Mantis Future

coasterJay said:
I guess I didn't know I needed a scientific explanation to post my thoughts here.

Posting thoughts is one thing. Ten pages of you repeating your opinion of Mantis (I've heard you don't like it), and repeating your pointless anecdotal observations of the queue goes beyond simply giving your opinion.

Your opinion of and observations regarding Mantis are completely and totally irrelevant to how the park values the attraction. Asking others if they've seen a line is equally irrelevant, as I've seen Gatekeeper, Raptor, Magnum, Skyhawk, and other rides as walk-ons on numerous occasions, and all at times when other rides had waits. So if you seeing no wait for Mantis means it should be removed, then the same is true for many other rides and attractions throughout the park.

Your opinion has been noted, as far back as page 6. It's probably not necessary to continue to repeat it.

JUnderhill said:
Seeing that Raptor has had consistent waits, and Mantis has not, I can logically conclude that more people ride Raptor than Mantis. I do not need park operating budgets, expense reports etc... to come to that conclusion.

But that's the thing - Raptor does not have consistent waits. Just like Mantis, I've seen Raptor's queue completely full, just as I've seen both completely empty.

djDaemon said:

But that's the thing - Raptor does not have consistent waits. Just like Mantis, I've seen Raptor's queue completely full, just as I've seen both completely empty.

Fair enough, as I have said I am only going by what I see in the park when I am there. I am not going by what i heard or what I was told, but rather what I actually observed. On the 9 days I have been at the park there have been consistent waits on some rides, while others have been a consistent walk on. If you have had different experiences then our perception about this issue will obviously be different. As was stated earlier, the total number of rides per year is what matters - and as far as I know, Mantis numbers were not published.

All this aside, I will be at Cedar Point later this afternoon and plan on riding Mantis - if nothing else all of this talk about it will give it at least +1 rides this season!

Ok duly noted, I just don't see Mantis as a viable ride in a park like CP anymore. My opinion is logged for eternity I guess, Time will tell what happens at this point. I just wish I knew as much about parks and how they operate as Dj.:)

I don't know much about park operations and such. But the important thing is that I know that I don't know, you know?

:)

A person who tells me they saw Mantis with little or no wait three times the last time they were at the park is telling me an anecdote.

A person showing me a report telling what the queue was at every 30 minutes from open to close is giving me information.

And consider this: rides that are less popular, or even far less popular than the current marquee rides may still serve a function.

As the guest population grows or shrinks during the day, as the guest population moves about the park, those non-marquee rides can easily absorb riders who may not want to wait for a long time for a particular ride or attraction and instead go to one nearby.

So right now, 630 pm, iron dragon is outside the que so about 30 minutes, MF is over an hour, Mantis was a walk on, like right into the station, middle three rows closed off type walk on. There's my anecdote for the day.

That being said, I just rode it three times and over all I changed my opinion, not sure why I didn't like it but it is actually a fun ride. The back had more head banging than the mid front and front but still not too bad. I wouldn't ride it three times again in 15 minutes but I wanted to make it back to Iron Dragon in time to meet up with my son who is still waiting in line for it.

On my cell so sorry about any incoherent rambling a here.

JUnderhill said:
So right now, 630 pm, iron dragon is outside the que so about 30 minutes, MF is over an hour, Mantis was a walk on, like right into the station, middle three rows closed off type walk on. There's my anecdote for the day.

Thanks for your anecdotal observations, please take pictures with todays newspaper in the shot, some people need more proof than just your word. :)

noggin said:
And consider this: rides that are less popular, or even far less popular than the current marquee rides may still serve a function.

Consider this: What's the cost of operating said ride to just serve a particular function?

Idk if anyone else has noticed, but most rides are rougher later on in the day. last time at CP I rode Mantis early in the day and the ride was as smooth as I ever felt it. I even got some really a lot of negative G's out of it (I know I was really shocked) but after that ride, my respects for it went through the roof.

BUT, I again rode it that evening, I didn't get as much airtime as before and it was a lot rougher...same scenario happened with Maverick.

So it really depends on when you ride what ride.

Who else thinks the first half of Mantis is the best part of the ride? Then after the break-run, it's basically another coaster.

That's certainly what I think. I think the only reason it's like that is because CP didn't have much more room to have more large maneuverings like the first half of the ride - otherwise they probably would have done it. And have you noticed Mantis's lift is built over Iron Dragon? So replacing Mantis with a bigger coaster...they would have to expand out near Millennium Island, over the lagoon, around Iron Dragon, etc. in order to do so. Otherwise, if you really analyze that area there's not a lot of room, and CP would be building something with a similar layout of Mantis, or something smaller.

coasterJay said:
What's the cost of operating said ride to just serve a particular function?

Why do you think parks install and keep rides, if not to serve "a particular function" -- entertaining guests?

As long as the ride is meeting whatever ridership metrics the park is applying, there's no reason for the park to alter or remove the ride.

noggin said:

As long as the ride is meeting whatever ridership metrics the park is applying, there's no reason for the park to alter or remove the ride.

You keep saying this without any proof, just like me I guess. So its all just opinion, yours vs mine.

The proof is the years that they haven't done anything. It must be doing fine if they haven't felt the need to needlessly waste money on a idea that could very well NOT work out like some are suggesting.

If they do nothing in the next 5 years (floorless retrofit or otherwise), I'd say it's doing fine enough for itself. Hell, I'd be WAY more approving of them repainting it and calling it King James. At least that's a more marketable approach then spending the money to retrofit it.....imo.

^^Yep. The proof is right there on each and every day you visit the park.

coasterJay said:

Thanks for your anecdotal observations, please take pictures with todays newspaper in the shot, some people need more proof than just your word. :)

Hey, I've had the same "anecdotal observations" all last season and so far this one, too.

I think what CP needs is not any more gimmicky rides like floorless or whatever, but a really good woodie, something that will crack the top ten. I'd get rid of some "dead wood" in order to do that first and I'm not talking the still fun Blue Streak either.

Looks like at the very least, the ride is getting a new color scheme.

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=707547719291614

^ interesting, what could this mean? ;)

It kind of looks like Mantis has a line.

^What kind of line? Like a painted line? I hope that doesn't mean where they might cutting?

No I mean there is a line of people waiting for it. It can also kind of be seen from the live cam.

My bad! I was referring to the type of line that L-gon was talking about. I feel silly now...lol