My husband is a newer enthusiast (he just crossed 100 credits this year). I was fortunate enough to ride Ka ten years ago, and had told him about it over and over. When you put out your first video alluding to the closure, he looked at me with the saddest puppy dog eyes. We live in Tennessee, but I knew we had to make it happen. We pulled an all nighter and drove up there on 10/26. We didn't have long in the park, but we got two glorious rides together on the King. It was just magical. Thank you so, so much for the heads up. The grief we feel now is nothing compared to what we would have felt if we had missed our chance to ride it altogether.
I’m so happy they gave us a heads up as well. I luckily had ridden Kingda Ka previously, and I live in Florida now. With the news of it closing I booked a flight and went and got my own final rides. I’m so thankful I was able to ride it 12 last times.
The employee rides party the Friday before closure was something I won’t forget. I was able to ride it 25 times (got my one and only rollback too!). Work won’t be the same next year without seeing that massive top hat in the background no matter what ride I’m working.
I'm sooo gutted I wasn't able to ride Kingda Ka all the time it's been open. I didn't know I can go through grief over a roller coaster lol. But even though I wasn't able to ride Kingda Ka, this ride will ALWAYS be why I love roller coasters in general. King of Coasters, you will be missed but never forgotten.
I’ll say the same thing I commented to El Toro Ryan - it is unfortunate that Six Flags essentially put you guys on the front line to take the flak for a unpopular decision that was obviously beyond your control. That said, thanks for taking that flak so that those who would listen could get out to the park. My young son will never forget hauling to NJ to experience such a massive hydraulic launch while he still could. That’s some lifelong, formative stuff right there. Thank you.
The Last day of Kingda Ka was incredibly special from what I saw. The energy was insane especially when they sent the last train ever. The Six Flags Great Adventure Era has fallen and has come to in end. Now will see how Cedar Fair does in 2026 with the replacement. The new regime.
I am so thankful for you guys and the community as a whole for allowing us to get a heads up. It allowed my brother and I to get up to Six Flags Great adventure for the first time and get our first and last rides. I speak for many in saying that Ka was one of the first coasters I learned about ever. I’m so happy that I was able to ride it on its second to last weekend. Not only meeting you guys but also so many other enthusiasts. So thank you guys for the speculation. I’m so thankful I was able to get over 25 rides on Ka before it is removed.
thank you for reporting on the rumors of closing, i know yall got a lot of unwarranted hate for it. probably not my wisest financial decision, but i booked a last-minute flight from LA to go visit my little sister in nyc and we went to get our first (and last) rides together on ka the 2nd to last weekend it operated- even got to meet yall while you were filming the vlog! we've been enthusiasts since we were little kids, so its truly a memory i will treasure forever with my sister, thank you both for having a hand in making that memory happen :)))
I'm one of those people that made the trip up to get my last rides in. I only live about a three hours' drive away, but I hadn't been to the park in like 10 years or so. I got like 5-6 rides in, most in the front and most at night. I was normally going to wait for Flash to make the trip up, but thanks for reporting on this so I wouldn't miss out on some rides I won't forget for a long time.
I remember reading about KK in a special edition of Readers Digest from 2006 and was obsessed with it that time. In some way, it was the start of my coaster fanaticism. I never got to ride it sadly.
Wildest ride I have ever been on. Family went on an empty day. My son and I rode it untill i had a headache. They just let us move seats in the platform. Front back a few middles. I think my eyelid flipped inside out.
Got my last rides back in October, I’m gonna miss this ride a ton, it brings a lot of sentimental value to me being my first roller coaster I’ve ever ridden. Thank You Taylor, Sarah, and everyone else that warned us ahead of time Long Live The King.
Thank you for giving so many people a heads-up. It's sad that some people were skeptical to a hostile level. But in the end who cares about them: they didn't wanna believe you and now got screwed because they will not be able to give Ka a last ride.
So disrespectful of the park and ownership to do this without a proper send off for all of these great rides. Thank you guys for doing what you could to warn everyone!
Thank you two for not believing the comments on you two “lying” and sticking to your beliefs. ❤ The truth always comes to light. This ride is something else for everyone. It is so sad hearing this go. Hoping something worthy for its replacement.
I was there on Ka’s closing night. The atmosphere around the ride was unlike anything I have ever seen. It was a sad day, but it will definitely go down in enthusiast history as a special one.
Zumanjaro feels like the bigger loss here. They just got permission a couple years ago to run it simultaneously with Kinda Ka and it was a blast to be at the top, waiting for the drop, and then having the coaster car race up toward you. It was easily the best drop ride I've ever been on. It feels like a big loss losing two of the tallest rides ever at the same time.
Perhaps they will go after Xcelerator one day, but for now it still has the parts from Dragster and Kingda Ka to run on, so it might still have at least a decade more left in it
This is exactly why I ride Invertigo every time I visit KI. It's one of my all time favorites and I have a feeling it's going to be the next to go (whenever that may be). I'm glad I got a last visit to KI before they announced the closure of my all time favorite coaster, Vortex.
