boldikus Posted August 28, 2015 Share Posted August 28, 2015 I used to just type it in thinking that it was the "hip" thing to do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarienLaker Posted August 28, 2015 Share Posted August 28, 2015 I really cant wait for dl next year hoping that they run 2 trains on most coasters and maybe add a trill ride? Or just a couple family rides Agreed, but I'm hoping for a new real roller coaster! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andrer18 Posted August 28, 2015 Share Posted August 28, 2015 Agreed, but I'm hoping for a new real roller coaster! I know i really want one too! Hopefully it happens Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PATTYCAKES Posted August 28, 2015 Share Posted August 28, 2015 (edited) Actually, I have been on the go-carts at FunSpot. Please don't think Darien Lake should build a go-cart track like that. Although I enjoyed it, the go-cart track at FunSpot is definitly NOT family-friendly. If seeing adults pushing kids side-ways, down a hill, in a go-cart, on the verge of flipping, is something you'd like to see at Darien Lake, then I'm sorry, that would not be good for DL, and $5 is more than enough to pay for a few laps of gas. DL is making money on the go-carts. If you have a season pass, then you don't know, it is kind of a tradition for campers to do a few laps on the go-carts before going back to roast a few marshmallows and hot dogs over the fire before tucking in a sleeping bag to rest for the next day, and perhaps another few laps in the morning. If anything, they should bring in more upcharge attractions, like a new mini-golf, and move Facination back to the 'campers only' area so that they can keep it open longer just for the campers. Upcharge attractions make money for parks, and the go-carts are not going anywhere, any time soon. Edited August 28, 2015 by PATTYCAKES Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coasterkid124 Posted August 28, 2015 Share Posted August 28, 2015 I haven't seen that many people on the go karts in a couple of years. They used to be a little bit popular, but the whole area back there is dead now. I could imagine how much gas is wasted leaving them idling all day with nobody on them. A big new attraction back there would bring more people not only to the park, but it would liven the area up. Hopefully they would do something with Galaxy Theater too, because it looks like a dump now Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PATTYCAKES Posted August 28, 2015 Share Posted August 28, 2015 Wow, it is not necessary to leave them idling, and I agree, about the theatre. The cirque show they had there a few years back was great! Perhaps something like that again. Have they fixed/replaced the wobbly chairs and tables in the boardwalk food court area yet? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SaraAB87 Posted August 28, 2015 Share Posted August 28, 2015 Wow really you want more upcharge attractions? That is insane, way to give those that pay for daily tickets more value... If anything they should be removing the upcharge attractions and putting in attractions that guests can go on with regular admission,or perhaps you enjoy paying $50 per skydiver ride? The gokarts need to go, they take up a lot of land, require a lot of staff and are high maintenance and are probably costly to run. I am sorry I am being so negative here as I usually am not but I am not going to Darien for the gokarts, however if they added a new large attraction of some sort in its place that would absolutely get me into the park. Also they were $7 per ride when I was at the park earlier in the season. If you want to go on gokarts and overpriced upcharge attractions you can head to pole position raceway in the galleria mall and pay $28 to ride their go-karts. Lasertron has gokarts for $5 per go or 2 for $7 if you can hit one of their specials. Epic fun center if they still have them has gokarts for $5 a pop as well. There are plenty of options for gokarts in this area. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thewesker Posted August 28, 2015 Share Posted August 28, 2015 Maybe they could bring back Cuda Falls. I know some around here aren't fond but they were pretty good slides. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tackleberry Posted August 28, 2015 Share Posted August 28, 2015 Maybe they could bring back Cuda Falls. I know some around here aren't fond but they were pretty good slides. They. Arent. Coming. Back. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coasterkid124 Posted August 28, 2015 Share Posted August 28, 2015 Maybe they could bring back Cuda Falls. I know it's not Darienlaker, but close enough. This one's for you coasterbill! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andrer18 Posted August 28, 2015 Share Posted August 28, 2015 They should move twister no one goes by it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PATTYCAKES Posted August 28, 2015 Share Posted August 28, 2015 Sarah, if you look at major parks in the U.S., upcharge attractions make huge amounts of profit for theme parks and are the way of the future, and most times, the price goes down as more new rides are added. Yes, it may take more money out of your pocket, but, in the long run, Darien Lake will benefit from more rides that guests actually help to pay for. Again, the go-carts have been there for at least 20 years, they're not going anywhere. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarienLaker Posted August 29, 2015 Share Posted August 29, 2015 They should move twister no one goes by it I think that Darien Lake should move Twister to where Cuda Falls was! And.