Is shoot the rapids basically the same ride as Snake River Falls?

But Walt - WWLs lack of theming was 30 feet of the ground, not on the ground. ;)

crazy horse said:
Again....not everyone wants to get soaked.

Well sure, but those are the people that can't let go of losing WWL ::looks around::. Don't get me wrong, I liked WWL but I think STR is 100% more fun than WWL ever was. WWL was so open and so lifeless that it's only themeing was a rustic station and maintenance shed and a rock tunnel that was removed. STR has an awesome mist filled tunnel, nice landscaping, an actual background to it's theme, well themed buildings, canyons, and an awesome final splashdown display. And dont forget that people can also watch riders from the midway and get a chance to hit riders with more water. It's pure entertainment!

That being said people will do a lot of things to get relief from the heat. Still though, a smart person (or at least with enough sense) knows this ride involves water (why it's called a water ride) and you riding it will get you wet to an extent. People don't automatically think "Oh a water ride, I hope I don't get wet!" They either think "Oh a water ride, I shouldnt ride as I am not properly prepared to get wet." or "I'm totally going to get wet despite not having proper attire because it's flipping hot out."

Also as a side note, the dynamics of the boat/ride design aren't the same as WWL's or any regular log flume so it's clear to see how a larger volume of water gets ON the rider as apposed to away with this newer design. Just sayin.........

I don't want to have to worry about bringing a change of clothes with me to the park, or having to get a locker.

It's not hard to not worry if you plan ahead.:) But since this isn't WWL we're talking about, you do have to find a way to secure your dry clothes....be it a locker or plastic tote bag. Or just do what I did, secure your important items (wallet cellphone) in a small plastic bag, put them in the bins in the station and just have fun getting wet. You can still hold on to the bag and even put it in a cargo/large pocket with worrying about them getting wet. The other option is also wearing a poncho. But if you (I mean anyone) really don't want to put up with the oh so extraneous hassle (slight sarcasm there) of preparing to get wet, then don't ride.

Ok, I'm done ranting for now. :)

Str is a great looking ride, I am not arguing that. But again, I and many others don't like to get soaked.Just because it's a water ride, does that mean you have to ring your clothes out to enjoy it.

Why do you think log flumes have been so popular over the years? Because you get wet, but not soaked. Wwl may have had a somewhat boring layout, but it was still a fun ride with a good view of the lake, plus you did not get soaked.

Two weeks ago, I was at six flags chicago, and the que line for the log ride was full, at the same time the rapids ride where you get soaked on was about a 20 min wait. People know the differance between getting splashed and getting soaked. I even heard a few people say that str only had a 15 min wait today, and by looking at the webcam, the park was fairly buisy. Not good for a new ride.

I go to parks all the time, and the least amount of things I bring with me in the park, the better. I hate to deal with lockers and spare clothes. I wanna ride the rides, and not have to deal with changing wet clothes or having to run back out to my car several times. And especially at cedar point, where I already have to leave to eat a meal because it's too damn expensive.

I have no problem with them letting go of wwl, it was old. But the replacement is a big let down. There is now no option of going on a water ride at cedar point, and not having to bring a change of clothes now. They could have built a log ride like the one at knotts. That ride is a blast.

Most major parks still have a log flume ride, and there is a reason for it. Heck, some parks even have 2 of them.

Gone is the ability to enter your own personal boat with your entire family. The ability to enjoy a ride alone all together. To me, it's as if Cedar Point took out the Cadillac Cars (a ride you can enjoy alone with your family) and the replacement was a ride called Greyhound Bus.

It's the same thing, only everyone hop in the bus and strap in rows of two. Weeee!

That's what I feel the main difference between WWL and STR is for me.

Essentially, the bottom line is we didn't get a log flume, we got a hyroflume. I guess I'm just not as picky.....but I understand why some people are. I understand that it's much more appealing to get sprayed then drenched. Going the extra mile (like on sat) doesn't bother me but I know not everyone is the same.

The only thing is I keep hearing (not just here) is how much of a failure STR is because you get soaked on it. As I recall, there was no mentioning after it's announcement that it was only going to get you slightly wet. They said certain aspect could be controlled. It's obvious now that they can't tone down the drops. They were going for a family ride here (which it still is) and I'm sure they were well aware of it having a larger soak factor. Whether or not they had intentions to have a light soak factor ride during planning will never be known.

I still say it's a fun ride to get wet on...IF you want to get really wet.:)

Sorry, I'm with crazy horse. The existence of StR is one of the reasons I won't invest in Cedar Fair stock. This ride was a poor business decision that didn't patch up the hole in Cedar Point's lineup.

I haven't ridden it yet, but I can already tell you that it's NOT a family ride because of the soaking factor. I mean...if StR is a family ride, then SRF and WWC would be considered family rides too, right?

Tell me how many laughing, happy grandparents you see coming off of Snake River Falls or WWC? Sure there are exceptions, but in general, these rides all appeal to tweens and teens.

My excitement about riding StR has dropped to near nothing now that I know how wet you get. And with these hot, humid 85+ degree days, if StR was really a 15 min wait at any time, the warning alarms should be blaring.

I'm not surprised though. I was at King's Island a couple weeks ago on a hot, muggy day. Their lackluster log flume that didn't get you wet had a 30 min wait. Their 2 drenching rides were walk-ons.

So, now Cedar Point is going to have 3 walk-on water rides once the initial excitement wears off? I'd maybe understand if these 3 rides were all a part of Soak City. But as a Cedar Point family ride, it was plain stupid to open another drenching water ride. My sister, Mom, Dad, & grandparents will not ride it, so it's hardly a family ride to me.

