29yrswithaGApass Posted September 20, 2016 Report Share Posted September 20, 2016 Click here to see the wholeSpotlight! Samples below. Comments and discussions welcomed. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yoshi Posted September 21, 2016 Report Share Posted September 21, 2016 Very cool spotlight. I had only seen a few pictures of the original queue before this and these pictures had a lot more details. It's a shame the park did all that work with the carvings in the queue and so many sets of switchbacks to not being used for very long. I don't know if it is true or not but I remember hearing years ago that the queue was capable of holding a 6 hour line. It would have been interesting during the first couple of seasons if on a really crowded day, how much of it would get filled. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gencx Posted September 21, 2016 Report Share Posted September 21, 2016 Never saw the old queue before so it's nice to finally be able to. Wish they could figure out a way to reopen it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr.Six Posted September 21, 2016 Report Share Posted September 21, 2016 I actually like the 2 sides idea. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdc12192 Posted September 21, 2016 Report Share Posted September 21, 2016 I wish they'd bring back the observation area. I loved watching the ride from there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThemeParkRider Posted September 21, 2016 Report Share Posted September 21, 2016 Thank you, thank you, thank you for this Spotlight! Very helpful to see how it first started out. Seems like the original FlashPass and ADA entrance has been tweaked a lot since then too. I wish they'd bring back the observation area. I loved watching the ride from there. I think that the lack of any kind of observation area is a problem for the experience as a whole. Guests would be much happier if they could watch the rest of their group ride, even if they don't want to ride. Especially since standing on the exit bridge is not permitted. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sluggo77 Posted September 21, 2016 Report Share Posted September 21, 2016 Really wish they could bring it back. What an awesome way to wait in line for this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrpq Posted September 21, 2016 Report Share Posted September 21, 2016 agreed, if you aren't a rider there is really no place to watch a launch unless you are in line to ride. Even as a rider I like to stand a just watch a train launch. One of the things I love about Storm Runner and TTD is how close you are to an actual launch. Its just an exciting thing to see as a park guest Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
29yrswithaGApass Posted September 22, 2016 Author Report Share Posted September 22, 2016 Not so much related to the original queue, but given the supposed high cost of maintaining Ka along with standard expenses such as electric consumption and staffing, I wonder how much on average it costs to launch Kingda Ka each time? I don't recall ever hearing a number but I am sure some internal number cruncher with the proper data must have calculated that at some point. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RC98 Posted September 22, 2016 Report Share Posted September 22, 2016 (edited) Yes! My spotlight wishes have finally been granted! I've always been curious about the old queue, I find it crazy that they put so much effort into theming it only to stop using it after a couple of months. That being said, even the shorter version of the queue that is used today doesn't fill all the way most of the time, so the old version would probably be unnecessarily long now. I'm curious, was it a state mandate that the park stop using the old queue, or did the park decide this on its own? Edited September 22, 2016 by RC98 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pineracer Posted September 22, 2016 Report Share Posted September 22, 2016 there was an Observation area? wow, Coaster Studios Parody makes it sound like that never even existed. I'm guessing the switchbacks now are where that observation area was or around there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
29yrswithaGApass Posted September 22, 2016 Author Report Share Posted September 22, 2016 there was an Observation area? wow, Coaster Studios Parody makes it sound like that never even existed. I'm guessing the switchbacks now are where that observation area was or around there. See the diagram above. The box with the dash outline below the purple observation area is the current queue bars. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThemeParkRider Posted September 23, 2016 Report Share Posted September 23, 2016 there was an Observation area? wow, Coaster Studios Parody makes it sound like that never even existed. I'm guessing the switchbacks now are where that observation area was or around there. Maybe he didn't even know about it, it didn't last long and today its well-hidden. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GAcoaster Posted September 23, 2016 Report Share Posted September 23, 2016 I'm so glad I took all those pictures the day we rode KK for the B-roll! I think that was the only time I went through the original queue and I decided I needed to photograph everything. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nitro1118 Posted September 23, 2016 Report Share Posted September 23, 2016 I was actually lucky enough to experience the original queue once. It was about a week after it opened and we waited 4 hours at the ride entrance before the ride finally opened. I remember the cross under the launch track, the canopy switchback areas as well as the massive size of the queue. In retrospect it is a good thing they shortened the queue so much. I think when people now hit the switchbacks so early they assume the line is longer than it really is, so a lot of people turn away. With the old queue that wouldn't be the case. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
29yrswithaGApass Posted September 24, 2016 Author Report Share Posted September 24, 2016 I was in the real Asia (Japan) the week Ka opened. The Tokyo TV stations covered the event and everyone in our branch office was asking all about the size of the ride. When I got back, the original queue was still open but it was practically full so I didn't get to ride it because I only had a couple hours at the park. I finally got on it after the shutdown when the queue was refigured. At least I was able to take advantage of the observation deck on that initial visit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ryan Freund Posted September 27, 2016 Report Share Posted September 27, 2016 Is there any videos of anyone by chance walking through the old queue would be cool to see that Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ryan Freund Posted November 3, 2016 Report Share Posted November 3, 2016 For the Kingda Ka sign was that included when you enter the line Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ogolo Posted November 3, 2016 Report Share Posted November 3, 2016 You entered at the same exact place you do today...and yes the same Kingda Ka sign was there in the same spot. The main switchback queue today was the over flow queue in the original line. You used to go straight back and under the track where you turn left now into the switchback queues. There was yet another queue building in the middle. You should be happy the original line no longer exists as it was a much longer walk for re-rides. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ryan Freund Posted January 3, 2017 Report Share Posted January 3, 2017 I did a tour of Kingda Ka back in September got some really good shots and had the chance to see the original queue since I wasn't at the park in 2005. Whatever happen to the woodcarvings ??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Master Posted January 8, 2017 Report Share Posted January 8, 2017 Looks like there used to be some shrub palms planted in the old queue. Wonder if they are still there as they look to be either Needle Palms or Dwarf Palmettos (cold hardy palms). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DANofNJ Posted March 16, 2017 Report Share Posted March 16, 2017 Biggest mistake SFGAdv did was adding the dual loading platforms. They should have done the same as what CP did for TTD. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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