Worlds of Fun (WOF) Discussion Thread

[VF15]

^

Yes, I'd heard the Trololo song before, but it just seems like an odd choice of background music for that particular video. It's almost like Worlds of Fun is trolling us.

 

I'm with everyone on that WOF could use some sort of launched coaster, as it would really round out their coaster lineup. Not so sure they'll get any sort of launched B&M, but something from Premier Rides would likely go over well (though that probably wouldn't happen either).

[AdventureJack]

^

 

I'll actually be visiting tomorrow. I decided to take a somewhat spur of the moment trip to Lawrence/KC. Lawrence is a pretty awesome place.

 

Yeah it is! Lawrence is great!

[The Yeti]

 

world of fun I think of face a lot more money in comparison

 

Isn't cedar fair shelling out 120 million this year? What coasters are seem like solidified ones for next year? The drop coaster at Cedar Point where the theatre was? Valleyfair, Michigan's Adventure, and WoF need to be next in line.

 

You understood that?

 

I hope Worlds of Fun gets something big next year. An RMC hybrid version of Timber Wolf would be ideal, but for some reason I don't see that happening and I won't get my hopes up. I definitely agree that a launched coaster with inversions would be the next best thing. While a Superman/Tempesto clone would be in my opinion a good fit for Worlds of Fun, something more original would be nice.

 

I think a replacement log ride or water coaster for Viking Voyager or Tidal Wave would also be a great addition.

[Donkey123]

Cedar Fair usually gets two coasters a year with the exception of this year with only getting Fury 325 (I don't count Rougarou). I don't expect more then two coasters in 2016 with Cedar Fair giving 120 million to there parks and Cedar Point is most likely getting a dive coaster that cost around 15 million. So I think either WoF, Dorney Park, Kings Dominion, or Valleyfair will be next in line for a coaster, but I think Wof and Dorney have the greatest potential because both park got very small investments with Wof getting a splash pad and relocated swan boats and Dorney getting a Larson Flyer unlike Valleyfair and Kings Dominion that both got pretty big slide complexes. This year is going to be interesting in the Cedar Fair chain!

[Jaykethekid]

Say what you want, I think that worlds of fun would be ready for a giga. I've talked to so many people who say they would rather drive to sfot because the rides are bigger and better. They have the space, good enough attendance, certainly enough space over by mamba too. The problem I see is how diverse the lineup is here. They would either have to build a really big coaster or really small. They already have a hyper and have had it for 17 years. It's time for something though. Any new coaster is acceptable.

[thrillrider]

I was just wondering a few things about the orient express coaster that used to be at the park.

 

1. Why did they get rid of it?

2. Is that the old station for it behind the spinning dragons ride?

3. Is there a good p.o.v of the ride out there? There is one on youtube, but it's a pretty crappy one.

 

 

And I agree that the park is in need of a new modern coaster, but will always run to prowler first thing

[Jaykethekid]

1. I was told that it was showing age, and I also heard that I'm not sure of that there was an accident as well.

2. Yes

3. I've only seen the one you were more than likely talking about.

[CaptainUnknown]

While on the subject of Orient Express, when do we think that the next interlocking vertical loop coaster will be built, if ever and by whom?

[thrillrider]

I would say that either B&M or Intimin.

 

Personally, I would love to see a B&M invert with interlocking loops.

[baileybrucem]

I hope Worlds of Fun gets something big next year. An RMC hybrid version of Timber Wolf would be ideal, but for some reason I don't see that happening and I won't get my hopes up.

 

I went to Worlds of Fun yesterday, and the Timber Wolf was closed as I expected. Screamscape has some interesting information on the coaster, claiming there are talks about GCI and RMC bidding on it...? I think that is wonderful- but when I was there yesterday I noticed that part of the track has LITERALLY been removed and it looks like they are building it over-again there. This is making me think CF wants to get a few more seasons out of the ride- presumably making the hybrid come not in 2016, but 17 or 18. This made me sad, but it also makes me wonder what the next two years have in store!

 

On a side note, WoF has signs everywhere this year proclaiming "Around the world in just one day!" The park seems to have put quite a chunk of money into the new maps and signage, and it appears that the theming of "Around the World in 80 Days"

is being reimplemented. Phenomenal news!!!

 

The Spinning Dragon's line took over an hour, and only 3 cars were running. That was great. Most of the operators seemed new and the Steelhawk ambassadors kept having people get out and switch seats- in my group I didn't get to sit on the outside because heavier persons have to, and I'm tiny. Is that for all wind seekers or...? It was really slowing the lines down.

Thunder hawk was running all day, boomerang was down from 4 to close, and mamba had a hiccup at around 11:30. On the plus side, the mid course breaks were not noticeable. Mamba really needs a new paint job.. All of the coasters do, really.

 

The octopus sign was still up, and the lot for it was empty. However, the ride safety thing listed the site as "scrambler". That was interesting.

 

And once more- move those bumper cars! There is ample room in the Europa woods for a launched coaster! Those things just need to be moved for an entrance plaza

Every section of the park had a sign like this. The arrows to different sections were a pleasant touch.

