I do think what other KZfaq coaster enthusiasts said might come true. World’s of Fun will get another big coaster in 2026 to capitalize of the World Cup coming in 2026 to K.C. Double Z is a stopgap to build a coaster collection in the park. Only time will tell. And thanks for the short history of World’s of Fun at the beginning. 👍🏻

Glad that you had the chance to ride Zambezi Zinger and overall enjoyed it! It was a great project to partner with Great Coasters International on and we love hearing feedback. To answer your question at 4:43, Titan Track was used on the turn-around to maintain the aesthetic of the original Zambezi Zinger. Titan Track is able to bridge greater gaps than wooden track, so we were only able to have the open-air aesthetic for the spiral lift structure by using Titan Track. Titan Track was also used on the spiral lift hill to maintain the tight tolerances needed for the drive system.

I will say that ZZ offers a fantastic night ride. I think it is 10 times better since you’re doing the more intense 2nd half in almost pitch black.

Pretty sure the section of Titan track you mention wrapped around the lift is done that way since the original had a similar turn on it. Using it allowed them to strap it to the spiral instead of having to build supports which would ruin the effect.

I feel the struggle with new coaster lines. I rode Darkoaster a few weeks ago and waited an hour on a dead day, plus 15 minutes because it broke down. They were running 2 trains, ten people per train, with pretty slow dispatches. I also relate to this because Kennywood is my home park and on the rare occasion that Steel Curtain is actually open, it usually has an hour wait no matter how busy the park is.

Excited to see my footage in here!! I strongly agree with your thoughts on the trains. They definitely do feel a little tight and those restraints definitely were heavy now that I think about it. But I don't remember them coming down hard on me.

It was rougher then I expected a new coaster to be. The spiral lift was cool.

I rode it the day it officially opened to the public. It's a lot of fun and a nice addition to the park. I like that someone is out there adding more woodies to parks instead of constantly trying to one up a competitor with more and more steel coasters. Obviously, the park could use at least one more fun steel coaster, but having three a piece is pretty cool and is not common at all. Edit: I guess that spinning one counts as a coaster, so I guess it's 4 steel, 3 woodie.

I'm a 35 year old lady and a rollercoaster wimp, and I found Zambezi Zinger WAY too rough! I love Mamba because it's so smooth and doesn't whiplash my neck like this one did! After this ride I felt so beat up and motion sick. If you worry it might be too harsh for you, it is!!

Your final point also my biggest gripe about Zambezi Zinger. It really doesn't fill any gap in WOF's coaster lineup. I would have much preferred something similar to a gravity group family coaster like Kentucky flyer. I would like wof to get a giant launch coaster even more, but I think a family wooden coaster would have fit in great as a stepping stone between Cosmic coaster and spinning dragons. That's not what we got in ZZ.

I'm glad I'm not the only one who LOVES Millennium Flyers! They are comfortable and frequently track very well. And I like the built-in "arm-rests". I also wasn't very impressed by the Infinity Flyers (for the reasons you mentioned), so I hope they don't completely replace Millennium Flyers.

Legend has it that Chris and Sophie are waiting in Zambezi Zinger’s line to this day…

Prowler is a better ride. You mentioned it being faster and more rough - I agree Prowler also whips you around through the trees though. It feels like you’re dodging them as you stay lower to the ground. This one is fine, doesn’t really add anything to the park imo. Definitely need a launch inversion coaster here.

From what I remember, the original Zinger never had airtime. The ride was a first roller coaster for young children of the 80s and early 90s. Of course it's not going to be the most wild ride. Unfortunately I'm not able to ride the new coaster to compare as I no longer live in the area but I really would love to ride it. I also appreciate that they brought back their heritage back in a new form.

I really appreciate the thoughtful evaluation of the restraint system. Those details often get overlooked in these kinds of reviews, but they can be really important to the overall experience. For example, everyone loves to praise B&M clamshells, but for me, they kill airtime and make it feel like someone is trying to amputate my legs.

The Titan track around the lift is for the aesthetics, it is a real bummer they didn’t use more throughout the layout. I’ve heard it was a cost saving measure with the plan they could always retrack at a later date.

yessss we been waiting since the wof vlog. The history... the relocation... perfecto as usual.

