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ParkHoppin’ with Paul Ruben
Coney Island Comeback
In case you haven't noticed, Coney Island is enjoying a renaissance. Last year Zamperla's sister company Central Amusement International (CAI) signed a 10-year lease with New York City to build and operate Luna Park, which subsequently attracted 450,000 visitors, more than in any summer since Steeplechase Park closed there 46 years ago. Luna Park, which takes its name from an older park of the same name which operated at Coney Island from 1903 to 1946, offers 19 rides on the former Astroland site. This year Scream Zone joins Luna Park, as CAI invests an additional $12 million, bringing its total investment in the two parks to $30 million (€21m). Just one piece of land at Coney Island remains, which CAI will develop next year. This year the company has also taken over operation of the Cyclone wooden coaster across the street from Luna Park. Zamperla's Valerio Ferrari said they had done track work to the Cyclone's layout and added new padding to the train to make the ride smoother. Smoother? I still got banged around. Located one block away from Luna Park, Scream Zone includes four new rides. Steeplechase, a Zamperla Motocoaster, pays tribute to a famous ride from Coney’s past as it launches riders around the track on horseback. The new Soarin’ Eagle flying coaster is a Zamperla Volare that suspends riders in a horizontal position, sending them through a series of dives and inversions. The Sling Shot by Funtime launches riders more than 150ft into the air at speeds exceeding 90 miles per hour, while the 100ft-tall Zenobio, a Zamperla Turbo Force (Booster-style attraction), sweeps riders through the air at speeds of over 60mph.
My favourite ride in the Scream Zone on my recent visit was Steeplechase, pictured here. Smooth and fast with a catapult launch, it's like the Pony Express at Knott's Berry Farm, using faux horses instead of Moto GP bikes. I rode the original Steeplechase in 1961, which was great fun but would never pass today's more rigorous safety standards. Like riding a real horse you had to hold on, and hold on tightly as it raised the adrenalin level, and the anxiety level, too. It was similar but more harrowing than the still operational Steeplechase at Blackpool. Securely seated on the new Steeplechase, my ride brought back fond memories. Nestled between Luna Park and the Scream Zone is Deno's
Wonder Wheel Park, still holding its own after all these years. The eponymous wheel, built in 1920, is a New York City landmark and joins four other adult rides including the the funky Spook-A-Rama, plus 17 children’s attractions. The park looked freshly painted. Operator Dennis Vourderis explained that this was the result of the scheduled filming of scenes for the new Men In Black 3 movie. Several other nearby rides are operated by individual concessionaires, and food outlets are plentiful. The wide boardwalk overlooking the Atlantic Ocean was beautiful this sun- splashed afternoon. I don't think Coney Island has looked this good in 100 years.
6
WindSeeker blow
Cedar Point’s WindSeeker towering swing ride is now open. One of four such rides supplied this season by Mondial to Cedar Fair parks across North America, the $5 million (€3.5m) attraction stands 301ft-tall at the Sandusky, Ohio, amusement park. As many as 64 WindSeeker riders at a time are treated to dramatic views of Cedar Point, Lake Erie and the nearby beach. Passengers sit in open two- passenger swings with their feet dangling in the breeze. The swings rotate around the central column as they slowly ascend the tower. At the top, riders are nearly face-to- face with the very top of the tower and almost as high as the first hill of the Millennium Force rollercoaster. During the 60-second flight, the seats swing out to an angle of 45-degrees, completing eight rotations of the tower. With the opening of
WindSeeker, Cedar Point now boasts as many as 75 rides, including 17 rollercoasters. In addition to new Mondial ride, the
THEME INDEX 2010 attendance report released
The long-awaited Theme Index attendance report has been published by AECOM and the TEA (Themed Entertainment Association), revealing that combined attendance in 2010 at the world’s top 25 theme/amusement parks rose by 1.9% to 189.1 million. “The year was beset with obstacles for the themed entertainment industry,” note the report’s authors. “In addition to continued economic and political challenges, the year also saw its share of natural disasters. But 2010 also stands as a year in which the industry unveiled some of its finest, mature work.” Eight of the top 10 parks worldwide last year were Disney properties, yet while the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World retained the top spot with 16,972,000 guests in 2010, it recorded a drop of 1.5%, whereas Disneyland in California closed the gap in second place with a 0.5% rise to 15,980,000. Either way, Mickey Mouse is smiling.
Standout increases included a leap of 30% (to 5,949,000) at Universal Orlando’s Islands of Adventure, thanks in large part to Harry Potter, a 22.4% increase (to 5,551,000) at Lotte World in Seoul, South Korea, and a 26% increase at Universal Studios in Hollywood (to 5,040,000). In Europe, the two Disney parks in Paris lead the way, although Walt Disney Studios recorded only a quarter of a million more guests than third-placed Europa- Park, Germany, which had a flat year with 4,250,000 visitors. In fourth-place, Efteling in the Netherlands also recorded no increase despite switching to a 12- month operating calendar. The biggest percentage increase in Europe was recorded at Futuroscope in France, where a jump of 7.4% lead to 1,825,000 guests.
JULY 2011
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