This past weekend we had the amazing opportunity to head over to Busch Gardens Tampa for a Travel Channel Media Shoot of the upcoming season of Bert the Conqueror. Check us out next summer braving the front row of Kumba with Bert! But anyways, while we were at the park, we snatched some pictures of the upcoming Mack Spinning Coaster, Cobra's Curse. This Coaster is shaping up to be one of the best spinning Coasters built to date, and will definitely fill the gap of a non-inverting Family Coaster the park needs after loosing Gwazi. And speaking of Gwazi, check below for an update on Gwazi and SheiKra's water splash fins. When Gwazi, Busch Gardens Tampa's former dueling GCI Wood Coaster, closed back in February 2015, many people have been wondering the fate of the ride. While the Coaster community was keeping their fingers crossed that we would see a RMC in Florida, things have been silent when Cobra's Curse was officially announced. This weekend, Mark Rose, Director of Ride Design and Engineering, stopped by and someone asked him about Gwazi. He was short, but stated that work on Gwazi will begin sometime next year and that it would NOT be bulldozed down, as they have plans for the site. For obvious reasons, he could not say anything else. Only time will tell to see what happens, but based on the trends in SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment, we won't see an addition to that site, probably not until at least 2018 if we are lucky, but realistically around 2019/20. The park probably has site plans narrowed down, possibly to a RMC conversion, a B&M Mega/Giga Coaster, or something brand new out of the box. But Gwazi's site is huge and can make room for nice expansion in the future. (On a side note, if Mako becomes extremely successful at SeaWorld Orlando next year, a B&M airtime machine would be a no-brainier.)
Now with SheiKra. Earlier this Fall it was reported that the B&M Dive Coaster has its water fins, which create the water splash finale, were removed. There were no official statements from the park and no one really knew why this occurred. Speculation around the web stated a reason was for Hawl-O-Scream, to painting in that area. However, as of October 18th, the fins were sadly still off. While the beautiful visual is not there anymore (which now probably makes Cheetah Hunt my personal favorite at the park) the last turn around is faster and creates a more intense turn, as the water splash provides about 20% of the braking of the Coaster. A source told me that the fins will probably return before the end of the year, however it is not certain why the park would do this. All we know the fins are off and at this point won't come back for a while. Thanks for reading! Don't forget to bookmark our website and like us on Facebook for more Roller Coaster pictures, posts, and fun!
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For Coaster Enthusiasts, these will be some of the most disturbing and graphic photos ever taken at a Theme Park. As most of you know, The Incredible Hulk Coaster at Islands Of Adventure is getting a full track refurbishment, with overall new ride enchantments, trains and more; and will return back to life summer 2016. Many rumors have been flying around the web, like a new track layout, and B&M potentially not being the manufacturer the new track. While we do not know what exactly is going on, and Universal is doing a fantastic job at keeping things under wrap, the only thing we know is the track is being scrapped, and deconstruction is happening at a disturbing fast rate as we see one of the best, and most iconic, Roller Coasters being taken down. Now, the only track left is the first half of the ride: the zero G roll, loop, cobra roll, and first helix, with the corkscrew in the process of being taken down. The beginning of the ride will be taken down soon, as a giant hulk sized crane right in-front of the cobra roll on the lagoon. Check out the pictures below. Viewer discretion is advised: After personally seeing this deconstruction and after much speculation, I believe a few things. One is that B&M has to be coming back. It does not make sense having B&M, which is arguably the best Coaster manufacturer today, not come back. Also, after seeing all of the track and supports of the second half of the ride completely gone, I think the second half of the ride will have a different layout. But why have a different layout? Maybe to spice things up, or what I think COULD happen is see Hulk as a Wing Coaster. While I know that is far fetched and unlikely, it would be awesome and could start to put the pieces together about why Universal is doing all this referb on Hulk. I know that now the track could not support wing trains, but with new track that is wider, and a different second half of the ride, this could work. However, with Universal needing an extremely fast board/unboard process, they might have second thoughts of a Wing Rider or Floorless trains, as they do slow down operations. Remember, this is just speculation and we just need to wait and see what will happen to Hulk. When Hulk returns next year it should be well worth the wait with some incredible additions that will continue to improve the status of Universal Orlando.
