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Kingda Ka and Green Lantern's removal for new 2026 record-breaking coaster

Really unfortunate TT2 didn't go as planned, because no doubt KK would've gotten the same treatment eventually. To lose the entire ride is a huge loss not only to Great Adventure but the coaster community as a whole.
 
Matt N said:
Surely they wouldn’t close it next week?

I can only imagine that Kingda Ka is an iconic enough ride that if the park closed it next week without warning, there might be significant backlash. We all remember what happened with the Wild Mouse at Blackpool… I’d hope Six Flags might have learned from Blackpool’s PR mistakes in this sense.
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Genuine question: do you think a chain as big as Six Flags will really take that much notice of a regional seaside park, and what the reaction was when they closed a ride? Because honestly, I don't.
 
I honestly totally understand this decision, Kingda Ka is probably a gigantic pain to operate and Six Flags/Cedar Fair obviously have traumatic experiences with TTD, and the complete failure of TT2..

I still think it had opportunity to have more time. It doesn't seem as problematic as TTD and it seems a lot more reliable. I feel like El Toro would of been more fitting sadly as that ride probably is even more of a headache. I still hope they add something big to replace it.
 
Even if this is happening, it would be pretty nuts of them to just retire Kingda Ka at the end of this season though, right...? I've seen some rumours to that effect but it would be madness to not announce it well in advance.
 
If they did close Kingda Ka suddenly right now, Red Force would become the tallest operating coaster on the planet (in terms of how high the train goes, at least - Superman Escape from Trademark has a taller structure, which the cars aren't anywhere close to ascending), and the only coaster taller than 100 meters. It would be followed by Fury 325 and Steel Dragon 2000. Possibly surpassed by Falcon's Flight, if they can get that thing open and operating reliably.
 
It seems quite ludicrous to me that they might just casually remove two major coasters at the end of the season without warning, one of which is the world’s tallest roller coaster.

I know Six Flags Great Adventure has a lot of coasters, but won’t losing two headline coasters, including an arguable park icon, at once have a massive impact? I hope they have replacements planned in some capacity, as these two going, particularly Kingda Ka, could leave a considerable hole.
 
It's ludicrous they wouldn't market any closing ride and milk a fair well event. Fanboys would want formal notice to ride anything one last time.

As big as Green Lantern is and the impressive stats on paper and isolation, it doesn't leave much of a hole in a massive park over saturated with large scale coasters. I'd expect most people to agree it was far from the best in the lineup. It can go, ideally relocated to a park that where it could stand out and headline. Here no big deal.

Kingda Ka going out on a whimper would be sad, that is very iconic. Part of the classic pic so many take with El Toros hills. A ridiculous look with a ride experience I match. I should be aghast if they didn't give a full years notice. But GA hasn't come across as a competent park lately from hearsay. Is it really just going away in a bit?
 
Green Lantern was indeed rough riding it last year. The idea of doing a floorless conversion and maybe relocating it to a more deserving park is a good idea in my books.

For KK, I’ll just say it - I don’t see SF tearing it down this year - let’s not forget the millions of dollars in labor required for decommission, and giving up on a massive infield drop tower too. But I wouldn’t be surprised if it sat idle next year, as we wait and see if TT2 can right the ship, and give a breath of hope to similar LSM conversion.
 
Hyde said:
Green Lantern was indeed rough riding it last year. The idea of doing a floorless conversion and maybe relocating it to a more deserving park is a good idea in my books.
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Maybe I'm crazy, but wouldn't relocating and getting new trains for GL cost almost as much as a new coaster? Maybe not a new, full-sized B&M, but a coaster from elsewhere, or a compact B&M dive/invert. And these floorless conversions haven't yielded much for the parks that get them, nor are they particularly well-liked at any park that has one. (Rougarou has mixed reception at best, while Patriot and Firebird are looked down on).

Why spend the cash on careful disassembly, shipping, rebuilding, and new trains, when for just a little extra (relatively speaking) you could get a brand new coaster, with a full lifespan ahead of it, that would likely be better received by parkgoers?
 
Think we're past the point where we're going to see these huge less desirable coasters get passed down to a smaller park in the chain, particularly when the American parks have suddenly begun embracing higher quality and customized products. More of a bang-for-your buck scenario and better value than some aging relocated B&M. That was a very 1990's-2000's-era mindset and Green Lantern isn't exactly in its prime now.

@Fiender probably said it better but I'll elaborate. Resurgent investments like Bobcat at Six Flags Great Escape, Iron Menace at Dorney Park, Zambezi Zinger at Worlds of Fun (mechanically issues aside), and Rookie Racer at Six Flags St Louis have all been incredibly successful, well-implemented, and well-received. Much better than any relocated hand-me-down at those parks would have/has historically done.
 
Fiender said:
Rougarou has mixed reception at best
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I think a fair portion of that "meh" reception is due to all of the ridiculous top-shelf hardware that surrounds Rougarou at CP.

I'm not at all saying that the following is likely, but if Green Lantern were to be hypothetically floorless-converted and relocated to a place like Michigan's Adventure, it'd shine A LOT brighter than a similar ride like Rougarou does at CP, where it gets lost in the shadows.
 
It would be a missed event opportunity if Kingda Ka was to close unceremoniously.

With the floorless Green Lantern, I'd say it would be a fantastic opportunity and would provide a new experience for the park.
 
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