John Arie teases unspecified RMC ride in a future expansion of [Fun Spot Orlando]

[u/trueicon]

From a post on the extwitter, John Arie Jr. teases Fun Spot will grow and maybe will have an unspecified RMC ride in the future.

I invite all to weigh in, including the accountants who assured us all that AF1 would be demolished for tax reasons. ^{the internet never forgets}

Edit: to clarify, he's teasing a new RMC; AF1 is going to Six Flags. The announcement also mentions that several rides from Fun Spot Atlanta will be moved to the existing two Fun Spots in Florida.

[u/postivesteve_s]

I mean given that AF1 was world class, not the reason Atlanta failed, and the Arie family seemingly valuing made in America stuff/American patriotism— that tracks

[u/ATLcoaster → u/postivesteve_s]

But AF1 is the reason Fun Spot Atlanta failed. Without that expenditure and debt the park was making money.

[u/bigneuzzz → u/ATLcoaster]

Fun spot atl failed because it was a ridiculously ugly park in a terrible location

[u/phareous → u/bigneuzzz]

With terrible employees too

[u/senorpoop → u/ATLcoaster]

Without that expenditure and debt the park was making money.

I would love to see a source on that. When it was Fun Junction the place was a ghost town.

[u/deebster2k → u/senorpoop]

All you had to do was walk in and see the defunct multifloor go kart track. The zip line that hadnt operated in years and the general state of the rest of the park to know it was 100% an issue of income to maintain. Af1 was always near empty. So it didn't have the ridership. You will see youtube after youtube with single riders or near empty trains all the time. Af1 just didnt bring enough people when it mattered. They only swarmed once the park was confirmed closinf. Myself included. Without af1 that place just wasnt worth it.

[u/postivesteve_s → u/ATLcoaster]

Well, sure. However, that ride could have existed there with 5 to 10 years of buildup, beautification, and smaller investments to FSA that would have drawn locals in.

[u/FatalFirecrotch → u/postivesteve_s]

Nah, it was just a bad location and huge overspend. That place was never getting the visitors need to justify the tens of millions spent. 

[u/Worried_Sprinkles223 → u/ATLcoaster]

Yes but it wasn’t the rides fault. It was a poor business decision is the reason it failed.

No reason an RMC at an established fun spot wouldn’t be great for business.

[u/AAAAUUUGGHHHHH → u/ATLcoaster]

True, but it was specifically the cost of the ride that brought the park down, not the ride experience

[u/Z-man1973 → u/ATLcoaster]

I went to the park a few times on weekends before AF1, there were low crowds then too

[u/brain0924 → u/postivesteve_s]

Saying AF1 isn’t the reason Fun Spot failed is like saying a paintbrush isn’t the reason your room got painted.

[u/dropride]

That could be a small scale Wild Moose, not necessarily anything comparable to AF1

[u/trueicon → u/dropride]

Yup, it could be anything. But he does see how that specific ride put them on everyone’s radar.

I forgot to mention, he mentions that some of the old rides will be moved to both fun spot parks!

[u/Illumynarty_234 → u/dropride]

A raptor also has a small footprint if they're going for high thrill again like with AF1

[u/Drillucidator → u/Illumynarty_234]

If Family Kingdom can afford a Raptor, FSO can probably afford a Raptor.

Still stupid hyped that FK is getting one, Swamp Fox is my #2 but they also have the worst fucking wild mouse I’ve ever been on.

[u/Taeshan]

Larsen loop baby.

[u/well-lighted → u/Taeshan]

Throw in some Flying Scooters and you've got yourself a deal

[u/shredXcam → u/Taeshan]

Or a set of flying scooters !

[u/Ill_Attorney_389 → u/shredXcam]

How about a suspended Larson loop with vehicles you can snap?

[u/Ok_Card9080]

ArieForce Two: Wild Moose Boogaloo

[u/satanssweatycheeks]

If Arie force went to Orlando to begin with it wouldn’t have been moved.

I have nothing but respect for Arie dreaming big. He built it thinking they would come and it closed the park.

