Another Intamin Success Story

http://www.holidayworld.com/holiblog/2014/04/17/wisdom-sir-isaac/

Pilgrims Plunge...err, Giraffica is going bye-bye.

Good riddance. It was a major disappointment from the very first ride I took.

~Rob

Yeah, can't say I'm surprised either. They were disappointed with it before it even opened in terms of uptime performance. I remember Will saying that year that it was unlikely they would ever buy another ride from them, and they did not enjoy working with them at all.

Last time I did it, I think the last Fall Affair we did, I was indifferent about it.

Man, Intamin is inconsistent (Inconsistin?).

The ride itself was a unique idea, but the capacity HAD to suck, and it just looks like a ride that was complicated just to be complicated. Innovation is important in the coaster world, but it's also important to play on your strengths and deliver reliability and safety as well. I really think Intamin could take a page or two from B&M on so many levels.

As always though, I am sad to see a pretty unique ride go bye bye. Maybe I would feel differently had I ridden it, I don't know.

Meh.

https://www.dorneypark.com/what-s-new/new-for-2015

Am I the only person who liked it?

You might be...

I think conceptually the ride had promise. Who wouldn't want the worlds tallest, fastest water ride? Good idea, right?

The long ride portion and approach to the lift was slow and boring without scenic elements to keep you entertained. The drop wasn't steep or curved, but a straight ramp like the sliding board on the playground. The splash run out had to be extended so far, due to the speed of the boats, that the usual splash effect was ruined. Then when it finally left the track for deeper water it just kind of dumped you in.
The best part for me was that elevator lift up the bow-legged tower. I'm not sure if it was the strange sensation of tilting back and forth that made it scary for me, or merely the fact that Intamin had conceived such a contraption...

My absolute favorite thing of all was the station, where they had installed huge ceiling fans from Big Ass Fans (a real thing) to keep the area cool. In an obvious effort to not offend the Southern Indianans, the friendly, clean, family park covered the company's name and logo on the center post with a smiley face, or something. I loved that.

The ride was in a strange corner of the park and even stranger was the access to the ride from either the dry or water side of the park. We always rode it in our swimsuits and took the long walk from Splashin Safari to get there. Last season's attempt to rename the ride and include it only in water park days and hours was awkward as well.

Maybe they'll salvage the big logo arch that sat atop and put it out by the road to billboard the park. But better yet, maybe they'll keep the station, fans and all, in place for a future, exciting project...

Personally - I blame the loss of Pilgrims Plunge on the lack of a necessary apostrophe that was missing from the name (could spell doom for Kings island, LOL).

Don't forget Kings Dominion.

And if that is the case, I guess Dorney gets the new invert. *laugh*

Was it seriously called 'Giraffica" or is this some kind of weird nickname it earned? Makes sense, given it's goofy looks, but I'm out of the loop I guess.

I rode it back in 2010 or so, at a HWN event. While I didn't hate it, it didn't do much for me either. Yeah, the ramp aspect was a letdown. Were they (Intamin, not HW) so paranoid after Perilous Plunge that they decided this was as steep as they were willing to go.

Don't get me wrong, it was fun. How could a ride down a slide that big not be fun? But doubt I'll miss it. Knowing HW, they have something big planned.

Tommytheduck said:

Was it seriously called 'Giraffica" or is this some kind of weird nickname it earned?

It was seriously called Giraffica.

So G:TSTCRFKAPP is no more? Doesn't bother me. I had the chance to ride it a couple years ago and it looked boring as frack.

I'm just impressed I figured out that acronym so quickly. ;)

It had a nice flow to it. Plus it had a good beat and you could dance to it. I gave it a 98.

I love how misleading the topic title is. The first time I read it, I was very confused. lol

I have mixed feeling about Intamin. When they get something right, it is very very good, however, Intamin is responsible for killing or maiming a lot of people and building rides that just don't work the way they are supposed to. They can't brag about their safety record or reliability when trying to sell rides to the parks. I keep hearing that this park or that park is not ever going to buy from Intamin again. At this rate, how much longer can they stay in business?

Ask Fantasialand. I can't imagine that water ride being anything but a hit.

Oh well, I guess ninth try's the charm!

LostKause said:

I love how misleading the topic title is. The first time I read it, I was very confused.

Is was meant to be funny. Irony? Sarcasm? My own dry sense of wit?

I had trouble with "getting" the title for about a second, and then tied Intamin to success story. From there...well, I wasn't surprised with the content.

I got it before I clicked on it...