Did they really need to get rid of Paddlewheel?

Think about it, they could have easily made the bridge to Dino Island going over the pond in an inclined way, like that Shoot the Rapids bridge is.

I mean what really was the point? Is the old PW station now used for Dino Island too? Frankly I don't know because I have never gone onto the island.

I would love to see paddlewheel come back eventually in some form... Such a nice break from the normal rides at the park (much like the train, for example).

I believe the old PW station is now used for the Dino Island gift shop, yes.

The bigger question is, why didn't they just wait and give Shoot the Rapids a decent design if the paddle wheels were destined to go away?

The bridge over the "pond" (it's a lagoon) needs to be accessible. If it were of a height that would allow the boats to pass under there would need to be a long series of ramps in addition to stairs, and my guess is it's not feasable. Anyway, they probably thought it would be better to devote the space to an attraction that's a money maker, not a money spender. I'd guess the ride was pretty expensive to run.

Paddlewheel Excursion was a diversion for thrill seekers from the "normal rides" (whatever that means) but it was also one of the few extremely mild rides at the park that even Grandma could enjoy.

But- It's gone now, and it ain't coming back. We all should probably just let it go.

I wouldn't get too upset about paddlewheel, the park seems to be removing more rides that everyone can ride together anyway. Notice the lineup for past-removed rides: Disaster transport- milder coaster that kids can start off with, ride with family. Wildcat- milder ride, kids can start with, ride with family. I don't like corkscrew as it's too painful for me, but that may be on the chopping block. I love Luminosity and Gatekeeper, but DT and wildcat were removed because of them. Pipe scream/eagles came in the nick of time, didn't it? :)

Everything mentioned above seems like a great move for the park. Modernize things, don't hang onto old rides that are eyesores (DT) or costly to run. Keep things fresh.

There was no good reason to keep Disaster Transport, no matter how you try to rationalize it. They could have replaced it with a parking lot and it would have been the right move. In fact, making that move as quickly as he did made me trust in Ouimet and his vision for the park, because that piece of trash should have been gutted years ago.

Those who visited the park in the 1980's know as well as I do that Paddlewheel really was a sad, gutted version of what it once was. As long as the park makes it up to us with a world-class-nothing-like-Wonder-Mountain's-Guardian-dark-ride next year, the wound won't hurt so bad. As much as I hated to see it go, it probably was time.

I rode the ride in the 1970s, when it was named Western Cruise. Over the years, I watched as the ride route was changed, the name was changed, and the ride experience was diminished. Like Jungle Larry's African Safari*, Paddlewheel's time at the park came to an end.

*Yep. I'm that old, I remember Jungle Larry.

I liked the Cockatoo in Jungle Larry's that used to imitate the people screaming down the first hill of Corkscrew.

You get a bonus point if you ever saw Safari Jane :)

Well...I played in the gross ball pit in Arthur's Court and remember it being my favorite part about going to CP haha!

Now you've gone and made me think of the Funhouse, with the old lady rocking on the ceiling and the spiral slides at the end, that Kid Arthur's Court replaced....

I have scars from that damn slide at the end of the funhouse! LOL That thing was a death trap!

I wish I knew what you guys were talking about. I must be too young :(

Anyway, my girlfriend and I were talking the other day, and we both kind of have a feeling that Paddlewheel may come back some day. Maybe not with the same boats, but maybe with modern animatronics or something.

Speaking of PWE boats...where did they go? I know in 2011 when I worked at CP, they were sitting in the EVC employee parking lot across from the dorms for the remainder of the season.

They were up for auction..probably finally got sold

At the end of the UpsideDown funhouse you were on I think the third floor. The only way out was a very narrow slide what whirrled around, it was made of stainless steel with rivits, it was a fast and often painfull way to exit that place! If you look at a pic of the place, there are three narrow tubes on the outside, those were the slides.

http://thepointol.com/wp-content/gallery/cedar-point-postcards/upsided2.jpg

There were also exit stairs for those who didn't want to go down the slide.

I think it was Pete who had said somewhere how the surrounding woods enhanced the Western Cruise. You can't get that today, they'd have to rethink something else due to the loss of trees and surrounding coasters. It will never feel the same again. However, it was something that added to CP's uniqueness, I don't know of any other park that had something like that except Disney's Jungle Cruise.

3snoH un=l said:
I think it was Pete who had said somewhere how the surrounding woods enhanced the Western Cruise. You can't get that today, they'd have to rethink something else due to the loss of trees and surrounding coasters. It will never feel the same again. However, it was something that added to CP's uniqueness, I don't know of any other park that had something like that except Disney's Jungle Cruise.

Geauga Lake had the Big Ditch boat ride.

As someone who, as much as it sucks to realize, has fewer coaster rides in front of him as opposed to behind, I really do miss the paddlewheel.

Coco said:
Well...I played in the gross ball pit in Arthur's Court and remember it being my favorite part about going to CP haha!

Yes I remember that. I also remember the first time I went in 1982, they had a cargo net type thing that you would climb across. It was probably a whole 10 feet above the ground, but as a 3 year old it was like 100 feet. At some point in the middle I froze up and I'm assuming started crying, and Dad had to come rescue me.

That was also the trip in which after a go-around on the Dodgems, I leaped out of the car and started running to the exit. You can probably guess what happened. To this day I always walk carefully to the exit to avoid ruining clothes.

Back to topic, I can vaguely remember the Paddle Wheel from '82 onwards, and it did seem like a rather remote trip. Was it shortened in 87 for Iron Dragon? It would be cool if the could put in a modernized version again. It just don't know if it would be feasible.