Did anyone foresee that the Waterboggan was coming down?
Did the park say anything about it to the general public coming down before shutting it down for the season around labor day last year?
We heard rumors on this site about it possibly coming down this off-season around Old Time Christmas. Those rumors were forgotten until we heard that Splash Harbor was being taken out; then we thought the Waterboggan might also be coming down since that frees up a lot of space at the back of the park.
As for an announcement to the general public, no, there hasn't been one. There hasn't been one about the Waterboggan or Splash Harbor being removed. The only big announcement is the addition of RiverBlast (and, of course, the 50th anniversary celebration). For most visitors to the park, they will realize it when they either walk by that area or look for either attraction on the new park map (which isn't on the website yet).
^Facebook for SDC has confirmed it with photos
It is going to be interesting to see people's reactions. It is kind of weird for them to keep so hush about the loss of two huge attractions that people come expecting to do. A lot of people are going to be taken off guard, and River Blast isn't exactly going to be able to make up for the loss of everything that has been taken out in the last two years. I don't know, I've just been thinking all along that there's going to be some level of blow-back this year. I hope 2011 brings everyone back.
I think River Blast will sufficiently make up for the loss of Splash Harbor, and whatever is coming in where the Waterboggan was will, I'm sure, make up for its loss.
Quote from: tinaalsgirl on March 06, 2010, 12:07:40 PM
I think River Blast will sufficiently make up for the loss of Splash Harbor, and whatever is coming in where the Waterboggan was will, I'm sure, make up for its loss.
The problem is that Copper said word around the park is that whatever will be going in where the Waterboggan used to be may be delayed. He said that spot may be vacant for a while. So I'm thinking that if that's true the earliest we may see a new attraction there is the 2012 season. So, like Steve said, if nothing goes in there for 2010
and 2011 there may be a slight backlash. People may think why take something out and not replace it with something new for two seasons?
^Yes what is going in where Waterboggan is was delayed because River Blast was delayed. Waterboggan got an extra year on its life due to the delay. 2010 was supposed to be bringing in something huge there, which coincidentally was to be announced at Coaster Con (big enough hint?). That area will be filled in 2011.
Just a couple of observations:
1) Do you really think the waterboggan consistently rated as "one of the things families come to the park to do?" Was it a real draw? Not so much in the last couple of years, IMO. There was a time when the lines would extend all the way down the tower stairs, but those days are long gone. A small percentage of people may miss it, but not much more.
2) The waterboggan was dangerous. Not necessarily in a life threatening way, but scrapes and bruises, some very nasty, were very common to people coming off of it. It consistently caused a high number of reported incidents, trips to first aid after, and that doesn't begin to reflect the number of unreported incidents. I'm surprised the ride lasted as long as it did, and frankly, I'm glad it's gone.
^I have to say, I was scared to death every time I rode it. We almost flipped the boat over a few times (one of my family members loved trying to do that), and I did end up with some scrapes and bruises. That being said, that's what I loved about it! I felt like I was living on the edge. :)
I hope whatever is going in there will be finished by the 2011 season.
i agree with zephon. glad its gone
What were you guys doing on the boat to get scraped and bruised? ;) ;D ???
I rode that ride at least once every time I was there and the ride was open and never received any injuries from it.
^That may be because you are hard headed. ;)
No but seriously, are you gus riding with your arms outside the raft or what? I never got hurt on that ride and honestly do not see how you could get hurt unless you are not following the ride rules and doing something unsafe to get hurt.
^Like I said, one of my family members was rocking the boat trying to flip it. So the boat was going very high up the walls, hence the scrapes and bruises. They were minor, but I got some two or three times. Didn't happen very often. And it was definitely not a fault with the ride. It would go under "not following the ride rules and doing something unsafe to get hurt" category. :)
Doing things the unsafe way is always more fun. Too bad so many of SDC's past attractions don't meet today's insane "safety" demands.
I'm still a lot more upset about the loss of Splash Harbor than the Waterboggin though. I know that River Blast is very similar, but Splash Harbor was so unique and well done. Does anyone know of any special reason it was taken out, besides the redundancy? I'd like to think it died for a better cause than to make way for a Splash Battle. Hopefully it involves making way for something bigger and better.
^^^I'm sure, Swoosh, that many people were able to ride it without injury. But, because of the side to side motion of the "boat" as it went around curves and up the sides of the channels, it was indeed possible for a person to be tossed side to side, even if they were holding firmly on to both side handles. That would be especially true of youngsters that might not have the arm or hand strength needed to hold themselves in position. That is what happened to my daughter when she was about 11. The boat whipped around a corner and she was slung up and almost out of the boat. Her head hit the channel side where they had put that old conveyor belt to slow the boats down, and that belt nearly took her whole eyebrow off. As she got off, an attendant, instead of immediately taking her to first aid, merely asked if she was OK. She said yes, but she then came to where I was working, blood running down the side of her face, and I took her right to first aid. That is when I learned just how common incidents of that type actually were on that ride. My wife and I had somewhat heated meetings with the director of the safety dept. then, with the result being that the ride was shut down for a few days while they removed the strips of conveyor belt from certain sections. We never got on the ride again, so I don't know if the belts ever returned or not, but they did come very close to shutting the ride down for good way back then.