I have been going to Six flags since the days of Batman: The ride being brand new. I was about 21 when Kingda Ka opened. Me and my roommate took the treck down opening week. The wait was over 3 hours, which was insane for Six flags or really anywhere outside of Disney World and those caliber of Theme Parks. The line was blistering hot, but the vibe was amazing. Every time a train launched, there was a collective gasp and a cheering when the next train pulled up to launch. It was wild to observe, from the moment it came into view driving into the park. As a union carpenter, I was used to seeing buildings that tall...but a rollercoaster that tall was mind blowing. And, we took the extra wait for the front row to get the full experience. My eyes were streaming from the wind. The acceleration was insanity. And at the end, I couldn't believe how intense those 20 seconds were. Game changer, a favorite for practically anyone who rode it and a sad loss for Great Adventure.
My brother got to go last day, but my college didn't cancel classes for the next day so I never rode it at all despite wanting to... if only we were told of the closure by the park way earlier.
I was planning a trip to Great Adventure literally just for Kingda Ka. And now I will never get to ride it. Storm Runner at Hersheypark is one of my favorite rides ever, and I was very excited to try a similar but way more extreme coaster.
I only rode Kingda Ka once, years ago. I may be in the minority, but I think Storm Runner is the superior ride. I’d argue Storm Runner has the better launch (I didn’t think Ka’s launch felt very smooth), and the flying snake dive is better than either top hat. To me Red Force looks better with the drop that only turns 90 instead of the 270 degree spiral, but not sure I’ll get over to Spain any time soon, if ever. In either case, it doesn’t excuse the way SFGAd handled it, which I think is inexcusable and indefensible. There is no reason they couldn’t have at least confirmed it when Coaster Studios and El Toro Ryan started talking about it. Really it should have been a farewell season. I almost certainly would have tried to go. Now? Meh.
I was hoping really bad you all were somehow wrong, but I never doubted yall. Glad I got to ride Dragster growing up but never got to compare with Ka! Thank you all, been watching you since I was in high school! I'm 27 as well, thank yall for the content
We all know it's going to end up being replaced with the world's longest family launch coaster, with all the launches set at 25mph, so it can run 4 trains
We got to SFGA on the last day, our first trip there ever, thanks to your video. Other creators reported on the closing of course, but your video was the only one I saw that made it clear we needed to get there by 11/10. Props to the Kingda Ka ops who cycled through riders incredibly fast. Too bad El Toro wasn't open, I'll have to go back for it sometime.
It's a shame but ka was allegedly very expensive to maintain and needed round the clock care so it makes sense but is sad because now i have yet another ride that has closed before I got to ride
I’ve never had the chance to ride Kingda Ka… But, I was absolutely shocked by the announcement. I was speechless… That’s really sad.. Long live the King
Never got to ride it. It was one of the first coasters that I discovered about on the Internet when I became an enthusiast. Also, I wish it was open for the 2025 season, since that would've been the 20th anniversary of Kingda Ka
@CoasterStudios both of you caught some unforgettable moments at Ka station on 11/2 that were AWESOME! Are you planning on releasing all that raw footage ? That chant of “I say Kinda - You Say Ka” was electric and loud!! You probably have some of your followers last rides on KA. I am grateful to have made it into some of the final edits. It was also nice to meet Sarah by El Toro that day and chat for a bit. RIP KA !!!
R.I.P. Kingda Ka. 😞 In September 2005 I had the one and only chance in my life to ride this coaster when I made my first trip to the US. 🙂 I remember the excitement about, that the world's tallest and fastest coaster would be open during our visit when a friend of mine an I planned the trip in late 2004. Then in early summer 2005 there was a breakdown, lasting a relative long time. IIRC SFGAdv had to order a whole replacement part by Intamin and at this time I feared, that the coaster would not be reopened before we visited SFGAdv. But luckily the replacement part was produced just right in time so that installation and testing could start in august 2005 (IIRC). Man I can tell you how glad I was when the reopening was announced right before we startet our trip in september 2005. 🙂 The day we visited the park we had absolutely great weather and Kingda Ka was open. The queue was about 2 hours and 15 minutes or so, but thad didn't matter for us. We wanted to ride this monster! While standing in the queue the coaster had several temporarily breakdowns due to silly people not taking everything out of their pockets. 🙄 I think (during our wating time) there were a minimum of 5 cell phones that flew out of pockets and spread their parts all over the launch track section. In every single case cast members had to collect all the broken parts because of safety reasons before the ride could reopen... With every breakdown we feared that the coaster could close for the rest of the day. But finally we made it into the station and then the first row. The launch and the top hat were incredible and absolutely insane. It's been a great adrenalin kick for us. 🤩 In the late evening, when it went dark, we had the chance to ride the coaster the second time, now in the last row. I preferred the front row. The feeling was more intense there. We enjoyed our day there at SF and also had the chance to ride Batman & Robin - The Chiller (also R.I.P. 😉), Great American Scream Machine (a bit on the rough side 😂), Nitro, Superman - Ultimate Flight, Batman the Ride and many more. Sadly 'El Toro' didn't exist in 2005. This wooden coaster looks awesome! Greetings from Germany (and sorry for my not so good English 😉)
I understand the problems with the cost of operating Ka but also taking it out in a mass exodus of rides with no warning is just poor management. I hope the way they announced all the coaster closures across the chain is not the norm going forward.
Richard Zimmerman has no soul. He's not and enthusiast by any means. Just a corporate clone CEO with no feelings. The only thing he has feelings towards is shareholders.
I work at great adventure. I was at the rides night, I got my first rollback that night. That was my sendoff for Ka. I couldn’t of asked for a better 10 rides on Ka. Long live the king!!
