Iron Dragon Demolition

I don't think that the removal of ID in the near future is beyond the realm of possibility. I've heard rumors of this dating back to the fall of 2012. If you check out this old topic from 2&1/2 years ago: http://pointbuzz.com/Forums/Topic/rides-that-might-be-removed-in-th...-few-years

there were rumors of it and other things (check out my post, about 11 down) back then. Anything's possible, but I don't think I'd want another starter coaster taken out just for the heck of it unless the park decided it would be a spot for a future dark ride, then....I could live with it. Thanks Mystical Matthew for stirring up this pot.

BTW, is the Beaver Tail girl (like that one!) related to the Lemon Chill guy? Funny stuff....

The only way I could ever see them taking down Iron Dragon would be to build another family roller coaster either in its place or some where else. Cedar Point has been hunting down and killing their family attractions starting with Disaster Transport (or even Paddlewheel Excursions). If they continue down this path they will have no rides left for those with kids who think Gemini is too big and Woodstock Express is too small.

Pete said:

That is correct, private road owned by CP.

Off topic but curious, who owns the chausee?

What kind of ride was Serial Thriller at Geauga Lake? I could see that style going in when Iron Dragon is someday retired. But I agree with CPfan up above. They're not going to take out Iron Dragon just for the sake of taking out a ride.

Serial Thriller was a great ride. It was renamed Thunderhawk and then moved to Michigan, like they do. But it's a 52" height restriction.

I wonder if it still has on-ride video you can buy of your face.

Serial Thriller is an off the shelf Vekoma ride. Although I found Serial Thriller to be pretty smooth, other rides like it were not as smooth from what I've heard. Some coaster enthusiasts nicknamed rides like it "Hang and Bang".

Pete said:

I heard a rumor that is much more out there, but rumor has it that the CP&LE RR will extended to the front gate with a new front of park station. I know that seems kind of crazy, but the unofficial source I heard it from was the same one that somehow knew about the GTT and Dodgem removal months before the announcement.

I bet this is to link it up with the new monorail that is going to run from the park entrance to the mainland! ;)

Cedar Point has plenty of "Starter Coasters"...

• Blue Streak
• Cedar Creek Mine Ride
• Corkscrew
• Gemini
• Magnum XL-200
• Mean Streak
• Millennium Force
• Pipe Scream
• Wilderness Run
• Woodstock Express

Over HALF of the CP "collection" has a 48" height restriction. Ripping out Iron Dragon doesn't make CP in any way less kid friendly.

Between The coasters above, Planet Snoop-Dogg, Camp Snoopy, Kiddie Kingdom, Dinosaurs Alive, and most of the flat rides, CP is EXTREMELY kid friendly!!! The Iron Dragon doesn't make or break that.

I wouldn't put a starter coaster classification in with a 48" height requirement. To me "starter coaster" is like a green circle run at a ski resort. A more gentle ride for people of all ages. Many of the coasters in your list do not meet the requirement to be classified as a starter coaster.

Pete said:

I wouldn't put a starter coaster classification in with a 48" height requirement. To me "starter coaster" is like a green circle run at a ski resort. A more gentle ride for people of all ages. Many of the coasters in your list do not meet the requirement to be classified as a starter coaster.

Fair enough... But Pipe Scream comfortably counts as an ID replacement. That's a fairly recent addition.

I think it's funny that people say CP isn't kid friendly when the entire Gemini Midway is pretty much an intermediate Kid Zone (Though... Let's not forget about the Snoopy Toilet Bounce!)

Paisley said:

Pete said:

That is correct, private road owned by CP.

Off topic but curious, who owns the chausee?

Cedar Point Rd. is a city (or township?) road that's been in business since 1914. Prior to that visitors to Cedar Point could only arrive by steamship, and the first road connecting the resort to the mainland was the vision of George A. Boeckling, one of the early managers of the park. It was one of the first concrete roads built in Ohio and allowed automobile traffic to the Point for the first time. It was built on sand and a couple of times much of it washed away on account of storms. The entrance was finally relocated to the place we know now.

It was considered a fancy place, so the knickname Chausee was given to it in an attempt to class it up, and the name sticks to this day. Now the road is filled with private properties many of which include beach access. Travelers used the road as the main access to Cedar Point until 1957 when the Causeway was built. It was designed to alleviate the traffic jams on the narrow Chausee.

Cedar Point Rd. still has some of the most desireable real estate on the Lake Erie shore, and some of the homes there go for millions. So to answer the question, the people who live there "own" the road that you might consider the back way into the park. For most of Cedar Point's history, it was the only way in.

I had no other choice but to laugh at the mention that Magnum, Mean Streak, Millenium, and Gemini are "starter" coasters for kids. Corkscrew is another I do not consider a starter coaster as it goes upside down, although I guess it could be considered a starter coaster for those ready to try an upside down ride.

