Do you think that any park (new or old) can take over the "worlds best amusement park" from Cedar Point.

Vince, have you ever done the Buffalo/Niagara Falls triad (Darien Lake, Martin's Fantasy Island, Marineland)? I should imagine it's a straight shot from Windsor, though I don't know the travel time. Martin's is worth it for Silver Comet alone.

I went to Marineland as a kid. That rollercoaster was actually my first. They've added some new attractions so it could be worth a visit. I'm looking up Darien lake right now and it looks pretty nice, and it's only 5 hours away, Martin's also looks cool. I'll certainly look into those parks this summer. Thanks Mike.

Hope you get to them. I haven't been back to Darien Lake since before SFI sold it. I'd like to see how PARC is doing with the place (get it? PARC place -- heh heh heh), but I doubt this will be the year I get back there.

I know I love my Ohio parks! I hope that Cp keeps working hard to keep them on top! I feel that they have some work to do on their food!

Cedar Point is and for some time will be my #1 park. As Jesz and others have said when i am at CP I get a feeling unlike no other. Most nights before trips i sleep 1-2 hours(especially opening day), even though i go 10-15 times every year. I can't sleep just wondering about the next day. Maybe being a HUGE fan of the point i overlook some things that really do need improvement. With that being said, Cedar Point is known for roller coasters and thrill rides. They are the best in the world, operated the safest and most efficient(Disney doesn't comme close in terms of safety), and are the biggest and fastest of their type at one time or still are. Rides are build to break records and have good capacity at the same time when talking about most rides.

In terms of the family thing, i have visited CP, BGA, Disney(all parks), and IOA(pretty much all florida parks). At the time my family usually took 1 trip to all throughout the year including CP. All of my memories are from CP. All i remember from BGA is wasting my time looking at the stupid theming, and as a child that is saying something. From CP i remember my first ride on Gemini, Magnum, MF, TTD, and Raptor. As far as Disney goes after waiting ONE HOUR AND A HALF to see Mickey Mouse, i had about enough. I remeber wating in rediculous lines for rides for nothing. Also for my dad to see me not want to be at Disney and he really hates that place, makes for a long trip. We stopped going there unless it's to see family. I think all that place has going for it is the logo. They are cheap rides over marketed and in the time to ride one of them you could ride Gemini, Magnum, Mean Streak, Iron Draggon, Skyhawk, and Mine Ride in the same amount of time or less.

I think CP is the best and deserves it. After all these aren't restaurants. We are not juding the food to see what the best park is. Were other parks lack in rides, cedar point has, and were CP lacks in food, other parks have. What should win the title as the "best amusemnt park in the world?" The answer for the past 11 years has been CP and will continue until someone is willing to start up the coaster wars again and really invest in rides like CP. I do agree that CP does not deserve "best food", "best shows", but who cares.

If you waited in any significant "rediculous" lines at Disney World, that's your own fault. I went twice last year and rarely waited for anything thanks to FastPass.

Disney owns everyone else when it comes to safety, and Magic Kingdom alone gives more rides than most of the Cedar Fair parks combined. Don't make up statistics.

Maybe you don't judge food, but to me it's an integral part of the experience, and Cedar Point sucks at making it and selling it. I'm not expecting world-class restaurants like Epcot, but at least give me some decent places like those at Kennywood, Hersheypark, either Busch Gardens, or even Holiday World (love the Thanksgiving food). And don't prison rape me on price either.

I'm astounded at how some of you can just put up the blinders when it comes to Cedar Point. It's an important part of my life too, but I think that's why it frustrates me so much that they do certain things like food so poorly.

^The Thanksgiving food at Holiday World was one of my favorite parts of the day I spent there. That and the free soft drinks and 10 minute wait time for The Voyage. The Smokehouses at both BG's obliterate any food you can get at CP on quantity, quality, and pricing.

