KCMO resident and real estate developer here. A lot of us real estate guys are very optimistic that Kansas City is on the edge of breaking out into a true secondary city, similar to what Nashville is currently doing now and Denver did the past decade. We are about to wrap up our new $1.5B airport and are reviewing proposals for building both a soccer and a baseball stadium near the city center. As a lifelong coaster fanatic who has taken vacations just to go to coaster parks I am very excited about this as well.
KCMO resident here, I sure hope not. Tired of people moving here, road construction especially for the stupid trolley, terrible roads, and roads that aren't big enough for the population. Excited about Worlds of Fun though.
I do hope Kansas City can grow, I really do, but I also hope that when it does grow, it grows upward and not outward. Overland Park + the north land expand far out enough into the country already, and our suburbs should simply stop growing ASAP. We need a dense inner city that’s not 50% surface parking before we even think of building another generic suburb development
The future of this park is in the hands of the local people. If they want continued investments, they must show up when the company invests in the park. Fans can't wait on the large coasters either, but must show up for the new flats, the new kiddie additions, the new slides, and the new events. Carowinds and Canada's Wonderland are the best two examples of this in the chain. On the other hand Kings Dominion is an example of what happens when the response is lackluster.
@@daijuanwilliams9974 Canada's Wonderland is right by Toronto which is a huge city, and Charlotte is growing so fast and is quite large, so Carowinds has the numbers to draw in the crowd. Both parks have limited competition around them, while Kings Dominion is in a smaller market and has BG Williamsburg very close by, Kings Dominion is at a disadvantage,
In Kings Dominion’s defense… Cedar Fair placed it only about 30-40 minutes away from Busch Gardens Williamsburg. I think it’s definitely safe to say that KD’s attendance would be much better if BGW wasn’t literally right next door.
@@kboi1170 when kings dominion was created it wasn’t by cedar fair and Busch gardens really wasn’t what it was today. They are about an hour apart but still close and overall a smaller market than either Toronto or Charlotte
Also a brand new airport in close proximity and one of the fastest growing metros in the Midwest. People forget Cedar Fair installed Mamba, Boomerang, Spinning Dragons, Patriot, and Prowler all in a span on 11 years. Plus SDC, Adventure Land, and Lost Island are all adding pressure to improve the park (SFSTL good luck)
Technically just a new terminal, but it'll massively improve the experience of getting to and from KC. Wouldn't be surprised if Cedar Fair is looking to capitalize on Elitch's inevitable closure by attracting guests from the Denver area, too.
@@brianfoss571 They're closing all of the other terminals and the tarmacs are completely different. If this is "technically just a new terminal," it's as close to a new airport as you can get without being one. In fact, if this isn't a new airport, I would argue it's likely just a semantic debate, not a material one. What defines a new airport? A new location and IATA code?
As one of my home parks it's really nice to see it finally getting some positive attention and reviews from the community. Can't wait for the day its no longer considered a credit run by enthusiasts.
Also, since Mamba is the coaster that inspired Steel Dragon 2000, it'd be incredibly fitting for Worlds of Fun to get a giga in the Orient section exceeding Steel Dragon's speed, with a 200-foot wave turn overlooking Mamba's helix.
I was just in Kansas City on a big trip around the Midwest which included parks like worlds of fun and silver dollar city. I’ve gotta say out of all the cedar fair parks I’ve been (which inherently is not many) this looks to be a prime spot for cedar fair to staple themselves in Missouri against six flags and herschend.
Honestly I really don't see sfsl around in the next 20 years, like he said even CF lower tier parks look really good, can't say that about sf lower tier parks Herschland takes care of all of their parks as well as cedar fair does. Fortunately for SDC it's at a travel destination so they really have it made. KC isn't really a travel destination on anyone's list (at least not many) so if WoF was to do exactly what Carowinds did with the two coasters and hotel it might be the first step that KC needs to start coming up with things that put us on the map. Of course if CF actually does this honestly I have my doubts even with fifa coming but we'll just have to see. I would love to see all of that but to build all of that just for a event? Idk like I said it could be the push we need to become a destination but idk that's an awful lot of money they will be investing in to a lower tier park.
For those who may not know: The garden/fountain area of Spinning Dragons used to be the pool for the dolphins back in the 70s/80s/90s. It was then used a a pool for a dive show. Timber Wolf's 'Chicken Exit' sign was the one used for the Orient Express chicken exit when it was in operation. Mamba is definitely the superior coaster Morgan Hyper coaster out of the three that exist.
The haunt attraction “lore of the vampire” features the loading dock for orient express as the main building for the haunted house. Hence why they were able to add downstairs. (Secrets from a former employee)
I'm certain that Kc will provide a massive turnout for the new Zambezi Zinger. As a native Kansas Citian who last rode ZZ on senior skip day in 97-the last year it was in service, I can say that it's removal was a very sad time for the city. For those of us old enough to remember that wonderful, unique coaster, we've never really gotten over it. I think that the new Zinger is a brilliant move to reinvigorate an already wonderful park that many locals have put on the back burner for quite a while now. The only downside I see is the return of long lines🤷🏻♂️
Exactly this. Every city has hometown pride but people in KC REALLY love celebrating KC institutions/nostalgia. Too young to have ridden but my mother loved telling stories about the zinger.
I spent four hours in line this weekend for the Mamba on a Halloween Haunt night when people should have been in line for houses. I’ve actually never seen a turnout that massive. I see really great things in the future for this amusement park.
It's not Zambizie Zinger in anyway shape, and form. Cedar Fair took out 4 of our parks Icons. Wood is not a replacement for steel by any means. Cedar Fair LLC is a joke. Boomerang has nothing to do with Africa. Come on. They are a total gimmick
I’d love to see a B&M Giga come to Worlds of Fun. WoF has a shit-ton of open space for a Giga to fit in, and plus, I just think it’d be interesting to see both a Morgan Hyper AND a B&M Giga in one park. It’ll also be the tallest and fastest coaster in the state of Missouri (obviously), and the state’s first Giga.
