Valleyfair (VF) Discussion Thread

[RCjunkie]

He said we won't be getting the huge invert like banshee because the park is focusing more on other things. What he did say is that the carousel might be getting a make over!

 

That would be great if the carousel got a make over. It was made by Philadelphia Toboggan Coasters in 1926 for Excelsior Amusement Park then it was moved to Valleyfair and is the oldest ride in the park. It would be nice to see the horses and the rest of the ride restored. They painted the roof last year which was better than the rusting blue top but more certainly could be done so it is nice to hear that it might. Did he mention a time frame or hint at when? Never expected a Banshee size coaster but you would think a smaller one could be done like Patriot mentioned above. Thanks for sharing about your visit with GM Frasier.

[CaptainUnknown]

He said we won't be getting the huge invert like banshee because the park is focusing more on other things. What he did say is that the carousel might be getting a make over!

 

That would be great if the carousel got a make over. It was made by Philadelphia Toboggan Coasters in 1926 for Excelsior Amusement Park then it was moved to Valleyfair and is the oldest ride in the park. It would be nice to see the horses and the rest of the ride restored. They painted the roof last year which was better than the rusting blue top but more certainly could be done so it is nice to hear that it might. Did he mention a time frame or hint at when? Never expected a Banshee size coaster but you would think a smaller one could be done like Patriot mentioned above. Thanks for sharing about your visit with GM Frasier.

 

Well we can be pretty sure that the carousel redo will happen in 2016 or later as 2015 sounds like it will be waterpark, waterpark, waterpark.

[DanTheBooker]

He said we won't be getting the huge invert like banshee because the park is focusing more on other things. What he did say is that the carousel might be getting a make over!

 

That would be great if the carousel got a make over. It was made by Philadelphia Toboggan Coasters in 1926 for Excelsior Amusement Park then it was moved to Valleyfair and is the oldest ride in the park. It would be nice to see the horses and the rest of the ride restored. They painted the roof last year which was better than the rusting blue top but more certainly could be done so it is nice to hear that it might. Did he mention a time frame or hint at when? Never expected a Banshee size coaster but you would think a smaller one could be done like Patriot mentioned above. Thanks for sharing about your visit with GM Frasier.

 

Well we can be pretty sure that the carousel redo will happen in 2016 or later as 2015 sounds like it will be waterpark, waterpark, waterpark.

 

Don't be so sure. It isn't out of the question for the redo of the carousel to get done while the water park goes up. It's more of a general improvement than anything else. It's not really a marketable project. Nice little side story, but nothing headlining,.

 

If anyone expects or was expecting a monster 7 inversion, 4100ft+ invert at VF, they're delusional. A B&M invert that's give or take 3100ft long with four, maybe five inversions.... Totally doable.

 

Valleyfairfanatic, The GM CALLED on a SATURDAY? Impressive. Mr. Frazier is getting more and more personable with each page of this discussion! Speaking of that, I forgot to mention Dave Frazier said I could name the Intamin giga coming in 2020 if I wanted to.... Great guy! LOL

[Mdcastle]

Probably put LED lights on the carousel...

[VF15]

This is a bit random, but I've heard some people say that Valleyfair should get a Windseeker in the future. My thoughts: I have not ridden a Windseeker (I will next summer when I go to Cedar Point), but they honestly look fun for what they are. Some might say that it wouldn't happen here because of the airport height limit, but a smaller-sized Windseeker just opened at Adventureland down in Iowa, so maybe something similar could be done here. A Windseeker would provide some really nice views of the park, and the surrounding area. The one main problem with a Windseeker is that they have a lot of down time, and after the incidents that have happened before, it leads me to feel that CF might not be willing to purchase a new one. If VF was to get a Windseeker, I think it should be placed in Wild Thing's turnaround, where Skyscraper used to be. If it was to happen, it probably wouldn't happen until at least 2018.

My predictions:

-2015: Soak City expansion (99% sure this is it).

-2016: General improvements.

-2017: Thrilling roller coaster.

-2018: Thrilling flat ride (maybe a Windseeker, or something else).

*2016 and 2017 could possibly be switched around.

 

So, do any of you want or think that VF could get a Windseeker?

[Mdcastle]

I've heard other people say that the height limits get taller the farther to each end of the park- Wild Thing's hill and Power Tower are in the exact center of the flyway.

 

WIndseekers- let me say this as far as the thrill factor. Windseeker and Nitro are the only two rides that actually scared me.

