Missed opportunities

[Surf Dance Chris]

“Thanks for Riding” podcast recently did some interesting segments on rides they missed out on. It was done in several different categories:

1) Rides they wanted to get on, went to the park, and weren't able to (Ride had technical difficulties, weather, etc.). And the ride is now permanently closed or removed.

2) Rides they could’ve gotten on, but chose not to. So went to the park, chose not to ride, ride is now closed or removed, and missing out on it is regretted.

3) Rides you never had the opportunity to ride, but if you could travel back in time, you’d want to ride it. This can include rides that operated before you were born.

What would be yours?

[Surf Dance Chris]

Post by Surf Dance Chris
1) Rides they wanted to get on, went to the park, and weren't able to (Ride had technical difficulties, weather, etc.). And the ride is now permanently closed or removed.

Flashback at sfmm

Flash at Nellie Bly

Chiller batman side with lap bars

Post by Surf Dance Chris
2) Rides they could’ve gotten on, but chose not to. So went to the park, chose not to ride, ride is now closed or removed, and missing out on it is regretted.

Galaxi coaster at Adventureland in New York

Antique car dark ride at Great Escape

Dinosaur dark ride at knott’s

Phantom Theater at Kings Island

Post by Surf Dance Chris
3) Rides you never had the opportunity to ride, but if you could travel back in time, you’d want to ride it. This can include rides that operated before you were born.

Switchback Railway

Rye Aeroplane

Crystal beach Cyclone

Flip flap or any loop coaster from that era

Tornado at Coney Island

Any Virginia reel

[Richard Bannister]

Shuttle Loop at Toshimaen.

Park said it would open at 14:30, we couldn't wait that long.

Next year it was gone.

Worst mistake of my coaster career.

-
www.retrogamesformac.com

[Dave Althoff, Jr.]

Surf Dance Chris <***@aol.com> wrote:
: ?Thanks for Riding? podcast recently did some interesting segments on
: rides they missed out on. It was done in several different categories:
:
: 1) Rides they wanted to get on, went to the park, and weren't able to
: (Ride had technical difficulties, weather, etc.). And the ride is now
: permanently closed or removed.

The only real example of this one that I have is Hypersonic XLC. I was, in
fact, not quite next in line to ride, but I was at the top of the stairs
and about to enter the boarding platform when the ride went down for what
turned out to be an extended downtime. Unfortunately I had to get back to
Columbus that same night and go to work the next day, so I couldn't wait it
out. I didn't make it back to Kings Dominion again for another 15 years or
so.

Oh, well, there is Shockwave at SFGAm. I was actually in the park on the
Whizzer's purported last day of operation, and that evening a park employee
who knew me cautioned me to check the feeds the next morning for news that
I would find "shocking". Anyway, Shockwave was never operating on any day
that I ever visited SFGam, and on that particular visit it was announced
the next day that it would never re-open.

: 2) Rides they could?ve gotten on, but chose not to. So went to the park,
: chose not to ride, ride is now closed or removed, and missing out on it
: is regretted.

Don't think I have any of these. The only rides I have skipped in any of my
park visits have been a couple of Boomerangs which either had very long
lines or were out of service (or both) during my visit. Elitch Gardens
Boomerang falls into that category.

: 3) Rides you never had the opportunity to ride, but if you could travel
: back in time, you?d want to ride it. This can include rides that operated
: before you were born.

Cedar Point's Jumbo Jet certainly fits into this category. I was never tall
enough to ride it, as it had a 60" height requirement and while I was past
48" at the time, I wasn't to 60" yet. When I was finally tall enough, it
wasn't there anymore.

--Dave Althoff, Jr.
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[Marshall]

Post by Surf Dance Chris
1) Rides they wanted to get on, went to the park, and weren't able to (Ride had technical difficulties, weather, etc.). And the ride is now permanently closed or removed.
2) Rides they could’ve gotten on, but chose not to. So went to the park, chose not to ride, ride is now closed or removed, and missing out on it is regretted.
3) Rides you never had the opportunity to ride, but if you could travel back in time, you’d want to ride it. This can include rides that operated before you were born.
What would be yours?

I keep hearing a nasty rumor that Dollywood installed a launched RMC 4 years ago.
I've made 4 trips to this park since then and have seen no evidence of its existence.
There is some kind of trash chute or maybe a conveyor system on the hillside, but I've yet to see it function.

[GodsOnSafari]

Post by Surf Dance Chris
1) Rides they wanted to get on, went to the park, and weren't able to (Ride had technical difficulties, weather, etc.). And the ride is now permanently closed or removed.

Texas Cyclone. I was even at the park after the coffins were taken off. It was down all day though and obviously I never went back. That trip I went to Jazzland, SFAW, and Blue Bayou/Dixie Landing. Who could have guessed it was the glorified waterpark that would be last operating?

