Dragon Challenge removal

LuvRaptor said:
Why do all that work to just decide 4 years later to get rid of the rides?

Um, because Universal is a corporation working on a long range plan for its properties, maybe?

Not being the majority who couldn't care less about Harry Potter to know they're destroying 2 B&Ms for yet another indoor pos VR ride.

Um, yes, the "majority" could not care less about "destroying" roller coasters from any particular company. The "majority" likes to ride rides regardless of of the manufacturer.

I know they couldn't give a crap about their pass holders but after Monday I will never step foot in their parks again.

Sorry. You've enjoyed special privileges for six years, unavailable to the majority of guests to Universal, but you think Universal doesn't "give a crap" about you?

I will be heading to SeaWorld for their B&Ms.

To quote Dolly Parton in Best Little Whorehouse....

"...the door's thataway."

We rode it today as our ceremonious farewell. I was honestly verklempt, as Fire Dragon remains my favorite invert. The lines were unusually long before the daily Florida afternoon downpour. I still don't understand the decision, but I heard a rumor that it will be put in storage and reopened at whatever park they decide to build further south on Universal drive.

I wouldn't hold to much faith in that rumor. From a business perspective storing something takes space and costs money. We are talking about an asset which would have been fully depreciated by this time. So keeping it for potential future use just seems wasteful. In addition, we are talking about something which takes up much more real estate than a normal coaster. It would be cheaper to collect scrap value and move along. The trains could potentially be sold to other parks with inverts, but again are they past their useful service lives?

Unfortunate as it may be, I don't think we will be seeing the dragons again after Monday.

delan said:

We rode it today as our ceremonious farewell. I was honestly verklempt, as Fire Dragon remains my favorite invert.

I went last week and enjoyed a few rides. I have always preferred Fire over Ice, but both sides were running great. Outside of the Geauga Lake closure, this is probably the saddest I have ever been about losing a coaster. I remember being a geeky coaster kid in Ohio back when IoA opened in 1999 and drooling at the pictures of Dragons, Hulk, and the entire park on all the coaster sites the first few years after that park opened. It's still crazy to me that we are losing Dragons. I thought about going again on Monday for the last day, but I don't want to deal with the Labor Day crowds and what I imagine will be some ACErs hanging out on the platform.

So there are no plans to open up a "Song Of Ice And Fire" themed amusement park any time soon?

It would fit perfectly. Especially the part where the Ice Dragon flies up against the Wall.

I was there today, and despite lines around 15 minutes most of the day, I skipped it. It was first time with my kid since he was 10 months, and he was surprisingly interested in riding stuff so I decided to focus on that.

And also, not having the rides duel is just weird.

I wound up coming to the park tonight. I got here around 6:30 (they closed at 7) and storms moved in and the ride was closed. They still let folks enter the queue and it opened up just before 8. I was on maybe the fifth or sixth to the last public train for Fire. Had a fantastic post-rain ride that made me even more sad for the destruction pics that I'm sure will be circulating by the end of the week. Kudos to the crew and park for riding out the weather.

And no, there were no final duels.

This is probably the first closure that leaves me feeling actually sad. I only got to ride it two days on a trip in 2002, but it was just such a cool ride. The queue was awesome, the rides themselves were innovative and unique (and still are) and the dueling aspect was just unbelievable. I am still in awe of how well it worked (well, the third duel in the corkscrews looked a lot better off ride than on) and how much it added to the mystique of the ride. Wish I had gotten a chance to ride it more recently (but no so recently that it wasn't dueling).

Tommytheduck said:
So there are no plans to open up a "Song Of Ice And Fire" themed amusement park any time soon?

It would fit perfectly. Especially the part where the Ice Dragon flies up against the Wall.

Well played, sir. They could also get one of those total free fall rides and call it the Moon Door. The restaurant could be called Frey's Folly...Drogon's Den...it could be fun. Hehehe...

The UO FB pages are *filled* with people asking for a relocation of DD/DC. I don't think they picked up on the *massive* clue Universal dropped when they replaced Hulk. The ride, she is worn out...reminiscent of HSTC....

The biggest difference to me was the last few years of Hulk 1.0, it had become so rough that it was almost unrideable. Whether that was an overall lack of upkeep or wear and tear, that thing just tracked terribly. Being on one of the final rides ever of Fire on Monday night and visiting a few weeks ago and getting laps on both, it was still smooth and seemed to track like any other B&M invert from the time period. It very well may be at or near the end of life, but it sure didn't ride like it.

Well, maybe it just got down to a choice. Either they could eventually face a major reconstruct on a couple of massive, aging rides, or they could complete the theme with another great dark ride using an awesome new system.
I have a feeling that a new HP ride will pack them in and maybe whatever was there before will be just a dim memory for most park goers.

BrettV- Speaking of Hulk, is it really a lot better now? I haven't been down since it was still under construction, but my last ride on it was misery. And after that it was always a pass.

MAC - I took one lap post-rebuild. I did not take another.

Oh, that's disappointing. I was hoping I'd like to ride it again sometime.

There's a bad spot on Hulk that I feel is a case of poor design. (Which I don't often say about B&M rides) It's near the front, is high in the air, and I seem to remember it's an uncomfortable and awkward lead in to a corkscrew/flat spin. It's really weird and kind of painful. No amount of replacing will fix that spot for me.

I have had the opposite experience. My dozen or so rides on Hulk 2.0 since it opened have been intense but as close to glass smooth as the layout will allow with the restraints. To me the upgrade was worth every penny to keep the ride going for another 15-20 years.

Hulk isn't much better IMO. Still looks amazing though.

Was in Orlando over the summer - Hulk was pretty unbearable from the middle of the train, smoother at the front. To be honest, it felt like the whole rebuild was a wasted opportunity - yes, the coaster now has a much longer life, but surely rectifying the appalling vibrations should have been a priority. As a result, I rode twice in 4 days - we had the express passes so it should have been much more, I just couldn't bear it. Enjoyed my last few spins on the dragons a lot more but a pity they couldn't duel in their last weeks. Given the level of security you need to go through to get on, it seems that it could have happened. Individually, both coasters were great, duelling brought them to a whole new level. I hope whatever replaces it is worth it!

Just guessing, but I would assume that rattles and vibrations are more about the train than the track. Unless it was just really bad work.

Last time I rode the Dragons was in 2010, and I believe they were still dueling. I liked both of them, and loved the quene. Some of the best theming I've seen in the quene. Hoping they use that in a Harry Potter theme.

bigboy said:

Just guessing, but I would assume that rattles and vibrations are more about the train than the track. Unless it was just really bad work.

I would agree, it just seems a wasted opportunity to get it all sorted. I love rides that throw you around it but this was headache inducing.