NEW FOR 2011

[markr]

I may be wrong but I think El Toro reached its 1 millionth rider for the season, not all around.

[screamingnight]

It would be really awesome if KI got a really huge Intamin wooodie to replace SOB.

[The Interpreter]

This is El Toro's fifth season. To even think the ride just got to 1,000,000 rides in five seasons in the busy, busy Northeast is comical indeed.

see, i kind of thought that, but when i thought about some intamin's track records, plus how difficult it is to run a park in new jersey, i really didn't give it a second thought.

Oh, please understand...I am in no way making fun of you, instead I am chuckling at the thought of it only getting to 1,000,000 rides over five years! It would almost be like thinking Racer gave its 10,000,000 ride ever last week!

[Beast1979]

No problem, Sparky.

I've ridden Thundered and Kentucky Rumbler, and Voyage. So any opinions I have on ride experience from those coasters. The GCIs ive ridden tend to be smoother and more re-rideable, while Voyage is rough and tough to do multiple times. Voyage is very intense and for the extreme riders only, while the GCIs are not too intense but not too mild, the perfect ride for thrill speakers and moderate riders. Not to mention that from my understanding, GCIs have less downtime and maintenance costs.

As great as Voyage is, I think that GCIs make better additions overall.

[The Interpreter]

One word replies are forbidden by the TOS, or I'd just say, as my reply:

Gwazi.

[IBEW_Sparky]

Right on, Jackson, I can definitely agree with the thought that a GCI makes a better addition in todays times of ultimate bang for the buck, and the ability for 80% of the GP to be able to ride and enjoy it repeatedly instead of 30%. I would definitely enjoy seeing a copy of Gwazi at the Point.

[BavarianBeatle]

No problem, Sparky.

I've ridden Thundered and Kentucky Rumbler, and Voyage. So any opinions I have on ride experience from those coasters. The GCIs ive ridden tend to be smoother and more re-rideable, while Voyage is rough and tough to do multiple times. Voyage is very intense and for the extreme riders only, while the GCIs are not too intense but not too mild, the perfect ride for thrill speakers and moderate riders. Not to mention that from my understanding, GCIs have less downtime and maintenance costs.

As great as Voyage is, I think that GCIs make better additions overall.

The Voyage is my favorite roller coaster. I love being sore after a day at Holiday World.

--Beatle, who has spoken of thrills many times, but would not characterize GCI's as perfect. (Just kidding you! )

[IBEW_Sparky]

+1 for Voyage on my accounts as well! Voyage is absolutely by far superior to any other single woodie (or hybrid) I have ever been on, and nothing around this region stands a chance of unseating it. My planned trip to Jersey next year may give me a new #1, but El Toro is going to have to be just SMOKIN to do that.

[DropZone99]

Gravity Group > GCI

I've ridden...

Voyage

Boardwalk Bullet

Evel Knievel

Prowler

Thunderhead

Gwazi

Both TGG woodies are extremely intense and filled with airtime, somewhat rough, but crazy intense. The 4 GCIs I've ridden are for the most part (excluding Gwazi) extremely smooth, most don't have much airtime (EK has alot though), and not too intense. Overall I prefer to be thrown out of my seat even if that means it'll give me a headache or some other pain.

[BavarianBeatle]

+1 for Voyage on my accounts as well! Voyage is absolutely by far superior to any other single woodie (or hybrid) I have ever been on, and nothing around this region stands a chance of unseating it. My planned trip to Jersey next year may give me a new #1, but El Toro is going to have to be just SMOKIN to do that.

I went to Jersey for the first time this year. El Toro was disappointing, IMO. The ride ops staple you and the ride is short. It has some nice elements and it is by no means a bad ride, but it doesn't come close to The Voyage, as far as I'm concerned. You will have to let me know what you think after you ride it.

[KIfan1980]

Right on, Jackson, I can definitely agree with the thought that a GCI makes a better addition in todays times of ultimate bang for the buck, and the ability for 80% of the GP to be able to ride and enjoy it repeatedly instead of 30%. I would definitely enjoy seeing a copy of Gwazi Thunderhead at the Point.

Fixed your post for you. Although it'd be interesting to ride what a well maintained Gwazi was supposed to be. Note I am going on my reading of Terpy and Delerium Guy to assess maintenance capability of BGT/Gwazi.

Both TGG woodies are extremely intense and filled with airtime, somewhat rough, but crazy intense. The 4 GCIs I've ridden are for the most part (excluding Gwazi) extremely smooth, most don't have much airtime (EK has alot though), and not too intense. Overall I prefer to be thrown out of my seat even if that means it'll give me a headache or some other pain.

To me this comes down to what the park wants to add. I think Cedar Point could really use a fun, re-rideable woodie versus a somewhat rough and crazy intense woodie. Even though I rank Voyage higher than Thunderhead, personally - if I'm CP, I add a Thunderhead type ride versus Voyage type ride.

[bkroz]

I feel like most people who hate Gwazi have not been on it... Just like how the coaster community knows "Son of Beast" as crap and "The Beast" as the epitome of terrain coasters, without having ridden either. I rode Gwazi a half-dozen times, front, back, and middle, a mere three days before its annual refurb (in other words, it was at its very very worst) and found it enjoyable, if not incredible. Plus, it wasn't dueling because one side was already being re-furbed. So I rode it at or near its "roughest," and without the fun dueling aspect and still liked it.