It was about time they actually do something about this absolute mess of this side of the park. Hopefully we will eventually get some news about doing something with El Toro (RMC, GCI/Gravity Group re-track, Titan track) but that would be A LOT with the whole area by Green Lantern going lights out FINALLY! Kingda Ka is like always broken, I wouldn't have minded a makeover but if all this is truly coming down than make way! My only issue is is there going to be a big hole/gap without some new rides in all that? Is a new coaster going to take up that much room? I really think not? I could definitely see a great long B&M wing coaster stretching out looking great as a replacement. But we aren't going to get that and a green lantern replacement at once. Then again, as much as I'd really like to see a B&M dive in the front as some real eye candy that's been missing since Great American Scream Machine came down in 2009. Well, at least put in some new rides like a Zamperla Endeavour and/or Chance Freestyle! Both would fit the "boardwalk" area even if Superman is kinda outta place, but owell. I truly hope they can add in a few rides, a new coaster, and a future second entrance too cause scrapping the skyride it's ridicoulous to have to walk all the way to the back areas from the main gate trying to enjoy a day out there without killing your legs. Even Universal put that train ride in between the parks!
When looking at the survey for the legacy SF parks,SFOT wasn’t the only legacy SF who had one on it. Both SFOG and SFMM had it listed on there as well. It’s possible that parks could be next in line to receive a dive coaster at some point in the future probably around in 2027 and 2028 based on assuming when could it happen.
The one I was really upset with was rolling thunder that was one of my favorite rides. Been on it over 100 times before they closed it one day years and years ago before fright Fest was a thing in October. I wrote it 30 times without getting off, but that was back in the day when I was a teenager.
Couldnt believe the news when i saw it. I'm so happy i had to chance to ride it ONE single time a couple years ago... I really hope they wil replace it by something spectacular.
Get out there and protest for not only closing such an iconic ride but for not making any official announcement until after it closed! I bought at 2025 season pass and now I'm regretting it. If I could cancel I certainly would!
So sad. They don't need Green Lantern. They already have a b&m floorless coaster. I never got to ride Ka, but I did ride its sister coaster when it was still Top Thrill Dragster.
2:00 I also remember RCE Town making a similar statement about speed, since Formula Rossa closed too. Seems like after two decades, it has finally been put in perspective how bonkers these rides were
It was crazy expensive to operate on a per rider basis over the life cost of the ride. 50MM+ approx life cost with 12Mm total riders = $4.17 / rider…that’s just insane but probably not as bad as current spaghetti bowl coasters lol
Whoever builds this 2026 multi record breaking launch coaster they better make it so good that it will be the best in the world and people won’t forget about kingda ka but will be pleased that they got a worthy replacement or this would be the biggest blow to the coaster world ever
Never got a chance to ride it, but man! This was a coaster everyone knew about if they were even remotely interested in this hobby… A shame to see it go, and this does not help Six Flags’s (seemingly) worsening reputation.
RIP the king (and the lantern too, i actually liked that ride lol). Lets hope the new six flags company doesnt keep closing rides like this, because this was handled terribly
RIP Hydraulic Launch coasters. Doesn’t look like it’s getting the Top Thrill 2 treatment either, which is a damn shame. The new Six Flags better know what they’re doing when they replace this, needs to be better or else it’s just gonna be rough
going to great adventure just to try kingda ka was one of my bucket lists. Such a shame for it to be gone for good. I don't think I will ever plan to go to great adventure anytime soon, unless people say that their 'multi-breaking record launch coaster' is as good as kingda ka, but i highly doubt
I'm going to make a wild guess - they may implode the tower using shaped charges tilting the structure in the direction of the station. Whatever way Kingda Ka is removed, it's sad to see it go - it looks so iconic.
It always the launch coasters that cost the most to maintain batman and robin the chiller to name another that was down and costed alot to fix why they got rid of it
The tallest building to be demolished was a 771' skyscraper in Singapore and that happened last year. If that can be demolished, a 456' steel lattice/skeleton structure can be demolished. Also, if they can build it, they can take it down. I'm still not totally sold it will be demolished though. Rumor has it that Cedar Fair originally asked Intamin to reimagine TTD and their proposal was to extend the layout but Iron Dragon would have to be removed. And Cedar Point turned them down because they didn't want to remove Iron Dragon. Removing all these adjacent rides almost looks like Cedar Fair could do to KK what was originally planned for TT2 (according to the online rumor. Take it for a grain of salt though as I only saw one single post about it earlier this year. And who knows, maybe Zamperla has already solved the problems for TT2 and they may already be slated to reimagine KK. I know better than to take Cedar Fair at their word because they're known to trick people. The next possibility is that TT2 is deemed a failure and both TT2 and KK get demolished. Only time will tell for sure.
I’d almost wonder if great adventure maybe though the ride could’ve stayed open for some of the 2025 season and made an event out of the closure but obviously that’s not going to happen, it’ll be interesting to see how fast the demolition happens and when construction starts happening on the new ride The backlash of this set of closures will affect attendance negatively for 2025 and even though flash is opening
The documentary on its construction by National Geographic (?) still airs on German tv like once a month or so. Also, I wonder if they'll "make it disappear", or if anything will be preserved (like a train or maybe the tip of the top-hat element). Also also, if they had announced it, imagine the backlash the park would've gotten for the decision, even down to (undeservedly) the ride crew.