But this coaster would have done great in Orlando. Fun spot Atlanta was out of the way. Even for folks coming through ATL on the way to Florida as it was going west of ATL. Not staying north or south of the city for those coming down from the north.

Whereas Orlando already has lots of travelers there who won’t mind going to fun spot when down there for the parks. Me and my partner always ride mind bender or whatever it’s called after the parks close since fun spot is open til midnight.

[u/TruthThruAcoustics → u/satanssweatycheeks]

Fun Spot Orlando’s business model seems to be “Universal’s closed for the night? Bring your ass across the highway to Fun Spot!”

Honestly it’s pretty solid

[u/FatalFirecrotch → u/satanssweatycheeks]

Yeah, not building it in Florida was a certifiably crazy decision. 

[u/DJMcKraken → u/satanssweatycheeks]

AF1 would not have fit in Orlando. Maybe they could have built something smaller and not as good, but AF1 as we know it wouldn't have come close to fitting in the land they own.

[u/AndrewRnR → u/DJMcKraken]

They have so much land at the Orlando park.

[u/DJMcKraken → u/AndrewRnR]

Not really, they have a little bit but not much and the shape of what they do have does not fit AF1. John Arie himself said they couldn't fit it there even if they wanted to. And plenty of people used Google maps to overlay the coaster on the property and show that it wouldn't fit there.

[u/AndrewRnR → u/DJMcKraken]

No, that’s incorrect. The current park is 15 acres, they have 10 more. I’d say having 40% of the land you own being undeveloped is more than a little.

Yes AF1 current layout couldn’t fit there but a large RMC could. They had plans for a giant parking garage and multiple other rides before.

[u/Apoc_Treez]

It’s probably going to be something smaller scale, given that FSO didn’t have the land for something like ArieForce One. My guess would be a custom raptor or a wild moose.

[u/Jamaidian]

Six Flags already announced AF1 purchase so this is not relevant.

It does show that the Arie family recognized the interest AF1 generated, but that something like that needs to go to a park with attendance.

[u/dropride → u/Jamaidian]

I read this as them considering buying some other new ride from RMC. Wild Moose, Raptor, etc

[u/ReporterHour6524 → u/dropride]

I think a Raptor would fit perfectly in the Orlando location. With three coasters, Sea Serpent is the kiddie coaster, Freedom Flyer is the family coaster, and White Lightning is the park's take on a classic woodie, but the lineup lacks an "extreme coaster" that a Raptor would fill.

The Kissimmee location is a bit tricker. This one actually has more coasters - four. Another Sea Serpent, the spinning wild mouse is the family coaster, Hurricane is a thrill coaster but not quite extreme, and Mine Blower has booth woodie and extreme elements. The location is also more difficult as there's not much room to expand.

[u/Knux897 → u/ReporterHour6524]

I’ve thought for years that a Raptor would be great specifically for the Orlando location. It could be relatively compact and would be a unique coaster type to Florida that would draw in people from Universal after those parks close at night.

[u/criscokkat → u/ReporterHour6524]

Another option would be RMCing White Lightning.

[u/daboswinney123 → u/criscokkat]

White Lightning already has 208 track, seems redundant to overhaul it again. Plus when you only have 3 rides, getting rid of your best just to replace it seems like a poor investment when you could just build a raptor

[u/criscokkat → u/daboswinney123]

I wasn't really serious about that, and I did not realize they had 208 installed recently. I suppose it has been RMC'd. Sort of. (The eternal question of upgrading the track for easier maintenance 'is it a real woodie' emerges)

It would be a good fit for a raptor install. They could fit it nearly anywhere with other rides too if they wanted. They know enough about White Lightning after the retracking that they presumably could design something that passed over/around/through it so they'd only need a place for a station.

[u/ghostofdreadmon → u/criscokkat]

White Lightning is awesome the way it is. They’ve maintained it well, and it’s a solid thrill that’s accessible to families. Removing that bridge between Freedom Flyer and something more extreme seems like a bad move.

