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Not surprised. Since the days after the announcement I've seen very little buzz about this thing. People just aren't excited by a generic coaster that's replacing yet another long time attraction. Nostalgia sells more than some people think. They aren't even raising ticket and pass prices for next year. 🤷

Yeah I'm glad they at least left a grove of mature trees next to the station because it always takes time for a brand new ride to integrate into the natural surroundings after construction. I just wish they kept more of those tall mature trees intact for tree cover throughout, because even planting lots of new trees there it will take a long time to reach the same look that's seen in the on-ride POV rendering.

I'm sure when further earthwork starts and they build up those canyon-like elements its going to help, but c'mon please at least cap one more section off into a tunnel to be like diving in and out of mine shafts.

Yeah considering AP is now 60 percent tunnel they have no excuses not to do so, it would make more sense here at least.
Calling it now, this ride is gonna be another swing and a miss. The name and layout of this thing had to have been taken from Rollercoaster Tycoon on a Friday afternoon. Very uninspired and generic. ThuNderaTion will always be the superior mine train and they know it.

While I am admittedly very disappointed in this ride, I think they once again cheaped out on theming and I completely believe the biggest need for this park is a giga, I will admit that it will be a very popular ride.

Cheaped out on theming?  This will be way more themed than TNT. They even created an entire themed area of the park for this ride!  You are just butt hurt that its not a big thrill ride and can't get over that.

I never compared it to TNT.  The SDC social media marketing made this sound like some spectacular, first of it's kind ride.  As far as themimg, we got a 40-50 year old mine headframe, some rocks and 1 tunnel.  The mine headframe is cool, especially since it came from West Fork Mine in Missouri.  It's just a bit underwhelming for a park that brags about supposedly being the best theme park in the country

💯 agreed The only thing to be butt hurt about is people continuing to tolerate the gross hyperboles being put out by their marketing and peeps nodding and agreeing blindly to it. 🤔🤷 Simply stating it like it is. Truth hurts sometimes.

Yeah I'm glad they at least left a grove of mature trees next to the station because it always takes time for a brand new ride to integrate into the natural surroundings after construction. I just wish they kept more of those tall mature trees intact for tree cover throughout, because even planting lots of new trees there it will take a long time to reach the same look that's seen in the on-ride POV rendering.

I'm sure when further earthwork starts and they build up those canyon-like elements its going to help, but c'mon please at least cap one more section off into a tunnel to be like diving in and out of mine shafts.

Yeah considering AP is now 60 percent tunnel they have no excuses not to do so, it would make more sense here at least.
Calling it now, this ride is gonna be another swing and a miss. The name and layout of this thing had to have been taken from Rollercoaster Tycoon on a Friday afternoon. Very uninspired and generic. ThuNderaTion will always be the superior mine train and they know it.

While I am admittedly very disappointed in this ride, I think they once again cheaped out on theming and I completely believe the biggest need for this park is a giga, I will admit that it will be a very popular ride.

Didn't even have to be a giga. The non inverting Hyper/Stryker idea tossed around would have fit well without being too extreme for the supposed demographic. That layout plus the Stryker trains would have been the more unique standout like Powderkeg and Time Traveler. A true missed opportunity for a better version of Dollywood's Mystery Mine here too. "The First In North America" teaser was a bad joke, total hyperbole like a lot of this parks social media marketing as of late. Not to mention it's yet another replacement for something.

"Another swing and a miss"? Any addition ever since Fireman's Landing have all been hits, what are you even talking about.

lol with the exception of Time Traveler's alleged show building that was canceled, all the new additions have been plagued with problems and cheaped out on several aspects. MRF in particular. The shark jokes just tend to overshadow this fact. What's sad is stuff on the new FITH is already broken or operating inconsistently. (bridge demo and the on ride speakers depending on the day) Outlaw is not aging well either and needs new less painful trains and a retrack. I now call it Roll Over Car Wreck: The Ride. It was found to be objectively rougher and more uncomfortable to ride than TNT on my last few visits this year. Several of the Enthusiast groups are noticing this as well with one calling it the worst RMC now because of it. The rose colored glasses are coming off.

Yeah I'm glad they at least left a grove of mature trees next to the station because it always takes time for a brand new ride to integrate into the natural surroundings after construction. I just wish they kept more of those tall mature trees intact for tree cover throughout, because even planting lots of new trees there it will take a long time to reach the same look that's seen in the on-ride POV rendering.

I'm sure when further earthwork starts and they build up those canyon-like elements its going to help, but c'mon please at least cap one more section off into a tunnel to be like diving in and out of mine shafts.

Yeah considering AP is now 60 percent tunnel they have no excuses not to do so, it would make more sense here at least.
Calling it now, this ride is gonna be another swing and a miss. The name and layout of this thing had to have been taken from Rollercoaster Tycoon on a Friday afternoon. Very uninspired and generic. ThuNderaTion will always be the superior mine train and they know it.

Since they are on a roll, probably more removals

I always made sure to ride OG Fire In The Hole (new one isn't worth the line), ThuNderaTion, and Flooded Mine. The Train too if it's not super crowded that day.

A truly great American Icon is lost. Heard it was a very surreal experience for workers and park goers attending when they heard the news as it broke. Hopefully her wishes for the future of her theme park is respected. I am due to paying Dollywood a visit as I haven't been since before covid happened so I may do that later this year to pay my respects.

