robbalvey Posted March 29, 2015 Author Share Posted March 29, 2015 ^ My thoughts exactly. Although I'm assuming they wouldn't notice since "everything was spinning up there!" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ajfelice Posted March 29, 2015 Share Posted March 29, 2015 ^Wait! Cyclone is now a spinning coaster too?! I believe that there is a significant portion of our society that has a serious trust problem with amusement parks. If you think that a ride simply stopping when something goes wrong (to keep you safe) is that traumatizing, I question why you got on the ride in the first place. Either they don't trust amusement parks, or there is a serious problem with people embellishing to get their 15 minutes of fame. The more I think about it, the latter might be more true. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fraroc Posted March 29, 2015 Share Posted March 29, 2015 ^Wait! Cyclone is now a spinning coaster too?! I believe that there is a significant portion of our society that has a serious trust problem with amusement parks. If you think that a ride simply stopping when something goes wrong (to keep you safe) is that traumatizing, I question why you got on the ride in the first place. Either they don't trust amusement parks, or there is a serious problem with people embellishing to get their 15 minutes of fame. The more I think about it, the latter might be more true. Exactly. Getting stuck on a ride is more of an inconvenience than a traumatizing event, especially getting stuck on Magnum XL-200 for at least 10 minutes on the brake run under the most intense Ohio summer sun And there are times at Hershey that I've hoped for a rollback on Stormrunner Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coasterchitchat Posted March 29, 2015 Share Posted March 29, 2015 At least this didn't turn into the NTAG incident again with all those fake reports. Thank god the park handled this professionally. Why has this weekend been a bad start for the parks? Emergency evacuations, ride closures, one train ops, etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ajfelice Posted March 29, 2015 Share Posted March 29, 2015 Why has this weekend been a bad start for the parks? Emergency evacuations, ride closures, one train ops, etc. Opening Day is celebratory for guests, but the people in charge of these parks are biting their nails just hoping to get through it. First of all, parks these days are really gutsy about opening earlier into the season. It's beneficial to open early because the local pass-holders are eager to get out of the house for some fun, and the park picks up some change from them. However, factors that are beyond the park's control will sometimes give the park a perception of "not being ready." However, opening early in the spring brings in the weather factor, especially the further north your get. Rides do not like cold temperatures and wind, particularly the coasters. It's not just a valleying concern, but sensors can go nuts in the cold and trains travelling slower than normal will also irritate sensors. Flats typically do okay regardless of temperature, but the wind or rain might hinder some of the larger flats. Basically, finicky weather=finicky ride up-time. Parks do absolutely everything they can to make the rides mechanically prepared for operation, but resuming daily operation after several months of idle time is not always a smooth transition. There is a reason I'm not rushing out to some parks in driving distance this weekend, as the weather variables are just not worth risking. As for those one train operations and ride closures, a lot is going on there as well. Staffing a park this time of the year is a nightmare. College students aren't going to commit to working at a park that is not in the area the live in during the summer. High schoolers are either underage or busy with other activities that make working weekends practically impossible during the school year. Most of these parks might have a great amount of people hired for the season, but at this time a lot of them are not available to work yet. As a result, operations efficiency will be compromised and occurrences such as one train operation and even ride closures are not out of the ordinary. Furthermore, parks operate on a very lean budget. It wouldn't surprise me one bit if some of the larger ones haven't finished prepping all ride vehicles to make maximum train operation possible. Is this situation ideal? Not at all. Is it a fact of life parks must handle the best they can? Sure is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
I305forever Posted March 29, 2015 Share Posted March 29, 2015 I'm jealous of people who get stuck on rides. It seems like it would be a cool experience to have so long as your not stuck in a loop like on Batman and Robin:The Chiller. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
larrygator Posted March 30, 2015 Share Posted March 30, 2015 (edited) What flew under the radar was the addition of some rides to Deno's and one at Luna. The additions are tailored to families with younger children. http://www.amny.com/lifestyle/coney-island-2015-new-rides-new-eats-1.10152485 It's Coney Island season! 