[Rollercoaster Rider]

This is a bit random, but I've heard some people say that Valleyfair should get a Windseeker in the future. My thoughts: I have not ridden a Windseeker (I will next summer when I go to Cedar Point), but they honestly look fun for what they are. Some might say that it wouldn't happen here because of the airport height limit, but a smaller-sized Windseeker just opened at Adventureland down in Iowa, so maybe something similar could be done here. A Windseeker would provide some really nice views of the park, and the surrounding area. The one main problem with a Windseeker is that they have a lot of down time, and after the incidents that have happened before, it leads me to feel that CF might not be willing to purchase a new one. If VF was to get a Windseeker, I think it should be placed in Wild Thing's turnaround, where Skyscraper used to be. If it was to happen, it probably wouldn't happen until at least 2018.

My predictions:

-2015: Soak City expansion (99% sure this is it).

-2016: General improvements.

-2017: Thrilling roller coaster.

-2018: Thrilling flat ride (maybe a Windseeker, or something else).

*2016 and 2017 could possibly be switched around.

 

So, do any of you want or think that VF could get a Windseeker?

 

I'm skeptical for another Windseeker cause I don't see Cedar Fair buying any more of them. At least not until they become reliable.

[RCjunkie]

So, do any of you want or think that VF could get a Windseeker?

 

I would not mind one because it would provide great views of the park but there are so many other things VF needs before a Windseeker to improve the park. I would rather see a new thrilling flat like a Huss Frisbee or something. Plus, as mentioned, the problems CF has had with them I think it would take a few years of minimal issues at the four other CF parks that have them to make CF think about getting another one. If the 'new' one at WOF works out it would be easy to argue the case then for VF to get one too.

[VF15]

^

Yeah, I too would rather get a Huss Frisbee than a Windseeker. I just brought up the notion that some people said they wanted a Windseeker. Even though a Huss Frisbee would be a terrific addition to Valleyfair, and they aren't very expensive, so far, Cedar Point and Kings Island are the only CF parks that have one, and I unfortunately feel that it will be the other larger parks that get them before Valleyfair (maybe Canada's Wonderland, Kings Dominion, or Carowinds).

 

Something else I was thinking about was the small orange marker in Excalibur's queue. I originally thought that Excalibur might be getting removed for the waterpark expansion, but since Excalibur is on the other side of the employee road from the waterpark, I don't think it will be a part of the expansion because, as you can see in the picture below, it just doesn't seem logical to expand over there, all things considered. Perhaps the orange marker could be there for plans beyond next year. Maybe a new coaster or something else big will replace Excalibur in 2016 or 2017, but for now, I'll just wait and see what happens.

[RCjunkie]

^Something else I was thinking about was the small orange marker in Excalibur's queue. I originally thought that Excalibur might be getting removed for the waterpark expansion, but since Excalibur is on the other side of the employee road from the waterpark, I don't think it will be a part of the expansion because, as you can see in the picture below, it just doesn't seem logical to expand over there, all things considered. Perhaps the orange marker could be there for plans beyond next year. Maybe a new coaster or something else big will replace Excalibur in 2016 or 2017, but for now, I'll just wait and see what happens.

 

I totally agree especially with the service road being in between the water park and Excalibur but anything is possible. If you have the budget and money anything can be done. Maybe the orange dots around Excalibur are going to be supports for the loading end of a slide complex like Dorney got last year. You take steps from the water park over the service road up to a loading deck and then slide over the road and back into the water park without really affecting the service road. (Or course you would have to take out existing slides which I don't think will happen though). Again, not probable but possible. With all the orange dots out there and how much area they are covering this expansion looks to be bigger than anyone imagined except CF. With the last 2 years of ride and attraction re-location combined with all these orange dots in the park this is the most excitement VF has seen in a decade and I am getting more curious all the time as clues and details come to light.

[Mdcastle]

That was my thinking too- the old slides being replaced with new, higher, longer ones pushed back over the park road. The old ones still have thrill value, but even if they don't need the space right away keeping them is not free- you have to pay for water pumps and staffing, 3 people if you count the one shared with Raging Rapids. Add another two for the speed slides. If they were planning to build a significant coaster later they could work around the slide towers. I think that's the reason Raging Rapids types rides have lost popularity, you need a large number of staff and the capacity is low and while I think they're fun the wow factor just isn't there.

 

Have done some playing around with Google Earth and Paint Shop Pro- I've fit in a water coaster like Noah's Ark where Hydroblaster was and behind the wave pool into the underused land by Wild Thing; a kiddie play area like at Mount Olympus, a racer slide, and a Flowrider where Imax and Looping Starship are; and new slides where the old ones are.