(Also, since Universal loves to add simulators, just imagine if they made Hulk into a simulator too with the addition of VR oculus rift, but I am dreaming too much.) Thanks for reading! Don't forget to bookmark our website and like us on Facebook for more Roller Coaster pictures, posts, and fun! Hello everyone! So, back in 2012 I took some time and wrote a speculation post about the possible future of Cyclone at Six Flags New England. I played around with the idea that Flashback, the parks Boomerang Coaster, could be removed for Cyclone to become a candidate for the Rocky Mountain Iron Horse treatment. Almost three years later, Six Flags New England has taken the old Riverside Cyclone and transformed it to one of the best Coasters on the East Coast. In the last five years, Rocky Mountain Construction has been redefining the Coaster industry by creating a new era of Wood and Hybrid Coasters; and with Wicked Cyclone, the bar for Hybrid Coasters has been raised to a whole new level. Wicked Cyclone is continuing the evolution of these Coasters, taking many elements from past models, like steep drops, intense airtime, inversions; and adding new elements, like the world's first 200 degree stall inversion. At first sight, Wicked Cyclone seems tiny compared to other Hybrids, as it stands only 109 feet tall. However, this Coaster packs a punch in its compact layout. Right after it crests the top of the lift hill and dives at 78 degrees towards the ground, Wicked Cyclone is literally non-stop insanity until it reaches the brake run, making it one of the top 10 most intense Coasters in the country. Every inch of track is filled with insane hills, overbanked turns, and flips, that will eject you out of your seat so much; making it the Coaster with the most airtime in New England. Yes, it has more airtime than Bizarro, and could possibly be better than the Coaster that some people consider the best Steel Coaster in the world. The easiest way to describe Wicked Cyclone is combining Maverick at Cedar Point with Six Flags Great Adventure's El Toro, and having the ultra smoothness of a brand new B&M Coaster. Wicked Cyclone is a fantastic Coaster that is every Coaster enthusiasts dream: non-stop insanity, ejector airtime, and awesome flips, with the smoothness of a new-born babies skin. No video can possibly show how great this Coaster is, so make a trip to Six Flags New England this summer and ride Wicked Cyclone! A special thanks to Six Flags New England for adding a great Coaster and providing a fantastic media day! For more pictures, visit our friends over at SFNE Online; and do not forget to share this post to your friends, like us on Facebook, and write your thoughts down below! Thanks for reading!
Every March, ACE New England holds its annual The Great Nor'Easter event. This year, over 190 Coaster Enthusiasts gathered at Six Flags New England to listen to Park Personnel from many New England Amusement Parks, various guest speakers, and to see friends for the first time this year. Six Flags New England surprised everyone with a wonderful tour of the park, including a preview of the new Wicked Cyclone. Enjoy some pictures of the latest construction of Wicked Cyclone, which is looking to become one of the best Coasters of this decade. Physical construction of the ride is almost complete, with the last pieces of track being added in the upcoming weeks. Look for Wicked Cyclone to open around Memorial Day Weekend 2015. Thank you to Six Flags New England and ACE New England for creating a fantastic event! For more awesome Wicked Cyclone pictures and updates, visit our friends at SNFE Online. Thanks for reading! Don't forget to like us on Facebook and check back for more updates!
We are very excited to announce our third annual End of Summer Photo Contest!