The one big thing about the rides at CP is obviously the quantity, and to a certain extent, the quality. Rides like MF, TTD, Maverick, and Magnum are just about one of a kind, save for the clones (Six Flags). But I can name a plethora (yes, I said plethora) of inverts that are better than Raptor, WT is a fun ride but isn't reliable, Gemini is fairly standard these days, and Mantis is decent, but nothing to write home about. Parks like Holiday World and both BG's don't overload the number of rides they put in. They make sure that the rides they build are as good as they can get and hang their hat on that instead of sheer numbers. BGE is the best example of a park that KILLS CP when it comes to quality versus quantity.

Jeff, I am not blinded to the things Cedar Point does poorly. I have had my fair share of negative input on this site about things that CP can improve on. It just doesn't effect me enough to say that Cedar Point isn't #1. I don't think that I will ever feel the same with any other park, as I do with Cedar Point.

At the same time, I am not a coaster enthusiast or amusement park enthusiast. I am simply a Cedar Point enthusiast. That may be why I feel the way I do.

^^^I was simply trying to give my opinion about my impression when i was younger. Many arguments about CP on this site i have noticed are that CP is about teens and adults and not about family. I was just comparing my experiences from all of the parks(CP,BGA, MK) before i became such a roller coaster nut. The impression that CP is not a family park is dead wrong. My family has so many memories from this place, which is the reason i became a CP lover. From my experiences, and others that have younger children either on a trip with me or just tell me about there experience, many would choose CP over other parks out there. I am not saying CP does everything 100% right or even close to it, but to say it isn't #1 because of food is just rediculous. That is why amusemnt today has a seperate award for "best food." I also realize that the magizine isn't the only thing to base who is #1, but correct me if i am wrong other parks don't hesitate to show off the fact that they are ranked 1 in best shows, food, water parks, so they obviously achnowlege the rankings from Amusement Today.

I do agree that CP with economic problems could do better with food and theming since there aren't any new rides, but i don't think it is a huge deal. After all Cedar Point is not a Theme Park, not that i had to tell you that, and the focus in my opinion should be on the rides more than any thing else. O and the Safety thing, i am 100% sure that CP has not had any deaths or serious injuies on their coasters, unlike disney (i know wildcat and magnum had their moments with collisions not resulting in serious injury). I actually do know most of my facts and i wouldn't post something i was unsure of.

TopThrillChris said:

Its law of statistics. MOST (the derailment of BTMRR not withstanding) of Disney's "injuries" and "deaths" are people riding who had no business being on a thrill ride to begin with. But since Disney gives more rides in 1 year than Cedar Point could ever dream of, even if open year round, statistics says there will be more "injuries" and "deaths".

And I'm not sure what you consider "serious" but falling the wrong way down the lift hill and having to be backboarded and taken to the hospital sounds like a pretty serious injury to me. And one that wasn't caused by a pre-existing heart condition.

TopThrillChris said:
After all Cedar Point is not a Theme Park...

That's such a cop-out. What does that have to do with anything? Does it give them a free pass to suck at certain things?

Last year was the first time in years that I didn't stay on-property and went out of my to avoid buying food there. I became one of those lame season pass holders that have no significant return in terms of revenue. Want to take a guess where I spent my money? The places start with "D" and "U" if you need help.

I wanted to speak up here and say that Cedar Point has crashed and burned to the bottom of my list since I moved to the Carolinas. I've experienced BGE, and BGA, WDW, and Universal, and my mind is blown with everything that these parks do so much better than Cedar Point does.

Cedar Point has relied heavily, like many of you, on their rides, and nothing more. Having the most coasters does not make you the #1 park, contrary to certain magazines beliefs.

Everything from the bathrooms to the food to the pricing sucks. Period. It seems to me Cedar Point will never take the extra step unless their much favored "per capita" spending were to suddenly nosedive, and even then, Kinzel will always be able to rely on the people who, with little to no outside park experience, always call CP the number one park.

