California Great America (CGA) Discussion Thread

[gforce532]

^Its funny how that is so true. Except there is a good number of people (particularly age 30 and up) who have heard of Great America, but don't know anything about the park other than it is located somewhere in Silicon Valley.

[CGA_88]

Three new shows for this season. www.cagreatamerica.com/attractions/category.cfm?ac_id=4. Looks like no more All-Wheels Extreme. And the Charlie Brown show re-themed to pirates.

[Angry_Gumball]

That All Wheels Extreme was a pretty good show, I enjoyed it anyway. Too bad it's gone now. It was always cool to see the guys riding along in the midway doing tricks to entice people into actually checking out the show. Looks like we're still stuck with the karaoke show... nothing worse than hearing really bad singers while waiting in line on a nearby ride. On the other hand, it's too bad that all that's new for 2011 is a ride removal and a couple of show replacements. Hopefully Haunt will see something major (like a new maze, not a replacement of an existing maze). And hopefully 2012 will be the big year for us CGA fans.

[ABW]

Well, it would seem that people aren't posting excessively on this thread like before in response to the Invertigo incident...

 

Anyways, I don't think 2011 will be a "great" year for CGA, but I still look to getting a season pass for there and enjoying what the park still has. A new how replacing an old one isn't that appealing to anyone really. They could at least keep all of their shows and not just replace them with new ones, oh well. Anyone find it funny how the park kept some of it's worst coasters throughout time while at the same time removing all of the better coasters?

[Angry_Gumball]

Well, it would seem that people aren't posting excessively on this thread like before in response to the Invertigo incident...

 

Anyways, I don't think 2011 will be a "great" year for CGA, but I still look to getting a season pass for there and enjoying what the park still has. A new how replacing an old one isn't that appealing to anyone really. They could at least keep all of their shows and not just replace them with new ones, oh well. Anyone find it funny how the park kept some of it's worst coasters throughout time while at the same time removing all of the better coasters?

 

What much else is there to talk about with Invertigo being gone? We've already beat the dead horse to death, lol.

 

I still plan on getting my pass as well. I will be looking forward to checking out the newly retracked Grizzly. They've been working on the first drop so it should be smoother than last season (which was much smoother than before).

 

 

Wait...Invertigo still appears to be standing, from what we can barely see. For all we know though, the cobra roll could be in the process of being dismantled. Plus, who knows when exactly the photos were taken.

Photos taken from CGA's Facebook

[Bolliger&Mabillard]

The thing about retracking Grizzly....You can shape a steaming pile of sh*t into something better looking, but unless you gut it, it's still a POS...

[ScottBrown]

Ahahahahahahah that was freakin funny and so true

[Columbia]

I think what most people forget about the Grizzly isn't that it was JUST rough - it was it's lack of doing anything that contributed to it's suck factor. Remember, that it's a mirror image of Grizzly at Kings Dominion, and you can see the elements missing (Double Bunny Hill, Tunnel). Most of the ride was "smoothed out" from the KD design to be more gentle...but once the roughness came into play - all bets were off.

[ScottBrown]

I think what most people forget about the Grizzly isn't that it was JUST rough - it was it's lack of doing anything that contributed to it's suck factor. Remember, that it's a mirror image of Grizzly at Kings Dominion, and you can see the elements missing (Double Bunny Hill, Tunnel). Most of the ride was "smoothed out" from the KD design to be more gentle...but once the roughness came into play - all bets were off.

 

Yes it's more like riding a super bumpy train ride than a roller coasters

[Tmcdllr]

I wouldn't call it a mirror image, its too different.

[ScottBrown]

No I agree it is a mirror image they just took out the hills and replaced them with a long curved piece of track and I want to say they also raised up the turns slightly as well, I do believe the first drop is pretty close if not exact to the original however

[ABW]

Well then, I guess they made Grizzly a little "too gentle" eh?

