PKD changes confirmed at Eastcoaster.

What was in that cave on Diamond Falls? I never rode it basically because I never ride those things anymore unless they are themed like Jurassic park and Escapes From Pompei or "world's tallest/steepest" or some other record. I probably haven't ridden the one here at Carowinds in10 years.

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JOHN
RCT INSOMNIACS
KIMBERLY LAKE INC.

Well Jeremy, as long as were are talking about "water effects: and "HUSS Giant rides", wouldnt it be better for PKD to bite the bullet and install the first HUSS Delerium? Heck, the prototype themeing would even match (though not the name Tsunami).

lata, jeremy

--crying, waiting, hoping, for some park to pick up on the Delerium...

I always felt Diamond Falls had a bad location. Truthfully, I never understood why the drop faced out towards the lake rather than inward towards the midway.

However, I am surprised to see it go. Water rides are pretty consistant and unless it was costing a fortune to maintain, I do not see the reason for it to dissapear. But oh well, I haven't ridden it in 10 years, so that probably is a good example of why it is going away.

PKD was, I believe, the first park in the KECO chain to get a modern day Shoot the Chutes, as well as a river raft ride. Both their Diamond Falls and White Water Canyon premiered a season or two before the other parks.

Water rides hit a brick wall if you ask me. Outside of waterparks, there has been virtually nothing of the caliber of a rapids or Shoot the Chutes developed in the last 15 years or so. It really surprises me that they have not increased in novelty and type the way coasters have.

I don't expect PKI's to be leaving anytime soon. It is very reliable and enough of a draw to stay put for a while. Wheras Dominion's is in an area that desperately needs a facelift. That corner of the park has pretty much become a mis-use of valuable ride real-estate.

Shaggy

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Shaggy

R.I.P. Maestro
Phantom Theater 1992-2002

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Teenage Ninja said of Drop Zone:
It's not a capacity reason. It's because it puts strain on the motor. Also, if I'm thinking right the rotating mechanism is on the car itself, which if you take a motor off that's probably 2000 pounds which means you can add some more people.

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Actually, on Drop Zone at PKI, the rotating mechanism is on the catchwagon, not on the car.

It consists of a couple of motors with friction drives that push against a drive track on the car. It works pretty well, actually...!

--Dave Althoff, Jr.

Shaggy sez:

"Water rides hit a brick wall if you ask me. Outside of waterparks, there has been virtually nothing of the caliber of a rapids or Shoot the Chutes developed in the last 15 years or so. It really surprises me that they have not increased in novelty and type the way coasters have."

<ahem> What about the Intamin Spillwater, aka Perilous Plunge? And in the last few years we've seen the addition of major drops on rapids rides [Bluto, Kali, Grizzly River Rapids]. Does that count?

Moosh

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"Really.. no one thinks [Moosh is] funny down here in Texas." - Panther Modern

If my memory serves me correctly, Diamond Falls opened in 1985. I still have the brochure that has an artist's rendering of the ride and the slogan was "The surprise at the bottom of our newest ride even tops its 50-foot waterfall". If you looked carefully in the drawing, you could see the shadow of a dinosaur-like creature with sharp teeth looming ominously within the cave. When I went to pre-Paramount Kings Dominion in 1986 and rode Diamond Falls, I remember cruising through the cave at the end and seeing some sort of "dragon" or something sitting guard over a pile of jewels. It almost looked like the creature inside Paramount Canada's Wonderland's Thunder Run (Mack Blauer Enzian). So yes there was something in the "cave".... but what exactly it was, I'll never quite know for sure!

ray p.

While those are definitely new elements, they are not really a new concept. Just steeper and taller.

By comparison, coasters have bcome inverted, lay-down, launched, flying etc etc etc.

So I guess what I mean is, although perhaps the exteme or thrilling nature of some elements on water rides has increased, the general concept has stayed the same.

I'd say that the only really new idea came from the coupling of a coaster with a flume, ala Buzzsaw Falls. But that idea was never *truly* successful and did not catch on.

Shaggy
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Shaggy

R.I.P. Maestro
Phantom Theater 1992-2002
*** This post was edited by Shaggy 2/11/2003 11:10:56 AM ***

Ah, ok. Now I understand what you were saying. Thanks for the clarification ;)

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"Really.. no one thinks [Moosh is] funny down here in Texas." - Panther Modern

The reason, I believe, that Diamond Falls was removed was because the ride didn't attract many people, and it was barely in operation during the season. I went almost every other week and it was never open.

Jeremy, that Delerium does like kinda neat, but kinda looks Kiddie from the video, but maybe I just have a bad view on it, and probably much better in real life.

Maybe one of them new Big Splash Rides (As I like to say) will be added, maybe a bigger one. Or maybe they will add a Water Coaster type thing.

Whatever they add, I won't be disappointed, unless they make another Taxi Jam there! I won't be able to ride! :P

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Drop Oup at PKD in 2003!
OoOoOo...Rolley Coaster!

