Deja Vu - Two Down, One To Go?

It was confirmed over the weekend that SFGAm's Deja Vu is being removed. There is a photo on another site [sorry, I won't link to a CB competitor] that shows a wonderfully sarcastic sign placed in Vu's operator booth:

Our Beloved Vekoma Masterpiece.
October 7th, 2001 – October 28th, 20

SFOG confirmed the removal of their Vu a few weeks ago. That's two down, one to go. Anyone want to take bets on when SFMM's Vu will be leaving?

Isn't Flashback still standing?

I wonder how much of the triple ferris wheel is still on site or if it has been completely scrapped.

Is anyone that broken up about it? I have to admit that once I finally got on one, it was pretty boring. Huge elements make not a thrilling ride.

I think SFMM's is safe, as it is an operational ride, still popular with the general public. It may not be 100% reliable (but sounds like far mor reliable than the others), but as long as the upkeep costs are under control, I can see SFMM keeping it open for quite some time. Plus, there are bigger fish to fry at the park. X undergoes refurb soon, Flashback has to be removed, the monorail has to be removed (that's a huge job), Granny Gran Prix gets removed for Thomas Town, and Freefall is still on the bubble.

Deja Vu is a great ride in the front row btw.

My guess (on Moosh's question): SFMM's will probably run up through WCB weekend (Winter Coaster Solace).

Of course, I make my guess "For Entertainment Purposes Only". :)

*** Edited 10/29/2007 7:48:52 PM UTC by rollergator***

I always liked being lifted slowly up Deja Vu's first vertical lift. The start of the ride ROCKED.

But after that? They could just as well lower the train back down into the station and empty it.

-'Playa

I would think with the warmer weather and low humidity, Deja Vu at Magic Mountain wouldn't be as much a problem as at the other parks.

I was at Great America yesterday, was gonna take 'last rides' but it was so packed, I was alone, so just left after 90 minutes. Didn't even ride my favorites Whizzer or Viper. Next year!

PS - American Eagle was racing, wow!

I always thought the Vu's were fun. I won't lose any sleep over them being taken out though.

I will miss them. I loved the free fall aspect of the vertical spikes. And unlike Jeff, I prefer giant inversions for their floaty nature. When OTSR's are in the equation, the gentler the changes in direction the better. ;)

Hell yes I'll miss it. I know there are plenty of people who aren't big fans of the ride, and I suspect that the downtime may be a big part of that. But as far as I'm concerned, Deja Vu was easily the best coaster at Great America, and I'm very glad I got to the park this season for one last ride. The vertical drop and the incredible airtime in the back seat when racing backward up spike #1 at the end of the ride blew me away every single time.

That's two of my favorite coasters scrapped from Six Flags parks this year. Shapiro is intent on removing anything that's costly to operate or maintain. I understand the strategy, but unfortunately we're losing some great rides because of it.

-Nate

^^I have to disagree that the changes in direction are "gentle". The one SHARP change in direction was from the vertical drop INTO the station...and I suspect that's where the ride was hitting...what, 6.5g. That is a LOT of force...

Of course, other than that, the OTSR's did kinda warrant BIG looping elements, so the only real headbanging was typically (for me at least) into and out of the cobra rolls - just ANOTHER reason to hate that element, LOL.

Were they fun? Yes. Intense? Yes again. Problematic, expensive to maintain, nightmarish capacity? All definitely Yes as well - and that's why we'll always have to *vaguely recall* Deja Vu. ;)

I really, really enjoyed my one ride on a Deja Vu, SFMM's version. I thought it was really great and I was happy to get the credit.

I won't be sad to see them go if they all do. While very fun the reliability thing is just too too much to overcome. Building them, all three of them at the same time is a shining example of what was wrong with the former SF management.

And when Deja at SFMM is gone, you can still go to Parque Warner and ride Stunt Fall.

The Deja Vu are one of the few layouts that scare the crap out of me. Their thrills will be missed. Their lines will not.

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coasterdude318 said:
Hell yes I'll miss it. I know there are plenty of people who aren't big fans of the ride, and I suspect that the downtime may be a big part of that. But as far as I'm concerned, Deja Vu was easily the best coaster at Great America,
-Nate

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I remember saying the same thing in my trip report from last year. That's really sad that you have that many coasters in a park, and now you're removing your best one. On the intensity/scary meter, Deja Vu went far beyond any of the other coasters in the park (at least in the front seat).

Don't get me wrong, there's still some cool stuff to ride there, like Whizzer, American Eagle, Viper, and V2. But with Voodoo opening up next year at Dorney (2 to 2-1/2 hours away), and B:TR, Batman the Dark Knight, S:UF, and Nitro all at SFGAdv., (again, about a 2-1/2 hour drive) I really can't think of a reason to head twelve-hours northwest again.

Sure, it was a really nice looking park, and it was well run, but with Great Adventure making the operational improvements it did this year, plus the cosmetic improvements they've been making every year for the last three years (with more to come this year), I think I'll save on the gas money and wear and tear on my car.

It is a shame that one of the nicest family rides in the park and a park icon was removed for that short-lived, problem field piece of junk.

I must be in the small minority of those who loved the Deja Vu's. I only got to ride the ones at SFMM and SFGAm and I thought they were very thrilling and comfortable to ride. The first drop on the vertical spike was amazing. Probably as close as you could get to riding a Sky Coaster. Although the rest of the ride was just okay.

~Rob Willi

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Neuski said:
The Deja Vu are one of the few layouts that scare the crap out of me. Their thrills will be missed. Their lines will not.

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I agree 100% it was one of the few rides that I was actually scared on or have been somewhat scared to ride.

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Jeff said:
Is anyone that broken up about it?

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I liked them. I'll be sorry to see them go.

Let us not forget the fourth Giant Inverted Boomerang, Stunt Fall in Movie World, often forgotten because it isn't a) named Deja Vu, or b) in the United States.

Having said that, I think the pinnacle of this design is very much the "Invertigo" with the face to face seating.