I think what happened to top thrill dragster completely led to this. It just makes too much sense, they tried refurbishing the same type of ride as Kingda Ka. The merger happened and top thrill 2 failed. Just an unfortunate slippery slope.
I suspect the reason they didn't announce the pending closure is that it was likely already on borrowed time once news started leaking out. The park probably wasn't sure if they'd have to shut it down early. This is similar to what happened at Cedar Point earlier this year. Enthusiasts planned trips to ride Top Thrill 2, only to be disappointed when the ride ran for just a few days and still hasn't reopened. I'm glad I got to ride a small part of history, and I'm sorry for those who never got the chance. I know how you feel; I visited Kings Island in August 2009, and Son of Beast was SBNO for a few weeks at the time. It never reopened, so I never got to ride it either.
I also think they were very back and forth on when exactly to close it- we heard rumblings they thought to close it immediately after fright fest, but Great Adventure wanted it open for Holiday in the Park. Clearly they decided to close it somewhere in the middle. Regardless, it wouldn't have been very much notice for people and no matter what they would receive a ton of backlash.
I’m very disappointed that Kingda Ka is gone. I don’t really care about the other rides except for the Skyway. Kingda Ka will be missed greatly. I really thought that they would reimagine Kingda Ka. I hope the replacement is either an Intamin or Mack. I hope not premier. Please not premier with those uncomfortable seats on those small trains. What a slap in the face from new SixFlags corporate. I hope they really wow us with the new coaster coming in 2026.
I wonder if they’re going to implode it. It’s definitely a big enough structure to warrant it. And if it’s truly got to go, might as well have it go out with a bang.
Hopefully their replacement will be the same type of launch coaster like red force but with a massive vertical spike like top thrill 2, but the stats would be the same like kingda ka. Or they could build the world's tallest giga coaster by intamin or b&m.
If Great Adventure replaces Ka with a shuttle or spinning coaster I will never return to that park again. That would be a complete insult to the legacy of Ka
I’ll be honest, I don’t think anything they put in to replace Kingda Ka, even if it was a Fury 325 caliber Giga, could make up for the loss of this ride. Say what you will about Fury or Millennium and golden ticket awards and blah blah blah… Kingda Ka was pure shock and awe. No other ride out there is gonna give you that anymore. Hell even with Falcons Flight there’s gonna be a build up to the big moment. Kingda Ka was just a straight slap in the face of high adrenaline
Now the only ride of it type in the Six Flags chain is Xcelerator at Knotts Berry Farm I will not be shocked to hear them soon closing Xcelerator with the other two either being changed or closed. Hopefully not but looking at it this is not good for Xcelearator but hopefully it can stall open without a change.
still very safe to say TT2 played a part in this. pre merger CF spent loads of money getting TTD transformed into TT2 only to have it go down till further notice after only 8 days of operation. now here we are in the post merger world, and I bet you top dollar CF looked at ka, and said they wont make the same mistake they did with TT2. they choose not to spend millions on a reimagined version of ka because sadly at the end of the day business comes first. still will say they need to revamp there communications department. the way this was handled was absolutely level zero care.
If they were smart, they would leave Kingda Ka standing for one more year to see if their ticket sales take a significant impact. That way they don’t regret it after it’s already gone.
My husband is a newer enthusiast (he just crossed 100 credits this year). I was fortunate enough to ride Ka ten years ago, and had told him about it over and over. When you put out your first video alluding to the closure, he looked at me with the saddest puppy dog eyes.
We live in Tennessee, but I knew we had to make it happen. We pulled an all nighter and drove up there on 10/26. We didn't have long in the park, but we got two glorious rides together on the King. It was just magical.
Thank you so, so much for the heads up. The grief we feel now is nothing compared to what we would have felt if we had missed our chance to ride it altogether.
wow! thank you so much for sharing. We are so glad you got the opportunity to experience it!
I’m so happy they gave us a heads up as well. I luckily had ridden Kingda Ka previously, and I live in Florida now. With the news of it closing I booked a flight and went and got my own final rides. I’m so thankful I was able to ride it 12 last times.
I'm not taking it well because I am a recent enthusiast (July 2024) and never got to ride the King. Heartbreaking.
The employee rides party the Friday before closure was something I won’t forget. I was able to ride it 25 times (got my one and only rollback too!). Work won’t be the same next year without seeing that massive top hat in the background no matter what ride I’m working.
I'm sooo gutted I wasn't able to ride Kingda Ka all the time it's been open. I didn't know I can go through grief over a roller coaster lol. But even though I wasn't able to ride Kingda Ka, this ride will ALWAYS be why I love roller coasters in general. King of Coasters, you will be missed but never forgotten.
I’ll say the same thing I commented to El Toro Ryan - it is unfortunate that Six Flags essentially put you guys on the front line to take the flak for a unpopular decision that was obviously beyond your control.
That said, thanks for taking that flak so that those who would listen could get out to the park. My young son will never forget hauling to NJ to experience such a massive hydraulic launch while he still could. That’s some lifelong, formative stuff right there. Thank you.
thank you for your kind words, they are much appreciated
The Last day of Kingda Ka was incredibly special from what I saw. The energy was insane especially when they sent the last train ever. The Six Flags Great Adventure Era has fallen and has come to in end. Now will see how Cedar Fair does in 2026 with the replacement. The new regime.
