Cedar Point (CP) Discussion Thread

[Vonni]

My last trip to CP for the recent MF ride night brought some good news and bad news.

 

Bad news - GateKeeper's lights may be worse. I gave the trains nicknames - "Whitey", "Failey", and "Winky". Explanations-

 

"Whitey" has most of his white wing lights running than the others. Only two or so sets were out. (No glowing eyes.)

 

"Failey" was the opposite - all but 2 or so sets of his wing lights were out. (No glowing eyes, but note that I am using "him" instead of "it"... am I getting too attached to Gatie - I mean GateKeeper? (Yes, I got the "Gatie" thing from some other enthusiast))

 

"Winky" had one eye on. As for his wing lights, every other row was on, except that the last two rows were both running. (As previously mentioned, only one eye running)

 

I hope whatever money isn't being put into lights is going towards working on the restraints (all B&M wing coasters should need this, because all of them should have locking vests, right?) or fixing the slightly bumpy ride. That's another thing, my friend claims Griffon was butter-smooth, but GateKeeper is too bumpy (never been on Griffon to confirm this). He also says that GateKeeper's keyhole spotlights only shine blue now instead of other colors now. Are either of these true?

 

Good news - Millennium "Forceless" isn't always forceless! Well, at least last night, it seemed to be running insanely quickly. More airtime, etc.

 

That's the latest news!

 

 

 

I really hope they get the kinks in all of the lighting issues worked out, and soon. I think it would add such a neat extra to the ride. I dont know when I will get to go to Cedar Point (hopefully next year or the year after) so I hope they are working up to par by then.

[bonsaiisuperstar]

All the lights worked on media day until about 6:10 am, then they flickered and failed. They shut it down for about 10 minutes to try and fix, then just turned them off. Seems like they have not worked correctly since that morning funny enough. It does look magnificent when it's lights are working, especially the glowing eyes.

[JWAddington]

Definitely wait later in the day to ride MF for it to be hauling butt over those hills!

 

I wish they never put those lights on the trains of GK.....please dont use the name "Gatie". We all pretty much knew how it would turn out, didnt we!?!? It was a good idea, but probably one of those that should have been left on paper, especially for a park known for letting these types of things fall to the wayside.

[TyRush]

especially for a park known for letting these types of things fall to the wayside.

I respectfully disagree, I feel CP is a park with very good matinence and getting the small things running. Its a new ride with new systems which equal new flaws. They will figure it out, im sure they are more worried with having 3 up and running trains than putting them out of order to fix lights on it.

[ahhculdee]

On NASCAR on TNT, they just showed Juan Pablo Montoya and his family at Cedar Point.

[GigaG]

especially for a park known for letting these types of things fall to the wayside.

I respectfully disagree, I feel CP is a park with very good matinence and getting the small things running. Its a new ride with new systems which equal new flaws. They will figure it out, im sure they are more worried with having 3 up and running trains than putting them out of order to fix lights on it.

 

I know Thorpe has less coasters to work on, but I'm going to use the Swarm example again. More effects, more lights, running when the ride is older in a video. And as a warning, Gatie (I'm too attached) will run 2 trains a lot during ERT. Can't they do any work at night on the lights? Or at least I hope they do it in the offseason.

 

I did report the top two lights on Dragster's giant "Christmas Tree" on the tower were off a while ago, they fixed them now, I think.

[FeelTheFORCE]

I did report the top two lights on Dragster's giant "Christmas Tree" on the tower were off a while ago, they fixed them now, I think.

 

I do remember reading that, and I was just there on the 19th and they all work great now!

 

 

Re: Gatekeeper's lights. Keep in mind that the mechanics at Cedar Point probably start their work days in the very early morning, I'm guessing around 4-6am. They have to inspect and check all the rides to make sure they are in safe working order...all before the park opens. That's a lot of work alone, let alone if something actually does need fixed. Working at night would probably call for a 20+ hour work day. I don't know about anyone else, but I'd rather the coaster I'm riding be inspected for flaws by a well-rested mechanic, rather than one running on 1 hour of sleep. I'm sure the lights will get fixed, but I doubt a cosmetic issue is currently top priority.

[Vonni]

Out of curiosity what used to occupy the island that most of MF is on now?

[Wingless92]

Out of curiosity what used to occupy the island that most of MF is on now?

 

You know, I can't remember, lol. I know Paddlewheel Excursions did their thing but that ran around the island.

[GigaG]

For GK's lights, I would think they would have more time to work on them during HalloWeekends. That would be good, because that is when the lights will look the best - when the park is open late.

[shivtim]

Out of curiosity what used to occupy the island that most of MF is on now?

 

Trees.

[eddie200330]

On NASCAR on TNT, they just showed Juan Pablo Montoya and his family at Cedar Point.

 

I seen that too. One shot of MF only had people in the front car. I wonder if they got early am preferential treatment??

[coasterlover420]

I did report the top two lights on Dragster's giant "Christmas Tree" on the tower were off a while ago, they fixed them now, I think.

 

I do remember reading that, and I was just there on the 19th and they all work great now!

