Farewell, Wildcat.

Morté615 said:
If it's something as simple as mechanical failure I would love to see the park just come out and say that. Twitter or even the seldom used Blog would be a great avenue to admit that.

Also announcing why it was removed would stop the rapid rumors and conspiracy going on now. Of course no press is bad press so they may be dragging it out. But also it was just announced today so they still have time to say something.

There is no advantage to CP to tell us the 'truth'. I don't like to think about the behind-the-scenes maintenance that occurs to keep me safe and want to believe that defects/ inspection failures would never occur at my beloved CP (rose-tinted glasses, anyone?)
On the other hand, like many others have stated, if the WC is coming down due to poor planning and cramped quarters, then CP looks sloppy and incompetent- quite a scar on the record of its brand-new CEO.
You're right: the cop-out of saying "expanding Celebration Plaza" sounds so much better. They care so much about their guests that they just had to provide them with even more fun because they deserve it. (I'm not cynical; it's just a PR thing.)

^Exactly, they are using 'Luminosity' as the scapegoat.

Top Thrill 182 said:
I really disagree that the stage would've been better suited where Wildcat is now. BIf the dorms are indeed removed in the near future, that leaves a lot of room for a cool new attraction of some sort in Wildcat's old spot, while still leaving room for a larger midway.

My thinking was that it would be more convenient to have the backstage area for Luminosity and the ice-skating shows right next to each other. Maybe they could even share facilities. I also felt that the stage being set farther back where WildCat was would leave the midway relatively unaffected by it’s addition and in a less awkward shape.

We-o-we-oooo said:
I'm not too upset about losing THIS coaster, just the fact that we are losing A coaster. I realize that the coaster wars are over, but as of today for the first time in at least 20 years, somebody else has more roller coasters than Cedar Point. Call it a meaningless title if you want...

It’s a meaningless title. Only the hardcore Cedar Point fans really care about that. The vast majority of the GP didn’t know and doesn’t care. I’m glad to see that Cedar Point is beyond fighting for a stupid title, limiting itself, and is ready to move on.

Maverick00 said:
I think this was a decision made since the control booths and everything was moved. They probly thought they could make it work but with the control booths right in front and the light towers, it just didn't look good. Cedar Point said they accelerated removing WildCat, whether that means removing it now instead of at the end of the season or now instead of 4 years, who knows.

I totally agree. The control booth did make things look messy and I think it really shows how empowered management has become now that they can make these kind of last minute decisions. This is definitely a good thing.

Also - as you mentioned - the fact that they specifically stated that it only “accelerated” it’s removal makes me think that it wasn't a matter of if but when. That or it’s poor wording on Cedar Point’s part. I personally believe that low ridership and high maintenance costs put it on the chopping block and that it making their new 6 million dollar midway look messy only sealed it's fait. An expensive mechanical failure could also be the case but we don't know that for sure. In the end, many things contributed to it's removal.

Zoug68 said:
I am going to stand by my claim of carnival coasters being close enough to Wildcat. They may not be quite as big, but they are close enough for anyone who desires this type of coaster.

I totally agree with this too. WildCat wasn’t really an experience unique to Cedar Point so I really can’t cry over it’s removal. Still, it was enjoyable and I did love the carnival-like atmosphere it gave the midway at night with it’s station a lit up.

Ffej said:
Last thought... I remember Kinzel stating how much he hated to get rid of rides...

The unfortunate side effect of that was the cluttering up of the park and how that negatively effected the overall park atmosphere.

Ffej said:
It'll be painful for me to see Wild Cat's empty hole in the midway this year...

This isn’t Geauga Lake, Cedar Fair actually cares about this park. They won’t remove a coaster and then just leave an empty hole for everyone to see. They want Celebration Plaza to have a good atmosphere. Spending 6 million dollars only to have a Geauga Lake-like atmosphere would be ludacris. I expect they’ll make it look nice.

Maverick00 said:
How many parks can say they haven't removed a coaster in 34 years? Think about it, the last coaster to be removed from Cedar Point was Jumbo Jet in 1978.

See now, I see that as troubling while I’m sure most people here are proud of it.

Tilt-a-Whirl said:
Yeah, just like he let us say goodbye to Geauga Lake :/

*zing*

CoasterKid20 said:
Hahaha at how quickly Magic Mountain had to point out that they have the most now-http://www.facebook.com/SixFlagsMagicMountain

They still act like people care (or did people ever?). Let them revel in the past while Cedar Point moves forward.