[valleyfairfanatic]

He said we won't be getting the huge invert like banshee because the park is focusing more on other things. What he did say is that the carousel might be getting a make over!

 

That would be great if the carousel got a make over. It was made by Philadelphia Toboggan Coasters in 1926 for Excelsior Amusement Park then it was moved to Valleyfair and is the oldest ride in the park. It would be nice to see the horses and the rest of the ride restored. They painted the roof last year which was better than the rusting blue top but more certainly could be done so it is nice to hear that it might. Did he mention a time frame or hint at when? Never expected a Banshee size coaster but you would think a smaller one could be done like Patriot mentioned above. Thanks for sharing about your visit with GM Frasier.

 

Well we can be pretty sure that the carousel redo will happen in 2016 or later as 2015 sounds like it will be waterpark, waterpark, waterpark.

 

Don't be so sure. It isn't out of the question for the redo of the carousel to get done while the water park goes up. It's more of a general improvement than anything else. It's not really a marketable project. Nice little side story, but nothing headlining,.

 

If anyone expects or was expecting a monster 7 inversion, 4100ft+ invert at VF, they're delusional. A B&M invert that's give or take 3100ft long with four, maybe five inversions.... Totally doable.

 

Valleyfairfanatic, The GM CALLED on a SATURDAY? Impressive. Mr. Frazier is getting more and more personable with each page of this discussion! Speaking of that, I forgot to mention Dave Frazier said I could name the Intamin giga coming in 2020 if I wanted to.... Great guy! LOL

It was a slow saturday, I didn't ask much about the future of the park because he looked pretty busy. But he said he does want to talk more so when I meet up with him next at the park I'll ask questions mostly towards the future of the park. I'll keep you guys updated. I did recommend selling old ride parts that were useless. I'm a roller coaster part collector actually and I think it would be cool to be able to buy a wheel off of wild thing or something. We discussed having an online store with merchandise,ride parts etc. if the demand is high enough. What do you guys think, would you want to see an online store with that kinda stuff?

[Mdcastle]

He said we won't be getting the huge invert like banshee because the park is focusing more on other things. What he did say is that the carousel might be getting a make over!

 

That would be great if the carousel got a make over. It was made by Philadelphia Toboggan Coasters in 1926 for Excelsior Amusement Park then it was moved to Valleyfair and is the oldest ride in the park. It would be nice to see the horses and the rest of the ride restored. They painted the roof last year which was better than the rusting blue top but more certainly could be done so it is nice to hear that it might. Did he mention a time frame or hint at when? Never expected a Banshee size coaster but you would think a smaller one could be done like Patriot mentioned above. Thanks for sharing about your visit with GM Frasier.

 

Well we can be pretty sure that the carousel redo will happen in 2016 or later as 2015 sounds like it will be waterpark, waterpark, waterpark.

 

Don't be so sure. It isn't out of the question for the redo of the carousel to get done while the water park goes up. It's more of a general improvement than anything else. It's not really a marketable project. Nice little side story, but nothing headlining,.

 

If anyone expects or was expecting a monster 7 inversion, 4100ft+ invert at VF, they're delusional. A B&M invert that's give or take 3100ft long with four, maybe five inversions.... Totally doable.

 

Valleyfairfanatic, The GM CALLED on a SATURDAY? Impressive. Mr. Frazier is getting more and more personable with each page of this discussion! Speaking of that, I forgot to mention Dave Frazier said I could name the Intamin giga coming in 2020 if I wanted to.... Great guy! LOL

It was a slow saturday, I didn't ask much about the future of the park because he looked pretty busy. But he said he does want to talk more so when I meet up with him next at the park I'll ask questions mostly towards the future of the park. I'll keep you guys updated. I did recommend selling old ride parts that were useless. I'm a roller coaster part collector actually and I think it would be cool to be able to buy a wheel off of wild thing or something. We discussed having an online store with merchandise,ride parts etc. if the demand is high enough. What do you guys think, would you want to see an online store with that kinda stuff?

 

I'd like to see the neon sign preserved somehow. If Valleyfair doesn't want it there's a neon museum in Minot that rescued a Holiday Inn "Great Sign", a few other neon museums around the country, and Pioneer Village in Hastings took the old Cottage View Drive in Sign, along with Porky's sign and facade.

 

A few other random things if you could mention to him

*I think prices on the llockers are too high: $10.00 a day seems to be more reasonable.

*I'd like to either see the cover put back on the Supercat, or else it be scrapped and replaced with something better.

*I'd like to see the waterfalls on Thunder Canyon turned back on, each year there's fewer and fewer of them I don't know if they're broken or don't want to pay to run them, or if guests were complaining about being wet.

