On Sunday, Nov. 11, 2024, amusement park enthusiasts made their way to Six Flags Great Adventure to bid farewell to a historic coaster. Rumors spread just days earlier that the record breaking “KingDa Ka” roller coaster would be closing permanently. These speculations were later confirmed by the park, as a spokesperson for Great Adventure stated that “the coaster simply had too many maintenance issues, and that they were making some other changes around the park as well.”
KingDa Ka is not alone. Some of the other attractions scheduled to leave the park include “The Twix,” “Parachutes,” “Green Lantern,” and “Zumanjaro: Drop of Doom,” which is attached to “KingDa Ka.” While some of these attractions seem long overdue for an upgrade, gaining little traction in the past, the announcement of “KingDa Ka” shocked and confused some amusement park enthusiasts. Some are left questioning why the park would tear down an attention-grabbing record-breaker like “KingDa Ka,” and wonder how they intend to replace it.
The coaster had impressive stats that were already eye-catching on paper. A 90-degree vertical, 456 ft drop, and 128mph take off in only three seconds was sure to draw attention. Not to mention the ride once stood as the tallest in the world, only placing second to “Formula Rossa” after its construction in 2010. However, the ride did have its flaws. With that amount of speed and track the ride would break down quite often, and maintenance simply wasn’t something the park was willing to undergo anymore. Recently, Cedar Fair parks merged with Six Flags, putting both park chains under a single management. After the merger, some rides were agreed to be put to rest, “KingDa Ka” being one of them. The coaster would also have “rollbacks,” but many park goers wouldn’t have considered that a flaw. These maintenance issues simply could not be dealt with by the park anymore, which has led to “KingDa Ka” being shut down.
The big question is was this a good idea by Six Flags? Although the park could save money and time by doing away with the maintenance issues, it will also cost significantly more to build the new ride coming in 2026, which the park has already promised the public. Six Flags claims to be working on creating an even taller and faster roller coaster to replace the beloved “KingDa Ka,” but many amusement park enthusiasts are skeptical.
The merger with Cedar Fair leaves fans concerned for the credibility of the park’s new rides. Cedar Fair’s “Top Thrill 2” coaster had tried to outshine “KingDa Ka” in the past, but failed miserably. The ride was not made to withstand the high speed launches, and was closed just over a week after opening. The ride remains standing, and Cedar Fair claims to be in the process of fixing those issues from the ride’s opening day. With Cedar Fair’s past failure in mind, some are left wondering how they plan to create a ride better than “KingDa Ka” while “Top Thrill 2” is still in the works.
Six Flags Great Adventure has also lost some of its own credibility with past rides. Great Adventure’s latest coaster, the “Jersey Devil,” was supposed to be a fun addition to the park. It is a monorail coaster with its own area dedicated to the legend of the Jersey Devil. Many park goers however are not fans of the ride, for its minimal drops and low thrill factor. “The Flash” is a new ride that is coming to the park in spring 2025. It is a backwards coaster, meaning it backtracks its path back to the station. Roller coaster fans are already skeptical about this new addition to the park, as very few parks have been successful with producing a smooth ride with a backwards coaster. Six Flags’ latest rides at their Great Adventure location leave some skeptical of the chain’s credibility with future rides.
Six Flags has always tried to one up itself, with new ideas like the monorail coaster, backwards rides, and other captivating ideas. The public doesn’t seem to gravitate towards these rides though, and time and time again will prefer something with pure force, speed, and height, like “KingDa Ka.” With this in mind, many wonder if the park has made the right decision to revamp an old ride, or if the construction will even be successful. Regardless of what the future may hold for Six Flags Great Adventure, amusement park enthusiasts will mourn the loss of the thrilling “KingDa Ka.”