I am so thankful for you guys and the community as a whole for allowing us to get a heads up. It allowed my brother and I to get up to Six Flags Great adventure for the first time and get our first and last rides. I speak for many in saying that Ka was one of the first coasters I learned about ever. I’m so happy that I was able to ride it on its second to last weekend. Not only meeting you guys but also so many other enthusiasts. So thank you guys for the speculation. I’m so thankful I was able to get over 25 rides on Ka before it is removed.
soooo glad you guys got to experience it!
thank you for reporting on the rumors of closing, i know yall got a lot of unwarranted hate for it. probably not my wisest financial decision, but i booked a last-minute flight from LA to go visit my little sister in nyc and we went to get our first (and last) rides together on ka the 2nd to last weekend it operated- even got to meet yall while you were filming the vlog! we've been enthusiasts since we were little kids, so its truly a memory i will treasure forever with my sister, thank you both for having a hand in making that memory happen :)))
so glad you guys got to experience it!
They weren’t even close to giving it the send-off it deserved
I’m glad I got to ride it this year in June
I'm one of those people that made the trip up to get my last rides in. I only live about a three hours' drive away, but I hadn't been to the park in like 10 years or so. I got like 5-6 rides in, most in the front and most at night. I was normally going to wait for Flash to make the trip up, but thanks for reporting on this so I wouldn't miss out on some rides I won't forget for a long time.
This is basically when King's Dominion locals and fans felt when volcano went down.
Thunder road for carowinds
How dare you, I was having a good day trying not to think about that 😭
I remember reading about KK in a special edition of Readers Digest from 2006 and was obsessed with it that time. In some way, it was the start of my coaster fanaticism. I never got to ride it sadly.
Wildest ride I have ever been on. Family went on an empty day. My son and I rode it untill i had a headache. They just let us move seats in the platform. Front back a few middles. I think my eyelid flipped inside out.
Got my last rides back in October, I’m gonna miss this ride a ton, it brings a lot of sentimental value to me being my first roller coaster I’ve ever ridden.
Thank You Taylor, Sarah, and everyone else that warned us ahead of time
Long Live The King.
Thank you for giving so many people a heads-up. It's sad that some people were skeptical to a hostile level. But in the end who cares about them: they didn't wanna believe you and now got screwed because they will not be able to give Ka a last ride.
So disrespectful of the park and ownership to do this without a proper send off for all of these great rides. Thank you guys for doing what you could to warn everyone!
I haven’t paid close attention to the coaster community in a while, so this is my first time hearing this. It’s sad to lose a huge part of history
Thank you two for not believing the comments on you two “lying” and sticking to your beliefs. ❤
The truth always comes to light.
This ride is something else for everyone. It is so sad hearing this go. Hoping something worthy for its replacement.
I was there on Ka’s closing night. The atmosphere around the ride was unlike anything I have ever seen. It was a sad day, but it will definitely go down in enthusiast history as a special one.
Zumanjaro feels like the bigger loss here. They just got permission a couple years ago to run it simultaneously with Kinda Ka and it was a blast to be at the top, waiting for the drop, and then having the coaster car race up toward you. It was easily the best drop ride I've ever been on. It feels like a big loss losing two of the tallest rides ever at the same time.
Now I'm absolutely terrified Six Flags will go after Xcelerator next. I will riot if that happens
Perhaps they will go after Xcelerator one day, but for now it still has the parts from Dragster and Kingda Ka to run on, so it might still have at least a decade more left in it
Thank you guys for giving me the chance to ride this one more time and tell others 🙏🏾♥️
This is exactly why I ride Invertigo every time I visit KI. It's one of my all time favorites and I have a feeling it's going to be the next to go (whenever that may be). I'm glad I got a last visit to KI before they announced the closure of my all time favorite coaster, Vortex.
I have been going to Six flags since the days of Batman: The ride being brand new. I was about 21 when Kingda Ka opened. Me and my roommate took the treck down opening week. The wait was over 3 hours, which was insane for Six flags or really anywhere outside of Disney World and those caliber of Theme Parks. The line was blistering hot, but the vibe was amazing. Every time a train launched, there was a collective gasp and a cheering when the next train pulled up to launch. It was wild to observe, from the moment it came into view driving into the park. As a union carpenter, I was used to seeing buildings that tall...but a rollercoaster that tall was mind blowing. And, we took the extra wait for the front row to get the full experience. My eyes were streaming from the wind. The acceleration was insanity. And at the end, I couldn't believe how intense those 20 seconds were. Game changer, a favorite for practically anyone who rode it and a sad loss for Great Adventure.
One of Cedar Fair’s worst decisions-topped only by the “out of the blue” closure of Geauga Lake.
And I don’t have high hopes for it’s replacement either
My brother got to go last day, but my college didn't cancel classes for the next day so I never rode it at all despite wanting to... if only we were told of the closure by the park way earlier.
Seriously, thanks. I would have not gotten to ride it 4 more times had you not broken the news on this.
Thank you for letting the community know, you let a lot of people get last rides they otherwise wouldn't have gotten
RIP Top Thrill Dragster (2003-2021) and Kingda Ka (2005-2024). The tallest coaster legends of the 2000s.
I was planning a trip to Great Adventure literally just for Kingda Ka. And now I will never get to ride it. Storm Runner at Hersheypark is one of my favorite rides ever, and I was very excited to try a similar but way more extreme coaster.