You uploaded this on my birthday

I rode it on it's soft opening and a few times since and I love it. I still need a night ride but I hear it's incredible. I didn't even notice the lack of airtime until someone pointed it out. I don't really care if a wooden coaster has it tbh. It's more about the laterals for me. I do agree it's too rough for a new coaster. It seemed to get even rougher a few weeks after I first rode it which is concerning. Also it is definitely too short. My biggest concern is the lift hill tires can't operate in rain and it has to completely shut down. But overall I think it's very good and I'm happy to have it in my home park.

I’m just trying to get braver and start to ride coasters. This is definitely a thrill coaster, the bridge between family and extreme coasters. I’m not brave enough to ride Prowler yet. The titan track parts were the smoothest. I would definitely have ridden it again. But I was at my bravery limit and needed to cool off at Oceans of fun since it was their last open day this year. The openness of the train enhanced the effects especially in the second half. But since I’m still a chicken 🐔, I found it difficult to find places to hang on. The ride ops were fantastic and the theming is amazing. I will definitely ride it again

honestly my only problem with this ride was the restraints, but i feel like it would be such an easy fix. as someone who doesn’t really care about being stapled i don’t mind that they come down during the ride, but the middle bar definitely landed right on my crotch - it seems to me that all they’d need to do to fix it is move the bar up a bit like on millennium flyers, but idk 🤷‍♂️ anyway, i like the way all the transitions ride, i love the lack of seatbelts, and the airtime was great!

Cool video! The reason why Titan is on the turnaround is because it was an aesthetic decision involving the support structure. This is per the designer, Jeff Pike, on the Attractions Group podcast.

This is my home park and I have rode it many times. First of all the fact that it's a new coaster and it's rough is very concerning. One rough ride, Timberwolf, in the park is enough. I totally agree with you about the seats being uncomfortable. I think it takes away from the ride and I can only imagine being a larger person and trying to squeeze into one of those seats. Overall it's a meh coaster designed to entertain the nostalgia of days gone by and being a teenager riding the original Zinger I can respect that. I know that beggars can't be choosers but I was really hoping for either a launch coaster or a RMC'd Timberwolf.

Looks like a fun family ride! Interesting to hear your thoughts as almost no one else I know or watch has ridden it yet. Expectations will be managed!

great review and couldn't agree more. i was thrilled when it was announced WOF was FINALLY going to get a new coaster but when it was revealed yet another woodie, i was so bummed for the park. they need a steel launch coaster yesterday! i even thought moving wicked twister would be a step in a good direction. i do love the homage to zambezi zinger which was a favorite of mine but to build basically a lesser version of prowler is such a huge let down for a great park that deserves better. now that i see the coaster more in depth thanks to your video, it really looks like something that should be in a smaller park.

Completely agree with most of your review. I rode in the front and no airtime there either. Those trains are one of the most uncomfortable trains I have ever rode in because of the painful lapbars. Also thought it was rough for a new wooden coaster as well. Probably one of the worst new coasters I have been on in a long time.

Glad to see I'm not the only one who doesn't like those restraints. I was stapeled at the bottom of the first drop, and while Zambezi Zinger doesn't have airtime, it was still very uncomfortable not being able to move with the transitions. Hydraulic restraints are very unforgiving. The layout was surpsrisingly aggressive at the end. It didn't feel like a family coaster to me. I definitely prefer Prowler though.

I rode this coaster seven times when I was there on its second day of operations, and I gotta say that I agree with you on pretty much everything. Front seat is good but not as good as the back. For me, the restraints 100% kill the ride. They're bulky and come down on you hard. There are two hills toward the end of the layout that should theoretically give you some sustained floater air but don't due to the restraints being nearly impossible to hold up and stapling you as a result. From the perspective of someone with an engineering degree, I agree that the titan track should've been applied in different spots.

I'm heading to the park this weekend. I've now set the bar low for ZZ.

YO ANOTHER BANGER

I rode Zambezi Zinger back in late July with my Grandfather and it was well over 90 degrees outside, and when we were standing in line the coaster sounded like it was hauling. I mean for a family-style GCI my grandfather said that Zambezi Zinger managed to dethrone Mamba as his favorite rollercoaster of Worlds of Fun. My only complaint of the ride was the Infintity Flyer trains, those T-bars crushed my nether regions to the point where I dropped on my knees, however the transition between Titan Track and wooden track was interesting soundwise.

