Six Flags Fiesta Texas retiring its Power Surge boat ride

These rides, once the darling of the theme park, are numbering fewer and fewer. I wonder what it is? Old and rusty? Or just outdated?

Just personal experience but I've always noticed low ridership on every one of these I've ever visited other than Escape from Pompeii.

This also happens to open up a huge plot of real estate that also has access to the quarry wall. I'd imagine that's one of the main reasons for closing the ride.

I think the problem is that this class of rides was designed to be bigger and more wet, and they replaced aging traditional flumes, that left you a little damp. I never liked the big and wet, but I always liked the little damp flumes. I wonder if my opinion is widely held by others.

There was a time shortly after shoot-the-chutes started popping up that I loved the big and wet, but those were my teenage years. I especially liked that the observation decks built near the bottom of the drops allowed a quick way to get drenched without queuing up for the ride.

Now I'm old and being comfortable while walking around for the rest of the day is far more enticing than squishing in my shoes.

I loved the large drop, plunging into the pool. But, not being soaked for rest of the day. I haven't been one of theses in years. Note that one of these flumes has been resurrected as Padre Plunge at Schlitterbahn Corpus Christi. Now that is one I am looking forward to riding several times.

The only time I ride these shoot the chute rides is when they are next to an attached waterpark and you can wear bathing suits on the ride like at Dorney and Hershey.

I think the very first one was at the Worlds Fair in NOLA, then the one opened at SF in Chicago. I remember reports of security resorting to methods of crowd control, and not for riders, but for people wanting to stand on the bridge all day. I think since then the one at Kennywood might be the only one that didn't include a bridge. I always thought the one in Tampa was cool, with the scenic river before the path.
I used to like em, but now I mostly agree with Jeff- way more often that not I give the splash boats a pass. At any rate, it has to be something more than up, around, and back down for me to ride.

I generally don't like the soak you water flumes, unless its coupled with a water park visit. That's part of what is nice about Adventure Falls at MI Adventure - the flume is right by the water park.

The only time in the last decade or so when I rode a splash boats ride was at Kennywood, as a substitute for the ice bucket challenge. (It doesn't have a bridge, but does have a couple spots where you can stand and get soaked).

The old-style flumes, on the other hand, are usually among my favorite rides in the park. I used to time my day at Cedar Point so we would be able to ride White Water Landing near sunset. If I ever get back there it'll be odd not to be able to ride it.

hambone said:

The old-style flumes, on the other hand, are usually among my favorite rides in the park.

This x 10

^^^^^ Yoshifan hit it on the head for me. They should be part of the waterparks. Hersheypark and Dorney are the only time i ride chute the chutes or rapids at Dorney. There are other parks that i'd love to ride their water rides, but don't because I'm am not walking around the rest of the day waterlogged. If it wasn't such a hassle to carry bags around parks I'd take a change of clothes, so I can ride.

Also agree with Jeff. A log flume where you don't get soaked is what i prefer. Wet sleeves are ok. Now I don't ride those at parks that have those pay sprayers that get me just as wet as the other rides.

When it was new, World's of Fun positioned their splash boats right between the water park and the dry side. Guests from either side could enter using their own queue and ride. I haven't been there since, but I recall that back then the water park had a separate gate like CP's, making the two lines necessary. Anyway, it was funny to see half the folks in the boat in swimming attire and the other half in street clothes. And I thought it was a great idea. I wonder if it still is a "shared" attraction?

I've always wondered why more big waterparks don't include mechanical water rides in addition to the usual slides and rivers. I guess the Roller Soakers were an attempt at that but failed. (Low capacity kept me off of it) But a flume, a river raft, and splash boats would make fine additions to any waterpark.

Many of those boat rides required shirt and shoes, no swimwear. I never understood that.

My favorite one of these is the one at Noah's Arc just because it doesn't make you uncomfortable, because you're already in a waterpark. After that, Escape From Pompeii because it's super well themed and gets you just wet enough, not completely drenched. Ther rest are no bueno.