I only rode Kingda Ka once, years ago. I may be in the minority, but I think Storm Runner is the superior ride. I’d argue Storm Runner has the better launch (I didn’t think Ka’s launch felt very smooth), and the flying snake dive is better than either top hat. To me Red Force looks better with the drop that only turns 90 instead of the 270 degree spiral, but not sure I’ll get over to Spain any time soon, if ever.
In either case, it doesn’t excuse the way SFGAd handled it, which I think is inexcusable and indefensible. There is no reason they couldn’t have at least confirmed it when Coaster Studios and El Toro Ryan started talking about it. Really it should have been a farewell season. I almost certainly would have tried to go. Now? Meh.
I was hoping really bad you all were somehow wrong, but I never doubted yall. Glad I got to ride Dragster growing up but never got to compare with Ka! Thank you all, been watching you since I was in high school! I'm 27 as well, thank yall for the content
We all know it's going to end up being replaced with the world's longest family launch coaster, with all the launches set at 25mph, so it can run 4 trains
We got to SFGA on the last day, our first trip there ever, thanks to your video. Other creators reported on the closing of course, but your video was the only one I saw that made it clear we needed to get there by 11/10. Props to the Kingda Ka ops who cycled through riders incredibly fast. Too bad El Toro wasn't open, I'll have to go back for it sometime.
It's a shame but ka was allegedly very expensive to maintain and needed round the clock care so it makes sense but is sad because now i have yet another ride that has closed before I got to ride
I’ve never had the chance to ride Kingda Ka… But, I was absolutely shocked by the announcement. I was speechless… That’s really sad.. Long live the King
Never got to ride it. It was one of the first coasters that I discovered about on the Internet when I became an enthusiast. Also, I wish it was open for the 2025 season, since that would've been the 20th anniversary of Kingda Ka
@CoasterStudios both of you caught some unforgettable moments at Ka station on 11/2 that were AWESOME! Are you planning on releasing all that raw footage ? That chant of “I say Kinda - You Say Ka” was electric and loud!! You probably have some of your followers last rides on KA. I am grateful to have made it into some of the final edits. It was also nice to meet Sarah by El Toro that day and chat for a bit. RIP KA !!!
we have a video coming soon with it :)
@ THANK YOU !!!!!!!
A record breaking multi-launch coaster or a multi-record breaking launch coatster? 😉
Yeah I was thinking the same. Its not a multi launch coaster (could be) but they didnt say that, they said multi record breaking.
'multi record breaking launch coaster' was the official wording. It was a little confusing haha
@@CoasterStudios Haha yeah agree. The CoasterBingo app also does not explicitly mention that it is a multi launch coaster.
It makes no sense that they didn't market this. I want a Kingda Ka shirt now just because it's a piece of history. Glad I got to ride it back in 2012.
R.I.P. Kingda Ka. 😞
In September 2005 I had the one and only chance in my life to ride this coaster when I made my first trip to the US. 🙂
I remember the excitement about, that the world's tallest and fastest coaster would be open during our visit when a friend of mine an I planned the trip in late 2004.
Then in early summer 2005 there was a breakdown, lasting a relative long time. IIRC SFGAdv had to order a whole replacement part by Intamin and at this time I feared, that the coaster would not be reopened before we visited SFGAdv. But luckily the replacement part was produced just right in time so that installation and testing could start in august 2005 (IIRC).
Man I can tell you how glad I was when the reopening was announced right before we startet our trip in september 2005. 🙂
The day we visited the park we had absolutely great weather and Kingda Ka was open. The queue was about 2 hours and 15 minutes or so, but thad didn't matter for us.
We wanted to ride this monster!
While standing in the queue the coaster had several temporarily breakdowns due to silly people not taking everything out of their pockets. 🙄
I think (during our wating time) there were a minimum of 5 cell phones that flew out of pockets and spread their parts all over the launch track section. In every single case cast members had to collect all the broken parts because of safety reasons before the ride could reopen...
With every breakdown we feared that the coaster could close for the rest of the day.
But finally we made it into the station and then the first row.
The launch and the top hat were incredible and absolutely insane. It's been a great adrenalin kick for us. 🤩
In the late evening, when it went dark, we had the chance to ride the coaster the second time, now in the last row.
I preferred the front row. The feeling was more intense there.
We enjoyed our day there at SF and also had the chance to ride Batman & Robin - The Chiller (also R.I.P. 😉), Great American Scream Machine (a bit on the rough side 😂), Nitro, Superman - Ultimate Flight, Batman the Ride and many more.
Sadly 'El Toro' didn't exist in 2005. This wooden coaster looks awesome!
Greetings from Germany
(and sorry for my not so good English 😉)
They could use the structure to support a new coaster.
Yeah but that’s too smart of an idea for them to do
I’m grateful I was able to ride it several times back in 2012. Great coaster
I understand the problems with the cost of operating Ka but also taking it out in a mass exodus of rides with no warning is just poor management. I hope the way they announced all the coaster closures across the chain is not the norm going forward.
Richard Zimmerman has no soul. He's not and enthusiast by any means. Just a corporate clone CEO with no feelings. The only thing he has feelings towards is shareholders.
I work at great adventure. I was at the rides night, I got my first rollback that night. That was my sendoff for Ka. I couldn’t of asked for a better 10 rides on Ka. Long live the king!!
