New for 2006 - Skyhawk

I think Cedar Point has done a great job adding SkyHawk for 2006. Cedar Point has to look at various factors for planning a new ride, with the economy being sluggish, jobs lost, and fuel prices. They have to plan ahead, and basically predict the future of the amusement park industry. After having focused on mainly coasters in the last decade, they are now changing fronts and focusing on thrill seekers and not coaster freaks, but I think they might need to add 1 or 2 family-oriented rides in the future. Also freezing or lowering prices they are enticing more families to come to the park, because of the lower admission, and I think they might have went a little ahead of themselves in the past couple of years with admission price. Kudos to Cedar Point for another great attraction heading to the Best Park on the Planet!

I do have a couple of suggestions for the future:

1. Move Wave Swinger to DD spot for "future expansion" 2007 and possibly Antique cars but thats hard to believe.

2. Demolish Kiddy Kingdom, that place is getting old and we already have Camp Snoopy with updated rides and attractions.

3. Future Coasters in 07' & 09' in FrontierTown, Kiddy Kingdom

4. Family Ride in 08'

Huh??? another swing ride? I thought Cedar Point would get another water ride to replace white water landing (Think-Powder Keg in Silver Dollar City- it's an S and S water ride Cedar Point could have purchased). I mean, do you realize that Cedar Point will be the only major amusement park that won't have a log ride when it opens next season. I mean, they should have gotten rid of Ocean Motion instead. White Water Landing has some historical value since it is probably one of the last Arrow flumes in existence.

they should have gotten a mondial top scan instead

Oh cry me a river! Boo Hoo they are putting in another flat ride this year. Have you people ever sat and thought that maybe, just maybe the WWL site will be the site for another major coaster? Take Dragster for example...they just didn't construct that over one off season. They were constructing it during an operating season also!

I personally believe Skyhawk will add a different element than MaXair. Some people cannot ride "spinning" rides. MaXair spins, Skyhawk will not. Get the picture?

Would i like to see a new coaster? Sure. Am i going to toss myself on the ground and pitch a fit and threaten not to go back? Absolutely NOT! I will be there next season and will welcome the new ride. I will ride Skyhawk w/o thinking twice. If CF adding this attraction this year bothers you so much then don't go. Like others said...shorter lines for me! If you do go and just think it's too much like MaXair...ride it and see for yourself. You just may think differently and enjoy yourself.

I mean, they should have gotten rid of Ocean Motion instead.

Right, cause they take up the same amount of space... *sigh* Okay, I know there aren't many of us who are happy with the removal of WWL. But, the bottom line is that is one big-a-- plot of land back there - much bigger than most people realize apparently. In one of the WWL-related threads around here, someone made a cool overhead pic with the WWL footprint marked out, and it really shows how large that site is. A site that large is probably gonna be used for something more exciting than new bathrooms.

As has been mentioned here, CP has made some good attempts at responding to key customer concerns for next year. Sure, there are still other areas that need to be addressed, but its a big step in the right direction, and we should all be applauding CP's moves regarding customers' concerns.

And, for those who all-of-a-sudden hate Cedar Point: GOOD RIDDANCE! How childish and ridiculous that you would go to CP one year, and then throw a temper-tantrum when they "only" get SkyHawk. I'm one of many here who wish there were more for next year, but I certainly won't cry about it. Have patience. Unless you are terminally ill, there is no reason to worry. Go back to the park next year, enjoy all the stuff you did this year (perhaps with slightly shorter lines due to the new ride you all hate) and check out the WWL site to see if you can make a guess as to what is coming in the future.

Of course, as an alternative, you can take your pathetic, crying a--es to another park with some of the best coasters in the world...

.
*** Edited 11/1/2005 11:48:51 AM UTC by djDaemon***

I also have been lurking in the background for the last year or so. I have never posted anything yet but he it goes. I very much love the roller coaster aspect of CP. I have been going to CP almost every year since the early 80's when I was in grade school. One on the things I looked forward to every year was was the coasters. BUT since then, I now have a family with children and not all of them like the coasters. SO I am glad to see the addition of another flat ride. This addition will give the people who may not live for roller coasters a chance to be excited. I also have another thought. How many of you folks have felt the money crunch of the economy over the last year? I am sure that we are not the only ones having less cash flow this year. CP has lowered prices to help boost attendance. I am not sure but I believe that there attendance was down this year which means less money for them. Less money coming in means less $$$ to spend on improvements. I think we should all be happy with what they are offering. CP has been around as long as I can remember. Every single time that I have went there I have had a great time. I believe that they are one the most successful parks in the industry, SO I have great faith that they will continue to make good decisions and will be around for a long time. I also have patiance and I will wait for the new ride that really excites me. In the mean time I will continue to enjoy CP for what it has to offer.