They are not getting a giga. WOF attendance is noticeably less than KD & Carowinds, the lowest attendance CF parks to get gigas. And they certainly are not building a 30m giga coaster to pull in tourists from a once in a park lifetime sport event. I feel WOF was just the lucky lower tier park to go first (probably related to their upcoming anniversary) in what is an ongoing effort to refresh the lower tier parks. Those parks are do for a refresh that likely would have started in 2021 if not for the pandemic (RIP Dorney wooden shuttle). The lower tier parks don't get as much attention as enthusiasts want as their attendance and potential for growth just isn't there, but CF still will maintain them. And part of that maintaining is a new big ride every 10 years or so. So I suspect in the next five years Valley and Dorney will get new coasters (Michigan's is a harder maybe) and in the next 10 the 4 bottom tier parks will also get CGA hand me downs.
💜I grew up going to WoF and the Zambezi Zinger was my first “real” roller coaster and then Timberwolf the following year. I’m going to buy a season pass even though I’ll probably only make it back to KC once - I’m just happy CF is finally showing some love.
Since they announced the new Zambezi Zinger for next season I decided to make plans with some of my relatives to rent a cabin for a few days at the Worlds Of Fun Village so we can spend a day at the park and get a chance to ride the new coaster.
I actually like the idea of WOF maybe getting a giga coaster in the near future. I honestly believe a coaster of that magnitude would help push WOF into the big leagues.
Still seems like a huge longshot, but Spinning Dragons could be relocated behind Patriot and rethemed to open up a massive entry plaza for a giga. And if Worlds of Fun is going to award a new coaster the *Orient Express* moniker, it'll either have to be launched or extremely long and fast.
From looking at a map, they might be able to put a new orient express gigacoaster in what is currently the woodsy area between bamboozler, autobahn, and viking voyager. I don't see where else they could put it and have it still be in the orient section of the park unless maybe they put it above the spinning dragons next to the path from the parking lot to the entrance. It does seem like a longshot though to move spinning dragons. They may as well just remove it permanently considering it'd be over 20 years old at that point anyway.
as this is my home park, Im happy to see this video, I've been waiting forever for another rollercoaster, Because sometimes you get bored of the 6 rollercoasters they have
When I heard you say that worlds of Fun is a really pretty Park I thought nowhere compared to Silver Dollar City or Busch Gardens! Worlds of Fun was a gift from Lamar Hunt to Kansas City. Cedar Fair treats it like a stepchild
After watching this- I'm beginning to let my mind wander and think that the cancelled giga coaster "planned" for Knott's may find an eventual home here
CF has also spent the last little while reworking the entrance, drainage/sewage systems, and tons of other infrastructure improvements recently, I think you're spot on about lots of additions coming to this park
Trimless Mamba is here to stay. Mamba got a new computer and they got rid of train 3. No longer will have a 3 train operation setting. Which is why B block trims you as you are falling I think to maintain the speed for the back car, so the airtime isn't to aggressive.
3rd train is still around, just using it to cycle the other two trains in through maintenance. I spoke with the operations head at the park earlier this year and he said it would be unlikely to see all three back at once though. I can’t believe how much better of a ride Mamba is now!
I hate to be tha Debby downer, just because cedar fair adds a small barely hybrid roller coaster, doesn’t mean they instantly become the fav park, the favorite children are Carowinds at # 1, Cedar point, canadas wonderland, kings island, kings dominion. I hate when people say eveybody is gonna get a new giga, because the tough truth is, they aren’t. I know everybody wants to give love to the smaller parks, and I do too, but it’s just the chances of these things you claim are so unlikely.
I think because there is so much happening to Kansas City recently I think they will get a new coaster right then maybe not a giga but something big. Or without CGA on their hands with that park getting a new coaster every 4-7 years those rides could go to VF Dorney or WOF and Michigan’s adventure probably won’t get anything
Maybe “NEW” Orient Express in original Station House like how “NEW” Zambezi Zinger is using the original’s entrance building from 1977 (which is currently in the process of having all the Halloween decorations ripped out)
Why did Worlds of Fun get rid of all of its original coasters when other parks kept them? Imagine if WoF still had Orient Express, ZBZ, Screamroller etc and then had one or two more new modern coasters. It would have 12-13 coasters today.
I have been thinking for the last couple years that Worlds of Fun should be the next logical park that Cedar Fair invests in. Unlike many of the other small parks like ValleyFair, WoF has so much space around it for them to expand as well as a lot of open space in the park that isn't currently in use. If they would do a gradual build up of this park, it could become one of the top tier parks in the chain as well. And this park really is lacking that true standout coaster
I've been thinking the same thing! It's not just the Zambezi Zinger that they're adding, they mentioned in a press release that they're also going to be putting plenty of capital into WoF's theming in 2023 as well. Plus, in general the amusement park industry in Iowa and Missouri is really kicking into high gear lately, (SFSTL maybe not so much, looking at you Selim) and CF probably wants to make sure that WoF isn't overshadowed. Will it ever truly compete with SDC? Idk, but I know that SDC can't build a giga.
I don't see Worlds of Fun becoming a Top 5 Cedar Fair park. I visited the park this year and I enjoyed it, and it has a lot of room for growth, but the Kansas City market, while hosting the World Cup is not growing like the Charlotte market. Also Carowinds could be a year round park, while in Kansas City you will be limited with the weather. I see the potential for Worlds of Fun to be similar to a Kings Dominion type park in the chain. IT won't crack the Top 5 of Cedar Point, Carowinds, Kings Island, Knott's, and Canada's Wonderland, but it could join Kings Dominion in the next tier down. That would leave ValleyFair, Dorney, and Michigan's Adventure in the bottom tier. I can honestly see Carowinds as either 1 or 1A in Cedar Fair 25 years down the line. The area has that much potential.
Cedar Fairs investments over the past 15 have been driven straight up by demographics. Carowinds was fastest growing market in the country, getting it the most investment and a lot of corporate jobs moved over there because young professionals would rather live in Charlotte than Sandusky. Buying 2 water parks in Texas, the other fastest growing market in the country. Canada's Wonderland is that country's biggest market for a theme park by far and was underperforming before CF bought it. Cedar Point is their flagship park and as a destination park needs constant investment. CGA, even in a rich area the park was handicapped by its neighboring business (some of the most powerful companies in the world), low height limit, limited parking, and lack of room for expansion, so the real estate was more valuable than the business. Knotts needed investment in the experience because locals had believed it went downhill under Kinzel ownership and the business lagged because of it, before that it had always been the "other" park people went to for a day when visiting Disneyland and they were trying to restore it back to that. KI and KD needed investment because they are in more competitive markets as well and the parks were lagging under Kinzel. The rest of the parks didn't get crap because they had no financial incentive to. Its as simple as that.
