Cedar Point - The big project for the year is a massive $21 million dollar expansion to the park-owned Radisson Harbour Inn. It will feature more rooms and an indoor water park, which will be open year around. This seems to be a good move for the park. The water park will boost numbers at the hotel and provide Cedar Fair with year round profit from CP. The status of TTD? CEO Dick Kinzel assured us in the Sandusky Register that it will be running consistently next year. The big question is, what will 2005 bring us?
Hershey Park - The Intamin rocket coaster craze has begun. This year it's HP with a twist...or three. Their coaster will feature some inversions. The name hasn't been released yet, but the virtual ride looks pretty cool. It features a 180 ft vertical drop and some pretty nice looking inversion elements. Hopefully it will be as good as it looks.
Dollywood - GCI got the nod to build Thunderhead, a wooden twister in the traditional GCI/Harry Traver style. They seem to really be counting on it's success, after all they are opening up a new area with the coaster as the centerpiece. GCI has established a reputation as being top notch, so I will be expecting a winner here.
Paramount's Kings Island - They closed Waterworks, but look for them to retheme and expand the area for next year. The expansion seems to be a big one, since the park is looking for another half a million gallons a day to feed it.
Dorney Park - 2004 will be the start of a 2 year project for the park. First, Hercules, a wooden coaster, will be dismantled.(I wouldn't be surprised to see it pop up at another Cedar Fair park) The following year in 2005, A B&M floorless coaster will take it's place. Who knows if we will see anything new next year.
Paramount's Kings Dominion - Getting a rip-off of PKI's Scooby Doo ride. This is a bit of a disappointment if you ask me. PKD deserves a better ride than that for next year. How can Paramount Parks expect to draw from Busch Gardens if they don't raise the bar a little.
Paramount's Carowinds - Stealth, the flying coaster from Great America, will be moved to Carowinds for the 2004 season. This will be a good thing for Carowinds, and Stealth will probably see more riders there than it would in California. On the downside that leaves Great America high and dry....or wet.
Paramount's Great America - After they cart Stealth off to Charlotte, they will build a water park to coincide with the theme park. Think of it as Waterworks part deux. Paramount Parks sometimes boggles my mind. Lets see, they move a popular coaster out of the park and replace it with a waterpark??? True that it will be Cali's only free waterpark with admission, but how much will it really draw away from the other parks? probably none, since paying for a good waterpark is better than going to a bad one for free, and the last time I checked, Great America wasn't exactly number one in California. Hopefully they will prove me wrong.
Paramount's Canada's Wonderland - They are building a small flying coaster as well. It looks like quite an oddity, but at least it is original.
And now for the speculation...
Michigan's Adventure - Look for this park to expand rapidly into a thrill park. Cedar Fair is now the owner, and all the rumor rats on CF websites tell me that CP is the model for MA. Whether or not this is true remains to be seen, but there is construction going on up there. Keep your eyes to the sky for a possible new steel coaster in 2004.
Busch Gardens - No news in that department yet. We all know that Williamsburg's park needs to step up the thrills a bit, and Tampa's park needs to stay competitive with all the other Florida giants. The question is...will we actually see something major soon?
As for Six Flags, no news has been announced on new attractions for 2004. We can probably expect quite a few knock-offs, or maybe this will be the year that they are responsible with money and will spend it on employee training, landscaping, and theming...along with possibly saving a bit? Who knows... Hopefully they will find a few pennies to rub together and give us something good.
As sure as Six Flags is poor, there will be more attractions announced soon. Hopefully it will be a good year for us all next year. See you at the midway.
SeaWorld San Diego is currently building Journey to Atlantis, and it is coming along nicely, should be ready for Spring of 2004.
Universal Studios Hollywood and its new attraction, the Revenge of the Mummy is also moving along at a nice pace.
Disney's California Adventure also is building Tower of Terror, on scheduled for a Spring 2004 opening.
I am looking forward to all three of these new attractions... my guess on the WOW factor...
1. Revenge of the Mummy, this Dark Ride with a roller coaster/LIM transporation system might actually take over the number 1 spot from Spiderman, it sounds that good.
2. Journey to Atlantis, a good story, lots of special effects, and like Mummy, an attraction that will last more than 2 minutes.
3. Tower of Terror. As far as I can tell, a drop ride with some themeing. Still should be a great attraction, but not to the level of the other 2.
Only time will tell, and I can't wait to test all three out :)
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