7 new rides and eats to try By NINA RUGGIERO March 29, 2015 Forget the groundhog-- The Coney Island Cyclone seemed to predict spring's delay this year, as it made its way slowly up its track on chilly opening day and then thought better of it, stopping short of the first drop. Everyone made it off safely, and the 88-year-old coaster will be back up and running soon, Luna Park says. But if you're not quite willing to take the risk, there are plenty of other reasons to visit Coney Island this spring and summer. Here's what's new. The Scrambler The Scrambler, an old Astroland favorite, makes a comeback this year at Deno's Wonder Wheel Amusement Park, and the strong-stomached can't wait to get scrambled. Its new home is between the Wonder Wheel and the bumper cars. The Jump Around Kids can now jump behind the wheel of a car on springs for a bumpy ride and cruise around a festive, summer-themed sandcastle inside Deno's Wonder Wheel Amusement Park. The Jump Around is located before the entrance to the Wonder Wheel. Speedway This new mini-racetrack, located to the far left if you're entering Deno's Wonder Wheel Amusement Park from the boardwalk, is built for kids who have the need for speed. Twist & Shout This kid-sized drop tower is for mini-daredevils who aren't afraid of heights. It's located in the southeast corner of Deno's Wonder Wheel Amusement Park, not far from the Speedway. Brooklyn Barge This wild, water-themed ride (Zamperla Rockin' Tug)will open in Luna Park before summer hits, a park spokeswoman said. Edited March 30, 2015 by larrygator Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robbalvey Posted March 30, 2015 Author Share Posted March 30, 2015 Either they don't trust amusement parks, or there is a serious problem with people embellishing to get their 15 minutes of fame. The more I think about it, the latter might be more true. Give this man a prize! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woodie Warrior Posted March 30, 2015 Share Posted March 30, 2015 Why do news articles feel the need to report on this crap? Incidents, if you can even call them that, like this happen all the time. Not to mention, maintenance workers use those staircases daily to inspect the track, it isn't like they are unsafe. And also, how does sitting still in a train make "everything start spinning"? Sounds like somebody is either A) a giant drama queen or B) an easily frightened person who shouldn't have even gotten on the ride in the first place. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ajfelice Posted March 30, 2015 Share Posted March 30, 2015 ^I venture to guess the growth of online and social media news access has something to do with it. They need something catchy for people to see and click on. Amusement parks have that exciting and unpredictable nature that gets people's attention. Not to forget to mention, since a very small amount of people understand how rides work, the fear of the unknown is a great attention grabber. Basically, these kinds of stories get more people to the page to make more money from advertisements. Perfectly legal, but not what I think is the most ethical way of reporting important news stories. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
larrygator Posted March 30, 2015 Share Posted March 30, 2015 Yellow journalism has been going on for well over 100 years. Media outlet put out these article/stories because the general public wants sensationalism. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ejot Posted March 30, 2015 Share Posted March 30, 2015 So we went today and had a great time. It was sunny and brisk, at least for the big rides. To summarize the visit: not many coaster rides, but Luna Park and Deno's still turn out to be good fun without them. No rides had waits but the parks were reasonably populated. Perfect. I actually loved the bright, clear 40F weather. Read ajfelice's description of early season operations, it is spot on. We appreciated the effort to get the park running at whatever capacity was possible. Arrived about 12:15 to see people walking around on Cyclone's lift hill as we drove by. I was hopeful it would get running during the day but it wasn't to be. Thunderbolt was shut down and gated up. I overheard that testing went really badly yesterday in the cold. Soarin Eagle was thankfully shut down, I had no plans to ride and this undoubtedly saved plenty of people some pain. Onto Steeplechase where engineers were playing with prox sensors. We stopped back a bit later to watch a test or warm-up launch roll back. The flats were fun. I'm always game for multiple re-rides on a Disk-o. The small 360 frisbee ride is just phenomenal. Excited for Quassy's. Air Race was good enough for another 'spin'. Did the little red coaster for the credit. I need to build something that size in my backyard someday. After a walk out on the pier we ate at the boardwalk Nathan's. It surprised us for reasonable prices and a decent chili dog with bacon cheese fries. And a nice crisp orangeade with a touch of rind bitter, strangely delicious and refreshing. We saw riders on Steeplechase as we were eating, so headed over for two quick rides. There was actually a 1-2 train wait. Got lucky to get full seat choice both times (all rides at Coney are fill-all-seats policy). Front and back were equally enjoyable to me. Great little launch - 'adorable' I'd even say - awesome, forceful first turn/bank. Shortly after our rides it again appeared down. The Wonder Wheel is an experience that MUST be had, it is unique and strangely disorienting and altogether outstanding. This is referring to the rolling/sliding/screetching cars. Onto el pics!! This is Thunderbolt. Hibernating. I know you know what Thunderbolt looks like, but did you notice that the Brooklyn Cyclone's outfield lighting within the vertical loop... sorta looks like a nipple? Try un-seeing THAT! Opening day woes. We were wondering what the news trucks were doing all around. Didn't even make the connection. :/ There was Cyclone Harley parked by the gift shop and it seems like maybe the same guy has a dune buggy that hangs around? New track! Lot's of it, much more than this. Oh, and let me say. This is a beautiful coaster. It's old and raw and steep and it oozes history. You can just see how being crammed into a tiny block generates it's tight curves and legendary forcefulness. It's been prized and maintained, then neglected, then re-prized in much it's original form as an unlikely survivor among so many . It's been copied and mirrored and re-imagined and has given so much inspiration to new designs through the decades. I felt humbled in it's presence. We.. we didn't! I swear it didn't even cross our minds! Pretty turns. Thunderbolt is eye-candy too. And nothing more, today. