Cedar Point (CP) Discussion Thread

[Millenniumfan94Does Jeff Johnson count this donkey as a credit?]

Sounds like Cedar Point has a great coaster coming for next year. 170ft tall, tallest, fastest, and steepest wing rider coaster built to date. believe the article also mentioned that it would be the longest wing rider coaster.

Where are you reading that? Nowhere did it mention stats for the ride, and it did not say the ride *would* be a record breaker. It suggested and implied it *could* be, but the article reads more like a expanded rumor, and nothing factual. Are you reading the same article I am? http://www.sanduskyregister.com/sandusky/belaboring-point/cedar-point/blog-cedar-points-wing-coaster-answers-enthusiasts-prayer

There is a real article in the physical paper (that isn't a blog).

The new ride will feature a 170-foot tall lift hill and span an area from the main gate...

Cedar Fair CEO Matt Ouimet to the company's board of directors, says the coaster will have “longest drop, run the fastest and be the longest ride" and make a “Front Gate Statement — a roller coaster that flies overhead, rolls and flies back— highly visible above guests entering the park.”

[Joe21498Roller Coaster Joe.]

Here is the article with the quotes from a Matt's email:

http://www.sanduskyregister.com/sandusky/news/cedar-fair/memo-cedar-point-build-coaster-2013

If I have learned one thing about Matt thus far it is that tradition and the legacy of his former boss Richard are not going to stop him from putting his mark on this company. He seems to make quick, educated decisions with a new set of eyes for the company that seem positive and shows progress rather than a stagnant attitude of living in the past. Obviously he may not have been involved with this project since day one as it usually is a 2 or 3 year process but he seems to grasp general concepts to run a company correctly. I like how employee moral seems to be improved greatly since his takeover as well as the changes he has made thus far seem to be all positive.

[BeemerBoyWDW Monorail Fanatic]

Cedar Fair CEO Matt Ouimet to the company's board of directors, says the coaster will have “longest drop, run the fastest and be the longest ride" and make a “Front Gate Statement — a roller coaster that flies overhead, rolls and flies back— highly visible above guests entering the park.”

"Front Gate Statement"? Hell, they could save themselves $25 million and just raise Fast Lane prices another nickel. That's a big enough "front gate statement" to get so-called "enthusiasts'" panties in a wad.

[Ed FarmerThe only thing better than a naked woman is a naked donkey!]

I read this on another site a few days ago-

Disaster Transport seems very zombie-esque this year. I've never seen the ride down so much, and I'm hearing that it has received the bare minimum maintenance to run (and barely run apparently).

Bye-bye Disaster Transport was how I interpreted that, but like it's been mentioned- with Wildcat, that's weird. Oh well. Addition by subtraction IMO. The tower is a bigger loss.

[thrillriderAm I allowed to eat donkey during lent?]

The worst part about it all is going to be the loss of Happy Jacks for halloweekends next year. That is one of my favorite haunts in the park.

[jmichaThe only thing better than a naked woman is a naked donkey!]

Seeing Cedar Point without the Space Spiral will be weird, but no weirder than pulling up to the front gate after Demon Drop was removed. I don't remember the last time I saw Space Spiral even operating.

As for Disaster Transport, good riddance. It was a nice break from the hot summer sun (well, when the air conditioning was working) and it will be a shame to lose a ride the young ones can ride, but opening up that view to the lake is going to be awesome if this all turns out to be true.

Hopefully in the coming years a coaster that young kids can ride and some other forms of family rides will open elsewhere to make up the loss for the families visiting Cedar Point.

[slither37A donkey is a domesticated member of the Equidae or horse family.]

Should use the building for a great dark ride instead.

That would be an awesome idea. For some reason Cedar Fair has an aversion to dark rides...

[Skycoastin SteveFive babies drowned in a fire]

I was hoping it wouldn't be of the B&M variety, but we'll see how it turns out. Hopefully they take a cue from the other wing riders and put all kinds of crap in the way along the course to make the ride more exciting.

[TbcoasterfanYummy! I just ate donkey!]

We can all rest assured that CP management is aware that they have already removed one family coaster and will be removing another. I wouldn't be "shocked" to see replacements for those in the coming years.

[Montu ManiacDoes Jeff Johnson count this donkey as a credit?]

( From Facebook ) Cedar Fair stands ready to spend big money on a new roller coaster for 2013 at Cedar Point that will change the park landscape.

Code-named “CP Alt.Winged,” the coaster will have the “longest drop, run the fastest and be the longest ride” of its kind, Cedar Fair CEO Matt Ouimet wrote in Feb. 15 memo to Cedar Fair’s board of directors.

The total projected cost of the project is $25 million, a price that includes removing the park’s Space Spiral and Disaster Transport rides and restructuring the park entrance.

Ouimet was unavailable for comment Tuesday.

Lee Alexakos, corporate vice president of marketing, declined to confirm the information in the memo.

“We have not announced any plans for 2013 but we did announce a $25 million investment,” Alexakos said. “This will be one of the largest capital expenditures ever.”




Alexakos said that with any ride or attraction Cedar Point undertakes, the company is always looking to set records.

The Swiss-based Bolliger & Mabillard Consulting Engineers is set to design the new ride, which was described in the memo as having a “Front Gate Statement— a roller coaster that flies overhead, rolls and flies back— highly visible above guests entering the park.”

The firm designed Cedar Point’s Raptor.

A winged coaster is designed to suspend riders on wings to the sides of the rails so there is no track above or below the guest.

Engineering schematics show a proposed coaster with gravity defying twists, curves and rolls.

“Rob Decker (Cedar Fair VP of planning and design) and others have done a great job of creating a compelling, economically attractive new coaster for Cedar Point,” Ouimet wrote. “We believe this particular ride design with this particular manufacturer balances the desire for marketable innovation and risk associated with early adaptations of prototypes.”

Bolliger & Mabillard designed the first winged coaster for installation in Italy at a park known as Gardaland. The Six Flags Great American park outside of Chicago also has one of the company’s winged coasters, called X-Flight.

The new ride at Cedar Point could promise to be a work horse available to guests at almost any time they are in the park.

“Rob talked to operators of the first one in Italy and found no unanticipated negatives and very high ride reliability (less than 1 percent operational downtime).

Design plans show the new ride with a 170-foot tall lift that will fly overhead of park guests entering the park. It will have the longest track and longest ride time of any coaster of its style as it flies overhead, rolls and then fly back.

The huge roller coaster will dominate the front gate and the track will travel over a large parking area at the park.

“We have several coasters that cover parking lots,” Ouimet wrote. “Not necessarily ideal, but certainly acceptable given tight site constraints and the amount of land such attractions require.”

Disaster Transport and the Space Spiral both would have to come down if the site plan currently under consideration is chosen.

Part of the $25 million investment will also include renovations and upgrades at the park entrance from the parking lot.

Cedar Point general manger John Hildebrandt was not available for comment on Tuesday.