Cedar Point's 2011 ride will target thrill seekers

Jason Hammond said:All that being said, of the thrill rides that would fit in this space, have good capacity and reliability, a Top Spin seems to make sense.

I thought they were unreliable, especially the giant ones? I have always heard that Tomb Raider basically "rips itself apart" and that maintenance is always having to be done to it. That all could be wrong but I have been under the impression that they were a maintenance nightmare. I know you can always find one for sale from a park, such as Kennywoods.

If my vote counted, I would say world's tallest drop ride. 400+ feet.

If the new ride is strictly on Demon Drop's old site, I would love to see a large-capacity Intamin Surfrider. However, someone had a suggestion of moving Wicked Twister to Demon Drop's site, bordering the side parking lot. I think it would look great at the entrance of the park. This then frees up the beach for a classic wooden coaster, with hopefully DT coming out.

Personally, if Wicked Twister was ever removed, I hope they would send it to another park...not a fan. I rode it two different times and got a major headache both times. Just my opinion though :-)

I would be willing to bet cash money that it's not going to be a Top Spin. Those seem increasingly outdated and, as previously noted, they're maintenance nightmares. That plus the fact that CF could easily have put in a used version from GL a few years back but instead decided to ship it cross country tells me it's unlikely.

Probably just as unlikely would be a Jump2 -- though these offer a fantastic, comfortable ride -- definitely (or defiantly?) re-rideable. Sledge Hammer really wowed me when I got the chance to get on it three years ago. And it would make a dramatic visual exclamation point at the front of the park. If it's going to be a flat, this would be my personal choice. If only it weren't so maintenance-heavy.

A couple of years ago I would have thought a Disk'O might be a good fit for the park. But now they're everywhere in one variant or another; in fact, the three closest parks to CP each have their own. This looks to me like a train ride CP's missed. Now maybe if it were a looping Disk'O.... :)

Are we so certain it's not going to be a coaster? What was the attribution for that again?

99er said:
I thought they were unreliable, especially the giant ones?

The giant ones have had their problems. I was thinking more along the lines of the standard model. Like Firefall at California's Great America. In fact depending on what happens with the 49'rs situation, they could possibly take that one and relocate it (again) to Cedar Point. It was originally at Geauga Lake as Texas Twister.

This model hold 40 people. The Giant one holds 56. The 40 will get you about 855pph where as the 56 will get you a slight increase to 900pph. But with it's unreliability, I would just stick with the Standard model.

Ensign Smith said:
Are we so certain it's not going to be a coaster? What was the attribution for that again?

It's just an assumption based on the quote from Dick. The Sandusky Register quoted Dick as saying, “Let me just put it this way. We went after the family market this year ... We’re going to go after the thrill seeker next year.” He also said “There’s more thrill rides than roller coasters”

We are assuming that there was a word left out of that sentence and it should have read: “There’s more to thrill rides than roller coasters”

So that in and of itself is not a definitive statement. But, that's where it came from.

My only concern is that this ride, if it is at the front of the park, is going to have a wait time that is automatically much longer than the ride should warrant, like Raptor. If it's not something with a high (very high?) capacity the wait time is just going to be perpetually too long.

Ah. Thanks, Jason. He does seem to belong to the George W. Bush school of enunciation, doesn't he?

Kyle2154 said:
...a wait time that is automatically much longer than the ride should warrant, like Raptor.

Heresy!

There were a couple of very small white flags at the demon drop location when I went by on Sunday. Probably 5 to 8 flags/markers that I saw.

Just saying...in case anyone with some know how goes by, maybe they could take a better look.

I noticed 4 red flags in a flower bed under the sky ride across from the Pagoda...

I wouldn't plan on seeing a new ride there next year, though. ;)

If we are talking dark ride I don't think it would be interactive. I have yet to see a interactive dark ride that caters to "Thrill Seekers". Busch Gardens Virginia's dark ride seems to have the best fit for Cedar Point. Also, it is made by Intamin, so CP and Intamin can still be buddies and work together.

Zamperla has that Disk'o ride. I think it would be really cool to design that ride to circle around just like a Tumble bug.

While it may not be "thrill-seeking" exactly, Toy Story (Midway) Mania is a fast-paced interactive dark ride, at least more so than the usual slow and steady "pew--pew--pew" pacing of interactive dark rides like Boo Blasters. Of course, Cedar Point would probably never get a ride like TSMM but it does show how a dark ride can be fast-paced and interactive (but admittedly not a "thrill" in the traditional sense).

Agreed with Tim...and is a ride the ENTIRE family can do together.

You know...what does it say about the 2010 ride when your CEO has to start speculation on the 2011 ride before the '10 ride even opens?

I think it says the CEO doesn't understand marketing.

I really think this is going to be a roller coaster. Look back at the past 25 years: 1985 - Avalanche Run; 1987 - Iron Dragon; 1989 - Magnum XL200; 1991 - Mean Streak; 1994 - Raptor; 1996 - Mantis; 2000 - Millennium Force; 2002 - Wicked Twister; 2003 - Top Thrill Dragster; 2007 Maverick. The longest gap between roller coasters in the last quarter century is four years, matching the current drought. Yes, the economy is still in trouble, but it was in 1987, 1991, 2002, and 2003 as well. Off year expenditures also include Snake River Falls and the enclosure of Avalanche Run so the building of Shoot the Rapids does not eliminate the possibility of a roller coaster in 2011. The current financial woes of Cedar Fair may play a part, but one would think these rides - being that they are planned years in advance - are also funded years in advance. Additionally, nothing draws people to the park like a new roller coaster, especially a record breaker. The only thing that makes me wonder whether or not we will see a coaster is the current time frame. I cannot remember the last time a coaster was built at Cedar Point where some type of land conversion, footer laying, or outright construction had not started by June (perhaps Wicked Twister or Mantis before that?). Surely the removal of Demon Drop fits, but nothing has happened around that site.

I'd love to see a 500 foot ride, but realistically Cedar Point has all but cornered themselves out of that market. Any such ride would almost have to be strinkingly similar to MF or TTD. Any type of drop ride that height would need to imitate Power Tower. Instead I am betting on a wooden roller coaster in the mold of the Cyclone of the 1950s, or an Intamin looping coaster.

magic mountain has now caught up to the "roller coaster capital of the world" with the addition of mr. six's coaster. i'm guessing a "one up" theme for cedar point. another coaster.

Just FYI, Mr. Six's Dance coaster isn't open yet. I think it's supposed to be open this weekend. But, I haven't seen anything on Screamscape or CoasterBuzz regarding any construction. When I was there in late April, the track and supports were sitting next to Terminator Salvation. Though, I suppose that doesn't mean much. A ride of this size would likely go up pretty quick.

Jason Hammond said: When I was there in late April, the track and supports were sitting next to Terminator Salvation.

They had the land cleared when I was there in November. What are they waiting for?