California Great America (CGA) Discussion Thread

[RAWKIN_coaster38]

If CGA didn't get a hyper as their next coaster, I could see them getting a wingrider. I thought X-Flight was really fun and we don't have any in California yet. I thought CGA would make the most sense to get one (though I'd love to see one at SFDK). SFMM has X2 so it wouldn't make sense for them and I'm not sure about Knott's.

[Bubba]

I'm all in favor of getting rid of Vortex. It has nothing going for it. Maybe another park might want it (I don't see why anyone would) but CGA just needs to get rid of it. It's painful and boring and painfully boring and SFDK has Medusa and no other floorless will compare to Medusa

I agree 100%. I haven't been on the ride my past few visits because it just seems so pointless now. Medusa is usually considered the top coaster in the Bay Area, so converting Vortex to a floorless coaster would be disappointing considering I grew up here. But if it would actually make the ride enjoyable, I'm all for improvement. I don't mind Grizzly leaving as well now that we have Gold Rusher. I know how to hold my head on Demon so I actually like the ride.

 

It's been a while since they added anything to their water park though I'm wondering if they'll do that & add a flat to Invertagrass. I can't imagine them leaving that there for another year. Maybe even an eatery as it's right next to the food court.

[Mater]

Their movie nights have been so popular that I can't see them giving up that spot anytime soon.

[CrazedZooChimp]

Their movie nights have been so popular that I can't see them giving up that spot anytime soon.

 

Surely they could find another spot for the movie nights (like the fancy new pavilion near the front?).

[Fire2box]

A winged coaster would be pretty nice at CGA. I'd for sure finally come back for that in 2016/2017.

[Vonni]

Mind you if Vortex leaves, it'll probably be getting floorless trains to replace the terrible standup trains that are on it right now. I really doubt it if Cedar Fair would scrap it. It's not like there are structural issues, it's just running a terribly designed train and I think it could become a nice little floorless coaster for a park that probably would never get a B&M coaster otherwise.

 

I do see a big coaster going in at CGA in the future, probably more than likely a Hyper but we'll see when the time comes.

 

 

I could see them adding just regular sit down trains to vortex if it were moved to another Park rather than floorless trains. I don't think it would be appropriate for a Coaster the size and age of Vortex. Sit down trains would be a cheaper investment than floorless trains, because there would not have to be the drop away floors. But that's just my opinion.

[Lareson]

Sit down would be a possibility to save a few bucks, although it could be a negligible cost. The last sit-down trains that were manufactured was on Led Zeppelin/Time Machine in 2008, but before that would of been Wildfire in 2001, so I think they might just go for the floorless as B&M could just convince them to spend the extra, since the floorless trains have a much superior guest experience. I mean, the orders obviously show that, considering there are well over 2x as many floorless as there are sit-down.

 

I think if the move does happen, which I have a feeling it will, we'll more than likely see floorless trains, since I have a feeling Rougarou will be a huge improvement over Mantis. I have a feeling it'll bring the efficiency back to that ride and could possibly bring back ridership numbers that this coaster hasn't seen since its first few years. The Vortex coasters would be great little coasters converted, but obviously wouldn't really work at their current parks, which is why I see one or both of them moving somewhere else in the near future.

[jray21]

I would be all for Vortex getting floor less trains. The standup trains are way too painful.

[coasterchitchat]

My only issue with Vortex getting floorless trains is that it is too short to even support it. If this goes well, knowing Matt Outimet, he'd porbably order floorless trains to be immediately put on Vortex at Carowinds and CGA.

[Canobie Coaster]

I would be all for Vortex getting floor less trains. The standup trains are way too painful.

 

I'd support this entirely. Vortex had a surprisingly forceful loop and with floorless trains, I think the head-banging in the transitions would be eliminated. Flight Deck is a really short coaster and loved by parkgoers, so I think Vortex could be the same with a transformation.

[invisibleinthedark]

I don't see Vortex leaving the park anytime soon, as for a floorless converstion, I don't think it's going to happen, the station itself is extremely crammed already behind buildings and on top of the park's service road. It seems to me more efficient to just make it into a sit down coaster. It would be cool to see it repainted to it's original colors too.

 

What I honestly want to see is Demon with new coaster cars, preferably the new Vekoma lap bars with the stadium style seating, and just an overhaul of the general theming like replacing the lights in the tunnel, bringing back the foggers. etc.

 

Couple of places to put a roller coaster:

-Remove Psycho Mouse and the Go Kart track for a small Euro-Fighter, it would provide more square footage than the Inverti-Garden.

-The perimeter of the rapids utilizing the old railroad right of way for a launched coaster would be cool too. It's actually really scenic back there, the railroad trestle is still up and so is the water tower, would make a really good mine themed/railroad launched coaster.

-The Greased Lightin' station is still up, could always put a Wicked Twister/V2 Inverted launch Intamin.

[Jew]

The important thing is the station is elevated, so the floorless mechanisms could fit underneath. I have no doubt they could do the conversion if they wanted to.

[grsupercity]

Make it a sit down or floorless and give it hydra colors.

