whatabeast

I'm not doubting you, but can you explain how the park has dropped in quality? Sure. A lot of it has to do with the overall feel of the park. Several years back, they had all of these gimmicky things that made being at the park kind of novel (When they'd banter off "America's Roller Coast!" when you were getting off of a ride, 25 cent cotton candy, things like that). I can't think of anything they do like that anymore. Worse than that, it seems like they replaced it with a sort of... bragging that they're the best. Like, the park seems like it's full of itself. I don't know how else to put it. I walk in there, and I feel like the message I'm bombarded with is, "Hi, This is Cedar Point, We're the best there is, Isn't this incredible?" Aside from that, the number of rides that don't allow loose articles in line has gone up, as have storage prices (storage, since apparently their real name changes to "lockers" now?), as have prices for just about everything. Probably about the last six or seven times I've been to Cedar Point, getting stacked on the break runs has been getting more common. So they may be running the rides at full capacity, but "fast loading times" have becoming less and less of my experience. At least, coming to a full stop on Raptor's MCBR doesn't feel like efficiency. But maybe I've just had bad luck. At least I don't have to deal with that on Wicked Twister. Oh, and that's only when the rides are open. Let me tell you, it isn't fun waiting half an hour for Mean Streak while TTD, MF, GK, AND MAVERICK are all broken down at the same time. I know, I know, they have no control over that, but seriously?? Every time I go to Cedar Point, at least one ride is closed for the day. Then there was the terribly handled Wildcat removal. By which I mean, that roller coaster was one of the oldest in the park, it wasn't necessarily "beloved," but it was well-liked at the very least... and they just announced, mid-offseason, that they were removing it so that they could expand the midway. They didn't even offer "last rides" or anything. And then that "expanded midway" (read: "narrower midway") is the biggest jumbled mess in the entire park. Navigating that thing, especially on a busy day, is a headache at best. "Oh, but Luminosity!!!" sucks. Then they do stupid things. There will be a 40 minute wait for Gemini, but only one side will be running. The queue for TTD will be halfway down the midway, but none of the switchbacks will be open. They'll load Maverick's train with four rows of single riders. Do they even train their employees anymore? Their roller coasters are world class, there is no arguing that. But they do not seem to value their guests the way they used to. And, let's be real, if you don't feel valued, you're gonna have a better time somewhere else. (I read somewhere, somebody said that this past year they've gotten better. I can agree with that.) EDIT: PLEASE DON'T GET ME WRONG!! I love Cedar Point. It's one of my favorite places in the world, definitely one of my favorite parks. But I've been having much better experiences at other parks lately.

Cedar Point is my home park. I've been going there several times a summer for 8 years now. The park has-- without a doubt-- dropped in quality over that period of time. Honestly, I've been expecting them to be "dethroned" for a while now.

^It's been said before, and I'll say it again... Kings Dominion was on the shortlist for the expansion treatment. They just didn't make the cut. This time.

Friendly reminder to those saying that Kings Dominion is "expected to wait" after getting a giga that out of the five full circuit roller coasters taller than 300 feet in North America, Kings Dominion has waited the longest for a new roller coaster...

The bad connotation that comes with the word gimmick is what makes a floorless roller coaster not a gimmick. It's the same thing as a sit down coaster, why does it matter if there's a floor or not? Is an inverted roller coaster a gimmick too, then?

I'm glad I wasn't the only person thinking that! I do think Mantis is gonna get the Lebron treatment, though. King James: Centurion? /hookers on meth, I could get behind that.

"and maybe, just maybe, don't trust mi?" mi? MI? like the abbreviation for Michigan? *gets super hopeful that this was more than just a coincidence even though it probably was just a coincidence because why would cedar point drop hints about MIA* *but still gets hopeful anyway*

Aside from the area around Iron Dragon and Power Tower, I've always thought the midways pretty nice, if narrow. Millennium through to Maverick is actually moderately well themed, and the Gemini area looks more festive now. Over by Wicked Twister has that Beachside carnival feel to it... The only problem I can see is that some of the midways are cramped. And their recent renovations have made that a little bit worse, IMO.

Son of Beast! wait... oh, uhh this is awkward.

I live halfway between Cedar Point and Michigan's Adventure, and most people I know love both of them... but for different reasons. People go down to Cedar Point for the roller coasters, people go to Michigan's adventure for the water park and its proximity to Lake Michigan. As halloween is a pretty big deal in Michigan, if Cedar Point and Michigan's Adventure both had halloween events... well, most of the people I know would probably try to go to both. Michigan does Halloween well. And the park is next to corn fields, it would be SO EASY to turn grand rapids into CornStalkers. And given the fairly local nature of the visitors to the park, well... we're all used to Michigan Octobers, aren't we? Friendly reminder that Kings Island is even closer to Cedar Point and has its own hugely popular halloween event. Not that I think it will happen. I just like the idea of it.

