Fun Spot Orlando GCI wooden & steel coasters

[Leo C]

Fun Spot Orlando, the park on the northern side of International Drive closer to Universal Orlando and Wet n' Wild not the park in Kissimmee, is going to expand by a couple acres in the next 2 years. Fun Spot marketing reported that they are getting a L-shaped wooden coaster from GCI. The park will also get a small steel coaster with the expansion. The Fun Spot is known for their go cart tracks.

[Leo C]

Fun Spot bought the Cypress Gardens spinning mouse and put it in Kissimmee. The Pedro Mouse at Pedroland South of the Border was taken down. it needs work like a new chain and refurbishment after those cars sat around SBNO for so many years. Is it possible to rehab Pedro Mouse? Did Fun Spot acquire that for the small family steel coaster for this addition?

[arcarver1986]

I was hoping that funspot would get the Starliner. Hopefully it will get relocated somewhere ...so sad to see such a classic go to waste.

[Leo C]

I am excited for three possibilities. I would have been happy to get Starliner, the Dania Beach Hurricane, or a new wooden creation.

[arcarver1986]

dania beach hurricane would be awesome too.Honestly that is one of the best wooden roller coasters I have ever been on. I grew up on the Starliner though, so I am somewhat biased.

[Leo C]

I still have to get both coasters so I'm about just as interested.

[arcarver1986]

It's ok, I haven't ridden Kinda Ka. Hopefully that will happen this summer...

[Antoine]

KK is pretty good, but like many people, you will probably get more enjoyment out of the other coasters in the park. I mean it is one heckuva rush on KK, but before you know it, it is over with. I still need to visit these small parks in Florida. Everytime I'm in Orlando area I am on a tight schedule and simply don't have enough time to visit the other small parks there.

[arcarver1986]

They're a lot of fun. Fun Spot will be a lot better when it expands. I like the Starflyer at Magical Midway. You can see all of Orlando from the top of it. There's nothing like it that I've ever experienced. I haven't been brave enough to ride their slingshot but apparently it's awesome.

[arcarver1986]

I read into it a little more and it looks like Fun Spot will be building their own new wooden coaster. RCDB lists the woodie for 2013 to be built by Great Coasters International, and there are no unused coasters that I see from them. They are a great company and this new coaster should be awesome, no matter what it is. It will no doubt come with millennium flyer trains. they have a great history, having built Thunderhead and El Toro. I'm excited about this one now. I was sad about it not being the starliner, but with all land they have hopefully they will use it wisely.

[arcarver1986]

Ok scratch that, I did not realize that they do rennovation work. maybe there is hope for the starliner or dania beach hurricane after all. They did do work on the Hurricane already...hmmm.....

[Leo C]

I knew you meant the European El Toro. Zippin Pippin got moved, well really entirely replaced and built. I forget which company did the work but I'm encouraged for the wooden coasters to move and re-emerge.

[Rick B]

This should be done and give us some thrills next time we go to Disney. I'm just planing on hitting US, IOA, and SW when I'm in Orlando in June. The crowds will probably be bad so I don't want to try to squeeze more in.

I'll be staying in Kissimmee. I'll have to check out that spinning mouse.

[arcarver1986]

If you go in the beginning of June mid week it shouldn't be bad. Schools around here aren't out until mid June.

[Rick B]

That is good to know. Thanks! The conference I'm going to is 6/11 - 6/14, so I don't have a large range of date choices. I haven't decided when I'm coming and going, but it will have to encompass those days.

[arcarver1986]

is it a theme park related conference? I'm just curious. Some of the schools are just getting out in mid June, so you might get lucky. It gets later every year.

[Rick B]

Unfortunately not. I work in IT, not the amusement industry (except on this site). It is Microsoft's Tech-Ed. I wanted to go to Tech-ed last year as it was held in Atlanta, but instead I had to go this year for an all expense paid trip to Orlando. I am still trying to convince our finance director that the Orlando Flex pass should count as an entertainment expense since I'm so far away from home...

[arcarver1986]

haha it so should. They can't send you to orlando and NOT give you admission to theme parks. that is just wrong.

[Leo C]

Sweet!!!! Fun Spot presented to the city. I have to get the pics up later.

The woody is going to be a low out and back like Prowler with a steel structure.

The steel coaster is going to be a Vekoma family invert model we haven't seen yet in the States! I think it will do a figure 8 and a helix in the layout. I think the model is currently in Northern Europe .

Fun Spot is also proposing a Windseeker and a skycoaster.

Update: From the City of Orlando website, a pdf of what Fun Spot presented:

http://www.cityoforlando.net/plannin...el%20verde.pdf






The Wind Seeker is proposed to be 220 ft tall. The invert is based off Kvasten at Grona Land.

Thanks to NewsNotes.

[Rick B]

Based on the drawings alone, those look like they're going to be decent coasters. The steel one reminds me of Flying ACE Aerial Chase, but of course it's also a Vekoma, so what do you expect. It's a decent, fun, family coaster.

[Leo C]

All I can do is ride it someday and see if it's better than the Flying ACE coasters. This model has a space saver two umbrella supports to support the figure 8. Non inverting Vekoma I think are better than an inverting Vekoma. (Grover's) Vapor Trail, a custom three helix family coaster at Sesame Place, the rollerskaters, and Freestyle Music Park's mine train give me hope.

This is all better than a wild mouse. They also did their homework going with a new layout to the area considering Legoland has that same inverted layout of the Flying ACE Coaster and IOA and Legoland have the sitdown layouts with Dragon and the ride former known as the Unicorn. The Woody Woodpecker and the ride formerly known as Goofy's Barnstormer are the rollerskaters in the area.

[Leo C]

The close by Fun Spot USA on 192 in Kissimmee replaced the kiddie coaster with a Miler one helix family coaster.

[Rick B]

There has been a video released for the new GCI woodie for Fun Spot America.

[Leo C]

Animations were released by the park.

Wooden and steel coasters, skycoaster, waterpark, go cart track expansion.

The video Rick posted and these pics make me miss the Pavilion with the Hurricane coaster since the coaster will run up against the entrance of the park. I remember passing by the Hurricane in my pre-enthusiast days in Myrtle Beach. Never got the credit.

The coaster might be like the height of Skyliner at Lakemont Park. It's taller than Wooden Warrior, doesn't have a crazy helix like Hellcat in NJ.

[Rick B]

I drove past the Hurricane so many times, too, in my pre-enthusiast days. Sadly, I also will never get that credit.

Unfortunately this won't be finished by my trip to Orlando this summer. I'll just have to plan another trip down there soon.

[Joe R]

UPDATE!

The name for the GCI being built will be White Lightning. This ride will consist of TWO FIRSTS for GCI. They will be utilizing a hybrid system (Wooden with Steel support), which will lead into their other first, two 90° banked turns, one of which will be used on the turn around and coined an 'Airiel Dive' and the second being the second being the final turn into the brake run. Projected opening date is February 2013.

[Joe R]

My bad, 3 90° banked turns with the first being directly after its drop!

[Leo C]

White Lightning? We saw what that produced at Carowinds. Is the Daytona Race Coaster coming to Orlando?

[Leo C]

Old wood is being moved. Looks like they are demoing part of a go cart track. This will open up the park to the new expansion area. Equipment is moving for the overall expansion.

[Leo C]

Fun Spot just posted this image on facebook.
This non-inverting Vekoma and wooden coaster combo is already better than the SLC-wooden coaster combos you see already out there at some parks.