Details: 1) Pick a photo that you have taken of any Roller Coaster 2) Upload it to our Facebook Page with the title "Photo Contest" and the name of the Coaster, or send it via email to coaster.of.the.day@gmail.com - You have from now until September 27th to upload or add your photo. We will evaluate the photos, and the top 10 pictures will be posted to our page, one per day, from October 1st to October 10th, 2014 - The first place winner will receive a Dollywood gift bag, including a new Firechaser Express shirt (XL size), bumpersticker, and more! - The second place winner will receive sunglasses and a poster from the new waterslide Verrckt at Schlitterbahn - The third place winner will receive a coupon for free Rooftop mini-golf at Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, NJ Rules: - You can only post ONE picture - You, yourself, must have taken the picture - Picture can not be taken illegally (Ex: a photo while on-ride a Roller Coaster, with no park permission) - Photos can not be edited (Cropping is okay) Good luck! For the 2014 season Lake Compounce is adding a new Campground called Bear Creek Campground. The campground will be located in the woods near the main entrance of the park. It will create a unique campground experience for Lake Compounce that will include 20 cabins, 5 tipis, a RV and Tents areas, and much more. From the details presented and look of the campsite, it will be an excellent addition to Lake Compounce. For more information, pricing, and to make reservations, visit the official Beak Creek Campground website. On Saturday April 5th we went on a private tour of the park and was able to see the site of the campground and the current construction. So far the park has cleared all the land necessary and has recently started physical construction. The site looks very empty, but the area will look totally different in the next few months. While Bear Creek hasn't finished construction, the park is already planing an expansion of the campground for the future. Bear Creek Campground is scheduled to open on July 1st, 2014 at Lake Compounce! Enjoy the pictures and video below! Photos in order of appearance: 1) The approximate site of the general store, entrance, and tents location 2) The approximate location of where the cabins will be located 3) A picture of one of the 20 cabins that will be in the campground 4) The future site of the expansion of Bear Creek! FireChaser Express at Dollywood has officially opened, making it the first of many new Coasters to open in 2014. FireChaser Express is a multi-launching family Coaster, themed to firefighters and heroes. It's a modern mine train, with a forwards and backwards launch. I am sure most of the people reading this are wondering how good this new family Coaster is and why it is getting so much hype. The answer is because Dollywood's new Coaster is flat out amazing.
From the first appearance of looking at FireChaser Express, you can tell it is one twisted Coaster, especially for a family Coaster. It looks stunning built on the side of the hill next to Wild Eagle and it's own little area. From first approaching the Coaster you can tell it is going to be great. FireChaser has that special 'Dollywood' feel to the Coaster, that makes it special and a one of a kind ride. The Coaster starts with a quick launch to 16 mph out of the station into a few quick turns. The train then climbs up the lift hill and enters the main forward section of the Coaster, with many turns and hills. The Coaster then enters a building full of fireworks, with many special effects, including fire, smoke, and more. You get launched out backwards into a few more turns and hills before the end of the ride. Many Coasters that are considered the best have impressive statistics and are extreme rides. While FireChaser Express is just a Family Coaster, it is one of the best ever built, if not the best. I have ridden over 300 Coasters and this is the only family Coaster that made me smile and laugh the whole ride. I am amazed how Dollywood made a Family Coaster that is insanely fun. I highly recommend everyone who is reading this to go to Dollywood and experience FireChaser Express. If you did not know, Busch Gardens Tampa is constricting a new drop tower, Falcon's Fury. The ride will be the tallest free standing tower in North America, at 335 feet tall. It will also be the first drop tower in the world with seats tilting, so riders will look straight down while plummeting back to Earth. On February 16th, 2014 we visited Busch Gardens Tampa for the day. Sadly, Falcon's Fury has not opened yet, but we got to look at the latest construction for the record breaking drop tower. The tower was topped off a few weeks ago, and the park just has to finish electrical and physical construction of the base. Expect Falcon's Fury to open within the next few months in the Spring! Who's excited to ride Falcon's Fury when it opens in Spring 2014?
Thanks for reading! For more internet fun, visit and like us on Facebook! On Friday January 31st, 2014 we were very lucky and fortunate to go on a private tour of Dorney Park. The park is closed until late Spring for the winter, so only a few people (besides employees of the park) enter the park during the off-season. We were taken through most of the park, but most importantly we walked through Wildwater Kingdom, the waterpark inside Dorney Park where we got to see the latest construction of Snake Pit. For 2014 the park is building Snake Pit, a 65 foot tall waterslide complex complete with 6 different waterslides. Construction has started, with land clearing has taken place. Physical construction of the ride is expected to begin in the next few weeks, with an expected opening date around Memorial Day. Below are a few pictures of the current construction progress of the new slide, with a computer generated photo of what it will look like and a birds eye view of the project. Enjoy! Thanks for reading! Don't forget to visit our Facebook Page for more posts and photos!
The annual ACE Event, EastCoaster, is this Saturday. Representatives from over 10 Amusement Parks and Companies are expected to come with information on future attractions, news, and more. We will keep you updated with new blog post(s) in the next week to inform everyone of the event!
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