Ffej said:
Anyway, I really think this was a terrible move for the first year of Ouimet. No matter how small of a role he played in WC's removal, it really made the whole Luminosity project look poorly planned, which will cast doubts on the leadership.

Well Ouimet already gave all the credit for Luminosity to Rob Decker soo...

! said:
Honestly, I don't see why they can't strip Wildcat of its chain lift and brakes, replace them with new engineering equipment and MOVE it somewhere else. It's not much larger than the Dodgems ride.

I really don’t know why everyone insists on moving it. Instead of keeping old rides and going through the expense of moving it purely for nostalgia sake, why not build a brand new - better experience? It seems to me that fans afraid to let go of something they know should be replaced are just as much to blame as Dick Kinzel for Cedar Point becoming stagnant this last decade.

! said:
And could someone please answer this?:
Is this whole "2 new coasters for 2013" thing legitimate, or is this just something Screamscape just made up?

We don’t know what Cedar Point is planning for it’s 2013 season and neither does Screamscape. With a quick Google search you can find the blog of the kid who started the 2013 B&M coaster rumor, since he brags about sending that into Screamscape without having any kind of source.

The ODA inspection failure would make the most sense to me. If it was indeed a simple miscalculation with regards to how much space luminosity would require then that reeks of incompetence; not a single tape measure or site survey could be found between P&D and Adena? I refuse to accept that the higher ups that have been with the park for decades (i.e. John Hildebrant) simply threw up their hands and said "whoopsie, this doesn't look right, lets take out this ride 10 days before the season starts so we have enough room for a new show that may or may not even be popular enough to justify so much space".

I love the tug of war between the rational thinking and the "ZOMG Loominasity, Ouimet, and Cedar Point sucks now cause it got rid of Wildz Kitty1!!1!" mentality

As sad as it may be to see Wild Cat go, pointing fingers, blaming people and making accusations is just a sad route to go when you don't know the full facts. To even think that they did this "just because" or "it's someones fault" is not healthy. If the ride was on it's way out and the Celebration Plaza "accelerated" the plans to remove it......then that's what happened. Why is that so hard to accept?

I loved riding Wild Cat too but there's nothing else to do except move on.

P.S.- slehman, I think you nailed it on the head.

The most popular "conspiracy" (for lack of a better word) theory seems to be that Wildcat suffered some sort of failure at the last minute. But what if Luminosity is the cause of the problem? Ouimet has admitted that construction is being rushed as they try to get the midway clear by opening day; what if they accidentally dug into Wildcat's power line or something? Or what if construction equipment somehow damaged the ride? Or could it be that Luminosity's power consumption was too much for that area to handle?

Top Thrill 182 said:
Ouimet has admitted that construction is being rushed as they try to get the midway clear by opening day

That can be said for the week before any opening day.

Or could it be that Luminosity's power consumption was too much for that area to handle?

I can assure you that is not the case. The show will not draw enough power that it will suck up enough to bring down the amount going to other areas.

I have a feeling its something with the structure of the ride. Last season, it did become apparent that some parts were moving more then they shouldn't, and it did seem 'rusty'
in some locations. I think it just didn't pass inspection, and the cost to fix the problem was to high for it to be saved 1 more year.

I havent posted anything in probably over a year now but this did catch my attention. I took the time to read the entire forum and must admit I can only see rumor and speculation as to the reasons for WC's apparent sudden removal (I say apparent because I have no idea why or when the decision was made) It does seem rather harsh to just scrap the ride as I think it would have at least some historical value at this point. (It is rather old and there is a market for older rides) In fact if anyone here knows any management at CP I wouldnt mind attempting to aquire one of the large light up Wild Cat signs myself and I am sure any price agreed upon woud be more than scrap value on the sign. I do have fond memories of the coaster but what is done is done. Its not like arguing about it is going to cause the management to stop tearing it down and move or rebuild it. I mean no disrespect to anyone on here I am just saying how I feel on the subject.

Beyond that, Adam G how have you managed 6 roll backs on TTD? I have never been so fortunate as to even get one!

We will have so much more fun as they replace a great little coaster with a big hole in the midway that will be dead for nine hours of a 13-hour operating day.

I'm also concerned that this means this year they are incrementing the ride count by -2. That's the kind of thing that was going on at Kings Island before Cedar Fair came along and stopped the bleeding.

--Dave Althoff, Jr.

It's so hard to accept because it was so sudden and unexpected, Adam. No matter how you look at it, this whole situation just seemed poorly planned out.

