ajfelice

Ravine Flyer II. The most important roller coaster to my passion for amusement parks and coasters, and the most important coaster to my career in this industry.

This is a great story to follow. Working for Cedar Point is not a luxury experience if you simply want to work a few hours, collect a paycheck, and call it a day. You are not living in the most desirable conditions by any means, and you are working an incredibly strenuous job whether it be running up and down a ride platform, concentrating diligently at controls, or being a bag hawk at the entrance (on TTD, MF, GK, and Magnum). However, what makes the job worth it is what you put into it and what you take away from it. If you make the effort to interact with your coworkers beyond just working, enjoy the resort you have free roam of, and be that person who guests remember interacting with, you will have an experience like Marcel is having. I found myself working there in HalloWeekends of 2013 to build a broader operations management background, and I found myself back there in 2014 because I wanted one last chance to not only learn, but be around some really incredible people to work with. If I get a cutback sometime this Fall, I'll have to stop by and say Hello!

The comedic gold of the Cedar Point Discussion Thread in the past few weeks is worth the wait for an announcement of what is exactly happening to Mantis or the location of Mantis. Keep it up Cedar Point! I love watching everyone squirm in their seats and get upset and bent out of shape over the approach of announcing plans for 2015. Don't worry everyone, the sun will still rise tomorrow and your life will go on if you don't yet know exactly what is happening at Cedar Point in 2015. Cedar Point loves it when they can draw the process out and have more and more people talking about the park. It's Marketing 101.

Sundays are always a good bet when it comes to HalloWeekends with the exception of Columbus Day Weekend. However, that Sunday still isn't that bad. I did notice last year that Sundays, while slow, did get busier as HalloWeekends progressed. Take advantage of September Sundays while you still can for the least amount of waiting. While Cedar Point may get pretty busy on Saturdays, always remember that Haunts seem to put a dent into wait times and cooler temperatures will drive people out of the park a little faster than normal, so lines will shorten up quite a bit in the evening. Unless you are going for the Haunts, HalloWeekends can still be manageable for some good coaster riding.

I think after all the potential copyright and trademark issues that could encountered with the "King James" coaster promise, Cedar Point is silently distancing themselves from that shenanigan. Perhaps whomever manages their social media , got a stern talking to once it was realized the commotion they caused through such a promise that can't be afforded or practically followed through on. Us Cleveland Sports die-hards can get a little too excited when our teams show signs of hope, and catching onto the LeBron James free agency saga like Cedar Point did is a good example of it

The entrance off Peninsula Drive will be in the same location as it has always been. PennDOT would not be too pleased if we attempted to relocate that traffic light we helped pay for a few years back. The Peninsula Drive parking lot will be expanded onto the current, and soon to be former, site of The Inn at Presque Isle. A future bonus is a plan to pave most of the Peninsula Drive parking lot. We will be using the overflow across the street by the Ravine Flyer II turnaround more frequently. The parking lot by Steel Dragon will remain unchanged with the exception of a small portion being modified for new ticket booths next to Dodgem. Most of this area will be home to some new major slides down the road. We are working closely with ProSlide, so speculate all you want for this portion of the expansion. I have a few ideas of what has been discussed, but nothing is confirmed so I do not want to raise false hopes. However, we want to add some visually impressive water slides to this portion of Water World. The "offshoot" of the current children's area called Cookie Pool is likely to be home to a small Kiddieland expansion of the dry park down the road. Both sides will produce similar waves. We got the idea from Splashin' Safari to divide the wave pool in two so we can save on staffing and energy resources when Water World is less busy on those random, yet expected, 60 degree days in May and June. Also, Splashin' Safari is the inspiration for our new children's area that will be built adjacent to the wave pool in 2016. The image around the wave pool complex isn't the most clear, but there are no current plans to reroute L. Ruth Express. Ramps will navigate guests over the railroad tracks. Will make for a more scenic train ride in my opinion as riders get to see the wave pool up close and go underneath water slides. Maybe not for 2015, but this topic is becoming a reoccurring theme around the park. Perhaps in the not so far off future. I sure hope we can dive into September sooner rather than later. However, starting mid-June of 2015 Waldameer will graduate to 7-days a week operation.

