Who wants the Tidal Wave back for 2011?

[tillenterprises]

Since Six Flags got such great PR on the care and love they showed towards rescueing and restoring the Little Dipper for Chicago coaster fans, but I'm still holding out hope for another fond memory to appear at Great America- the return of the Tidal Wave from Kentucky Kingdom for the 2011 50th anniversary season. I was talking to a SFGAM worker at the customer service office last weekend, and mentioned that since Chang wasn't coming, it would be great to get Tidal Wave/Greezed Lightnin back. To my surprise, he said "yeah- I've thought about that too- we could put it in soutwest territory, paint it yellow and name it the lasso!"

Some reasons that I think this could happen: Ed Hart doesn't want to reopen the front side of Kentucky Kingdom anymore, and I doubt he would spend the money to move the coaster across the road to the other side of the park. Besides, Six Flags already worked out a deal to take out the Roadrunner mouse coaster there (to go to New England). Maybe they could work out another deal, and use the crane and take out Greezed Lightnin right next to it, while they're at it. If they didn't want to restore and recreate the orignal Tidal Wave themeing, they could keep the racing theme of Greezed Lightnin and put it in Splashwater Fall's old spot, right next to the GAR track, like it was at Kentucky Kingdom. For those of you who would argue with me that it's not worth it to Six Flags to move a 32 year old coaster back here, who would've thought that they would move a tiny 50 year old wooden coaster to Great America, mainly for sentimental reasons. I would argue that Tidal Wave probably has just as much sentimental and nostalgic value to local coaster fans as Dipper did, and would bring thrill seekers, and families who want to show their kids the coaster they used to ride at Great America.

I can always dream, can't I?

[Chitown]

You can dream all you want, but it won't happen.

[Chitown]

Oh, and big difference moving a 32 old steel coaster compared to a 60 year old woodie. The wood coaster has 90% new wood. The steel coaster would still have the same steel structure.

Don't get me wrong, I would love for Tidal Wave to come back, but it just won't happen.

[BLADE]

I wouldn't want this to happen even if it was possible. It doesn't fill a need like the Little Dipper did and it's not that great of a ride. It's also about 600' long and would stick out of SWF's spot. I believe Little Dipper had an Ace status of some kind, so it's more worth preserving.

[Ilovthevu']

The maintenance on the Tidal Wave is probably going to be really bad for a 32 old ride, and we have V2. To counterpoint your Little Dipper statement, they did that especially to try and get the Kiddieland people to come to Great America. Sure, you can say historic, but it was a cheaper buy, and they got the people that used to go to Kiddieland to come to Great America. Sure, some might have went both, but some might have not went to both.

If there was another big amusement park in IL, and people's favorite ride was about to be torn down from that park, I imagine Six Flags would buy that ride to if it was a cheaper ride. I'm not knocking the Little Dipper coming to SFGAm because I think that was a great cheaper investment in which you could say to the public look at the ride we preserved from the park that closed down.

[FParker185]

I would love more than anything seeing Tidal Wave back at SFGAm, but yeah, it's not happening. SFKK found the ride to be an absolute maintenance nightmare. Also the ride is now 50% SFGAm tidal wave and 50% PGA tidal wave, that's how bad a shape it was/is in.

[LaTiNoObSeSeDSFGAm]

Why not redo V2 to have a backward spiral like in Cedar Point and redo the theme to Tidal Wave. That would be better!

[scott2608]

Why not redo V2 to have a backward spiral like in Cedar Point and redo the theme to Tidal Wave. That would be better!

I would like the holding break fixed then a spiral on the back spike for V2.

[tp41190]

I don't know if it's just because of what is out there now but I never understood why no one has re created the shuttle loop with newer technology. I think it would be cool to see a newer shuttle loop with vertical spikes.

[monsterfan99]

^My guess would be capacity. The larger parks with the money to spend need better capacity than 600 an hour max. With that said, Premier got it right on Mr. Freeze with the duel load stations. The only problem there is it creates to long lines instead of one.

[Cole]

^Mr. Freeze doesnt get much lines now anyways.

Im sure if they wanted to Intamin couldve had a second generation of these years ago.

[monsterfan99]

^I'd say the hour plus waits over summer are decent lines.

[Cole]

^I'd say the hour plus waits over summer are decent lines.

When I went this summer, Evil Knevil, Batman, and THBS all posted about hour waits while Mr. Freeze was 15 minutes all day. Maybe that was just that day.

[onyxhotel08]

Why not redo V2 to have a backward spiral like in Cedar Point and redo the theme to Tidal Wave. That would be better!

Not. In. A. Million. Years.

[monsterfan99]

^I'd say the hour plus waits over summer are decent lines.

When I went this summer, Evil Knevil, Batman, and THBS all posted about hour waits while Mr. Freeze was 15 minutes all day. Maybe that was just that day.

Might very well have been. I went in the spring last year where every ride except The Boss (due to one train) and Mr. Freeze were walk-on. Even with the duel stations, it was 45 minutes. Then again, I've been there days when it was dead. SF STL is always a crap shoot for lines.

[rich12_16]

Would be nice. But the low capacity, plus the ride being old and out of date just wouldn't be worth it. Not to mention that this would never happen anyway. Would be awesome though.