I bet all of the people who want to cry and whine about this and say they'll leave their business with CP will just have a GREAT time sitting around their house doing nothing or visiting such fine amusement establishments as Dollywood or Morey's Pier.

Have fun, because the rest of us certainly will be at Cedar Point with their other new addition for 2006: Shorter lines and less intolerant customers!

I wouldn't count on the shorter lines, not with the reduction in pricing for entrance, especially the huge reduction for juniors. That's $10 off for two adults, and $15 off for each junior ticket. That's enough of a discount to bring people back.

And with possible reductions in food (not to mention 25 cent cotton candy), I wouldn't be a bit surprised to see families who used to make several trips and stopped because of the cost, going back to several trips once again.

So far, I haven't seen one person who is complaining about the "similar ride" say they have actually been on a Screaming Swing. Again, like those who think the OnPoint blog is simply there to hype rides, they are making personal assumptions.

Unlike maXair's height requirement of 52", we now have a swing ride the younger, shorter guests can ride. Even better, with seating set up with 10 people on each side of one arm, entire families can ride it together.

The price reductions and addition of a more family friendly thrill ride will bring many more people into the park than the few people on this forum who are "saying" they have no reason to come to the park next year. I can't imagine that what CP has to offer already isn't "enough" of a reason to return.

One thing to remember is there are many more non-enthusiast guests who go to parks than there are enthusiasts. I think some of you give yourself too much credit to your importance to the park.

Sure I can't wait for the next amazing coaster, but I know we can't get an addition like that every year.

I had never ridden a ride like MaXair before it made its debut this season, and I must say that I adore MaXair. The location of MaXair along with the renovation of the games section was a very pleasant addition this season.

I think that the location of Skyhawk is great, just what the area needs. As I was walking past that area last Friday I said to my husband, "There needs to be something else out here to bring people back here, it's a beautiful area." I've never ridden a screaming swing, but from what I've read, I am confident that I will enjoy Skyhawk.

We'll be getting Skyhawk, lower prices, Gemini renovations (which I am personally very excited about), it sounds like a good season. I like to see improvements in multiple areas/aspects of the park and it seems they are aiming to do that. And when they knock our socks off with what may be coming in 2007 or whatever year, I'll be ready :) *** Edited 11/1/2005 4:12:25 PM UTC by svolk***

My question judging the picture, what happens to the bathrooms next to Cedar Creek Mine Ride? Are those being relocated somewhere else?

And also I'll say it again, this is a great move for Cedar Point, and I can't wait to ride Skyhawk. Yes we are all upset over losing White Water Landing, but we have to have faith and trust Cedar Points judgement. Lets take this to a vote? How many people grew up in the 80s here? Post after me if you did. How many of you thought Cedar Point was still a great park then? Until Magnum was built, your popular rollercoaster in the park was probably Iron Dragon.

Cedar Point I'm sure and I have confidence that we'll see something great and just as fun in White Water Landings spot. Hopefully its a new water ride/water coaster. Whatever it is, I'm sure we'll all be happy when 2007 does come around.

The Mine Ride restrooms will remain.

OJ said:
I mean, they should have gotten rid of Ocean Motion instead.

I agree that Ocean Motion does not do much to impress a 37 year old, but I sure did get a lot of enjoyment from it this year when my 7 year old finally worked up the courage to try it. He ended up running as fast as he could to get back on it again and again and again...

My hunch is that me bringing the family to the park to ride those stupid boring rides as some of you would call Troika, Calypso, Materhorn, Ocean Motion etc is more important to the shareholders than me going by myself to ride coaster after coaster.

*I didn't read this whole thread, only parts of it*

The week when I read that CP would most likely get a screaming swing I was a little bummed. But then I started to think that it probably will be alot different then maXair. Sure they both swing, but like it also says, it wont act as a pendulom, it will jolt you up similar to the power tower.

Also, it's just another thing to do in the park. Honestly, If they did put out another flat ride that fit in with the area around it, and was not a swing, would you just go to CP for only that and then talk about it for a long time afterwards? NO! The point I'm trying to make here is that all you people that are carrying on about how you're not going back, What a stupid thing to say. There is always fun at Cedar Point.

I will be in line next year and happy to be. Can't wait for 2007! (Hopefully a looping coaster :) )

Walt said:
The Mine Ride restrooms will remain.

That's the only thing I've been worried about this whole time.

