots stand was also removed in that area. We sadly don't know what food items it will cater but it's all fun and games. I suspect that a pasta bar of some sort could be in that area. Pasta is a food item that is missing in Waldameer's lineup. I see something similar to the Mac Bowl at Cedar Point where you can customize your mac and cheese with various cheeses and toppings. Imagine white cheddar with bacon!!! That's my dream but who knows what will be added? New Food Tent: The last major upgrade Waldameer will be addressing will be a new large tent where the former Showtime Theater once stood. There was a tent there before but that was for the theater and was torn down after the 2020 season. According to Nelson, it will "keep you out of the rain and have a place to eat if it does sprinkle." I can't comment on much and what it will be built but it should be a nice upgrade from the previous one. Overall, I am excited for the 2021 season at Waldameer. While its not what is planned (still sad about the two rides not being here), making cosmetic upgrades and addressing some rough patches will help Waldameer move forward in the future. Season Pass Photo Days will be May 1st and 2nd, as well as the 7th and 8th. Opening day is the 15th. As a closer, I am quietly working on my biggest video in 3 years and will cover the entire history of the park! Stay tuned! Link: https://www.erienewsnow.com/story/43488623/waldameer-prepares-for-125th-season

Waldameer posted this interesting picture this morning about a slide that never came to be for their water park Water World. In 1991, a new tower dubbed the "Awesome Tower" debuted with the fitting slide Awesome Twosome. 1992 followed with an additional slide named Midnight Plunge. Those nostalgic fans might remember the slides being colored an aqua green and black respectively. However, when the tower was designed, there was room for a 3rd water slide in the middle of the two existing slides and it was to be named Liquid Lightning. If they continued with their expansion plan, Liquid Lightning would have debuted in 1993 (that's my best guess but it's unknown when it would've opened). For over two decades, there was footers, a sign, and spot in the splash pool that revealed another slide was coming but it never came to be. What happened is anyone's guess but drawing from the post, it was possible it was cancelled sometime after. Talking about the layout, the first half of Liquid Lightning would've started very similarly to Midnight Plunge/Awesome Twosome and halfway through, it would've opend towards a open flume section, similar to the Raging/Wild River water slides with a helix finale before dropping in the existing splash pool. During the 2013-14 off season, Water World received a major overhaul before the massive 2015 expansion with Awesome Twosome being repainted to a multi-color pallet, and Midnight Plunge was repainted to yellow and was renamed to Liquid Lightning, in honor of the cancelled name (which in my opinion I like the new name better than the previous name). In 2014, it was revealed a major multi-year expansion plan would occur for Waldameer's Water World, and a new bowl slide was projected to built in the gapped spot as mentioned earlier. It wasn't until 2018 when the bowl slide would open to guests and it was named Cannonbowl. Personally, I really like the bowl slide (2nd favorite in Water World) but it would had been interesting if the original Liquid Lightning was built and how that could of impacted the water park's expansion plan. This is a unique part of Waldameer's history that was kept secret for years but I never thought there was a cancelled attraction in their ride portfolio. I will be making a video about this in the near future on my YouTube channel but I wanted to post it here first so everyone can marvel over this lost bit of history! I accidently posted this in another forum but it was meant for this forum. Oh well it's here :)

You make a very good point about this! As Waldameer is my home park, I can see trends that might not be as obvious. With your point, your are right, there is no signature attraction down there. This was also replicated during the 1930s and there was a similar fate. Beyond Mega Vortex is picnic groves and in a non-pandemic world, these picnic groves are busy with people. Mega Vortex is that "standby" ride that people pass upon and may or may not ride. This could be solved with that aforementioned plan that was talked about in 2018 with the announcement of Chaos. Expanding downward and coming full circle (near Pine Hill/Pine Valley Groves). Now this could mean the removal of some picnic groves and tables which would be diminish picnic spots (this happened for the Water World expansion with the removal of Eastern Grove 1). I presented a mockup below (or above) and put a short description each. C: That's the current site of Chaos (Google Earth you need to update). Nothing changes here Yellow Question Marks: These are possible rides the park could add. Due to the compact nature, it will be a tight squeeze. This is where I predict that Endeavour or if they wanted to be ambitious, add a compact roller coaster down here! Red X: That's the current railroad crossing for Pine Hill/Valley. I predict that Pine Valley (left grove) would be removed and Pine Hill (right grove) would be intact. The crossing would be unchanged with a new path connecting the "dead ends" together! White Lines: These would be the pathways used for the expansion Comment down below what you think about this! This is all food for thought and pure speculation! Mockup of a possible "South End Full Circle" Expansion

