Cedar Point 2013

For those bashing the color scheme....I have requested through the proper channels that you may be right and you should see the colors reflect that in honor of the Wildcat before its demise. Enjoy!

I'm pretty shocked after reading the last five or six pages from the announcement on how many people are not pleased with the layout or the colors, I'm thrilled with both. Sure there isn't much after the break run but there is so much before it. Sure it could have done a couple other things but this is a huge ride as is. There is so much going on and looks GREAT to me. I can't wait, I'm with everyone who is super excited about this ride and can't wait to finally ride it next year.

Also, quick question, I tried to look but didn't see anyone say anything about it, sorry if it was mentioned, but I can't see anywhere whether or not the inclined dive loop turn around is considered an inversion or not, it looks like it to me but does GateKeeper officially have 5 or 6 inversions?

Ffej said:
Do any of the other Wing Riders run 3 trains fluidly?

I like that CP tried to make this a people eater, but I'm thinking of Mantis, wasted money, and an off-feeling MCBR that won't need to be there if the trains just end up stacking.

Not even Raptor runs fluidly with any consistency. I too am puzzled why there's only one load/unload area.

Chuck Wagon said:
Mantis only started stacking badly after seat belts were added to the ride. I don't think there will be a problem.

Raptor stacks, and that coaster is probably the closest analog to GK. I would think that nearly 20 years of operation would have helped justify a separate load/unload.

Don't get me wrong, as this is a minor quibble. The ride looks incredible, both from a ride experience standpoint as well as in how it will transform the front of the park. I'd just love to know the thought process that led them to a single station. Probably loose articles? I dunno.

Pete said:
Another unique and interesting thing about Gatekeeper is that the MCBR is outside the park. If they ever unload the train from the MCBR they will need to give everyone hand stamps during the unload process to ensure everyone can get back into the park.

I'm not convinced that's the case. If you look at the footer layout, you can see that there are infield roads leading to the maintenance/transfer/station area. Those roads are directly adjacent to the MCBR. The park perimeter looks as though it might be extended out beneath the lift hill, transfer and MCBR.

Your mom is to fat to ride TTD. said:
I would take that bet, but I don't want it.

Im sure Lance Armstrong would take that bet.

Seperate load/unload would slow things down on a ride like Raptor or Magnum and it really slows things the heck down on Millennium Force when they drop to anything less than three trains. Unload only makes sense when the stacked train is going to sit for long enough for people to get up, step off, collect their junk or whatever they need to do and exit far enough away that it's safe to move the train forward. Magnum and Raptor, when they are being run correctly should not have the train stacked for more than 10-20 seconds. Have you ever seen Dragon Challenge at Islands of Adventure operate with two trains per side? Very inefficient compared to Raptor. The biggest problem with Raptor is the platform is too small. The load side isn't big enough to keep enough people on it so that all four seats can be filled consistently when the crew is really moving the trains in/out quickly and the unload side isn't big enough to get the congestion away from the train and out of the way with one group exiting, the next group putting their stuff in the bin, and ops trying to check the train.

Having said all that, you still might be right about unload being the better way to go with GateKeeper. I haven't seen how they load these yet, but I'm curious how they seperate people about to ride from people that have already ridden without either a) keeping the load station empty until people have exited (terribly inefficient) or b) some sort of elaborate queues and railings in the station. I suspect it's B.

MDOmnis said:
Seperate load/unload would slow things down on a ride like Raptor or Magnum and it really slows things the heck down on Millennium Force when they drop to anything less than three trains.

Then don't drop to 2-train operation. :)

I understand how 2-train operation could be slowed by dual stations, but when it comes to the park's most popular rides, it seems to be a no brainer to have dual stations.

Sure, 2-train operation is slowed by that setup, but the ride should only be running 2-trains when the line is short. When the line is short, it's not as important to keep capacity up. When the line is 1+ hour long, the ride should be running 3 trains, and it seems as though making that process as fast as possible is important.

Coaster Boi said:
Maybe. But DT took up all that area and sucked. We need a small outdoor coaster (like a junior coaster) to bring our coaster count up.

Message to all haters : CEDAR FAIR THEMSELVES SAID THAT THEY CARE ABOUT THE COASTER COUNT. SO DON'T GIVE ME CRAP ABOUT THE COASTER COUNT NOT MATTERING.

YOU SHOULD REALLY TAKE A MARKETING 101 CLASS. REGURGITATING CF PUBLIC RELATIONS TALKING POINTS DOES NOT PROVE YOUR POINT.

