Cedar Point Announces New Water Ride for 2010 Season

PrawoJazdy, while I can't say that what you noticed at the 2nd lift is what is causing some problems, I can say that it's a normal thing. What you were first feeling was the boat hitting rails to correct itself so it can correctly engage the lift chain. The other jolt you felt was the drive wheels grabbing the boat to get it at an adequate moving speed to coincide with the lift chain speed.

I didn't mention two jolts. I said one.

Going up the first lift, I felt the bumps you're talking about. The base of the second hill had one hard bang before being straightened and grabbed by the lift.

I will agree with PrawoJazdy. It was a hard jolt that was painful. I got hardly feel the one on the first hill. Plus on our second ride when we got stuck at the base of the lift, it was like the back was on the bottom of the flume and the top of the boat was crooked on the lift. I wish I could desribe it better but you could see to the other side underneath the boat, looking like that section should have been flat on the lift.

The more I read, the less I want to ride, but hey, I'm not a water ride fan anyways :)

I was there yesterday and rode it twice. Never noticed a big jolt. It looks like I will be riding in the front every time I ride. At 6'3" 185lbs I'm always the first they look at and place in the front. Thats the last place I want to be sitting with the big tidal wave at the bottom of every drop.

While standing in line, you can see the boats tilted to one side with all the weight on it. There were a few boats that looked like the water could have flowed over the side it was tipping so bad.

Also last week I went, they allowed bags to be placed in the shelves in the station. After waiting in line (which was only 15 minutes) I walked across the boat to put my bag in the bin only to be told they were only for shoes and shirts. I told the ride op that just last week they let me do it, and he said I needed to go back and buy a locker. I looked at him like he was a moron and said "I'm not waiting in line again and you can either let me put my bag in the bin or you can let me go buy a locker and come back up the ramp and ride on the next boat."

After a few death stares from me he told me to buy a locker and come back up the ramp. Hell no I wasn't buying a locker. I placed my bag on top of the lockers and walked back up. After getting yelled at by everyone else to "wait in line like the rest of them" the ride op put me and my cousin back in the front row.

Behind me and my cousin was a family of 4. The kids were probably 11 and 9. They complained the whole time that the signs were cheesy and that the ride sucked. Its not just us coaster freaks that think its a bad ride.

I personally give the ride about a 5 outta 10. The tunnel is the best part.

Just my random thoughts and observations of the new ride.

^Is it me, or is it that the ride hosts this year are either really friendly, or all really rude? I have gotten some crap from the workers this year and it was over loose articles. All you do is threaten to get park operations involved and ask for their name and they will almost always listen and compromise.

It is allowed according to the website to bring loose articles up to the station on every ride except Top Thrill Dragster and Millennium Force. It says nothing about Shoot the Rapids except cameras are not permitted on any water ride and can not be left in the station.

I know when I had an issue at str, the lady that worked there was very rude to me.

So out of curiosity, do they constantly shuffle riders and order them by weight on Pilgrim's Plunge?

I think Intamin owes Cedar Point a free set of soft straps for Maverick. I actually want that more than riding StR!

PrawoJazdy said:I didn't mention two jolts. I said one.Going up the first lift, I felt the bumps you're talking about. The base of the second hill had one hard bang before being straightened and grabbed by the lift.

Ok ok, you said jarred first and nothing else....MY bad. :) I put 2 in because I know from riding there's 2 separate occurrences involved that cause a "disturbance".

In anycase, those bumps, jumps, bangs, and other similar verbs you feel are not to be worried about. :)

Well heres the deal.

I rated Shoot the Rapids a 4 out of 10. I felt I didn't give it a good chance, so I went back today and rode 1.5 times. Still the same. Just a boat ride with two hills. Except when you get stuck on it for 10 minutes.

The first ride was uneventful. No jarring bump into the second lift. Second ride however was a bit more exciting. It started with one guest being pissed off they couldn't ride in our boat and were asked to ride in another boat. Presumably because of the weight situation in the boat. When we left the station she was still giving the ride op a hard time. Not going to say the op deserved it, but I understand the frustration of people being moved around 2 or 3 times.

