Corkscrew

Not a favorite ride of mine for sure, but it certainly is a Cedar Point staple. Does anyone think they'll ever remove corkscrew?

I find it interesting that in a day like today it has a 60 minute wait time!

Watching the web cams today what a beautiful night up there.

Corkscrew was my first upside down coaster, will always have fond memories of this ride no matter if they ever decide to tear it down.

I don't think that it's anyone's favorite anymore, but I also think most would hate to see it go. Such an iconic sight over the midway. I'd love for it to get new trains with vest restraints, ala Blue Hawk at SFOG. It takes up almost no space. I personally think it'll outlive most of us.

I think if they were to remove it, they would replace it with a similar ride that features corkscrews over the midway.

It is an iconic view (since 1976!) but as long as it draws riders, I think it'll stay. Also, it's kind of an odd shaped foot print to fill. Not impossible -- SFGAm removed Tidal Wave, an Intamin shuttle loop and gave us Batman -- but still, a long narrow middle part with bits of land at either end...

I feel that location is the only thing keeping it around. If it were the same exact ride elsewhere in the park, with no over midway inversions, it would go quietly into the night like wildcat or disaster transport.

Still, as noted upthread, Corkscrew can have hour long waits. It's a fairly popular ride. Why fix what's not broken?

Corkscrew is a good starter coaster for the young kids, maybe modify the restraints as mentioned above. My visits to the park include several rides on Corkscrew each season. I hope to see Iron Dragon and Cedar Creek Mine Ride stick around for years to come for the same reason. There has to be a good balance of rides for all ages, it's not just about the tall monster coasters. It would be nice to see CCMR with new comfortable trains. There was that pic of a Gemini car sitting on the tracks a few years ago.

Since it seems like Cedar Point is going for 20 roller coasters by 2020, I see Corkscrew surviving this decade. Yet, I do not see Corkscrew surviving the 2020s. It would be nice if it was replaced with a smooth B&M replica. As much as I love a fairly rough Arrow Dynamics ride (Magnum, Cedar Creek Mine Ride), I think Corkscrew will be the next to go...

Bobb-z said:
It would be nice if it was replaced with a smooth B&M replica.

If the current ride isn't good enough, why on earth would you pay for a new one from a different company that doesn't even build this kind of ride?

Bobb-z said:

Since it seems like Cedar Point is going for 20 roller coasters by 2020,

I used to play Roller Coaster Tycoon quite a bit, too.

B&M does build sit-down loopers.

I wouldn't like to see a replica, but I would like to see any replacement have double corkscrews over the midway.

I am hearing that Corckscrew had a collision this past Sunday...anyone know about that?

i was at the park until 7pm yesterday and didnt notice anything out of the ordinary. Corkscrew did have a long wait.

Might the hour long wait be explained by running one train instead of two? I was there too this weekend, but didn't notice. I saw the ride was running, but I didn't see if a train was missing. Hard to imagine any sort of collision on that ride even in wet conditions or something because the brake run is so long

Obligatory Corkscrew Needs to be removed response ;)

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Corkscrew need not be removed..I've voiced this several times, yes I'm biased, but even taking that away it's still a fantastic ride, and a great coaster for the younger crowd to work up to, but still can be enjoyed by even us as enthusiasts, especially those that love good old Arrows.

1. It takes up little to no land. The ride goes in a straight line down, and goes over a midway path that's been there and really will probably stay that way. In front of it is Matterhorn and Sky Ride, neither ride being removed probably ever lets be honest. Matterhorn may get moved at some point, but I doubt it, and still that's a very small section of land it takes up. Sky Ride will never move, ever. That Von Roll is here to stay. You basically free up a space of land that really wouldn't yield much use anyways. Right next door is maintenance shops, and the other side Power Tower. Not to mention a bunch of foods freezers, Power Tower's air compressors, and Super Himalaya.

2. People say it's uncomfortable. Well, it's an old Arrow, and rides like an old Arrow. I don't get how people can say oh Loch Ness Monster (BGW) is rough but amazing, and then say Corkscrew is just flat out terrible when honestly they both ride the same. They may have some differences in wheels and stuff that cause a bit of a rougher ride at times, but not constantly and forever. I think the love for Corkscrew isn't like Magnum or something because people look at it as puny now. Oh it's 85 feet, oh it goes upside down, oh its too short. You're looking at at the time something that was record breaking and unimaginable. I'm sure Walt, Jason, or others could dig out pictures of full queues and pamphlets showing this off left and right. It's history, and Cedar Point has that history, it's our park. If Magnum was up on the chopping block so many people here would grab pitchforks and fire torches, but if Corkscrew goes, for some reason noone cares to lose that history either.

3. It is still popular. Just because a ride doesn't have a 2-3+ hour wait all day doesn't mean it's not getting riders. People say "Oh I don't know how Mean Streak still stands everyone hates it" when even Sunday with a dead park it pulled full trains for hours. That's all that matters. Corkscrew is the same way. it may only be a station or stair wait, but many times it's filling trains. It may die off or start up slow, but it still has hours where it stays filled.