[tillenterprises]

I wouldn't want this to happen even if it was possible. It doesn't fill a need like the Little Dipper did and it's not that great of a ride. It's also about 600' long and would stick out of SWF's spot. I believe Little Dipper had an Ace status of some kind, so it's more worth preserving.

Well, that's your opinion. I think it's a great ride, especially in the front seat. Looking down the straight track at the loop before you take off reminds me of what it would be like to be sitting in a Hot Wheels car on a toy track waiting to be launched. Then, the front end spike dead end in the front seat is scary as hell. Unlike V2, you swear you're going to hit the end. I will admit, the back end spike is nothing special, but going through a pretty big loop forwards and backwards like that with nothing but a lap bar is pretty exciting. I do think it's worth preserving as one of the very few weight drop shuttle loops still running, and I still wish Six Flags could work out a deal to bring it back here.

As for capacity issues, with only a lap bar restraint, it doesn't take long to get people in and out quickly.

[BLADE]

It was a great ride when it came out. It's not bad now, but times have changed. I get a much bigger lump in my throat staring down the launch track of top thrill dragster. On TTD you do go over and only have lap bars. Plus TTD has better capacity. I agree it is worth preserving, but keep it at some park that isn't a frontrunner in a major metro area. Knott's version has been a walk on everytime I have been there. GAm needs to get newer stuff, not go backwards.

[Banky]

I'd love a chance to ride it again. I remember riding it as a kid. The height restriction of 42 inches meant it was a nice starter coaster for many was well. My oldest nephew just hit 42 inches this year and I really can only take him on Demon, Whizzer, and Dark Knight for non kiddie coasters. Would be nice to add Tidal Wave back into that mix. Besides at 1300 riders per hour it didn't have bad capacity and adding that to the park could only help.
Finding a place to fit it without taking something down would be the problem.

Although that area where the dolphin show and then divers was is still there and never used isn't it. Or is that considered part of the picnic grove now?

[BLADE]

I am there with 6 year olds and there still is plenty for kids to do. Often, I feel like they have more attractions they can go on then most adults. Having 5 coasters for that height is a good start. We've had to work the kids into a progression of bigger rides. Even though 1 of them was over 42 last year, was not ready for the demon yet, this year is. I didn't ride Tidal wave until junior high, even though I could have well before that. So some kids would not be interested yet, even if they could ride.
Plus, there were only 3-42" coasters there when I was a kid, 2 when I was in high school, and I never ran out of things to do. There are more now, with Southwest having opened since then.
TidalWave is really long, longer then batman's footprint. The only way it would fit by the dolphins would be to extend into the picnic grove or employee parking lot.
I'm sure we will be getting more 42" coasters/rides over the years too.
Tidal Wave doesn't have that great of capacity either. 1300 is too high.

[tillenterprises]

It was a great ride when it came out. It's not bad now, but times have changed. I get a much bigger lump in my throat staring down the launch track of top thrill dragster. On TTD you do go over and only have lap bars. Plus TTD has better capacity. I agree it is worth preserving, but keep it at some park that isn't a frontrunner in a major metro area. Knott's version has been a walk on everytime I have been there. GAm needs to get newer stuff, not go backwards.

You're comparing apples to oranges. I love TTD, but it's a totally different coaster that came out 25 years later, and a kind of coaster that we will never see built at Great America anyway due to the height restrictions and budget cuts. No, Tidal Wave isn't a LIM launch or a TTD type launch, but it's still a thrilling ride and a unique ride experience in it's own right. It's like those people that constantly compare the old freefall rides, like Demon Drop and the Edge to today's modern drop towers, just because they both offer a drop element. They are completely different ride experiences that are both very fun in their own right. I think it's good to get newer stuff, but I appreciate having the older classic rides mixed in with the new, state-of-the-art rides.

[BLADE]

Actually, both TW and TTD are both hydrallically launched, but TW used a weight. It very well could have been a forerunner to the system TTD uses.
Yes, I know I am comparing apples to oranges, but we don't need to reaquire it just because it was here once before. We don't need to be a park that has all classics and antiques for attractions. Some stuff has to be thrown out to make way for the new. It was removed in the first place for a better and more up to date ride.
Great America is more than capable of building a TTD type of ride. We can't go as tall, but coasters like Storm Runner and Ispeed exist to build off of, and we have V2 that is an improved ride over TW.
It would be different if the ride had been here all along, but it's been gone longer than it was ever here.
Bringing TW back will do nothing to bring in guests and has no marketing potential. If you guys miss it that much, there are a handful of them around that you could visit........ Do you drive around in an old rusty late 70's vintage station wagon your parents use to own because it's "a unique ride experience?" That's pretty much what this is. I'm sure if I started a poll on new coaster versus Tidal Wave it would be pretty one sided. I'm sorry so many of you miss TW, but it's not coming back.

[Coastermonkey61]

To put it simply...no. No, I do not want Tidal Wave back in 2011.

[Flying_Potato_Man]

As a little kid i never even went to SF. I now wish i did, because shockwave looked like it would have been a hell of a good time... But Tidal Wave just seems... ehhh, i guess. What made that ride so good?

[monsterfan99]

^I rode it for the first time last year (well, technically half of it) at Kentucky Kingdom. The fact it uses only lap bars and you get a ton of hand time in the loop both times is nice. Is it a world class ride? Not a chance, but it is a nice ride for a smaller park.