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SbSteveZ Posted August 29, 2015 Share Posted August 29, 2015 Again, the go-carts have been there for at least 20 years, they're not going anywhere. Seniority has nothing to do with whether or not a ride or attraction stays or leave. If anything in the case of go-karts, it could possibly mean their demise. 20 year old go karts versus a new roller coaster. Think about it. Which one is going to attract more people? Ill tell you for sure, im not seeing people flock to Darien Lake for some "AWESOME go kart action" in fact, I'm not seeing people flock to Darien lake at all! It takes investments and tough decisions for parks that are so close to being major, such as Darien lake. If that means removing an aging attraction or two - conveniently right next to each other may I add, then so be it. Right now Darien Lake is the Radiator Springs of the first Cars movie. We have nothing to attract people outside of RoS, and with Leviathan and Millennium both within a few hours of Darien, there's almost no reason for people to go to the park at all! Not to mention they see locals and enthusiasts complain about operations and rough rides such as an SLC, a Boomerang and Predator. Which may not be rough for people who know how to ride them but are for the majority of the GP... In all honesty. If putting us on the map is at the expense of some go-karts, the so be it. And want to boost revenue from up charge attractions? Keep the "half off the other ride" deal with slingshot and redhawk, advertise it better, and then lower the price of the rides a little bit. More people will ride knowing of the deals and the price reduction - even if it's $5 off of the year before and boom, the go karts won't be all that missed - money wise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sk610 Posted August 29, 2015 Share Posted August 29, 2015 First off i want to test the locker filter theory. Second, the go karts do make the park money. Almost all up charge attractions make parks extra money. If they dont, they take them out. The fact that the go karts are still there after 25 years or more means they are still bringing in money. My other question is why can't they keep the go karts and still add a coaster there in the future? All they would need to do is put the supports in the gass in the middle of the go kart track and make sure the coaster track stays high enough above for the go karts to pass under. The galaxy theater may need to go though. It was not meant to be a theater, and they should demolish it and make a "true" theater elsewhere in the park, preferably near the boardwalk or pirate area. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dgkallday49 Posted August 29, 2015 Share Posted August 29, 2015 First off i want to test the fluffy, fluffy bunny filled with medicine and goo filter theory. Second, the go karts do make the park money. Almost all up charge attractions make parks extra money. If they dont, they take them out. The fact that the go karts are still there after 25 years or more means they are still bringing in money. My other question is why can't they keep the go karts and still add a coaster there in the future? All they would need to do is put the supports in the gass in the middle of the go kart track and make sure the coaster track stays high enough above for the go karts to pass under. The galaxy theater may need to go though. It was not meant to be a theater, and they should demolish it and make a "true" theater elsewhere in the park, preferably near the boardwalk or pirate area. That would never happen too much of a risk of people dropping items onto the track and injuring somebody, just too risky all around. And yes I've been saying move twister forever. Moving it will create more room for a large attraction back there along with the go karts being removed (it will happen in the next 5 years people I promise). My idea has always been to move it by ROS since it's getting a re theme next season and adding twister there would start the growing process of developing the area down by ROS. While they're at it they should paint twister. You could also add a new coaster down by where the haunted house is during haloween. It could either run parallel to ROS and out across the lake over by big kahuna, or even out the other direction into the lake by predator, and even touch down on the overgrown island on predators lake. Theme it as a Bigfoot or stranded on an island theme and add theming and figures on the island. You could add a Bigfoot animatronic on the island and a destroyed campsite if you did a bigfoot theme. Also, GIVE UP THE GO KART BS! They make a little money for the park, but nothing compared to what a world class coaster in its place would bring. The go karts are also beat to crap, the cars are all banged up, there are potholes on the track, there is no theming. And it may be a "tradition" for your family to waste your money on crappy go karts on the way back to your campsite, but I've never heard anyone ever say that in all my years of camping. The batting cages however I do like, and they are only 2$ the go carts WILL be gone eventually and the sooner the better imo. And adding more up charge attractions would just be plain stupid. Darien has a reputation of price gouging as it is on their up charge rides. Guests would be furious to have to pay a ton more to do up charge attractions. Imo adding an up charge attraction would not wanna make me visit the park... It's probably drive me away from visiting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andrer18 Posted August 29, 2015 Share Posted August 29, 2015 Also, the go carts dont usally have lots of rides its in a bad loaction and same with the batting cages getting rid of the go karts and putting in a coaster would give people another reason to come. The slingshot and red hawk make money i always see people waiting in line for those. