World of Fun 2013

[DHollon]

Announcement Friday at 10am Central

Said to be a MAJOR waterpark announcement.
Also this will be the park's 40th anniversary season - they've released a new logo for the event (looks a lot like KI's from this season)

[hawkman]

Will it be annouced at 10:00 PM or AM?

[DHollon]

Will it be annouced at 10:00 PM or AM?

Announcement Friday at 10am Central

um........

[tornbretto]

^hahahahahaha.

I'll wait for DHollon to post his report, but I am actually very excited about the way things are going here.

http://www.worldsoffun.com/article/m...PARK-EXPANSION

[Austin]

Eh doesn't excite me much. So far Cedar Fair hasn't really wowed me. I guess they're comfortable sitting back and letting Six Flags make people interested in going to their parks instead. A water park expansion/make over is meh in my opinion. Mostly for the benefit of the locals.

[tornbretto]

^Considering Constrictor slides are quite rare, it's a great addition. In addition, having a SINGLE admission fee instead of two separately gated parks is a terrific announcement.

The second part of your post really makes no sense. They don't care as much about what Six Flags does as much as the fanboys think. Besides, each expansion is done for the market it is in. Oceans of Fun hasn't gotten much attention in many years (and it's a loved waterpark) and this expansion is what the park needed. There is no "just sitting back", the expansion was justified and they ran with it. Considering Coaster Enthusiasts make up a very small percentage of amusement park attendees, no one who is interested in Worlds of Fun is going "Eh, this expansion sucks, I'm going to Magic Mountain to ride their new coaster even though its far, far away".

[Leo C]

I think it's a great addition considering they got Prowler not too long ago. It took a decade for my Hurricane Harbor in NJ to get a Tornado slide everyone else already had for a decade. I do think Worlds of Fun has a glowing appeal in the Cedar Fair chain that I want to go check out. Western and Southern Missouri is a target as a new hobby destination for me. It's a pre-Paramount properties park. I have a lot of interest in Cedar Fair. Even if they are secondary to me they still have a park in my market, Dorney Park, that I do follow quite a bit. I've very fortunate to be in that region. If I prefer Target and Coke I'm still going to follow Walmart and Pepsi because I still have to know what the competition is doing. In the end I just want to be on a rollercoaster or a flat ride.

[Austin]

How does it not make sense? If I lived within a short drive to the park and a few others in the area well lets see: SDC got a new coaster with a inversion, SF if you really want to push it got a boomerang (another meh addition) and then Worlds of Fun got a water park makeover and a new slide complex. If I had a choice to where I wanted to go I'd go where there would be more fun. The water park is for the locals, it doesn't really make people want to go there. Kings Islands 40th anniversary was this year and they also got a measly water park makeover and expansion. I have a season pass this year to the park but I will never once go to Soak City.

Those "constrictor" slides are really nothing to be excited about. They sound like typical slides with a slight variation. Heck in the media post the park made they was just a footnote to the whole expansion. I mean every thing thats new is "rare" at one time or another and then everyone gets one. Look at Tornado's and lately now, Water Coasters.

[Leo C]

I can understand Austin we would want the replacement for Oriental Express, a large coaster. The small family spinner coaster is covered. Big invert is covered. I can't believe a big park would have a Wacky Worm and now its name has changed to Cosmic Coaster. I could understand how a Wacky Worm fits with a New York, United States theme.

[DHollon]

1. We have our coverage presser here http://midwestinfoguide.com/new/oceans/
2. This slide complex DOUBLES the amount of slides that the park has (for adults)
3. They are completely overhauling Oceans of Fun next season. Look for new buildings, new colors on the slides, lots of new stuff.
4. They are finally getting a new gate/ticketing area for Oceans.
5. The combining of the two parks helps to make WOF/OOF more competitive against Schlitterbahn
6. This is NOT the last presser of the year from the park on additions. They didn't want to "muddle" this presser up by putting too much in it.

Speaking of the new slide complex.
1. It is NOT replacing Diamond Head like the stupid rumor going around was trying to convince everybody
2. It will be located near the wavepool on the hill opposite of the side that Hurricane Falls is on
3. The 3 Aqua-Launch slides will all have different paths AND this will be the most Aqua-Launch slides at one park in the Midwest
4. The Constrictor slide will be the ONLY slide of its kind in the Midwest
5. The two other tube slides will be high thrills, combining both high speed turns and large drops.

Well we have our something new - just waiting for our something "old" and our something "blue"

[tornbretto]

How does it not make sense? If I lived within a short drive to the park and a few others in the area well lets see: SDC got a new coaster with a inversion, SF if you really want to push it got a boomerang (another meh addition) and then Worlds of Fun got a water park makeover and a new slide complex. If I had a choice to where I wanted to go I'd go where there would be more fun. The water park is for the locals, it doesn't really make people want to go there. Kings Islands 40th anniversary was this year and they also got a measly water park makeover and expansion. I have a season pass this year to the park but I will never once go to Soak City.

Those "constrictor" slides are really nothing to be excited about. They sound like typical slides with a slight variation. Heck in the media post the park made they was just a footnote to the whole expansion. I mean every thing thats new is "rare" at one time or another and then everyone gets one. Look at Tornado's and lately now, Water Coasters.

Short Drive
Kansas City (Worlds of Fun) Area to Branson (Silver Dollar City) Area-Around 3 1/2 hours and completely different area of the state.
Kansas City (Worlds of Fun) Area to St. Louis (Six Flags St. Louis) Area-Around 4 hours and completely different area of the state.

Once again, a lot of your most is "where I'd want to go" or "I will never once go to", referencing nothing but your opinion. So be it if the water park is just for locals. Has it occurred to you that thats what Worlds of Fun is all about. It doesn't have as large of a market area as that many other parks. Do you know how many people it draws in each year? Do you know how many people spend time in the waterpark? The waterpark there is popular and this will be a great addition for it. All of the rides that you referenced talked about thrilling coasters. Not everyone does or enjoy thrilling coasters outside of us enthusiasts (which, once again, make up a small percentage). There has to be stuff for other people too. If things were built up like it seems you're implying, then every park would turn into a Six Flags Worlds of Adventure. If the park is making money and if this is projected to make money, then what is there to complain about? Not everyone in the area will try to do all three parks in one year and if someone is taking a vacation to Missouri, they won't plan their vacation specifically around an amusement park (though they may include it). That statement, of course, excludes Silver Dollar City as Branson is just a huge tourist area.

As for the constrictor slide, those slides do a lot more than mess with your senses. They install a sense of fear into you. The enclosing tubes are generally smaller than on most slides and get even smaller (they constrict) then you open into a large 360 degree tight turn (this happens four times). It's even more scary if you are claustrophobic.

Leo, I see what you're saying, but Cosmic Coaster is fine. The park isn't as big as other parks and really that coaster isn't hurting anyone. I'm sure there will be an Orient Express replacement eventually. There apparently is more announcements coming this year.

Thanks for the updates DHollon.