Is CP the unloved step child.....

lol ;)

The only reason that they are spending no money on CP is the economy. It is really uncertain right now as many of you know. They can't build a $20 million or more ride until they know there attendance will remain somewhat constant or grow. Hopefully 2009 will be a better year so we can get something big for 2010.

You think their plans are that short sighted? Rides are planned 5-10 years out. If they were getting something for 09, contracts would have been signed several years ago and fabrication would have begun long before this economic downturn.

Any plans for '10 do not rest on the general economy of 09. They've already made the plans and signed the contracts for anything (if there is anything) that will go in in 2010.

Plus, looking at the latest news, Cedar Point attendance was up about 400,000 despite the economic realities of the rest of the country. As has been shown in the past, regional parks tend to do just fine in a slow economy because they are cheaper to visit than destination parks.

Saying CP is the unloved stepchild is like saying that someone's Valedictorian, national honors society member child is unloved because the parents are paying extra for their little brother to go to Sylvan Learning Center so he doesn't fail 6th grade.

Wait a minute! I thought Cedar Fair made spur of the minute decisions with their rides. You can't tell me they were planning on shipping Dominator to Kings Dominion years before the fact! They didn't even decide to close the park until September of '07. This is established canon, for god's sake.

John, clearly you know nothing about the workings of this company! ;)

::ducks thrown objects and slams door on way out::

TopThrillChris said:
The only reason that they are spending no money on CP is the economy.

No, I'm sure there are many reasons. Maybe the top one is the realization that coasters no longer deliver the kind of ROI they used to, especially when you pretty much have one of everything.

JuggaLotus said:
If they were getting something for 09, contracts would have been signed several years ago and fabrication would have begun long before this economic downturn.

That much is true, but they could certainly put off installing the ride for an extra year or two if they think the economy would prevent it from making much of an impact. And it saves them from paying what I'm sure is the huge cost of installing the ride if they're concerned about their current finances.

That would be dependent on how the contract is written as well. If they don't have a delay or an out clause, there isn't much they can do to delay development.

AND a vendor isn't going to be terribly happy either. They've invested money into design, development and possibly fabrication while expecting to get paid. Their kids need to eat just as much as DK's.

No ROI on coasters?

Tell that to canada's wonderland and michigan's adventure.

Both parks got new coasters, and each park broke attendance records. I am not saying that a park needs to build a new coaster every year to draw in big crowds, but when you say it has no ROI....that's crazy.

Do you think the crowds at cp would be as good as they are if they did not invest in m force or magnum or any of the coasters that are there now? Everyone I know that goes to cedarpoint does not go for the crappy food and overpriced tshirts....they go for the coasters.

Building new large scale attractions keeps the turnstyle turning and people interested in the park.

I think you missed the part where Jeff was talking specifically about Cedar Point and how they already have most every kind of coaster, not that there was no ROI on something like MF. Right now, I agree with him on that point as well. There isn't much in terms of a new roller coaster that could really attract major attention to Cedar Point. A new wooden coaster would be moot, we already have four over 200 ft., two different inverted coasters, and almost every imaginable sit down model. The only two coasters left that could possibly be a "unique" draw would be a Dive Machine or flying coaster. The Dive Machine looses its appeal because its major draw is a vertical drop, but there are already three coasters with vertical or greater drops. Flying coasters are seen as gimmicks by most enthusiasts, though I honestly want to see one in the spirit of Tatsu, after hearing about how surprisingly intense that particular ride is. Still though, there isn't much left to give the Point a "unique" coaster experience right now.

Sure there is.

A flyer, dive, 4d, floorless,water coaster,tilt coaster,wild mouse,pipeline, and even some consider a log flume as a coaster. So there are still many types of coasters that they could add.

But like I said, it doesen't have to be just a coaster to keep the peeps happy. A major attraction like a log flume or dark ride would fit the bill as well.

Enthusiast's are not the general public. Shikra(sp) at busch gardens still had a 45 min wait when I was there in november. The park was nowhere near packed, and they were running all the trains. An average person does not look at things like enthusiast's do, so the "gimmick argument" does not hold much water.

Tatsu has been the greatest flyer I have ever been on. I wish that cp would consider one of these in the future as well.

i'm so lost with this thinking. One year Cedar point doesn't get something, and now people think Cedar Fair hates it.

I think a good deal of the 400k increase in the "Northern Region" was probably due to Canada's Wonderland. I don't think there's any way we can infer what part of that can be attributed to CP. I'm guessing well below half.

MDO - this if from the attendance story in the News section.

Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio, entertained 12.8 million guests compared with 12.4 million guests in 2007.

The 400,000 is Cedar Point, not the Northern Region.

Sorry Jugga, but read the entire sentence.

The northern region, which includes the standout performer for 2008, Canada's Wonderland near Toronto, and our flagship park, Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio, entertained 12.8 million guests compared with 12.4 million guests in 2007.

The article clearly states that it is for the entire northern region. Now way in the world Cedar Point ever hits 12 million. Its always been back and forth between CP and KI on who hits the highest of a 3 million mark.

Duh. That's what I get for selective reading. It never even dawned on me that 12 mil was a bit high.

My .02 in response to Insane Pony.

flyer - Meh, maybe but I think most people in NEO got their fill with X-Flight.

dive - Too similar to Maverick, and possibly even TTD, in some people's minds.

4d - Maybe, but by all accounts, even with the new/improved trains, the rides are still shaky and a maintenance headache.

floorless - Possibly, but again it's almost a cross between Raptor and Mantis - too many similarities there. B&M pretty much does the same layout for everything by sticking together elements lately.

water coaster - I could see this, however - What would be the point of another new coaster, if you couldn't run it on opening day? (it can be chilly in May, and I'm not getting soaked in that weather.), not to mention Halloweekends.

tilt coaster - I think there's a reason there haven't been too many of these.

wild mouse - This, I'd like to see but again the general train of thought is that it would seem very similar to Wildcat.

pipeline - Hasn't this concept been dead for years? I mean, with the Swiss engineers out there now heartlining everything, it makes for the same type of feeling anyway, so why waste the cash?

I'd LOVE to see one of those new S&S "eagle" coasters, though.

You can compare any coaster to any coaster.

But a dive machine similar to maverick and dragster???? I don't see that.

Why don't they get rid of blue streak because it is like mean streak? Why don't they get rid of magnum because it is too much like millennium force? Why don't they get rid of jr gemini because it is like woodstock express. Why don't they get rid of maverick because it is like corkscrew?...You see the logic in your thinking?

While were at it, Disney should get rid of all there dark rides except one because they are similar as well.

All coasters are similar in one way or another.

Building a coaster where there is an obvious gap and a very long term lack of capital investment makes sense, and Canada's Wonderland was very obviously ready for that. Cedar Point is not Wonderland. Maverick barely made a dent in attendance. Furthermore, the lack of a new ride this year did not adversely affect attendance. Spending another $25 million on that park would be a total waste of money.

crazy horse said:
You can compare any coaster to any coaster.

But a dive machine similar to maverick and dragster???? I don't see that.
All coasters are similar in one way or another.

Sure, you could compare any coaster to another and justify it, if you're looking at it through coaster-tool glasses. Try thinking like a regular person - Maverick goes up a lift, and "dives". A dive machine does just that. Sure, it stops for a second at the top, but it's the same thing.