Cedar Point Removing WildCat

Where is Ensign Smith? I can't believe he hasn't chimed in on this yet...

Luminosity was never intended to be as big as it has become and "somebody" got carried away.

Unless, of course, it's really cool. In which case, this is great.

I remember living in Cedars, with Wildcat just outside my window, and sometimes waking up to it's sweet sounds of clanks and clunks. That said, I'll agree that Wildcat never really fit in with what the rest of the park offered. Maybe a new family-sized coaster is on the horizon with much better capacity.

Cedar Point design team have messed up a lot in the last few decades, including...

•Removing an inversion on Maverick, Big Drop to a smaller less exciting drop on their new unpopular water ride.

•blocking the beach area from view with new and relocated attractions.

•hiding the new Paddlewheel Excursions queue building and dock away from the midway.

•Allowing people on the island in any way, shape, or form, taking away the mystique of Paddlewheel.

...I'm sure others could come up with a lot more than I could.

I know that this conversation is winding down, but here are a couple photos from the construction area that may help explain my views of planning and spacial relation issues.

Because THIS turned out well.

And HERE is one showing how large that new stage is and how much narrower the midway is due to it being there. It may be the lack of depth perception in the photo, but it looks like a bottleneck to me.

I also believe everything may have looked great on paper, but when things get built, in reality, plans don't always work out. I'm not even excited about how much stage crap is going in front of Iron Dragon. The rigging height, as seen in other construction photos, detracts from the aesthetics of the ride.

With its limited remaining life, I'm cool with the removal of Wildcat. And I think they are being truthful about the reason for its removal. I just wish they had gone ahead and made that decision to remove it first and put the stage where Wildcat was as to keep the midway open. Just makes more sense to me.

Not only have I seen those photos before, but I've been there. This "bottleneck" everyone talks about is no different than the previous show. Before, they railed off a bypass on the Iron Dragon side. Now, it will be the other side, passing under the control booth. It's about the same width.

For what it's worth, I thought the previous bypass was a bottleneck.

Jeff said:

Not only have I seen those photos before, but I've been there. This "bottleneck" everyone talks about is no different than the previous show. Before, they railed off a bypass on the Iron Dragon side. Now, it will be the other side, passing under the control booth. It's about the same width.

Maybe the new "powers that be" decided that what was "acceptable" in the past is NO LONGER acceptable going forward. This show is going to have a larger response than that silly Rah Rah America BS Dick crammed downed everyone's throat for years. The bottom line is the area isn't big enough for the anticipated response this show is going to receive now that everyone can see exactly how it looks under construction. I am thrilled to see this type of show come to Cedar Fair parks, I just wish the entire process would have been better planned and executed which is what is at the core of everyone's frustration with all this (including internals I might add.)

To add one more thing... The 2012 CP Getaway Guide lists 17 coasters. I think it was a late-breaking decision to remove it. I have good memories of that ride, but life goes on.

I wouldn't be too sure of that mlnem4s. If this Luminosity thing doesn't work out on the first try, we could be seeing "Luminosity: A Tribute to America" or "Luminosity: I Love the 80's" in a very short time. :)

I haven't been there in a few seasons but that area does look tight to me. Of course, removing Wild Cat gives more room for audience viewing but then that control booth is right there in the way.

Here is what I will say about all of this. At least Ouimet has some guts. Removing Wild Cat is a big move but if it was really needed then pulling the trigger at this late date is a pretty bold move. Better to make the space before the season starts than to have to deal with a logistics nightmare all season long with the one thing that is supposed to be the headline new attraction.

I don't think it will be too hard to get over Wildcat's removal. However, it is sad to see another mid-thrill attraction leaving the park. I hope we will see a few more "family" attractions in the future to bridge the gap between the huge coasters and the kiddie rides. Woodstock is fine and all, but things like dark rides or wild mice round out a ride collection very nicely.

Then again, I would have no problems with another huge coaster :)

This "bottleneck" that everyone is so worried about would only happen after dark for maybe an hour or two. I've learned over the years to avoid that area like the plague at that time with the Super Summer Sucktacular.

Back in 2000, I was worried about the proposed tunnel on the Trail when Millennium Force was built, and the potential squeeze on traffic. Seems to me, I worried for nothing.

I still vote age and something mechanical aided the decision. Nonetheless, I enjoyed the ride and will miss it, but understand the nessessity of eventual removals.

At church this morning I met a long time employee (security) who told me the WildCat had already passed inspection and was certified! Apparently Ouimet himself came down to the plaza a few days ago and decided there just wasn't enough room. The ride is being shredded because there wasn't time to carefully dissemble and sell it.

I always figured the lemon chill dude was an Atheist...

Oh no...

I'm actually sad to see it go.

The reason why is that it is the first coaster I have ever been on.

Actually not the one at Cedar Point, but a clone of it that was travelling the German fair circuit as "Himalayabahn".

I was only 8 at the time and went with my uncle.

I hope they find a way to save it.

Jeff said:

Not only have I seen those photos before, but I've been there. This "bottleneck" everyone talks about is no different than the previous show. ....It's about the same width.

Thank you! I don't see where everyone keeps thinking this midway is being cut in half. The new stage comes out a few feet beyond the old midway but not very much, plus they got rid of those ugly tree planters on the Wildcat side.



mlnem4s said:

I just wish the entire process would have been better planned and executed which is what is at the core of everyone's frustration with all this

Ok, so lets say it was planned more in advance, say back in November. Would everyone be cool with that then? No, we would still see the bitching that Wildcat was being removed for Celebration Plaza. Whether the decision was made last year or 2 weeks ago, people are still going to be upset about it. Whether it was for mechanical or for future expansion, people are still going to be upset about it. Enthusiast are not always going to have advance notice of a ride closing so they can get the last ride. There is a very popular ride in an Orlando park that will be closing for good later this month and I still haven't seen an announcement for it. So this happens at other, larger parks.

LostKause said:

Cedar Point design team have messed up a lot in the last few decades, including...

•Removing an inversion on Maverick...

Since when does CP design their own coasters?

Big Drop to a smaller less exciting drop on their new unpopular water ride.

What "big drop"?

And from what I've heard "unpopular" isn't an accurate description for StR.

They messed up by choosing intamin in lieu of all their bad experiences with them.

I see what you are saying djDeamon, but Cedar Fair hired Intamin, and approved of what Intamin came up with. Cedar Point has final say on what is being built at the park, so I think it is their fault too.

About StR, design rules state that in order for a boat ride to be good, the biggest thrill should be after the least thrilling parts of the ride. Shoot the Rapids has a large drop at the very beginning, and then a small drop at the end. I call that poor design.

To try to get my point across, let me say that books, screenplays, songs, even long form jokes all have some kind of design rules in place. Some of these rules are kept secret and only shared with certain songwriters, storytellers, ride designers, ect. Some are way too obvious, like put the biggest thrill near the end of water ride. Some are not well-known, like sixty pages into a movie's screenplay (about an hour in), put a major plot twist to keep those used to watching hour-long televisions show interested.

Songwriters understand that in order to write a hit pop song, one should name the song whatever is repeated in the lyrics the most, and follow one of the very popular, and ear-pleasing song structures, one of the most simple being Verse, Chorus, Verse, Chorus, Change, Chorus, Chorus.

It's not wrong to ignore these rules, and some great songs, stories, and even rides have been made ignoring them, but because creators have seen what works best throughout the short-term history of these art forms, knowing them and using them can only help with the satisfaction of those who are entertained by them. It's all about tension and release.

Wow...I will have whatever you are having LK!