OK ... so here we are in 2019 with a few new coasters to look forward too ... which of them will be voted the best this time next year ? .... but ... surely 2020 is heading for the year everyone is waiting for ... ??
RMC Gwazi will get me to BGT as soon as it opens ... hopefully being a passholder I’ll even get an early ride. The other Seaworld parks all have plans for 2020, so it could get even better for SWE.
I think our rumored polar coaster has bit the dust .... 2020 was always touted as opening time. Pity, it would have been a great new type of coaster.
So, maybe if the polar doesn’t make it to I-drive will it end up at CP for the 150th anniversary ... or will it be the shrouded in (relative) secrecy RMC T-REX ?? Is it really in the realms of possibility a human body could survive a 500ft drop coaster ... without blacking out ?
Then there’s Tron, KI giga ... the list is amazing for 2020 ... and it keeps getting better.
So .... what are you guys most looking forward to in 2020 and anyone want to start a poll on CP’s 150th anni coaster .... :)
I agree that the RMC treatment of Gwazi is a pretty big deal. We used to love that coaster back in its "Glory days" of dueling and ride-ability (not too rough). Glad to see addition of Tigris coming in 2019, but that is something I can wait for. Seems a little short and a bit of a one trick pony. But at least the addition of another coaster experience ride at BGT is still a good thing.
Seeing Gwazi sit unused during our BGT visit last week made me a little sad. We saw on the map "Coming in 2020" in the spot where it currently sits. FWIW, a giga at BGW could make for a worthwhile trip up there. Have not been there in 10+ years.
Ed .... agree with you on Gwazi. It was rough, but nothing that bad to stop us riding it. A good dueling woodie. To think it lasted less than 6 years, goes to show how quickly it fell out of favour. And that was the complete ride. I recollect one side being shut down many years prior to full closure.
RMC Gwazi is going to make BGT a park destination on it's own .... not one that's scheduled-in during a WDW and/or UO vacation. Planning notices have confirmed RMC to be the ride manufacturer, so all we can do now is sit back and wait to see what happens. I'm hoping to get back in a couple of weeks, so I'll check up again on the Gwazi site, and see how Tigris is progressing.
Here's to 2020, and (again) quite possibly the best ever year for new coasters !?!?
BGT sent out pictures of the Tigris construction in their most recent newsletter, and it looked like it should be topped out in the next couple of weeks. I'm kind of indifferent on this new coaster (Tempesto is decent, but not a "must do" coaster), but I think it gives the park more balance, spacing out high profile attractions around the park. When Python was removed, nothing really filled that void on the west side of the park. You had Stanleyville Falls and SheiKra, but that's pretty much it until you got to Kumba. With Gwazi down, guests would be foolish to go left at the entrance at rope drop with 3 top coasters and Falcon's Fury to the right. Adding Tigris (and the resurrection of Gwazi) will bring balance back to the park, and hopefully spread crowds out on the busiest of days.
Indeed Russell ... I always go right when I go to BGT ... :) and when Tigris is open, I'll still go right. CH, Montu and maybe CC. I then head back towards the entrance for a coffee and muffin at the Starbucks, and continue my clockwise stroll around the park. At least when Tigris is open, I'll have 3 rides to aim for. I don't see Tigris being a must re-ride for me either, more of a Cobra's Curse/Scorpion/Sand Serpent type of ride .... if I miss it, it won't ruin my day. I'd miss my Sky ride and/or train journey around the Serengeti more in reality.
Honestly, it's a bit too early for me to really think about 2020's new coasters (especially given how little has been released about them), but here are my current thoughts:
RMC Gwazi: This one could go either way in my opinion. If it ends up being a full dueling experience, it absolutely will bump a return to Florida trip up on my priority list. However, if only one track is used, it probably will fall under the category of "exciting but not worth a special trip" for me. Granted, I'm spoiled by having Twisted Colossus less than two hours away, but now that I've ridden a fair number of RMC's creations I've found that all are must-ride coasters but not all are worth a special trip just for that one ride.
