Hey guys,
When Cedar Fair released their 5 year plan, it said that there would be a dark ride for 2017, does anyone know what happened, because at this point, that doesn't seem like its going to happen. I know that WoF has one last announcement, but I think they'll be getting a Premier Rides Lauch, but that a whole 'nother discussion, for a different thread. Any thoughts?
I'm glad Cedar Fair seems to have cooled its jets a bit about using Triotech for any future dark ride attractions. While Voyage to the Iron Reef was better than I expected (which might be partially due to the work/input from the Knott's team) I am still holding out hope that Cedar Fair will consider working with Garner Holt, Sally Corp., or Gary Goddard to bring some "real" dark rides into the parks.
Cedar Point was testing VR on Iron Dragon this weekend...
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If I remember correctly, Cedar Fair's plan said that they would be investing in interactive dark rides & digital experiences through 2019, with the goal of getting one of these into each park. These two things were listed together, so it is likely 2017 will see investing in digital experiences rather than specifically a dark ride. I would not be surprised to see something similar to Plants Vs. Zombies at Carowinds or Mass Effect at California's Great America (both of which are stationary simulator attractions) pop up in a couple of the parks next season, and I also wouldn't be surprised if one or two parks receive VR coasters as the test at Cedar Point was reportedly very successful. I will say I was a bit surprised no park announced a proper dark ride (I thought Worlds of Fun or Valleyfair would get one), but at this point it looks like it won't be happening next year (and that Worlds of Fun coaster won't be coming until 2018 according to what I've heard).
As for why Cedar Fair didn't do another Triotech, from what I've heard they haven't been overly satisfied with the existing installations. Wonder Mountain's Guardian has severe capacity issues and gets mediocre reviews from guests (most significantly prefer the park's older Sally shooter, Boo Blasters on Boo Hill), and while Voyage to the Iron Reef does get significantly better reception it still generally only does about 600 riders per hour and experiences quite a bit of downtime. This is pure speculation, but I do wonder if Cedar Fair saw the success Six Flags is having with Justice League and may be looking into creating dark rides similar to that for their remaining parks. There are certainly several Cedar Fair parks that absolutely need a dark ride and I hope we will see several more actual rides installed in the next few years.