Two of my friends who were with me now place it as their #1 coaster on Earth. And these are "seasoned" riders with over 100 roller coasters under their belt. I would put it in my top 15 easily. I can only imagine how much I'd have loved it if it had been dueling (I love things like that).

Is it smooth? No. But is it one of the worst coasters on Earth? The only people I've heard that from are those who have not ridden it... Those who have ridden it usually use words like "fun" and "wild." Is that not what a roller coaster is supposed to be?

[KIfan1980]

Just to clarify - I have ridden Gwazi and described the front seat morning ride as fun and enjoyable, while the back seat lunchtime ride was painful.

Worst coaster on earth, no. One I'm looking forward to riding again, also no. Thunderhead on the other hand, I'd ride all day anywhere if there wasn't so much other cool stuff to see/do at Dollywood.

[IBEW_Sparky]

I said Gwazi for a reason, that reason being because I like the dueling layout and the near miss elements, so I suggest/request you no longer attempt to "fix" my posts unless/until you know the reasons for my desires. I did not make any accounts as to its roughness or possible lack thereof since I have not ridden it and, as GWK said, I dont find it proper to judge a coaster I have not ridden.

[KIfan1980]

Sorry, should have just said - I agree with you Sparky but would prefer to see a copy of Thunderhead versus Gwazi as I much prefer the ride experience and think it fits your goal of being more rideable to the GP better.

[The Interpreter]

At least no one tried to fix my nearly one word post. My point was and is that maintenance has a great deal to do with any ride. Gravity Group coasters, in particular, require a lot of it, as did CCIs. This is one of the reasons that they are more economical in first cost than GCIIs. Gwazi is an example of why maintenance is so important, as are Cheetah under the old Wild Adventures, Hurricane at Pavilion before it closed, dare I say it, Voyage, even Villain at Geauga Lake nee Six Flags Worlds of Adventure.

The last mentioned, in its last days, was maintained by Cedar Fair. Under Six Flags, I always found Villain a delight, fun to ride, smooth and violent but not rough. Under Cedar Fair, which admittedly (by me, not them), was squeezing the Geauga Lake budget, such was not the case. Many complained about how rough and even pothole infested the ride was becoming. Then again, see also Raging Wolf Bobs in that same park, and how that ended. Oddly, the Big Dipper was well kept until the end, from my view.

As I have said before, a wooden coaster is very much like a marriage....it requires a commitment to constant work if long time satisfaction is to be the goal, as opposed to a pre-mature ending, or at least some very rough spots and unexpected bumps, and some very hurt people if not continually minded.

[IBEW_Sparky]

I totally agree with your accounts of Villain, and am thankful someone other than myself and Mr Drabek from Negative-G feels the same way about that great ride! That coaster died too soon... FAR too soon, and though I may have (and still do) take it more than a little personally, I honestly feel that it was CFs lack of proper maintainance on that ride that gave it a black eye of sorts and undesirable at Auction. Id Love to see that ride at a park like HW, properly maintained, I miss Her from Her glory days, before the last time I rode it in 2005 when it hurt me in the trick track section. I still lament the fact that my last ride on it was a bad one

[coaster_junky]

Cedar Point's status on facebook, about half an hour ago:

[Cedar Point] loves its fans. And to prove it, you'll be the first to know about our plans for 2011. Let the game begin.

link to facebook page.

[Dbfan]

They also changed their logo to question marks and a circle that says CP 1870. (The year CP opened)

Let the clue hunt begin...

Funny that every single person on that post is saying" Stratosaur! Huge star flyer!"

[GrandsonofBeast]

I always wonder if a lot of hype is a good sign or a bad sign. Not saying this is currently a ton of hype, but it looks like it will turn out to be a lot.

Big attractions don't need a lot of hype, rides like Shoot the Rapids needed a ton of hype before the announcement otherwise no one would even no it existed this year. Yes, people get bummed out when they find out it isn't a coaster, but they know there is at least something new for next season, right?

[Beast1979]

Big attractions don't need a lot of hype

Were you around KI during 2008? The hype that Diamondback got was insane. Maverick was hyped a lot too. Imagine the hype that Top Thrill Dragster and Millennium Force got.

[Dbfan]

My only worry is that they build up all this anticipation for this new ride, and it turns out nothing that special.

[GrandsonofBeast]

That's just it. Most of Maverick and Dragster's hype was generated by the construction. The park always would say things like "we don't know what you're talking about". They try to keep a tight lid on the final plans. They don't want the competition finding out about the new $20M+ plans.

It seems like with smaller attractions they don't get this self generated hype, so the park fuels it more to get the word out.

[Beast1979]

Here's the profile pic on Facebook.

I can honestly say, I'm excited.

[Colonel_SoB_fan]

I still say a GG or GCI woodie

[LongliveKingsCobra]

I feel like CP 1870 has something to do with it...

[bkroz]

Perhaps they're going to change the logo back to that font... Remember, you can never underestimate Cedar Fair's marketing ploys.

But, does that mean each and every park would adopt that font for their logo? Probably.

[Colonel_SoB_fan]

1,870 foot tall coaster?

That be a wicked awesome thrill ride

[Beast1979]

I feel like CP 1870 has something to do with it...

Considering that Cedar Point didn't get anything close to a 'Thrill ride' until later, I think 1870 just signifies that's when Cedar Point opened. It also shows that whatever they add is meant to be nostalgic towards that era.

[coaster_junky]

a new picnic area on the beach!!!

Cedar Point timeline