This is my first rodeo on a coaster enthusiast thread but my home park is Waldameer and I own a roller coaster channel called InsaneCoasterJunkie. With that out of the way and while future expansions wait, I'm here to draft some ideas on what could the parks future could consist of. I spent quite some time looking at previous threads and rumors, along with my extensive knowledge of the park, and a bit of personal taste! I will list my sources at the end. Buckle that seat belt, pull down that lap bar, and enjoy your ride on Jay's Wild & Whacky Waldameer Predictions! Part I: The UNfortunate Ride Removals Me and a lot of people can agree, not all rides last forever. Even at a park as well maintained as Waldameer, eventually, some rides have to bite the dust. Two rides personally come to mind and that's Spider and Mega Vortex. First off Spider, the ride that everyone hates (I know I do). Back in 2018, a major overhaul caused the ride to be shut down for a majority of the season. Two red flags already come up: one, the manufacturer (Evyerly Aircraft) is a defunct company and finding replacement parts is quite difficult, so much so they may need to use other parts from similar rides. Two, the ride (in my opinion) is slowly declining in ridership so it's not a bad idea if Waldameer decides to remove the ride soon. Now onto Mega Vortex. This ride faces a similar problem to Spider with low ridership. In my eyes, it's one of the least popular rides at the park (either being closed or having minimal lines). Low ridership is a main factor to close a ride for good. Another good point to add is that recently, the "Wally Point" value increased from 3 points to 4 points. I think this move was taken to encourage more people to ride but personally, I think it flopped. As for replacements, anything is possible. For the Spider plot, I could see a modern Flying Scooters ride as that has been popular recently and Waldameer is known for classic rides. As for Mega Vortex, I always dreamed of a Larson Super Loop (aka Fireball) coming in the parks lineup as inverting thrill rides are a need. Part II: The Delayed Rides For 2022 Recently, Waldameer announced that no new rides will be added for the 2021 season due to park not making a profit this season due to the pandemic and that the park will need over $1 million in loans to get through the off season. An article revealed that the two new rides will be delayed until 2022 at the earliest. It got me thinking: What were those two rides? Looking at their current 10 year plan, they usually add a major new slide or ride and then a smaller attraction every year. 2021 would had been a "major ride year" (for example 2019 had Chaos and then a smaller attraction) plus the park celebrates it's 125th anniversary so from a logistical standpoint, maybe two rides was an option. The major ride I could see was a Zamperla Endeavour (modern enterprise). This works for a few reasons: 1. Waldameer works with Zamperla so well and has added several rides in the past (Chaos, Balloon Race, etc), 2. They can add this new ride next to Chaos (a previous TPR post revealed that area could be a "full circle" expansion) and make that section of the park more popular with rides while preserving the picnic groves, 3. It provides another thrilling inverting flat ride to the parks lineup. In terms for another attraction, two ideas surface. One could have been a Zamperla family ride of some sort or the water park's Endless River could be expanded by 50% (this was mentioned in a article). After expanding restrooms and hot tubs, the next logical addition would be a "expanded action river" and overhaul it. I told some employees my thinking and they said I have some great ideas but time will tell what the official plans are. Part III: The (Lack Of) Waterfront Expansion: Why It Isn't Happening? Several years ago, a article and this thread talked bout the park expanding a lakefront property behind Rainbow Gardens that hasn't been used since the Great Depression. Some of the rides talked about was a incline railway, family ride, shoot the chute ride, a restaurant, and picnic areas. In my opinion this is not happening. First off, EROSION! The nearby Presque Isle Sate Park has been having erosion problems on it's beaches and increasing water levels on the lakeshore have posed threats to surrounding houses and the state park itself. An anonymous source told me that the water levels made it up to the lakefront property and has the made the ground level too unstable for any expansion so it's impossible to ex[and downwards. Another reason for this is that we haven't heard about this expansion plan since 2012. Now it's possible they had plans to go through it or the plans were cancelled altogether but the unforeseen circumstances with Lake Erie has put this plot of land next to impossible. As Waldameer is famous for, they know how to work well with space so it's possible to expand elsewhere. Speaking of that... Part IV: South End- The New North End Remastered As said in part II, the possibility of adding rides south of Chaos is a real possibility but where else could park development be produced? Short answer: the old trailer park near 6th and Peninsula Drive. This has it's pros and cons. For the pros, this can add park space for what the lakefront has lost and makes a good investment to add rides on a previously unadded plot. This can also increase parking spaces and make a entrance/exit on a side of 6th not usually used. However, the cons do make me wanna lose my wristband. For starters this causes problems for the residents living on the property. To evacuate potentially dozens of people to new homes sounds like a legal battle and a half but this has been done before with The Inn At Presque Isle and Choo Choo's. Second, another article shows that that specific plot of land was "in talks" of being acquired. That was several years ago we haven't heard anything since. Anything is possible with space and money but it's something to keep your eyes out for! Part V: Water World Episode 3- Finishing A Gap We should be aware that Water World has been expanding at a rapid rate since 2015. Even with numerous additions, there is some gaps that need to be addressed. As I said earlier, a expanded Endless River would work well as the park owner in a article has said two things 1. Water World World would be extended all the way to the Ferris Wheel, 2. 