I went to WoF the day of the biggest storm Kansas City has had this year. It opened late, and after :45 mins of waiting, I was able to get my ride in about :15 mins before the park shut down. I’ll count it as a win.

If it is like Troy, the following applies: GCI on a hot day: Very shaky. After heavy rain or cold day: Butter Smooth. On the 5th of August we did Troy at 25⁰C and it was rough and Shaking. We did Troy on the rain, after heavy rainfall, it was 18⁰C and it was butter smooth. A difference of night and day.

I want to see more spiral lifts

Video idea: rank every coaster in your opening credits

I was there the day it was supposed to open. They had it all hyped up from the time I entered the park but never once was it open when I went by the ride (at least 10x) so unfortunately I never got to ride it. Sounds like I didn't miss much though.

I’d like to see an all titan track GCI. As I originally assumed this would be.

I was surprised how loud the ride was. My ears were ringing like nobody's business.

This coaster was definitely designed for the people of Kansas City who grew up with it and missed it after it was removed. It’s not amazing but it’s fun and a nice thought to the hometown. I do think the trains are the issue on the roughness. But that was a fun way to be pained lol

On one of my rides on zambezi zinger,someone had a loose article and it flew off,so when the ride was over,we were stopped for a second as we see a person next to the fence and sprint back,i also notice mamba is stuck like always

Titan track is awesome!! Especially for dads getting older and still trying to keep up with the kids. I could ride Steel Vengeance all day and that’s amazing.

I wished they would have titan tracked the entire ride. I feel like it was a missed opportunity. And i just rode it for the first time 2 weeks ago and you are right about the back, the front is good but that jerk in the back on the first drop is amazing.

I agree, with 100 of your assessments, Chris.... especially with not taking full advantage of the Titan track... it should have been used on all the curves throughout, I feel.

Oh wow, I didn't realize you were there on 6/24, you were there two days after I was (for the first time). I was pleasantly surprised by the ride and found it very fun. I haven't been on a ton of GCIs but I compared this to a smaller, more tame Mystic Timbers. I don't remember airtime being an issue but I also don't remember if I got much so, yeah...no issues with roughness from my two rides. I wish there park had better ops when I was there but I'd stop back by if I was in town again. Prowler and Mamba were great.

Well with ONE train in operation AND horrible employee motivation at the park...I noticed this at valleyfair too this year...we only had one ride. It's fun but yeah I am on the fence which is too bad when we were there last week.

The lift Hill is incredibly loud in the tunnel being enclosed is also deaf ing. The seats are very tight for me 200 pounds 6'1. The nighttime ride is amazing and the theming is the best in the park.

Rode it a week ago. It's a novel ride for sure, and it was fun in spots, but I'm not sure if it's worth planning a large trip just for Zinger. If you're already doing a midwest tour, by all means get the credit, but I wouldn't go out of your way for it. It really needs to have a lower height requirement for the ride to really make sense at this park. Airtime Thrills is right, why wait in line for Zinger when you have Prowler which is way more fun?

I rode it the night before you were there, and I really enjoyed it. I requested a back-row seat, but the grouper put me in the front, which was a very enjoyable experience. The front car of the Infinity Flyer trains is completely wide open, and that enhanced the experience during the second half. It didn't feel slow to me at all; the twisty section felt like signature GCI goodness. I did have quite a wait; I started on the bridge like you, and I'm pretty sure they were only running one train. But that was OK, because everything else was a walk-on that night.

It looks very unique, that's what makes it special for me.

Everyone looks crammed in on those station videos.

I got to ride it the Friday after it opened. I enjoyed it...can't compare it to much since I only got back into coasters and theme parks the past year. It did have some technical issues when I was there because after we rode it my cousin wanted to ride it again so we got back in line only for it to break down. It was probably down for at least an hour. We did get back on it later for another ride. I enjoyed the speed, the tunnel and the out of control feeling. I didn't notice the roughness as much as how loud it is. I suspect the titan track on the turnaround has something to do with the support structure being connected to the spiral lift structure instead of directly to the ground.

