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Casino Pier (Seaside Heights) Discussion Thread


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^ If they can afford to. If insurance does not cover anything I will be interested to see what happens.

I'm not sure why people keep saying this.

 

Here my take... if these businesses are legit, with smart businesses practices, good insurance, etc, they would have some sort of "emergency" plan created. Especially when you are a park that is built in the ocean. If the come back and say "We can't re-build" I would seriously question that. There are plenty of other examples of parks that have sustained SERIOUS weather damage (it's been mentioned already in this thread) that have re-built and bounced back. (Knoebel's, Kemah, Hershey, Six Flags Over Texas, etc, etc, etc....)

 

Casino Pier for example, hasn't that place been around for like 75 years? I cannot imagine that in 75 years they never thought about the possibility of the pier being partially destroyed by a hurricane.

 

Is this is a good business, a SMART business, and it's important to them to move forward, they will. And if anything, the opportunity to market a NEW and IMPROVED pier, probably has some really strong potential for them. And you can bet they'll use the hurricane to their advantage to re-market it too!

 

When you think about parks that sustained weather damage, and DIDN'T bounce back, like Six Flags New Orleans, for example, you look at the business decisions that into to it. If Six Flags felt it was viable to re-built and re-open that park, they would. But all you heard about were stories how that park suffered, and when it was destroyed, the only effort that was made was "what can we salvage to give to other parks."

 

I don't believe Six Flags had any interest in bring that park back and if anything, I think they probably used the hurricane as an excuse to get rid of a park they probably didn't want in the first place.

 

Only time will tell for these Jersey Shore parks. All I know is that they seem to draw a *LOT* of business every summer and I can't imagine they wouldn't be working on a plan RIGHT NOW.

 

And keep in mind, the types of rides at these parks are usually "carnival rides." It will probably take them longer to clean up and re-build the actual pier than it will be to set up new rides. Guarantee you that ITAL and Rides4U will be knocking on their doors REAL soon...if they haven't already!

 

Seriously, even though I've been harsh on the coasters specifically getting destroyed, because they were awful, I do hope the parks themselves bounce back, and I'm sure they will if their owners had a good business sense.

 

--Robb

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According to Casino Pier's FB page they have yet to be able to assess the damage, but, it also looks like most of the 'carnival' rides were already in storage for the winter. Whether the building they were housed in lived or not is unknown.

 

Perhaps they will be able to build a much stronger pier capable of being able to have say a euro fighter installed.

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I just think it's hilarious how many people think a park can operate on a pier and be unprepared for a hurricane. You sure hope stuff like this never happens, but being on a boardwalk/pier, I'm sure the park has plans besides "We lost a coaster! We're done! Everybody go home!"

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From the brief shot in that video, might be adding a third non-memorable coaster to the list, the mighty mouse, another miler gone bye bye. Not sad in the least, it wasn't that great.

Here's a few screen grabs from the video...

1.jpg.5a5a7175f63e3f624065f211c8c467be.jpg

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The damage and destruction is devastating! Crazy to see these shots. More bummed about the log flume and flats than the coasters, to be honest... but they are all replaceable.

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Considering one of my favorite days ever as an enthusiast was last year when I drove down the shore visiting all these parks, it's definitely a bummer to see these parks in shambles the way they are. I didn't get the Star Jet credit, but I did ride that awful looper and the Wild Mouse (which I actually thought was a lot of fun). Mother Nature is a cruel bitch sometimes, but these parks should be able to rebuild just fine. It's going to be a long and challenging process for them, but they'll be back, hopefully with a better product (as others have said).

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I just got my power back on but earlier in the day was listening to Jersey's Governor Chris Christie assessing the situation. He was not speaking from an enthusiasts point of view, but of the average Jersey Shore visitor. These coasters do hold a special place for some people especially children, and people that want to bring their children and grandchildren to the shore to have the same experiences they had as youngsters. But things change and Seaside Heights of 2012 was different from the Seaside Heights of 1982 or 1962 or 1942. So even the experiences of kids in 2012 is not their parent's old experiences. Buildings and structures can be rebuilt. Better to lose a boardwalk than 50 lives. The governor is sure the area will be rebuilt stronger than ever and I agree.

 

Face it, as enthusiasts anyone who rode these coasters know they suck, but they still might hold memories. However, to many kids (how are kids immune to coaster pain?) they are a big deal. The Jet Star replaced the Star Jet, many people never even knew it was a different coaster. I remember riding the Star Jet in 1978 with my brother, sister and aunt and my dad greeting us with a 13 inch B&W TV after we got off the ride. Hey, a 13 inch B&W TV was a big deal back then the a kid who never had his own TV. My dad had won it at a game of chance on the boardwalk, playing the number 5, his favorite number. That game of chance is long gone, as is my dad, as is the Star Jet and now the Jet Star (and much of Casino Pier). But I still have those childhood memories.

 

So I'll be a "little" emotional about it the loss (fora short time) because those piers were part of my childhood and teenage years, but I'll certainly get over it.

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^ Curious... many other people have said they didn't get the Star Jet credit. Just wondering why? Was it closed? Kinda wonder if it was problematic or something...

