Dragon Challenge To Never "Duel" Again
A very sad news comes from Universal's Islands of Adventure.
It looks like the famous Dragon Challenge attraction at the park will never be the same again.
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| Dragons may never come close to each other again. |
If you have visited the park in the past, you may be familiar with this attraction (before mid-2010, it was called "Dueling Dragons"), which is a double inverted coaster that had the surprising feature of being one of the first (if not the only) dueling inverted coasters in the world. Recently, however, due to some reported accidents on the ride, the dueling feature (when two trains passed inches from each other, simulating a collision) was temporarily stopped, and the two trains were released separately.
A confirmation of this was given by one of our readers, who currently works at Universal Orlando, and wanted to share what he or she new (our reader wanted to remain anonymous):
Dragon Challenge not Dueling
A confirmation of this was given by one of our readers, who currently works at Universal Orlando, and wanted to share what he or she new (our reader wanted to remain anonymous):
Dragon Challenge not Dueling
...I work down in that area and it's because of what had happen
there twice [he or she was referring to the accidents, that involved a guest losing one of his eyes], but it wasn't Universal's fault... So the short term fix until they come up with something better is to have them not to duel.
Unfortunately, it seems like Universal was not able to come up with "something better," so they announced to the Orlando Sentinel that they would cease to allow the trains to duel indefinitely, that is, forever.
Here's an excerpt of the Orlando Sentinel's article:
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After the two incidents, Universal said it had temporarily adjusted the coasters to launch them on a staggered basis. But the resort recently decided the make the change permanent.
It's a substantial change for an attraction specifically designed with the near-misses in mind. Dragon Challenge is even programmed to calculate the weight of the two coasters after they are loaded with riders to ensure optimal timing.
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But, how are they going to advertise the coaster now? It was always known as the "dueling roller coaster," after all! Well, the Orlando Sentinel explains: The resort now bills the attraction as a "high-speed chase between two coasters."
How do you feel about this? Do you think Universal did the right thing? Or,do you think they could have come up with another idea, at least to save this interesting feature of the coaster? Please, share your thoughts!
First, I'm very sorry to hear about the injuries, and my thoughts go out to those impacted by them.
ReplyDeleteAs for the ride, I would hope they could enhance the ride vehicles to "trap" loose items from falling, similar to the nets on Disney's Rockin Rollercoaster. The problem is, this is a "dangle coaster" (as my kids call them") so the net would have to be below you. Perhaps it could extend automatically after the coaster leaves the station (half from each side). It just seems that eliminating the dueling element makes this just another coaster that you'd find at a Six Flags. There must be a way...
i've been on this excellent coaster many times when it was still called duelling dragons, riding both the "fire" and "ice" tracks
ReplyDeleteI've got to be honest, i barely noticed the duelling element while riding. for me they were simply pretty intense suspended coasters. I don't feel that the lack of duelling will take anything away from the ride experience. To me, the duelling element was more a visual thing for those watching. It looked exciting, was a major selling point of the ride and certainly a unique and interesting
addition
however as a coaster addict, i do tend to always ride at, or near the rear of the ride train as i find that offers the more intense ride. maybe the duelling was more obvious if you were sat at the front.
btw, while i agree with Jason's sentiments, and feel ANY injury received by a guest at a theme park is terrible, i have also recently lost an eye, and although everyone i know thinks it is awful, it hasn't impacted on my life in the slightest. It may sound harsh, but, as someone with direct experience of this type of injury, i find it extremely disappointing that a major selling point of a ride has been erased as a result of what i know, ultimately is NOT a major injury
incidentally, i feel it would have been next to impossible to install sufficient safety equipment to ensure this sort of injury COULDN'T happen again without completely changing the track layout.
ReplyDeleteThe ride is a suspended coaster and it is the fact you are suspended under the track which enables the illusion of duelling and the "near miss" elements (only 1ft of clearance)
You would most probably have to enclose the ride seats to ensure loose items were caught easier. This is best done on cars which run ABOVE the track. I'm not sure if it would even be possible to change the cars to run above the tracks here, but even if it could be done, it would probably change the ride enough to eliminate the near misses.
It may be possible to have enclosed suspended ride cars, but i'm not aware of this having been ever done on a looping roller coaster. There may be issues regarding weight and additional stress on the track and, as the tracks pass so close together, a larger enclosed car may not be able to pass the other safely.
i doubt the duelling element can return on this ride and reach the safety requirements Universal now demand. It would require a completely new roller coaster imo and with the millions this ride cost, i doubt Universal would even consider changing it
@fatdonut
ReplyDeleteYou're right. When you're riding the coaster, you never really see the other train. It happens so fast that it's over before you realize it started. I just hate seeing a park give up on a ride concept. This isn't unlike the Yeti running in B Mode for the past several years on Expedition Everest. FIGURE OUT A WAY people. Giving up is the easy way out.
Here's a radical idea, if people would listen to the "No Loose Articles" statement, then this wouldn't even be an issue.
ReplyDeleteIt's a shame that riders have to pay for other peoples pure stupidity and that a once great ride will not only be mediocre at best now.
very good point anonymous!
ReplyDeletehowever there are a sufficient number of riders at IoA who are NOT experienced roller coaster riders. They may consider their items secure until the rides volatile nature shakes them loose - by then its too late!
accidents will happen - its human nature that we are unaware of the potential consequences of our actions until those consequences are shoved in our faces. thats why they are called accidents - no one sets out to do them deliberately out of malice
maybe Universal simply need to be far more strict regarding loose items - it wouldn't take much to employ someone to check guests before they get on the ride and make them deposit any potentially hazardous items in a locker.
however i think its a tad unfair to suggest dragon challenge has been relegated from "great" to "mediocre" by these changes - they are still 2 excellent (and hugely different - ride them both!) roller coasters and still well worth the queuing time!