FeelTheFORCE

^ It's not that Cedar Fair refuses to remove rides like Son of Beast, rather that it's more economical to just let it sit there dormant than to tear it down. If it weren't so expensive, I bet Son of Beast would have been long gone by now. Mean Streak would probably also be very expensive. It would probably take many years for Cedar Point to get their ROI.

It gets to the point where purchasing custom parts gets too expensive, and it causes the park to lose a lot of money. I'm sure if Cedar Point wasn't so concerned about the number of roller coasters they have in their park Iron Dragon would be gone by now. Agreed.

You'd be wrong. Top Thrill Dragster gets the highest annual budget by far. Either way it's definitely up there, and TTD is a main part of what attracts people to Cedar Point, so every penny spent on maintenance is well worth it. Mean Streak...not so much. I'd be willing to bet parts and maintenance are generally high for any Arrow model. Kennywood recently contracting Morgan to replace Phantom's entire first drop, and the removal of GASM at Great Adventure strongly support that notion. Parts can always be made available for the right price, even if that means custom fabricating new ones. It's not a matter of running out of parts and not being able to operate, but rather if a park is willing to shell out the cash for said parts, and/or if that would be economical moving forward.

Millennium Force last night (9/9) at about 10:00 pm.

^ Cedar Point owns 5 arrow coasters. If saving money on maintenance costs were really that big of an issue, I doubt they would continue to keep 5 of them year after year. I also highly doubt removing only one or two is going to save them all that much either when they would have to just turn around and continue to maintain the other three or four they own. Besides, Mean Streak's maintenance costs are astronomical, and most likely trump any single coaster at Cedar Point. If it's really that big of a concern, Mean Streak is definitely at the top of that list, far ahead of any Arrow coaster. I'm not sure if this is true (I don't doubt it), but I remember reading somewhere a year or two ago that Mean Streak alone costs hundreds of thousands of dollars each and every year to maintain.

In my opinion, Wildcat, CCMR, and maybe even Corkscrew are more likely to be removed before Iron Dragon. However, I see the likeliness of any being removed fairly low because CP is stubborn like that when it comes to coaster count.

Ha, me too! It is definitely strange to see that name pop up again.

Went last night and took advantage of the $19.99 deal they had. Debated at first because I did 6 hours of driving for only 4 hours of park time, but I'm glad I went, as it was well worth it. Not everything was open, but all the major rides and everything I wanted to ride was, so that was okay. I've gone in early May quite a few times and have seen the park empty, but this is definitely the emptiest I've ever seen it. I doubt there were even 1,000 people in the park. Not only was everything a walk-on the entire time, but on rides like TTD where they can't send empty trains, they were even clamoring to fill up trains at times. It was also my first time at CP in the dark in about 8 years, so that was definitely cool, especially on Windseeker. Seeing everything ready to go for Halloweekends was also very cool, as I have never been to any park during a Halloween event. It was definitely a great way to spend an otherwise boring Friday night! Now separate from my mini-TR, here's my take on Windseeker. I was definitely pleasantly surprised! I wasn't expecting much, but I really liked it. Heights is usually no problem for me on anything (I have even done the Stratosphere rides in Vegas, no problem), but I even had a couple "Okay, this is high enough!" and "Can we go down now?" moments! Especially with how windy it is up there!

Funny you should ask that, I also wondered the same when SF STL announced their version about a year ago. Link

I have actually been hearing for a few years now that they are going to WWII with AC3.

I remember back when TTD opened, the line would move so slow because of the numerous breakdowns.

For anyone with a PS3 that likes Assassin's Creed, they made the AC: Revelations MP beta available to everyone today. Go download it!

Awesome! Can't wait to see more, especially everyone's opinions about Sky Rocket!

^ Maverick goes fast during that portion, no doubt, but it's definitely not that fast. I'd say more along the lines of 50-60, not 70+. The launch is 70, sure, but keep in mind the trims that directly proceed it, which have been there since day 1.

The Eurostar looks pretty cool. I would definitely like to ride that someday.

^^ I appreciate you trying to help, but I am actually planning on going this weekend, as I originally said. I am aware that it's raining right now, and supposed to rain the next day or three, but if Lee clears out by then, I might be good to go. Also, KD is indeed open this weekend, as is BGE. This trip is spur of the moment for sure, but it's not that spur of the moment! Trust me, I have everything planned out...I wouldn't drive 6 hours to a park that is closed! The only current thing causing me to hesitate is the weather. And thanks Homeboy for your earlier advice, it is greatly appreciated!

To go or not to go? I might go to KD and BGE this weekend, but I've been hesitant because of Lee's remnants hanging around. I've been monitoring the system closely on national weather sites, but it's still tough without a general focus on one region. For anyone that lives in the Doswell/Williamsburg area (or close enough), what are the local weather stations saying about the forecast for this weekend, and how Lee will affect those areas? Will it be gone by then? Honestly, it's 'projected path' on weather.com changes drastically every day, so it's difficult to tell weather the system is going to hit the Richmond area head on, or head over to Indianapolis instead.

Some people just find Maverick to be too intense. They claim it hurts their neck when it whips you around the turns, and they also don't like the fact that you come back to the station with the restraint absolutely stapled to your thighs.

I said I wasn't going to, but I caved and bought Madden 12. It's honestly not a bad game, and this is the first game in years where I don't feel as if I am buying a carbon copy of the year before. They made a decent amount of changes...for the better.

Looks like a great coaster! It will be weird calling the ride X-Flight, though.

Ah, thanks. I was looking and looking in the past few posts but couldn't find it! Guess I should have looked harder!

Which other ride is down?

Of what I have been on, I would have to agree with X/X2 and the Togo Standups.

For the first time since I was 4 I don't have to go back to school this time of year! Man it feels nice (until I get a 'real' job).

I like putting my window down and screaming expletives at the top of my lungs. That's not the smartest thing to do, I know, but it's really satisfying. Sometimes my ginger side gives me road rage. I definitely want to sometimes! Just yesterday some idiot completely blew a stop sign and almost t-boned me on the driver's side. He ended up stopping less than a foot from my door. What a moron.