I don't feel that those who have only gone to CP have a valid opinion, you really have to get out and experience other parks, in different venues to get the big picture. Again, you cannot rely on just your rides. If that was the case, WDW would have failed years ago. And the argument that one is a theme park and one is not, that has no bearing anywhere. That's the lazy way out that CP has been following for years.

mk522 said:
And the argument that one is a theme park and one is not, that has no bearing anywhere. That's the lazy way out that CP has been following for years.

I don't quite agree with that. Theme isn't big on what Cedar Point does, and that's fine, I don't expect them to theme like Disney does. But the rides also don't make it a #1 park. There are too many things that they are doing mediocre to piss poor job at to be #1.

I am absolutely not a CP-basher, my signature not withstanding. At least compared to North American parks, CP boasts (arguably) the best line-up of thrill rides anywhere. (Although SFGA gives it a run for its money.)

The thing that bothers me is that the park could be so much more than it is, in terms of total overall experience, and it doesn't seem like it would take a whole lot to get it there. Improvements in food quality and service would go a long way. The park wouldn't even necessarily have to cut prices that much, as long as it provided a better value -- in terms of portions and qualtiy -- for those high prices.

Maybe I'm beating a dead horse, but I would really like to see improvements in theming, especially for a number of rides, and most especially for the queues. Think about it. On a busy day in July, most of the time spent by customers in the park is in line. Why not try to make that experience more interesting and entertaining? It makes the time go faster for the captive customer, leaving them less tired and happier, and, consequently, probably a little bit freer with their wallets and pocketbooks.

Ride theming isn't an all or nothing proposition, either. Just look at the UFO-themed Disk-o at Kennywood. What did the extras cost them? A few thousand dollars? Yet it helps make the wait for the ride almost as fun as the ride itself.

Let's face it. Cedar Point is a mature park. By that I don't mean that it's intended for adult audiences, but rather that the park has mostly grown up. No matter what anybody says, we're not going to see another six or eight roller coasters added. CP isn't running out of room, but it also isn't an infinite space to continue building for the long term. At some point, we're going to see more of the development that is more typical of a 'full' park. Old rides will be removed so that others may be added. I would even argue that, whether the park has room or not, we're already at that stage.

The nice thing about mature parks is that you don't have to keep adding mega-attractions every year. It's possible to focus on the smaller stuff. Sure, add a new E-ticket ride every few years, but slowly, carefully. And in the seasons in-between, concentrate on the smaller things. Upgrade existing attractions, improving or augmenting as technology moves forward; there's a reason that this is Disney's modus operandi -- it works.

Ensign Smith said:
The thing that bothers me is that the park could be so much more than it is, in terms of total overall experience, and it doesn't seem like it would take a whole lot to get it there.

I totally agree with you. We've seen in recent years how when the right people are given the budget and freedom to do the right thing, they can score a home run. Maverick in particular I think nailed it with the right amount of theme, the right ride for the space and just enough detail to make it a sweet experience.

And look at Halloweekends, another complete slam dunk, well executed project that keeps growing. It's so well done because the P&D folks are given a decent enough budget to work with, there's great synergy between them and the operations folks, and it all works.

So I ask, if you can pull together projects that complex in scope, why is it so freakin' hard to get fries in a reasonable time frame at a reasonable price? Why is it so hard to get a clean LHP cottage year after year?

And prior to this year, I was also complaining regularly about how rides were run, but that got significantly better. Everyone knows why. That leads me to believe that people running foods and accommodations (not that I stayed on-property) this year need to be replaced. Of course, given the entitlement culture, nepotism and complete lack of human resources, we know that's never going to happen.

And I can't believe anyone is using a stupid popularity contest by a "news" rag designed to sell advertising as a measuring stick for anything. That survey exists so they can sell ads to the parks themselves, nothing more.

From a theming and experiential standpoint, Maverick is definitely a home run, both in the queue and on the ride itself. Halloweekends is a grand slam.

