RollerCoasters

Few details are accessible without deeper searches but it looks like Vekoma is filing a lawsuit against B&M regarding the Pipeline coaster at Sea World Orlando.

SC Holdings purchased the park today and is promising a $10 million investment. The former CEO of Tivoli Gardens also is joining the advisory board.

Very sad news. After multiple injuries previously Do-Dodonpa had been closed for investigations and modifications but Fuji-Q has now announced that it will be too difficult to remedy the ride and therefore will cease operations.

The Six Flags shareholders have approved the merger of Cedar Fair and Six Flags. Cedar Fair unit holders do not need to vote. The merger is currently under review by the DOJ.

Not withstanding the typical Herschend over-reaction to low key announcements, I guess this is cool?

Hold on tight for the thrill of a lifetime as we introduce The Wave🏄

Get ready because this spring, we’re making waves for sure!🌴

More info from Manchester Evening News below:

An iconic rollercoaster at Drayton Manor theme park has been given a major makeover with new look and name - and younger visitors will get to ride it for the first time. The iconic Shockwave ride will become "The Wave" when it opens for the first time this Spring.

Bosses say the new attraction maintains many of Shockwave’s original features, while adding a new double corkscrew and "unique zero gravity roll". When it reopens as The Wave it will also have a lower height limit, meaning children as young as 5 or 6 may be able to ride depending on height.

Hershey has announced they are putting new seats and restraints on SkyRush. I'm excited about the station improvements they talk about but I really don't know that the new restraints are going to make it a better experience..... SkyRush consistently scared the shit out of me and I loved it for that. I guess time will tell.

What do you think? Are you excited for more comfort or do you think the more secure feeling will take away from the ride experience?

This is a perplexing one. It looks like perhaps they are rebuilding with wood track but that's also potentially just sub structure. The fact that they are using RMC is odd.... This is either a really clever misdirect or a troll that is so blatant that it's meant to be it's own misdirect...... or, most likely, we are all about to read way too much into something that doesn't mean much lol

EDIT: This video kinda seals the deal that it was a troll https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qgYbY6IS8TE

After last week's tragic fire which resulted in the death of an employee and complete devastation to the newly built water park, Liseberg has announced that they are going to work to rebuild the park.

Extremely disappointing news. Lakemont Park will not open any of their amusement rides in 2024 which includes Leap the Dips which is the world's oldest coaster.

It's finally (officially) announced. Probably nothing new mentioned that we don't already know but it does solidify How to Train Your Dragon, Ministry of Magic, Super Nintendo World, and Dark Universe as well as a few other details.

Now that 2023 is coming to an end, what were everyone’s coaster highlights from the year? What was the best new coaster you rode this year? Did it dethrone your previous favorite? Were there any surprises? Is anyone still planning final trips before the year ends or ringing in the new year at a park?

This year, I was able to visit 10 new parks and ride 81 new coasters along with revisiting a few favorites from the past. Of these new credits, the best is Iron Gwazi (I know, not a very controversial opinion haha). In the same trip I got to ride Velocicoaster too and those became my new 1 and 2, respectively.

The best new park I visited was Hersheypark. I have been wanting to go to this park for years and had two unsuccessful attempts (including one earlier this year) due to weather or poor planning. Luckily this park’s top-tier coaster lineup lived up to the hype. A couple of coasters were closed including Sooperdooperlooper, but I was able to get two rides on Skyrush in a back right wing seat. I actually only thought Skyrush was okay after my first ride in the morning but I snagged another ride at night with a full train and it was a completely different experience with crazy intensity and airtime.

My biggest surprises were Screamin’ Eagle and Boss at Six Flags St. Louis. Those two coasters were much more intense than I expected. I swear I spent more time out of my seat than in it on Screamin’ Eagle. For Boss, it was a slow day so the train was only about half full. Despite that, it was still hauling. I can’t even imagine what a full train is like.

With the new coasters this year, my total credit count is now around 228. Next year, I’m hoping to visit some smaller parks such as Adventureland in Iowa and Indiana Beach along with a couple of Cedar Fair and Six Flags parks but no concrete plans yet.

KDfans have leaked information related to KD's Volcano replacement..... a B&M launched wing coaster.

A recent ruling is forcing Cedar Point to turn over all records relating to sexual assaults and the Top Thrill Dragster accident to local TV stations. This is the result of an ongoing investigation and the argument that Cedar Point Police were acting as a police department as a public institution. I expect a lot of interesting stories to follow in the next few weeks and months.

It doesn’t feel like it was that long ago that construction on the spike started and now here we are! I’ll definitely miss the original, but I’m still hoping to make it out to Cedar Point this year to ride its reincarnation. Hopefully we have a more reliable ride this time.

BGWfans is at it again..... They show a lot of evidence of what BGW is currently working on and right now their best guess is a family B&M.

The short trains are kind of hilarious but the ride looks great. I'm so glad to see this ride was saved from being scrapped.

This is almost as interesting as Good Gravy ;)

This is actually really disappointing for me and I think a lot of others. Comet is such a classic and the fact that it had Buzz Bars made it even more so.

20 inch wheels is all I'm really taking away from it..... well, that and how similar the restraints are to the new Intamin, S&S, Mack, and like everyone else lol

Richard Zimmerman becomes CEO and the majority of the company will be half and half. The new company will use FUN but will retain the Six Flags name.

(Sorry, the link may be paywall for some) The Wall Street Journal is not only reporting that the two park chains are potentially merging but are stating that the deal could go through as early as this week. Not sure how anyone else feels about this but I think this could really hurt the consumer..... sure, everyone wants to think about a unified season pass but the cost to the consumer would likely skyrocket and we'd see less competition which would likely mean even less major rides being built.

From the article: "An agreement could be finalized as soon as this week assuming there is no last-minute snag, according to people familiar with the matter. Cedar Fair is scheduled to report quarterly results on Thursday morning."