It was about time they actually do something about this absolute mess of this side of the park. Hopefully we will eventually get some news about doing something with El Toro (RMC, GCI/Gravity Group re-track, Titan track) but that would be A LOT with the whole area by Green Lantern going lights out FINALLY! Kingda Ka is like always broken, I wouldn't have minded a makeover but if all this is truly coming down than make way! My only issue is is there going to be a big hole/gap without some new rides in all that? Is a new coaster going to take up that much room? I really think not? I could definitely see a great long B&M wing coaster stretching out looking great as a replacement. But we aren't going to get that and a green lantern replacement at once. Then again, as much as I'd really like to see a B&M dive in the front as some real eye candy that's been missing since Great American Scream Machine came down in 2009. Well, at least put in some new rides like a Zamperla Endeavour and/or Chance Freestyle! Both would fit the "boardwalk" area even if Superman is kinda outta place, but owell. I truly hope they can add in a few rides, a new coaster, and a future second entrance too cause scrapping the skyride it's ridicoulous to have to walk all the way to the back areas from the main gate trying to enjoy a day out there without killing your legs. Even Universal put that train ride in between the parks!
When looking at the survey for the legacy SF parks,SFOT wasn’t the only legacy SF who had one on it. Both SFOG and SFMM had it listed on there as well. It’s possible that parks could be next in line to receive a dive coaster at some point in the future probably around in 2027 and 2028 based on assuming when could it happen.
The one I was really upset with was rolling thunder that was one of my favorite rides. Been on it over 100 times before they closed it one day years and years ago before fright Fest was a thing in October. I wrote it 30 times without getting off, but that was back in the day when I was a teenager.
I’m disgusted they removed one of the more rare flat rides you can find and the tallest and fastest roller coaster built
Couldnt believe the news when i saw it. I'm so happy i had to chance to ride it ONE single time a couple years ago... I really hope they wil replace it by something spectacular.
Along with Volcano, this was one of my bucket list coasters that I never got to ride. 😢
I HAVE THAT FERARRI WORLD T SHIRT!!!!
Nice!!!
Get out there and protest for not only closing such an iconic ride but for not making any official announcement until after it closed! I bought at 2025 season pass and now I'm regretting it. If I could cancel I certainly would!
i loved stealth and i value thrill over anything else and ka was so high up my bucket list this would've been amazing to experience shame i couldn't
Went the second to last day and it was so worth it
So sad. They don't need Green Lantern. They already have a b&m floorless coaster. I never got to ride Ka, but I did ride its sister coaster when it was still Top Thrill Dragster.
Perhaps the park felt unable to deal with increased attendance at the end of the season from a staffing standpoint. Who knows.
2:00 I also remember RCE Town making a similar statement about speed, since Formula Rossa closed too. Seems like after two decades, it has finally been put in perspective how bonkers these rides were
It was crazy expensive to operate on a per rider basis over the life cost of the ride. 50MM+ approx life cost with 12Mm total riders = $4.17 / rider…that’s just insane but probably not as bad as current spaghetti bowl coasters lol
Whoever builds this 2026 multi record breaking launch coaster they better make it so good that it will be the best in the world and people won’t forget about kingda ka but will be pleased that they got a worthy replacement or this would be the biggest blow to the coaster world ever
Never got a chance to ride it, but man! This was a coaster everyone knew about if they were even remotely interested in this hobby… A shame to see it go, and this does not help Six Flags’s (seemingly) worsening reputation.
RIP the king (and the lantern too, i actually liked that ride lol). Lets hope the new six flags company doesnt keep closing rides like this, because this was handled terribly
RIP Hydraulic Launch coasters. Doesn’t look like it’s getting the Top Thrill 2 treatment either, which is a damn shame. The new Six Flags better know what they’re doing when they replace this, needs to be better or else it’s just gonna be rough
Protect storm runner at all cost
@@billyclancy9115 and xcelerator
Xcelerator at Knotts
Go to GA for Ka, stay for El Toro and Nitro!
going to great adventure just to try kingda ka was one of my bucket lists. Such a shame for it to be gone for good. I don't think I will ever plan to go to great adventure anytime soon, unless people say that their 'multi-breaking record launch coaster' is as good as kingda ka, but i highly doubt
CP did the TTD conversion as it was expensive to run, and then probably found out GA was spending far more!
Well at least i got to ride the original Dragster. Im so beyond pissed off that ill never get to experience Ka 😭 FML
RIP
May we all mourn together
Blame Zmperla. If Top trill 2 hadnt failed miserably we may have had KINGDA KA 2.0
I’m gonna miss seeing Ka from the Safari :///
I'm going to make a wild guess - they may implode the tower using shaped charges tilting the structure in the direction of the station.
Whatever way Kingda Ka is removed, it's sad to see it go - it looks so iconic.
It always the launch coasters that cost the most to maintain batman and robin the chiller to name another that was down and costed alot to fix why they got rid of it
The tallest building to be demolished was a 771' skyscraper in Singapore and that happened last year. If that can be demolished, a 456' steel lattice/skeleton structure can be demolished. Also, if they can build it, they can take it down.
I'm still not totally sold it will be demolished though. Rumor has it that Cedar Fair originally asked Intamin to reimagine TTD and their proposal was to extend the layout but Iron Dragon would have to be removed. And Cedar Point turned them down because they didn't want to remove Iron Dragon.