I kind of agree with CP_bound. While a new ride is great, I would much rather see CP take a year off and make some internal/capital improvements. Pay the poor employees more so maybe they won't treat me like crap or give me too much cheese on my cheesedog (true story).

But I think i disagree with CP_bound in that I think Cedar Point is moving in the right direction. They're adding a family friendly ride, lowering ticket prices, freezing food prices, and common, 25 cent cotton candy - humor me by saying that last season there was something (worthwhile) for 25 cents in the park.

I guess I'm being optimistic in saying that hopefully 2006 will be a kind of "turn-around" year for the park, where we'll finally see some of the improvements that we've been wanting for a little while now.

Am I the only one that wants to get rid of those lockers. I know threre not doing much yet but I want to be able to see when they start.

They have started. There is a loader & backhoe on-site, and they have already removed some light posts, as well as the SRF queues. They have also continued dismantling the lockers...

Not that I've been paying attention... ;)

.
*** Edited 11/1/2005 7:51:34 PM UTC by djDaemon***

This might have already been said, but I didn't feel like reading 8 pages worth of thread:

You want to know what I think is funny? When KK took all of those records from TTD by just a little bit, we were all complaining saying that they just built is x amount higher and faster so that they could have the records...now I realize that this is no roller coaster record for speed or hieght or anything, BUT CP just beat a record (that I believe is from another CF park) by 3 feet! I think that if we are gonna break a record here at CP, we should continue our tradition and smash it...oh well, I just thought that it was kind of funny...but I guess that's what us fan boys do...
*** Edited 11/1/2005 8:01:19 PM UTC by IWantBansheeBack***

Lakeland05 said:
Its not just getting a ride that is almost similar to maXair, thats just one thing in a string of things. They haven't really made an attempt to fix Millennium Force's seatbelt situation, to me thats just saying they don't care about those guest who can't fit anymore.

There isn't a lot of things you can do with the seatbelts on MF, they already changed restrictions (didn't they make it 1 inch?) and they changed the restraints. I don't think they expect Intamin to design a whole new restraint system, when its only people 225-275 (or more) pounds (depending on height) that can't ride.

Then theres Top Thrill Dragster, I know its not thier fault that it doesn't work all the time, but if i was Cedar Point i would be trying to figure out what to do to really get it working good, instead of being like lets just fix it everytime, hell why don't they just have intamin take it down and return it for something else. I wouldn't care.

How do you know what CP is doing to get Top Thrill Dragster to work? Obviously, the system and design isn't simple, so quit being mad at CP for not having dragster running 100%.

And now they are thinking about buy the six flags chain... here we go again, if they do this they will be at the same point Six Flags is right now. So as i am concerned CP is no longer the park i knew back before TTD, but as a park that has changed its view of who its guest are and who they want to please. Whats even gonna change after Kinzel is gone, its looking downhill from here, so this is where i get off. Cedar Point has lost a fan and a guest of its park. I will no longer spend my money at a "shinking ship." I hope they lose their golden ticket award next year. good bye Cedar Point

How are they going downhill when they have TTD, which is a very unique and the worlds tallest and fastest coaster. How do you consider that going downhill. All of a sudden they have 3 seasons where they don't add something major, and you think they're going downhill...silly. Next year when they do add something major, you'll be praising them again.

And btw, Cedar Fair wasn't going to buy the whole SF chain, just a few parks.

Waiting until 2007 for the next major ride is not as bad as it seems. While it may not what we wanted or expected, we have to respect the decisions made by CP. I'm not going to lie... I'm a little disappointed about it, too. But I'm also really excited for ANY new ride and will most definitely be in the Skyhawk line next summer!

You don't get selected as best park in the world for making bad decisions. Cedar Point has been making good decisions about what is has to offer for more than a century. It's ridiculous to all of a sudden badmouth CP's decision making because they don't put in a record-smashing mega thrill ride. Whatever they have in the works for 2007 will be amazing. And, even if you still think CP has to "make up" for this so called "mistake," I'm pretty sure you'll think the wait was worth it come summer of 2007.

Being a fan of Cedar Point is like a roller coaster itself. When you get off a roller coaster, it doesn't mean the ride or the thrill is completely over. You just have to get back in line and wait for your next chance to ride. That's how I look this situation. We were spoiled when CP added 3 record-breaking coasters in 4 years. That ride is over. Now, we are just waiting in line for the next big thrill. And, I would argue that just like most of the lines at CP, the longer the wait is, the bigger the thrill will be.

Well put CPbred. 2007 Should be awsome and if those people want to leave before they experience the thrill, bad decision.