Post by Surf Dance Chris
2) Rides they could’ve gotten on, but chose not to. So went to the park, chose not to ride, ride is now closed or removed, and missing out on it is regretted.

I guess Jaws the last time I went to USF when it was there, but I had been on before.

Post by Surf Dance Chris
3) Rides you never had the opportunity to ride, but if you could travel back in time, you’d want to ride it. This can include rides that operated before you were born.

I don't know enough about the history of a lot of rides before I was born to say with any clarity. Of stuff that's closed in my lifetime, probably Titan at Space World because it would have completed the set of Arrow hypers.

[CanobieFan]

1) Rides they wanted to get on, went to the park, and weren't able to (Ride had technical difficulties, weather, etc.). And the ride is now permanently closed or removed.

Eh, I missed one side of Tren Bravo at Terra Mítica a few days before it was removed but as it was a kiddie/powered, no real loss? Missed out on Traumatizer at Southport too, park closed that same year but the ride lives on at Blackpool. Oh, and Deja Vu at SFOG... 3 visits and never even saw it test. But the one that 'hurts' would be the Batman side of Chiller, probably saw it on +10 visits and I don't think if ever even had a train on the tracks...... Really, I think those are the only 4 that I should have been able to ride but couldn't that are gone? Oh, I guess the old powered coaster at Tivoli that's been replaced with a new model, eh.

2) Rides they could’ve gotten on, but chose not to. So went to the park, chose not to ride, ride is now closed or removed, and missing out on it is regretted.

I don't think I have any in this category for coasters. Maybe a handful of flats/dark rides. Being a credit-whore... it's unlikely I've willingly skipped a coaster, haha

3) Rides you never had the opportunity to ride, but if you could travel back in time, you’d want to ride it. This can include rides that operated before you were born.

I don't know, any of the legendary woodies (Crystal Beach Cyclone, Revere Beach Lightning....) but also SFMM Flashback, i always thought it looked cool even if it was universally hated.. Same for GAdv's Viper haha

[Richard Bannister]

Another one for me – LeSourdsville Lake/Americana.

Having never been to either in 2001 I decided to go to Kings Island. Oops.

-
I make Retro Games for Mac when not riding coasters.
Try them out at www.retrogamesformac.com

[SLC Headache]

I'm probably going to be showing my age here, much younger than most of you.

Post by Surf Dance Chris
1) Rides they wanted to get on, went to the park, and weren't able to (Ride had technical difficulties, weather, etc.). And the ride is now permanently closed or removed.

None for me.

Post by Surf Dance Chris
2) Rides they could’ve gotten on, but chose not to. So went to the park, chose not to ride, ride is now closed or removed, and missing out on it is regretted.

- Shockwave and HyperSonic XLC. Kings Dominion is my home park, but being afraid of rides until 2017, they were gone by then.
- The Big Bad Wolf, my biggest miss. I think I was tall enough when I was at the park in 1998 as a kid. Having missed out on it only makes me more resentful of Verbolten's existence and godawful show building.
- All of Hard Rock Park. My brother went, and I could have joined, but didn't. Not sure the former Led Zeppelin coaster is enough of a reason to go to Vietnam.

Post by Surf Dance Chris
3) Rides you never had the opportunity to ride, but if you could travel back in time, you’d want to ride it. This can include rides that operated before you were born.

- Drachen Fire - I was probably too short to ride.
- King Kobra - counting it here because it was removed from KD before I was born, and it by itself is not enough of a reason to go to Brazil.

[Richard Bannister]

Post by SLC Headache
- All of Hard Rock Park. My brother went, and I could have joined, but didn't. Not sure the former Led Zeppelin coaster is enough of a reason to go to Vietnam.

Speaking as someone who did Vietnam not too long ago – I wouldn't bother travelling for the B&M, but there are a whole bunch of solid and good coasters there now. The VinWonders parks are the cream of the crop, and the Sun parks are not that far behind.

Exhibit A:

-
www.retrogamesformac.com

[David H.--REMOVE "STOPSPAM" to reply]

On Thu, 24 Sep 2020 05:20:34 -0700 (PDT), GodsOnSafari

Post by GodsOnSafari

3) Rides you never had the opportunity to ride, but if you could travel back in time, you’d want to ride it. This can include rides that operated before you were born.

I don't know enough about the history of a lot of rides before I was born to say with any clarity. Of stuff that's closed in my lifetime, probably Titan at Space World because it would have completed the set of Arrow hypers.

You didn't miss much. It was ok. Nothing much in the way of airtime or
forces. It also had the single worst operations I've ever seen at any
park, at least on my visit. And that's saying a lot!

The park itself was really neat and charming.



"With the first link, a chain is forged. The first speech censured,
the first thought forbidden, the first freedom denied, chains us
all irrevocably." -Capt. Jean-Luc Picard
"The Drumhead", _Star Trek: The Next Generation_