Edited April 27, 2015 by baileybrucem

[Philrad71]

Love the themed areas, but an Auntie Anne's in the African section & a Chickie and Pete's/Chicken Shack in Scandinavia? It just looks a little out of place and a bit odd when seeing it on that sign!

[Voyager6442]

I'm planning to visit the park on Friday, June 19. My interest is in the coasters. What kind of crowd should I expect? Are there any tips for making the most of my time at the park? Thanks.

[baileybrucem]

I'm planning to visit the park on Friday, June 19. My interest is in the coasters. What kind of crowd should I expect? Are there any tips for making the most of my time at the park? Thanks.

 

Well a Friday in the middle of June won't be a walk in the park. It probably won't be too packed, but. I mean, it's a Friday. In June.

 

I'd expect rather lengthy lines- ride Mamba and Patriot as early as possible or as late as possible. Boomerang's line doesn't ever get too long, the highest wait I've seen was around an hour. Ride boomerang in the back. The Prowler will almost surely be busy, and it's a pretty decent woodie. Depending on how things play out, Timberwolf may or may not be open. If it is, you can hit that whenever because it generally has short lines in retrospect to the other coasters. Spinning Dragons has a horrible capacity, so that will probably take a while regardless.

 

Should you find yourself with down time, I highly recommend Cyclone Sam's. It is the only ride at the park that is "one-of-a-kind". The line for it will be long though, as you will be going in summer and Cyclone Sam's is the only air-conditioned ride.

Bamboozler is also a nice flat, and Thunderhawk. Regardless of how busy it is, you should have a great time. WoF is one of Kansas City's better attractions!

 

I just realized the first annual BBQ and Brew at the park is the 19th.

 

If it turns out as big as Cedar Fair would want it, id highly recommend fast lane passes.

[Shavethewhales]

My visit yesterday was nice, though the fact that WOF's two wooden coasters were closed was a bummer. It was also kind of annoying how sluggish they were at getting the rides open with the park. When the park opens people of course tend to mostly shoot towards Mamba, but it took until about 30 minutes after the park opened for it to finally get done testing. I got tired of waiting and went to try to find something else to do, but the other rides I went to were in a similar situation. It seemed like they just didn't care because there weren't that many people in the park yet. Don't bother getting there at park opening, I guess. Most of their operations were decent enough though.

 

Hard to say what was going on with Prowler. They were trying to get it open, but weren't able to. I saw a train stuck awkwardly on the first part of the break run, and maintenance people were actually climbing around in the supports and hammering on the track. Seems odd...

 

I hadn't kept up with the news on Timberwolf - I knew it was supposed to be worked on, but I thought there would be a chance it would be done by now. Currently the entire bottom and pull-out of the first drop is completely gone. There's a lot of miscellaneous new wood around the ride, but most of it doesn't seem to be very consequential. Who knows how far they are planning to go with the current retracking, but it would be odd if they just rebuild the first drop and then "band-aid" the rest with a few new boards when the entire track really needs to be replaced. This coaster was unbearable last October, but it has a great classic layout, so I'm very happy they're working on it. Just wish they could have done it sooner and had it at least close to ready by now. I know it's SOP to not even try to have everything open until summer, but I've never agreed with that personally.

 

ThunderHawk was running though, which was awesome! Finally got to experience a Huss Top Spin, and I really enjoyed it even if the ride cycle is a bit short.

 

Cyclone Sam's is still a star of this park. I always forget how much I love that thing until I visit. It's seriously a flash of brilliance and the type of thing that WOF needs to get back to doing more of. I love that it's a simple carnival ride that through theming and attention to detail is turned into a truly unique and awesome experience. It's just simply a well thought-out ride through a through.

 

There were plenty of signs of off-season TLC to the park. A couple of the train trestles seemed to be completely rebuilt.

[MN55skycoaster]

\When the park opens people of course tend to mostly shoot towards Mamba, but it took until about 30 minutes after the park opened for it to finally get done testing. I got tired of waiting and went to try to find something else to do, but the other rides I went to were in a similar situation. It seemed like they just didn't care because there weren't that many people in the park yet. Don't bother getting there at park opening, I guess. Most of their operations were decent enough though.

.

I had that issue last year when I visited. I ended up talking to some employees and they mentioned that it was because some days the park only has one maintenance electrician those days and he has to go around to all the rides. The other thing that happened when I was there and mamba took forever to open was employees doing more then one test run with multiple employees which is against Standard operating procedure

[larrygator]

Cyclone Sam's is still a star of this park. I always forget how much I love that thing until I visit. It's seriously a flash of brilliance and the type of thing that WOF needs to get back to doing more of. I love that it's a simple carnival ride that through theming and attention to detail is turned into a truly unique and awesome experience. It's just simply a well thought-out ride through a through.

 

I'm a big fan of Cyclone Sam's also.