Removing all these adjacent rides almost looks like Cedar Fair could do to KK what was originally planned for TT2 (according to the online rumor. Take it for a grain of salt though as I only saw one single post about it earlier this year. And who knows, maybe Zamperla has already solved the problems for TT2 and they may already be slated to reimagine KK. I know better than to take Cedar Fair at their word because they're known to trick people.
The next possibility is that TT2 is deemed a failure and both TT2 and KK get demolished. Only time will tell for sure.
I’d almost wonder if great adventure maybe though the ride could’ve stayed open for some of the 2025 season and made an event out of the closure but obviously that’s not going to happen, it’ll be interesting to see how fast the demolition happens and when construction starts happening on the new ride
The backlash of this set of closures will affect attendance negatively for 2025 and even though flash is opening
The documentary on its construction by National Geographic (?) still airs on German tv like once a month or so.
Also, I wonder if they'll "make it disappear", or if anything will be preserved (like a train or maybe the tip of the top-hat element). Also also, if they had announced it, imagine the backlash the park would've gotten for the decision, even down to (undeservedly) the ride crew.
I never got to ride it I’m dead inside
Thanks for the virtual hug 😢
It was really cool too meet you at kd this summer.
I think what happened to top thrill dragster completely led to this. It just makes too much sense, they tried refurbishing the same type of ride as Kingda Ka. The merger happened and top thrill 2 failed. Just an unfortunate slippery slope.
I honestly understand why it was going to be removed at some point but man I wish it got a better send off than it did
In light of kingda ka you guys should make a video on the greatest losses in coaster history
It better be as tall as ka was then it would be okay
I sadly never rode Top Thrill Dragster and Kingda Ka LONG LIVE THE KING
I suspect the reason they didn't announce the pending closure is that it was likely already on borrowed time once news started leaking out. The park probably wasn't sure if they'd have to shut it down early. This is similar to what happened at Cedar Point earlier this year. Enthusiasts planned trips to ride Top Thrill 2, only to be disappointed when the ride ran for just a few days and still hasn't reopened.
I'm glad I got to ride a small part of history, and I'm sorry for those who never got the chance. I know how you feel; I visited Kings Island in August 2009, and Son of Beast was SBNO for a few weeks at the time. It never reopened, so I never got to ride it either.
I also think they were very back and forth on when exactly to close it- we heard rumblings they thought to close it immediately after fright fest, but Great Adventure wanted it open for Holiday in the Park. Clearly they decided to close it somewhere in the middle. Regardless, it wouldn't have been very much notice for people and no matter what they would receive a ton of backlash.
We don't know that the replacement will be a "multi-launch", only that it will be a "multi-record" breaker.
I’m very disappointed that Kingda Ka is gone. I don’t really care about the other rides except for the Skyway. Kingda Ka will be missed greatly. I really thought that they would reimagine Kingda Ka. I hope the replacement is either an Intamin or Mack. I hope not premier. Please not premier with those uncomfortable seats on those small trains. What a slap in the face from new SixFlags corporate. I hope they really wow us with the new coaster coming in 2026.
This feels like a mark of a "new" coaster war
I wonder if they’re going to implode it. It’s definitely a big enough structure to warrant it. And if it’s truly got to go, might as well have it go out with a bang.
Sadly I didn't get to ride it
Hopefully their replacement will be the same type of launch coaster like red force but with a massive vertical spike like top thrill 2, but the stats would be the same like kingda ka. Or they could build the world's tallest giga coaster by intamin or b&m.
If Great Adventure replaces Ka with a shuttle or spinning coaster I will never return to that park again. That would be a complete insult to the legacy of Ka
I’ll be honest, I don’t think anything they put in to replace Kingda Ka, even if it was a Fury 325 caliber Giga, could make up for the loss of this ride. Say what you will about Fury or Millennium and golden ticket awards and blah blah blah… Kingda Ka was pure shock and awe. No other ride out there is gonna give you that anymore. Hell even with Falcons Flight there’s gonna be a build up to the big moment. Kingda Ka was just a straight slap in the face of high adrenaline
Now the only ride of it type in the Six Flags chain is Xcelerator at Knotts Berry Farm I will not be shocked to hear them soon closing Xcelerator with the other two either being changed or closed. Hopefully not but looking at it this is not good for Xcelearator but hopefully it can stall open without a change.
That’s such a stupid amount of stuff to remove for literally just *one* rollercoaster though, this ride better have insane capacity.
I can never forgive Zimmerman for this.
Great Adventure is going to shatter expectations when they team up with Intamin for DarKoaster 2
Magic Mountain - First “Axis” coaster.
(RIP - Superman and Lex Luthor as well.)
Superman isn’t closing
19:29 “Give me the Cedar Fair food.” Not the Michigan’s Adventure food.
still very safe to say TT2 played a part in this. pre merger CF spent loads of money getting TTD transformed into TT2 only to have it go down till further notice after only 8 days of operation. now here we are in the post merger world, and I bet you top dollar CF looked at ka, and said they wont make the same mistake they did with TT2. they choose not to spend millions on a reimagined version of ka because sadly at the end of the day business comes first. still will say they need to revamp there communications department. the way this was handled was absolutely level zero care.
If they were smart, they would leave Kingda Ka standing for one more year to see if their ticket sales take a significant impact. That way they don’t regret it after it’s already gone.
Unlikely, but hope the replacement coaster is 6,296 feet (1919 meters) long in tribute to Ka's 19 years of service.
Long live da King!
I really do wish they gave it a closing weekend