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There's another aspect of excitement in the world of thrill rides. There's the excitement of the latest announcements of upcoming rides from an industry as secretive as the military at times, and the excitement of all the latest happenings at parks around the world. Sometimes the news is good, sometimes the news is bad, but our aim is to bring you the fairest, timeliest, most accurate details on everything that concerns you. COASTER-net's team of journalists is hard at work around the clock to bring you the in-depth scoop!
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Cedar Fair to Drop the Demon off at Knott's
A Slice of History for a Historical Park
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© Clint Novak
Bring in the Old:This Cedar Point classic will be moving to Knott's Berry Farm next Spring.
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After 26 years of dropping at Cedar Point the Demon will no longer be dropping in Ohio. Riders will only have a month or so left to take their final rides at the park. Sometime in early 2010 Demon Drop will be heading out west to its new home in sunny Southern California at Knott’s Berry Farm in Buena Park.
Demon Drop which opened in 1983 is a 131 ft. tall tower built by Intiman of Switzerland. When the ride first opened it was one of several of its type (first generation drop tower) in the world. At the present time however, Demon Drop is the last of its kind in the United States and one of only four left in the world.
Screamin’ Swing, Knott’s Berry Farm’s up-charge swinging attraction is being removed to make room for Demon Drop. It is currently unknown as to where Screamin’ Swing will go, or if it will even find a home at all.
After passengers climb aboard the 4-person-cars the ride begins by moving backwards and ascending to the top of the tower. Once at the top, the car will slowly move forward and plunge 60 ft. down while reaching speeds of 55 mph until a computerized system slowly stops the car. Riders must be 48” inches or taller to ride.
Demon Drop is scheduled to open Memorial Day weekend 2010.
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Kings Island pays off lawsuit
Woman seeking damages after 2006 accident
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Kings Island, Kings Mills, Ohio 10/21/09 - By: Mike Strobel -
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© Clint Novak
Back to the courtroom:This recent trial is but one of many legal actions taken against Kings Island in the past few years. |
A seemingly lengthy chapter in the problems with Son of Beast are coming to light as two trials involving people filing lawsuits, with fiscal claims involving the accident involving Son of Beast in the summer of 2006. One of these trials occured this past weekend starting on Thursday, October 15th and ending on Monday, October 19th.
The victim, a woman formerly of Springboro, Ohio, was one of 27 riders on Son of Beast, when a section of the track's support structure was damaged, and part of the track separated, and thus, gave guests a jolt, sending a majority of them to the hospital. The woman in question apparently suffered hip injuries, and has had may replacement and reconstructive surgeries to repair the damage sustained.
The prosecution attested that the woman has paid in excess of $50,000 in medical bills for all said surgeries and may end up paying over $100,000 for future proceedures. However, the attourneys representing Kings Island claimed that the woman may have suffered these injuries at her job as many dates didn't add up, and presented video evidence showing she could walk and do other physical ordeals without much problems.
In the end, the eight jury members voted 7-1 to have Kings Island pay off the suit, but it seems the evidence presented by the prosecution was effective, as the Ohio park only has to pay $76,364, $56,000 for pain and suffering and $26,364 for previous medical expenses.
As the future of Son of Beast remains uncertain until the off season, as Kings Island has claimed to announce such future in the upcoming off season, another trial involving the same accident is set for early November. Also in progress is the ongoing situation involving a woman injured this past summer, allegedly with burst blood vessels, however, the outcome of that remains uncertain.
Most of these have many speculating that this may be the end of Son of Beast. The park has claimed during this trial that Son of Beast was in now way closed for being unsave, as the State of Ohio Department of Agriculture inspected it after the accident and found it good as is. The park closed it from the results of recent surveys with the general public, as the popularity and view of Son of Beast has diminished.