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Philrad71 Posted March 30, 2015 Share Posted March 30, 2015 At least this didn't turn into the NTAG incident again with all those fake reports. Thank god the park handled this professionally. Why has this weekend been a bad start for the parks? Emergency evacuations, ride closures, one train ops, etc. Our Buffalo news cast reported the breakdown last night and said "at least 100 people had to be evacuated from a popular roller coaster in NYC". Were they using the super duper extra long trains that day? I was thinking that Cylcone's trains held what...maybe 24 people max? And this probably didn't help Coney Island's reputation today either... Link Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yay101 Posted March 30, 2015 Share Posted March 30, 2015 When my mom saw this on the news, for some reason she thought it was in France, I'm not even kidding she was like "Oh there was a roller coaster in France where riders had to be evacuated." ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
I305forever Posted March 30, 2015 Share Posted March 30, 2015 ^^ I hate the world now. 1.5 MILLION FREAKING DOLLARS!? FOR SOMETHING SHE WAS TOLD NOT TO DO BY THE SIGN IN THE STATION!?WTF!? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
I305forever Posted March 30, 2015 Share Posted March 30, 2015 Also, in a less dramatic note, does anyone know the probability of all the coasters being running on Friday? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ejot Posted March 30, 2015 Share Posted March 30, 2015 Also, in a less dramatic note, does anyone know the probability of all the coasters being running on Friday? While dejectedly looking at a sign proclaiming Thunderbolt's closure yesterday, a park worker approached me and "promised" it would be be open on Friday. You can take that for what it's worth, as another park worker told me Cyclone would likely be opening "in about an hour" when I asked at the ticket booth around 2pm (it didn't). The weather is the biggest factor - at least for the steel rides - the warmer it is, the better chance you'll have. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thrillrider Posted March 30, 2015 Share Posted March 30, 2015 Unbaleavable.......This story just made ABC world news. Story coming up in a few min. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VF15 Posted March 30, 2015 Share Posted March 30, 2015 This story just made ABC world news. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swede Posted April 9, 2015 Share Posted April 9, 2015 Does anyone know if they changed the restraints on Thunderbolt for this season? I heard a lot of complaints last year and and accually saw a video with someone who had the belt slap on his neck leaving a nasty red mark. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zack44 Posted April 10, 2015 Share Posted April 10, 2015 I just spent a few hours at the park and I have a few notes from today's visit. This is the first time I've been to Coney Island since Astroland was still around and I'm still amazed by how much the place in general has changed since 2008. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to get credits for every coaster there since Tickler and Thunderbolt were not running at all, so I'll have to go back later this year. Deno's Wonder Wheel Park was also completely closed too (what a bummer). It was chilly and almost rainy outside today, but the air still felt crisp and refreshing on the Boardwalk. I ended up riding Steeplechase (my very first Motocoaster), Circus Coaster, Soarin' Eagle, and the Cyclone (in the front row) with waits no more than 1 train each. A large section of the renovated part of the Cyclone is still unpainted and I hope they take care of it in the future, but who knows what'll happen. I also drove over to the nearby Adventurer's Park to get a credit for the oddly named TL*3 Coaster (seriously, what's with that name anyway?) Here are some of the better pictures I took today: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Myself Posted April 10, 2015 Share Posted April 10, 2015 Is there any sign of construction for whatever is replacing the Skycoaster? They've already announced the Brooklyn Barge (Rockin' Tug) to replace the Beach Shack (Barnyard). I know it hasn't been announced yet, but if any visible work is going on, it might give us a clue of some sort. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dbucknyc Posted April 21, 2015 Share Posted April 21, 2015 All the new Rides have been announced, well sort-of. These are from the parks 2015 map currently on their web sight. the Brooklyn Barge is in place and other then the empty space where the Balloon Expedition was removed (where Wind Star will go) no other signs of construction were seen when I was there Saturday 4/18. The Endeavor #13, said to be Zamperla’s version of an Enterprise and the Power Surge #12 Wind Star #22, Seaside Swing #26 the renamed Happy Swing, and Brooklyn Barge #23 the Rockin’ Tug. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
I305forever Posted April 21, 2015 Share Posted April 21, 2015 ^ I didn't see anything either when I went 4/4/15. I hope they start soon so they can be done when I go again in the middle of the summer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Geek Mojo Posted April 29, 2015 Share Posted April 29, 2015 Hi, I'm going to be in New York July 4th - July 9th (Sat - Thurs) and I have a 4 hour wrist band that allows me to ride all I want at Luna Park. I was just curious, what day would you suggest I visit on so I can get the most out of my 4 hours? I'm assuming it'll be Mon - Thurs visit, but would like to pick the day with the least crowds. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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