Kinzel and TTD

From the papers months ago, Kinzel said TTD had problems.. Do you think he would still have built TTD if he would have known there would have been problems like this?

TTD was the first of it's size and power. There is no way they didnt expect problems. KK has had the same issues. It doesnt mean give up. Every new ride has growing pains. Wicked has been down almost as much as TTD the last two years. But no one seems to think it was a mistake to put that (WT) in.

Perfectly put.:)

That is true.

Most have forgotten about how bad Wicked Twister is reliabilty wise. Don't forget that TTD was already started to be build before WT operated. It's not like they choose to build TTD after knowing WT's fate. It turns out that both rides have been pretty bad for reliability, especially TTD. I find it hard to believe Cedar Fair will be jumping at any unproven models Intamin makes any time soon.

I think that people just associate TTD with problems more because of the fact that it was hyped as being this big record breaking ride, and when the breakdowns occur, it was major news for such a big new ride, to have so many problems. I also think that WT's problems were quickly forgotten by many after TTD opened...

I think you need to step back and think of Millennium Force first. When they had the tag line "The Future Is Riding On It" really had a double meaning. The fact that if it wasn't for Millennium Force's early success, mechanically I don't think Dragster would have been built for '03. Look at the approach CP and Intamin took with Dragster, they increased the angle of the lift and were the first to use the cable lift system. The sheer size and magnatude of the project was just amazing. Thats why for its time Millennium Force had the biggest impact in the industry, even more so than Magnum or Dragster for the times that they opened.

Outside of an early struggle to get the blocks right on MF to run three trains the ride pretty much opened perfectly. I remember on a construction peice for Dragster Rob Decker said that they gave the OK for Dragster shortly after MF opened becuase Intamin proved itself.

Getting back to the point of Dragster being a "mistake" I think you need to look from a financial standpoint. If the ride is driving profit to pay for itself and future capital improvements the way Millennium Force did then it wasn't a mistake.

Another good view.:)

You got a good point there Frank,but dragster hasn't really showed any profit gain.Halloweekends had record breaking attendance without dragster,that alone showed that dragster didn't help them none.

Visits to CP:

season '00 ... 2

season '01 ... multiple

season '02 ... 1

season '03 ... 2

season '04 ... NONE

season '05 ... 2

season '06 ... definitely 1, possibly more.

I would still visit CP if TTD had never been built. However, the attraction is a MUST RIDE each time I'm there and it's operating.

WT is fun, in the last seat, but it doesn't do much for me.

Magnum, Raptor, MF, TTD, Wildcat and Maxair are the additions that keep me coming back. WOW, that's 11 coasters I couldn't care less about...

Maybe more, biggest, highest, fastest, longest, wildest, craziest isn't always the way to go.

JAT
*** Edited 3/5/2006 7:02:57 PM UTC by Luke Sherri***

It's true. Many people are content with the smaller coasters. Wildcat is one of the smaller ones and I prefer it over Dragster. Not everyone is looking to ride the newest record breaking coaster. But then there are some who prefer those record breakers. Everyone has their preferences.

2003 saw a 3% rise in attendance when TTD was built. 2004 had more rain than normal. 2005 had economy issues. Even if they didn't see a rise, TTD gave people who came previous seasons to come back. Meaning it still stayed flat.

TTD and Raptor are my favorite rides, but Demon Drop and Blue Streak are just a good. A trip to CP without those four rides doesn't feel complete.

You don’t have to be a Dragster fan or even a coaster enthusiast to ride Dragster and want take more trips to ride it. It’s an amazing experience for everybody who rides it (well most). It's brought alot of good aspects to Cedar Point. So give it some kind of credit. I mean to say that CP shouldn’t have built it is just saying you don’t like the ride when you don’t realize that Dragster is and will always be part of CP history. CP would not be the same without it. I just hate any notion of not seeing Dragster going down the Cedar Point causeway or even from the Sandusky Bay Bridge.

All in all, Kinzel is disappointed with Dragsters downtime and its cost.....but not the coaster itself. It's too early to say that he officially dislikes the coaster.
He can change his mind about Dragster but not about DT.

Luke, your post makes no sense. You said "Maybe more, biggest, highest, fastest, longest, wildest, craziest isn't always the way to go," yet you have included the top 3 highest, biggest and fastest rides in the park along with one of the craziest assuming that means the most inversions and the biggest ride of its kind in Maxair. The rides you didn't include with the exception of Mantis and Wicked Twister are 15 years or older and are no longer anywhere near biggest, fastest, longest..etc.

So, what you are saying is, you don't like the record breaking rides yet the only reason you come to the park is to ride them. I don't get it.
*** Edited 3/6/2006 5:51:40 AM UTC by daboyes12***

I LOVE the record breakers. I honestly don't think the day will ever come in my life where something will be to BIG to ride...

But I'm not the general public. I'm the exception. So while I especially enjoy the biggest, fastest, craziest (usually, sometimes they don't age well) ... maybe it's better if the focus of the park is changed a bit?

How high is to high, how much is to much?

If the GP does not like the tallest, fastest, wildest, craziest rides then why are the longest lines at Raptor, MF, and TTD. I hope CP never changes there focus and keeps on building the tallest fastest coasters on the planet. That is one aspect of what has made CP the best park on the planet 8 year in a row. I believe KINZEL and CP have revelutionized the amuzment park industry the last 15 or so years. I would also like to say thank you KINZEL for everything he has done to Cedar Point while he has been in charge, i love it all.

AIRTIMELUVR said:
If the GP does not like the tallest, fastest, wildest, craziest rides then why are the longest lines at Raptor, MF, and TTD. I

Because raptor is not the tallest, fastest, wildest, and craziest ride, and MF and TTD have terrible capacities compared to other rides such as magnum and raptor.

Well see, to the GP, Raptor, MF, and TTD(including others) ARE the tallest, fastest, wildest, and craziest rides. To us fans, they're just the coasters we love to ride.....no matter how tall, fast, wild or crazy they are. We get to know the ride soo well that we know what the experience feels like.(except Dragster;))
But we continue to ride them because we love them.^_^