Kingda Ka
Hydraulic Launch Roller CoasterSix Flags Great Adventure, NJ
The big Six Flags news this season, and I mean REALLY big, will be Kingda Ka (Swahili for "Omigod, what a ride"), a record-shattering rocket coaster. How big? Well, at 456 feet, it will be tallest in the world when it debuts this spring. And to top it off, Kingda Ka will reach speeds of 128 mph, making it the world's fastest coaster as well.
Like Ohio's Top Thrill Dragster and other launched coasters, Kingda Ka will climb a top-hat tower at 90 degrees. (To get a better sense of a top hat launched coaster, check out my review of Knott's Berry Farm's Xcelerator.) In this case, the apex of the tower will reach a staggering 456 feet, or 36 feet taller than Cedar Point's reigning (but not for long) champ. We're talking over 45 stories in the air. Kingda Ka will use some of its incredible height and speed to deliver the delirious airtime that coaster lovers crave. After zooming down the other side of the top hat, it will climb a 129-foot tall hill designed to induce weightlessness. 50.6 seconds after its rocket-like launch, the car will pull back into the station. It'll be short, but an oh-so-sweet ride.
The coaster will reside in a new 11-acre Golden Kingdom themed land. In addition to the thrill machine, the park will be debuting the Temple of the Tiger, a stadium show featuring rare Bengal tigers. Other animals, including pythons, monkeys, and cockatoos, will be on display in the area. Five new children's rides and a huge wet and dry interactive play structure will also debut in Golden Kingdom when the park opens in 2005.
For more information about the wild coaster, see my Kingda Ka overview. To see the monster in action, click over to the Kingda Ka Preview Video Animation and the Kingda Ka Preview Photo Gallery.
Mr. Six’s Pandemonium
Spinning CoasterTyphoon
Uphill water coaster
Six Flags New England, MA
In other coaster news, Mr. Six’s Pandemonium, named after the park company's geriatric spokesman with the perpetually happy feet, will be rolling into Six Flags' Massachusetts park. Last year, it seemed, was the year of the spinning coaster. This year, parks aren't quite as dizzy over the rides, which place free-spinning single cars onto Wild Mouse tracks. To see a photo preview of Mr. Six’s Pandemonium, click over to the 2005 Roller Coasters Photo Gallery.
Six Flags New England will also be getting Typhoon, a water coaster, for its Hurricane Harbor water park. Jets of water will propel the ride's rafts uphill while gravity will take care of the drops. To learn more about the unique water park rides, see my review of Rendezvous Run, the uphill water coaster at Cedar Point's Castaway Bay in Sandusky, Ohio.
For more info about what's new at Six Flags water parks, go to my 2005 Six Flags Water Parks Preview.
More Six Flags News
Six Flags Over Georgia will be adding an enormous interactive water play structure this season. It will feature three water-dumping buckets, a bunch of water slides, and dozens of gotchas to keep everyone soaked. But Six Flags Over Georgia does NOT include a water park; its new Skull Island will be the lone water park attraction in an otherwise dry ride park. (Six Flags does operate the nearby White Water Park Atlanta.)Another California park, Six Flags Marine World, near San Francisco, will be adding a water-based attraction of a different kind. Ocean Discovery will give guests the opportunity to mingle with dolphins. You won't be able to jump into the tank, but you will be able to reach over the side of the tank to touch and feed the gentle animals. Stingrays may be less attractive perhaps, but Six Flags will be giving folks a chance to feed and pat the curious creatures as well. (If you're wondering, there will be no stingers on these critters, by the way.) The new area will also feature a sea lion show and a penguin exhibit.
Typically, the "non-branded" properties, those that are smaller and don't have "Six Flags" as part of their name, don't incorporate the DC Comics or Looney Tunes characters into their parks. The Great Escape in Lake George, NY, however, is not getting the Six Flags moniker this season, but is getting Looney Tunes National Park. The new children's area will feature ten new rides and attractions, including a small roller coaster, themed to Bugs Bunny and his cartoon buddies.
Guests at Six Flags Over Texas, near Dallas, can enjoy three new stage performances this season: the Spirit of the Dance, The Amazing Acrobats of China, and Kathy Burks' World of Puppets.
To see images of some of the new attractions, go to the Six Flags 2005 Preview Photo Gallery.
To learn what's new at Six Flags water parks, go to my 2005 Six Flags Water Parks Preview.