 

I have family in NJ that we would visit every 2 or 3 years. The looping coaster on the other pier was the first coaster I marathoned when I was a kid. I think it was 25 times over the course of a day. I've been back to Seaside Heights since then, but just never bothered with Star Jet because it really didn't look like anything I felt the urge to ride. It was always operational whenever we visited from what I remember.

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^ Curious... many other people have said they didn't get the Star Jet credit. Just wondering why? Was it closed? Kinda wonder if it was problematic or something...

 

In my case, I just haven't gotten around to hitting the Jersey Shore.

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Subtract crappy Miler Star Jet, insert awesome Gerstlauer Eurofighter, win win for everybody.

 

I feel worse for the people who live in that area that weren't prepared for a storm of this magnitude and have lost their homes and personal possessions than I do for the owners of an amusement park who had some wind and water damage that is likely covered by insurance.

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Another photo ... A6iZZw5CIAA3lOf.jpg_large.thumb.jpg.292ec9b73dcc70dd330f5a1ea31d80aa.jpg

It's interesting... the two parts of both piers that collapsed the most were the parts where the roller coasters were. Maybe it's NOT such a good idea to have a really heavy ride on the end of a pier?

 

Just a thought....

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Here my take... if these businesses are legit, with smart businesses practices, good insurance, etc, they would have some sort of "emergency" plan created. Especially when you are a park that is built in the ocean. If the come back and say "We can't re-build" I would seriously question that. There are plenty of other examples of parks that have sustained SERIOUS weather damage (it's been mentioned already in this thread) that have re-built and bounced back. (Knoebel's, Kemah, Hershey, Six Flags Over Texas, etc, etc, etc....)

 

I agree completely here!

And Honestly think about this! If a park built on a pier over the ocean does not have the sense to be insured then I worry where else they also may be cutting corners?

Seems to me if they aren't bothering with proper insurance then why would ride maintenance or the safety of their customers be a concern as well. How can you care about your customers if you don't care about your own investment? If they don't rebuild it's a sign of something being terribly wrong within the operation of the park itself. Infact any uninsured park that does not rebuild may in fact save lives by preventing people from riding their crappy unmaintained rides in the future! I'm just saying. . . (I'm not saying that this is the case with these parks.)

That said I am very sad for the families and other small business owners! Even those who do have coverage! I wish them well on what is surely a very hard and stressful time!

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Yeah, some of the shots I saw of the towns were far more troubling to see than the amusement parks.

Exactly. The parks will re-build, are insured, are backed by the city and the community...but there needs to be a community!

 

It's like I've been saying this whole thread, but people keep trying to twist my words around, I feel much worse for the community and the people than I do those two roller coasters. But so many people keep focusing on those two coasters...as if they really matter in the big picture.

 

I just don't "get" some people....

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CNN is running ariel's shot today from Seaside Heights. There's nothing tangible left of that town. The mayor is reporting the piers are a total loss(duh) It's going to take years to return the town and parks to normal.

 

Besides, even if the amusement park was unscathed, who'd visit it anyway if the town is destroyed?

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Yeah, some of the shots I saw of the towns were far more troubling to see than the amusement parks.

Exactly. The parks will re-build, are insured, are backed by the city and the community...but there needs to be a community!

 

It's like I've been saying this whole thread, but people keep trying to twist my words around, I feel much worse for the community and the people than I do those two roller coasters. But so many people keep focusing on those two coasters...as if they really matter in the big picture.

 

I just don't "get" some people....

 

Yeah, I mean if the town was okay and the two piers just so happened to collapse because of erosion and winds maybe I'd feel bad for the parks having some bad luck, but that place is in a state of emergency right now and there are A LOT more important things to be concerned with besides some crappy coasters.

 

I feel like all of this coaster talk has distracted us from discussing the more important issues, mainly how did the Jersey Shore house fare in the storm? If the cast was in it and the cameras were rolling maybe they could have aired a few watchable episodes. MTV might have missed out on a gold mine there. Gym, tan, Laundry, emergency evacuation, would have loved to hear Paulie D yell "The Helicopters are Here!"

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Seaside Heights

 

http://www.cbs12.com/news/top-stories/stories/vid_2885.shtml

 

This video shows the most comprehensive aerial view of damage to Seaside Heights that I've seen online. The first two minutes focus on the town, while the remainder shows Casino Pier and then Funtown Pier.

Here's some screen grabs from that video....

a1.thumb.jpg.d8685fb7f86861ed0527b26ad9828f75.jpg

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a3.thumb.jpg.fd6a2641fe048aac21652e9cc8f4dd32.jpg

a4.thumb.jpg.0a9f746599d566854cc3d1cfb6d1fd56.jpg

a5.thumb.jpg.81629cfa1938941f1c6fb3adad04eb22.jpg

a5.thumb.jpg.baa2490a796e9f6797d08d8b1f68ba65.jpg

a6.thumb.jpg.7c63d080b48dba96404be79ba6b6877f.jpg

a7.thumb.jpg.ce98b7b99decaf38b3d52de8dc7122d5.jpg

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