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dgkallday49 Posted August 29, 2015 Share Posted August 29, 2015 Also, the go carts dont usally have lots of rides its in a bad loaction and same with the batting cages getting rid of the go karts and putting in a coaster would give people another reason to come. The slingshot and red hawk make money i always see people waiting in line for those. Agreed. I'd keep the batting cages, they don't take up much room, they're only 2$, and there's always people in line. They don't lose me bey cause there's really no cost to running them. The go karts are constantly driving or idling, soo much gas wasted! And nobody rides them ever because they are #1 expensive #2 they look unappealing to ride, they're falling apart, the track layout is also very boring. RedHawk and slingshot both rake in serious cash. Both are cheap to run, and both are always packed. On top of that both are expensive. For RedHawk it's 50$ for one person, 30$ Per person for 2, and 25$ per person for 3. They are sold out all day everyday. Constantly at least 5 parties waiting in line. Slingshot I wanna sayid 30$ a ride? And is also quite busy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SbSteveZ Posted August 29, 2015 Share Posted August 29, 2015 why can't they keep the go karts and still add a coaster there in the future? All they would need to do is put the supports in the gass in the middle of the go kart track and make sure the coaster track stays high enough above for the go karts to pass under. The galaxy theater may need to go though. Mini Golf Would like to have a word with you Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PATTYCAKES Posted August 29, 2015 Share Posted August 29, 2015 They will never build a coaster where go-carts and twister are. That's just way too close to the campers. Not going to happen in that area, that's why there has been go-carts in that area for so long. (imo) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geauga Dog Posted August 29, 2015 Share Posted August 29, 2015 Every time I've been at the park I've hardly seen anyone at the batting cages or go-carts. Personally I think go-carts inside theme parks are past their prime. The real estate they sit on can be used for better things. I don't see why a roller coaster could not go there - it doesn't have to be a big coaster. A ride lik SFOG's Dare Devil Dive, a Gerstlauer Eurofighter, would be perfect on that spot. Galaxy Theater was looking a bit worn when I was there earlier this month. This is another "attraction" that sits on a site that could be better used for something else. Have Viper's exit empty out into the plaza and add a couple flats. As for Redhawk it is way overpriced. I'd be willing to fork over $50 if it included Sling Shot but not as a single attraction. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dgkallday49 Posted August 29, 2015 Share Posted August 29, 2015 They will never build a coaster where go-carts and twister are. That's just way too close to the campers. Not going to happen in that area, that's why there has been go-carts in that area for so long. (imo) Why wont you give up your lame go kart dreams?? They will be gone its just a matter of time, they sit on a huge plot of land. You say that it'd be too close to the campground but Boomerang, Twister, and the go karts are all already basically in the campground, so why couldn't a compact coaster be added there?? Go Karts make more noise than a coaster would, and that plot of land they are on is too good to waste with go karts. A Zac Spin coaster and a flat or 2 would fit there without issue. It's not like the rides run all night, they close at 10, and all the campers are either at the park till 10 or at the laser light show, so I don't understand your statement about it being too close to the campground, why does that even matter?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SaraAB87 Posted August 29, 2015 Share Posted August 29, 2015 I think I speak for the majority of WNY when I say this, but the majority of people who go to Darien are people from WNY and many of us are stuck on hard times as far as money goes. Many of us are scraping up money just to come to the park because we like the park, we want the park to succeed and we also love amusement rides. Families want their kids to have a good time when they are kids because they grow up very fast, and taking the kids to darien for the day is a very expensive venture for some families. It simply is not in the interest of the WNY economy to add more upcharge rides to this park. Most people going to this park cannot afford rides that are $20-50 per person for a ride that lasts a couple minutes at best. If you want a thrill the park has enough rides that are available under regular admission. Putting in another upcharge attraction with all the struggling families in WNY and people who lose their jobs and cannot find another one, and all the other people who are struggling in WNY would not be a very good thing. I watch families and friends struggle and scrape up enough money to go to one park every year. It would definitely turn me away from the park, and I really don't think it would be in the park's best interest. If darien was to become a park that adds nothing but an upcharge attraction every year I would stop going, not that it will ever become that, but in your vision this is park that adds a bunch of upcharge attractions and it becomes a good thing........ There is simply no way the economy of this area can sustain a park that has a ton of upcharge attractions for $20-50 each. What do you see when you go to the park, I see people bringing their own food, in fact on my last visit, almost everyone I saw eating was eating their own food! People have clearly caught on to the high food prices in this park and choose to either eat in the car or eat at one of the picnic tables on the outside. Almost no one was purchasing food or drink at the park. For the record I always bring my own food, as I refuse to give any park or establishment a dime for food or drink, except for Waldameer which is the only park I have ever found that had reasonably priced food. To be far its not just darien either, I went to seabreeze and food prices were nearly the same as they were at darien. However seabreeze was giving out free water in coolers, with paper cups, it was a very nice gesture from this park. As far as gokarts I have already said my piece on that, like everyone else here, I am sure they will be gone eventually. They take up too much land, require too much maintenance, use too much gasoline and require a lot of staff to run. Besides I think gokarts are past their prime like everyone else, I cannot count the number of gokart tracks in WNY that have closed, but its quite a lot, I have been to them all in the past. Its clear that there isn't a market for gokarts here in WNY. There are a reason these places close up. Those karts are very old, and they will not last forever. I don't think darien will want to pay for a completely new set of gokarts once the old ones become not usable. If you want to go on gokarts I already sited 2-3 other options in this area for that. If you have a lot of money to waste then please go to Pole position in the galleria mall and give them $28 for a race or purchase a membership to their track. There are other options besides darien's track if you like darien that much. When I go to the park, any park, I don't want to pay extra for attractions, and I simply will not pay it. Whatever costs more after admission, I won't pay it. I don't have the money to pay $20-50 for something that is a 2-3 min experience. I don't really care about those kinds of rides anyways as I said the park offers enough to keep me busy for my time there that I don't need to pay extra for rides. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coasterkid124 Posted August 29, 2015 Share Posted August 29, 2015 Besides I think gokarts are past their prime like everyone else, I cannot count the number of gokart tracks in WNY that have closed, but its quite a lot, I have been to them all in the past. Its clear that there isn't a market for gokarts here in WNY. There are a reason these places close up. Those karts are very old, and they will not last forever. I don't think darien will want to pay for a completely new set of gokarts once the old ones become not usable. If you want to go on gokarts I already sited 2-3 other options in this area for that. If you have a lot of money to waste then please go to Pole position in the galleria mall and give them $28 for a race or purchase a membership to their track. There are other options besides darien's track if you like darien that much. Pole Position is horrible. Somebody gave me a gift card there for my birthday, and I will never go back. First of all, the wait to get your name called, and the instructional video/setup takes ten times as long as the race itself. It's like I have had a license over 10 years, I don't need Driver's ed again. Then during the race, it is based off of best lap time, and if you get stuck behind someone afraid to drive, you're screwed. The 28$ fee is ridiculous for the short time that the race lasted. I believe there is an extra fee too for a "license" to race there. Were the karts fun? Yes, but not for the high price and long waits. But if they wouldn't charge that, they probably wouldn't either make money (like the closed "Fast Freddies" down the road), or too many people would be trying to race. There are so many more options that Darien could explore with that area, and I wish that a plan would be put into place soon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SaraAB87 Posted August 30, 2015 Share Posted August 30, 2015 Yeah PP is totally outrageous plus they will slow your car down if you try to do anything at all from what I hear, also they can slow your car down any time to let a person pass. If a person is a member they will slow down a non member so they can get ahead. I havent actually been there and i will never go there since i simply cant afford it. But its NOT the racing place they describe on TV unless you pay into membership and go weekly. I would recommend lasertron for gokarts, probably the most fun i have had for the cheapest price on karts I have seen. They are also electric karts and are controlled by an ipad, its a very cool setup. I have been to lemans, fast freddies, lasertron, speedway park, adventure landing (formerly the track) and the epic fun center and yes the ones at darien too like 20 years ago. Might be another one i am missing. Fast freddies was not expensive when i was there but i am an adult and they wanted to put me in a kids kart which was pretty embarrassing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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