Rides that might be removed in the next few years

Well I for one think Mean Streak will get the NTG treatment or it will be torn down within the next decade.

It'd be great if something like NTG could be done to Mean Streak.

Approaching the ride from the front... it really is a sight, not gonna lie. I've been to Cedar Point countless times where I've seen people go "Wow, look at this coaster, and there is only a five minute wait!". Many would assume it was because it was kind of out of the way in the back of the park, but then they get off and are like "Oh... that's why" in regards to the roughness of the ride.

I think MS needs left alone. The park is very weak in the wooden department as it is, and if it would get the NTG treatment, CP would basically be left with ONE genuine wooden coaster. Regardless, I hope the next big project addresses that category.

liebevision said:
Here's a review saying it blows everything at CP out of the water
http://www.ultimaterollercoaster.com/forums/roller-coasters-theme-parks/214979

Well, if Sportsdude360 says it, it must be true!

Super Stew said:
I think MS needs left alone. The park is very weak in the wooden department as it is, and if it would get the NTG treatment, CP would basically be left with ONE genuine wooden coaster.

I don't get why you would want to keep it how it is if a NTG treatment would make it better. Sure, Cedar Point wouldn't have more than one genuine wooden coaster, but the majority of the people aren't going to care about the wooden coaster count. They're going to care about ride experience.

Taer er down!!!!111!1! ;)

Seriously even if the NTG treatment made it better, is it worth the cost, versus just starting over from scratch?

NTG would be a waste on MS. The problem with it is, the layout really, really sucks. There's no fixing that.

Does anyone think instead of placing metal track like on NTG they could just do wood track like on Outlaw Run? That would give the smoothness along with the classification of being a wooden coaster still.

Also, the layout of the original Texas Giant and MS are very similar. The overall profile would be the same but the ride could be completely different. For example it could have a much higher and steeper drop, over banked turns when the current turns are at, and way better airtime in the second half of the ride. They could even add barrel rolls at the end or a loop in the spot just after the on ride photo.

Nothing like that will happen to MS. They will continue replacing wood as needed but it will pretty much stay the same. I believe (like many others on here) that the next area of the park to get something major will be the turnpike cars area. That area, combined with the removal of the dorms will free up some nice space for a large ride. But don't expect that for 3-5 years. Once that area is revamped then the back of the park would be the next area of focus. But that would be another 3-5 years AFTER that. My guess is that Mean Streak will be there for at least 6-10 more years and will not get any Texas Giant treatment.

If it doesn't get the treatment I believe it won't last another decade.

I just don't see CP making that kind of commitment on a 20 year old ride. If MS was one of the parks top 3 attractions then maybe, but it clearly isn't.

CPfan1976 said:
I thought about Mine Ride's demise in the past (since it's the 2nd oldest running coaster at CP,1969 behind Blue Streak) and wish it would be more like this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FsyllyodcDo

Some extended track/rerouting/Maverick-like theming! and filled in land over toward MF island would be a quick off-season fix. Fill in the waterway to the right of CCMR and behind Camp Snoopy now that Paddlewheel Excursions isn't running any more and you'd have a better chance like something above. The CP/LE train tracks would just have to be shifted to the right toward Shoot the rapids (it's been done many times), and it would create alot more room. It's possible now that PWE is gone. Nobody says the dinos have to live on an "island" anyhow,ha! (don't get me started on that upcharge money driven attraction, it won't last).
Plan B: if you don't want to rework Mine ride, tear it down, and fill in above mentioned land for better ride and more usable real estate.

My family including my 6 year old loved that coaster at Disneyworld and only had to be 40" tall to go on it! She has yet to experience our Mine Ride at CP because of the 48" tall height requirement, which is sad to tell her every year she still isn't tall enough to go on it....and the overall ride experience on the Disney coaster was longer and more visually interesting.

On the Blue Streak midway, I think one of the main hindrances to the development of that area and tying it in with the Luminosity area is the Good Time Theatre IMO. This is prime real estate and I'm sorry to say I can see it going by the wayside in the future to free up that space. I've loved that theatre at much as anyone has but it's a shell of it's former self.

Sure, I would LOVE to see CCMR replaced with a Big Thunder Mountain Railroad clone, but at what cost? Demolition + Ride + Theming would cost at least 10 - 20 million today, and CP would place a height limit of at least 48" anyway. Now, try to maintain the ride with the arctic gale force winds and freeze/thaw cycles in the winter, along with CP's ongoing allergy to spending money for cosmetic maintenance, and try to justify the investment for a 1,568 hour operating year (yes, I checked the 2013 calendar!).

Also, everyone wants to remove the "wastes of prime real-estate" of the Good-Time Theater and the old Dolphin Stadium, but they actually provide important areas where people can recharge and watch an entertaining show at the same time, along with costing minimal maintenance compared to the state-of-the-art rides everyone wants them replaced with.