The amazing thing to me was, and still is, that the powers that be knew of it's danger and allowed it to continue to operate. That kind of shook my faith in the company's willingness to look out for the well-being of it's guests. I was actually ashamed to be associated with the park.
^That sounds like a very bad deal and I can see how that could happen a lot. My friends and I would always try to make the boat go over the edge ::) It made the ride so much more fun and it was a lot scarier that way too.
It was fun, but it wasn't a must-ride by any means. If the line was short, we'd hop on, but if it was even halfway down the tower, we'd just say forget it. Taking it out will make room for something more fun and safer. Hopefully sooner rather than later.
I forgot to look as I hadn't ridden it since I worked at the City, but was it ADA accessible? I know that at WDW, any time work is planned on one of our attractions, if it isn't ADA compliant, it must be retro-fitted to be accessible (i.e. farewell 20,000 leagues). I wonder how much of that played into the decision.
More likely, it's repeatability just waned and a newer, more amazing thing looked better in that space.
I had no idea about the injuries. I wish they would have given some hint that it was coming out. My son loved the thing and I tend to like rare rides.
Does anyone know much about the history behind the ride? There used to be similar slides at many parks, but most were much smaller than the two slides built at SDC and DW. It seems like an odd choice of a ride for the two parks, considering how large and expensive they were, capacity, and how much the one at SDC stuck out. I guess the slide at DW is in danger now too.
IMO, we need to talk about the boggan before and after the changes.
Before the changes, that was a great ride. And you didnt really get wet,just some sprinkles.
After the changes that thing was scary and a soaker.
My daughter flew out of the boat and I caught her by the leg to drag her back in. It just went too fast, and the height requirement didn't seem to reflect the age appropriate-ness of the ride.
So since the changes were made, we weren't going to be getting on it ever again anyway. (Yes I know that was several years ago...)
On a side note I remember opening year for the boggan how neat I thought it was that they were weighing us for a ride...Only now do I realize why they, for safety reasons, they needed to monitor the load on each boat. I also would love standing on the tower on a crowded day seeing the train go beneath the tower with steam billowing up as it went by. The ride itself I could take or leave honestly. The wait always seemed abnormally long, and it wasn't worth the time spent in line as I became older.
(http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu218/rubedugans/johnscabin010.jpg)
I haven't been on the Waterboggan since I was a kid. It scared the heck out of me and I just couldn't get myself to go on it again. Plus, the horrible climb up that tower for a very short, scary ride just didn't seem worth it to me.
My only experience with Waterboggan was in '99, and it was just me and my sons who were 7 and 4. The whole scale thing was odd, and they would do their best to keep parties together, but onesies-twosies would get pushed aside and then added together with random parties to make a ride of the correct weight.
And it was rough. I don't complain, because I like exciting rides, but we all got banged up a bit, without any effort on our part to do anything except hang on. We rode it a couple of times, and saw several folks at the end with bruises and contusions.
Wow. I never had a rough ride on the WB, but the new boats were definitely a move away from theme and soaked you. I liked the look and feel of the original boats.
No, WB is not ADA compliant - just a bunch of steps to the top.
How does the ride compare to similar attractions at water parks? It seems to me that water parks don't have elevators for accessibility, and people fall of of tubes and boats all the time. I'd certainly never want to own a water park for that reason.
As for the future, is the tower going to stay, just for the sake of having something to hang Christmas lights from, or will it still be accessible as a fire watch tower, zip line tower, etc.? I'd like to see the whole thing removed, but as towers go, it's a good one.
^Considering future plans for the area, I'd think it would have to go, unless they are integrating it into the new thing. However I wouldn't think that would work very well - we'll just have to see.
I actually never rode on it after the changes were made, it seems. Besides getting more wet, what all changes were made since, say the early 2000s?
When I was a kid, this was the ride that I loved to hate. I can remember my father making me ride the Waterboggan, and I was always scared. Back then, the waiting line was so long that I can remember enduring every single terrifying step to the top. I always knew that one day that raft would flip me right off the edge of the slide!
I rode it again as an adult not too long ago, and it's not too bad. I am still going to miss the ride for sentimental reasons since it has stood tall there since before I was in diapers.
Were the same changes made at DW?
If unsafe, what will be the fate of the same attraction there?