Help me out here, what is WWC?

I rode it last night and it was a walk on. My opinion: meh. Not because of the loss of WWL, but because it's just a meh water ride. Yeah I'm bummed I have to wait until next year to take my son on it with me but we got over it.

For the most part it does what WWL did. However the first hill is almost twice as high. I sat in the front along with a complete stranger who was a pass holder (and his first ride) and we pretty much critiqued the ride the whole way through. If we got wet, it didn't matter.

I didn't get the misty tunnel. I thought it was better on Maverick ;). The first drop I didn't get wet. In the canyons there are waterfalls, one side of the boat gets wet. You meander around and see some themeing, catch the second lift (and see some random water jets squirt in the giant island pool) and come down the hill. I got soaked due to water jets that are at the base of the hill. It was nice to come around the final turn ala WWL and see the wife and kids waving to me. Nobody shot us with a water cannon.

We didn't sink and drown, so that was good. Other than that it was a pretty meh ride. Just like WWL was. I'm confident that if the water effects were turned off (especially the jets) that you would get WWL wet on this ride. So that's cool for the cooler months. The only bummer side was the boats. I really dislike the boats on both StR and Pilgrim's Plunge. I don't see why Magic Kingdom's Splash Mountain boats could have been copied in CP's case (and all the rows could have been used!). And the other downside of the boats is that it doesn't accommodate the smaller riders.

So there you go. I'm pretty meh about it, but it is not the least bit like SRF. I should also note that I rode Knott's flume 2 weeks ago and it was the friggin bomb! That is how StR should have been done.

~Rob

WWC is White Water Canyon, which is at Kings Island. I think Ffej meant TC, which would be Thunder Canyon.

I think it's pretty funny how everyone is complaining about the soak factor. Last I checked we pretty much all already knew it was going to be a soaker and then during the cooler months with the effects turned off it would be less of a soaker.

...and TC and SRF are family rides. Kids love those rides and I see them on them all of the time.

Again, on thunder canyon and snake, you have to be 46" on tc, or 48" on snake river falls as seen here...

http://www.cedarpoint.com/public/park/rides/water/index.cfm

They are totaly missing the between 42" and just under 46" crowd, unless they want to ride kiddie rides.

Like I said before, str has the same outcome as thunder canyon and snake river falls.......you get soaked.

Not sure if this perspective has been presented, but Cedar Point has essentially constructed a Frontier-themed water park inside the park. TC, STR, and SRF, all within feet of one another form a soaking 3-ride "mini-park" all to themselves.

If you look at the webcam right now, the parking lot is 3/4 full. Str is a walk on. It's running, as I see a few people riding, but shoulden't a new ride have a longer line?

Crazy, it's also mid-70's out, and it's early in the day on a Tuesday.

Let's gather a bit more info before we start (or in your case, continue) the doom-and-gloom talk regarding the new ride.

Just thinking the same thing Crazy Horse. It is not a good sign when your new attraction, the one that is supposed to draw in the crowds, has a pitiful line on a busy park day. Epic fail?

Yeah, epic fail. Because, you know, the resulting value of an 8-figure investment can only be measured in units of days, not something reasonable like years.

Seriously guys, get some perspective and ease up on the whining.

djDaemon said:
Crazy, it's also mid-70's out, and it's early in the day on a Tuesday.

Let's gather a bit more info before we start (or in your case, continue) the doom-and-gloom talk regarding the new ride.

That just backs up the issue about people not wanting to get soaked. The park is right next to the lake, so there are going to be more cooler/windy days then there are going to be very hot sweltering days.

Do you think if if you got as wet as you would have on wwl, the line would be longer?

Being a tuesday has nothing to do with it. The parking lot is 3/4 full, and dragsters line is near full. There are plenty of people in the park. This is a new ride, it should be packed.

I will give it more time, but this is not a good sign.

As noted by those who were familiar with the ride, WWL rarely had a line either. Are you suggesting the park should have never built WWL?

I don't care how long the line is. There are plenty of rides in the park that aren't as popular as, say, Raptor. Those less popular rides fill the gaps left by the more popular ones to round out the park experience. That they don't churn a ton of guests doesn't mean they shouldn't exist.

We get it. You think the ride is a complete waste of space, time and money. There's no need to continue beating that horse, man.

djDaemon said:
As noted by those who were familiar with the ride, WWL rarely had a line either. Are you suggesting the park should have never built WWL?

I don't care how long the line is. There are plenty of rides in the park that aren't as popular as, say, Raptor. Those less popular rides fill the gaps left by the more popular ones to round out the park experience. That they don't churn a ton of guests doesn't mean they shouldn't exist.

We get it. You think the ride is a complete waste of space, time and money. There's no need to continue beating that horse, man.

Where did I say it was a waste of space, time and money? I said it would be a great ride if you did not get soaked on it. I am also pissed about the height requirement.

Wwl had short lines because it was stuffed in the corner by mean streak at the time. The other water rides had short lines as well, so it was not just white water landing. I believe they even shrunk down snake river falls Q line as well because it was not needed. Is there really a need for a 3rd water ride that gets you just as wet as the other 2 do, when they rarly have a long line?

I amlooking at the facts...the proof is right in front of you. Look at the webcams. The park is packed, and the brand new ride is a walk on. How is that good?

crazy horse said:
...the proof is right in front of you. Look at the webcams. The park is packed, and the brand new ride is a walk on. How is that good?

Are you serious?

You know what's bad? When it comes to running a park, you make Kinzel look downright competent.