For the other SeaWorld parks, it's looking like everyone is getting a coaster in 2020 and BGW definitely has the most exciting of the bunch. If the rumors are true, it will be very much like the ride Parc Asterix announced at IAAPA, though built on a larger scale. SWSD is getting a dive coaster and as a local I'll definitely check that one out as well. The other two parks are getting smaller or less unique rides, so I'll wait on return visits to those.
Regarding WDW, the latest intel I've heard says Guardians will not be opening until early 2021 with Tron coming later in the year. Whether I make it back to Florida in 2021 or put it off is TBD, but will be dependent more on RMC Gwazi and the status of Universal's third park than on these rides.
As for Cedar Fair, my gut feeling is that Kings Island will be getting the big coaster in the chain for 2020, and if it has some aspect to differentiate it from Fury 325 that is the coaster I'm most looking forward to next year. While I expect Cedar Point to have a massive addition in 2020 (rumors indicate a $50 million project) and I expect a coaster to be part of that, I don't think it means the park is building a single massive coaster. More likely, I'm expecting either a whole new area or several projects scattered around the park...mid-size coaster, dark ride, flume ride, some new flats, some new restaurants, etc. It definitely won't be an RMC T-Rex...they confirmed at IAAPA that there isn't one in development currently. Beyond Ohio, I don't see much in the way of headliner coasters for Cedar Fair in 2020...most of the other rumors (Dorney, WOF, CGA, Knott's) have fizzled out.
Speaking of RMC, although they're doing Gwazi I expect their most interesting 2020 project may be the rumored coaster for SFGAdv. Supposedly that's going to be a ground-up ride similar in scale to Zadra, though whether it is an IBox or a supersized Raptor is not known. Beyond this and Gwazi, I'm predicting Raptor saturation in 2020, with Six Flags and Cedar Fair both buying more (and possibly some independent parks as well).
Beyond all this, the other two big projects for 2020 are looking like Hersheypark's B&M hyper (confirmed) and Dollywood's Mack hyper (rumored). Honestly, Hersheypark's ride doesn't excite me...B&M hypers are fairly common and mostly somewhat similar to each other. Dollywood's, however, could be a fantastic ride, especially if they incorporate the natural terrain surrounding the park.
I agree that 2020 is gearing up to be a huge year for coasters. Will it be the biggest ever? I'm not so sure about that, as several years leading up to the turn of the millennium saw double-digit additions of major coasters in the US. However, I think it has a very good chance to be the biggest yet in the 21st century, and can't wait to see what parks come up with next.
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Well with Sea World dropping the bombshell of adding a B&M dive Machine in San Diego, that could be one of the biggest developments outside of Disney and Universal. I know Cedar Point can put together a project on a pretty quick timeframe, but there just aren't a lot of rumors coming out of Sandusky right now to suggest that something groundbreaking will be added in 2020 (maybe the B&M flier the park has lacked for over a decade). They're not adding anything for 2019, so it's natural to assume that a new coaster will be coming in 2020, but if it's going to be a landmark addition, you would think that process would need to start very soon to guarantee that it's open in time for the beginning of the 2020 season.
BGW keeps teasing with a giga coaster addition and finally expanding the footprint of the park, a rumor that's been around for over a decade since Drachen Fire was removed. Again, if the plan is to add a new country/land, that work would need to start relatively soon, and while the park flew 300+ foot test balloons last May, there hasn't been any movement on that front since the summer.
I do agree that Gwazi could be a landmark coaster, but I'd really like to see a full dueling experience, and not the mobeus design that RMC did with Colossus. I doubt we will hear any details about Gwazi's renovation until after this summer.
However, I think the biggest roller coaster in 2020 will be the Guardians roller coaster at EPCOT. It's already being billed as the largest indoor roller coaster in the world, and the train design suggests that it might be as heavy on coaster elements as it is on multi-media - essentially what coaster fans wish Space Mountain was. I get the feeling that Tron may not be ready until 2021 as Disney will try to better space out new attraction openings throughout the WDW50 celebration.
You're also sleeping on Hersheypark's B&M hyper, which could be a real winner, and whatever Dollywood and Holiday World put forth for 2020. However, I do think you're right that 2020 could be one of the biggest years for new roller coasters EVER.