ERH166 Posted July 9, 2014 Share Posted July 9, 2014 Maybe by getting rid of Cuda Falls they are just clearing room for a new, better ride... or maybe even Lake Monster! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coasterkid124 Posted July 9, 2014 Share Posted July 9, 2014 ^It's been confirmed before that Lake Monster will be a remodel of Predator if it happens. I will try to find the link, but it has been mentioned at a town hall meeting last year. There hasn't been word yet if the idea has been given the green light by the park or town, but we may know soon. If Predator doesn't close by around Fright Fest or so, it isn't likely to happen next season either. There are so many little reasons why the park hasn't pulled the trigger yet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rollercoaster Rider Posted July 9, 2014 Share Posted July 9, 2014 Herschend and Huss still don't have a very good relationship after the failure of Timber Tower at Dollywood. Unless they would offer a major discount to put in a frisbee at Darien Lake. So Zamperla? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarienLaker Posted July 9, 2014 Share Posted July 9, 2014 Herschend and Huss still don't have a very good relationship after the failure of Timber Tower at Dollywood. Unless they would offer a major discount to put in a frisbee at Darien Lake. So Zamperla? I guess Darien Lake might have to go with a Zamperla Discovery because if what happened at Dollywood with Timber Tower! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coasterkid124 Posted July 9, 2014 Share Posted July 9, 2014 ^^I like Zamperla's Discovery model a lot. I'm not sure of the exact model, but Black Widow at Kennywood would fit well at the park. It would help fill in some gaps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarienLaker Posted July 9, 2014 Share Posted July 9, 2014 (edited) ^Kennywood Black Widow is a Zamperla Giant Discovery ride. Darien Lake has most of its kiddie rides from Zamperla as well as the Motocoaster, so another "adult" ride from Zamperla would be a nice addition to Darien Lake's ride line up. In fact the former "Barracuda Bay" area would make a good spot for a Zamperla Giant Discovery, but Slingshot would have go or be moved for that! Edited July 9, 2014 by DarienLaker Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Myself Posted July 9, 2014 Share Posted July 9, 2014 Sorry guys, but it's going to be another one of "those posts"... Some friends and I will be visiting Darien Lake on Sunday, July 20. What can we expect in terms of crowds? If we arrive at or before opening, do you think it will be possible to ride everything we are hoping to ride? Aside from all of the coasters, I'd like to check out a lot of the park's unique flat rides. Two of my friends have been to the park before, but I have never been there. Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarienLaker Posted July 9, 2014 Share Posted July 9, 2014 Sorry guys, but it's going to be another one of "those posts"... Some friends and I will be visiting Darien Lake on Sunday, July 20. What can we expect in terms of crowds? If we arrive at or before opening, do you think it will be possible to ride everything we are hoping to ride? Aside from all of the coasters, I'd like to check out a lot of the park's unique flat rides. Two of my friends have been to the park before, but I have never been there. Thanks! I hope you take pictures and give us a photo trip report, but don't expect Darien Lake to run two trains on Ride of Steel, Viper, Motocoaster, and/or Predator! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coasterkid124 Posted July 9, 2014 Share Posted July 9, 2014 Sundays are a lot better to visit than Saturdays so you're good there. Depending on the crews working all the coasters besides Motocoaster and Viper shouldn't be too bad. For RoS expect a 30-45 minute wait, same for Predator. Boomerang and Mind Eraser are 20 minutes at the most. Motocoaster and Viper could be at the very least 45 minutes depending in how long the line is. The only flat to worry about is Blast Off where you will wait at least 45 minutes as well. Do you plan on visiting the water park? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sk610 Posted July 10, 2014 Share Posted July 10, 2014 Don't forget about Mondial as a manufacturer as well. They make the model that Cw got Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coasterkid124 Posted July 10, 2014 Share Posted July 10, 2014 ^Very good point. They make a model that is almost identical to Zamperla's. If this ride is truly going in, the model chosen may be based on cost and reliability. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sk610 Posted July 11, 2014 Share Posted July 11, 2014 Yes my guess is that cost and overall reliability record will be the deciding factors. My guess is that reliability Willie theorem important of those two seeing the situation the park is in now with having to remove unreliable rides and not having enough parts to run two trains on all of their coasters Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coasterchitchat Posted July 11, 2014 Share Posted July 11, 2014 I heard about this "Happiness Guarantee" going on at Darien Lake? Can someone give me a load down on this? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coasterkid124 Posted July 11, 2014 Share Posted July 11, 2014 Well I'll try not to write a book, but I'll explain. Last season, the park was run horribly (one train ops, filthy restrooms, poor weather, closed rides are to name a few), and it made people angry and not want to visit again. This is why we had nothing big put in this year, seeing that the owners do not want to fish out money for something that may not profit. The Happiness Guarantee was put in place by Herschend to give the park a better rap. Here are the three promises. Sunny Day: If it rains for over 45 minutes, you get a return ticket. (They don't do refunds so you are forced to come back). Ride Service: If any major (Coaster, Thrill, or Family) ride is closed for over 4 hours during your visit, you get a return ticket. Short Line: If you wait over 45 minutes for a ride, you get a front of the line pass. Of course there is fine print to all of these. For instance, for the short line guarantee, you cannot say that you waited for the front seat of a coaster because that doesn't count. The main reason why this policy was put into place was because the park promised to run two trains on their coasters, and they failed to do so. Overall, I don't see much more improvement in attendance or anything. But, overall cleanliness has improved tremendously, and maintenance is a lot quicker with fixing rides. They hired a new GM, Director of Operations and Safety, and the manager of maintenance played a bigger role in hiring qualified technicians. Despite one train ops, there seem to be a lot of quicker operators who actually like their jobs too. So the policies have helped so far. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarienLaker Posted July 11, 2014 Share Posted July 11, 2014 ^Does the "short line guarantee" work for water slides? because I predicted with the removal of 'Cuda Falls that there would be longer than 45 minutes wait times for the Swirl City slides! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coasterkid124 Posted July 12, 2014 Share Posted July 12, 2014 No they only work for the rides in the park. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarienLaker Posted July 12, 2014 Share Posted July 12, 2014 ^So I guess the "Happiness Guarantee" policy doesn't apply to the water park? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SbSteveZ Posted July 13, 2014 Share Posted July 13, 2014 I'll be heading out to the park today to hopefully get a few rides in before/after the rain. We shall be putting the Happiness Guarantee to the ULTIMATE test today! I'll try to get some pictures and possibly post a mini TR when I get back! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SbSteveZ Posted July 14, 2014 Share Posted July 14, 2014 So as promised, I took a little trip down to Darien, and despite the rain in the morning (and up until 3), had a pretty good time. To the general public, it is a generally nice park with big rides and fun shows, but to an enthusiast, or to anyone who pays attention... the park still needs some work done to it. Now, that's not to say they aren't trying. I noticed many little things they've done that have helped to bring up the general look of the park, but still, a lot is in need of fixing. Now, I said they fixed a lot of little things, but I also noticed a few tiny details that were off as well. one of which is a sign by the right of the Emporium reads "Laserblast, laser light show" Where as the show is now Ignite the Night. But that's just me being OCD about things. RAIN POLICY This blew me away. While in the parking lot, enjoying lunch in the rain, I noticed that the Ride of Steel, Blast Off, Viper, and the Mind Eraser, were all running! and it wasn't light rain either, it was steady rain. When it started to pour, the rides did all close down, and Darien offered their return tickets at 3:15, but we decided to stick around past that. The only thing I was surprised at Ride wise, was they closed down the water park, and all In-Park water rides immediately following the showers. Thunder canyon was even drained out, as a matter of fact. I would've never expected that, from rain. Score Card Ride of Steel x8 Viper x3 Mind Eraser x3 Boomerang x4 Predator x1 Blast-Off x3 Silver Bullet x1 Big Wheel x1 Shows Nik Wallenda Beyond the Falls - Pleasantly surprised by the show itself Ignite the Night - Always loved the Laser Show, and I think its latest upgrade is amazing. And now for the pictures! We start off with the nicely upgraded (and by upgrade I mean new paint and a "welcome Back!" sign) main gate! I do believe the gift shop in the main entrance plaza got a bit of a face-lift. it appears to me that it was re-painted and received some new signage Blast-Off asserting dominance over the Redhawk and Big Wheel in the skyline Another shot of Blast-Off. I really wish they had put a topper of some sort on this thing... it appears incomplete to me. The first ride of the day. As you can see, we were fighting with the rain in the morning - but with rain comes less crowds! So the lines were practically non-existent! This was right after the rain stopped (the first time), so they had just sent up an empty train. I do believe this fine establishment that seems dreadfully out of place in this dead end plaza got a makeover LAST year. it looks nice and all but this plaza needs more than the RoS and a little food place... There she is in all of her glory! And I noticed they re-painted the camel backs, but they never continued on to paint any more of the ride. Shame, but it's still fantastic in my opinion regardless of the color. #TypicalCoasterShot The lines were cringe worthy... So. Many. People... The sign has a topper, why cant the ride?! Nice little drop tower, but when I looked up at it I couldn't help but think it was missing 3 other towers and a large topper that said "Power Tower" on it... My bad Ah yes, the esteemed Predator. Couldn't pass up the opportunity to see how rough this thing was. Though it's still very rough, I did enjoy the ride as it didn't totally beat me up and leave me bruised the way it did last year. I love spotting the old logo in the park. I assume this is just old merchandise that never made the cut? Remember when they tried to change the logo and failed? Here's whats left of that! The fountain! Slingshot looking... like a slingshot Another shot of the new sign for the gift shop "Please don't leave forever! We'll try more next time, I promise!" Mind eraser in its faded glory... Vekoma did make a pretty nice LOOKING ride ;P NERD SHOT These lines were just terrible... Just look at all of those people! The only closed ride in the park. (Which actually opened up at like 5) The station appears full, but the ride had about a 3 train wait. and by the way, not to be offensive, but I call BS on the "6 minute cycle" thing, with the station like this, it took maybe 5 minutes to get on the coaster. 