Since there are some LegoLand fans here, I thought I would share some news I just came across..

http://www.themeparkinsider.com/news/response.cfm?ID=1326

The Spellbreaker ride at Legoland California has closed down due to low ridership and constant mechanical problems. The ride will be dismantled this fall to make way for a new ride to open sometime in 2004.

Thanks Darkbeer.

BTW:
I talked with a few MCs and a couple of folks in 'the know' the other day at the park about Spellbreaker...from the info I got it wasn't as much low ridership, as on a good day at the park there were usually lengthy lines for this ride...but more, it was the unacceptable load times (thus the lines I guess).

This ride would/could have been a great ride if it was only about 20 feet or so taller at the start and double the length of the track.
For those who never rode it, it was like riding a motorcycle in the sky...potentially kinda cool.


As to Darkrides suggested by the article...all for it!
Legoland's 'The Dragon' is the only 'other' SoCal darkride (leads to the Coaster element) outside of DL and the litle one (Scary Dark Ride) at Newport Beach's Fun Zone and those 2 at Castle park in Riverside.

The fact that all characters and most props etc. used to have to made of Legos would detract from a new darkride...but...(big but)...lately they have begun getting away from this handicap with the large Bionicle 'bots' being molded and not large Lego pieces. IF Bionicle stays a big seller...it would make an interesting dark ride to be sure!

I am so glad that Spellbreaker is finally shutting down. We get so many complaints in Guest Services about the wait time, the ride length, the braking system, the blah blah blah. ;) It was a fun ride, but not worth the hassle, IMO.

Spellbreaker coulda been a good addition to the theme park under different circumstances. Single rail versions exist elsewhere in the country and do not, to my knowledge, suffer from the same amount of mechanical problems. This makes me think the innovative double track system is what caused most of the problems (I have no mechanical knowledge of the ride so this is purely speculative). Combined with the fact taht the ride manufacturer went out of business, the ride really had no future. Going with duel tracks to double capacity was a nice thought in theory but the capacity was still never enough for the park. If the park had a flume ride and a top notch coaster up around the same area, the ride would not have had to shoulder so much capacity... ie. the lines would have been shorter.

So in short...

A single rail version with less mechanical problems in a park with more high capacity alternatives would have been fine.

The double rail version riddled with mechanical problems in a park filled with rides with low capacity was a large problem.

The parks new GM John Jakobsen seems very bright and honest. The park has several new attractions coming to help the capacity problem and his background in marketing should help get the word out. I think Legoland will turn the corner with him in charge.

It had nothing to do with the double rail, as each rail worked independently from the other. :)

And you're right, Jakobsen will make things a lot better. In the meeting when he first started, he told us a lot of his ideas, and some of them are really cool. But I can't say much about any of them. :)

LegolandMC...where/what do you work? So we can stop by and say 'Hi!'
:fez:

Very interesting! We almost always passed by Spellbreaker due to the long lines. It seems that a lot of the rides at Legoland have either slow loading procedures or not enough ride vehicles in operation. We've gotten used to the slower pace in comparison to DL, but Spellbreaker was in a whole 'nother class.

Thanks for the info--:)

This is too bad. I really liked riding that, although, I thought the loading of the ride was a bit awkward. It was a fun ride though and different than any of the other rides in the park or at DL.

Originally posted by Doodle Duck
LegolandMC...where/what do you work? So we can stop by and say 'Hi!'
:fez:

I'm a seasonal MC, because I go to college in Utah, so I'm not there all the time. When I am there (and the next time I'll be there is Christmas-time, as long scheduling all works out), I'm in Admissions/Guest Services, and am usually working either a ticket booth, or a guest services window. :)