2008 Season Preview

Okay, so now that PointBuzz has posted the list of new stuff for this season how about comments on the list? I know I have a few...

> The official list of what's new for 2008

> Park Operations
> Planet Snoopy

This looks to be a neat way to deal with that playground that has *always* seemed out of place. I wonder if this means that Kiddy Kingdom's years are numbered?

> Skyscraper (Challenge Park)

Yawn...

> Family Center (at Main First Aid)

This sounds like a good idea.

> Restroom floors resurfaced at Demon Drop and Space Spiral

The restroom upgrade program continues. Those are two of the busier locations, so this has got to be a good move.

> New greens at Challenge Golf

Never played back there. What kind of shape were the greens in? Will people notice, or is this one of those pre-emptive repairs?

> Platinum Passes

Twice the parks for half the money. I'm glad they finally worked this one out. From processing mine at Kings Island last weekend I think there are still some glitches to work out, but I think they've made it a good solid program.

> Joe Cool and Early Entry will be one hour this year, from 9-10 a.m.
> Rides included: Maverick, Raptor, Millennium Force, Iron Dragon,
> Skyhawk and Planet Snoopy

Okay. I generally don't get there early enough to participate, but that's a nice gesture. :)

> New Season Pass system and procedures in admissions

> New ticket system

These two, assuming they are done right, may well be the best things on the list. Cedar Point's season pass processing system in the past has been downright Soviet in its inefficiencies, complexity, and slowness. It would be hard to change the process and have it not be a major improvement.

> Spiels and music on CP & LE Railroad

I don't know whether I like this one or not. It kind of depends on whether it is entertaining or annoying.

> Wheelchair accessible coach on CP & LE Railroad

Wait a minute; hasn't the last coach on one of the trains been wheelchair accessible for a number of years now? Or did they add an additional wheelchair accessible coach for the other train?

> Retractable seatbelts on Blue Streak, Mean Streak and Corkscrew

This should actually be an improvement. Especially if it means the release button on Corkscrew is now on the shoulder bar where you can reach it instead of down between your legs where you can't.

> Seatbelts on Matterhorn and Troika

*sigh*. I really find myself asking, "why?". I don't really object, especially on Matterhorn with its non-latching lap bar, but it really isn't necessary. And I hope they didn't do anything stupid like Six Flags did to the lap bars on the Matterhorn at Geauga Lake.

> Safety straps on Giant Wheel doors and Tilt-a-Whirl lap bars

This is another major "what the..." item. I can't imagine what they are trying to accomplish here, especially on the Tilt.

> New lifeguard shirts with SPF
> Headsets at Mine Ride and Mean Streak
> Auto-spiel at Demon Drop
> Magnetic exit gates on Wave Swinger, Witches’ Wheel and Camp Snoopy

Four examples of looking out for the employees.

> New platform signs at Raptor, Magnum, Disaster Transport,
> Mean Streak, Iron Dragon and WildCat

I wonder what this means. Is it the (in some cases overdue) replacement of the old worn-out signs, or do we get more acres of useless weasel-words?

> Food Services
> Subway (former Surrey)

Subs are certainly healthier than Dippin' Dots, which is what was there before...

> Tomo Japanese restaurant (in Hotel Breakers)
> Joe Cool Café
> - Featuring fresh salad bar
> - Great new kid’s menu (adult menu also available)
> - Creamy milk shakes
> - Fresh baked dog bone cookies
> - All kid’s meals come with a great souvenir lunch box

Awww, I figured for this one they'd set it up so that the adults get the cool box with the toy. :)

> Toft’s Ice Cream Parlor
> - Featuring Toft’s premium ice cream
> - Home made waffle cones

Well covered on PointBuzz. It's kind of like when Six Flags tried to run a park in Northern Ohio and didn't understand that the Cedar Point brand name was a lot stronger than the Six Flags brand. In Sandusky, Toft's beats Ben & Jerry every time.

> All beef burger (gluten free)

Ahhh...er...I'm not sure I want to know what was in the burgers before!