I’m happy for everyone that calls this their home park. Cedar Fair has clearly thought that it was worth the experiment. Really glad I held off my Missouri trip for next year
The wasps came back lol. This was like a month ago but I didn’t get stung. Also don’t you think prowler is also running faster? It hauls SO much more then last year
Ken Parks stated in his announcement that WOF is being rethemed and propped throughout the entire park, ans will focus more on its original concept and story of world travel. WOF needs a couple of solid dairies, and some detailed theming added to many of it's rides.
Was skeptical of the idea that WOF will become the next Cedar Fair favorite but you did a good job explaining why and convincing me a little bit. There have been rumors of WOF getting another coaster in the next few years. With the World Cup having games at Arrowhead in 2026 this definitely makes a lot of sense and we have seen parks try to add or refurb things before major events come to town so it wouldn’t surprise me if Cedar Fair tries to capitalize on this opportunity.
I think if they really wanted to do it big make the biggest single rail coaster in the world make it as a tribute to Orient Express with the same layout in the same area where the coaster once stood that would be awesome
I know whatcha mean, I grew up in Nebraska so Worlds of Fun and Oceans of Fun was my home park I've been there an astonishing 15 times from a span of 3 years old to 8 years, and I plan on going back to ride Zambezi Zinger II and yes I did use the Chicken Exit several times when it came to Timber Wolf
Im so glad you coverd this i also live in Kansas city i have been to worlds of fun tree with my friends and i have been there when they did there howllween huant my favorite ride is the timber wolf and the spinning dragon and i can not wait for this new coster it looks so cool P.S. sorry that this looks like a essay
im excited to see the future of one of my homeparks, if they add a giga in 25', that might actually give compitition to the best park in missouri. there's no reason for sf and cp to neglect their missouri parks. those are some of the greatest locations for parks imo. and it pulls enthusiasts cuz sdc is already there, so why are they so neglected? i really dont understand
Hopefully, it's going to happen. Possibly the ZZ is a cheap risk-free major investment to test how well attendance improves. If it goes well I can see the rebirth of the orient express the same location as the old one but built by Intamin multi-launch mega loopers (with icon interlock loop in the middle) of course. And then before FIFA 2026, we may see the return of the Extremeroller new location as the massive Giga coaster over the parking entrance. That is just my opinion of what is possible. Curious what is your options for what a possible future hold for Worlds of fun.
If they rebuild it, for god sake‘s repaint the station house white, yellow, red, & Green like it was in 1980. As of last month, what remain’s of Zambezi Zinger’s station is being remodeled back into the queue line entrance
Last Christmas my family got a season pass to world's of fun, and this year has been a blast! I'm super excited to see cedar fair finally add something new to this underrated park, and can't wait to see more. Also the mamba is scary AF I love it
I live in the Dallas area and just went to Six Flags over Texas for the first time in the 7 years that I've been here and I must say I was disappointed. I haven't been to a Six Flags property since 2010 and I remember being amazed at how man different coasters they had compared to WoF. That was not the case this time. Several of their coasters were closed including Titan which was the one I was most excited about. Overall my experience was meh. I'm moving back to KC this month and I'm super excited to visit WoF this year after not having gone for almost 8 years. Can't wait to ride the new Zambezi Zinger!
I wanna see them re-create the Orient express it was such a good arrow dynamic roller coaster. At its time there was only 3 Interlocking Loop roller coasters around the world it would be so cool to see B&M Re-create that masterpiece
The Orient was a great coaster for it's time, but in the last years of it's operation it was a literal pain to ride. Seriously the already well aged Timber Wolf was smoother and to date is the only coaster that's ever left me hurt after riding it. Still I agree it would be nice to have a modern take on an old classic.
Exciting. BGT is my original home park, used to go there all the time growing up. Been living in KC for several years but haven't visited WoF yet. I'm excited to try this Zinger ride when it opens and finally visit. Also want to compare OoF to Adventure Island. Hopefully I can get back to Tampa and ride Iron Gwazi eventually too,
I’ve been saying this for a while now! ZZ is a cheap coaster that tests the waters in KC to pave the way for future investment. WOF was a favorite child before the paramount parks purchase. We got 5 coasters in 10 years and a multitude of other investment. Dick Kinzel seemed to really love this park lol. WOF hasn’t been completely forgotten in the time afterwards either. They just kept getting flat ride and water park investment every year until the pandemic. They became lower priority, but still a priority. Now that the paramount parks have been pretty well invested in, WOFs status may be coming back. Plus with the continued growth of the KC area and more competition in the region, CF could really be getting ready to make WOF a marquee park in the Midwest.
Do any of you RUclips content makers actually listen to your content before you post?!?!?!? Listen to how you end every sentence. You might not want to listen to it any…more…(drag those last two words out like in your videos.)
Not going to lie… the 3 Cedar Fair Morgan Hypers have been great this year! Wild Thing was giving amazing flojector throughly the whole layout! I’ve heard Steel Force is running amazing, and same thing with Mamba!
They do have two trains running on mamba with little to no trims at the mid course. I’m actually at the park right now and visited a month ago and same experience. Awesome ride
I had my first ride on mamba this summer and it absolutely blew me out of the water, I didn’t get trimmed at all on the midcourse and those final hills sent me to the moon. Wild thing is still mad disappointing though.
I think 2023 will be the single best year to go to Worlds of Fun. I’m going to possibly work there this summer as a piano performer with my friend who lives there despite being from Michigan. I can’t wait to ride the Zambezi Zinger. I enjoy coasters, music, and the plains of the central U.S. so Worlds of Fun is perfect and up my alley. I’ve been to Adventureland and the Iowa state fair in 2021 and it’s fun riding roller coasters next to the cornfields while looking at the Des Moines skyline and eating pure, Iowa beef.