50% added capacity to eliminate long lines. The recent addition of Rally Racer proved that old slides can removed for fresh new ones. The obvious answer is the former tad/cookie area as well as the Presque Isle Plunge/Lake Erie Dip water slides. The aforementioned slides (as like the defunct Free Fall/Speed Slides) have a low ridership. Sure the pandemic had a mid-August opening but I saw no lines everytime I went. They aren't as popular as they were in 1986 so I could see those slides out the door. As for new additions, an article revealed some slide ideas such as a 5 man raft slide or a funnel type slide. This would work well for the large capacity and how appealing raft slides are. I also wouldn't be surprised if there was some capsule drop slides added as well (think of this as a speed slide successor). Logically, after Rally Racer, I could see a 5 man raft slide be added and I heard from a digital exclusive, the owner revealed it would feature a wave and be visible from 8th street. Too good to be true? Who knows? Water World is definitely shaping up to be the next Splashin Safari for sure! Part VI: Debunking A Rumor! Recently, on Waldameer's social media (primarily Instagram), they have been teasing us for a up and coming new roller coaster. In a previous TPR thread, it was said that Ravine Flyer II won't be the only major coaster at the park. So what could top or compete with a elite Gravity Group woodie? My answer is a RMC Raptor. I started this thinking in April 2019 as a coaster in a small space that packs huge thrills (airtime, inversions, etc). Also, Raptors are targeted to small parks where capacity isn't an issue and Waldameer perfectly describes this. Starting around that time, other people heard of my thinking and slowly, Waldameer was hinting at a RMC, writing comments such as "RMCs are cool too" "Ok, anything is possible with space and money" and most recently (this one being the most obvious) "Really Making Changes." That last one sounds very similar to the "Really More Coming" or "Richard Michael Crosby" taglines that Kings Dominion and Cedar Point used respectively. Could that be the hint we've been looking for? Some people were thinking Ravine Flyer II would get the IBOX track but that's a fat NO due to the smoothness and well kept maintenance on the coaster. This RMC would be ground up! Looking at something similar to Railblazer at California's Great America, it fits into a small space that the park can work with and they are very reliable coasters which would keep uptime to a maximum. At this point, the roller coaster community has been sparking rumors for a RMC Raptor for the park and until we know what the next major coaster is, Waldameer will be joining for the ride and teasing us! Just saying, get a RMC Raptor! Part VII: Final Suggestions & Extras Everything that I said up to this point is all rumor and speculation but I have one more punch to this. What else could a "Optimal Waldameer" need or want? The first obvious choice would be a extended season. In another previous TPR thread, this was a possibility to extend to mid-late September. With the weather Erie usually gets (being a resident myself), the weather is decent enough to do so but one problem remains: STAFFING! Staffing has been a huge issue within the past two or three seasons and a majority of the parks employees are high school/college students. I'm no specialist but if there's a way to fix that, it could happen. Another thing a park should consider: cosmetic improvements to some older rides. The park does great, but more could be added. New LED lights can be added to older rides such as Paratrooper and Tilt-A-Whirl, more variety of food options, and removing old games for new ones could help modernize the park and attract newcomers to the park. Just some food for thought In conclusion, what I said and thought about the park could happen. Now will everything happen? No, plans change all the time and nothing's official until the park announces something but it's always fun to speculate and think of new ideas based on what information we have. Waldameer is an amazing park that I take for granted and I have hopes they can continue their thriving spirit in the future. If you have any suggestions or comments you want to make on my predictions, don't hesitate to! I'm open to feedback to see what you think and maybe put your own "champion of spin" on your Waldameer predictions. Sorry this was rather long but I hope you learned something out of this! Some Sources To Look At From What I Mentioned: https://www.goerie.com/news/20190217/half-century-of-transformation-at-eries-waldameer https://www.yourerie.com/digital-first/digital-exclusive/digital-exclusive-owner-of-waldameer-and-water-world-speaks-on-new-racer-water-slide-coming-2020/ http://newsplusnotes.blogspot.com/2012/09/exciting-expansions-in-waldameers-future.html https://www.yourerie.com/news/local-news/waldameer-park-and-water-world-heavily-impacted-financially-due-to-covid-19-pandemic/ Past TPR Discussions Threads (You might have to look deeply for this)