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Yeah, I doubt they went to much effort to smooth out the bumps, whether it be wheels or track issues. By the end of the season, people will be less likely to complain about it leaving...

I think this is a real person, I just don't think they understand how these old-style internet forums work. Modern sites like reddit and facebook force you to repost if you want something to stay visible. We don't do that here.

Something odd has been going on where we are getting massive bandwidth usage every month now. Like 10x what we would commonly see in a month a couple years ago. We are using more bandwidth per month now than back in the 2010's when this site was hopping. I am assuming it is AI/bot traffic. Not really sure how to handle it yet.

This one hurts. Losing the original FITH was bad, but they built a new carbon copy so it lives on in spirit. I know they are building a new coaster, but I guarantee it will be nothing like TNT. This thing was a classic in many ways.

It also sucks that we are losing a high capacity ride, a ride a wide range of ages enjoy, and a ride that stays open near freezing temps. It will be replaced with something that probably has more limited appeal, breaks down constantly, closes every time it gets a bit chilly or wet, and has half the capacity leading to hour long lines for years.

I'm guessing they received some sort of engineering report outlining their options for maintenance. There was probably a fault found somewhere in the track or structure and it needed a million dollar repair. Someone decided that it just wasn't worth it any more with the new ride coming.

They have historically been pretty conservative with their investments during downturns, but then lately they've been spending wildly on all the new acquisitions. What is probably really biting them is that people are starting to react to inflation and pull back on things. Less park outings, less in-park purchases, etc. I rarely eat more than a snack when I visit anymore, and I used to love eating at SDC. I doubt they are selling as many of the upper level passes anymore either. The whole BAF pass thing has turned into a confusing debacle at this point and that seems to be the main selling point of the higher level passes.

It could have been something else, but I could have sworn I saw some steel supports behind the maintenance area when I rode the barn swing back mid December. They were bulky and square looking, but they were all in a pile. Could have been steel for a new maintenance building or something else, or even staging for the new resort.

So the mugs announcement yesterday was pretty clearly the first actual teaser for the new ride. I'm glad they are still using the home-grown themes instead of another time traveler...

I remember her from the ACE Christmas events over the years. Always was a great representative of the park and just a nice person in general.

Got to see it for myself on Friday. I posted a few photos on the SDCFans FB page. The footers now seem to be mostly in place unless there are more coming. There is a straight line of footers along the first hill and drop of powderkeg down into the woods where it swoops around. Then it comes back up right next to wildfire. The track will be very close to both rides. They are cramming this thing in there.

Doesn't look like AP is being replaced. They not only extended the entrance to the tunnel, but also rebuilt the shed before the lift hill and the return water channel. Looks like it will be around for at least a decade more if they put that much work into it. Big missed opportunity to re-enhance the tunnel back to what it was like originally though...

I'm not sure there's any reason to believe it was delayed. They have had their hands full of projects over the past couple years. I could easily see it being the plan all along to open it in 2027. That way the new resort has it's own year to shine. They don't seem to need any extra help to get the crowds at the moment.

Makes sense. HFEC has historically dialed things way back during economic upheavals. Back in 2008 they delayed Riverblast a year to control costs and due to falling visitor counts that year. They've also famously pulled the plug on things quickly rather than sending good money after bad (Celebration City, numerous small brands and water park ownerships, etc).

They're obviously a much larger company now, but I imagine they are still pretty fiscally cautious around economic forecasts. Hard to say what the near term outlook is, but inflation is really biting people and everyone is cutting back. I know a lot of people are eating out a lot less. Entertainment will the next thing to cut...

I imagine most of HFEC's revenue comes from domestic tourism, but they do have some parks in the NE now that are going to be impacted from the fall of Canadian tourism. Domestic tourism to SDC and DW *could* see a small upswing if people opt for "staycations" instead of going to Florida or overseas. Hard to say, but I'd be nervous opening a massive new resort with these market headwinds right now.

Thanks again for the photos mg! With this much clearance around AP, one has to wonder if any changes will come to it. They went through the effort of extending the tunnel, so I assume it is sticking around. I wish they would extend the flume a little after the tunnel and add some more thematic sections like the old days.

Very odd that this construction is taking place on both sides of AP. Seems like more than just a coaster station. Hopefully we'll end up with another set of bathrooms along with more storefronts to fill in this corner of the park.

It's definitely a 2027 addition. We'll see how much they announce on the 27th. They must have something they are bringing in for next year, other wise having a whole "fan fest" seems overkill. On the other hand, what they consider a big announcement and what we might are often different.

It looked to me like all the vehicles are getting vinyl wraps. Trams included.

It's not quite a major announcement, but it's nice that they are putting a little attention into something that could easily be ignored - or even worse, slowly converted into all-paid parking like pretty much every other park now. Does Dollywood even have free parking anymore? SDC would be well justified in charging at this point considering what they spent to completely re-do the parking over the last decade. They probably spent tens of millions on just parking, with all that grading and fill not to mention repaving everything...

Nice they got a few extra dollars from slapping some O'Reillys logos on there, lol. At least it's not as bad as the Six Flags coaster train wraps 

Oh, they'll have some interesting things to share if they are setting up a whole event. I'm guessing they'll be providing a sneak peak into the plans for the coming years. Probably going to pre-announce something big coming while also showing off all the festival changes/additions, minor new things, etc.

They may also announce that a ride is leaving in the near future. I don't think we'll see another FITH-style exact replacement, but rides like TNT, FM, and AP are clinging to life and don't seem to fit what corporate wants for the park anymore. Like I've said before, I expect them to continue replacing things with fancier modern versions. They may announce that 2026 is the last season for one of those rides. Just my guess.

The fact that they straight up scrapped a train from TNT does imply that they aren't intending on keeping it much longer. Could go a few seasons more before they are ready to let it go though. It seems like they have a backlog of projects. Flooded Mine nearly bit the dust years ago, but other things took higher priority and it ended up getting more popular with guests again, so it has stuck around.

I have a feeling in the next 10 years or so TNT, FM, AP, Riverblast, and maybe even PK will get replaced.