Hopefully they don't remove any classic rides for something mid like another MO park is doing.

Indeed it is sad seeing all the old AP props that have gone by the wayside. I'd keep expectations low they will bring any of them back after the construction dust settles. Maybe a piece of signage or two at best?

Flooded Mine WILL be next, especially if more of the founders start dying off. We almost lost it a while back. Rumor is it hasn't been touched because Jack Hershend was pushing back on some of the proposed changes.

It is crazy how SDC has remained in the same general footprint replacing old sections of the park while Dollywood in the same timeframe has pretty much tripled in size with only a few casualties along the way being their version of River Blast and the Waterboggan.

ok so you think sdc is not the best park in america that's fine you're entitled to your opinion I just don't see the point of arguing over a family coaster it's not gonna get you anywere

Ultimately SDC's marketing department sucks.  They build up this anticipation of something spectacular, on the scale of the real best in America parks, and then give us this very meh mine train, not 1st of it's kind in the states, not heavily themed coaster

Agreed 100% the Rose Colored Glasses syndrome is quite strong with a lot of folks. This will be my last year I hold a pass until they follow thru with their hype and stop making inferior additions ripped from Rollercoaster Tycoon on a Friday Afternoon at the expense of a classic. (Flooded Mine will be next to share this fate) Vote with your wallet. WOF and SFOT will be getting more of my attention now. Tormenta looks pretty sweet and something like it would have worked well here at SDC. At least someone followed thru with adding a Giga. And huge respect to WOF for keeping Timberwolf around refurbishing it. (a ride OLDER than TNT)

Speaking of, this TNT replacement is also a laughable addition for hosting Coaster Con next year. They could have really knocked it out of the park with something epic but decided to play it safe with the bare minimum again. But hey this new low capacity kids coaster will serve its purpose in boosting trailblazer sales from the GP.

[First, this is the right thrill level for the park]

My initial reaction: underwhelming.

Here's where I'm at:

First, this is the right thrill level for the park. Of course an intense multi-looper or hyper would be fun, but this park is all about families and it's hard for "America's #1 theme park" with a theme based on an 1880s mining town without a mine coaster. It makes sense.

Here's what disappoints me:

This looks to be a pretty standard coaster. Yes, the track is lightly themed. Yes, I'm sure it will be glass smooth. And yes, SDC is very good at marketing. But, at the end of the day, what are we really looking at here for the guest experience? They clear-cut all the trees to create a giant flat pad to be filled with a fairly generic steel coaster track running back and forth. Layout-wise, there is nothing here that Arrow wasn't doing back in the 80s. At least Thunderation uses the natural terrain. Here the steel supports appear to be doing all the work. 

No signature moments. Modern SDC loves their gimmicks. Consider:
- Outlaw Run (wood coaster with loops)
- Time Traveler (looping coaster that spins)
- Mystic River Falls (rapids ride with a vertical lift and drop)

What's the signature moment on this ride? With Mack involved, I was hoping for some Voltron-style tricks like a bounce track (imagine simulating a mine shaft about to collapse), turntable/launch sequence (coast down into the mine, turnaround and blast out). Or even some layout inspiration from Grizzly Gulch at Hong Kong Disneyland with a mild backwards sequence. Nope. Two lift hills, drops, curves through retaining walls, a small wooden tunnel. Nothing that simulates being in a cave from what I can see.

Theming looks light. Yes, the huge mine tower is very cool and very impressive. But if there is more here, there wasn't much revealed beyond that. For all the bluster about backstory and theme, all the hype about exploring down in the mine, there is no mine. I'm sure there will a covered queue box with big fans and some art on the walls. The same standard as Time Traveler, Mystic River, and the new Fire in the Hole. But compare that to Wildfire's queue.

This feels like Powder Keg light. Thrill-wise, I'm great with that. Theming-wise and quality-wise, this is just another coaster.

SDC has gotten very good at storytelling and marketing, but the actual product and experience feels hollow to me. Hope I'm wrong.

I'm sure the ride will be popular. Maybe this is all it needs to be, but it just stings a little when the park prides itself as being so much better than everywhere else, and they bait their fans into thinking this will be more special than what it appears to be. But again, I'd love to be proven wrong on this.

You worded all of my feelings here perfectly. As I feared, this is yet another replacement low capacity ride with nothing truly groundbreaking. Thoosies will obviously be disappointed, but it will be great for milking trailblazer sales.

I have struggled with this feeling since FITH2 opened but with all the nostalgia elements slowly getting removed one by one, (Flooded Mine WILL be next) there's little that keeps me coming back. (which is bizarre in itself when the park was built around nostalgia of times past) I havent given WOF my money in a few years and I think I may start doing that again. At least they are trying to keep their existing attractions around.

And let's be honest here, yes the park will lose its records, but Outlaw needs new trains and a retrack (IBox conversion) job like what was done for LR at Dollywood.

The Wild Moose is a great ride concept. Looks like there will be one going to a park in the midwest in 2027 (not SDC, though).

I wouldn't say that RMC and SDC have a great relationship, though. As I understand, the park isn't exactly in love with how Fire in the Hole turned out.

What about FITH specifically are they not happy about?

Too much downtime like Mystic River

Honestly this back and forth that's been going on reflects badly on these boards and if there are indeed park employees engaging in this silliness, this is subsequently leaving a bad look on the park itself too.

Just some food for thought, this is all I'm gonna say on the matter.