I would actually be extremely okay with a drop capsule water slide coming to Michigan's Adventure. It's already a great water park, that complex would fit right in. More importantly (to me), I love drop capsules, and Michigan's Adventure is my "other" home park (I'm technically closer to Cedar Point, where the water park isn't even worth the visit) and I'd love for one to be so easily accessible. Kings Dominion is getting this complex in 2015, what are the chances Cedar Fair ordered another? As for a new roller coaster... I'd wait a couple years to see how they respond to the recent governmental changes in the area. I think we are allowed to have high hopes.

I know this is a little bit of a late response, but if you're flying into Detroit Metro, take 275 down to 75 and then DON'T take the Ohio Turnpike. I've been on that turnpike three times this summer, and I've hit massive construction traffic each time. The two hour drive took closer to three hours each time. The one time I didn't take the turnpike this summer we got to Cedar Point ahead of schedule, but... I speed, so take that as you will. The drive is not bad at all. Just don't expect Michigan's roads to be as smooth as whatever you're used to.

Would they do that? If I remember correctly, Kings Island's version (King Cobra) was sitting dismantled in a field for a few years... and then suddenly scrapped. I don't think they would have done that if they were planning on keeping any of their Togos around much longer. If it weren't for Shockwave's relatively new coat of paint, I'd assume it'd be on its way out with Skyrider. If Anaconda does go, I bet they would put something else on the pond. I would hope, actually. I'm rather fond of flying over water like that.

There were rumors that Cedar Fair's old arrows and togos were on the chopping block... Anaconda isn't, is it? I mean, I'd much rather see accidentally-punched-myself-in-the-face-Shockwave go...

Highlight of my trip to Kings Dominion today: Getting on White Water Canyon in the pouring rain, turning to the man pressing the buttons and asking, "Excuse me, how wet do you get on this ride?" The death glare he gave me was priceless. It was my first time at the park. Anaconda was down, but I'm not missing out on much when it comes to an old Arrow, am I? + Intimidator 305 might be my new favorite. I'll have to ride Millennium Force again to be sure, but I might just be in love. Volcano rocked. Grizzly was much better than I expected. I accidentally punched myself in the face while riding Shockwave... it's a Togo. Sh!t happens. This park is very well rounded, and honestly I didn't think the water park was half bad. It was also virtually empty, so I could have just gotten a good impression of WaterWorks... Overall, good day. I've been going to Kings Island my entire life, so it was an interesting experience. I can't wait to go back!

Yesterday at Cedar Point: 1. Gatekeeper was down all day. 2. Millennium was down for about an hour. 3. Mean Streak was stuck on the lift for a little bit, and a ride operator walked up the track and talked to the people stuck on the ride... ??? (extra weird, because it started again about 30 seconds later) It was windy, which could be why...? Or...? They do seem to be having issues...

Historic list of video game teaser trailer footage that looks like the actual game: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. (I'm going to go ahead and guess that they were just trying to evoke the previous games with the image they used. It gets people pumped for a new one.)

That was my first thought. I just find it humorous that they're advertising a roller coaster game as a gritty, dystopian future where roller coaster experiments are necessary to alter society, featuring Inception's soundtrack.

*brace yourself for the rocky mountain rumors* edit: THEY'VE ALREADY STARTED

It seemed really clear to me when I was at the park in May that Banshee has fantastic capacity. We thought the line was long when we got into it, but ended up waiting about 20 minutes. They weren't letting people bring loose articles in line, and the ops were moving trains out of the station like lightning. It was nothing like the nightmare of waiting in line for Raptor up in Sandusky... I thought it was just an efficient night, but if the lines are regularly that short for such a fantastic, new ride, then KI is doing something very right. Part of me wonders if they accounted for capacity problems other B&M inverts have when they designed Banshee. I've never seen the line for one move so quickly.

I'd love to see LZ at Michigan's Adventure, but (even if Cedar Fair doesn't like dealing with Intamin anymore) I feel like a Mega-Lite would be a smart move. At the very least, it would bump up attendance with coaster enthusiasts who don't want to leave the country. It would definitely be smarter to add more thrilling flat rides, though. Don't get me wrong, the flyers are fun, but a Top Spin would look beautiful on the lake there...