What is worse, losing a ride that you have been on and enjoyed or a ride that you never got to ride?

When the Big Bad Wolf closes it will be one more ride that I never will have an oppurtunity to ride. That is sad but since I never got to ride it I don't really know what I had missed. But a coaster like The Villain at Geauga Lake, a ride I always enjoyed, was torned down it was sad as well. It was one of my favorite rides and I will never get an oppurtunity to ride again but I at least have my memories.

So I am asking which is worse?

In an ideal world parks would never remove any ride and they all would last forever but alas our world is far from ideal.

T'is better to have ridden and lost than to have never ridden at all.......or something like that.

IMO, it is worse to lose a ride that you have already enjoyed than a ride you have never rode. I still remember how much I missed Shockwave when SFMM removed it. It was very disappointing to me to see it go, and I didn't really stop missing it until the much better Riddler's Revenge was built 10 years later. I also still miss the Wacky Soap Box Derby at Knott's to some extent, but that is fine with me now since the Xcelerator has taken it's space and effectively replaced it. It was also somewhat disappointing to me, at the time, when Knott's removed the Corkscrew. To use the current situation as an example, I have never rode the Big Bad Wolf, therefore the fact that it is being removed doesn't bother me at all.

^^I agree. I will always lament the loss of Mr Twister, particularly, as it's one that I never got to ride. And don't try to tell me that I can always get to Twister II, or Twister at Knoebels. Fun rides, ok, but I want the original.

I guess I was one of the lucky ones who did get to ride BBW probably about a dozen times. Sure, I will miss it, but I think I will always miss those few missed credits just a little bit more. My one trip to Dorney I skipped both Laser and Hercules and now it left me devastated.... sort of?

I love it when people quote Shakespeare on an amusement park forum. :)

Devastated, coasterguy? lol How dramatic.

I'm with Delan on this one. It's better than to have ridden and lost then to never have ridden at all. Of course I miss Villan, and I really miss Whit Water landing, but I feel lucky that I had the chance to experience it, along with Drachen Fire and King Cobra at KI.

I regret not getting to ride The Bat. I saw it operating on TV. I saw it in person, but it was SBNO. It would have been nice to go on just one ride, so I would know what it was like.

I'm going to miss BBW. I still can't imagine the park without it.

I think you missed the ...sort of, LostKause. lol. By the way you work at CP right? Would you mind if I emailed you to ask you some questions about it? I'm thinking about applying for the 2010 season.

RCMAC said:
^^I agree. I will always lament the loss of Mr Twister, particularly, as it's one that I never got to ride. And don't try to tell me that I can always get to Twister II, or Twister at Knoebels. Fun rides, ok, but I want the original.

I've ridden all three Twisters and Knoebels' version is the best IMO, but the original one was pretty close. Twister II plain suxors though.

Out of all the coasters I've "lost" over the years, only three really sting--Geauga Lake's Big Dipper (forever in my top 5 woodie list), Worlds of Fun's Zambezi Zinger and soon the Big Bad Wolf, but I am soooooo happy I got to know them well.

I'm not sure why the question has to be binary, but how hilarious has it been over the years to hear people bitch and moan they never got to ride things like Flashback and Windjammer?

I'm with the group. Ridden and lost is worse. I'm not just missing Villian at SFWOA, I'm missing that whole park.

Jeff said:
I'm not sure why the question has to be binary, but how hilarious has it been over the years to hear people bitch and moan they never got to ride things like Flashback and Windjammer?

Because, Jeff, there is no such thing as gray areas. None. Ever. It's always only black and white or not at all. :)

Did anyone ever get to ride Flight Comander at Kings Island. I know it got removed because someone fell out and started a run of bad luck for guest at KI. Kinda like the run of bad luck Disney is having now. Oh its not a ride but I miss Alien Encounter at Disney world.

Jeff said:
I'm not sure why the question has to be binary, but how hilarious has it been over the years to hear people bitch and moan they never got to ride things like Flashback and Windjammer?

I'm sure I had my say in both of those threads, but the one I missed and had an *opportunity* to ride - Coney's Jumbo Jet. http://www.rcdb.com/306.htm?p=3026 If I had had ANY idea what was going on, I'd have ridden. But I went there only for Cyclone, being brand-new to the hobby and without such great web resources, and missed out on several gems that trip (a few of which were later rectified, but not that Anton - it was gone).

I rode Flight Commander. It was highly overrated. It was slow.

Coasterguy, I don't work there anymore, but send my a private message or email and I'd be happy to talk to you about working at the park.

I think rides I have ridden is worst. For me losing some coasters is like losing a friend. Double loop at Geauga was like that. Thats also why I am going to Williamsburg this weekend :-(

I think I'm going to miss The Wolf alot more than I missed rides like The Chiller or Viper in New Jersey. I really do miss Flashback/Z force and Psyclone along with the Geauga lake and Myrtle beach Pavillion rides. I dont miss Hercules or the rides from Astroworld. So I guess I'm in the missing rides I've ridden more category. I do regret that I will never get experience the rides I missed but I feel more of a loss looking at the empty field where one of my fav's, Drachen Fire, once stood.

I see this as a grey area. While I miss Mr. Twister, Zippin Pippin, and a few other great classic coasters; I still would have loved to take a rides on legends like; Cyclone Racer, Racing Whippets, and Tornado(Coney Island).

On 2nd thought, I think it's worse to have missed out on the past legends. When I look through my postcard collection, I always think; how lucky those people where to have ridden coasters those coasters.

So where do I fit if I'm not real tore up about either?

I hate the lost photo ops though. :)

The only thing that bothers me somewhat is if I had a realistic chance to visit a park or ride a coaster, and I didn't follow through with it, and now it's gone. If I did ride a coaster that's being closed or removed, at least I have the memory of riding it. If it's a coaster I never rode, I suppose I wouldn't know what I was missing.