Delirium33 Posted April 21, 2007 Share Posted April 21, 2007 I was at opening day today and had a blast. One of the things I noticed that changed was the intensity raiting for many of the rides. Some of them made no sence to me at all. For example: Adventure Express, and Italian Job were rated a 5! To me, that is very misleading to a person or family new to the park. It might give them it perception that if they can handle AE, they could handle SoB, which is definitely not the case. I do agree with some of the other rating changes, like Vortex's and TR:TR's upgrade to a 5. Here are some of the changes: Vortex- 5 Delirium- 5 IJ:ST- 5 Adventure Express- 5 Firehawk is a 5 Drop Zone oddly stayed as a 4. TR:TR- 5 Reptar, Avatar, and Fairly Odd Coaster are all a 4. (Same as Drop Zone!?) On another note, the water ride ratings at Boomerang Bay now go to 5 as well. The 5 rated rides are: Awesome Aussie Twister; Coolangatta Racer; Pipeline Paradise; Tasmanian Typhoon. I can understand these ratings for the most part. Maybe these were misprints on my map, maybe not. I just found this very interesting and misleading. I don't think I saw the ratings on the signs entering the ride like they used to be. Also, the Rating Key at the bottom of the map appears to have similar descriptions for the intensity scale as before. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kikevin Posted April 22, 2007 Share Posted April 22, 2007 I didn't notice it till after I was coming home from a full day at the park. I thought it seemed a little odd that Adventure Express was more intense than Drop Zone Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alien Seed Posted April 22, 2007 Share Posted April 22, 2007 Hey, we all knew that Wild Thornberry's drop (rating of 4) was just as intense as Drop Zone's lol.....seriously though, whoever does their ratings is either a complete moron, or an 80 year old man who just looks at the rides and decides he can't handle them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jasper Posted April 22, 2007 Share Posted April 22, 2007 They also changed The Eiffel Tower up to a 2 which is good because of how high up it is. Man i have got to avoid that AE it is just too intense. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PKIVortex Posted April 22, 2007 Share Posted April 22, 2007 Yes the ratings are on the new signs at the front of the ride lines. I also thought these ride rating changes were kinda strange. The only thing I can think about why they changed AE to a 5 is because of the sudden turns and change of direction, it's kinda jerky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Delirium33 Posted April 22, 2007 Author Share Posted April 22, 2007 Yeah I can see how AE is jerky, but its speed and drops don't compare to some of the other rides. I still don't understand the logic. It ruins the point of the scale- to give new guests an idea of how intense the ride is, and to help them understand what they can or can't handle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CrazyKay07 Posted April 22, 2007 Share Posted April 22, 2007 I do agree with AE being 5 because it is jerky, but not Italian Job! That is not rough or jerky! I do think TRTR should have went up to a 5 because if you are new to the park, you have no idea what you are about to experience. There were so many newbies to that ride today. Some guy asked me and my sis what did, and some other got really scared when it began. And avatar is not a 4! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UncleHenry Posted April 22, 2007 Share Posted April 22, 2007 Yeah, CF always has screwy ratings. When I went to Knotts some time ago, they had their flume as a 5. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest TombraiderTy Posted April 22, 2007 Share Posted April 22, 2007 I can't get myself on Adventure Express, it's a 5 so it must be really scary!!! Just wanted to add that I found a mistake. The map rated Scooby Doo and the Haunted Castle as a 2 but the sign in front was 1, so don't know which to follow... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pkd1975 Posted April 22, 2007 Share Posted April 22, 2007 Yeah, I agree it's very misleading. At Kings Dominion it's the same way. Drop Zone should have gone up to a 5. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dane Posted April 23, 2007 Share Posted April 23, 2007 Just to shine in on this. PKI rode the rides and rated them based off of vote of what they thought and the manufacturer thought. CF has a point scale system that has things like +1 Does it spin? Yes +1 Does it go over 50 feet. Things like that and some other things, but as this shows, it might not be the best solution. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RingMaster Posted April 23, 2007 Share Posted April 23, 2007 .....so what they're saying is, if an eight-year-old can ride Adventure Express and IJ:ST, which are both 5s, then that means they can ride Son of Beast and Flight of Fear, which are also 5s. Adventure Express: Height-63 and 42 feet Speed-35 mph Length-2,963 feet -compared to- Son of Beast: Height-218 feet (first drop at 214 feet) Speed-78 mph Length-7,032 feet -------------------------------------------------------------- Italian Job: Stunt Track: Height-45 feet (first drop at 40 feet) Speed-40 mph Length-1,960 feet -compared to- Flight of Fear: Height-N/A (although I believe the first inversion clocks in at 70 or 80 feet) Speed-54 mph Length-2,705 feet -------------------------------------------------------------- Yeah, that sounds about right. They definitely need a new system. One that relies on realistic statistics and doesn't sound like a bunch of second guessing at times. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Delirium13 Posted April 23, 2007 Share Posted April 23, 2007 They definitely need a new system. One that relies on realistic statistics and doesn't sound like a bunch of second guessing at times. You mean the old system? Because that made 10x more sense than the new one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skywriter Posted April 23, 2007 Share Posted April 23, 2007 I laughed at the changes I'm like I'm never going on the AE now it is a 5 it's to scary supossley more scarer then the Drop Zone.lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jasper Posted April 23, 2007 Share Posted April 23, 2007 I have to agree the old rating system was much better but if you see that Drop ZOne is a 4 and you go over and look at it then you are automatically going to tthink that it is going to be a bit intense to say the leasat compared to IJST. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flightoffear1996 Posted April 23, 2007 Share Posted April 23, 2007 I think it you read the description of the the ratings they half way fit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boricuabud Posted April 23, 2007 Share Posted April 23, 2007 considering the fact that you walk up to AE and see 8 year old kids re-riding with huge smiles on their faces, i would assume that a new guest would be able to put two and two together. For the most part though, the rides that SHOULD be rated high, are rated high. The age and height of the people riding the rides are usually also an indicator of how intense the ride is.. ya know? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DiSab Posted April 23, 2007 Share Posted April 23, 2007 Yeah, I have no idea how Adventure Express is now more intense than Top Gun or Drop Zone. But yeah, Cedar Fair has always had odd ratings. Look at CP - almost every major ride and roller coaster is a 5, so whatever... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Captain Nemo Posted April 23, 2007 Share Posted April 23, 2007 While I am used to the ratings of Last year I can understand some of the changes this year. diSab, to answer your question. Adventure Express is quite a jerky coaster (and because it is an arrow coaster). Top Gun is quite a smooth ride, smoothest coaster in the park IMHO. Italian Job was most likly bumped to a 5 because if its tight turns, high Gs, and elements involved. Cedar Fair has an act to rate rides very high. If anything, I questions the fact that Avitar and Drop Zone are the same rating. I just dont think that you can lump everything in to five categories of ratings. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PKIVortex Posted April 23, 2007 Share Posted April 23, 2007 Yeah your right, but Drop Zone should be a 5 just because of the height of the ride, and the speed of the drop at 67 MPH. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bukowski Posted April 24, 2007 Share Posted April 24, 2007 The CF parks don't rate rides on how "scary" they are. I talked to a ride op at express and asked him why they changed the ride rating and he told me that Cedar Fair's ride rating system is an exact science. I would imagine there is a list of questions such as "Does the ride make sharp unexpected turns or changes in speed?" and they add up all of the "yes's" and base their ride ratings accordingly. Cedar Fair is a very smart company, and most of the changes implemented are there to improve the ride's safety... at least on paper... which in turn significantly lowers the insurance rates. They know what they're doing. So yes... I firmly believe that AE should get a 5 and Drop Zone should be a 3. Regardless of how "scary" those rides are... it's an accurate representation of the ride experience. Drop zone goes up and down.. express has a lot of neck breaking turns. And do you guys think it's stupid that scooby doo and the haunted castle have all 5 medical restrictions this year? I don't. I think it's stupid that they didn't before. Riders have to walk on and off of a moving turn table... if a pregnant woman fell and hurt her baby it would be incredibly easy for her to sue KI for a large amount of money.. because last year it said NOTHING about pregnant women. What an obvious thing to be overlooked. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KI on the mind Posted April 24, 2007 Share Posted April 24, 2007 Maybe its a fun rating instead of an intensity rating, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SOB_TOM Posted April 24, 2007 Share Posted April 24, 2007 Its a way for CF to cover their backsides in case someone gets hurt. Nothing more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BoddaH1994 Posted April 24, 2007 Share Posted April 24, 2007 ^ I disagree. Paramount had its own system of rating rides and Cedar Fair does as well. Clearly a ride that's a 5 in the eyes of Cedar Fair isn't always more thrilling than a 4. If you look at the ride line up, you'd be out of your mind to think so. There are a set of guidelines that establish exactly what a ride does, and rates it based on that. For example, I believe the train under Paramount was a 2. Why a 2? Because the train experiences changes in speed and elevation, thus fitting the criteria of a 2. Obviously you don't put the train as a two on a five scale of how thrilling a ride is, but it does meet certain criteria to be considered. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheKlockster Posted April 24, 2007 Share Posted April 24, 2007 I like the ratings. Vortex definately should be a 5. As for the others I can understand. Adventure Express is really jerky and rattly. Drop Zone isn't forceful which is probably why it stayed a 4. It is scary, but you aren't exposed to rapid changes in speed and direction. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Delirium33 Posted April 24, 2007 Author Share Posted April 24, 2007 Like I said before, the ratings should be based on overall intensity and thrill, not math or statistics. I'm Racer can be 10x more rough/forceful than AE, and has a lower rating. Also with the way it is now, many new guests will be misled to think FoF, being an indoor ride that you can't see, will be no different than AE. I agree some of the changes, but AE is the one that really gets me. The ratings are for the guests to understand what they're getting into, and right now, its not doing a good job of that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BoddaH1994 Posted April 24, 2007 Share Posted April 24, 2007 ^ I completely agree with the above statement. I really think that the ratings are more of a service to people who have younger kids and don't want to force them onto a ride which is inappropriate for them. I can see this being a more fair metric: 5 -- Extreme Thrill Ride Beast SOB Drop Zone Vortex 4 - Moderate Thrill Ride Racer Top Gun Delirium 3 - Mild Thrill Ride Adventure Express Congo Zephyr 2 - Low Thrill Ride Eiffel Tower 1 - Everybody-friendly ride Train Antique Cars Most stuff in NU Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
notredame0608 Posted April 24, 2007 Share Posted April 24, 2007 how is the drop zone only a 4? these ratings dont make ANY sense now! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thrill_Biscuit Posted April 24, 2007 Share Posted April 24, 2007 It's those intense, scary rock monkeys at the end of AE, and the intensly intense bucket of intense lava that looks like it's about to be poured on you! Intense! Make it a 6! Aaah! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Delirium13 Posted April 24, 2007 Share Posted April 24, 2007 how is the drop zone only a 4? these ratings dont make ANY sense now! Drop Zone has always been just a 4. Probably because it doesn't have any sudden changes in direction.(Not including the drop.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.