CP may be weak in the wooden department, but I would celebrate if it got the same treatment as Texas Giant or The Rattler...wow, do those look like fun rides now. I think we clearly see that traditional wooden coasters of large heights just tear themselves apart, and Mean Streak is no exception. I can't fathom CP is just going to keep retracking it and adding new wood every few years...something more drastic is needed, or tear it down and have a ton of land for expansion.

I know some of you like the ride as it is, but I would guess the majority of us either find it too rough, or too slow because of all the braking. I loved Mean Streak the first year, just as much as Magnum, but I never ride it anymore...it bores me after the first drop. By comparison, I still really enjoy riding Blue Streak for the airtime and non stop intensity.

CP obviously thinks they don't have much of a problem with MS, otherwise we would have seen something done to it by now other than re-tracking. Either that, or they just don't care all that much about it. MS could be a much better, less boring ride I'm sure if they made a few tweaks (new more comfortable trains that can turn perhaps and definitely losing all the braking) and would just let it perform to its potential.

I personally don't feel that the "tear it down and build new" fan base is gonna get much to make them happy in the next 15+ years. Cedar Point is the most mature amusement park in the world. We will see a new roller coaster every 8 years from here on. The coaster wars are over. Profits and pleasing shareholders along with the fact that Cedar Fair has doubled in size with the acquisition of the parks that have more needs will affect what CP will get. It has already been announced that the Breakers is getting a 2-3 year remodel and that is probably the extent of what we'll see. Here are my thoughts of the downfalls of the wishlists in this thread..

#1. Mean Streak is what it is. It seats 40+ people per train and is isolated from the park. So even if it appears people aren't riding it...They are. It was new when I was 16 years old and I still love the ride, I just won't ride in the back anymore. If the line is only 5 min. long ride in the front seat once. It will change your opinion of the ride.

#2. Boardwalk. Cedar Point has a boardwalk. It is very nice too. It's outside of the park. If you want to walk the Boardwalk go ahead. You can see how you can turn your $75+ trip into a $150+ trip. I don't see them building a boardwalk for general admition. Stay at the resort, go for 2 days instead of one.

#3. When the other parks get a major flat ride we'll get a copy of it but it won't be a major cost per ride. Like Windseeker.

#4. I do think the next coaster we get will relocate perimeter rd., relocate Calypso, and move housing off point. But it probably won't happen for 5+ years.

RideMan said:Of course, plans do change. Wildcat got a new elevator this season, just in time for it to be torn down. But most of the time, you're not going to see them invest significant capital into a ride whose days are numbered.--Dave Althoff, Jr.

Gemini, Mine Ride and DT received station lifts this offseason too, so likely it was more a case of somebody somewhere being a Nazi about ADA compliance than a last minute change. Certinally GK was planned further out than early 2012 when the lift was put in at DT.

We-o-we-oooo said:

RideMan said:Of course, plans do change. Wildcat got a new elevator this season, just in time for it to be torn down. But most of the time, you're not going to see them invest significant capital into a ride whose days are numbered.--Dave Althoff, Jr.

Gemini, Mine Ride and DT received station lifts this offseason too, so likely it was more a case of somebody somewhere being a Nazi about ADA compliance than a last minute change. Certinally GK was planned further out than early 2012 when the lift was put in at DT.

Does CF plan operations, acquisitions, and demolitions 5 years out, or even longer? Absolutely!

Does CF change those plans, sometimes at a drop of a hat, in response to competition, maintenance issues, staffing changes, budget shortfalls or increases, purchase opportunities, or just plain great ideas presenting themselves? Even more absolutely!

The rule is, CF, and any other succesful business, MUST be ready to change course at (nearly) a moments notice, if they want to maintain their popularity and profitability.

These needed changes do NOT include 'taering out' kiddy rides because some guys without children are insulted by the age of the rides or their noise making potential. The point is to entertain toddlers to six or seven-year-olds with this area, not impress a bunch of people needing to be constantly bathed in 'the new'.

We-o-we-oooo said:

RideMan said:Of course, plans do change. Wildcat got a new elevator this season, just in time for it to be torn down. But most of the time, you're not going to see them invest significant capital into a ride whose days are numbered.--Dave Althoff, Jr.

Gemini, Mine Ride and DT received station lifts this offseason too, so likely it was more a case of somebody somewhere being a Nazi about ADA compliance than a last minute change. Certinally GK was planned further out than early 2012 when the lift was put in at DT.

True. But the better example was the fencing on White Water Landing. Ohio required beefed-up ride fencing, so most of the rides got various forms of new compliant fencing...mostly attractive steel fences or added ride zone fencing. But for White Water Landing, they basically stapled some chicken wire to the wood rail fence and called it good.

Putting an elevator on Wildcat was more an example of how plans can change at a moments notice. That, and getting the State to sign off on Wildcat's operating permit just days before they started tearing it down.

--Dave Althoff, Jr.

I wonder if there any pictures out there of WildCat as it was being taken down.

Not that I have seen.