I have lived here all my life and the Mamba has changed in those last slopes. The prowler is definitely a ride. This video gives me hope for a new coaster tho.. a lot of projects in KC. Airport just finished possible new downtown area over i-70. Sure is getting interesting out here
I know I am in the minority on this but I absolutely can't stand prowler or most other Woody's unless it's a RMC refit or RMC designed. I really don't care for the zz being a woody with only certain parts of the track be Titan track and come on, a 3rd woody? That's a bit much even for bigger parks I mean they really could have gotten RMC to do it that would have been a little better. I guess we'll take what we can get.
I really fucking hope your right, but if wof wants to be a destination park they need to clean up the ops. I feel like you undersold how bad the ops are, mamba and prowler are decent but on all the other coasters the operators have 0 urgency, and on mamba and Timberwolf station crowding can get kinda ridiculous.
No argument there, the ops are just plain terrible with organization and communication. I actually had some teens and kids rush to the coaster seat I was suppose to be at, all because I was putting my bag in the bins
Spinning Dragons needs some fire underneath their feet. Average wait time on a slow day is 30-45 minutes. Ridiculous considering at six cars, two cars can be out on the track of the time due to block braking. They always have two cars outside station and have no urgency.
the Cosmic Coaster is pretty good for a kiddie coaster. my friends and I have fond memories of being allowed to ride it as teenagers when the park was having its slower days. the Chicken Exit is from the Oriental Express, a locally famous roller coaster for having broken down and the riders had to crawl over the ride cars to get back to the ride house. a lot of us '90s babies heard stories about how it was the best coaster in the park. I didn't know they were running different ride cycles on the Mamba and I'm pumped to hear it. glad to hear you liked the Timberworlf. it was my first roller coaster ever and I adore it. thanks for covering Worlds of Fun. nobody really talks about us. can't wait for the 50th anniversary and the Zambizi Zinger~
The prowler has no lines is because these wooden coasters beat the crap out of you! The last time I road timberwolf was about 10 years ago I was so beat up I couldn't walk for two days because my back hurt so bad. I have hit up multiple wooden coasters over the years and they are all the same! Steel coasters are the best and should be the gold standard! ✨️ Changing the Zabezee Zinger to a wooden coaster is a SIN! That was the very first coaster I ever rode and got me hooked! Everyone needs to protest and bring it back to its old glory!!!
Oh hell no, I am not getting on any coaster with an attacking swarm of wasps at the top of it, even if its something as good as Phoenix or Shivering Timbers.
I’m not 100% sold on a Giga Coaster with inflation (for now), but I agree with the general idea that it has a legit shot of becoming the next Cedar Fair favorite child
Inflation has nothing to do with it. It's silly fanboy nonsense by the video creator. WOf finances do not support a giga. They have gotten what they have or better put, not gotten for a reason the last decade.Their finances.
Hope your right. I’ve grown up with WOF and had season passes for my family going on 3 years. I’d love to see a world class coaster to really put it in the map.
We went to this park for the first time in 2022. Can't wait to get back this summer. We were surprisingly pleased. Prowler was awesome and Mamba was an amazing hyper. The biggest issue with the park was how much time the ops for Mamba goofed around while they should have been loading people. Especially since the line was long and they had a huge amount of time while the one train was gone.
My #1 complaint about WoF is that their business model has always been to only run 1 train on their big rides, which creates unnecessarily long wait times. I’m sure the idea is to keep people in the park longer to spend more money on food and other needless junk, but it keeps me from making the trek from St. Louis every year to visit this otherwise stellar and underrated park.
Local ordinance(s) may prohibit more than one train being "out" on a ride at any time. King's Island runs 3 on their larger coasters, with generally two "out" while a third is unloading and reloading. I can think of no other reason why a Cedar Fair park is limiting its number of trains on a coaster.
A giga going in would have a hard time competing with Mamba's absolute dominance of the park's skyline. Simply because of where Mamba was built in the park literally sitting on the highest ground elevation there. With it being on the highest elevation it makes seem at least 50 feet higher off the ground than she really is. If you are riding the Mamba, when you get to the top you are almost equal in height with the flying saucer on top of Steel Hawk which is 301 feet tall.
KCMO resident and real estate developer here. A lot of us real estate guys are very optimistic that Kansas City is on the edge of breaking out into a true secondary city, similar to what Nashville is currently doing now and Denver did the past decade. We are about to wrap up our new $1.5B airport and are reviewing proposals for building both a soccer and a baseball stadium near the city center. As a lifelong coaster fanatic who has taken vacations just to go to coaster parks I am very excited about this as well.
KCMO resident here, I sure hope not. Tired of people moving here, road construction especially for the stupid trolley, terrible roads, and roads that aren't big enough for the population. Excited about Worlds of Fun though.
@Nick Finzer KCMO resident here, and me personally I don't care.
I do hope Kansas City can grow, I really do, but I also hope that when it does grow, it grows upward and not outward. Overland Park + the north land expand far out enough into the country already, and our suburbs should simply stop growing ASAP. We need a dense inner city that’s not 50% surface parking before we even think of building another generic suburb development
@@Shinyarc I do hope I don't care
Omaha resident here. I’m glad I live so close to KC because World’s of Fun is a gem of a theme park.
The future of this park is in the hands of the local people. If they want continued investments, they must show up when the company invests in the park. Fans can't wait on the large coasters either, but must show up for the new flats, the new kiddie additions, the new slides, and the new events. Carowinds and Canada's Wonderland are the best two examples of this in the chain. On the other hand Kings Dominion is an example of what happens when the response is lackluster.
Completely agree.
I would agree but arguably the biggest reason kings dominion is meh is due to them not getting tax incentives
@@daijuanwilliams9974 Canada's Wonderland is right by Toronto which is a huge city, and Charlotte is growing so fast and is quite large, so Carowinds has the numbers to draw in the crowd. Both parks have limited competition around them, while Kings Dominion is in a smaller market and has BG Williamsburg very close by, Kings Dominion is at a disadvantage,
In Kings Dominion’s defense… Cedar Fair placed it only about 30-40 minutes away from Busch Gardens Williamsburg. I think it’s definitely safe to say that KD’s attendance would be much better if BGW wasn’t literally right next door.
