Random maverick water bombs

This might be an obvious thing, but more so this season. I was at the park Sunday and rode maverick 3 times, and all 3 times the amount of waterbombs going off was different. The first time, none went off, the second time all 3 went off, and the 3rd time only the 1st one went off. Why don't all 3 bombs go off? I'm having trouble understanding the issue. I think that's one of the coolest things of the ride.

I'm assuming the sensors for the waterbombs are just old and only work sometimes. They probably needs to be replaced.

My wife and I were at the park one Saturday evening this June as a bad thunderstorm was approaching. We were walking across the Maverick bridge when the water cannons shot off with no coaster anywhere on the track. Scared the living crap out of me and gave my wife a good laugh.

The waterbombs are sitting in a natural pond. When the mechanisms aren't on, algae grows inside them and they eventually wont work. So they have to take them out of the water to clean them and their moving parts. As you can imagine, they're not on their "must do" list.

Any "theming" is really not on their "must do" list.

I wouldn't say the water bombs classify as theme pieces. They're more of an added show piece. And I have distanced myself from saying that Cedar Point doesn't keep up on theming. I've morphed more to saying that Cedar Point doesn't fix what is not crucial to the operation of the ride in question. Or in the very least, they don't make it a top priority and eventually get to fixing it.........or not at all. :P

Unfortunately, even since Ouimet has been CEO, the theming hasn't been fixed on any of the rides. Hopefully it will someday.

I don't think Ouimet is the one who makes those decisions. Sure, he could say something if he wanted to (and he most likely does), but it's ultimately up to the general manager and the other managers within the park itself. In a park that runs A LOT of rides, it makes more sense to simple keep the ride running and keep those high capacity numbers up. So if the eyes or running lights on Gatekeeper or the waterbombs at Maverick were slowing that process down, then you can bet that they'd be all over it. The sad truth is that they don't, and can be swept under the rug in favor of focusing on keeping the rides running at 100%.

As much as I love seeing those little touches in working order, I understand and accept why they go long periods of not working.

I am sure Mr. Ouimet has more important things to do than make sure a few lights in a ride tunnel are fixed.

Besides Maverick, what rides had any theming? I would argue that the lights in Maverick's tunnels are not really theming. Really though, a patron on Maverick is in the tunnel for less than 10 seconds. Do the lights really make the ride experience better? Over the past two-three seasons, the park has fixed a lot of the ambient ride lighting.

Edit: added the word not.

The lights and waterbombs have 0% relevance to Maverick's "theme". In fact, I'm going on record as saying that Maverick does not have a theme at all. Rather, it has an old western ambiance to it that uses certain set pieces (rock walls, train crossing lights that don't work, surrounding area, etc) that only help instill the idea of going on a wild ride through the old west. And the surrounding scenery/foliage really helps with that ambiance and, perhaps, helps with the ride experience. But that's as far as it goes in my opinion. I've never once looked at the waterbombs and gone "Oh yea! I get it!"

Now, the only coaster at Cedar Point that I consider to have an actual theme is Dragster. And that's not up for debate. ;)

To be clear, I had theme in quotes. I understand that water bombs aren't a "theme".

TTD 120mph said:
The lights and waterbombs have 0% relevance to Maverick's "theme". In fact, I'm going on record as saying that Maverick does not have a theme at all.

To be clear, I agree. I actually forgot to include the word *not* in the one sentence.

I always thought the water bombed represented someone "shooting" at the train as it narrowly escapes and speeds on by. (Cowboys, western, etc) it all works!

^ That's what I thought too.

With what? A canon? ;)

Photon Torpedoes

Get rid of the water bombs and get sharks with frickin laser beams attached to their frickin heads.

Great Austin Powers reference!