> Cajun popcorn shrimp baskets
> Great new 40oz Maverick souvenir vessel (only available at Cedar Point)

I wonder if they got together with Operations this time. Remember the Dragster souvenir vessels that were refillable, but could not be taken on Dragster when empty and would not fit into any locker? I still think the Intamin coasters ought to be set up with cupholders... :)

> Chocolate covered jumbo pretzels

Chocolate covered pretzels are good, jumbo pretzels are good. But is it possible to have too much of a good thing?

> All kid’s meals will come with a sanitizing wipe
Makes up for the lack of hand sanitizers outside the restrooms? :)

> Icee mix it up program (kids can mix and match various flavors
> in a great new souvenir cup)

Adults too, if you're into that sort of thing. They have the same thing set up at Kings Island now; continuous freezers set up so you can pull your own.

> Fresh squeezed lemonade at Planet Snoopy
> Great new Prime Rib burger at Game Day Grill (made from choice
> chopped prime rib)

Hmmmmm....

> Games/Merchandise
> Planet Snoopy Games
> Corn Popper game
> Duck Pond
> Dan Austin, new Games Warehouse Manager
> Ryan Reeve, new merchandise area manager

I don't know either of these people (I'm not that much of a CP geek!) but certainly congratulations are always in order to people who receive promotions and new appointments.

> CP Odds & Ends, between Pagoda and Snoopy Boutique, is becoming
> a print your own t-shirt venue

I'm still trying to picture where this place is...

> Woodcarver’s (formerly Gavere on the Frontier Trail) is now
> “Frontier Heart & Home,” featuring affordable country Americana
> home décor and a country Christmas section. Paul the woodcarver
> will still be in front of the store.

Hey, as long as Paul is still there... :)

> Spooky Hollow is also receiving upgraded merchandise and a
> store fixture upgrade

> Cedar Creek will be adding a new Christmas section with a
> fully-decorated tree

Combine that with the (snowing!) Christmas tree in the Snoopy Boutique and does that mean there are now two Christmas trees on the Point?

> Pagoda is in the process of a total floor move with a new look

> The Glasshouse is upgrading with specialty glassware including
> a selection of collectable Blenko limited-edition glassware. All
> Blenko products are made in the USA by skilled glass workers.

> Snoopy Boutique has new merchandise and a store reorganization
> to showcase Peanuts character sections

Oh, maybe they don't have the Christmas tree anymore... :)

> Accommodations
> 2nd phase of renovations to Sandcastle Suites

And I hear said renovation was long overdue?

> Justin Brady has been promoted to General Manager at Castaway Bay
> Paul Mesenburg has been promoted to Manager of Breakers Express

Again, I don't know these people, but congratulations on promotions...

> Dominic’s in the Hotel Breakers is changing to Tomo, a Japanese
> hibachi restaurant

> Marketing
> New ticketing system

I think I commented on this one earlier. This is the real exciting bit.

> Position changes
> New VP of Marketing, Clark Culbertson
> New Website Manager, Tony Clark

Again, congratulations, etc. Except I did actually meet Tony once. :)

> Live Entertainment
> Snoopy’s Big Bow Wow (ice show)
> All Wheels Extreme (Extreme Sports Stadium)
> Signed, Sealed, Delivered (Centennial Theatre)
> Country Unleashed (Red Garter Saloon)

On the one hand, I'm glad to see they figured out how to put the stadium to good use. On the other hand, I'm kind of sorry the stadium isn't gone yet. :)

There, I started. Anyone else care to comment?

--Dave Althoff, Jr.

The return of Bill Spehn? Does that count? Or is that last year news?

Officially, I think that's last year's news.

That said, I think there is a chance that it might be one of the most important things that has happened at the park recently. But that's just my opinion. We shall see what happens.

--Dave Althoff, Jr.

Cool - retractable seatbelts on MS, BS and Corkscrew! I wonder if the ride hosts are still going to have to buckle the empty seats??? My guess is no - should help boost numbers at those coasters. Now if only they added them to my Maggie... eventually, one can hope. I didn't see anything that had to do with SRF's boats... hopefully something was done to the boats to enable full capacity again... it's numbers practically were cut in half from the previous years because of those darn magnetic brakes that I heard were simply tearing the boats apart. I like the idea of auto spiels and music on CP&LE... might make the trip to the back of the park a little less boring!