If TTD was yanked out tomorrow without notice because it "reached the end of its service life," I think you'd have a bit of trouble accepting that within the day as well. As enthusiasts, we want to know the real details -- not what PR has spun up.

uterin79 said:

On the other hand, like many others have stated, if the WC is coming down due to poor planning and cramped quarters, then CP looks sloppy and incompetent- quite a scar on the record of its brand-new CEO.

I totally disagree with this statement. The only thing important on the Luminosity project is the final product. When the park opens, does Celebration Plaza look attractive, have good sight lines, can it comfortably hold all of the guests watching the show?

Sometimes there is a gap between what a project looks like on paper and how it looks in real life. Sometimes you have to have the guts to say "this will work, but it would be so much better if we also had this space", and make a last minute modification to your original plans. This isn't poor management, this is enlightened management that is focused on turning out a quality product.

I enjoyed Wildcat and I appreciate the engineering skill of Schwarzkopf in packing a lot of coaster action in a small package. But, the reality of the situation is that Wildcat is a 40 year old carnival ride that never really looked like it belonged in a park that is of the caliber of Cedar Point. You can bet they won't leave a "hole", they will put the space to good use to make everyone's enjoyment of Luminosity better.

Pete, I agree with you that having a good final product is important and that what's on paper can be much different than real life.

However, everything about Luminosity has seemed sudden, and it never seemed that the show location was the best choice. They should have made this a new attraction for 2013. Rip out the Oceana stadium, and then have this big celebration right on the beach (another way to call out the beach).

That would have seemed better to me than putting it in Iron Dragon's queue, and built around Wild Cat (that was apparently on the future chopping block anyway).

I also don't quite understand why Ouimet seemed to be in such a rush to get Luminosity going... But, I'd rather that than someone who sits back and waits for the industry to pass CP by.

^^ I agree. I don't think it was a matter of, "Luminosity simply won't fit with Wildcat still in there." Rather, I think it was more a matter of, "This midway would be so much more comfortable with Wildcat out of here, and then we could do blah blah blah." No one seemed to think that the modification to Maverick's heartline roll was a conspiracy. I felt like people on these boards generally chalked it up to an understandable error. Why can't this be the same?

I did enjoy Wildcat and am somewhat sad to see it go. However, nothing about its removal is shocking to me other than the timing of it. As much as I'd like to see Mean Streak go, I always figured Wildcat and DT were probably at the top of the removal list.

Pete said:
When the park opens, does Celebration Plaza look attractive, have good sight lines, can it comfortably hold all of the guests watching the show?

That's what makes using the area for Luminosity seem really awkward to me. From what I'm picturing in my head, it seems the recently installed projection booth would block the sight lines for anyone viewing from the Wildcat location. Perhaps they'll use the area for a satellite stage or lighting rigs or something. I do agree that Wildcat's removal, coupled with the eventual removal of Cedars dorms could mean some really interesting things for that area of the park.

RideMan said:
...(rather than stacking it in the Mean Streak infield and listing it with ITAL International, for instance)...

Are you suggesting that maintenance costs for WildCat were not rising? That seems contrary to everything you've taught the community about ride maintenance, not to mention completely illogical.

RideMan said:
We will have so much more fun as they replace a great little coaster with a big hole in the midway that will be dead for nine hours of a 13-hour operating day.

With all due respect, I get the feeling that you're not being very objective about this. Could that be coloring your interpretation of the "chatter" you're hearing?

Ffej said:
...it really made the whole Luminosity project look poorly planned, which will cast doubts on the leadership.

Only to armchair managers. ;)

Ffej said:
...given the narrow amount of front-center space for the planned VIP seating, etc. Also, the Wild Cat area looked really cluttered after the addition of all the Luminosity stuff in front.

I'm sure the construction materials and heavy equipment didn't contribute to that perception at all. I mean, that's whats great about webcams - they offer perspective that planning, engineering, blueprints and actually being there simply cannot. ;)

Ffej said:
Rip out the Oceana stadium, and then have this big celebration right on the beach (another way to call out the beach).

The last thing the park needs to be doing is removing true family attractions. Given the choice between taking out one of five live event venues and taking out one of seventeen roller coasters, the right choice is the one that leads to a more balanced attraction lineup.

How do you figure that removing the stadium would eliminate a family attraction? A daytime show could continue right there on the Luminosity stage. The aquatic stadium looks dated and getting rid of it would open up the beach view. It was meant to be a dolphin show & aquarium in the 80's, not a bike show in 2012.

The ride is not "portable" anymore and hasn't been for a long time. The pieces have been welded in place for years.

I hope i did not miss this in the conversation. Did anyone happen to notice on the website the 2012 map still has the screen and of course wildcat. they show noting on the map about the new luminosity.