Six Flags Discovery Kingdom (SFDK) Discussion Thread

[MechanicCan you see the donkey in my toast?]

^ Medusa has such good capacity that, even if not operated optimally, the people that wanted to ride it could easily get several rides in during a day at the park. S:UF on the other hand, figures to have such bad capacity that all those who would ride it would not likely be able to do so without a very lengthy wait. I doubt you'll see a short line for it on anything but the least crowded weekdays of the late 7 day a week operating season and during Holiday in the park.

[RAWKIN_coaster38Jar-Jar Binks smells like Donkey]

^Yeah, you're probably right. I'm just hoping next year when the hype simmers down, the lines will too. It's the only hope we have!!!

[SoCalCoastersYoung and Stupid! I blame my parents.]

An interesting observation I'm seeing here...

The first time I ever drove by Discovery Kingdom was in 2003 when Zonga was still dominating the front Skyline of the park. The ride was very much visible from the freeway and looked quite attractive.

In a way I'm actually quite happy that this location, even though we had to sacrifice Pandemonium.

This location will cause the ride to be extraordinarily striking and visible to all those passing on the freeway. Since the park is relatively large you have a good chunk of time for people riding in vehicles to the look over and say "What the hell is that? That looks awesome! We totally need to go back to discovery Kingdom since they have and awesome new ride!" The coaster is literally a giant advertisement saying: Hey look! we added this amazing new attraction! Come and ride it!"

I cannot wait to see this once it is completely built. Being as tall as Medusa, and much more vibrant, it'll be the first thing you see as you get near the park, and one of the first coasters you see as you walk towards the park entrance.

The location is just brilliant, and I think they chose it quite well.

[Double0KevinJar-Jar Binks smells like Donkey]

My thoughts on Superman, is yes it will get long lines at first, but what if it gets the V2 effect. People are intimidated by V2 which leads to more people choosing just to watch, not ride. V2 never really has a long ride, and that's definitely not an effect of high capacity, because it doesn't have it. With Superman, maybe down the road we'll see manageable crows based on people being afraid to ride.

Switching gears to construction, I drove by Saturday and the ride hasn't risen at all over the last 2 weeks... I'm not sure if I should be concerned or if maybe they are focusing all attention on the station/launch while it's easier to access. The electrical for the launch as well as the station seem like they would be more time consuming so maybe that's getting priority, but I still would hope to have seen some more steel put in place. I seem to recall V2 having the same thing happened, The launch and station were put up and worked on for a while prior to the towers ever going up.

[RAWKIN_coaster38Jar-Jar Binks smells like Donkey]

My thoughts on Superman, is yes it will get long lines at first, but what if it gets the V2 effect. People are intimidated by V2 which leads to more people choosing just to watch, not ride. V2 never really has a long ride, and that's definitely not an effect of high capacity, because it doesn't have it. With Superman, maybe down the road we'll see manageable crows based on people being afraid to ride.

I completely agree. I can't see people unwilling to ride V2 being willing to ride S:UF. The whole V2 effect thing makes me LOL. Without fail, every time I go to SFDK I see at least one person look up at V2 and say, "No way are you getting me on that." It's also hilarious because tons of GP are still confused by it. I'll overhear people looking at it all confused like, "Is that a coaster? How does it not go flying off the end?" Can't wait to hear people's reactions to Superman!

[MrSum1_55The only thing better than a naked woman is a naked donkey!]

Still, I do not think Superman's lack of ridership will counter the capacity. Remember when Kong used to run one train all the time? Well, the capacity of that ride is about 1,000 per hour, and that is with two trains and dispatching right as the blocks clear. With one train and a slower crew, the capacity can be about 400 per hour, same as Superman. When Kong runs one train, the wait can reach an hour even when only the switchbacks in the station are full. Superman will probably be as bad as this. I really hope SFDK puts up an hour wait sign somewhere in the queue, as most of the GP will not want to wait longer than that. Even with 30 second dispatches, the capacity will still be only about 480 per hour. This line is going to be long.

[XYZA village is missing its IDIOT!]

I hope Superman has a single rider line as that will at least help the capacity a little bit.

[IronWolfmanI'm a know-it-all about donkeys!]

Oh Dear Gosh,

What will Fast Pass do to the Ride?

[darklingscribeBonafide Donkey Expert]

If if gets really bad, they might have to devote a row solely to fastpass, or maybe alternate dispatches with one train full of fastpasses and the next regular park goers.

As it is I'm surprised that Premiere couldn't do a ride system similar to what S&S did with Powder Keg's launch. That way they could have one train in loading and one on the ride, using a transfer track system to exchange the two.

[TmcdllrWhy do I still have a donkey title???]

^They could easily have done that but either the park, Six Flags, or both did not want that for whatever reason.