Earlier this week, I decided to stir things up on Theme Park Insider's social media by asking this question:
"Inspired by what's happening with college football coaches, if your favorite park could swipe one attraction from a competitor (an attraction that would fit well within your favorite park), what would it be?"
The background, if you do not follow college sports in the United States, is that two big-name schools recently swiped coaches from two other big-name schools right as the year-end bowl and playoff season was about to begin. Obviously, it's a lot easier to move a coach and his family from one city to another than a massive piece of capital like a theme park attraction. But what if parks could lure rides away from competitors like college athletic departments can?
Several followers decided to play along and jumped in.
@TheWeaves15 on Twitter responded with, "Here’s some ideas: Cedar Point could use a modern woodie, so let’s take Texas Stingray from SWSA. Kings Island could use a launched coaster (preferably with inversions), so let’s take VelociCoaster from IOA. Kings Dominion needs another B&M, so let’s take Manta from SWO."
These are exactly the type of nasty thefts that kept with the spirit of the question! But at least one follower was willing to deal rather than steal to get the ride they wanted.
Here's @Park_Journey, "I305 to SFMM. In fact, I'd give KD all of the coasters at SFMM except for maybe 4 to get it done. =)"
And @n8creative predicted the immediate future with, "Parking Trams from literally any regional park to WDW."
Nice call! So, uh, which regional park is missing its trams now?
And @A_Coaster_Story offered several potential thefts, "SFOG needs a nice multi-launched coaster, and a spinning coaster could be nice as well. So let's jack Time Traveler from Silver Dollar City.
"Kings Island already has some top-tier wooden and big steel coasters, but they've largely lost their multi-loopers. So I'm going to jump across the pond for the Smiler, but with new lapbar-only trains and a blocking system that can't be overridden by idiots.
"Busch Gardens Williamsburg has a pretty great collection as it is, but what they need is a nice little ground-up RMC to round things out. So we'll repurpose Goliath from SFGAm to fill the void. Not too crazy or sprawling, but still tons of fun and butter smooth.
"Magic Mountain is lacking good sustained ejector airtime, so I propose liberating T Express from Everland and plunking that bad boy down in Valencia. And it better come over w/ the go/no-go sensors on the restraints the same as they are now, not the stapling garbage El Toro has."
@RayGoldfield also did not limit their imagination to the United States, "If we can get it across the ocean, either Valhalla from Blackpool or El Laberinto del Minotaurio from Terra Mitica to the European-themed Busch Gardens Williamsburg."
And it was international heists that led to my two favorite "in our dreams" location switches.
First, from @SuperRyanGrover: "Sinbad's Storybook Voyage from TDS goes to Islands of Adventure."
And finally, @CargoShortsDad wins the thread with "Oh wow, Knotts Berry Farm just poached Phantom Manor from DLP!"
Little I can imagine would make up for the apparent demise of my beloved Mystery Lodge at Knott's, but somehow materializing Disneyland Paris' Phantom Manor in Buena Park definitely would do that.
Anyone else?
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"Who wants the TPI discussion page to come back?"
After 20 years of patronage (during which I have provided some solid insider info) I think that is a far more pertinent question.
100% agree TH ...
Did I miss the reasoning behind it's disappearance ??
The proprietor of this site wrote a book on establishing on line communities. The discussion page allowed topics to navigate to the top of the page with each comment -- regardless of how inane. It's absence makes conversation static and undermines the community.
TPI is a business model. And Mr. Niles does not need my permission to make decisions how it is managed. I have no license to do so.
But ... Well ... Ya know what? I am gonna just leave it lie right there.
The discussion board will be back at a later date. I want anything I offer on the site to be something that (a) is useful, (b) is used, and (c) does not become a medium for spam or abuse. The discussion board was getting less than two percent of the traffic of the front page posts, and I was spending most of my time with it deleting spam posts, so (b) and (c) were lacking.
I am looking at some technical and promotional alternatives to see how I revive the board in a way that ticks all three of my criteria. Look for something in the new year.
In the meantime, I would much prefer for the occasional trip report and question that were being posted on the discussion forum to be on the front page where they can get the wider attention they deserve. There's now a link on the old discussion URL where people may send those submissions to me.
Thank you!
Let’s get that Sesame Street dark ride from PortAdventura to Busch Gardens Tampa to create the worlds best kiddie-area (the current Safari of Fun is already close, this would push it over the edge).
And send the Dollywood cinnamon bread all over the world while we’re at it.
Thanks Robert ….. but, my usual request.
When it’s back up and running can you please make it so we can directly insert photos ??
I also liked the way it worked with new comments rising a particular post to top of the reading page.
Can that also be done for the front page news as well ??
…. and in response to the actual topic ….. any giga coaster to either Busch or SeaWorld :)
I would never have to leave Florida again !!
I’ll take Back to the Future from Universal Japan and slide it right into Hollywood Studios…
They can have that Cars show in return (admittedly I’m not even sure if that show is still active)
Rip Ride Rock-It to any junkyard or scrap metal recycler with enough room?
""Who wants the TPI discussion page to come back?"
After 20 years of patronage (during which I have provided some solid insider info) I think that is a far more pertinent question."
I respond: (Standing ovation)
Unfortunately, Back to the Future the Ride is closed everywhere including Japan for the past five years. Back in 2016 I planned a trip to Japan to ride what was my favorite ride of all time only to see it closed 5 weeks before my arrival.
But, that trip did afford me the opportunity to check out some theme park attractions over there and the one that jumps out to me is... Journey to the Center of the Earth from Tokyo DisneySea! How about that one gets transplanted to a Sea World park. While we are at it, the whole mysterious Island land that includes the aforementioned ride and 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea.
Phantom Manor to Disneyland.
Take crush coaster from DLP and place it by the Nemo show building at AK in place of the now demolished Dinoland coasters. Would be a thematic fit and popular much needed ride addition to AK. Maybe someone can answer why crush coaster, one of the most enjoyable family style coasters around, hasn’t been brought stateside by Disney already?
If there's anything Disneyland needs to steal from Paris, it's the arcades that run parallel to Main Street.
Universal’s Back to the Future was just put on Oculus TV if you have access to an Oculus Quest. It’s not exactly the same feeling as the actual ride without a swaying ride vehicle, but it is the next best thing.
If you can take any attractions from Disney parks worldwide, and add them to the Disneyland Resort, what would they be? What area would you put them? Would they replace an already existing attraction? Would you want any of the current attractions being built across Disney parks worldwide, to be built at Disneyland?
After the headline my thaught was this would be about real life rip-offs. Pirates ride at Europapark^^, at least that is a good one. The worst must have been the universe of energy rip off. Not because it was (is?) a rather so so -ride. That´s alright you can´t always go Disney budget. The core question is, why would you name a generic dinosaur animatronic ride Universum der Energie, without any oil company paying for it or any film part explaining the connection.
I’ll take the Jules Verne inspired retro-futuristic Space Mountain from DLP right in place of Journey Into Imagination at Epcot. They can even retheme it if they want to. “Blast Off Into Imagination” with The Dreamfinder and Figment as featured characters
For all of those Disney World cast members who are tired of answering the question, "Where is the Spiderman ride?", I would like to steal Spiderman from IOA and drop it into the middle of Disney's Hollywood Studios.
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It’s not a competition, since it’s basically the same company. But I would put the “Iron Man Experience,” in Avengers Campus, in California Adventure…since it would obviously fit into the land.
I would also take Tron, from Shanghai Disneyland, and place it in Tomorrow Land, in Disneyland.