Now we have more than just words and rough sketches of our planned wave pool expansion. Check out this rendering posted to Waldameer's Facebook page. One detail I must make note of is that the children's area will be added in 2016, and the bowl slide will be added down the road. But enjoy the largest wave pool in the tri-state area for your viewing pleasure! Source: Waldameer Facebook

whatabeast, the more time you spend at a park, the more apparent it's flaws become. I hate to accuse, but you seem to be whining. I am far from a CP apologist that can't find any fault in the former "Best Amusement Park in the World," but I can say that your argument seems to lack context. From an employee of two parks, I can tell you that there is a lot that goes into the things you complain about. Breakdowns: you will have most days where things run smoothly with just a couple minor hiccups that are resolved quickly, and you will have some where all hell breaks loose and next thing you know several rides are going down at once. Unless you spend almost every day at Cedar Point or any park, you can't speak to their up-time or downtime until you document it. Then see if you just caught the park on a bad day, or the place really is suffering as a result of downtime. It can be argued that Millennium Force and Top Thrill Dragster have improved greatly in terms of reliability over the past few years alone. Wildcat: You are really still upset about the removal of an okay ride with low capacity that CP probably had to scratch the bottom of every barrel to maintain and find replacement parts for? Ask a sample of the GP, and they probably enjoy Luminosity more as a part of their experience as opposed to a small coaster that didn't have much more value than being sentimental. Genimi: Visit Cedar Point or ANY park in mid to late August and you will find capacity sacrifices due to staffing. It's a fact of life that kids go back to school, and finding QUALIFIED people to operate rides for a quarter of the season is not easy. Cedar Point is not immune from staffing issues, and does the best they can. Closed rides versus have everything open with some sacrifices? The choice is easy, because closed rides due to staffing looks worse to the GP because they don't even have a chance to ride everything they may want to ride. Single Riders: I have begged and pleaded the GP to find single riders to fill empty seats and rows on several coasters while operating. Sometimes people just refuse to double up and they refuse to get on the ride unless they can be on the same ride as the rest of your group. Forcing someone into a train and making them upset is just going to make them more likely to complain and not have a great experience at the park. As an operator, you just have to bite your lip and do the best you can. In many cases, you just can't fill every single seat in every single train you dispatch. Fact of life. Cedar Point in my eyes is turning a corner for the better. Not that the park was ever that bad, but they seem to be focusing more on the guest comforts and overall experience for the family. We hate on GateKeeper because it's not the next best thing since sliced bread, but would you really take back a barely functioning Disaster Transport and outdated Space Needle in a forgotten midway? Would you really take back that corny night show with odes to Ohio State and 'Murica? Would you really take back Gemini Midway to a collection of dated Hampton kiddie rides? Would you really want to navigate that old nightmare of a front entrance?

While complete removal is not out of the question for Mantis, it is pretty obvious they will not be able to replace it with even an average-sized coaster (or any major attraction for that matter) in time for 2015. There simply isn't enough time with those winters to build anything significant before the 2015 season begins. Combine this with Dinosaurs Alive on its way out, Cedar Point appears to be losing more than improving even if Dinos were not the most popular. Based on the viral marketing and Tony saying there is more to the story, I have become less skeptical on the suggestion of a floorless conversion and more on board with the idea of it actually happening. While not the most popular, Mantis is still a reliable and thrilling ride that is, in my opinion, not worth removing without an immediate replacement of something much better that doesn't even have to be a coaster.

^This. I haven't read any recent posts on here or have seen too many guest remarks over the past years on social media saying Skyrush is too intense in terms of forces or layout, but instead there are many who agree that the restraints are uncomfortable which prevent them from enjoying the extreme intensity Skyrush has to offer. I305 is another great example. Once the restraints were modified and the trims were removed from the first drop, more people than ever went head over heels for this incredibly intense ride that was now more comfortable to ride.

