The Great Escape (TGE) Discussion Thread

[Sluggo77]

^It’s only mentioning the lodge not the park itself. There’s only a couple of things even open in the indoor water park so I wouldn’t expect much.  I agree I’m also not far from the park and Cuomo isn’t allowing things to open anytime soon. 

[KBrylczyk]

17 hours ago, abovethesink said:

 as much as I'd love a Comet ride. I doubt it would move well in the cold anyway.

Oh how wrong you are.  I was lucky enough to get an evening ride in the falling snow, 28 degrees that night.  The ride was running like a bat out of hell and combined with the falling snow it became one of my favorite memories in life.

[MoreyMan]

It appears the Giant Wheel might be one of the 15 rides Six Flags planned to remove chain-wide. Any and all mention of it has been removed from the website, and it’s no longer in the accessibility guide. It was listed as “Temporarily Closed” the whole year before being removed all together. 

I’ll have to take a ride past the park and see if it’s gone as you can see it’s plot from outside the gates. Oh well, if true, it had great views of the park and mountain landscape but it was a rust bucket and seemed like it was closed often.

 

 

[abovethesink]

19 hours ago, MoreyMan said:

It appears the Giant Wheel might be one of the 15 rides Six Flags planned to remove chain-wide. Any and all mention of it has been removed from the website, and it’s no longer in the accessibility guide. It was listed as “Temporarily Closed” the whole year before being removed all together. 

I’ll have to take a ride past the park and see if it’s gone as you can see it’s plot from outside the gates. Oh well, if true, it had great views of the park and mountain landscape but it was a rust bucket and seemed like it was closed often.

 

 

Well, I would notice if it was gone and not really bat an eye. I don't even know if I bothered to get on it in the past five years. Maybe once.

A lot of older ferris wheels will probably start to go across the world. I wonder if we will see some sort of modernization and revival of the ride in the next ten years and see some start to be built again, or if they will just go extinct over time. 

[Sluggo77]

If this does go it wouldn’t have been my top expected ride to get cut but it sits all by itself and never seems to have a lot of riders when I’ve been at the park at least. 

[Canobie Coaster]

I never saw that ride closed when I visited Great Escape, but it is at the end of a dead midway.  Could they connect that area to the water park somehow to give it more space?

[MoreyMan]

4 hours ago, abovethesink said:

Well, I would notice if it was gone and not really bat an eye. I don't even know if I bothered to get on it in the past five years. Maybe once.

A lot of older ferris wheels will probably start to go across the world. I wonder if we will see some sort of modernization and revival of the ride in the next ten years and see some start to be built again, or if they will just go extinct over time. 

We stopped riding it because it always seemed to be inundated with bees. Can’t tell you how many times we were stopped at the top as they loaded guests at the bottom and got swarmed by bees. On the spokes, in the car, etc. 
 

Agreed about not batting an eye. But the Pirate Ship removal? That was a shame. 

[grsupercity]

A chance giant 90 foot wheel just uses tires outside the wheel to spin it. Can it really be that expensive to maintain it?

[coasterbill]

So they went to that area of the park with the perpetually-broken-since-forever-low-capacity-that-has-to-close-early-if-it-actually-opens Alpine Bobsleds and the Ferris Wheel looking for something to remove for budget and they came up with the Ferris Wheel? Oh...

[AmyUD06]

8 minutes ago, coasterbill said:

So they went to that area of the park with the perpetually-broken-since-forever-low-capacity-that-has-to-close-early-if-it-actually-opens Alpine Bobsleds and the Ferris Wheel looking for something to remove for budget and they came up with the Ferris Wheel? Oh...

The businessman in me agrees, but the coaster nerd in me would much rather preserve one of two Intamin bobsleds remaining in the world.

[coasterbill]

I agree because this park sucks and that's probably the second or third best ride there by default but I'm shocked that they cut a ride from this park for budget and it wasn't that one. Shocked...

[Canobie Coaster]

Alpine Bobsled has been perpetually on the chopping block for years, but it always seems to survive.

[Sluggo77]

14 hours ago, Canobie Coaster said:

I never saw that ride closed when I visited Great Escape, but it is at the end of a dead midway.  Could they connect that area to the water park somehow to give it more space?

Yes the trail behind it goes down to the picnic grove and the back of the water park is right there. I think there’s even a gate to walk right into the water park. 

Seems like Alpine Bobsled has at least a little life left in their eyes.  It’s never open when I go which isn’t often.  

Between the Ferris wheel area, bobsled and where pirate ship was and the go carts are now there’s potentially a huge area for water park expansion if that ultimately is the parks main goal. 

Just wish we’d see at least a second coaster of any value added to compliment Comet.  I would think a smaller style coaster in the vain of a hyper maybe from RMC using the Raptor track could be a great addition at a fairly lower cost and could work under the height limits. 

Since the park is heavy for families it would be less extreme but still a ton of fun. I could even see something like that in ghost town using the space behind the flume where a train used to run when I was a kid back in the Storytown days. 

[CNYCoasterguy11]

If it isn't the Ferris Wheel being removed, my next guess would be the Condor Ride, It is always breaking down or never running to begin with. in 2019 I was on it and it got going, but before it could start going up it shut down. It is also a ride that i don't believe parts are made for anymore which can also make it expensive to operate.

I don't see them removing the Bobsleds unless it was to be replaced with a new coaster as the park already only has 5 major coasters. Most other rides in the park seem safe as they are for the most part well maintained and ridden. 