 

 

Re: Gatekeeper's lights. Keep in mind that the mechanics at Cedar Point probably start their work days in the very early morning, I'm guessing around 4-6am. They have to inspect and check all the rides to make sure they are in safe working order...all before the park opens. That's a lot of work alone, let alone if something actually does need fixed. Working at night would probably call for a 20+ hour work day. I don't know about anyone else, but I'd rather the coaster I'm riding be inspected for flaws by a well-rested mechanic, rather than one running on 1 hour of sleep. I'm sure the lights will get fixed, but I doubt a cosmetic issue is currently top priority.

Mechanics are on the clock 24 hours a day. There are 3 main shifts, therefore three sets of mechanics for the park; one of which goes from park closing at night to park opening in the morning. It takes a lot of night work to get the rides in shape for each day. Every single bolt, seat belt, restraint, etc...must be checked. It's a lot of work. There's no time for lights when that kind of stuff goes on.

 

Also on the subject of Gatekeeper's lights...who cares?? Lights go on and off all the time. It's not like the lights are permanently broken just because you saw a few of them off one time. I've been on nights when they're not working, then the next night they're all just fine. It's not fair to accuse Cedar Point just because these things happen. Roller Coasters are machines, there are things that malfunction. It's like complaining if a ride breaks down for some other mechanical problem. Just be understanding of the situation and get over it.

[GigaG]

I did report the top two lights on Dragster's giant "Christmas Tree" on the tower were off a while ago, they fixed them now, I think.

 

I do remember reading that, and I was just there on the 19th and they all work great now!

 

 

Re: Gatekeeper's lights. Keep in mind that the mechanics at Cedar Point probably start their work days in the very early morning, I'm guessing around 4-6am. They have to inspect and check all the rides to make sure they are in safe working order...all before the park opens. That's a lot of work alone, let alone if something actually does need fixed. Working at night would probably call for a 20+ hour work day. I don't know about anyone else, but I'd rather the coaster I'm riding be inspected for flaws by a well-rested mechanic, rather than one running on 1 hour of sleep. I'm sure the lights will get fixed, but I doubt a cosmetic issue is currently top priority.

Mechanics are on the clock 24 hours a day. There are 3 main shifts, therefore three sets of mechanics for the park; one of which goes from park closing at night to park opening in the morning. It takes a lot of night work to get the rides in shape for each day. Every single bolt, seat belt, restraint, etc...must be checked. It's a lot of work. There's no time for lights when that kind of stuff goes on.

 

Also on the subject of Gatekeeper's lights...who cares?? Lights go on and off all the time. It's not like the lights are permanently broken just because you saw a few of them off one time. I've been on nights when they're not working, then the next night they're all just fine. It's not fair to accuse Cedar Point just because these things happen. Roller Coasters are machines, there are things that malfunction. It's like complaining if a ride breaks down for some other mechanical problem. Just be understanding of the situation and get over it.

 

I go to CP a lot, I guess I'm just jealous that Swarm gets all the good lights. I honestly hope they can fix them, they are kind of an eyesore when they are all weird like that. Again, do they have more time during HalloWeekends?

[FreeFaller]

In my opinion an AMAZING video of Cedar Point!

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=ZaZB7WJIC54

[Koasterking48]

^Already been posted a few pages back. But I agree that this was a fantastic video.

[FreeFaller]

^ oh sorry, I missed that thanks for the info!

[ajfelice]

When I visited CP on May 28th, there was a LED out on one of GK's trains. I tapped it right before I sat down and it came back on. Maybe we can all help out CP and tap the trains before we sit down?

 

A common reason for parks to continuously have problems with lights on ride going out is the vibrations and forces they withstand everyday. A decent amount of "burnt out" bulbs or LEDs can be fixed by just tightening them slightly. Then again, mechanics have much more important things to attend to each morning that take priority over popping open every light fixture and tightening the lamps.

[griffonj2022]

Anyone have advice for the best seat on Mean Streak? I'm going to the Point next week with my family and I know Mean Streak can be a killer, so I was wondering which seats are optimal for a smooth ride. I'd rather not feel like I'm getting beaten in the back by a bat...

[Koasterking48]

^ Front row is reasonable for me. Just to warn you, the ride is really boring so don't fall asleep

[CpBluestreakCp]

^^Yeah, ride Mean Streak as near to the front as possible. Rode it a couple weeks back in the front and it wasn't that bad of a ride but still boring.

[Geauga Dog]

I rode it a couple weeks ago towards the back and it was actually tolerable, not spine readjusting like it was just a few years ago.

[Wes]

I rode it a couple weeks ago towards the back and it was actually tolerable, not spine readjusting like it was just a few years ago.

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stockholm_syndrome

[Geauga Dog]

^ LOL, Wes. I didn't say it was great, just tolerable.

[UrbanLegend]

I also thought Mean Streak wasn't as bad as I thought it would be... and it's certainly not Stockholm Syndrome for me, it's only the third time I've ever ridden it. The trim on the brake is extremely noticeable, and the ride itself is just not that interesting. It's mainly spent waiting for it to be over. They really need to do something about it. Iron Horse would be nice, but it would be nice to see a woodie stay in that spot... maybe a prefab?