Wood 1. The Voyage—Holiday World 2. El Toro—Six Flags Great Adventure 3. Ravine Flyer II—Waldameer Park 4. Boulder Dash—Lake Compounce 5. Phoenix—Knoebels 6. The Raven—Holiday World 7. The Legend—Holiday World 8. The Beast—Kings Island 9. Predator—Darien Lake 10. Silver Comet—Martin’s Fantasy Island Steel 1. Intimidator 305—Kings Dominion 2. Bizarro—Six Flags New England 3. Magnum XL-200—Cedar Point 4. Millennium Force—Cedar Point 5. Diamondback—Kings Island 6. Leviathan—Canada’s Wonderland 7. Phantom’s Revenge—Kennywood 8. Maverick—Cedar Point 9. Ride of Steel—Darien Lake 10. Behemoth—Canada’s Wonderland

Skyrush is easily one of the most intense rides I have ever been on. Everything about that layout is absolutely nuts. I loved the laterals and the feeling of being almost ripped from the seat. However, I did not appreciate the lap bars one bit. They dig pretty deep with every drop. If it was just the initial tightening on the first drop, I could live, but the tightening at the bottom of each drop and the digging with every airtime moment is just too painful for me. I really liked the ride because I love intensity, but it's not something I can do over and over. I can't make it a top ten, because there was too much pain rather than enjoyment. I would exchange the wing seats for the traditional Intamin Hyper trains any day. Overall, you aren't alone if you think Skyrush is uncomfortable. This comes from a person who has Holiday World's The Voyage as their favorite roller coaster, both wood and steel.

Not to continue to stray away from the topic of the Wildfire coaster itself further, but a huge takeaway while completing my Marketing Degree was the pros and cons of the online world, particularly social media. With all of the great benefits of the internet and social media, there comes one huge downfall. The internet, primarily social media, gives a public platform to the complainers, and businesses now have to cope with a more public display of customer complaints which can reflect poorly on the business. Complainers have existed since the dawn of time, but the Internet has given them a new outlet to express their discontent. Unfortunately in our world, dissatisfied people are more likely to complain than satisfied people are to express their happiness with a business or product. I'm sure once the benefits of having Wildfire are realized, many of these naysayers will pretend they never had a problem with the coaster being built and they will have moved onto their next paranoid cause.

I took a what seems to be final visit last Monday, and I gave attendance a small pass since it was on and off rain. But overall, the park is in very rough shape. The new "Attraction," Hostile Hostel, seems to be abandoned or not being used until Ghost Lake. Several lap bars and other parts of ride vehicles use pool noodles as padding. I was even secured with a car seat belt on Witch's Stew. There were two functioning bumper cars, but one of them had a mostly deflated bumper with a smashed front end. I was left covered in paint chips after riding Trabant. The condition of restrooms was enough to make someone vomit upon sight and smell. It's tough to see how this park manages to simply meet payroll, utilities, and general upkeep costs based on the condition it's in. Blue Streak is still incredibly fun and unique when riding in a non-wheel seat, so that will the the only thing missed assuming 2014 is CLP's swan song. You wouldn't know that the park recently underwent an upgrade with the filming of Mission Amusement. As a side note: In comparison, 40 minutes up the road Waldameer Park was in overflow parking today despite the rain in the forecast. It is clearly telling of where people are choosing to go for a traditional family park in the Northwest Pennsylvania Region. With an obvious lack of interest from the general public, it makes it very hard to justify the attempts and protests some people are making to save this place. Sadly, tradition and nostalgia are not enough to save this once gem of a small park.

Because park workers, especially from the large corporate ones, are allowed to publicly disclose this information. "Sorry, Gatekeeper is down for mechanical reasons."

Wow. Not usually the one to get these right. Looks like it should diversify HP's lineup very well!

One little USA Today Poll isn't radically going to change Cedar Point's marketing or future plans. The award they care about the most is Amusement Today's Golden Ticket Award for Best Amusement Park. Even if they did not win the Golden Ticket, I'm sure it wouldn't change too much of anything, if anything at all. They can still proclaim themselves to be the "Roller Coaster Capital." Furthermore, is Cedar Point in direct competition with any of those parks ahead of it on the USA Today Poll? I don't think so, and again, I'm not worried about one silly newspaper poll.