[AmyUD06]

20 minutes ago, CNYCoasterguy11 said:

If it isn't the Ferris Wheel being removed, my next guess would be the Condor Ride, It is always breaking down or never running to begin with. in 2019 I was on it and it got going, but before it could start going up it shut down. It is also a ride that i don't believe parts are made for anymore which can also make it expensive to operate.

You'd think so, but nope, you can still get parts...HUSS will even sell you a complete new one if you wanted.

[grsupercity]

32 minutes ago, Charles Wagor III said:

Yes the trail behind it goes down to the picnic grove and the back of the water park is right there. I think there’s even a gate to walk right into the water park. 

Seems like Alpine Bobsled has at least a little life left in their eyes.  It’s never open when I go which isn’t often.  

Between the Ferris wheel area, bobsled and where pirate ship was and the go carts are now there’s potentially a huge area for water park expansion if that ultimately is the parks main goal. 

Just wish we’d see at least a second coaster of any value added to compliment Comet.  I would think a smaller style coaster in the vain of a hyper maybe from RMC using the Raptor track could be a great addition at a fairly lower cost and could work under the height limits. 

Since the park is heavy for families it would be less extreme but still a ton of fun. I could even see something like that in ghost town using the space behind the flume where a train used to run when I was a kid back in the Storytown days. 

I cant picture Six Flags investing Hyper coaster money into this park. But with Six Flags working a lot with S&S I think an El Loco coaster would fit right in! 

[A.J.]

39 minutes ago, Mike240SX said:

You'd think so, but nope, you can still get parts...HUSS will even sell you a complete new one if you wanted.

They still sell brand new O.G. Top Spins too!

[CNYCoasterguy11]

1 hour ago, Mike240SX said:

You'd think so, but nope, you can still get parts...HUSS will even sell you a complete new one if you wanted.

Well then i,m not sure why they have such trouble running it, seems like it is constantly down, I have been on it in years past but most of the time it seems like it breaks down. As much as I enjoy the ride i could still see it leaving, the only reason they wouldn't i could see would be its not a big plot of land that it sits on compared to the space removing the ferris wheel could open up

[Canobie Coaster]

Condor, Alpine Bobsled, and Flying Trapeze are the three rides always down when I'm there.

[KBrylczyk]

1 hour ago, Mike240SX said:

You'd think so, but nope, you can still get parts...HUSS will even sell you a complete new one if you wanted.

Dude the Condor at Tivoli with the outward-facing seats was a trip.  Nothing super thrilling but just weird and fun.  I'm kinda sad the idea didn't catch on.

[coasterbill]

I’ve had a few drinks but this is the scenario as I imagine it. I’m at least 0.001% sure this is what happened but in my head it’s 100% what happened because that’s what I choose to believe.

The Ferris wheel is sitting 20 feet from the bobsled. I just picture the park president standing next to the two rides talking to the demo crew like “Okay so we need to cut budget and this thing is obviously a giant expensive piece of shit disaster can you get rid of it?”

“Say no more”

And then the next day he shows up for work and is like “Where the f*ck is my Ferris wheel and why is this expensive piece of shit still here???”

That has to be it. As stupid as that scenario is I feel like it’s less stupid than them having to choose what ride they should remove for budget citing reliability, cost and capacity and not picking that thing. I like the thing but it shouldn’t exist. 

[Sluggo77]

8 hours ago, grsupercity said:

I cant picture Six Flags investing Hyper coaster money into this park. But with Six Flags working a lot with S&S I think an El Loco coaster would fit right in! 

 ok let me rephrase.  I wasn't suggesting a true hyper I just didn't know how to describe that type of experience so that's why I chose the wording.  I just mean a coaster with a Nitro type layout all airtime and no inversions.  Basically a mini "hyper style" using the Raptor's lower cost of construction.  I forget what the height max is for the park but something just below that so over 100ft but not by a whole lot.  Just a thought to give the experience but within a more friendly budget and fitting park constraints. 

I'm sure this idea is wishful thinking but since Comet is the only good coaster in the park right now a second would be welcomed.  Truth be told the park is more likely to get a hand me down like Gotham City Gauntlet from SFNE if a "new" coaster is in the parks future.

@coasterbill that sounds like exactly what would have happened LOL!  

[CNYCoasterguy11]

11 hours ago, Charles Wagor III said:

I forget what the height max is for the park but something just below that so over 100ft but not by a whole lot.  Just a thought to give the experience but within a more friendly budget and fitting park constraints. 

I would love for them to get a Mack Mega coaster like Alpina Blitz at Nigloland, I know it would most likely never happen but something similar in place of Bobsled would be a good size fit for the park. Unfortunately the price would most likely be out of the Six Flags budget especially now. 

I did hear they may bring back the ride share program which maybe means they bring in a mid level ride from a bigger park to infuse a little excitement for a smaller park like Great Escape. I would be fine with that honestly, at least its something different,

[Canobie Coaster]

One other issue with Great Escape possibly getting a big ride in the future is that the town of Queensbury has Great Escape on the hook to build new traffic signals and Route 9 infrastructure upgrades if traffic on the road increases by (as of 2019) ~500 cars during the morning hours.  So if they add something that really draws crowds, they'll be paying for that ride plus the road upgrades.  Post Star has published a few articles about this.

[abovethesink]

6 hours ago, Canobie Coaster said:

One other issue with Great Escape possibly getting a big ride in the future is that the town of Queensbury has Great Escape on the hook to build new traffic signals and Route 9 infrastructure upgrades if traffic on the road increases by (as of 2019) ~500 cars during the morning hours.  So if they add something that really draws crowds, they'll be paying for that ride plus the road upgrades.  Post Star has published a few articles about this.

I can't imagine this would stop them from driving attendance if they really thought they could do it. That is the whole point.