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A New Virtual Thrill opens at Disney World
"Sum of All Thrills" opens in Epcot
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Walt Disney World, Lake Beuna Vista, Florida 10/16/09 - By: Patrick Leaske -
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© Disney
”Sum of All Thrills”: A virtual coaster that takes us one step closer to the real thing. |
Ever want the thrill of riding a coaster without strapping into one? Well, KUKA Robotics has brought you one step closer to your dream. Recently, Walt Disney World opened a new attraction in their theme park, Epcot. The attraction is called "Sum of All Thrills", featuring a technologically advanced robotic arm. Attached to the arm are two seats, encased in a cover for the virtual screens. One of the big things about the ride is that you get to design the layout yourself! Which means that you program how you want the arm to move and rotate. To ride the attraction, like most great things in life, you must stand in line. Upon reaching the front, you make your way to the design lab, where you will begin (and end) your temporary career as a designer. You select from three choices: Bobsled, Rollercoaster, and Fighter Jet. After choosing, you begin to design the layout that the robotic arm will follow. You are allowed to set the speed, height, and elements of your experience. Once finished, you will need to watch a short video, and then wait for your turn on the robotic monster. So, when the video finishes, you strap yourself into the virtual ride you created. The ride itself will consist of the exact layout you specified. HD monitors, surround sound systems, and even air vents to simulate wind are used to magnify your ride experience, making it feel as if you were riding your creation. The magic behind the attraction is the robotic arm. “The KUKA RoboCoaster® programmable robotic ride system utilizes 6 axes and 6 degrees of total directional freedom with synchronized “under the hood” entertainment provides a thrilling experience like no other”, said the KUKA Robotics Corporation president, Stuart Shepherd. Using this arm system, who knows what we could do? All we can be sure of is that we will be seeing this KUKA technology in our theme parks for years to come.
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Six Flags New Orleans No More
Deal finally reached between theme park and city.
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© Six Flags New Orleans
The Water Recedes: Six Flags finally able to unload the water logged park. |
Six Flags has finally been allowed to dump their New Orleans property. After a long dispute with the city regarding the park which took such a big hit, Six Flags has agreed to make financial reparations in exchange for being released from their lease deal. From the very beginning of this debate, Six Flags had been determined not to re-open the damaged park.
But the city of New Orleans insisted that re-starting the tourism industry was crucial and demanded that Six Flags get things going again. According to the terms of the lease that the park had taken out with the city, they were supposed to keep the park open until the contract was up.
Six Flags however decided that the park would not make a substantial enough profit in the water-logged city. And to add insult to injury, they even started re-locating most of the rides that they deemed to be salvageable to other parks in the chain. Most notably, Six Flags New Orleans' Batman the Ride clone was sent to Six Flags Fiesta Texas.
This led the city of New Orleans to actually file a restraining order against Six Flags to keep them from removing any more rides. Everything seemed to be in legal gridlock. The breakthrough came when Six Flags filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy earlier this summer.
As part of their re-structuring and attempts to lessen their debt, the U.S. Bankruptcy Court of the District of Delaware has approved the termination of Six Flags' lease with the city of New Orleans. In return, Six Flags will pay New Orleans $3 million and 25% of whatever money they get from the insurance money.
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Inbev sells Busch parks to Blackstone
Busch Gardens and Sea World parks acquire new owners
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© Busch Entertainment/Orlando Sentinal
Takeover complete:The inevitable sale of the Anheuser-Busch parks came to a conclusion as Blackstone buys them out. |
Since Inbev bought out Anheuser-Busch, it was imminent that the parks of which belonged to the beer giant would be sold. To who and when remained a mystery until now. All it took was $2.7 billion.
The former Anheuser-Busch owned parks are as follows; Busch Gardens Europe in Williamsburg, Virginia, Busch Gardens Africa in Tampa Bay, Florida, Sea World Orlando, Sea World San Antonio, Sea World San Diego, Adventure Land in Tampa Bay, Aquatica in Orlando, Water Country USA in Williamsburg, Sesame Place in Pennsylvania, and Discovery Cove in Orlando.
All these parks were sold to a group known as Blackstone Group, who owns the Universal Studios park chain as well as the Legoland chain and Madame Tussauds Wax Museums under a partnership with Merlin Entertainment. There are said to be possible package deals with all the Florida based parks for easier access for guests.
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