[VF15]

Even though it has been said that they might turn the CGA and Carowinds Vortexes into floorless coasters, I think they'd be better off just scrapping them and getting a new coaster in those spots because the layouts don't look very exciting and it probably wouldn't be much of an upgrade. If they do go ahead and give it the standup-to-floorless conversion, they might as well have B&M come back and extend/change the layout to make it longer/more exciting, or maybe add a little extra height to the lift hill and drop. I just think that if they are going to convert Vortex, they might as well do more to it than just give it new trains and repaint it. Just my two cents.

[rcdude]

As far as the stand-up to floorless conversion goes, I could see it happening on the Carowinds Vortex but I doubt it will happen to the CGA Vortex until the coaster is relocated (if it ever is). I don't know how much the conversion costs (I'd guess $1-2 million, though that might be a little high), but it would be very difficult to market in the bay area with Medusa at SFDK within a two hour drive. I don't think it would be a non-floorless sit-down conversion for reasons that have been discussed regarding the Mantis conversion (such as potential heartline issues).

 

I heard a rumor on another site that Knott's may be removing Xcelerator in a couple years, and while I am highly skeptical of this occurring without more evidence if Xcelerator was actually removed I wouldn't be surprised if CGA received it. If the park removed Vortex and the Action Theater, Xcelerator could be installed in that space. Vortex could be given a floorless conversion and make a nice low-budget addition to Michigan's Adventure or Valleyfair.

[singemfrc]

I heard a rumor on another site that Knott's may be removing Xcelerator in a couple years, and while I am highly skeptical of this occurring without more evidence if Xcelerator was actually removed I wouldn't be surprised if CGA received it.

Yeah I heard CGA was going to trade Gold Striker for it. Great move for both parks.

[TyRush]

I heard a rumor on another site that Knott's may be removing Xcelerator in a couple years, and while I am highly skeptical of this occurring without more evidence if Xcelerator was actually removed I wouldn't be surprised if CGA received it.

Yeah I heard CGA was going to trade Gold Striker for it. Great move for both parks.

They'd have to enclose the entire ride so our friends at Prudential don't raise a hoot.

[singemfrc]

I heard a rumor on another site that Knott's may be removing Xcelerator in a couple years, and while I am highly skeptical of this occurring without more evidence if Xcelerator was actually removed I wouldn't be surprised if CGA received it.

Yeah I heard CGA was going to trade Gold Striker for it. Great move for both parks.

They'd have to enclose the entire ride so our friends at Prudential don't raise a hoot.

World's tallest tunnel...seems more like a Six Flags ad.

[tarheel1231]

I heard a rumor on another site that Knott's may be removing Xcelerator in a couple years, and while I am highly skeptical of this occurring without more evidence if Xcelerator was actually removed I wouldn't be surprised if CGA received it.

 

EDIT: I think the person who posted that must believe the Iron Reef Poster.

[MrSum1_55]

While I do think that Vortex would be better off scrapped than with new trains, I still think that getting new trains on that would be one of the most exciting things to happen to this park in the past decade. Besides Gold Striker and Boomerang Bay, new trains on a coaster would serve as huge news for the standards of this park.

 

However, I will say that this park that was once in danger of closing made a pretty amazing comeback, almost like the west coast's Kentucky Kingdom. Maybe we will only have to wait every few years for a major attraction now, instead of every decade or so.

 

'

[chickenbowl]

I heard a rumor on another site that Knott's may be removing Xcelerator in a couple years, and while I am highly skeptical of this occurring without more evidence if Xcelerator was actually removed I wouldn't be surprised if CGA received it.

 

EDIT: I think the person who posted that must believe the Iron Reef Poster.

 

Did you even read his post? You're not funny, dude. He literally said he was "highly skeptical."

[laqueefa]

What I honestly want to see is Demon with new coaster cars, preferably the new Vekoma lap bars with the stadium style seating, and just an overhaul of the general theming like replacing the lights in the tunnel, bringing back the foggers. etc.

 

I'd love to see this done as well, sans the stadium style seating. I like to sit in the back, and I'd like to keep my head attached to my body during the tunnel.

[gromithere]

 

Not sure if this book has been mentioned in here, but I just scrolled through it after having it for a few months. First off, it's always cool to randomly find a picture of yourself (during Coasting for Kids) when you're flipping through the pages.

 

But the main thing looking through here has reminded me is just how much of the original theming from the park has disappeared. I still love the park for the rides and they have definitely made improvements over the last few years, but there is just a "feeling" when visiting there that isn't the same as it was in it's heyday.

 

Thoughts?

[WayCool64]

I bought that book months ago and I'm glad I did. I was supposed to mention it on this thread when it was first announced, but I never got around to doing it.

 

I'm kinda surprised about some of the stuff the park had that I never knew about. And yeah I agree, looking at the pics of the park back in it's early days, makes the park of today feel somewhat empty. I really hope that future improvements can try to make the park feel stronger.

[VF15]

Just wondering, do you think that California's Great America should eventually become a year-round park one of these days? Since Six Flags Discovery Kingdom has gone year-round, you'd think that CGA might want to follow suit with them to be competitive. Or, is there a specific reason why it couldn't happen? Does Santa Clara happen to be colder than Vallejo in winter, or does the park not have the attendance to justify year-round operation?