@@kboi1170 when kings dominion was created it wasn’t by cedar fair and Busch gardens really wasn’t what it was today. They are about an hour apart but still close and overall a smaller market than either Toronto or Charlotte
Also a brand new airport in close proximity and one of the fastest growing metros in the Midwest. People forget Cedar Fair installed Mamba, Boomerang, Spinning Dragons, Patriot, and Prowler all in a span on 11 years. Plus SDC, Adventure Land, and Lost Island are all adding pressure to improve the park (SFSTL good luck)
Technically just a new terminal, but it'll massively improve the experience of getting to and from KC. Wouldn't be surprised if Cedar Fair is looking to capitalize on Elitch's inevitable closure by attracting guests from the Denver area, too.
@@brianfoss571 They're closing all of the other terminals and the tarmacs are completely different. If this is "technically just a new terminal," it's as close to a new airport as you can get without being one. In fact, if this isn't a new airport, I would argue it's likely just a semantic debate, not a material one. What defines a new airport? A new location and IATA code?
Fasting growing and Midwest in the same sentence is oxymoronic
Kansas City fucking rules 🍻
As one of my home parks it's really nice to see it finally getting some positive attention and reviews from the community. Can't wait for the day its no longer considered a credit run by enthusiasts.
ZZ: gets rebirthed.
Me: *waits for Orient Express rebirth*
The original ZZ is in Colombia. They painted it blue & yellow but they did a good job matching it up with the terrain.
for a ride someone died on? 😭😭
Also, since Mamba is the coaster that inspired Steel Dragon 2000, it'd be incredibly fitting for Worlds of Fun to get a giga in the Orient section exceeding Steel Dragon's speed, with a 200-foot wave turn overlooking Mamba's helix.
I was just in Kansas City on a big trip around the Midwest which included parks like worlds of fun and silver dollar city. I’ve gotta say out of all the cedar fair parks I’ve been (which inherently is not many) this looks to be a prime spot for cedar fair to staple themselves in Missouri against six flags and herschend.
Honestly I really don't see sfsl around in the next 20 years, like he said even CF lower tier parks look really good, can't say that about sf lower tier parks Herschland takes care of all of their parks as well as cedar fair does. Fortunately for SDC it's at a travel destination so they really have it made. KC isn't really a travel destination on anyone's list (at least not many) so if WoF was to do exactly what Carowinds did with the two coasters and hotel it might be the first step that KC needs to start coming up with things that put us on the map. Of course if CF actually does this honestly I have my doubts even with fifa coming but we'll just have to see. I would love to see all of that but to build all of that just for a event? Idk like I said it could be the push we need to become a destination but idk that's an awful lot of money they will be investing in to a lower tier park.
For those who may not know:
The garden/fountain area of Spinning Dragons used to be the pool for the dolphins back in the 70s/80s/90s. It was then used a a pool for a dive show.
Timber Wolf's 'Chicken Exit' sign was the one used for the Orient Express chicken exit when it was in operation.
Mamba is definitely the superior coaster Morgan Hyper coaster out of the three that exist.
The haunt attraction “lore of the vampire” features the loading dock for orient express as the main building for the haunted house. Hence why they were able to add downstairs. (Secrets from a former employee)
I thought that chicken exit sign looked familiar. I only thought about chickening out on the Orient, but I definitely looked at it. 😂
I'm certain that Kc will provide a massive turnout for the new Zambezi Zinger. As a native Kansas Citian who last rode ZZ on senior skip day in 97-the last year it was in service, I can say that it's removal was a very sad time for the city. For those of us old enough to remember that wonderful, unique coaster, we've never really gotten over it. I think that the new Zinger is a brilliant move to reinvigorate an already wonderful park that many locals have put on the back burner for quite a while now. The only downside I see is the return of long lines🤷🏻♂️
Exactly this. Every city has hometown pride but people in KC REALLY love celebrating KC institutions/nostalgia. Too young to have ridden but my mother loved telling stories about the zinger.
I spent four hours in line this weekend for the Mamba on a Halloween Haunt night when people should have been in line for houses. I’ve actually never seen a turnout that massive. I see really great things in the future for this amusement park.
It's not Zambizie Zinger in anyway shape, and form. Cedar Fair took out 4 of our parks Icons. Wood is not a replacement for steel by any means. Cedar Fair LLC is a joke. Boomerang has nothing to do with Africa. Come on. They are a total gimmick
@@Moriverlife You had a kiddie Schwarzkopf replaced with a modern taller faster crazier ride shush.
I’d love to see a B&M Giga come to Worlds of Fun. WoF has a shit-ton of open space for a Giga to fit in, and plus, I just think it’d be interesting to see both a Morgan Hyper AND a B&M Giga in one park.
It’ll also be the tallest and fastest coaster in the state of Missouri (obviously), and the state’s first Giga.
I've always wanted to go to Worlds of Fun. I'm going next year
They are not getting a giga. WOF attendance is noticeably less than KD & Carowinds, the lowest attendance CF parks to get gigas. And they certainly are not building a 30m giga coaster to pull in tourists from a once in a park lifetime sport event.
I feel WOF was just the lucky lower tier park to go first (probably related to their upcoming anniversary) in what is an ongoing effort to refresh the lower tier parks. Those parks are do for a refresh that likely would have started in 2021 if not for the pandemic (RIP Dorney wooden shuttle). The lower tier parks don't get as much attention as enthusiasts want as their attendance and potential for growth just isn't there, but CF still will maintain them. And part of that maintaining is a new big ride every 10 years or so.
So I suspect in the next five years Valley and Dorney will get new coasters (Michigan's is a harder maybe) and in the next 10 the 4 bottom tier parks will also get CGA hand me downs.
💜I grew up going to WoF and the Zambezi Zinger was my first “real” roller coaster and then Timberwolf the following year. I’m going to buy a season pass even though I’ll probably only make it back to KC once - I’m just happy CF is finally showing some love.
NFL Draft is coming to KC in 2023...
Since they announced the new Zambezi Zinger for next season I decided to make plans with some of my relatives to rent a cabin for a few days at the Worlds Of Fun Village so we can spend a day at the park and get a chance to ride the new coaster.
I actually like the idea of WOF maybe getting a giga coaster in the near future. I honestly believe a coaster of that magnitude would help push WOF into the big leagues.