You got lucky on the reliability. The day that I went, Zambezi Zinger would operate for about 25 minutes at a time, then break down for about another 25 minutes. It has an issue with its brakes. Plus it’s been burning through drive tires. It’s now broken down and stranded riders at the top of the lift hill because of its faulty lift hill.

Assuming I’m not too big to ride I got a feeling that lap bar would bring me a lot of pain

Got to ride on pass holder preview day and got ride in front and back and was not disappointed

As somebody who works zinger, i can confirm those train are a pain in the ass. They are about 1000 pounds too heavy for the ride and it will need a retrack in about 5 years because of that

I grew up with the original Zambezi, so for me I not only thought the spiral lift was a cool nod but I also got all nostalgic while going up it. It's a true family coaster if you ride in the middle of the train, because it's only intense in that back seat really. I thought the second half wasn't too bumpy but I definitely agree that they applied the titan track in the wrong places. That low and fast turn around in the very back is not going to age well at all. Overall though I love the new ZZ, way more intense than the original. But ya, my home park is in desperate need of a launch coaster, no joke.

This opened on my birthday. To be exact, the moment it opened I was on gatekeeper

So just my two cents on the roughness on the second half. I haven't ridden this, but based on POV and your review. If it's those low to the ground parts that are bumpy. I think they may have built the ride a hair too close to the ground. There is hardly any structure before the ground. That means any shifting in the ground would move the footers and there isn't much wooden structure between the ground and the footers to bend with the movement of the train or the shifting of the ground. Honestly might have been worth it for them to trench out the ride path a little so there was at least a full like wooden box between the track and the ground. I looked at the voyage and it at least rides mostly 3 feet or more above the ground for its twister section. I mean definitely awesome how close it gets to the ground, and was probably super cost saving w/o all the support. But maybe that's the reason for the bumpyness in the second half. Like you said about the titan track, it might have been a good idea for that section as the metal wouldn't be as effected by the shifting ground. Also it makes sense this happened so early, its a new development and it takes a while for ground to settle so any little shifts in footers could cause little potholes that make it bumpy.

Just rode it for the second time today, and while I was pretty stapled, I actually was able to get a couple little pops of airtime. It's certainly more zippy and the back is definitely the way to go but agree on the bummpiness of it which was disappointing. Plus the trains having some sort of problem that broke it down for like 20 minutes

Banger

I’m going to Great Adventure for the first time on Saturday, any tips?

I completely agree on all these pros & cons. You read my mind. But for me, all the pros are pretty minor, while the cons are quite large to me. This ranks just one spot ahead of Roar on my overall list, as my 2 least favorite GCIs by a mile. It is not in my top 300, and it's my # 6 in the park behind Boomerang. I got to do both back & front, and I got lucky, because even though my day wasn't as busy as yours, and a week later, they had very strict assigned seating. Nobody could choose any row. That front row ride was so much rougher than the back! And there's no airtime up there either.

Titan track around the lift was for asthetics. Learned that from the ACE event. They didn't want to have wood around the metal

I wonder if it would be possible to add a terrain coaster from gci at liseberg by liserbergsbanan and helix

I like Zambezi, I know it’s not anything amazing, but WoF is a very regional park, so it makes sense that they wouldn’t get anything record breaking. I feel like I’m in the minority here, but I love the infinity flyers. I much prefer the individual seats to the dividers that millennium flyers have. Zambezi probably doesn’t need something quite as extreme, but as you said the robustness of the restraint let’s them get away with no belts. I feel like these things are the best hybrid train out there, so much better than RMC trains. I thought they’d be really uncomfortable when I saw the cars, but they felt pretty open (sans the 20 pound lapbar, but if that’s what it takes to not have shinguards I’ll gladly take it)

I rode the new Zinger and I thought it was awesome. I honestly would say it’s the second best roller coaster at Worlds of fun (prowler is #1) I would have to disagree about the roughness and airtime. I never rode in the back row but to be honest I love this new ride. I will however, agree that it is redundant for the park as it does not fill in gaps in the lineup. I think the new Zinger will get better over time. WOF is my home park and honestly I think this coaster was worth the wait.

It’s an interesting ride for sure. On the one hand, I like the aspect of the spiral lift, but it already sounds like it runs so rough

If my memory serves me, wasn’t icebreaker at SeaWorld supposed to originally be a 48” ride but opened to 54” requirements? And then some months later they took it down to 48? If so maybe this could happen here to and they take it down to 44” or something. Still not sure what the reason was on icebreaker that made them open with the taller requirements but then whatever happened and the same ride was now ok for a shorter requirement.

