Cedar Point '07 Project

What exactly qualifies a coaster to be "CP Worthy" ?

^ Iron Dragon.

Ok, it is a shot at the old lady but I had to do it.

Anyone has pix of the track pre-tarp? Any pix of the footers in the water?

LOL, I hardly think of the ten-inversion coaster as its own "type". It's been cloned, sure, but it's still basically the same as any other looping Intamin sitdown...

As far as "CP worthy", they rally have a NEED for a kiddie/family coaster....maybe there's an Intamin AND a spinner coming to the Po!nt? ;)

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CoasterDaddy said:
Anyone has pix of the track pre-tarp? Any pix of the footers in the water?

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Look in the construction photo gallery over at pointbuzz for footer pix.

Here's a link.

No offense Rollergator, but why does CP need a kiddie coaster? I consider CP a thrill park, with thrilling rides. Are there not tons of other parks out there that focus entirely on family attractions and kiddie stuff exclusively? But just a handful of parks that have 'thrill rides' more exclusively? I just don't see the need for that, and I'm sure I am not alone in thinking that. Not to say that adding another kiddie/family ride would hurt, but rather their focus is, and has historically been, thrill rides. Up for debate I suppose.

Their focus has been thrillrides and their attendance levels have been fairly flat. Plus, they have acknowledged there has been a softening over the years of the numbers of families with young children (who have more discretionary income that teens/young adults) coming to the Point.

In fact, it is of such concern to the powers that be that they have SIGNIFICANTLY lowered the Jr. Ticket to $9.95 this year. The entire marketing plan for this year is revolving around making the park more affordable (see lower food prices).

Then, they take out one of the most significant family rides over the winter to make way for a new project. A project in an area that a couple of years ago Mr. Kinzel referenced the tabled plan of putting a new water attraction in.

I think it is time that Cedar Point looked outside the box.

I do not believe its true that because they have focused on thrill rides, their attendance has dropped.

I do believe that because the economy is in the state its in, that people have less money to spend on vacations, and therefore their attendance levels have dropped.

It's been stated over and over that adding a new thrill ride will bring people to the gate, albeit a temporary thing.

Follow the family, follow the cash.

Before all my children were truly "coaster sized", we visited CP and PKI in one weeklong trip. The favorite was PKI. MF was the favorite ride, but as a whole PKI felt more family friendly. As the Dad who spent the big $$ on the visit (try a trip for eight with airfare, a rental van, and an onsite CP cabin), PKI was a better deal.

The next place I take the family will be HW. Again, more family friendly than CP.

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coasterfreaky said:
I consider CP a thrill park, with thrilling rides.

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Right, and that's you. Thrill rides are obviously a huge draw but you should understand that Cedar Point can't thrive on thrill seekers alone. The park already has probably twice as many coasters as your average park goer will ride in one day. You can't say that about rides that appeal to children or full families.

I love Cedar Point but I don't feel compelled to go with anbody who doesn't love thrill rides. I have a sister who has a 1 year old. She loves Cedar Point but she knows that she's much better off taking her family to PKI for the next few years, at least until little Cash crosses the 48 inch barrier.

There has to be some sort of balance for any park to reach its full potential. I love Cedar Point as much as any park I've been to there are an awful lot of family oriented rides I sure do miss. *** Edited 5/8/2006 4:33:54 PM UTC by matt.***

Cedar Point has lost a lot of it's non thrill rides in the last 20 years. For people like me, all those great rides like MF are worth it, for people like my mom, there's less and less than she could ride now compared to when I was a kid. If Cedar Point expands it's family appeal, I can only see that as a good thing!

I second that the family friendly rides can and will only be good for the park.

The great thing is, CP already has an impressive stable of top-notch thrill rides. They can continue to build their family-friendly attraction count, while adding a thrill ride every few years. That way, you keep the enthusiasts and GP thrill junkies satisfied, while continuing to offer more and more for families.

I applaud any effort by CP to make themselves a more appealing destination for families.

I think people really overlook the live entertainment, which is pretty good, and the collection of kids rides is very extensive. In the dozens even. I realize the perception is thrill, thrill, thrill, but the reality is quite different.

"There has to be some sort of balance for any park to reach its full potential. "

Correct - And that's why there are other Cedar Fair parks in their portfolio - one even an hour away. Why "normalize" Cedar Point, when there are countless other parks that cater specifically to childrens and families? Further, Cedar Point is jam packed (More than Any Other Park that I'm aware of) full of rides of all kinds, for all ages, body shapes, etc. How much more do you possibly need?? Why do they "Need" to build XXX?

Because, coasterfreaky...teens don't have the discretionary income of families and Cedar Point is a business first.

I don't disagree with you Jeff...there is a lot to do for families. But, for one thing that isn't the message you usually hear from Cedar Point. For another thing it has been a while since a family ride has been built. Families are no different than thrill seekers. Sometimes they need a new reason to go back.

Coasterfreaky: "How much do you possibly need?" Well, how many coasters do they possibly need? "Why do they "need" to build XXX?" Why did they "need" to build MaxAir or the swing?

Excatly wahoo. I think Six Flags prooved that with the ever declining attendance of Geauga Lake despite the multitude of Roller coasters they put in.

As it is now, it's nearly impossible to go on all of the coasters in one day. Unless you go on a weekday during the late spring or early fall.

For one thing, they built the swing ride because it was the biggest one on the planet - evar! lol. Seriously, they built it because it fits in with Cedar Point's idea of a thrilling ride. Same with MaxAir. That's why Cedar Point is so special. That's why most people are so passionate about it. I do not see this kind of passion about, i dunno, 6Flags over Georgia. There is a good reason CP is CF's Flagship park!

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Jeff said:
I realize the perception is thrill, thrill, thrill, but the reality is quite different.

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I think the problem I have is that there isn't much in between. My partner isn't really into thrill rides, and while there are a handful of things that we can do together (I agree, the live shows are good) there just isn't much else.

What I personally look for CP to add isn't thrill rides OR kiddie rides, but something fun in between that *everybody* can ride without half of the group having to sit out.