3 cycles took maybe 5 or 6 minutes. 'NOTHER NERD SHOT Lasso, very fun ride. Attempt 2 at a Vekoma. Honestly, it isn't really that rough, and the color from when they repainted it in 2010 seems to be holding out nicely. The new-er signage for Silver Bullet, which also got a make over Some new signage for the games And here is the newly opened up area in the front of the park. not much in the means of activity going on here but hopefully we'll see signs of something soon It isn't ENTIRELY clear... Boomerang Motocoaster NERD SHOT Very beautiful during the day, barely visible at night... Some of the new signage from last year Hey look! The wheel has lights in the picture! MAKE IT HAPPEN DARIEN Hm, seems familiar... I noticed they have some more selection in the means of apparel. I wasn't very impressed however at the selection in the Moto-coaster gift shop. which no longer has anything to do with the Moto-coaster. Good to see they take care of the behind the scenes stuff on their biggest coaster... It would be nice if the red train were here or at least on the transfers... Taking in all that Intamin goodness - Okay, I was just being lame taking shots of the components in the track. Who wouldn't? It would appear the show is now free with general admission, curious, we went to see what it was all about They could've probably done a *little* better with the front of the building... just black is rather upsetting and bland... They also kept calling it the "Nik Wallenda Theater" Which I refuse to call it - I knew it as the Galaxy Theater therefore, it shall remain the Galaxy Theater in my mind. Some things never change... It looked nice inside I have to admit. But would it kill them to put backs on those sad excuses for theater seats? Comic relief. This guy came over and sat on us. twice. for no reason. It was pretty entertaining, but rather invasive. Human Juggling. Pretty amazing. Everything these guys did once that curtain fell, blew me away. SERIOUSLY HOW DOES THAT EVEN WORK??? Skies opened up, making for a nice shot of the viper FOUND THE TRAIN! I really do enjoy the new sign. looks very nice and vibrant Here lies the forgotten put put that is blatantly obvious from the viper queue... This is just depressing... RoS at night! I wish the tower changed colors... I guess I'm just spoiled by Cedar Fair There is no excuse to why this cant even have some white flood lights on it or something. Seriously, if its a park icon, it shoudn't be left in the dark like this... One final shot of the Boardwalk. I enjoy the new style of the area, now lets hope to see some other changes throughout the park like this... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarienLaker Posted July 14, 2014 Share Posted July 14, 2014 Thanks for the PTR! Now that 'Cuda Falls is gone and the bunny house had painted to tan ( ), I assume that Floodgate Falls is going too to make way for whatever is going in the area formerly known as "Barracuda Bay". Although I agree with the Ride of Steel area needing something else besides that Jo's snack bar and Ride of Steel and Blast Off needing to be topped off! I think the lockers in the Barracuda Bay house need to be repainted tan, the blue color seems out of place! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coasterbill Posted July 14, 2014 Share Posted July 14, 2014 Holy crap... something relevant an interesting in the Darien Lake thread (A photo trip report)! I never thought this day would come. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarienLaker Posted July 14, 2014 Share Posted July 14, 2014 Holy crap... something relevant an interesting in the Darien Lake thread (A photo trip report)! I never thought this day would come. I know, but I was thinking that we would never see something relevant ever again on this thread! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coasterchitchat Posted July 14, 2014 Share Posted July 14, 2014 I think they need the Lake Monster (if CNL will ever fork over the money,) a Zamperla Midi/Giant Discovery and some more improvement to make it better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coasterkid124 Posted July 14, 2014 Share Posted July 14, 2014 Holy crap... something relevant an interesting in the Darien Lake thread (A photo trip report)! I never thought this day would come. Now some members can go right back to wishing for an underwater Pandemonium clone to replace the star attractions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarienLaker Posted July 14, 2014 Share Posted July 14, 2014 Holy crap... something relevant an interesting in the Darien Lake thread (A photo trip report)! I never thought this day would come. Now some members can go right back to wishing for an underwater Pandemonium clone to replace the star attractions. Yeah right, an underwater Tony Hawk's Big Spin/Pandemonium clone is never going to happen at Darien Lake or any park. The idea is so unrealistic and not mention the lawsuits that Darien Lake would have from drowning riders on that thing! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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