Risto Räikkönen, Linnanmäki, Finland (pictured): For a city amusement park like us in Helsinki money is not always the first thing we think about when planning a new attraction. The most important issue is always the space; where we could find a space for a new attraction?
If we did not have any limits I’d like to have an attraction similar to Fata Morgana at Efteling in the Netherlands. It’s a boat trip through the forbidden city from the tales of 1,001 nights; a wonderful, very well themed and breathtaking attraction. Pure perfection! As we don’t have any space and we don’t have the money, we’d rather put the focus on this season and try to make it as good as possible. We have got a kiddie ride coming soon from Italy (by Technical Park) and then next year we are going to have a major ride (Sky Loop) from Maurer Söhne. For the season of 2012 we will need something for families and adults again.
Dennis Vourderis, Deno’s Wonder Wheel Park at Coney Island, USA: Wow, what a question! I could come up with a few. My brother Steve thought we should open the Coney Island parachute jump again, or bring back the steeplechase horse ride. I said we could buy the carousel back from New York City or bring back a new version of the Virginia Reel and place it next to the Wonder Wheel. Then we’d build an aerial tram along the boardwalk so that riders can see all of Coney from one end to the other. Finally, we’d put a dome over the kiddie park, so it can open year round. You could even build a rollercoaster that sweeps out over the beach and boardwalk, goes down towards the Bowery turns around and goes into a structure or building. It would need to be the tallest and fastest in the world, with loops and inversions.
If money were no object a lot of dreams would be reality, and that’s why our forefathers were so successful. They pursued their dreams and did not think about the bottom line, at least that’s what my dad did, and he didn’t wind up in the streets.Today, in the real world, we need to make decisions based on whether or not they will be profitable. For now, Steve and I are buying a new Samba Balloon from Zamperla. It’s the least we could do to show our support for our new neighbours at Luna Park and their $30 million investment that will breathe new life into Coney’s already fresh air.
Dennis Vourderis, Deno’s Wonder Wheel Park at Coney Island, USA: Wow, what a question! I could come up with a few. My brother Steve thought we should open the Coney Island parachute jump again, or bring back the steeplechase horse ride. I said we could buy the carousel back from New York City or bring back a new version of the Virginia Reel and place it next to the Wonder Wheel. Then we’d build an aerial tram along the boardwalk so that riders can see all of Coney from one end to the other. Finally, we’d put a dome over the kiddie park, so it can open year round. You could even build a rollercoaster that sweeps out over the beach and boardwalk, goes down towards the Bowery turns around and goes into a structure or building. It would need to be the tallest and fastest in the world, with loops and inversions.
If money were no object a lot of dreams would be reality, and that’s why our forefathers were so successful. They pursued their dreams and did not think about the bottom line, at least that’s what my dad did, and he didn’t wind up in the streets.Today, in the real world, we need to make decisions based on whether or not they will be profitable. For now, Steve and I are buying a new Samba Balloon from Zamperla. It’s the least we could do to show our support for our new neighbours at Luna Park and their $30 million investment that will breathe new life into Coney’s already fresh air.
Pat Goodenow, Sylvan Beach Amusement Park, USA: Sylvan Beach has a very limited amount of land available for new attractions. If money was available and we had the space, I would purchase a wooden coaster. Central New York State does not have a wooden coaster and it would help to reinforce our theme of being a nostalgic, family park, with ties to attractions found in our past. Our park had a wooden coaster over 90 years ago and many of our guests still tell stories of their grandparents riding that coaster.