Woodstock Express and Wilderness run are kiddy coasters, there is a large gap between those 2 rides and the likes of Magnum and MF at Cedar Point. That gap is currently filled with Iron Dragon and Blue Streak, removing Iron Dragon does indeed make Cedar Point a much less kid friendly place.

I just asked my 8 year old son what he thought about Pipe Scream replacing Iron Dragon as a coaster and he just said "Dad, Pipe Scream is not a coaster", then he laughed at me and walked away... Smart kid, must get that from his mom.

I have no choice but to laugh at this entire thread.

You all realize this is a lengthy, handwringing discussion, leading to arguments, about something that's not actually happening, right?

Yeah, let's talk about extending the CP&LE Railroad instead. Even though that probably won't happen.

What's the whole point of a "Starter" coaster anyway? My second roller coaster was Magnum. It was the biggest thing in the park at the time.

I've been hooked ever since.

Last week we spent two days at Cedar Point and two at Kings Island. I have two daughters ages seven and ten. My oldest is tall enough to ride all of the big rides at both parks but the youngest is just shy of 48 inches.

At the end of our trip we all agreed that Kings Island was enjoyed more by the family as a whole. KI's Woodstock Express and Flying Ace Aerial Chase were instant hits with the family because we could all go on together and they had enough of a "thrill" to please everyone. By contrast I can barely fit on Cedar Point's Woodstock Express and Wilderness Run is pretty tame for our kids including my youngest.

There were some other reasons why we really enjoyed our time at KI. Though not "thrilling" the Eiffel Tower, Boo Blasters, and even the Woodstock Whirlybirds provided a unique mix of experiences that we could all enjoy together as well. My daughters also loved that the train ride was narrated and included music. It was also great to be able to get food at the Festhaus and sit down (in air conditioning) and watch some live entertainment. Plus, the employees were all so friendly throughout the entire park, especially the folks at Reds Hall of Fame Grill. I think we also enjoyed the fact that the park has a smaller footprint than Cedar Point. It feels more walkable and that is a big plus when you have kids with short legs. ;)

Now, that's not to say that I don't love Cedar Point. It has a lot of strengths and I think both parks complement each other nicely. Cedar Point has so much to offer us "big kids" and plenty so for little tykes as well, but when you're just under 48" and surrounded by so many great coasters it can be tough. It's not that the park isn't kid friendly or not family friendly, there are just noticeable gaps that could use some attention. Pipe Scream and the Lake Eerie gliders were nice additions and my hope is that a family coaster and a dark ride are on the horizon as well.

^ Well said, and our family would agree with your assessment of KI vs. CP.

If CP were to remove ID and install a ride similar to Flying Ace and perhaps a ride such as Woodstock Express but with more room for people then I would consider that a huge plus on the family friendly meter for the park. However, removing ID and calling a 200'+ dive coaster with the usual B&M 54" height requirement a "replacement" would be a huge negative for the park in terms of family friendliness.

Cedar Point Rd. (the Chausee) is owned and maintained by Cedar Point. The property owners have an easement to use the road.

My kid is 44", and can only ride the two coasters in Camp Snoopy. By contrast, at home, he can ride Big Thunder Mountain, Space Mountain, Barnstormer, Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, Expedition Everest and all non-coaster rides, including Tower of Terror. In fact, it's easier to say that he simply can't ride Rock'n'Rollercoaster and Primeval Whirl.

The only thing that's painfully obvious (with a few exceptions) in this thread is who actually has kids and who does not. Cedar Point is miles away from being a kid-friendly-family-oriented park with regards to its collection of rides. Is it better than a decade ago? Absolutely. Does it have a long way to go? Yep.

Is that where it's headed? I don't know, but I do know that they have lost us as platinum pass holders as more of our "leisure dollars" have gone to Disney. We simply have a better time as a family (two girls, 3 and 7) there than we do at Cedar Point, and that includes the airfare from Ohio as part of the "it's worth it" equation. That doesn't mean we don't go (we just got back), we just spend less of our income and time at the Point than we did in the past. What Jeff just posted more or less sums it up.

All that said, Matthew, I'm taking most of your posts with a fairly significant grain of salt, unless my sarcasm meter is a little off I took your initial post as a joke.

And to be clear, what I am not doing is complaining about what Cedar Point is and is not. It's a park that has what is has to offer for a certain demographic. I also don't go to Disney and expect Millennium and Maverick-level thrills, I go there for the family experience. What I do think, though, is that with just a couple quality family installations, Cedar Point could go a long way towards being a park that offers a lot more to a lot more people, and is seems like that is exactly what they want to be doing. Great strides have been made in that direction already, and I'm hopeful for the future as well.