Top Thrill Dragster 2022 Status

kylepark:

White Water Landing

WWL will be to me one of the greatest losses of all time. Don't get me wrong, Maverick was worth it for sure. But dang, the nature, views of the lake, and the drops were all amazing. I miss it greatly.

To the park's credit, they planted quite a lot of trees when they installed Maverick, and while it pales in comparison to the final years of WWL, it is starting to look pretty good over there.

Plague on Wheels:

The shoulder restraints dig into my shoulders, and its kind of painful.

Yeah, it's almost as if you are being forced to sit tight fella.

Touche....

I'll take my own advice and sit tight next time I tackle the dragon, it may not feel like two iron claws grabbing me if I tighten up a bit. ;)

When’s the best time to plant a tree?
Twenty years ago.

WWL started as a mud pit after the beautifully wooded landscape of Shoot the Rapids was destroyed. After those measly few trees finally grew into tall, scenic shade providers, away they went to make room for a shiny new coaster over a barren landscape. And those trees already look better and promise to eventually grow to look like the ones represented in renderings and our imaginations. Hopefully there will be no immediate reason to start over again.

To be fair, you can buy older trees if it's a priority. I mean, Animal Kingdom opened as if the park had been there for decades. Looks like Epcot World Celebration will be the same way. While Cedar Fair parks always open stuff with clean and complete landscaping, mature trees are never in the budget. That said, it's my perception that they've been thoughtful about the trees removed in many cases in recent years, like around the Farmhouse and Valravn.

Indeed, they did well around Farmhouse. But I have to say, the Boardwalk looks really barren, at least from the photos and video I've seen. The large grassy area on the beach side of Wild Mouse with, like, three Charlie Brown-esque trees looks particularly... not bad necessarily, but like they unexpectedly ran out of budget and were like, "screw it, someone run to Walmart right quick and buy the three cheapest trees you can find."

I mean the Boardwalk is the one part of the park that at least somewhat makes sense to be lest tree heavy than other parts of the park.

We have a lot of boardwalks down here in Florida. Not many trees other than palm trees, and I don't think they hold up well in the winter. If they really want to immerse guests in the experience then they really need to pump in the smell of rotting fish.

I'm not expecting a forest over there, but more than the few sparse, young trees they planted would be nice. Shade is good, and will only get more valuable in the coming years/decades. And carefully-chosen deciduous trees could provide shade while allowing views of the beach and water.

One of Ouimet's greatest strengths in my opinion was that he emphasized "place making", and empowered P&D to achieve that. And as beautiful as ~75% of The Boardwalk is, it seems to fall just a touch short in this regard.

^Chief, while you thankfully couldn't smell them, there was definitely no shortage of dead fish seen on the beach from all 3 decks when I was there two weeks ago.

Just plant some giant sequoia trees, problem solved.

djDaemon:

One of Ouimet's greatest strengths in my opinion was that he emphasized "place making", and empowered P&D to achieve that. And as beautiful as ~75% of The Boardwalk is, it seems to fall just a touch short in this regard.

Based

Landscaping is usually enough, but interiors, they still always miss something. I noticed this at Sawmill Creek in the common areas, and it's definitely missing in Grand Pavilion. I mean, they seem to center on a statement piece, like the coaster shelf behind the bar, or the seat in the middle of one of the dining rooms, but it feels... sparse. I mean, look at the photos in this article. The outdoor patio is just tables and chairs. The interior side dining room has nothing on the walls (has hospital waiting room vibes), it's just the center piece. In both cases, lots of plants would help. Crown molding, better doors, variations in paint color or wood textures... it's just so bland, the opposite of the food.

The outdoor patio being "just tables & chairs" may be partially due to the fact that it is now "midges" season and they are soon to be in piles over every square inch of that patio. Easier clean-up.

The "planter" inside Corkscrew's turnaround is the best example of my issue with CP's approach to trees.

When the large tree that was there finally died and was removed, I hoped that CP would invest in a sizable replacement tree to provide some immediate aesthetic appeal and shade to the ring of seating below.

Instead, CP seemed to select a typical small nursery tree that will take years to outweigh a bush.

I don't have a lot of tree knowledge, but I do question how many of the trees CP plants these days are even meant to grow large, versus stay small and be easy to maintain (e.g. what I assume is the goal with the trees in Valravn's infield).

On the subject of TTD, I hope the large tree by the former staging area survives the transformation. I'm admittedly sad to lose the willow-esque bushes from the beginning of the queue that had grown so large. They always appealed to me for some reason.

Jeff:

I noticed this at Sawmill Creek in the common areas, and it's definitely missing in Grand Pavilion. I mean, they seem to center on a statement piece, like the coaster shelf behind the bar, or the seat in the middle of one of the dining rooms, but it feels... sparse.

It's missing ambiance. It would feel less sterile if they placed some potted palms/ferns on the patios and dining rooms.

While on the topic of landscaping, I have often wondered if the park uses local nurseries such as Barnes Nursery on Cleveland road or Sandusky Greenhouse on Franklin for their flower beds and landscaping. I would assume the plants do not travel from very far, but I’m also no botanist.

Tell me you've never seen a walleye without telling me you've never seen a walleye. And is that an AI image? Creepy.

With the anticipated roundabout addition on Rt. 6 and reconstruction of the causeway, it would be nice to see some attractive aesthetic details included to the "front door" of the park.