*Along with B&M invert and a Windseeker, my dream would be something like Nighthawk- IMHO it's a much better ride than the Superman coasters and underrated.

* May make me a heretic here, but I personally have no love for Corkscrew and Excalibur if something better could be put there.

* Like everyone else, I'm looking forward to the waterpark expansion. I'd like to see a water coaster, a FLowrider, and a nice family play area

[VF15]

Well we can be pretty sure that the carousel redo will happen in 2016 or later

I'd like to see the neon sign preserved somehow. If Valleyfair doesn't want it there's a neon museum in Minot that rescued a Holiday Inn "Great Sign", a few other neon museums around the country, and Pioneer Village in Hastings took the old Cottage View Drive in Sign, along with Porky's sign and facade.

 

If VF gets an electronic sign next year, I think they should find some way to preserve it, but I can't see it going all the way to Minot. Maybe they can place it somewhere else in the park like Route 76, or if the park doesn't want to keep it, I could see it going to the Minnesota History Center in St. Paul because I think that Valleyfair has had enough of an impact on this state that something from VF would be worthy of display there.

 

* May make me a heretic here, but I personally have no love for Corkscrew and Excalibur if something better could be put there.

 

I used to really like Excalibur, but recently the ride has been a lot rougher, and if it's going to stay that way, I wouldn't mind that much if it got removed. Excalibur isn't a torture device, but it's just not what it used to be. As for Corkscrew, I would be disappointed if they removed that because it's an enjoyable ride for what it is. It's very smooth for an Arrow, and it fits in well with it's surroundings. Corkscrew will have to be removed eventually, but I see it staying here longer than Excalibur.

[LoneRider92]

Hey there Valleyfair! know-it-alls. As it turns out, my summer internship will bring me to St. Paul for a few months and, having never been to Valleyfair! before, I want to take a trip over there at some point. I just wanted to see if you guys would be so kind as to enlighten me on the basic need-to-knows: what to ride, what to ride first, what I can and cannot miss, and anything else important.

 

The only time I'll be able to visit the park is on the weekend, with my first opportunity being this weekend. Do I need to worry about lines? And is the general consensus that it is better to visit the park on Sunday rather than Saturday?

 

Thanks in advance.

[VF15]

Hey there Valleyfair! know-it-alls. As it turns out, my summer internship will bring me to St. Paul for a few months and, having never been to Valleyfair! before, I want to take a trip over there at some point. I just wanted to see if you guys would be so kind as to enlighten me on the basic need-to-knows: what to ride, what to ride first, what I can and cannot miss, and anything else important.

 

The only time I'll be able to visit the park is on the weekend, with my first opportunity being this weekend. Do I need to worry about lines? And is the general consensus that it is better to visit the park on Sunday rather than Saturday?

 

Thanks in advance.

 

The definite must-ride coasters are Renegade, Steel Venom, and Wild Thing. The other coasters are worth taking a ride on, but those three are ones you might want to reride.

 

I would do the coasters in this order: Corkscrew, High Roller, Mad Mouse, Renegade, Excalibur, Wild Thing, and Steel Venom (If you have a Gold or Platinum pass, you can enter the Route 76 area of the park at 9:30 and ride Steel Venom first instead).

 

Best seats on the coasters: Corkscrew and High Roller: Front row. Mad Mouse: Doesn't matter. Renegade: Get multiple rides in the last row, as it's really intense back there, but you should also take a ride the front row once for the nice view. Excalibur: I know I said in my previous post that Excalibur is kinda rough, but the front row experience isn't too bad. Wild Thing: Ride in the front car as much as possible, as that's where you'll get decent airtime. You could take a ride in the back car if you want to get whipped down the first drop, but the back is basically airtime-less. Steel Venom: The front and back rows take you the highest up each spike, but it's still a really fun ride in any seat.

 

As for other rides, definitely ride Xtreme Swing (S&S Screamin' Swings are always great). Power Tower, particularly the Space Shot side, is quite fun. Riptide (HUSS Top Spin) isn't a bad ride, but I'm not a big fan of it. Stay far away from Looping Starship. Northern Lights (Disk'O Coaster) is a fun family ride, but if you want to ride it, do it first thing in the morning. Enterprise is a personal favorite of mine that doesn't usually have a line.

 

For crowds and lines, if you can only visit VF one time during your stay here, the sooner the better. If you go this weekend, probably no more than 40-45 minutes for anything on Saturday, and 30-35 minutes tops on Sunday, but you'll still be able to reride the best rides plenty of times.

 

You're welcome, and have a good time.