Skyrider was an enjoyable ride in my opinion. Not nearly as bad as my experience with Shockwave at Kings Dominion. However, to keep that real estate occupied by an average coaster that must be a hassle to get parts for does not make sense for the long-term future. Hopefully, that quiet section of the park gets something exciting whether it be a huge water park expansion or another signature coaster. While it may be full of several average coasters, Canada's Wonderland is always a very enjoyable experience. Always I find their staff to be incredibly friendly, the park is very well maintained, and their general clientele is always well behaved. I'm excited to see what is next for this very nice park.

Cedar Fair uses "stock footage" all the time in their promotions just like Six Flags. Let's pick on Six Flags for more important things such as their inconsistent enforcement of park polices, lack of cleanliness, or poor guest service.

Son of Beast sounded incredible, but it was almost painfully loud while riding.

It is unfortunate that this situation had to boil over to such an inconvenient hassle due to an obvious gap in the understanding of the "official height" determination by guest services. However this remark is very ignorant in my opinion. I have denied children rides due to height requirements for four years in two different parks, and I have managed a few hundred ride operators over the past three years. Each and every time I have to deny someone I feel incredibly sympathetic. No one wants to tell someone or their family that they can not ride a roller coaster or any ride. I have never met an operator who gets a thrill out of denying someone for height. They are legitimately concerned for safety and their job. To me, what happened at Viper seems be a result of poor training on the park policies for safety. I'm willing to bet that the operators Viper never go into their work day looking forward to turning people away.

Waldameer on a busy day usually does not mean unreasonable queue times for Ravine Flyer II. With two trains running on a good weather Saturday, the wait time usually maxes out at 15 minutes. The rides with the longest waits on busy weekends are Whacky Shack, Thunder River, and Steel Dragon which can all exceed 30 minutes if the weather is good. If you are coming in the evening, the lines will shorten up quite a bit, especially after 8:30. 4-5 hours on a busy day can get you all you need to whore unless you are interested in Water World.

Problem: Weather Once again, like the Summer of 2013, the Summer of 2014 has sucked for many parks in the Midwest, Eastern, and Northeastern USA. Each day at work we are facepalming ourselves checking the forecast as it just never seems to cut anyone a break. The story from all of our other "park friends" is the same. Weather will make or break your season unless you have an incredible new attraction that makes people want to come out in the rain. The industry is not in decline. That is one of the worst assumptions I have read on here in a long time. There is no shortage of investments from each respective chain of parks (Six Flags, Cedar Fair, Disney, Universal, etc...) or privately held parks (i.e. Holiday World). The largest industry trade shows and conferences, IAAPA Attraction Expo, Asian Attractions Expo, and European Attractions Expo, had record attendance and number of vendors which is another positive indicator. Finally, as much as I don't like to lean on attendance numbers alone, the annual attendance report indicates that most parks are generally doing well in terms of increasing their draw. One year of decline simply can't tell the whole story. To make a statement such as "the industry is in decline," you need a much more in-depth analysis of trends to back up such a claim.

Ravine Flyer II takes a little over an hour to walk/inspect without needing time to make adjustments. I imagine a more hilly layout like The Voyage takes much longer because of not only the length but because the steep inclines really slow you down.

Last week I had the opportunity to do a track walk with the maintenance crew on Ravine Flyer II. It's a very unique experience that combines excitement, stunning views, peacefulness, fear, and physical agility. I can't be thankful enough to be a part of such an amazing "family" who allows me to gain these experiences. Below are some of the pictures from the track walk. I was using a cheap camera I wasn't afraid to lose, so and quality was not always perfect due to some of the physical restrictions of climbing and being tight on time which prevented taking several shots. Track walk begins at 6:00am sharp daily. Ravine Flyer II's Maximum elevation change is 132ft from highest to lowest point. View from the top of the very underrated 105 ft second drop. Now this is terrifying. There is only a six inch wide catwalk to climb up a 120 foot, 60 degree drop. Nerd Shot. Gravity Group recently suggested that several high-stress areas received a double layer of steel guide track to help reduce wear and tear. Not sure how common this is on other woodies, but I found it interesting. Twisty? Now the easy part.