BarryH Posted July 12, 2005 Share Posted July 12, 2005 I went to CG on July 4th and there were construction people there moving pieces of track around! What states don't have boomerangs? I don't think there are any boomerangs in SC or TN. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gregory DG Posted July 12, 2005 Share Posted July 12, 2005 From what I've been told by the CG employees... An additional ride area is being built (not in Adventure Grove or Paradise Pier) for the Starliner since the coaster can't fit in the existing ride sections. Not to disparage your source or anything (they could very well be right about this) they originally said the Galaxy Spin was going into the field next to the concert area, but now it's going next to the arcade. (Surely things changed once the Starliner was acquired.) A new ride area will be built next to the main parking lot (south of Nature's Way). The Starliner, a large looping steel coaster and about 8 other carnival rides will be added in this brand new area for 2006. Sounds cool, but it'll be another tight fit I think. (See my rendition below.) I don't imagine they'll be putting in too many rides (if any) along that narrow strip of land between the parking lot and the lake. (It's even more narrow than my drawing shows.) The Starliner would look good there though. It is the goal of Cypress Gardens to match Wild Adventures # of rides and coasters... So expect about 50-55 rides and 9 coasters total.Apparently, no more junior coasters either -- the new area will have 3 or 4 adult-sized coasters including the Starliner and probably another Vekoma Boomerang. That's going to be very tough. Wild Adventures has nearly unlimited space whereas CG has very little land left to work with. Some "adult" rides might be cool, although I'm not the biggest fan of the brain-crushing monster rides. 3 or 4 giant rides in that little area might be asking a bit much... It'll be interesting to see where this goes in the future. I'd hope they leave the original parts of the park alone or they'll be risking the wrath of the geriatrics! This is the current satellite view obtained from Google Maps before the park was refurbished. Is where the Starliner and the new rides are going to go in? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BoardwalkandBaseball4Ever Posted July 13, 2005 Share Posted July 13, 2005 Not to disparage your source or anything (they could very well be right about this) they originally said the Galaxy Spin was going into the field next to the concert area, but now it's going next to the arcade. (Surely things changed once the Starliner was acquired.). That's going to be very tough. Wild Adventures has nearly unlimited space whereas CG has very little land left to work with. Some "adult" rides might be cool, although I'm not the biggest fan of the brain-crushing monster rides. 3 or 4 giant rides in that little area might be asking a bit much... It'll be interesting to see where this goes in the future. I'd hope they leave the original parts of the park alone or they'll be risking the wrath of the geriatrics! Well, all the info I have passed along were rumors. They really don't tell the employees all that much. But Kent has made it very clear that he wants CG to have 9 coasters. They already have 6. The Starliner is only the first large coaster -- the existing CG coasters are junior offerings. I suspected a Boomerang because they offer a lot of loops/thrills and don't take up a lot of real estate (and he loves Vekoma!). I'd imagine any compact coasters are high on his wish list -- but its all speculation on my part. I wish he'd add a Schwarzkopf coaster -- they don't take up too much space and I love them. As for the 55 rides -- CG already has roughly 45 with Splash Island -- so, it wouldn't take much more to match it..... Check out this article: http://www.tpl.org/tier3_cd.cfm?content_item_id=12644&folder_id=250 He can't touch the 30 acres of the original gardens -- but he's got 142 acres of park to work with -- so anything outside the original gardens is fair game. Plus he has the option to buy an additional 7 acre tract -- I'm guessing that 7 acre tract is where the Starliner and new rides are planned. In total, CG would be about 149 acres if they purchased that 7 acre tract at Swann Pointe -- which is roughly the same size as Wild Adventures. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robbalvey Posted July 13, 2005 Author Share Posted July 13, 2005 I went to CG on July 4th and there were construction people there moving pieces of track around! What states don't have boomerangs? I don't think there are any boomerangs in SC or TN. There are lots of states without Boomerangs, but think of it more in terms of how many miles is the closest one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gregory DG Posted July 14, 2005 Share Posted July 14, 2005 But Kent has made it very clear that he wants CG to have 9 coasters. They already have 6. That's cool. I just hope (wish) he'd put in a true river rapids ride. The Storm Surge ride didn't do that much for me. It was more like spinning in a tea cup ride than being on a rapids ride. A log flume would be nice too. He can't touch the 30 acres of the original gardens I know, I was just be facetious. -- but he's got 142 acres of park to work with Not really... I mean much of the park is already taken up. (Shoot, about 1/3 of it is being used for parking!!) He's probably got 10-20 acres left, if that much. Now, if he works that deal with the city to tear up Helena Road boarding the parking lot he could merge the main lot with the overflow and then move the main entrance out some more. That'd give him lots of new space. Well, we will see how it goes. Beuschler has done a marvelous job so far, so my faith is in him to do what's best. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gregory DG Posted July 17, 2005 Share Posted July 17, 2005 Just saw this story about the fireworks show getting approved. Took my niece & nephew to the park today. We went on the Pharoah's Fury ride and this guy in front of me just kept screaming his head off! It was hilarious! Aieeeee!!!! (silence) Aieeeee!!!! (silence) Aieeeee!!!! (silence) It was too funny! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ECZenith Posted July 17, 2005 Share Posted July 17, 2005 I wish that "looping steel roller coaster" could be a rocket coaster like Storm Runner. Why are there no modern Intamins in Florida? B&M owns the whole state! Glad to see the park is on a roll adding rides, great sign! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maynard_Hicks Posted July 17, 2005 Share Posted July 17, 2005 The medeival santa was priceless.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BoardwalkandBaseball4Ever Posted July 17, 2005 Share Posted July 17, 2005 The medeival santa was priceless.... Yeah, quite a bit of the park is corny. The Farmyard Frolics and new Pirate show are pretty dumb. The Swamp Creatures show was a nice addition, though. The animal section is really nice and its not quite finished yet. I can't wait until the Starliner re-opens -- its been far too long since I rode that legend. I can't wait to see the other new rides -- and I too hope he adds a real log flume. I don't know if they can fit it: but it would be cool if the train ride stopped in all 3 ride areas. I guess we'll see next year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Homer Posted July 17, 2005 Share Posted July 17, 2005 Hmm, I want to go to Cypress Gardens in 2006, if you ask me, a Boomerang would suck. So, Homers Steel coaster hypothesis 2006. 1. Kanonen clone?- A rumor I heard from my good online friend, Mr. Volcano, saying that Beuscher was looking into smaller Intamin rides. No major rides like EGF (though that would be f*cking awesome). Maybe a basic, tiny Kanonen rocket, since its small and compact. 2. Invertigo- Certainly, its a modded Boomerang, but it would do wonders in Florida with the GP. They would say things like "Its like that Montu coaster, but it goes backwards!". Thats all I think of going into Cypress so far. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mind Eraser Posted July 18, 2005 Share Posted July 18, 2005 1. Kanonen clone?- A rumor I heard from my good online friend, Mr. Volcano, saying that Beuscher was looking into smaller Intamin rides. No major rides like EGF (though that would be f*cking awesome). Maybe a basic, tiny Kanonen rocket, since its small and compact. If you were to tell me Cypress was looking for a "smaller Intamin ride", I would be more inclined to think outdoors junior coaster (like Skull Mountain outside). I can't picture a looping Rocket at a park like Cypress. Then again, what do I know?... I've never been there. -kip- Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BoardwalkandBaseball4Ever Posted July 18, 2005 Share Posted July 18, 2005 Any coaster that wasn't built by Vekoma would rock! They need to get some more variety. To mimic Wild Adventures ride roster would defeat the purpose of going to both parks -- which is something they are now advertising hard now (with the Summer Pass/Annual Pass). I would love an old steel Wild Cat coaster -- they are also small and have lots of thrills. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mind Eraser Posted July 18, 2005 Share Posted July 18, 2005 Wildcats are awesome! But they are getting old and I hear they're a bitch to maintain now. -kip- Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gregory DG Posted July 21, 2005 Share Posted July 21, 2005 Looks like Splash Island is nearly done! http://www.polkonline.com/stories/072105/communitynews_cypress.shtml (Here's the story text since you do have to register, but there is a good photo of one of the slides that I don't want to "steal.") Work nearly complete on new water park Cypress Gardens set to make a big splash By Abby Slutsky WINTER HAVEN - Cypress Gardens will soon offer a whole new way to cool off. Splash Island, the park's newest area, will feature six attractions including a wave pool, a lazy river, water slides and a wet-play structure which can hold up to 500 people at a time. Young children can play in the Tikki Garden, where pop-jets and bubblers spray water. Polynesian Adventure, the wet-play structure, will offer slides, rope ladders, water cannons and platforms below a 42-foot high water dump-bucket. Kowabunga Bay, a 20,000 square foot wave pool, will offer a chance for people to cool off on an inner tube in the waves. Paradise River, a 1,000 foot lazy river, will let people relax on tubes while flowing slowly around bends and curves. Tonga Tubes, the 40-foot tall twin tube-slide complex and Voodoo Plunge, the triple slide complex with two 60-foot, will also allow for cooling off, though not without a thrill. Darand Williams, of D & D Construction Services, said about 200 workers have been working "around the clock" to complete the water park. Hopefully, Williams said, parts of the water park could open in two weeks. The lazy river and the wet play structure have already been completed and the slides should be completed shortly, Williams said. "All that's left is sidewalks and drainage," he added. Alyson Gernert, public relations manager for the Gardens, said the park plans to have a "soft" opening on the finished elements of the water park soon. The park is also preparing to open its newest roller coaster, Galaxy Spin. Galaxy Spin, a spinning mouse coaster, will have spinning cars that run on the tracks which have drops and sharp turns. The cars, Gernert said, will look like a 1950's version of UFOs. Galaxy Spin, she said, should be open by the first week of August. