Cedar Point Woodie

The Beast is INCREDIBLY mild. I've never seen a coaster celebrated to it's level that has so much straight and flat track on it, which albeit helps pad it's length stats. If the ride had the lift, bunny hill, maybe a tunnel, then lift & helix, it'd be fantastic. However the rest of the ride is just a flat meander through the woods.

Blue Streak is more intense than Beast, easily.

Also for those saying it's trimmed/was better back then, it had the same braking system back then. And if you put a current POV up against the old POV, the current is actually quite alot faster than the original ride, I'm not joking. I wrote a pretty interesting writeup here, too bad it looks like the video comparison is gone, I'd have to recreate that.

Those to claim night rides are fantastic, well of course, you lose the fact that you can't see the straight path you're about to encounter, and also gives the illusion that you're going much faster than you truly are (at it's fastest, it's only 65, so who knows where it is during these sections).

Ride Racer or Mystic Timbers if you want a great woodie, the Beast isn't up there with them.

XS NightClub said:

...excitement...

That's not how you spell "nostalgia".

Then CP could sure use some more 'Nostalgia' and less Immelmanns. (Not less, just not anymore for awhile)

Oh, let's not squabble about The Beast and in turn let's forget about something like that ever coming to CP. And in that we don't even need to discuss ride quality, but mere acreage alone.

I think if and when CP decides to treat us to another real wooden coaster it would not be a long out and back variety, (or even a shorter one, MT style), but some kind of smallish twister, like the afore mentioned CP Cyclone. But rest assured in doing so at least one beloved (to someone) ride or attraction would be on the chopping block. I personally kind of wish it never happens, simply because I don't want to hear the crying.

It would be a hard task, anyway. As fantastic as MSv2 is shaping up to be, CP may be painting itself into a corner with that one. I predict the public will still perceive the ride as a "wooden" ride and after that any further attempt at a real woodie would pale in comparison. Would it appeal to those who don't care for extreme forces and/or inversions? Ok. Would it cause enthusiasts everywhere to gnash their teeth in anticipointment? Sure thing.

So for right now I'm saying "yeah, no thanks".

I couldn't agree more with Go Intamin. The Beast has bad pacing, a bunch of slow straight sections, it is trimmed to death and the only good part is the final double helix. I would take almost any other woodie over The Beast.

"A bunch of slow straight sections" = old mcbr shed?

Where's the rest of these slow straight sections you speak of?

I first rode The Beast in 2015 so there's no nostalgia in it for me and I love it! It's a great ride and I hope they never change it or demolish it.

thedevariouseffect said:

Those to claim night rides are fantastic, well of course, you lose the fact that you can't see the straight path you're about to encounter, and also gives the illusion that you're going much faster than you truly are (at it's fastest, it's only 65, so who knows where it is during these sections).

With all due respect, that is what makes it worth it. Be it nostalgia (I'm not really old enough to be "nostalgic" about The Beast - Mean Streak was my first "big coaster" - and I didn't get a chance to ride The Beast until maybe 3 years ago) or whatever else it may be, the handful of night rides on The Beast I have had the pleasure of experiencing live right at the top of my metaphorical resume. I was at King's Island for a three day weekend last summer, and didn't ride Beast until dusk had fallen upon the third day there in Mason, Ohio. And, I must say, the feeling of an uncontrollable Beast dragging me through the total darkness stirred up the most primal instincts of fight or flight within me like no other coaster had. Having experienced that, the following, final ride on Diamondback paled in comparison. Don't get me wrong, Diamondback is great - but that night belonged to The Beast.

I don't get the love of the Beast. I rode it back in 1988 for the first time and wasn't impressed even back then. Just lots of straight track on a pleasant ride through the woods. Enclose the trains and you could mistaken the ride for a light rail or subway ride. No forces, airtime or excitement to speak of, just a lot of noise through the tunnels. Mean Streak had a better, more dynamic ride than the Beast. The Beast is a snoozer as far as I'm concerned.

If the illusion of speed due to darkness makes the Beast worth it, close your eyes when you ride any coaster. ****, TTD should be INTENSE by that logic then ;)

Also, again, the ride if anything is trimmed LESS today than when the ride came out. Look at the MCBR in old POVs vs today. It CRAWLED through there now, but currently only gets stopped at the very end. Plus, the hill before the second lift, it barely got over that back then, and now will blast about a 1/3rd up the lift. So to be upset that it's trimmed to hell now is completely incorrect, that's just your nostalgia showing.

Lastly, I should reiterate my point about flat sections. This isn't just "straight line" like the brake shed, but can also be attributed to some sections like the tunnel which is just a soft sweeping flat turn that's literally just pure boring.

Part's of Beast that suck:

• The literal 3 minutes of ride spent on the first lift hill (yes I understand this can't be changed, but a dumb long layout leads to stuff like this)
• Flat brake shed of pointlessness
• The slowness leading to the first tunnel in a boring right hand turn and minor hill
• The tunnel itself, it just straight up sucks
• The turn out of the tunnel until you get to the bank to to the right leading to the 2nd lift.

So in summary, the entire middle of the ride essentially. Like I said, if the layout was:

• Lift & Drop
• Bunny Hill
• Sharp bank & maybe some close speed on the ground
• Lift Hill (could even be omitted if possible)
• Helix
• Brake run

Get rid of everything from the shed to the lift except for the turn before, and I'd be happy.

thedevariouseffect said:

If the illusion of speed due to darkness makes the Beast worth it, close your eyes when you ride any coaster. ****, TTD should be INTENSE by that logic then ;)

You would think, yes. I never said anything about intensity, though. ;)

Pete said:
No forces, airtime or excitement to speak of, just a lot of noise through the tunnels.

I think this is where the "Beast is great' and the 'Beast is boring' folks part ways. I love dynamic coasters with forces and airtime -- if I could only show the bruises I got on the Williams Grove Cyclone -- but I also enjoy more sedate coasters.

For me, the beauty of the Beast is that it takes advantage of the land the park owns to sprawl out. Hurtling through a dark wooded area leading up to that spectacular helix is, to me, a wonderful experience.

Beast is usually called boring by the people who call Millie forceless.

Some people enjoy drag racing, some people enjoy autocross, and some people drive mini vans.

The Beast is very enjoyable if you are looking for an adventure through the woods. It's not designed on computers for maximum intensity.

Back on original topic:
Does anyone know if the park could build along the beach towards the parking lot and back past Gatekeeper?

I don't know why not. The beach is theirs and they could place footers in it.
Are you envisioning an out n back that starts around (in place of) the stadium, goes to the parking lot and comes back? Maybe two layers?
That midway gets a lot of sand on windy days, but if Gatekeeper gets along ok there then I'd think a woodie should too.

XS NightClub said:
(because the last thing CP needs is another Immelmann).

They only have 2 Immelmanns (Immelmen?), 3 if you count the first half of Raptor's cobra roll... Why not say no more corkscrews/flat spins? There are 8 of those at Cedar Point!

Can they build out over the water? Less down time due to retrieving lost phones. :)

Well, Rougarou is built over water for the first half, and that doesn't seem to be stopping anything.

I don't think the Coast Guard will allow CP to build out over the water. Besides the State Of Ohio owns the shoreline up to the high-water mark. So CP does not own the beach they just maintain it. I have friends who own a cottage on the lake and they found out the high-water mark is about ten feet from their back door.

If that's the case it seems building along the beach is out of the question and Gatekeeper is as far as the park can go into the front of the park.