NYC seeking new Cyclone operator

I really only see on of the 2 park owners taking over this attraction. Upkeep is pretty high on a wood coaster and it's a bit much to hire maintenance etc just to work on one ride.

But a ride like the Cyclone pretty much needs a dedicated maintenance crew, so that isn't much of an issue.

When I visited there, though, I wondered how the ride could possibly make much money, unless the ride operators (I think I counted ten of them) were being paid solely by the reride money.

What I do know is that if the ride were maintained half as well as the Wonder Wheel, it would easily be a top-10 coaster. Instead, the Cyclone that I rode was a virtually unrideable mess that made Mean Streak look good by comparison. I don't know much about Carole Albert or how much responsibility if any her management can take for the condition of the Cyclone, but based on what I experienced a few years ago, this turn of events looks like it could be a Good Thing™.

--Dave Althoff, Jr.

When did you ride it?

I rode it last June, and I hated it.

Yeah, the darn thing has to be rideable in the first place. In 08 it pottholed on every bottom. I had planed on about five rides and took two

Ok. I rode it in '02 and I found it a top 10 ride. A lot's changed since then I guess.

I don't know, I had front and back rides about 6 weeks ago, and it was pretty much fantastic to me...aggressive doesn't even begin to describe the action in the back row of those 4-bench trains. Perhaps that level of aggression isn't for everyone? ;)

The Albert family is owed a huge debt of gratitude by the coaster community and the people of the city of NY...

That pretty much describes my backseat rides 8 years ago.

Confused. The article states the Cyclone has had one of its busiest times in decades but Carol Albert claims the coaster isn't making money.

The article also states that Zamperla is in the running to lease the Cyclone. That would make the most sense since they run Luna Park right next door. It would be foolish to have a different operator for one ride.

Vater said:
I rode it in '02 and I found it a top 10 ride.

Exact same experience here.

I rode it three years ago and it is definitely a top ten coaster for me. I kind of hope that Luna gets it, but I hope they maintain the historic nature of the ride.

I'm surprised at eight bucks for initial ride and five for rerides that they are losing money.

I rode it in '08.

$8/ride, $5/reride (and that is the only way to get a front seat ride). How many operators did they have working? Pay all those guys, the ticket seller, couple of mechanics, give NYC their share, pretty soon there isn't much left.

--Dave Althoff, Jr

Why so many operators? I haven't ridden it, by the way.

They usually have 5-7 guys on the platform. As there are two braking stations, (one for load, one for unload) - those are manned separately. The rest are more for crowd control and selling rerides. The load station is very tight and keeping people moving is a big part of the operation.

In regards to the condition of the ride. It really seems to be the luck of the draw on what you get. I was with Gator and those rides were easily the best I had this year -however I rode it the week before that and the best description I have is 'crunchy'.

I caught it on a terrible day, even AV Matt will attest to that. And he put me in the back seat. Cyclone ranks just above Vortex (Carowinds) on my list, which is in the bottom 3 coasters ever.

I'd like to ride it and get a nice ride, maybe next summer.

RideMan said:
$8/ride, $5/reride (and that is the only way to get a front seat ride).

Really? My first two rides were in the front.

^ Same here. My first two were in the front as well. Had to wait a few trains before getting my first ride as the people in front had quite a few five dollar bills stashed before getting on the ride :)

jimvid said: In regards to the condition of the ride. It really seems to be the luck of the draw on what you get. I was with Gator and those rides were easily the best I had this year -however I rode it the week before that and the best description I have is 'crunchy'.

That was an awesome day all around - thanks for all the amazing hospitality Jim. Can't wait for this weekend! :)

I still think the Chamber of Commerce should try and hire you. "Ambassador to the World's Greatest City" :)

If Carol Albert is willing to submit a bid on the new contract, seems to me that the current lease must be pretty lousy from the operator standpoint.