[Mdcastle]

Hey there Valleyfair! know-it-alls. As it turns out, my summer internship will bring me to St. Paul for a few months and, having never been to Valleyfair! before, I want to take a trip over there at some point. I just wanted to see if you guys would be so kind as to enlighten me on the basic need-to-knows: what to ride, what to ride first, what I can and cannot miss, and anything else important.

 

The only time I'll be able to visit the park is on the weekend, with my first opportunity being this weekend. Do I need to worry about lines? And is the general consensus that it is better to visit the park on Sunday rather than Saturday?

 

Thanks in advance.

 

Two comments:

*Don't worry about being able to ride everything multiple times, even on a busy day:

*Having said that, you might want to do Steel Venom and/or Mad Mouse first thing as those generally have long, slow lines later in the day (but they're nowhere near each other). Also if you want to visit the waterpark and want a recliner those tend to fill up within a couple of hours after opening on hot, sunny days.

[Mdcastle]

Well we can be pretty sure that the carousel redo will happen in 2016 or later

I'd like to see the neon sign preserved somehow. If Valleyfair doesn't want it there's a neon museum in Minot that rescued a Holiday Inn "Great Sign", a few other neon museums around the country, and Pioneer Village in Hastings took the old Cottage View Drive in Sign, along with Porky's sign and facade.

 

If VF gets an electronic sign next year, I think they should find some way to preserve it, but I can't see it going all the way to Minot. Maybe they can place it somewhere else in the park like Route 76, or if the park doesn't want to keep it, I could see it going to the Minnesota History Center in St. Paul because I think that Valleyfair has had enough of an impact on this state that something from VF would be worthy of display there.

 

Saving it at Valleyfair would be ideal, the problem is at this point they'd have to spend money on the sign. Besides reinstalling it Argon/Mercury tubing (basically all the colors but red and orange) decay and need to be replaced periodically, and there's some sections that are totally dead, and some would undoubtedly get broken in a move. There's not a lot of places that have the interest and ability to take something that big- I thought of Minot because they took a Holiday Inn sign from Minnesota, but there's also a large sign museum in Cincinnati. But someone who knows the general manager please mention saving the sign.

[valleyfairfanatic]

^ Already ahead of you. I did contact Mr. Frazier about the sign. I did tell him about us wanting the sign to stay. This is what he said "I submitted a permit to see what will be approved for a new sign. The old sign is expensive to operate and maintain. I was here when it was new so I love it too."

[VF15]

^ Already ahead of you. I did contact Mr. Frazier about the sign. I did tell him about us wanting the sign to stay. This is what he said "I submitted a permit to see what will be approved for a new sign. The old sign is expensive to operate and maintain. I was here when it was new so I love it too."

 

Well, it's not exactly good news for me that they want the sign removed, but if it's going to save them money, then I guess it's for the best. I guess our only hope for it now is that it will get put on display somewhere else. On the bright side, a new sign would be a good upgrade for the park, and it would allow for better advertising, but I'll still miss the old sign if it is indeed removed.

[VF15]

Found this cool video on YouTube. It's a POV video of Wild Thing taken by the Roller Coaster Club of Great Britain in 1999. The skyline looks a lot different without rides like Power Tower, Steel Venom, and Renegade. It has two POVs, with the first one reminding us of how the ride is currently run, but in the second one, the MCBR trims are turned off, and it looked like a much wilder experience. If only I had ridden Wild Thing in it's heyday...

 

[rcjp]

I wish I had a remote switch that would turn all the brakes (except for the last) off while was riding.

Imagine how all those rides that hit the MCBR really fast and get trimmed hard would be like! (like goliath at SFMM)

[jray21]

It would be nice to ride it without the brakes. It's a fun ride, but pretty tame.

[RCjunkie]

^ Already ahead of you. I did contact Mr. Frazier about the sign. I did tell him about us wanting the sign to stay. This is what he said "I submitted a permit to see what will be approved for a new sign. The old sign is expensive to operate and maintain. I was here when it was new so I love it too."

 

Thanks for the information. At least it will be easier knowing that the sign is leaving due to operational expenses than if it was just a marketing idea to bring in a new updated sign. Nice to hear the GM likes the sign as much as we do. Unfortunately nothing lasts forever, especially in the amusement park world.

[VF15]

Dropped by Valleyfair today for a short time. Walking by old IMAX area, I noticed that the red flags that were there are gone. It looks to me like the park is "go" for the waterpark expansion.

 

 

On a side note, I think that Valleyfair needs to address the issue of the graffiti in Renegade's queue line. It is honestly disgusting to look at.