Kansas City enthusiasts could be in for a real treat here
Still seems like a huge longshot, but Spinning Dragons could be relocated behind Patriot and rethemed to open up a massive entry plaza for a giga. And if Worlds of Fun is going to award a new coaster the *Orient Express* moniker, it'll either have to be launched or extremely long and fast.
From looking at a map, they might be able to put a new orient express gigacoaster in what is currently the woodsy area between bamboozler, autobahn, and viking voyager. I don't see where else they could put it and have it still be in the orient section of the park unless maybe they put it above the spinning dragons next to the path from the parking lot to the entrance. It does seem like a longshot though to move spinning dragons. They may as well just remove it permanently considering it'd be over 20 years old at that point anyway.
as this is my home park, Im happy to see this video, I've been waiting forever for another rollercoaster, Because sometimes you get bored of the 6 rollercoasters they have
I live 15 minutes away from Silver Dollar City and I still prefer Worlds of Fun. The layout, landscaping and selection of flats is better.
This is my home park I love it here
I hope Worlds of Fun does get a giga coaster
Cheers🍻 Here’s to you (hopefully) being accurate!
When I heard you say that worlds of Fun is a really pretty Park I thought nowhere compared to Silver Dollar City or Busch Gardens! Worlds of Fun was a gift from Lamar Hunt to Kansas City. Cedar Fair treats it like a stepchild
There's levels to this, Worlds of Fun is pretty but those two parks you mentioned are top-tier in terms of in-park beauty.
if you have little kids, this park has one of the best kid's sections I've ever seen. Very nice.
After watching this- I'm beginning to let my mind wander and think that the cancelled giga coaster "planned" for Knott's may find an eventual home here
CF has also spent the last little while reworking the entrance, drainage/sewage systems, and tons of other infrastructure improvements recently, I think you're spot on about lots of additions coming to this park
Trimless Mamba is here to stay. Mamba got a new computer and they got rid of train 3. No longer will have a 3 train operation setting. Which is why B block trims you as you are falling I think to maintain the speed for the back car, so the airtime isn't to aggressive.
3rd train is still around, just using it to cycle the other two trains in through maintenance. I spoke with the operations head at the park earlier this year and he said it would be unlikely to see all three back at once though. I can’t believe how much better of a ride Mamba is now!
I hate to be tha Debby downer, just because cedar fair adds a small barely hybrid roller coaster, doesn’t mean they instantly become the fav park, the favorite children are Carowinds at # 1, Cedar point, canadas wonderland, kings island, kings dominion. I hate when people say eveybody is gonna get a new giga, because the tough truth is, they aren’t. I know everybody wants to give love to the smaller parks, and I do too, but it’s just the chances of these things you claim are so unlikely.
I think because there is so much happening to Kansas City recently I think they will get a new coaster right then maybe not a giga but something big. Or without CGA on their hands with that park getting a new coaster every 4-7 years those rides could go to VF Dorney or WOF and Michigan’s adventure probably won’t get anything
Now reimagine the OE.
Maybe “NEW” Orient Express in original Station House like how “NEW” Zambezi Zinger is using the original’s entrance building from 1977 (which is currently in the process of having all the Halloween decorations ripped out)
Nah
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Why did Worlds of Fun get rid of all of its original coasters when other parks kept them? Imagine if WoF still had Orient Express, ZBZ, Screamroller etc and then had one or two more new modern coasters. It would have 12-13 coasters today.
I have been thinking for the last couple years that Worlds of Fun should be the next logical park that Cedar Fair invests in. Unlike many of the other small parks like ValleyFair, WoF has so much space around it for them to expand as well as a lot of open space in the park that isn't currently in use. If they would do a gradual build up of this park, it could become one of the top tier parks in the chain as well. And this park really is lacking that true standout coaster
That little garden in the middle of Spinning Dragons? That used to be the Dolphin Show. The fountain? The old Dolphin pool. ;)
Wow that’s really cool actually!
I've been thinking the same thing! It's not just the Zambezi Zinger that they're adding, they mentioned in a press release that they're also going to be putting plenty of capital into WoF's theming in 2023 as well. Plus, in general the amusement park industry in Iowa and Missouri is really kicking into high gear lately, (SFSTL maybe not so much, looking at you Selim) and CF probably wants to make sure that WoF isn't overshadowed. Will it ever truly compete with SDC? Idk, but I know that SDC can't build a giga.
Saint Louis needs to RMC the Boss already, good lord.
why cant sdc build a giga?
@@7w229 height restrictions, small airport nearby.
@@DeadRabbit5 there is no airport by SDC...and they have a ton of land. Heck.. They can run one done a 300ft valley in the hills nearby
@@barbieandjohn its called the Branson West Airport, 6 miles away, 11 minutes from the park by car.
I don't see Worlds of Fun becoming a Top 5 Cedar Fair park. I visited the park this year and I enjoyed it, and it has a lot of room for growth, but the Kansas City market, while hosting the World Cup is not growing like the Charlotte market. Also Carowinds could be a year round park, while in Kansas City you will be limited with the weather. I see the potential for Worlds of Fun to be similar to a Kings Dominion type park in the chain. IT won't crack the Top 5 of Cedar Point, Carowinds, Kings Island, Knott's, and Canada's Wonderland, but it could join Kings Dominion in the next tier down. That would leave ValleyFair, Dorney, and Michigan's Adventure in the bottom tier. I can honestly see Carowinds as either 1 or 1A in Cedar Fair 25 years down the line. The area has that much potential.
Cedar Fairs investments over the past 15 have been driven straight up by demographics.
Carowinds was fastest growing market in the country, getting it the most investment and a lot of corporate jobs moved over there because young professionals would rather live in Charlotte than Sandusky.
Buying 2 water parks in Texas, the other fastest growing market in the country.
Canada's Wonderland is that country's biggest market for a theme park by far and was underperforming before CF bought it.
Cedar Point is their flagship park and as a destination park needs constant investment.
CGA, even in a rich area the park was handicapped by its neighboring business (some of the most powerful companies in the world), low height limit, limited parking, and lack of room for expansion, so the real estate was more valuable than the business.
Knotts needed investment in the experience because locals had believed it went downhill under Kinzel ownership and the business lagged because of it, before that it had always been the "other" park people went to for a day when visiting Disneyland and they were trying to restore it back to that.
