The American Adventure

[Ian]

If the bickering continues in here the topic will be locked. Back on topic please.

[Emmaly]

[quote=""Adam_""]Emma leave[/quote]
Ahuhuhuh - No.

Thats the one Squiggles, it's actually not too bad. Packs a punch!

[Anonymous]

How poor is the AA at the moment? no new major rides for nearly 9 years, place in need of redevelopment and seemingly heading for closure. {|=

What should happen.....

Six Flags purchase the park and rebrand as a Warner Brothers Movie Park similar to the ones in Madrid and Germany. Total refurbishment, rebrand the missile, new rides, new themed areas.

or... park taken over, new themed areas based on American theme. Create a new Hollywood themed zone, with tie in rides and attractions, retheme and refurbish current areas ie; missile in NASA zone and Rapids in Arizona mid west world. What about a world devoted to US sports, baseball, wwe?

others opinion please??

[scargill]

It'll cost too much time and effort for 90% of it to be worthwhile, I can't imagine anybody buying it while its in the state that its in. Especially as these days the UK is struggling to get any big, tall, fast, loud rides because people keep complaining about them

[scargill]

With this new product you will be months maybe years ahead of your competitors

haha...oh dear! For some reason I can't see AA buying this putting them "years ahead" of their competitors. Lets see, a LIM coaster 0-67 in 3 seconds, or a kiddies rocket ride.

To me it seems that AA saw this ride in one form or another, went "oooh, it has USA written on it *AND* its cheap, now we can look like we're doing something positive" brought it and then stuck it in where they thought they had room, disregarding any theming or positioning.
I hope I'm wrong

[Emmaly]

I can assure you, the park is going nowhere fast!

It will hang around due to it's value.

[Emmaly]

Hmmmm, possibly, maybe they need to say they have a new attraction, but dont have much money after blundering about with JCB World last year!

[Sazzle]

I know this is a bit late, but do you think we could reinject the type of quality posts that used to make this topic a decent read?

I have one night out, and I come back to find a personal insult war in the one topic I'd never have expected to find it. These type of comments are not welcome on the board, at all.

If there's nothing worthwhile and knowledgeable to say about a subject then don't add any comments!
-------------------------------------------------------
Back to the topic in question.. For once.
Scargill - I think what you read in the minds of AA there really sums it up, except we see that they're not actually doing anything positive .

In an ideal world I could see 'Rascal Rocket' being relocated to Spaceport, though I can't figure out where they'd put it. The only free space they have there is where the defunct 3D cinema stands, which they evidently seem reluctant to remove. The only other way would be to delve into the service road between the majority of Spaceport and the Go-Kart track. They can't really push the boundaries back either, as the nature reserve wouldn't allow it, which scuppers most plans for a larger ride being placed there.

The location of the park restricts a lot of plans

[Edit - Demise topic now incorporated into this topic, the posts have been mixed up. Apologies if it doesn't make sense - blame the board!]

[Squiggles]

Unless there is a major Spaceport shake up coming. Perhaps the Starbase Slide or Cyberstorm may be on the way out? (or the ever present Cine2000 building)

[Emmaly]

It says on the doors "Closed for Refurbishment", so I assume the rights on the film they where showing lapsed.

To my knowledge it's all still in there. And there is some space, if you look behind Starbase Slide and Black Hole, theres a field sort of area. So they'd probably have to move the queue line to where the exit is, and put the exit where the entrance is at the moment. Methinks Starbase Slide would be the most likely candidate, CyberStorm remains as popular as ever.

On a side note, anyone know why the origional Black Hole was removed.

PS) I've sent you a PM Sarah.

[Dean]

[Edit - Demise topic now incorporated into this topic, the posts have been mixed up. Apologies if it doesn't make sense - blame the board!]

The board sorts the posts into date order, newest posts on the last page.

[Sazzle]

That's the area I mean, the park have created themselves a boundary by placing the queueline for BH and StarBase Slide together. Behind there is the area closest to Pauls Arm*. Any breach of that 'boundary' would mean noise could maybe topple the noise barrier of earth. I guess they could put it in the corner opposite The Missile queueline (next to BH).

They could NEVER remove my beloved slide... It's too damn funny to watch people fall off their mats!

I think the original BH was a waltzer if I recall correctly, though I'm not sure why it was removed. Before that there was a ride called G-force, and that was removed because it made riders feel uncomfortable as the forces were a little too extreme for some. Some older locals may remember this, and wince in pain!

[scargill]

It really is a shame about AA; the planning seems dreadful, and i'm too afraid of what emma said, the park isn't going anywhere. its not going forward either, no large amount of cash will be put into the park.
I really do need to visit AA soon, but i'm not sure if it'll just dissapoint me.
maybe a ttf day out to AA should be organized one day.

