Kennywood announces Black Window as Pitfall replacement

LostKause said:
I don't hold my breath for them to replace the auto ride any time soon. Where will they put it?

Isn't that what we always say? There is always room.

I dig drop rides, but they're not a necessity. Any time I'm at Kings Dominion, I might take a ride on theirs once, if whomever I'm with wants to...as long as there's a short line. It's fun, but once it's over, I never feel like a re-ride is necessary.

A Giant Frisbee seems like a solid replacement.

Nitpicking but the Auto ride by the train is still there. That thing has to be one of a kind. Turnpike was removed to build Sky Rocket. One rumor was to try and fit it in under the queue for Phantom. No idea if that is really feasible.

As mentioned it has been a good two years of rumors about removing the Garfield theme. The only thing is unlike Pittfall, Garfield has been pretty popular in terms of ridership. I do miss the old theme, but there have been several changes to the ride in its history.

Yeah, with all the enthusiast bitching about it, Garfield is still more popular and draws more of a line in its 8th season than the Old Mill/Haunted Hideaway/etc ever did.

I'll miss the Pitt Fall as a rider, but looking at it from the other side, I won't shed a tear.

kpjb said:
Yeah, with all the enthusiast bitching about it, Garfield is still more popular and draws more of a line in its 8th season than the Old Mill/Haunted Hideaway/etc ever did.

Quite interesting. :)

tservo said:
I do miss the old theme, but there have been several changes to the ride in its history.

Exactly. It's history is that of constant change. Not that I love the Garfield theme, but it's the same boring boat ride it's always been only now it's painted with Garfield comics. :)

kpjb said:
I'll miss the Pitt Fall as a rider, but looking at it from the other side, I won't shed a tear.

Ha

I suspect the relationship with the ride got a lot more complicated after the Kentucky Kingdom accident.

LostKause said:
Pittfall's low ridership is a good reason to get rid of it. I just don't understand why people didn't line up for it. It was one of the best drop rides I have ever been on.

Because we value our feet?

Looks like another fun addition, can't wait to try it out.

~Rob

I don't know how many regular non-enthusiast types or non-amusement business types knew that Pittfall and Hellivator were the same kind of ride, or even that Hellivator existed and hurt that poor girl in the first place. If someone saw it on the world news that one time, I suspect that they forgot about it when the next exciting news story broke the next day.

Not trying to be a smartass. Just my observation.

And let me just go a little further about Garfield's Nightmare. It totally sucks as a theme. I would go as far as saying that it is the worst theme at the park. I hate it. H. A. T. E. lol

And what's with the dripping wet 3-D glasses? Who thought that was a good idea?

I'm not saying that the Old Mill was a great themed ride. I don't think the theme was the problem though. I would love to see Old Mill come back, with the same theme, but updated with new special effects and maybe new story elements. I know that Kennywood has trouble with creativity, so it might be somewhat costly to pay creative people to design it, but I can't imagine it being any worse than Garfield. I mean, who cares about Garfield anymore?

:)

LostKause said:
I mean, who cares about Garfield anymore?

:)

Jon? Odie? Liz? The lasagna industry? Just because YOU don't care, Krause....

:)

Sorry Krause I was being a smart ass. I'd be lieing if I said I wouldn't be missing Pittfall. I would try to ride it on each of my visits even after the Hellivator accident.

~Rob

LostKause said:
I don't know how many regular non-enthusiast types or non-amusement business types knew that Pittfall and Hellivator were the same kind of ride, or even that Hellivator existed and hurt that poor girl in the first place. If someone saw it on the world news that one time, I suspect that they forgot about it.

That wasn't the relationship I was talking about. The accident makes owning the ride more complex, both in terms of maintenance and liability.

I like the choice of new install - it's the first flat ride at Kennywood since, well, the Pitt Fall that I would consider "marquee level". Plus, if Giant Discoveries are as fun as Giant Frisbees or the KMG XXL (my only two similar experiences so far), it's going to be a great, well-received addition. Heck, Aero 360 still draws long lines years after install despite being awkward and largely thrill-less.

I loved the Pitt Fall, but it was the only ride in the park that was consistently hard to get a group of friends to ride (for whatever reason). I loved the dwindling wait times that go hand in hand with decreased ridership, but between that and the maintenance/liability side of things, I understand the decision to kill it.

I do hope that we'll eventually see another drop ride at Kennywood, but as replacements go, I really like the one they've gone with.

LostKause said:
And what's with the dripping wet 3-D glasses? Who thought that was a good idea?

That's because we wash them.

I know that Kennywood has trouble with creativity...

Oh yeah? Well your band sucks!

;)

It sounds like GN's theming was supposed to be replaced before the 2011 season, but somewhere in the process they changed their minds. I can only speculate that with the rather large pig-going-down-the-python's-throat investment of Skyrocket just having been completed, they found it cheaper to simply renew the license than pay to completely redo the attraction. That is a huge ride, after all.

Old Mills were originally intended as a dark, tranquil rides with beautiful or mysterious scenes that would light up to amuse or startle the passengers out of their canoodling. (Have we used that one in a while?) The preservationist in me recognizes that every ride needs occasional refurbishment and modernization, but also laments the fact that Kennywood has taken away the heart and soul of their rare and unique attraction (that dates back to 1901, for god's sake) with this ill-concieved update.

Garfield's Nightmare is poorly done. The tunnels are no longer dark, the cardboard cutout artwork is terrible, the "float-by" windows are closed up and the outdoor areas have been altered. kpjb reports longer lines than ever, and that may be true, but I have a feeling it's in part because they moved the line off the street and into that infield area, basically hidden from view. I never saw the Haunted Hideaway or the Old Mill without a line of some kind, sometimes going down the midway. They may have relocated and lengthened the queue, but I have a feeling actual capacity is about the same. For Garfield, we waited in that long line one time and I swore never again. We would ride Old Mill everytime we visited, however.

I don't begrudge the park their Garfield license or their desire for a family attraction (which, incidentally, Old Mill was) but a better application might have been to purchase a carnival-style dark ride, theme it to Garfield if necessary, put it back in Kiddieland where it belongs, and leave Old Mill the hell alone. Then everyone, (especially me), could still be happy!

On subject, I'm looking forward to Black Window, especially if it's postitioned so that it swings out over the cliff for added thrill and sensation of height.

An interactive dark ride seems like a no-brainer home run replacement for Old Mill/Nightmare.

^You mean like a shoot-em-up? Already got one.

From a historical standpoint (and Kennywood is one place that actually honors its park history), I think the main thing is to try to utilize the existing structure and ride system as much as possible. The Old Mill is one of the oldest dark rides left, after all.

^^They do? I haven't been in about 8 years.