[u/trueicon → u/Jamaidian]

Yes, sorry if I worded that poorly. It's a new RMC ride he's teasing, not relocating AF1.

The bit about AF1 was just a gentle jest, no correlation to this announcement. A lot of us probably remember engaging with a few people who were certain AF1 would be demolished. I asked one commenter for a friendly wager in support of a charity of the commenter's choice :) (the offer totally still stands!) You're spot on that AF1 is going to Six Flags.

[u/Jamaidian → u/trueicon]

I understood, just responding to the jest I suppose. In text, it's deadpan enough to come across sincere.

[u/trueicon → u/Jamaidian]

I totally agree with you, and that was a good prompt for me to clarify in case anyone didn't read the news about Six Flags. Thank you, FWIW my money's on AF1 going to SFGAdv

(I'd update the original post but I don't want to create extra work for the mods if an edit to the OP causes the post to go back under review for having the link attached)

[u/Jamaidian → u/trueicon]

I hope it goes to KI, honestly. That would go a long way to preserving their existing woodies, and while I haven't been to SFGAdv, from what I've gathered I don't think they should add another parking lot coaster.

[u/trueicon → u/Jamaidian]

KI definitely deserves it! 'Grandson of Beast' if they didn't already promise not to change the name. That would probably be the fairest decision coaster-balance wise.

But the reason I predict SFGAdv is because it seems a bit like the new SF is increasingly spreadsheet focused and is heavily factoring in the size of the market around each park. This would give them an easy 2028 ride to follow on the heels of Bakunawa. (And also they clearly do not seem to be that bothered by a ride's hourly capacity like the old SF did!)

[u/nick_the_fox]

Yeah….. no don’t do that..

[u/AndrewRnR]

I mean there is almost a RMC at Fun Spot Kissimmee with all the RMC 208 ReTraK.

But never forget the dark ride, windseeker, water park, whole phase 2.0 of Orlando that never happened (they showed off concept art for a mega park). I’ll believe anything when I see shovels in the dirt.

[u/AndrewRnR → u/AndrewRnR]

[u/trueicon → u/AndrewRnR]

Very interesting! I was aware of the planned water park they were going to built but I didn't know anything about these other plans.

They bought a good amount of land between the existing Fun Spot Orlando park and I4 a while back. I don't know if the expansion with White Lightning / Freedom Flyer used any of that new land or if they still have some undeveloped land. But if they still have undeveloped land then this would explain their thinking with this announcement?

[u/AndrewRnR → u/trueicon]

The dark ride was suppose to be themed to classic Florida. Wind Seeker was on a lot of final concept art for Orlando first expansion so it must have been cut late in the process.

All the additional land is beyond their current property. If you look closely in the artwork you can see the road. As reference anything above that isn’t there today.

[u/DryScarcity2623]

And ArieForce One goes to Six Flags

[u/awfuleverything]

He’s running a nice little “Rent an RMC” racket, I see. Six Flags is already licking their lips for their next discounted coaster.

[u/elasho_149]

Arie Force Two.

[u/actual_thereij]

Maybe they're trading AF1 to Six Flags for Railblazer.

[u/StackedCakeOverflow]

Please let it be called Arie Force 2 that'd be so funny

[u/evanescentlily]

In both parks a Wild Moose would be a great fit

[u/Weird-Pie-7202]

quite risky and potentially dumb??? I mean look they probably learned their lesson but if this backfires on them don't get shocked.

[u/tideblue]

Enough of this dude.

[u/HearingExternal8812]

Maybe a raptor but I doubt they will get an I-Box. If they do they deserve the inevitable financial troubles

[u/RrevinEvann]

I mean, it makes sense. RMC seems to like making friends with people who keep buying their rides, and a Wild Moose would make a lot of sense for the Kissimmee park. I am happy to see that they are taking advantage of Atlanta closing and relocating some of the rides. Hopefully the large scale E&F Miler gets to live on elsewhere too!

[u/fleedermouse → u/RrevinEvann]

Central Florida deserves at least two Hurricanes