The Kumba thing

No one has mentioned the whole Kumba debacle from last week.

Yes, I realize that it was merely a rumor that got debunked by the park itself, but it doesn't stop there. The park's rebuttal tweet makes it sound that the ride will still get a major refurbishment, and while still speculation, sounds to me like it's going to get Hulked.

This, IMO, is a good thing. Kumba holds a special place in my coastertool story and I'd hate to see it go.

I hope so! It deserves it.

On the flip-side, I'd hate to see it get a re-track, and lose its signature punch.

I haven't ridden Hulk 2.0 yet, so I don't know how much the new track has changed the feel of the ride, but Kumba definitely sits in my favorite spots due to its raw, unrelenting, slightly unrefined intensity, and It'd be a shame if it came out of this feeling more modern. (if that makes sense)

What was the Kumba debacle from last week?

A well-known rumor site posted with certainty that Kumba was closing this fall because it had reached it's end of life. It was also said that BGT has decided not to replace it but instead put in something new. It was posted with good intentions as "The park's keeping quiet, but go get your last rides on this beloved coaster while you can."

BGT then tweeted "Hear this roar? It's not going anywhere" (direct quote) but right below it said "We still recommend riding ASAP" (paraphrasing)

So TBH, I'm not sure what to think.

And of course, said webmaster has been getting all kinds of crap thrown at him despite running a top notch rumor site for decades.

Gotcha. To be honest, I never visit that site. I just pulled it up and it still has the look and feel of a website from like 1997.

But really, BGT could just be recommending taking a ride ASAP for no other reason than to entice people to visit.

Tommytheduck said:

And of course, said webmaster has been getting all kinds of crap thrown at him despite running a top notch rumor site for decades.

Not sure how much actual love for Screamscape exists around here. No biggie either way, I say.

But the response to the crap that I saw was pretty terrific (also paraphrasing):

"I don't make up rumors and post them. Other people make up rumors and send them to me and then I post them."

Much like the whole "fake news" thing, the bigger problem is that people will believe everything they read on the internet. Does Lance post every single thing that people report to him without doing any research? Yes, he does. However, he does generally label rumors as such and provides links to real news. I don't think anyone believes that Screamscape is a legitimate news organization with editorial standards, but at the same time they'll run out and repeat things that are posted without even thinking for a second that they might not be true.

I read Screamscape every day and enjoy it. There's still more "real" news content there than I get from most other sites. However, I take with a grain of salt everything that is posted as rumor or without any substantiating evidence. Is that really a hard thing to do? For most of the general populace it would seem to be the case.

I don't go there religiously or anything, but I have always found his info to be as accurate as one can expect from a RUMORS site.

Of course, all the drama I saw occurred on FB, so there you go.

Either way, *something* appears to be going on with Kumba. No surprises if it is approaching end of life. After all, it's older than Hulk, also runs year round, and lives in the same Florida climate.

I'm kind of glad I'm not as into this hobby as I was years ago, for the very reason that Facebook groups weren't a thing back then. I joined a couple coaster enthusiast groups on Facebook not too long ago and experienced immediate regret. I've never left other FB groups as fast. The commentary was insufferable. Yeah, I know, it's Facebook...but there are some groups (for other hobbies I have) that for the most part run smoothly and contain helpful information with very little noise.

Vater said:

Gotcha. To be honest, I never visit that site. I just pulled it up and it still has the look and feel of a website from like 1997.

Makes sense as the design has been the same since then. The fact that it has the same look and is still updated on a regular basis is like having a Geo Metro in a classic car museum. I still read it occasionally and it's a lot more news than rumor than it was 15 or 20 years ago. His editorial commentary is much worse than any rumors he posts.

Wait, there's content in the midst of all of those ads?

When I was on it earlier, a video ad auto-played and I never could figure out where it was.

Raven-Phile said:

I haven't ridden Hulk 2.0 yet, so I don't know how much the new track has changed the feel of the ride,

Much to my disappointment it didn’t change it at all really. Hulk is still forceful and snappy, just less bumpy.

The best rides I had on Hulk 2.0 were the day the park had a passholder preview after the COVID closures. I'm not sure if they took advantage of the time and did some TLC, whether it was because they were literally only loading eight people on a train, or just because I was so happy to be at a park riding roller coasters during such a weird and dark time.

Hulk 2 was better, but as has always been the case, the quality of the ride seems to have a lot to do with the condition of the rubber pads in the guide wheels. When they're worn, the lateral shaking of the individual cars is what makes it less fun.

I love Screamscape. I've been reading it for what may as well be a hundred years. I know it's not roller coaster gospel.

Lance has messed up before. It's to be expected for the kind of site he runs. His website has probably had a lot to do with creating interest in the industry, so I easily forgive him.

I know a lot of people critique his site for not having a more current design, but the info is really thorough. It seems like he spends a lot of time on it. I do understand where people are coming from though.

Well, if it's not true, the person who sent the email saying what the plan is is very bored and has a lot of time on his/her hands. It seems very in depth and quite plausible. Anyways, the worst thing that will happen if it's not true is that poor BGT will have more people showing up to ride Kumba. I bet they really hate the publicity. Lance does believe it to be true and is planning, accordingly, in case it is by going to get more rides in... I find BGT's "many more rides" versus "many more seasons" to be kinda weak as far as believing them goes, too.

As far as his site goes, it's a news AND rumor site...says so right there on the main page. I love reading speculation, myself. To get angry with him for posting something that may or may not happen is just silly.

I think we all recognize this is just a rumor worth nothing more than casual discussion, but this is an interesting rumor for two reasons:

1. It's plausible, considering other high profile B&M rides that have had to be retracked. That and Sea World has shown a penchant for being cheap lately.

2. As others have pointed out, just because the park's social media team says a ride is safe today shouldn't be taken as a long-term projection: https://twitter.com/KingsIslandPR/status/1045340008612270080

Most people in a position to know things don't talk about Bruno. As an insider, it's just how professionals operate. Even as an outsider, if you want to stay in those loops, you keep it to yourself.