KI and KD needed investment because they are in more competitive markets as well and the parks were lagging under Kinzel.
The rest of the parks didn't get crap because they had no financial incentive to. Its as simple as that.
So basically the Knotts giga is going to World's of Fun.
I’m happy for everyone that calls this their home park. Cedar Fair has clearly thought that it was worth the experiment. Really glad I held off my Missouri trip for next year
The wasps came back lol. This was like a month ago but I didn’t get stung. Also don’t you think prowler is also running faster? It hauls SO much more then last year
Okay it’s official you have the best into of all time ITS SO SICK
The amusement park landscape in the region is changing and Cedar Fair knows it better keep up.
Ken Parks stated in his announcement that WOF is being rethemed and propped throughout the entire park, ans will focus more on its original concept and story of world travel. WOF needs a couple of solid dairies, and some detailed theming added to many of it's rides.
Was skeptical of the idea that WOF will become the next Cedar Fair favorite but you did a good job explaining why and convincing me a little bit.
There have been rumors of WOF getting another coaster in the next few years. With the World Cup having games at Arrowhead in 2026 this definitely makes a lot of sense and we have seen parks try to add or refurb things before major events come to town so it wouldn’t surprise me if Cedar Fair tries to capitalize on this opportunity.
I think if they really wanted to do it big make the biggest single rail coaster in the world make it as a tribute to Orient Express with the same layout in the same area where the coaster once stood that would be awesome
We could expect a coaster for valleyfair next year as a test too. Minnesota will be hosting the world expo in 2027 very close to the park.
Gigas sell, more so than any other ride type. As long as you don’t go all I305, it will have the longest line in the park usually.
I could see it taking CGA's role of being a mid-tier CF park that receives consistent investments throughout the years
I know whatcha mean, I grew up in Nebraska so Worlds of Fun and Oceans of Fun was my home park I've been there an astonishing 15 times from a span of 3 years old to 8 years, and I plan on going back to ride Zambezi Zinger II and yes I did use the Chicken Exit several times when it came to Timber Wolf
I'm from the Kansas city area and love worlds of fun.
This may give six flags st louis a incentive to add more coasters. When the competition is drawing the guests away.
We can dream right. A giga or RMC would change everything
WofF is a great park. As a kid in the 70's and 80's I went there a lot. I need to get back there soon.
Im so glad you coverd this i also live in Kansas city i have been to worlds of fun tree with my friends and i have been there when they did there howllween huant my favorite ride is the timber wolf and the spinning dragon and i can not wait for this new coster it looks so cool
P.S. sorry that this looks like a essay
im excited to see the future of one of my homeparks, if they add a giga in 25', that might actually give compitition to the best park in missouri. there's no reason for sf and cp to neglect their missouri parks. those are some of the greatest locations for parks imo. and it pulls enthusiasts cuz sdc is already there, so why are they so neglected? i really dont understand
Hopefully, it's going to happen. Possibly the ZZ is a cheap risk-free major investment to test how well attendance improves. If it goes well I can see the rebirth of the orient express the same location as the old one but built by Intamin multi-launch mega loopers (with icon interlock loop in the middle) of course.
And then before FIFA 2026, we may see the return of the Extremeroller new location as the massive Giga coaster over the parking entrance.
That is just my opinion of what is possible.
Curious what is your options for what a possible future hold for Worlds of fun.
If they rebuild it, for god sake‘s repaint the station house white, yellow, red, & Green like it was in 1980. As of last month, what remain’s of Zambezi Zinger’s station is being remodeled back into the queue line entrance
How about a B&M dive coaster
I've been to Carowinds 9 times this year. Rode the furry 103 times. Best coaster in the park. Quick load times and holds 40 people.
Get rid of boomerang , first order of business lol .
Carrowinds kinda got its starting addition, intimidator before stuff like fury, and what if they made timber wolf a hyper RMC lol.
Last Christmas my family got a season pass to world's of fun, and this year has been a blast! I'm super excited to see cedar fair finally add something new to this underrated park, and can't wait to see more.
Also the mamba is scary AF I love it
To be fair, Carowinds did what they did because of how much growth in population has jumped over the past 20 years
I live in the Dallas area and just went to Six Flags over Texas for the first time in the 7 years that I've been here and I must say I was disappointed. I haven't been to a Six Flags property since 2010 and I remember being amazed at how man different coasters they had compared to WoF. That was not the case this time. Several of their coasters were closed including Titan which was the one I was most excited about. Overall my experience was meh. I'm moving back to KC this month and I'm super excited to visit WoF this year after not having gone for almost 8 years. Can't wait to ride the new Zambezi Zinger!
I love that Chicken Exit sign, originally from Orient Express
I wanna see them re-create the Orient express it was such a good arrow dynamic roller coaster. At its time there was only 3 Interlocking Loop roller coasters around the world it would be so cool to see B&M Re-create that masterpiece
The Orient was a great coaster for it's time, but in the last years of it's operation it was a literal pain to ride. Seriously the already well aged Timber Wolf was smoother and to date is the only coaster that's ever left me hurt after riding it. Still I agree it would be nice to have a modern take on an old classic.
@@KairiPrime The head banging back and forth is still with me decades later. 😂
Exciting. BGT is my original home park, used to go there all the time growing up. Been living in KC for several years but haven't visited WoF yet. I'm excited to try this Zinger ride when it opens and finally visit. Also want to compare OoF to Adventure Island. Hopefully I can get back to Tampa and ride Iron Gwazi eventually too,
I’ve been saying this for a while now! ZZ is a cheap coaster that tests the waters in KC to pave the way for future investment. WOF was a favorite child before the paramount parks purchase. We got 5 coasters in 10 years and a multitude of other investment. Dick Kinzel seemed to really love this park lol. WOF hasn’t been completely forgotten in the time afterwards either. They just kept getting flat ride and water park investment every year until the pandemic. They became lower priority, but still a priority. Now that the paramount parks have been pretty well invested in, WOFs status may be coming back. Plus with the continued growth of the KC area and more competition in the region, CF could really be getting ready to make WOF a marquee park in the Midwest.
Do any of you RUclips content makers actually listen to your content before you post?!?!?!? Listen to how you end every sentence. You might not want to listen to it any…more…(drag those last two words out like in your videos.)