Finally - seatbelts on Matterhorn and Trokia! (boy, I wish there was a rolly-eyes emoticon right about now). I'm also curious about these new platform signs on Magnum, Raptor, DT, MS, ID and Wildcat. Probably just "new" old ones, but maybe they're new designs. MS already had a headset, but I'm glad CCMR now has one. When will maXair get a headset??? I hate having to spiel from controls.

Overall, a good list. Makes me feel good that so many improvements are implemented every off season!

As I'm contracted to Matterhorn, I may have a bit of a bias as to my reaction, but, seatbelts!? Capacity is bad enough on those rides already without the op (me) having to worry about buckling the belts on all of the empty cars as well as stopping to assure people that the lap bar not locking is perfectly normal, just as you can see on the sign in your car. Now, as a normal person who understands just how ridiculous lawsuits and legalities have gotten, I understand the motivation of cutting risks...but really...

I will say, however, that I really like the list, for the most part.

You know, I hadn't really thought about headsets at maXair. The 2005 crew was very fast (faster than 2006 and last summer, if you ask me, but then again, I do have a slight bias there...) with spiels from load and controls, though I can see how a headset could make things easier in a way over there. My biggest question though, is what about the other wooden coaster?

Most of the list sounds good.

One thing I was hoping they would address over the winter is the condition of the restroom next to Magnum. They have major water leakage problems there. The mens room floor is always wet and slippery. Just changing the floor will not fix this problem. It needs major rehab.

As for the Subway replacing the Dippin Dots at Surrey, I think it was the only place at CP where you could get a Dippin Dots float. My son got one last year and I thought it was the most pitiful concoction ever. It was a pile of Dippin Dots with pop. It just didn't work. Of course he liked it. Now the temptation to have another will be gone. I am forever grateful for this move.

Clevelandkid said:
The mens room floor is always wet and slippery.

I've seen this issue before, and it is not a problem with plumbing. At least not the plumbing attached to the toilets.

I thought the mini-golf was still in great shape in most places. Maybe it needed some spot repairs, but I didn't notice.

Operationally, I think things are already getting better. I heard that Raptor will be far more efficient with ride ops going up one row then down the next, instead of in and out of four rows to check only the one side. That should help.

I think it is a plumbing issue. I've been in there soon after opening and there is always lots of water back where the urinals end and the stalls begin. It's too much to be water from mopping the floor or bad aim. I hope not to get too graphic on this subject.

Either way this place needs attention.

RideMan said:
> New greens at Challenge Golf

Never played back there. What kind of shape were the greens in? Will people notice, or is this one of those pre-emptive repairs?

I thought the greens were in really good shape, but new is always better.

> Wheelchair accessible coach on CP & LE Railroad

Wait a minute; hasn't the last coach on one of the trains been wheelchair accessible for a number of years now? Or did they add an additional wheelchair accessible coach for the other train?

It must be an additional coach for the other trains because you are correct in saying one of the trains already had a wheelchair accessibe coach.

> CP Odds & Ends, between Pagoda and Snoopy Boutique, is becoming
> a print your own t-shirt venue

I'm still trying to picture where this place is...

It think it is that counter that sold lottery tickets in the past. Not really a store, it is just an opening in the building with a counter in front.

Odds & Ends is what Pete described. They also sold some novelty items and light up items for after dark.

Planet Snoopy is a joke! Cedar Point already has the frog hopper, balloons in Camp Snoopy, and Camp Bus.

Approximately 1/2 of the new rides in Camp Snoopy, Cedar Point already had.

Cedar Point could have put in the train, 4X4's, tea cups, and flying rocket space ships, purchase 3 additional new rides from Zamperela and the Planet Snoopy area would be awesome!

The other 3 rides, along with purchasing 3 or 4 more new rides could have went to Michigans Adventure or a different park. What would have the total cost been $ 750,000 - $ 1,000,000?? That is chump change to Cedar Fair!

Lack of excellent planning on Cedar Fair's part!

Could have done alot more and gotten a bigger bang out of their bucks if they would have followed a plan like the one listed above!

Kids do not recognize that a ride is the exact same, look no further then kiddie kingdom to see that (aka land of [insert transportation vehicle here} that moves slowly in a circle.) Besides, kiddie rides have horrible capacity, so why not get more rides and make the lines shorter for the group (outside of coaster enthusiasts ;)) most apt to complain about a long line.