X-Flight's load/unload seemed as efficient as it could be. They unload, clear the station(mostly) then swing the gates open for the next set of riders. Seeing as they run two trains and the line moved pretty well, I would assume this will be a little faster but only because of the block towards the end. X-Flight was a very fun ride and GK looks even better. Looking forward to spring already!
Also, thought I'd add, the line splits beneath the station, forcing a decision to ride either the left or right side.

My first reaction was how little was after the MCBR, but then I thought of Magnum and its "victory lap" after the MCBR. Honestly, I'd be happy if every coaster had a final helix at the end ala Raptor, Gemini or CCMR. like Jeff said, with the MCBR off, Gatekeeper's finalmhelix may just surprise us.

Wow! I am very surprised at all the negative reaction; I think the ride looks great. The thing I like best is that it's a simple design, aside from the different trains. No complicated launches or stations means less chance of lengthy technical issues.

The one thing I cannot understand is the brakes prior to the final helix. Can someone explain this? Is it simply a safety necessity (extra block) so they can operate three trains? Why would they not put an ever so slightly trimmed air-time hill there instead?

^3 train operation.

BuckeyeCoasterFan said:

SSL488 said:
What are you talking about?? The keyholes are still there..

They are not included in the first run through. At 1:00 the train goes into the roll and then at 1:03 it has already reversed and is headed back toward the station. The video cuts back to them at the end of the video after doing the pointless rewind.

The first "run through" skips them. It shows the first half of the ride up until the camel back leading to the keyholes and then jumps up to the MCBR and goes backward from there, back through the keyholes and up to the camel back before going forward again.

I think the only reason they did this is to not show the entire run in one solid animation block.

A couple of fiscal matters likely determine the separate unload station issue. First is the cost to build the second platform (and the space that it requires) but the long term expense is in staffing those extra positions now and forever. That doesn't come cheap over the history of the attraction.

Over a 20 year term the cost of that extra unload station could easily be in the$500k range, maybe more depending on the number of additional staff required.

Ah, good point. Hadn't considered staffing costs.

I love how no one bothered to mention the 170' inversion during the Q&A/ But people ask questions about "what part will go over the front gate?". Really people? Do you have eyes?

To be fair, those at the event weren't watching the ride animation in HD, inches away from a monitor. Their perception of the ride came by way of a couple smallish pictures and the video displayed high above the gate (I assume).

If this thing's gonna successfully run 3 trains and hit interval, they cannot allow loose articles on the platform at all.

Having seen load/unload on a wing coaster, even flip-flops cause a jam. I can't imagine adding basketballs, stuffed animals, purses, sunglasses, cell phones, keys, water bottles. But CP is bin-crazy, so I'm sure they'll be allowed. I still don't get why any loose articles are allowed on rides, even at Disney.

Guide_Wheel said:
If this thing's gonna successfully run 3 trains and hit interval, they cannot allow loose articles on the platform at all.

Having seen load/unload on a wing coaster, even flip-flops cause a jam. I can't imagine adding basketballs, stuffed animals, purses, sunglasses, cell phones, keys, water bottles. But CP is bin-crazy, so I'm sure they'll be allowed. I still don't get why any loose articles are allowed on rides, even at Disney.

They need to implement the cubby hole/cubby box system like they have at KD and everyone is resposible for their own loose articles. I think this system is very effective and an individual doesn't have to use a locker at every freaking ride. I haven't been to CP in 3 years... Do they have the cubby hole/cubby box system yet?

The biggest reason so many people are dissapointed is that Cedar Point Hypes these announcements up so much by trying to keep everything such a mystery. Then we expect way more than they could ever deliver.

Who was the caped character with the big harness in the press announcement anyway? I was expecting him to do something like fly around or something because that looked like a half inch cable he was seemingly connected to.

I am also very suprised that the website has very few details concerning the layout, specifications, or targeted completion date. When Maverick was introduced, they were a lot more detailed in what was going to be built. I get the feeling that many details are not yet finalized in the entire project - which is getting typical for Monty & his group.

JuggaLotus said:

They are not included in the first run through. At 1:00 the train goes into the roll and then at 1:03 it has already reversed and is headed back toward the station. The video cuts back to them at the end of the video after doing the pointless rewind.

The first "run through" skips them. It shows the first half of the ride up until the camel back leading to the keyholes and then jumps up to the MCBR and goes backward from there, back through the keyholes and up to the camel back before going forward again.

I think the only reason they did this is to not show the entire run in one solid animation block.

I was thinking that since they showed the train going through the keyholes in slow motion that they were trying to emphasize the awesome elements that tie into the gate, hence the whole "GateKeeper" thing... It could have been done in a less confusing way, but I thought it was pretty neat myself. :)