[Dara]

I dont think the locals really have the right to object to AA making small developments on land it owns. If they own the land they should be able to use it . That land could be used for a queue line or a small kids attraction of some other sort.
I think people saying the park has no potential are wrong. It could easily do well as it has in the past if proper investment happened.

[Emmaly]

They can, and whats more, they do!

Small things such as Car Boot Sales, Closed Season Openings etc. are all restricted due to y'ocals.

I think I agree Dara, but it would have to be a big investment. IE actually closing the park for a year or so and give it the once over.

[scargill]

I don't think that it needs that much (to be closed for a year) but yes, it does need a large amount of investment and ideally a 5 year plan or something similar, but it doesn't look like that the current owners are willing to do that and I can't see anybody buying it soon.
I hope that I'm proved wrong, but at the moment I can't see anything happening with AA

[Squiggles]

[quote=""Emmaly""]
I think I agree Dara, but it would have to be a big investment. IE actually closing the park for a year or so and give it the once over.[/quote]

If they planned it correctly there would be no need to close the park during a refurb, just work through the park one area at a time. Spaceport USA, Fort St Lawrence, The Alamo, Snake Island and Aztec Kingdom can all be closed individually, leaving just Silver City and the Waterfront to be refurbed over the closed season.

It isn't ideal to close areas during the season... but when a park needs a refurb, it needs a refurb.

[haydn!]

Just to comment on where someone said, "surely the park can do pretty much what they want on land they own" (or something like that) this is actually untrue, as Venture World dont actually own the land the park is built on, just the structures that have been built. The land is on a 100year lease from the local council.

(I'm sure this info is correct, but if i am wrong, i will gladly be corrected)

[Emmaly]

Squiggles, the park relies on each area to be open to actually be accessible to others, I suppose they would have to open up the service roads temporarily, or expect people to walk right around the park, around the newish 'Pebble Beach' Route all the time.

It just wouldn't be practical. If I where to buy the park now, here's what I'd do...

Okay take over the park at the beginning of the closed season, enclose the Twin Looper and add Neon Lights etc to theme it, with the theme around this area as rock and roll, rename it the Rock and Rollin' Roller Coaster or something. The Loops and track would be repainted black, making it better for first time riders.

The Farm should be swallowed into a larger Zoo type area, with more interesting animals, SkyCoaster will stay for the time being. The Helter Skelter is taken down and put into storage. One side of the New Orleans Mall is converted into a McDonalds, the pub is converted into a Starbucks Coffee Shop. The original roof of the walkway is removed and replaced with a new domed roof, with chandeliers accross it, like Meadow Hall in Sheffield I suppose. The Merrie-Go-Round, Vintage Cars, Rascal Rocket and Rid Grande are all put into storage. The fascia is given a good scrub, with the exposed side sorted out. Motion Master is kept, with the inside being given a similar rocky look to the one on the outside. 3rD Dimension is ripped out, along with the rest of the stuff in there, it is converted into a sort of mine tour. I dont know what to do with the area outside, so I leave it for something later on, maybe space for a coaster.

The mines are filled in, and all efforts are made to stop the subsidence. The Entrance area is just given a new coat of paint, make sure everything works. New gardens laid and everything. The 2005 season opens with the new look Twin Looper, Buffalo, SkyCoaster, Zoo, New McDonalds and Starbucks, Motion Master, Mine Tour, the price is dropped to £7.

Over the season work begins on Space Port, giving the warehouses a new metallic look, with portholes and stuff to help improve the theme. Rascal Rocket resurfaces here, where the cars are. The cars are put in storage. On Snake Island, a new Huss Shot n' Drop tower, like the one at Oakwood, only maybe a bit taller, right in the center. The existing rides are sold. Yankee Clipper is kept, with a new coat of paint, along with High Siera. Silver City is given a really good clean up, with Nightmare Niagara getting alot of fuss, relined with new logs and the spinning tunnel turned back on. The areas reopen ready for August, the busier period. Rapids is given its features back, the water barrel reappears, with lots more funky fountains, the Fort is reprepared for 2006.

So theres my short term plan. Comments?

[colin_p]

[quote=""hj1984""]Just to comment on where someone said, "surely the park can do pretty much what they want on land they own" (or something like that) this is actually untrue, as Venture World dont actually own the land the park is built on, just the structures that have been built. The land is on a 100year lease from the local council.[/quote]

Correct! Derbyshire County Council own all the land, and I'm pretty sure they own the original (Britannia Park) buildings and the roadways as well. This was relected in the fact that Ventureworld only paid around £3m when they bought the park from Granada. In effect that were only buying the 'fixtures and fittings'. To be fair they got them at a bargain price considering the park must have cost approx £15m to build up between 1987-1995. If only Granada hadn't lost interest....