[CoasterBeagle]

what if instead of a windseeker they get something like skyhawk and a compact coaster. skyhawk isn't to intimidating if your scared of heights (like me). Well I'm scared of heights in the form of drop towers and windseekers.

 

Anyway.... what do you guys think a windseeker or a skyhawk type ride with a compact coaster

[CoasterBeagle]

So here is my two cents about everyone saying CGA is going downhill and is going to end up like GL.

 

I don't think that is going to happen. If anything it's going to end up like astroworld, though thats not my point.

 

CGA has been having the noise complaints for years and has been battling the 49ners for ? years. Also look at SCBB thats been going for a century (as someone else has already stated) and from the SCBB forum thread they are taking down a building and rumored to be taking out hurricane. I think CGA is like SCBB its going to keep going.

CF wouldnt have given new flat rides, retracking grizzly, tried to get a new custom woodie in 2008, expanded haunt to close it down. Let's trust CF and CGA if anything I'd be more worried about what the city of santa clara would make CF do

[CoasterBeagle]

another reason I don't think CGA is going the route of GL:

according to RCDB: http://www.rcdb.com/4541.htm that many coasters have been taken out

 

according to wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/California%27s_Great_America#Past_rides

 

If people had the internet back in the earlier times, I bet that all the reactions to a ride being taken out would be the same. I don't remember who said it, but CF is a business. IMO i dont think they have left CGA out to die. oh and firefall was relocated from GL.

[ScottBrown]

So here is my two cents about everyone saying CGA is going downhill and is going to end up like GL.

 

I don't think that is going to happen. If anything it's going to end up like astroworld, though thats not my point.

 

CGA has been having the noise complaints for years and has been battling the 49ners for ? years. Also look at SCBB thats been going for a century (as someone else has already stated) and from the SCBB forum thread they are taking down a building and rumored to be taking out hurricane. I think CGA is like SCBB its going to keep going.

CF wouldnt have given new flat rides, retracking grizzly, tried to get a new custom woodie in 2008, expanded haunt to close it down. Let's trust CF and CGA if anything I'd be more worried about what the city of santa clara would make CF do

 

Yeah I agree I don't think they are going to close it down they are just taking some time to figure out what they can do with the park. The couldn't build the GCI in the planned location and removing Grizzly or Demon would present the same problem, I guarantee if they were to tear either of those down it would be a huge battle to build anything new there. The only option for anything new would have been to clear up a spot away from those Nazi businesses along the side of the park

[Flagg O'Dim]

Just went to CGA's website, and the new name for Survivor is....

 

Tiki Twirl.

 

Eh. I guess it matches the themeing. It sounds like a name for a kiddie ride though....

 

http://cagreatamerica.com/attractions/category.cfm?ac_id=2

[ScottBrown]

I kind of like that

[Angry_Gumball]

Tiki Twirl! LOL!

I would have hoped for something like Jungle Spinny Disk ride.

 

On the serious side, the name does sound kind of kiddy but catchy at the same time. Too bad Six Flags had the name of VooDoo...

[ABW]

Anybody see the Facebook post on CGA's Facebook page about Grizzly flying through its course? I found that quite interesting.

[ScottBrown]

Anybody see the Facebook post on CGA's Facebook page about Grizzly flying through its course? I found that quite interesting.

 

Now it will be more like a train ride then ever

[ABW]

^I can hardly wait.

[Columbia]

I'll reserve judgment on the statement until I see a video...then we'll see if our ideas of "flying through the circuit" are matching!

[KDCOASTERFAN]

^Paramount installed Delirium.

 

True but CF didn't look around & say "ohh we can't have this ride in KI anymore when we have it at CP" it just doesn't work that way & if the ride is bringing in the crowds then that's what matters.

 

Remember this is the chain that intends to move invertigo to a park that already has an invert & an impulse so stranger things can & have happened.

[Bolliger&Mabillard]

"Tiki Twirl...could have been worse....they could've named it 'Junglehawk'".