Let’s hope Mr. Holer goes forward with the niagara falls themeing.

I honestly don’t know if it’s an excuse or the truth, but a normal operating park could have the ride constructed, landscaped, & operationable within a few weeks. Take a look at the progress of Cedar Point’s new coaster. They started off as nothing & had even less when Marineland started with the Topple Tower, now they’re progressing enough to almost distinguish what’s going up.

I wonder if they just don’t care about deadlines or what, but if they decide to open a new coaster at Marineland, I suspect it’d take 5yrs to construct.

As for Dragon Mountain, the volcano portion still looks somewhat incomplete, especially when you compare it to the original broschure’s concept. There should be red lava around the edges of the top. I hope they don’t skimp on the Falls recreation (if it’s done).

I am friends with a senior managerat Marineland. I asked him about the progress of these two rides.

His explanation of Dragon Mountain was simple. John Holer, the park’s owner is getting on in years, but he still pulls the strings regarding just about everything in his park. When Dragon Mountain was built in the 80’s, they ran out of money to finish it properly. But for some reason this spring, Mr. Holer suddenly decided that it was time to finish it properly. Thus the volcano. I asked my friend if he thought they would ever finish off the Falls section of the ride, and he said there is a good chance. It really depends if Mr. Holer has a similar whim next year. It’s really up to him, and there is no strategic management vision behind it, just an old guy who likes to ‘play’ in his park.

As for the Topple Tower, i was told that the manufacturer sent the wrong (or faulty) part … can’t remember which.