This is exactly what I'm talking about. Think how much better the experience of going to the park would be if this kind of creativity -- and the dollars to back it -- were deployed throughout the park. It's the difference of Cedar Point being a place that you could go to for some fun and thrills, vs Cedar Point being the kind of place that makes you ask, "How could you not go?"

I would never count a place like Disney World, to me Theme Parks and Amusement Parks are different things, I have always despised theme parks, I like traditional amusement parks with the traditional Carnival like atmosphere and classic rides and midways. Mascots are fine, but I hate a park that is dedicated to promoting something like a mouse.
Having said that In my opinion Cedar Point Will always be number 1, of what's out there, I would put Kennywood as a distant 2nd.

I have to agree with you all that Cedar Point does need a lot of improvement when it comes to theming, food, entertainment, clean bathrooms, etc. All I was trying to get across is those things don't effect my time there. When I go to Cedar Point, I go for the coasters. And that is probably the number one reason why I still feel that CP is still number one to me.

I just always thought that I wasn't the only one that was blinded by all of the things that are great at Cedar Point. It is just a place for me that holds great memories, as it does for all of you. The difference is, those good memories and good times are enough for me to look past the crappy food, and food prices for that matter.

I hope that in the coming years they do focus on the other apsects of the park. Rather than adding the next big thrill ride, they should concentrate on making good food. Especially if they want people to pay their high prices. Or maybe re-do the bathrooms.

I think Cedar Point has a great collection of coasters as is. I wouldn't mind not getting a new ride for a few years, if other areas of the park were improved on.

I know you all were not talking directly about my post. I just wanted to clear that up though. I know Cedar Point isn't #1. But in my heart it is. :)

I have watched this site since "guide to the point". I use to love reading it. Posted not often, checked in daily. Over the years this site has went farther and farther towards not a CP site, but a what jeff thinks CP should be. I still check it out, not like I use to.

You are right. I want to ride rides! I can eat food in my own town or ones nearby. I can go to many top shows within an hour of my hometown as most people. I do not go to the point to watch a show or eat fine food. We dont want to eat or see shows or look at a cool waterfall like I can see at a state park nearby. We want to ride big, bad, coasters at the point.

If we didnt like it because they did not theme, I think we would go to a "theme park". Makes sense. Amusement, not theme. I have a theory why jeff complains much more than he ever did before about "themes". One..he is getting older....two.. he is married and has another voice(vice) besides his own.

Just a thought here?? Remember back to a time as a child. You would not care if a coaster had a theme, not one of you did. Who cares about themes? Ill tell ya who.... old people...married people? I will tell you that the longer I read jeff posts on this site the more I can see jeff is growing up and getting old(married even)?

Check this song lyric from John Cougar Mellancamp "So I call up my preacher
I say: gimme strenght for round 5
He said: you dont need no strength, you need to grow up, son
I said: growing up leads to growing old and then to dying,
And dying to me dont sound like all that much fun"

Really take that lyric in jeff or give the site to someone who really loves the point and wants to talk Point and not how Disney or England or IOV or Busch is so much better. Every time anyone says they like the point anymore..guess what your answer is? ... Somewhere else is better.

Make a Disney site and give up the CP site?? I thought this was a Point site??

Think about it.... Im sure you will kick me off..... Love always to the way point buzz use to be before it became "theme park buzz for old married people".

So you're bashing Jeff because he doesn't say things like:

omg!!!!!01111ydCdrpnt rules!!!

The man can say whatever the heck he wants because of two things: it's his opinion, and it's his opinion.

What you don't seem to understand, or lack the intelligence to understand, is that we do not simply "bash" CP here, we criticize based on, here it comes: experience, observation, and thougtful comparison with other parks.

This website hasn't changed at all, but I think some of you just get so damn defensive that it's ridiculous. Cedar Point is a great park, but it lacks in so many departments, some of which could easily be fixed.

You don't like it, then move on, and get off the site.