We came through the canyon and the boat started listing terribly. Not quite dipping my side in the boat, but damn close. It didn't start until the canyon effects and was obviously from the water pouring in from said effects.

Thats when it all got hairy. We hit the lift. There is no question about it. We didn't glide into the wooden boards that are there to guide you into position, we hit it head on and a it made a bit of a racket when we did it. The boat kind of lurched for a second, but never went nose up to the lift and ass in the water to start going up the hill. Then everything stopped.

A ride op came out, told us to wait and asked if we were ok. Then maintenance and a suit (more of a shirt and tie) showed up and escorted us off. It was closed until I left around 2. According to other people in line, it had been up and down all day.

I still give it a 4.

PrawoJazdy said:
I turned around in the canyon and just about made some little girl cry when I finally had enough of her splashing me. I was waiting for the boat to hit the side of the flume and crush the older girl's hand in front of me.

I had a couple of these obnoxious kids on one of my rides. Luckily they stopped after I yelled at them for hitting me square in the face.

I didn't notice anything weird with the 2nd lift, but my ride was a couple of weeks ago.

Ralph Wiggum said:

PrawoJazdy said:
I turned around in the canyon and just about made some little girl cry when I finally had enough of her splashing me. I was waiting for the boat to hit the side of the flume and crush the older girl's hand in front of me.

I had a couple of these obnoxious kids on one of my rides. Luckily they stopped after I yelled at them for hitting me square in the face.

Wow, that's rough. And to think, you two almost got wet on a water ride! How traumatic that must have been.

I think you failed to note the difference between getting wet and getting hit square in the face by some punk kid.

Get off my lawn!!!

So how long do you guys think before the next modification to the ride?

Obviously this kind of operation can't go on.

I wonder if they'll push through these problems during the remaining warm months...then close it for the season for modifications. Sounds like they just need to come up with a way to make the boats more stable and buoyant.

Just close the ride for now. It's taking valuable maintenance crew away from the other Intamins that actually matter.

My guess is that new boats are either already on order or lawsuits over who will pay for said new boats are being prepared.

Dick seemed to have a little bit more hostility in his tone in the last interview. "This isn't new technology" and other statements about the StR delay and on going problems.

It's most disappointing that even after all of the delays, the kinks still aren't worked out. StR is moving slowly into the EPIC fail category. And all this talk about guests being moved around to balance out the boat, it still over flowing, and the back two rows being empty, along with it slamming and banging around on the lifts isn't helping.

What's really funny is there was a write up about str in our local paper talking about long lines in peak times and how great the ride is. Most everyone here is giving it a 4 or 5 out of 10.

I'd say it can't move to 'epic fail' until sometime next season. Intamin will likely re-engineer the boats and put the new ones on next year. At least, that is what should happen. If the next set of boats don't make the ride dramatically better, than I'd say it's a bust.

I've been disappointed with this ride since the announcement. Boring layout, boats are too big and lack the "intimacy" of the traditional flume log boat, and the thing is short- only about half the length of WWL, which I truly loved and still miss.

I remember when the original STR closed in 1981. I was disappointed then. But when I first saw WWL the next spring, my reservations instantly went out the window. It was beautiful. It was nearly a mile long. It had the elevated track section with the gorgeous view of the lake, and the original theming that collapsed in later years.

In short, it was a world-class water ride, and leaps and bounds above it's predecessor. It was better in its later years, as the trees had grown around it.

I was hoping for the same when WWL's replacement was announced.

But, I'd be highly disappointed in this thing even if there were no technical issues.

The types of problems they are having with a simple pseudo-flume are nothing short of shocking to me.

I agree with the epic failure comment. STR II is a total pooch screw.

I would honestly rather have the Mill Race.

Ordering this ride was dumber than enclosing Avalanche Run.