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gregory DG Posted July 25, 2005 Share Posted July 25, 2005 An unexpected trip to the park yielded some cool new information! The "soft" opening of Splash Island will be July 29! I got some new photos and it looks like much of the lazy river is done, but there still is a LOT of paving to do. I might have to go to the preview next week. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gregory DG Posted July 28, 2005 Share Posted July 28, 2005 Well, I had to get out of the house today, so I thought I'd take my camera by CG. I couldn't get a shot from my normal location (there was too much traffic!) so I thought... "Why not try the other side of the lake!" There's a boat ramp area and a parking lot that provides a very nice view! So I got three new shots. Just go to the Splash Island section. There's a shot of the Paddle Boat docked right next to some private person's dock... (That must be a joy for them I'm sure.) And some shots of SI construction. I counted at least 13 people working... The most I've seen at one time so far! I'm hoping to go tomorrow to get some shots inside of the soft opening. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gregory DG Posted July 30, 2005 Share Posted July 30, 2005 Opening day photos of Splash Island here! My internet connection has been intermittently down for the past four days. And since my web server is here at home sitting next to me, there's no way to tell if that link will work. It's working for the moment, but who knows if it'll work in an hour. Anyway, it was amazing the amount of work they did in a week! Piles of dirt were now covered with sod, concrete, or landscaping. There was a fairly large fence "covering" all of the incomplete areas. Only about 1/2 the park was open and it looks like several old buildings will be utilized too. The park looks like it extends allt the way to the lake (which makes sense if they plan to ferry people over.) A couple of things I hope they do is: 1. Make the lake and beach accessable. I know there are gators and all, but a section can be roped off to prevent them from coming in. It'd be nice to have a "real beach" there. 2. Add some variety to the lazy river. Some water squirters and caves would make it more interesting. 3. Add some misters around the park (and in the main park for that matter.) Since there isn't a lot of shade, the misters could help keep people cool. 4. Cover up those annoying pipes along the lazy river. Just put a Gilligan's Island type house over them or something. Looking at giant pipes hurts the "experience." 5. Add some creativity to the wave pool. I've seen photos of the completed pool over at Wild Adventures. It's nothing but a dull blue background. How about a murel or something? All in all, it's looking great. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BoardwalkandBaseball4Ever Posted July 31, 2005 Share Posted July 31, 2005 You're web site has been having problems... Perhaps too much traffic? I can't wait to see Splash Island in person..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gregory DG Posted July 31, 2005 Share Posted July 31, 2005 You're web site has been having problems... Perhaps too much traffic? I can't wait to see Splash Island in person..... No, I don't think it's the traffic... Stupid internet connection hasn't been working reliably all week. They just called and said it was "fixed" now, so we'll see how long it lasts. Try again. :shock: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gregory DG Posted August 1, 2005 Share Posted August 1, 2005 Here's another SI link with photos for when my site isn't working. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BoardwalkandBaseball4Ever Posted August 3, 2005 Share Posted August 3, 2005 Well, According to the rumor mill -- the Tonga Tubes slide tower has been approved by the safety inspectors and will open for this weekend! Just wanted to pass it along -- so now Splash Island has some real slides open at Cypress Gardens. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gregory DG Posted August 4, 2005 Share Posted August 4, 2005 According to the rumor mill -- the Tonga Tubes slide tower has been approved by the safety inspectors and will open for this weekend! Just wanted to pass it along -- so now Splash Island has some real slides open at Cypress Gardens. Coolness. I'll probably go again tomorrow and Sunday. BTW, Here's a cool idea. Although I'd wager CG isn't the first to do it. 8) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gregory DG Posted August 9, 2005 Share Posted August 9, 2005 Starliners final resting place Don't worry, it's good news. Revamped my CG website with more photos and they finally released a new GOOD map! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gregory DG Posted August 18, 2005 Share Posted August 18, 2005 Galaxy Spin photos and videos now available! And check out the new arcade area and new Splash Island photos too. Kent says the wave pool will be done next week. :shock: (Plus I got the meet him, which was awesome!) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gregory DG Posted September 6, 2005 Share Posted September 6, 2005 Ok, I went today and grabbed some photos of the wave pool. I also updated my Splash Island video with some video of the wave pool area. Check it out! Now that the wave pool is done, SI looks virtually complete. There's hardly any of those ugly fences with the cloth coverings. It looks so much nicer without those. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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