[GwaziBSRider1]

Most of the operators seemed new and the Steelhawk ambassadors kept having people get out and switch seats- in my group I didn't get to sit on the outside because heavier persons have to, and I'm tiny. Is that for all wind seekers or...? It was really slowing the lines down.

 

I've never seen that happen on any other Windseekers. I've been the "smaller" rider on the outside plenty of times.

 

Also, did anybody get pictures of the Timber Wolf retracking?

[baileybrucem]

 

Also, did anybody get pictures of the Timber Wolf retracking?

 

The only place you could really see it was the Mamba's second and third hill, so I definitely didn't want to try. There was a sign about it being closed for the early part of the season. The new haunt building was completed though, that was cool.

[Vonni]

This thread really came alive for a couple of days! And then died again.

[Jaykethekid]

I was told by an employee today even without asking, that worlds of fun is getting a new front gate next year. And he awkwardly said that worlds of fun "is in no need of a new coaster". I thought that was interesting. Also does anyone know how much of timberwolf is getting retracked. So far the first turn is completely gutted of track. Is any actual coaster manufacturer behind this work?

 

So it was band day for the park and boy was it busy. Mamba had near full line by 12:30, but was moving at a pretty good pace. Boomerang was usual. Prowler has started to scream and screech again. Right exactly where it used to as well. Right before the brakes. Mamba was great, blew right through the mcbr. Speaking of mamba I have finally completed 1000 rides on it. Detonator was only operating one tower and the one that was open didn't seem to be as strong. They weren't having a lot of problems on Steelhawk. They got the people on, maybe moved one group but then was off to ride. The only comPlaint I have about my trip is that the employees at patriot and spinning dragons were really grumpy and just very negative, though the patriot crew still did an amazing job at dispatching trains quickly. Most were out before the ride even got back.

[zdub]

I was told by an employee today even without asking, that worlds of fun is getting a new front gate next year. And he awkwardly said that worlds of fun "is in no need of a new coaster". I thought that was interesting.

 

Well hopefully this means WOF is getting a front gate coaster. IMO,IF this indeed true, the employee mentioned the no need of a new coaster to throw you off. But I suppose we will see if that happens. My only question would be as to where this new gate would be located, or would it would be a "renovation" to the existing front gate? And if it's the new front gate/coaster combo CF has been doing, what coaster would WOF get?

[chadster]

I've heard the front gate rumor for a while now. Given the success of the new front gates at CP, CW, KD, and KI I would expect a front gate along the same caliber should a remodel take place.

[baileybrucem]

I was told by an employee today even without asking, that worlds of fun is getting a new front gate next year. And he awkwardly said that worlds of fun "is in no need of a new coaster".

 

 

Okay. First and foremost, why in the world would an employee tell a guest that?!? Especially a high schooler during a band visit day? No hate, I'm a senior in high school.

Anyways, that makes very very little sense. Park employees don't just go around telling people the future expansion projects. ESPECIALLY since you said you didn't even ask. Were you talking about the park getting a new entrance, then an employee butted in that information? I've heard my own fair share of blush-t from employees at the park, and it's generally from the employees who hate working there. I'm just flabbergasted that anyone would tell you that, well, because I'm pretty sure they wouldn't.

 

HOWEVER. If somehow this is true information and someone wasn't blowing smoke up your rear, the entrance would have to be gutted and rebuilt- there isn't much room near the front entrance. And IF there is a coaster coming with it, the entrance would have to be in either Scandinavia or Orient. Scandinavia doesn't have tons of room around the front gate, except for the big wooded area behind Tivoli Hall, but I'm pretty sure that is where the park compiles trash..? In orient, I suppose they could re-use the old express entrance, but the haunt list is at 13 this year which means either another one must be built or this one is staying. What kind of coaster would it even be? I don't even know at this point... I sadly would guess a standard wing rider, nothing special in regards to record-braking stats. I'd love to say giga, but of all places the front entrance is not where the room is at.

 

I suppose I'll believe it when I see it. I was really banking on the existing portions of the park being cleaned up before something like that. I also am expecting the park to eventually expand outwards behind the wind seeker into the giant field all the way to the Timberwolf. I'm skeptical to say the least, especially since this is a completely new concept and generally the parks already have some sort of game plan, and the fact nobody has mentioned this expansion before further pushes my feeling the employee was a jokester.

 

As much as I love idea of a coaster entrance- or just a new entrance, even, I don't see it. Honestly, I was almost positive the entrance got refurbished in between 2011 and 12. I've never been strikingly concerned over the entrance because I don't think it is that bad.

 

I'm hoping I'll eat my own words come this fall WOF normally gets the shaft, so I'm now extremely anxious for the next season and it is May.

[Vonni]

I think a front gate coaster would be a great addition for WOF. A launched wingrider would be a welcome addition, and it would fill a void that the park needs.

[baileybrucem]

I think a front gate coaster would be a great addition for WOF. A launched wingrider would be a welcome addition, and it would fill a void that the park needs.

 

Killing two birds with one stone. Perhaps just a hair faster tha Thunderbird? I'm skeptical because I've never heard any rumors regarding a new entrance until literally today.