... but until then, how about 2017!

Cedar Point Shores anyone? Or we just skipping this season?

Sorry folks. The moose out front should have told you that Cedar Point Shores isn't open yet.

Not that they were missed this past weekend, but out of curiosity when do the two water rides open?

^ Haven't they always opened on Memorial Day weekend, or am I mistaken?

Regarding CP Shores, I've noticed on the webcams that they are repainting Erie Falls. It isn't fully jet black anymore.

I'm excited for CP Shores. Tony said the park will be like 99% different, so I'm curious to see if that's true or not.

Why would he lie to you like that?

He has a B.S. in marketing

The water rides will open on the 27th, which is Saturday of Memorial Day Weekend.

Here's a few little new things I noticed yesterday:

1. Some of the food stands have switched over to a computerized kiosk system, where order and pick-up are now totally separate from each other, and cashiers are only necessary if you pay in cash. I ate at the Stockade in Frontiertown, and the process felt far faster than in the past; it was nice not having to really wait in any sort of line. Too bad the kiosk doesn't offer the option to modify your order, like saying "no tomatoes" (you have to tell the order window worker what changes you want to make).
2. The trees on the right/older side of Soak City/CP Shores are completely gone. It definitely improves the integration with the lake/beach, but at the same time it makes the waterpark look like a concrete jungle.
3. Raptor now has the double-buckle restraints for larger guests available in Row 4, and GateKeeper has new vests which are much less "grippy" and subsequently a lot more comfortable than the worn-down old vests.
4. Water pressure has significantly improved in the restroom sinks. I'm guessing the new water tower is partly accounting for this.
5. The removal of the trees in front of Panda Express makes Millennium Force look absolutely terrifying from the ride entrance/midway. A picture says a thousand words:

Here's to a great season!

^ to #5, does there appear to be a reason for the madness that is the tree removal in front of Panda Express?

New promo for CP Shores:

Looks like Magnum has a new on ride photo booth as well...

CPGuru said:

^ to #5, does there appear to be a reason for the madness that is the tree removal in front of Panda Express?

I can't remember where I read it on here, but I think it was because of an issue with the trees' health. I'll admit that I'll miss those trees a little in the atmosphere department, but when I saw MF's newly gained prominence, I definitely feel the secondary gain is quite large. The newly-created forced perspective makes MF look downright monstrous.

Was the "new" Ripcord running this weekend... or not ready yet?

^not ready yet, plus the area was flooded from all the rain

Yesterday I noticed one of the workers was wearing a flight suit, so I'd guess that they're at least testing/training for the new season.

I remember looking at the trees in front of Panda Express last season and thinking how huge and old they looked. It was probably a "sooner than later" decision to go ahead and remove them rather than have a greater risk that they might be damaged by a storm. That's just my speculation though.

In the promo for CP Shores, they show all 4 of the drop slides dropping at the same time, anyone know if the slides will actually be able to function that way? I have only been on the drop slides at KI, and I find it slightly annoying that they have to drop 2 (green and blue) and then the other one (yellow) separately. I don't know much about drop slides, so maybe they are all this way, but I'd love to see all 4 drop at once.

Other than KI's the only other one I have been on is at SFSTL and it is a ProSlide model with only two pods. There the countdown was not recorded and done live by the op. My favorite was a young man who would start the countdown and then randomly release on 2 or 3. Good times.

Chuck Wagon said:

I remember looking at the trees in front of Panda Express last season and thinking how...

... they ever got enough water to survive. With that whole area being covered by blacktop except right around the trunk I never could figure out how trees of that size could survive. Maybe the blacktop was sloped to force water to the trunk area? But even with that it seems like the root system would not grow large enough to keep a large tree from toppling over.

At WCO, I think it was Jason said it was the high water table. The end result is the same, not enough root structure. A professional arborist made the decision.