Rides not in service - PRIOR to entering the park

Here is my question (Below is a hypothetical example)

"I am going to Kings Dominion. My point of going to the park is that I want to ride Intimidator 305 and Twisted Timbers." That's it. I don't want to drive 2+ hours to find out either ride is not in service.

Is there any app or notification that will tell the status of the ride prior to the day (or morning) I arrive? I monitor queue times type apps, however those stats are real time. Is there anything that can say "Intimidator 305" will be closed today prior to arriving? (Meaning, I will reschedule my visit to the park if that is the case.)

Most parks have sandwich boards or signs outside the gate stating this. BGW had one last week (for Roman Rapids.) Cant remember if KD does this.

The internet is your friend. If something of note is down for any length of time, enthusiasts will have it posted somewhere. If it's planned, more and more parks advertise closed rides and attractions on their official site.

As far as your specific example, if I-305 has a single day, all day downtime on the same day you visit it's simply a case of bad luck and the park likely didn't know it was going to happen until you were already there. If it's open as normal until the end of business the prior day, there really isn't anything you can do. That's always the gamble you take when you live the edge of your seat life of a coaster enthusiast.

The park's website and social media channels will usually have something if it's planned.

Queue times actually has history for each ride, and a detail of the previous week. Click on the ride to bring it up

I.E It looks like Twisted Timbers was up most of yesterday and up at close, with little downtime during the day close.

https://queue-times.com/en-US/parks/62/rides/5937

I've heard that Maverick has been having issues this week and sure enough, it was closed yesterday and spotty this whole week.

https://queue-times.com/en-US/parks/50/rides/3767

I suppose it could be park/company specific as well. Last year the Superman coaster at Six Flags America, had its lift chain broken and was down for 2+ weeks. There was no reference to the closure on their website or on Facebook. I suppose that makes sense as advertising an outage like that would not be good for business. In fact, I heard that information from another enthusiast, who had a friend who worked at Six Flags maintenance. I once asked a ride attendant at Six Flags if they knew why a particular ride was down the past two days. She said "Yes, I do, however it is park policy that we are not allowed to disclose that to park guests."

SROS at SFA's chain lift broke? That's odd. That NEVER happens.

Many parks used to have pages that listed ride status on a day-to-day basis but those seem to be a thing of the past. I'm guessing that parks realized that they'd rather have guests come to the park and be angry that a ride is closed rather than avoid the park altogether because they know their favorite ride will be down.

The number of people who avoid going to parks due to ride closures has to be minimal.

I imagine all parks do their best to have all rides in working order, however breakdowns and repairs are unavoidable. I have been to Six Flags America on certain days, where there were so many rides not running, it was almost pointless to be there. A few weeks back on a Sunday, Superman, Jokers Jinx, Roar, Rajin Cajun and Batman were all closed. That's my home park and I go there so often, it didn't bother me, however I did feel bad for the guests who went to Six Flags just that one day. Hopefully, some of those rides opened up later in the day, however they were all closed the first few hours of the day (while I was there anyway.) Last year I went to Kings Dominion for two days. Day #1 Twisted Timbers was closed all day. Thankfully, day #2 Twisted Timbers was back open. I guess it's just a crap shoot, hope for the best, but be mentally ready for a few rides to be possibly closed.

Vater:

The number of people who avoid going to parks due to ride closures has to be minimal.

I went to Boomers and their Dragon Wagon was closed.

I was PISSED.

DoubleMeatTaco:

"I am going to Kings Dominion. My point of going to the park is that I want to ride Intimidator 305 and Twisted Timbers."

Kings Dominion: "We're sorry, but Twisted Timbers had an unexpected complication this morning, and won't be opening for the day"

99% of Park Guests:

Kings Dominion: "Thanks for your understanding"

Enthusiasts:

Kings Dominion:

In all seriousness, some parks do, and parks do let you know on their pages. Knott's has a page dedicated to the rides that will be down prior to you coming. Back when Volcano was still erupting at KD, it was clearly stated on the park's website that it would not be running.

You could always call the park. I am in Denver for business and called Lakeside before heading over, only yo find that Cyclone is down and waiting for parts.

Call? What do you think this is, 2012?

Lakeside is stuck in 1955 so it checks out.

You ought to be really pissed now, as there is no more Boomers......

Raven-Phile:

SROS at SFA's chain lift broke? That's odd. That NEVER happens.

That is so crazy that Jeff was at Six Flags 22-years ago just a few weeks after Superman opened. (How long has this forum been around anyway?) Superman opened May 13th, 2000, he tried to ride it June 2, 2000. I can't believe the chain broke just two weeks after opening. They paid $12,000,000 for that coaster, one would hope the chain would last more than a few weeks.

Also, Jeff spent a total of $28 in 2000 for the entire day! It now costs $30 a day just to park your car (without a season pass.) $3 fountain soda sounds like a steal compared to $19 today. The price for a gallon of gas was $1.48 in 2000. It costs me over $60 in gas to get up and back to Hershey Park from my house each time I go.

I wish I had a time machine and could go back in time. I would meet up with Jeff on June 2nd, 2000 after the chain break incident and show him the prices in the future. I would finish up the conversation explaining the "Fast pass" system, and mention how you can get an unlimited "Skip the line" pass for an extra $160 per day, per person (not including parking, tickets to enter the park or food or drink.) I would watch his jaw drop and head implode, before hopping back in my time machine to my next destination :)

I'd rather talk about pancakes.

I could do that. I'd also like to talk about BACON!

When I worked at Cedar Point back in the 70’s it seems like there wasn’t much downtime or rides frequently out of commission.
What we did have, however, was rain and sometimes plenty of it. Who I felt sorry for were the guests who had come some distance and got no rides whatsoever. They’d show up at my stand all forlorn in plastic ponchos and ask “What is there to do?” and I’d recall the park guide’s advice and say “Oh, browse the shops and take in a show!” And they’d say “Seen em”.
I guess I’m wondering what the difference is between that and showing up at a park and have there be unexpected downtime on a ride or rides. Every bit as disappointing to the enthusiast I’m sure.