If you use more exclamation points, we'd totally see your point of view. MiA just got a steel coaster that's already too much for that park, and its kids areas adequately meet the crowd expectation. They don't need those rides. And no one is going to care if there are duplicate rides at CP, any more than they care that there are two carousels, used to be two dodge'ems or three french fry stands.

Send in your resume. Sounds like they could really use your help.

Human Resources
Cedar Point
1 Cedar Point Dr.
Sandusky, OH 44870

You'd think they'd learn from their mistakes:

1969 - Added Antique Cars in Frontiertown, despite having Cadillac Cars on Main Midway

1991 - Added additional wooden roller coaster, Mean Streak, while another wooden roller coaster, Blue Streak, sits near the front of the park.

1996 - Opened Mantis, only two years after opening another B&M coaster, Raptor

Multiple carousels, all those circular kiddie rides, more than one food stand selling pizza, restrooms. Where does it end?!

Seriously, who (besides grumpy childless enthusiasts and Geauga Lake mourners) is going to care that there are similar rides literally a mile across the park? Why did no one complain about the multiple examples of duplication at Cedar Point before now? (I have a guess or two).

I heard about the procedure changes at Raptor as well and it does seem to make good sense - a lot less wasted movement and as soon as you're done checking, you are right back in position. Here's to hoping some other assinine operational changes that have happened in the past couple years (hiding behind pillars, standing behind red lines where you can't see the train, ridiculous weather policies that resulted from politics, loose article bins where they're not practical, etc) are quickly undone by Bill Spehn as well.

Truthfully, there is no excuse for what has happened to Raptor over the last few years. They've topped 2 million in the past with bins and all, but I'm glad Spehn noticed the drop in numbers and is trying to do something to help the situation. I hope he does the same at Magnum and rips those bins out of there and puts people back along side (not behind) the pillars where they belong.

Three other rides that need an operational overhaul by Bill Spehn are Gemini, Skyhawk, and Maxair.

The Skyhawk and maXair restraint checking is ridiculously silly. Who thinks the restraints will suddenly open in the time between checking them twice? "Prepare restraints for departure, cross check and verify straps!"

Jeff said:
The Skyhawk and maXair restraint checking is ridiculously silly. Who thinks the restraints will suddenly open in the time between checking them twice? "Prepare restraints for departure, cross check and verify straps!"

Things are double checked to catch errors on the first check.

On maXair, the double check actually makes sense beyond just checking for error (have you noticed that unlike a lot of other parks, notably SF, the ops check the train/vehicle in the opposite direction? it acts as an error check, and actually does help time-wise), because if you check half of the gondola (1-25 for load, 26-50 for unload), you have to walk back around the half circle anyway, so why not make a quick double check when it will only add a few seconds on the other half of the circle when you're walking that way anyway. It adds a level of safety, and just makes sense.

Now, Skyahwk...that is one restraint check that I do have an issue with.

First, I have to say that I am very excited about Planet Snoopy. To me it looks like a great addition. I know a lot of people have been complaining about how CP basically just put in duplicate rides of ones already found in the park, but honestly, no kid is going to notice or care. I do agree that it had of been nice had the area gotten a signature attraction (something unique like a new kiddie coaster, ball factory, etc), but still it is nice to see a revamp for that area. Plus the whole place just looks great regardless of what's in it. Everything looks fresh, lots of shade, and it just looks nicely designed overall. And while I was skeptical at first, it does look as if they have put in a nice amount of work to make the rides fit in with Snoopy instead of the Looney Toons characters.

Did anyone else notice the new red lam-posts that appear in the area? They look like the ones that were formerly at Steel Venom at Geauga Lake to me... Nice to see they are doing so much recycling.

The other park improvements also look to be a nice touch, specifically the new retractable seat-belts. I still think that the Main Midway is in need of a major refresh though, and the "pavers" look to be nothing more than concrete of a slightly different color. I just think that if they were to give it a maXair midway treatment it would make the entrance much more inviting. New lamp-posts would be a nice start. But overall it looks like it's going to be a nice season.