Well, one things for sure; you won't have to worry as much about having a wet seat on your favorite coaster! I agree that Diamond Falls was in a bad location, but I believe its visibility decreased when the waterpark changed over to Waterworks and was expanded. Then again, I haven't ridden Diamond Falls since 1994.
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This is counter culture from the underground eternal revolution this is our sound KMFDM better than the best Megalomaniacal and harder than the rest

PKD decided to get a Gyro-Drop model because of the increased capacity. It's gonna hold 50+ people. They didn't get a model like Pitt Fall because it uses a few 4 passenger vehicles that gives you a capacity of like 24 passengers per cycle. But yeah, I'm slightly dissapointed that it won't rotate :(

Diamond Falls only opened on the weekends last season. I don't blame them for getting rid of it.

How about a Setpoint Swing Thing in that location? Plenty of room an PC already has one. Would be another water ride, or non water in the spring and fall.

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Da Poodle

Coming in 2003-The Spawn Of Magnum!

Why add a family coaster from setpoint to the congo area when they can easily build a runaway repter clone in the nick central section?

Besides they just added a wild mouse in 02,as for 04 I think they're gonna add a major coaster such as a floorless or something along those lines or maybe even a rocket coaster perhaps.

The only coasters they really lack are a flyer,floorless,hyper or rocket,an impulse or invertigo is another possibility considering the footprint of diamond falls isn't all that big & the fact that they don't have a shuttle coaster at this point.

I think PKD is ripe for a Huss Giant ride. Obviously PKI finds the attractions successful, so it seems PKD might follow suit.

Shaggy
*** This post was edited by Shaggy 2/11/2003 9:17:48 PM ***

Batwing, Carowinds has a Swing Thing, a Mouse, and a Reptar. Exactly what you said PKD woudl not do, that doesn't make sense.

Super Saturator is not a coaster per se but a water ride IMO that happens to be in the form of a coaster. Both installations are hugely popular.

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Da Poodle

Coming in 2003-The Spawn Of Magnum!

Well you never know exactly what PKD is gonna do next,unlike Carowinds PKD has been quite successful lately when it comes to thrill rides(ie major coasters & flats) while Carowinds has been catering more to the family crowd the past few seasons.

Only time will tell just what's going to replace diamond falls,be it a coaster or a major flat ride whatever it is it'll be great.

I agree with ya there.

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Da Poodle

Coming in 2003-The Spawn Of Magnum!

Personally, I feel that every park gets a certain amount of "Gimmick" coasters, and certain "Non-Gimmick" coasters. Most coasters start as Gimmick coasters, i.e. inverted, but move to more mainstream. PKD has a Gimmick inverted, so It won't be getting a regular Beemer or SLC. It also has Hypersonic, FoF, and a standup, which I think was a Gimmick that outstayed it's welcome(hence us not seeing a new on since RR @ SFMM).

I don't think PKD will get a Gimmick coaster next. Though they got a mouse (Very non-Gimmick), I'd say '04 and '05 has strong possibilities for a Vekoma Jr. SLC, and/or a Hyper. Corporate seems to want to get the Jr. SLC @ every park, to go along with the Jr. Woodie @ each one, and thats fine by me, since I STILL haven't been on one. Since I'd Say Carowinds next BIG coaster will be a Hyper, I think that all the other Paramount Parks will go this way too, as most have gotten their Gimmick Rides lately (With the exception of maybe PCW), since PGA got Stealth, PC got Flying Super Saturator(considered by the park as a coaster), PKI got SoB, and PKD got Hypersonic. I'd imagine that we'll finally see some Hypercoasters in Paramount parks, since they all lack that. And hopefully some other type of full circuit inverted @ PKI, as Face/Off is just too small of an invert.

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Mmmmmmmm...Chocolate!

TS, tell me how Flying Super Saturator isn't a coaster? It has a lift hill, it has track, and is under gravities pull from the lift hill. Do you have to turn off the water to make it a coaster? I don't see PKD getting a hyper, maybe ever. As far as I can tell, they are landlocked, unless they build out into the parking lot. The only area I see left for development is beyond the expansion of Waterworks to the right of Rebel Yell. Then again, maybe they could teardown one side of Rebel Yell! Yeah, that's it. Cry all you want, will you really miss going backwards? I think not. Or, better yet, get rid of that headache called Anaconda.
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This is counter culture from the underground eternal revolution this is our sound KMFDM better than the best Megalomaniacal and harder than the rest

When I rode Diamond Falls last year, it was in bad shape. The ride ops had to push each boat out of the station to get it up the lift hill. When I saw them doing that I knew right then and there that Diamond Falls had taken a turn for the worse. I loved the ride, on a hot summer day when you needed to cool off, it did the trick, and I hope that a new water ride is put there. Plus it was fun as hell to stand on the bridge and get soaked from the wave. I say bring in Diamond Falls Version 2.0, and have it be even bigger then the one at Hershey Park.