I am curious to know how the height to ride-time ratio is. Yes, this ride is shorter than most GCI's in duration. But isn't it also shorter than most GCI's in height? Just something to consider.

I agree that this wasn't the best fit for the park, but I loved the quick twist back and forth into the positive gs in the tunnel. I thought this was as good, maybe better than Prowler, which I was underwhelmed with. 4 rides on Zambezi (1 back, 2 2nd row, and 1 middle). It's kinda short and that was It's biggest con for me.

8:06 Little do you know how bad the Reliability is as a Gold Season Passholder I know the one thing that will shut this Rollercoaster Coaster down for 1-2 days is rain if the drive wheels are even a sliver wet the ride will not open the same day most likely. So I’m gonna have to say Intamin’s Before VelociCoaster at Universal Studios Florida level of Reliability if not worse.

The titan track was probably on that turn bc of the lift being all metal and it was easier to keep it there

They added the titan track so they could keep the original aesthetic of the supports coming out of the spiral lift.

I ride it almost the same time as him its fun I ride in the back row I did get some airtime on the dip in the lift hill. You go up the hill and you do get airtime the fist drop in to the mien layout if yer in the back row. It Wes Routh its bearable. I only ride it in back row so I dot no wait it fells like in over rows. I do perfor Prowler. and i only ride it one time in the marring.

So they just added a mini prowler? Odd.

So it's not limited to just one ride with fast line, like a lot of new coasters usually are?

Unfortunately if it stays closed for a really long time on some days, but I think it’s the third best in the park

You're not wrong. There's no noticeable airtime.

European here.... only ride with seatbelts i was on where Goliath at wallibi.... ok without you could actually fall out when you cheat the space in the tBar a bit... (i did that once and put the tbar tighter midcourse because i dont like feeling the seatbelt hold me in... and the other one was UNTAMED... AHHHH, thats why intemin builds the best trains.... taron style once where your legs are in the air)

Seeing empty seats when there are crazy long lines makes my heart hurt.

I think they RMC timberwolf or reimagine the orient as a raptor or new vakoma

5:11 They did the lift-hill pass around because the original Zinger had one.

If Whizzer ever has to close, I hope Six Flags Great America does the same thing for its replacement

We need to rmc timberwolf now

I’m sorry, Chris, but there is no way by any stretch of the imagination that this coaster is better than legend at holiday world

At the end of today it still has no airtime btw

I’m glad to see someone finally sees it is not a good fit for wof. How incredibly rough the ride is and how god awful those hydraulic lapbars are make this honestly one of the most disappointing coasters I have rode. It already feels like a 20 year old unmaintaned gci which just blows my mind. Also I would like to mention how incredibly LOUD this coaster is, it for sure breaks your eardrums while waiting for the ride. I pray to god that the coaster receives more titan track in future and that wof gets a coaster they actually deserve 🙏

Honestly it’s not a bad coaster me and my buddies were in line for 30 minutes and got 4 rides that day but it could also be because it was a Tuesday

go back and re-ride it for a day, then review again :)

Why does Airtime Thrills have beef with Coaster Studios? I knew they were not best of friends but the shade being thrown lately is crazy

New video idea: best coaster for every letter of the alphabet.

I think it’s a pretty weak ride overall due to the roughness. It isn’t worth the typically long wait of this operating season for me.

Ive heard that its rough from a few people, i just dont get it, its a lot smoother than Prowler or Timberwolf. I just dont know if everyone expects it to be as smooth as a new steel coaster, but to me it feels like a new wooden coaster, theyre all gonna rattle. There is also totally a chance that its the train, ive ridden twice this season and mightve gotten the opposite train as you or something, i just dont get the rough descriptor.

zambie zing

The relability is fine. It can’t run in the rain which sucks

Ahead of legend at Holiday world? No way

Whizzer or Zambezi Zinger? 😂

Chris, do you think this is the sleeper hit of 2023?

It's the steel supports. Steel doesn't bend like wood does so it puts all the stress on the track and train. Think of all the worst wooden coasters most have steel supports.

How does anyone finfance so many park tours?