ET Coasters Predicts: Who will be invading Adventureland in 2023?

Credit: Luna Park 2022 Conceptual Art

Adventureland has set its sights on adding a new attraction for the 2023 season. The official announcement will be released on Tuesday August 9, 2022. Leading up to the big news, Adventureland has shared a series of teasers hinting at what we can expect for the newest attraction. Let's review our latest clues:

Clue 0, posted on July 29 reads, "News on our next adventure is on the horizon! We're getting ready - are you?" The image linked to this tease includes the number "2023" with a blue-gray background that appears like water or waves. There is a washed-away symbol over the water, but behind the numbers. The numbers are written in an old-timey font.

Credit Adventureland Facebook Page

Clue 1, Announced August 3rd, revealed a photo of a Nordic-like helmet with the message, "We unearthed something interesting at the site of our 2023 adventure. What could it mean? Stay tuned, more news is sure to come soon!"

Credit Adventureland Facebook Page

Clue 2, also revealed on August 3rd, when Adventureland displayed a series of banners in the park, along the construction site. The bold red banner disclosed what appears to be a soldier along the sea with more troops and ships in the background. Check out Adventureland Facebook Page for the video teaser!

Credit ET Coasters

Clue 3 was shared on August 4th. Here we see a video with a group of soldiers rowing in the sea. The video says" They're coming! By Land and By Sea. The Viking Invasion. Hang on to your Helmet!

What do we know so far? We've identified the recurring concepts of Vikings, Water / Sea, Ships and Boats, and Helmets. Additionally, the only true color revealed at this time is RED; all other teasers have featured a murky mix of grays and blues, silver and gold. What does this add up to? Could we be seeing a water attraction? Or a revival of the old fan-favorite of a log flume? One could only hope! But over the last several days, we've received additional clues that may help put these puzzle pieces together.

Clue 4, revealed on August 5th says "The numbers don't lie; they add up to a big adventure and big fun in 2023. What does it mean? We'll share soon but until then give us your best guess." The photo displayed two numbers "1312" and "370"; Behind the numbers you can faintly see a landscape in the background. Again, using those murky undertones both to disguise the image and reveal the symbolism. Behind the number "1312" you can see a pattern in concrete or stone. Is this a building? Or a piece of armor, such as a shield? This contrasts heavily with the image behind the number "370", which is clearly a body of water. What do these numbers mean? And how do they relate to the expected attraction?

Credit Adventureland Facebook Page

Clue 5 posted today says "TWO DAYS until we get answers about the invasion arriving in 2023. Two more clues make even more mystery..."

Credit Adventureland Facebook Page

The photo shows two new numbers with the same contrasting backgrounds as in Clue 4. Revealed with the stone / concrete patterned background is the number "26"; over the water background is the number "40"

Water, land, sea, Vikings, a series of numbers... what does this all add up to? My original thoughts are focused on three ideas: a return of the log flume / flume attraction, a water coaster, or a water splash battle ride. What are your thoughts? With two days to go before the final big announcement, let's dive into these clues and formulate our prediction.

I think it's a given that the attraction will be themed around water and tell some sort of story about a Viking invasion. But what type of ride will this be? And how do these numbers play into the idea?

The numbers could relate to several components of the ride. Is this part of the theme? Or is it describing the statistics of the attraction, such as length of track, miles per hour, height, gallons of water, or riders per cart? After doing some math, I don't think the numbers directly relate to each other - which leads me to think that this new attraction will feature two separate surprises. Since the background of the teasers continued to repeat, I'm predicting that the number "1312" from Clue 4 and the number "26" from Clue 5 are related; Likewise, "370" and "40" are related. So, what type of attraction would match these stats? One suggestion is a water coaster, but the numbers don't add up unless Adventureland chose a very small, custom layout. Another idea is for a disco-spinner coaster, but again the numbers don't seem to correlate, as a disco-spinner operates at a different speed and length than the numbers from our clues. I also looked into a Macks Splash Battle, where thrill seekers battle against one another while riding on separate boats with sprayers and water guns. This also seems out of the realm of the given clues, as this attraction also does not meet the criteria in Adventureland's numbers. What I continued to find though, were statistics on the length and speed of track; Although these attractions listed above did not meet the criteria, one attraction came particularly close: the log flume/coaster.

I want to hone in on the idea that Adventureland will be working with Zamperla to bring in a log flume. Adventureland has history with this manufacturer, as they recently received several flat rides from this company. Zamperla is currently constructing Tony's Express and Leti's Treasure, a dual attraction that features a log flume intertwined with a coaster at Coney Island's Luna Park. The Tony Express coaster measures 1312.3 feet and operates at 26.1 miles per hour. A standard log flume measures 350 - 400 meters and drops at 40 - 50 miles per hour. These numbers seem oddly similar to Adventureland's tease. When combined with the recent relationship Adventureland has fostered with Zamperla, I think we have a winner for what we can expect to see. ET Coasters predicts Adventureland will be adding a dual attraction that features a log flume interwoven with a coaster. The log flume matches the "sea" or water components, as well as the numbers "370" and "40"; the coaster matches the "land" components and would likely operate at 26 mph on a 1312 ft track, just as we were told in our clues. I predict that these attractions will intertwine, giving riders the sense that they are battling with the competing ride. It is likely that Adventureland will receive a cloned version of Tony's Express and Leti's Treasure but will instead feature the Viking land and sea battle theme. The only clue that remains unsolved is the helmet. Is this simply just part of the Viking theme? Or will the helmet feature a more prevalent role? It really seems like Adventureland has placed a significant amount of focus of the helmet itself, which leads me to believe that it may play a more critical role than simply just extended theming. Will the helmet be part of the train, or will the train cars be in the shape of a helmet? Will the helmet play a role in the storytelling found along the que line and as part of the rider experience? Or will we see a new spin on how this clue will reveal itself? Two more days to go!