Worlds of fun
Not going to lie… the 3 Cedar Fair Morgan Hypers have been great this year! Wild Thing was giving amazing flojector throughly the whole layout! I’ve heard Steel Force is running amazing, and same thing with Mamba!
They do have two trains running on mamba with little to no trims at the mid course. I’m actually at the park right now and visited a month ago and same experience. Awesome ride
I had my first ride on mamba this summer and it absolutely blew me out of the water, I didn’t get trimmed at all on the midcourse and those final hills sent me to the moon. Wild thing is still mad disappointing though.
Another good follow-up to consider would be a Vekoma tilt coaster, preferably with interlocking loops - an updated version of Orient Express.
I think 2023 will be the single best year to go to Worlds of Fun. I’m going to possibly work there this summer as a piano performer with my friend who lives there despite being from Michigan. I can’t wait to ride the Zambezi Zinger. I enjoy coasters, music, and the plains of the
central U.S. so Worlds of Fun is perfect and up my alley. I’ve been to Adventureland and the Iowa state fair in 2021 and it’s fun riding roller coasters next to the cornfields while looking at the Des Moines skyline and eating pure, Iowa beef.
I hope you’re right. This would be great! I know I’m going this summer. Just for zinger. I can’t be the only one.
I have lived here all my life and the Mamba has changed in those last slopes. The prowler is definitely a ride. This video gives me hope for a new coaster tho.. a lot of projects in KC. Airport just finished possible new downtown area over i-70. Sure is getting interesting out here
You should have seen the Prowler on its opening night, it was the worst line I have EVER been in
Totally forgot about the World Cup, that’s a good point! Let’s hope this happens, if not, give Dorney the stupid GG shuttle already lmao.
I know I am in the minority on this but I absolutely can't stand prowler or most other Woody's unless it's a RMC refit or RMC designed. I really don't care for the zz being a woody with only certain parts of the track be Titan track and come on, a 3rd woody? That's a bit much even for bigger parks I mean they really could have gotten RMC to do it that would have been a little better. I guess we'll take what we can get.
03:50 😂
First video i saw from you. Enjoyed it.
Appreciate that
Even when the trims hit hard on steel force it still hauls over the last 4 bunny hills, imagine it without trims
I really fucking hope your right, but if wof wants to be a destination park they need to clean up the ops. I feel like you undersold how bad the ops are, mamba and prowler are decent but on all the other coasters the operators have 0 urgency, and on mamba and Timberwolf station crowding can get kinda ridiculous.
No argument there, the ops are just plain terrible with organization and communication. I actually had some teens and kids rush to the coaster seat I was suppose to be at, all because I was putting my bag in the bins
Spinning Dragons needs some fire underneath their feet. Average wait time on a slow day is 30-45 minutes. Ridiculous considering at six cars, two cars can be out on the track of the time due to block braking. They always have two cars outside station and have no urgency.
Thank you Worlds of Fun I was a princess in a short musical Alie:)!
the Cosmic Coaster is pretty good for a kiddie coaster. my friends and I have fond memories of being allowed to ride it as teenagers when the park was having its slower days.
the Chicken Exit is from the Oriental Express, a locally famous roller coaster for having broken down and the riders had to crawl over the ride cars to get back to the ride house. a lot of us '90s babies heard stories about how it was the best coaster in the park.
I didn't know they were running different ride cycles on the Mamba and I'm pumped to hear it.
glad to hear you liked the Timberworlf. it was my first roller coaster ever and I adore it.
thanks for covering Worlds of Fun. nobody really talks about us. can't wait for the 50th anniversary and the Zambizi Zinger~
Doubt it but okay
The prowler has no lines is because these wooden coasters beat the crap out of you! The last time I road timberwolf was about 10 years ago I was so beat up I couldn't walk for two days because my back hurt so bad. I have hit up multiple wooden coasters over the years and they are all the same! Steel coasters are the best and should be the gold standard! ✨️ Changing the Zabezee Zinger to a wooden coaster is a SIN! That was the very first coaster I ever rode and got me hooked! Everyone needs to protest and bring it back to its old glory!!!
Oh hell no, I am not getting on any coaster with an attacking swarm of wasps at the top of it, even if its something as good as Phoenix or Shivering Timbers.
Worlds of fun already has a hotel. But big fan of this just because I live in Kc
I’m not 100% sold on a Giga Coaster with inflation (for now), but I agree with the general idea that it has a legit shot of becoming the next Cedar Fair favorite child
Inflation has nothing to do with it. It's silly fanboy nonsense by the video creator. WOf finances do not support a giga. They have gotten what they have or better put, not gotten for a reason the last decade.Their finances.
We went all the time when I was a kid in the 70s and 80s. Glad to hear that things are looking up.
Hope your right. I’ve grown up with WOF and had season passes for my family going on 3 years. I’d love to see a world class coaster to really put it in the map.
Imagine your home park being funplex😅
We went to this park for the first time in 2022. Can't wait to get back this summer. We were surprisingly pleased. Prowler was awesome and Mamba was an amazing hyper. The biggest issue with the park was how much time the ops for Mamba goofed around while they should have been loading people. Especially since the line was long and they had a huge amount of time while the one train was gone.
I hope so, everyone should go to WOF so they and we can all get a new giga coaster
My #1 complaint about WoF is that their business model has always been to only run 1 train on their big rides, which creates unnecessarily long wait times. I’m sure the idea is to keep people in the park longer to spend more money on food and other needless junk, but it keeps me from making the trek from St. Louis every year to visit this otherwise stellar and underrated park.
You need to come check out the Timberwolf, it runs really great now after the restoration!
Local ordinance(s) may prohibit more than one train being "out" on a ride at any time. King's Island runs 3 on their larger coasters, with generally two "out" while a third is unloading and reloading. I can think of no other reason why a Cedar Fair park is limiting its number of trains on a coaster.
Love wof! Excited for the new zinger!
A giga going in would have a hard time competing with Mamba's absolute dominance of the park's skyline. Simply because of where Mamba was built in the park literally sitting on the highest ground elevation there. With it being on the highest elevation it makes seem at least 50 feet higher off the ground than she really is. If you are riding the Mamba, when you get to the top you are almost equal in height with the flying saucer on top of Steel Hawk which is 301 feet tall.