Potential Disaster Transport refurbishment

I think if you got the rights to KISS, Van Halen, Genesis or a similar group (not anything that would offend anyone) and themed it as a concert experience, that would add a whole new dynamic to the ride. Have a giant sign on DT showing which band they are featuring, just like if you were to go to a concert.

Show a live concert on a big screen with theming through out the que. Play the concert music while riding the coaster with generic signs, lots of smoke and concert effects. I would really think KISS would be an amazing theme because their concerts are over the top awesome.

Just imagine the first day of the relaunch with the original band visiting the park to create a buzz. You could also make lots of money selling concert t-shirts and other gifts. All of this can be done on a decent sized budget.

You could change it up every few years with country, disco, ect...

^So again... A ripoff of the Rockin' Roller Coaster at Walt Disney World?

Disaster Transport was already a knock-off of Space Mountain... And we see how that turned out...

It's different with Mr. Ouimet, he knows what he's doing when it comes to theming.

^^ The Disney Land version of Space Mountain had a Metallica makeover a few years back. Maybe they'll knock-off the new version of the ride.
Personally, I would like to see a Snoopy vs Red Barron ride. Re-working disaster transport could probably be done on a relatively small budget. A Men In Black style ride could work for this too.

I have never been on the Disney ride, but I think this is different. We are talking about seeing the concert, not going to it in a limo. Its not really the same thing.

I think re theming it as a snoopy coaster is one of the best ideas for it I have ever heard. That seems like the best idea as of right now, especially with it being so close to Kiddy Kingdom and Planet Snoopy. Maybe refurb Space Spiral while your at it to make families want to go on that. I can honestly say that besides for the little kids rides, Space Spiral is the only ride I haven't been on.

So you guys are saying make it like Rip Rockit Ride at Universal? People have a touch pad to choose their music for the ride.

The "best" idea I ever heard (and I must admit I would personally just see it removed, although this one would at least remove the hideous building) was indeed a snoopy-themed idea, with the bobsleds reworked to look like cut-out log canoes, and the track painted/themed to look like water, with the idea being a "crazy river race" to the bottom.

I just personally disagree with the enclosed-ride idea. I can appreciate the uniqueness, but looking at Avalanche Run was not such an eyesore. I cannot envision any version of that building, which completely obstructs a decent view of the lake from the ride (or anywhere around it).

I hate the building, not the ride inside it.

Shouldn't you judge a building by the content of its ride experience instead of the color of its corrugated aluminum siding?

[ /mangling of Dr. King]

;)

Now if DT was removed, I would want a coaster there.. But if that doesn't happen, I wouldn't want another kids area, but a whole family area. Or at least one or two family rides.

Maverick00 said:
It's different with Mr. Ouimet, he knows what he's doing when it comes to theming.

Why does everyone always go right to the CEO of the company on everything? Shouldn't people really be looking at John Hildebrandt? After all, he is the general manager of Cedar Point. He should be the person to make decisions like that approve budgets for those cases. Why would it have to go all the way up to the CEO to add some theming to an attraction? Doesn't make sense to me. I feel like Kinzel especially got blamed for a lot of downfall with CP things, and Hildebrandt gets off scott free. People forget he even exists.

Ouimet has explained that he doesn't want to micro-manage his GMs ...

Touche, Ensign. Touche.

:)

I have always visualized a wooden coaster standing where DT is now. The lift hill would be there, it would curve and travel behind the games area, turn down towards Ocean Motion, and the head back. It would really polish this area of the park and make the Giant Wheel more appealing...a ferris wheel and wooden coaster on a beach is just classic. Would make no sense to invest anything into DT...nothing you can do will improve the ride. I could make a case the ride is better in pitch darkness.

Disaster....DK was a micromanager in the biggest sense of the word. You need only look to the recent decision to allow GMs to start up Twitter accounts. There is no way...NO way...that happens under Kinzel.

I really can't say for sure how much autonomy GMs at all of the other parks had but I don't think there is any doubt that the GM of Cedar Point was on a very short leash. I do know that Dick had his hands on countless decisions around the company that you would expect a GM to make. Heck, Dick was involved in decisions that shouldn't even be made at the GM level for crying out loud.

I've heard that there was an extra signature line on the workorders at CP where Dick signed off ;)

Perhaps a different take...but since it is on the beach, could you seal the course and toss some water down it, and make an in-house-designed water coaster of sorts? Again, get rid of the building...make the course partially enclosed/partially open (like a water slide)...and retrofit the vehicles a bit to slip and slide down the course? Then you would have a family/water-but-not-soaking attraction at the front of the park...on the beach...which would actually make sense. Theme it after a 1950's beach party/surfing atmosphere. Voila.

I like how we come up with these ideas as if we work for the company. :)

Where would they put all the Halloweekends stuff if they tore down the building?

Somewhere else. They could easily throw up a new storage building if they had to, like the parade one. All this is just pipe-dreaming anyway. I would hedge my bets on a complete removal sometime down the road versus a modification.

Disaster62 said:
Why does everyone always go right to the CEO of the company on everything? Shouldn't people really be looking at John Hildebrandt? After all, he is the general manager of Cedar Point. He should be the person to make decisions like that approve budgets for those cases. Why would it have to go all the way up to the CEO to add some theming to an attraction? Doesn't make sense to me. I feel like Kinzel especially got blamed for a lot of downfall with CP things, and Hildebrandt gets off scott free. People forget he even exists.

Ouimet has explained that he doesn't want to micro-manage his GMs ...

It's because that's the way it has been at Cedar Point for as long as anyone here can remember. Just as an example...go back to the news stories when Shoot the Rapids II failed to open. Good news or bad news, Kinzel got all the ink. Who is John Hildebrandt anyway, and why do we never get to hear from him?

Well, that's changed. Hildebrandt has been directly connected with Cedar Point for longer than I can remember, and now we get to see his vision for the place. But that's a relatively new development. It's going to take the fanbase a bit of time to catch up!

--Dave Althoff, Jr.

And generally it was thought that Hildebrandt was under Kinzel's thumb and didn't really have the freedom to manage the park without Kinzel's interference. I think we will really see Hildebrandt make his mark on the park now, and from everything I have heard, that is a good thing.