4. It can be thrilling. You have a nice quick pull on the hill, a fantastic Arrow bunnyhill, a loop, and two corkscrews. It may not be 200 feet tall, or 93 miles an hour, but it's fun and gets the job done. If you say oh it's short..Common, you ride Dragster for 17 seconds people.

5. It works well for kids. Many a times I sat at crowd and watched kids face fears seeing the corkscrews down the midway from the top of the stairs or hearing people yell through the loop. Then pass through the turnstile to brave the ride. These kids are experiencing a first. Say after Mine Ride or Iron Dragon, what's the first looping coaster or coaster with inversions in the park you can throw em on? Choose Rougarou, oh wait that's a 54 so might not be there yet. How about Raptor, oh yeah same deal. Maybe Maverick, oh wait that's a 52. In the 48 inch category when they hit it to start riding big rides,it's the only one with inversions they can start with and enjoy. Why take that away from them for a few very small acres? Stand at the exit one day after riding. Watch a brand new 48 inch kid's first day with big coasters before and after and see their faces. It's worth watching, and I wish I had an on ride photo to snap that face during the ride too. Those are memories. How many here remember their first time going upside down on a coaster. Some of you it may have even been Corkscrew. See, you still remember that. Why take it away?

6. It's one of a few rides in the park that can run in weather that shuts alot of things down. There are times when I was one of very few rides up and running in the park, and it caused us to have a full queue. Might as well ride something. Take Corkscrew away, guess more midway time for you.

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In closing, it's a great ride, no a damn good ride and I'm proud to have worked a full season with it. Everytime I go up the stairs of the platform or stand under the corkscrews and see those red lights blink with riders screaming right over me, I smile. It'd be quite odd to walk from the main midway and not have something right there. It'd feel a bit empty.

If, and if it ever gets removed, which clearly I hope doesn't happen. Please keep the corkscrews like Alton Towers, and preferrably right there. If not that's fine, but preserve that, it's for sure been a charm on the midway since the ride was built. Also, please let me pop those pedals one last time, and take a piece of the ride, I'd pay big money to keep something from it alive. So much history is there. The Bicentennial ride, a Toomer designed coaster, millions of riders sitting on the trains. It's perfect history, and deserves it's place among the best.

I can say Loch Ness Monster is rough but great (I wouldn't go as far as saying amazing) and Corkscrew is terrible because they don't ride the same.. I seem to have a bit to much torso for the restraints on Corkscrew... While I still have lots of room in the chest, the upper part of the restraint that is above/touching my shoulders on other Arrow coasters is forcefully pressing down... Not sure if I'm accurately describing it... It just seems that the distance between the seat and the shoulder part of the restraint is less than the distance from my butt to the top of my shoulders... Uncomfortable, I can deal with... But even when Corkscrew is not moving, I find it painful to have my spine folded...

And this is a Corkscrew thing... I don't have this problem on Loch Ness Monster, Anaconda, Vortex, Dragon Fire or Dragon Mountain... And some of those are way rougher than Corkscrew...

I'm not saying tear it down... I love the look of those corkscrews over the midway... And it is a great ride for those looking to step up from CCMR to something a bit wilder... I'm just trying to explain how you can find people saying that it gets bad comparisons to other Arrow coasters...

But I expect a bit of discomfort from an Arrow.

Also for space, ride in 2-1 (1-1 gives most room, but not as comfortable of a ride). Place your feet on the very front wall of the car, sit your butt as far back and down as you can (think of an F1 Driver, best example). Pull the restraint down until it is about to touch your shoulders. I usually do a shoulder shrug and pull it down to there / buckle the bottom of the OTSR. From there keep your shoulders up while checking to avoid being accidentally stapled / getting an extra click beforehand.

From here, ride the ride this way, you'll get a nice float on the hill down, the bunny hill will be an extremely awesome pop, and from there the rest of the ride is absolutely fine. I do suggest pressing your shoulders up into the restraint through the corkscrews, it'll make them feel like almost butter.

After riding it practically every single day and multiple times, I'll take it over some other coasters anyday.

GigaG said:

B&M does build sit-down loopers.

I guess I meant they don't build small and compact loopers like an old Arrow. A looping coaster from B&M is going to look like Rougarou.

Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think B&M would just look at the space and create a monster there.

Again, hypothetically, they would look at what Cedar Point would be looking for (straight line with a turn-around and two corkscrews over the midway) and base their design with those needs in mind. I would expect a slightly more complicated design for the end, as after the second corkscrew it's not a thrilling ending at all, but that would be the biggest change.

It could work, but I can't imagine it ever will happen.

I would imagine that if they we to remove Corkscrew you would see a different origination point of the new coaster. That is if they were going to insist on rebuilding the midway corkscrews. It would be a larger ride. With something else being disposed of too. Probably would look similar to Diamondback where it crosses the midway at KI. That would allow them to rebuild the corkscrew elements.

I would figure if Corkscrew would be removed the area would be used for a dark ride of a mouse ride with similar footprints. As opposed to yet another steel giga coaster.