Great Escape Expansion for '03 instead??

I was just reading the news over at Screamscape. It seems many rumors have come in, stating that the park will once again hold off expansion plans for another season. :(
hopefully these rumors are false.

The rumors include the park getting a set of S&S Towers, the removal of the Steamin' Deamon, and the addition of 2 new thrill rides. One flat ride which would be replacing the Rainbow, and a clone of the Superman: Ultimate Escape Intamin Spiral Impulse coaster.

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Planet Xtreme - http://home.nycap.rr.com/greese1/
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Possible but I don't see them removing the Steamin' Demon. I mean yes it is just an old arrow corkscrew but it is a symbol of the park in a way. Whe people drive by on the northway that is what the have always seen and associated with the park.

Also park managment has said that they want to start to draw people to the park. To do this the more coasters you have the better(for ads and what-not).

Not too saw that they won't wait but anything is possible at this point.

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Where has the magic gone in the name Disney?

Of all things, I would have thought that you submitted the rumors to them, CalvinJ23....

You usually are the main man on top of the latest news bits & rumors over at The Great Escape.

Personally, I don't see them JUST having another stupid crappy useless show as their main attraction. Nobody is going to fall for it. If people who visit the area yearly wonder what's new & find out it's  "same old same old", they'll tend to stay away, and park attendance will drop even further.
More-so, if the locals (not the NIMBY peoples) find out nothing is new, they'll straff even FURTHER away and flock to New England, even if it is an additional 90 min. to 2hr drive further away.

Rumors are just that... rumors

CalvinJ23... did you get your official season pass renewal letter in the snail mail yet? Everyone who has a season pass at a major amusement park chain should get a renewal letter of some sort. If not, you should get ahold of some local numbers there and give a call... kind of weave in the questions of what will be new when calling in interest of renewing your pass. Then get more specific.

To me it's irritating, because I so much want to see that park succeed. I've been going to it since 1980 when I was really little &  it was "Story Town USA", so it holds a lot of history for me. Thing is, I don't want to see it BE the same park... I want it to compete with the big-boys like all the other parks, and get some MAJOR thrill attractions. Major original ones. I don't care if it's a set of Huss Giant rides or an original coaster themed to one of the Great Escape areas.... hell, I am almost about to be as so content to go along with yet another cloned ride!!! As long as it's SOMETHING more than a stupid magic show. :(

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...Wondering what the 2002 season holds for all parks...

On a second note... maybe construction is happening, or happened... but there was just no announcement yet.

They can always announce at the last moment. Has anyone tried to take a loooooooooooooooong look if/when they driven by the park within the past month (Dec/Jan)? Any signs of land clearing, unusual dismantling, or notable differences?

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...Wondering what the 2002 season holds for all parks...

DawgByte...I have heard of those rumors, or similar rumors that Screamscape posted, I actually emailed Lance with everything ive heard after I read that post. If you check out the Great Escape News & Rumors section on my website you'll see the rumors/news ive heard is posted there ;)

I do find it very odd that Lance recieved a rumor of the Steamin' Deamon being removed. I heard a similar rumor from an employee at the park, but they said that they believed the Alpine Bobsled would be the ride removed and replaced with an Impulse coaster. I really dont see why the park would remove the Steamin' Deamon. Not to many other coasters could fit in its footmark eithier, unless they were to infact use the front parking lot. I myself would hate to see the Steamin' Deamon leave the more I think about it. It was the first coaster I ever rode when I was little, and its just something that you can really remember the park by.

As for the Season Pass renewal letter, I still have not recieved it in my mail yet :(  [have any other GE Pass holders recieved one??]

I still have hope that Great Escape will add some new rides for the '02 operating season. Even if its just a set of S&S Towers, thats good enough for me this year just as long as we get something new. The park really has alot of potential, (and lets not forget land to expand) and to not expand now after they have been approved to would just hurt the park.

There very well could be construction occuring or already has occured. I havent been able to find the time to drive up there and check it out yet but I plan to very soon. Depending on where construction is taking place though I dont know if ill be able to see anything. Hopefully though ill see some sign of construction going on in the park.  

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Planet Xtreme - http://home.nycap.rr.com/greese1/
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I don't see the Steamin' Demon being removed solely because it is an old ride.  Perhaps if it was a headache for the park mechanics, but its really nothing fancy, just a standard Arrow looper like the dozens of others still in operation around the world.  Six Flags parks have tons of "old", antiquated coasters still in operation, probably because they add to a park's coaster arsenal (bragging rights) and because they occupy crowds.

Personally, I believe this rumor, if only because all of the Six Flags parks surrounding the Great Escape are expanding in 2002.  SFDL is getting their Shipwreck Falls ride, SFNE is getting their new B&M, and La Ronde is getting its B&M inverted and perhaps a Six Flags makeover.  A Great Escape expansion would just get lost in the shuffle this year.

I hope that The Great Escape gets at least a thrill ride or something that will contribute to my evergrowing need to ride a coaster that is fun at Great Escape. I have had a season pass there for about 4 years and I want to see the park get something worth my time and money of getting there.

With all the complications for putting in a new ride I wonder how the managed to get Alpine Bobsled approved.

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I am pretty sure they will get at LEAST a couple thrill rides... but I don't know if they will really be worth noting.

I would be happy if they had a Huss Giant Rides themed section like on their official web site. That'd be sweet, and I'll take that in place of a new coster anytime!! (as long as it's at least 3 giant rides).

However, I will be mildly satisfied if they do get a couple NEW flats (not the Rainbow & Sky Lab put back) for '02 if they don't vouch for a coaster. They really don't got to do any general improvements anymore. They did all they can do.

If what CalvinJ23 says happens, then they will at the very least get some marginal face-lift improvements on top of a flat ride or two (the face-lift being the new front entrance and a bridge over Rt.9, as well as a paved parking lot).

I'd definately hate to see the Steamin Deamon removed... instead, I'd like to see it revamped with 3 improvements:
1) Better capacity (ie: loading & unloading quicker)
2) Theming the ride. (actually putting in some trees, maybe landscape it better, or improve the queue line).
3) Uhh... I guess that's it. It's basically a classic along the lines of Arrow coasters named Corkscrew. It definately defines The Great Escape since it's basically on the outside of the park and can be seen from Hwy 87. "ohh lookie, lookie... it's going through the corkscrew now!!"

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...Wondering what the 2002 season holds for all parks...