What rides NEED more themeing?

The statement above is true, they never use the fog, or the lights. The Canon Blasters barely work somedays

Could you simply imagine how awesome Maverick would be with a reworked heart line roll, new restraints like 305 that don't kill your thighs, and the original working themeing? It could be rated above Millennium.

TwistedWicker77 said:
Not only do I wish they would finish the theming on Maverick, but I wish they would utilize the theming they already have.

This^^^.

Think of all the theming/effects that were designed into existing rides that no longer work. Maverick, Magnum, CCMR, TTD, ID could all use just having things "fixed". Heck even the train lights on Gatekeeper didn't last a year, replace the bulbs or batteries already. I would be happy if they took some of the annual budget and fixed the effects that break every year.

I agree there should be a budget for this, especially with Matt on the team, working at Disney there has to be a budget for themeing/effects

The definitive answer is: none.

Every successful amusement park has some rides that carry a theme apart from everything else around it. Amusement parks are supposed to be a wondrous hodgepodge of quirkiness. Think Kennywood. Where else can you stand in one spot and turn to see neon lights, a haunted mansion, a chinese pagoda, an ark, and a giant toy soldier? Notice I said amusement park, (not theme park) which Cedar Point clearly is.

All in all, I think Cedar Point does a great job decorating their rides, and I'm not sure what all the fuss about theming is. It's nice to walk a midway and come across a cool looking station like they built for TTD, or a beautiful lighting package like we find on Windseeker. Dodgem is in about as generic a building as you can find, but has a really great sign. What else does an amusement park really need?

I get the feeling that most of you here aren't very well traveled. And that's ok, but should the day arrive when you can visit certain amusement parks across the country you'll be shocked to see decrepit buildings, chain link fences, everything in need of paint, and gravel under the rides. Then you'll stop to think that those are local and regional parks that everyone in the area has to go to. And then maybe you'll stop complaining about your home park and what it NEEDS.

I'll agree old-assed flats like Calypso, Super Himalaya, and Matterhorn have lost their luster, but that comes with age. The flash that was delivered with those rides in the 70's is, sadly, long gone. It got old, burned out, and broke. Perhaps Cedar Point should consider removing then for something more modern, but I have a feeling there would be crying about that too.

Speaking of Calypso, here's a vid of a beautifully restored original ride. The background is different, for sure, but the flash and the little umbrella tops are still there.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SKwrtEgoZTc&feature=youtube_gdata_player

That video ^ made me remember what a beautiful ride Calypso and Schwabinchen were back in the 70's with their lights and canopy tops.
While agreed that not everything needs themeing, it would be NICE to have some things such as Calypso restored to their former glory with the hearts backdrop, sunbursts, and umbrella tops. I think alot of this could be accomplished with modern LED lights and be a heck of alot more energy efficient and cheaper than 40 years ago.
Just seeing the updated lighting package on Pipe Scream, Windseeker, and the new LED version of the Giant Wheel makes those rides truly stand out at night. The latter two are like different rides without, at least certainly in the daylight. Monster comes to mind also.
I would like to see a rumored LED update of the Witches Wheel to make it stand out in the evening. Would it be the same ride without the update? Yep, but modernization and/or restoration would make it more visually appealing just like the TTD station you mentioned.

Actually I have gone to many Amusement Parks in Europe and may I say... WOW! Incredible themeing. Note they are amusement parks, but they have taken that one step further. Port Aventura is just awesome! Their rides just don't compare to CP's of course.

I wish gatekeeper had a nicer looking station. I mean look at Banshee's church theme! done by a cedar fair park. GT's station looks like the steel mill my grandpa used to work in, oh my.

Gatekeeper was a little different project comapared to Banshee. Not only was CP building a new roller coaster, but constructing a new main entrance gate. That in it self makes for a nice theme, which is tied in with the name. As for the station, they probably could've added more detail, but the location on the beach makes up for it.

I always thought the same thing about Gatekeeper up until very recently. I love the Banshee church theme with the flickering church chandeliers above. However, in terms of Gatekeeper, location definitely makes up for it. Wasn't it stated before that one of the bonus features of Gatekeeper was to show off the beach more? I could be wrong. With a station like Banshee, the beach view would be almost blocked.

I would guess that one consideration with GK was that the keyholes needed to be sort of neutral in design to tie seamlessly into the gate, and the station needed to sort of match the keyholes. So, you end up with a somewhat neutral station design. And I think it looks great. The entire GK plaza makes up for any lack of theme, in my opinion.

The main entrance is fantastic! It's an animated front gate at that, which serves a purpose.

Yep, the new front entrance plaza and the lakeside plaza complete with neutral station really help welcome you to the park and draw you to the beach. Some of the extra lighting things from Banshee might be nice but we've also got those keyhole towers all lit up at night. Now if they could just clean up the roofs around the gate... ;)

Gatekeepers station is open for a reason, the same reasons as listed above. Can you imagine the keyholes being like giant castles?

I'll echo the prevailing sentiment. GK's station is a winner, as is the entire new front gate complex.

The same company designed the stations for Gatekeeper/Banshee/Diamondback

As well as the new entrance for Cedar Point. Lets hope they get the contract for Rougarou.

http://m.tonyravarch.com/index.php

I don't think Rougarou's station will be completely built from scratch. I think it will just be modified to accommodate the floorless trains.

I don't expect much more than paint and a new floor. The rest of the structure will likely stay since there isn't too much wrong with it.

According to Tony the station and area around the ride will change their shape.

He said it MIGHT change and that renderings are just renderings.. So lets hope it changes up. Mantis' station isn't the best