Canada's Wonderland vs. Cedar Point

Does it seem strange that Canada's Wonderland has gotten two major new coasters, Behemoth (2008) and now Leviathan (2012), since Cedar Point last had a new one? Both parks have Windseeker and the Dinosaur display so it's not a matter of CP having gotten them instead. Perplexing indeed.

2012 season will be 5th season since Maverick. Making 2013-2014 season quite a possibility for a new coaster:)

Now I do not want to be that guy who's saying "we are totally gonna get a new coaster for 2013! WE HAVE TO WE HAVE TO!"

but I really do think that 2013 looks promising. I just have this gut feeling and all. What really got me was what they said last year at CoasterMania about "the surprise" at that will be announced at next years (2012) event.

Of Cedar Fair's seasonal parks Canada's Wonderland has proven to be the one with the most growth potnential at this time. In other words they are getting a higher return on investment than the other properties. There will come a time where that will no longer be the case, with the attendence reaching a plateau (which is what CP is dealing with now), and no amount of additional attractions will affect the attendence dramatically.

Cedar Point has pretty much matured in its state of development. There's no set of rules that require a park to build a new coaster every few years. There maybe a new one planned, but I sense there will be much more attention brought to other audiences in the park than the thrill seekers. There are parks across the country that don't have half the coasters as CP.

In the past few years I haven't thought this has to be the year for a new coaster. I was always hoping but I never had that feeling like this year. I truly believe we were supposed to get a new coaster for 2012 but with Dinoaurs alive being such a hit and all the coasters opening around us, they decided to postpone it.

I think we will see a 4th dimension. I don't think we will see a wing rider because there going up at parks all around us. And I don't think we'll see a dive machine cause of maverick and dragster that already go straight down. No matter what it is, I'd bet it'll be from B&M.

It's not perplexing at all. Cedar Point is mature. If you have any expectations of them building coasters at the pace experienced up to Dragster, you are going to spend the rest of your life disappointed.

Of course they will continue to build a new coaster now and then, but I would actually place my bet on an average of about 1 per decade; at least in terms of what you would call a large "record-breaking" type coaster.

It's simply not in the cards.

It makes perfect sense if you've been to Wonderland. A park with so many coasters and rides and not one really jumps out at you (I'm talking pre-Behemoth and Leviathan). In my life I think I've been to Wonderland 4-6 times and I've been to Cedar Point 50-60 times since 2003. I live 3 hours from Wonderland and 2 hours from Cedar Point so there isn't a huge distance difference. I went to Wonderland the year before Behemoth was built on a week day in July. It was so busy and there were so few rides that were worth riding that we were willing to wait for that we only spent 5ish hours in the park before calling it a day.

Wonderland is really a nice park with a big selection of coasters and flats but it didn't have any signature rides before Behemoth was built. In conversation about great rides at Cedar Point you can mention Millennium Force, Dragster, Magnum, Raptor, and the list goes on. Talk to people who have been to Wonderland about great rides there and there's Flight Deck (a Vekoma inverted), Vortex (a suspended Arrow like Iron Dragon), Sledgehammer (a Huss flat), and um, uh, well, there's that terrible Zamperla flying coaster....

Cedar Fair is drawing from a market of almost 10 million people within an hour or so drive to Wonderland. Heck, in all of Canada there is only one other major amusement park, and it's in Montreal. Give the people some rides that are worth riding!

The parks aren't children. They don't take turns building coasters so that it's fair. Cedar Fair is a business. They make huge capital expenditures when it makes sense.

^ Well CW is growing rapidly but there's not really enough room to put any more huge coasters, is there?

Wow, the running out of room theory knows no boundaries.

Jeff said:
The parks aren't children. They don't take turns building coasters so that it's fair.

No, instead they take turns building WindSeekers ;)

And dinosaurs. And Christmas lights.