dr_humor

Not sure if I see the significance of the black dots...

But that's my point. Of course they have thrown some stuff out there. The "average" person 1) does not even know there has been a teaser for anything, 2) doesn't care, 3) doesn't even know that SOB stands for anything other than "SOB". I wasn't putting a value judgment on anyone hyping it here...in fact, I think the guessing is fun. The problem is that people hype themselves up and then "blame" the park when they are let down by what it is; and it's really their own fault.

They haven't hyped it up. You have.

Anything is possible of course, but I really think it simply means dinosaurs, and that's it.

Perhaps I'm missing something here, but why on earth would a ride like the Screamin' Demon come back? I just don't see the logic. I get the nostalgia thing. I think it's pretty obvious all the time references are referring to the idea of dinosaurs being involved somehow; the footprint, the jaw bone in the mud on the homepage, the dinosaur skin in the background.

Animals will never be involved in any Cedar Fair park as long as Kinzel is still around. No Safari return. That does not rule out animatronic animals, however.

In case it helps people let go of King Kobra, Cedar Fair officially canceled the trademark last May. May 29th, to be exact. Also, no new trademarks have been registered as of today, with "stratasoar", the name of the swing rides before the company pulled out, being the last one registered.

All that depends on when it is coming. If it is for 2011, which it seems, a coaster of any kind has to be out the question, unless there has been some serious secret construction going on.

The only thing that goes against a dino-wlkthrough type ordeal is the phrase "turn the clock back on thrill" A dino-walkthough is not thrilling, it's for 8-year-olds. Granted, it would be great for the kids, but certainly not a "thrill".

Well if it's for this year, I can't see what else it would be other than a dino-walkthrough. That would be fairly easy to set up. Weird.

Aquatrax??? Don't even get me started...

In my experience as a frequent guesser of "what's coming next", just when it looks like all the pieces fit, the reality ends up being something that was not even on my radar. For example, before Maverick was announced at Cedar Point 4 years ago, I had convinced myself and many others over at P & C-buzz that a new B & M machine was coming. It all made sense. All the signs were there. An Intamin "terra-coaster" was not even on the radar. Similar happenings around SkyHawk. My point is, the more I think about the Dino movie idea (complete with dino-themed walkthrough), the more it makes sense, which actually makes me think the more wrong I am about the whole thing. I wish Cedar Fair would play games with actual clues like HersheyPark did with the announcement of Fahrenheit, and again with their secret project 2012 (just google the "Ride Institute of Technology" to see what they are up to). Now THAT would be fun.

It also is not very Cedar Fair-esque. Now the Dino-Island movie simulator deal I can see happening...perhaps salvaged from GL. Both ideas, however, add up to a collective yawn.

...by a Flinstones-esque Brontosaurus-themed crane! Hannah Barbara returns in 2012!!!

And the trademark was not for strata "saur"...it was for strata "soar". It was going to be the name for the WindSeeker-type-rides before the chaos involving the ride manufacturers took place. Expect this to not have anything to do with the new thing, whatever it is.

Unless they got permission to do so.

Which is exactly why Kinzel should have left years ago. He's the Brett Favre/Michael Jordan of CEO's...better to be a Barry Sanders and retire on top, rather than stick around way too long. Lack of vision, lack of creativity, and a complete inability to listen (as you say), to the voices of others...not to mention he also practices nepotism.

I think the bottom line to much of this conversation is that unlike Paramount, Cedar Fair really never has had a vested interest in using theming with their rides; that was an experience you could get at other parks, but never Cedar Point. Now that they have KI (and I must admit, KI has never been my home park, I have just adopted it as a "second home park" thanks to my wife), Diamondback (and TTD, Maverick, ect.) is as good as you can expect. What has happened to the Crypt is a shame, but really no surprise at all. In his own words, Kinzel has often stated "the rides are the theme". He experimented with it once with DT, but the public response was not exactly flattering, and the cost was not something CP was really ready to absorb. Of course, instead of listening to the board members who were telling him not to re-do Avalanche Run, he surrounded himself with yes men (much like he still does today), and the project went forth. He at least has since publicly admitted that it was one of his biggest mistakes, but he was trying to make a splash in the beginning of his tenure. If I want a themed experience, I will go to Busch Gardens Williamsburg or Dollywood...I simply do not go to Cedar Point or Kings Island expecting that, or wishing for more, because that's not what they are. That's like going to McDonald's any complaining that their burger doesn't taste like one from somewhere else. It is what it is. Believe me, I also wish that they would pay more attention to little details, like fixing lights when they burn out on the ferris-wheel, etc...but they don't. However, it is not true that people are not vocal about this, it's simply that their complaints fall on deaf ears. People that outwardly disagree with Kinzel and his ruling don't fit in. Just google Jack Falfas. He didn't resign, he was forced out.

It's quite possible we visit the park on very different days.

I disagree wholeheartedly. You sit in race-car themed cars, sound effects of a revving engine until you blast off, and the light son the tower as well as the sign right by the launch...has it lost a little? Of course. Anything substantial? No. Was I arguing that there is some sort of Disney-level theme? No...but TTD is very very well done for Cedar Fair's standards. There is nothing I would add to TTD personally. Your statement is false. Actually, the waterbombs were working quite well all summer. They do shut them off from time to time, but in 47 trips last year, they were only "not working" twice. Twice. 45/47 is pretty good odds. And there is plenty of theming that cannot "not work"...that's the point. The canyons, the theme of the trains, the entire queue, the music...all theming, all working 100% of the time. Again, I am talking Cedar Fair here, not Disney. I didn't say it couldn't be better, and DT was a one shot deal that, after it was done, the board of trustees agreed was a mistake. I said it had the most theming of any ride in the past 20 years, and that is correct. Could there be more? I guess...but CP is not a theme park, its an amusement park. For what it is, it's pretty darn good. Again, I'm not pretending the theming present is even in the same league as Disney, or even Busch for that matter. I'm simply saying that for Cedar Fair, who typically does no theming whatsoever, there has been progress...that's all.

At least over here at Cedar Point, I would argue that CF has actually done a great job as of late of "meeting in the middle", as you say. 1) It all started with Top Thrill Dragster, which has a nice theme that has been (mostly) kept up...the lights, the cars (minus the giant wheels that flew off), the sounds... 2) Maverick also has a nice, well-rounded easy to maintain theming all around from the trains to the terrain...an excellent job. 3) Shoot the Rapids has more theming than any ride in the past 20 years. Now down there at Kings Island, you are also seeing this with Diamondback. Is is "totally immersive" theming? Well no...but it's a hyper-coaster, how much can you do beyond the queue and some nicely themed trains? Plus they added the night-time light show...all atmosphere...give them about 5 years to add a couple more rides and see if this pattern doesn't continue. Minus the WindSeekers, atmosphere has certainly been considered. That said, our WindSeekers are supposed to have some incredible lighting packages (at least the one at CP is).

Oh I absolutely concur with what you said. Cedar Point would certainly not be what it is today, and the tension that is created by the "two evils", as you said, results in consistent growth in both atmosphere and land-mark rides on a regular basis. I am excited to see what fresh leadership at Cedar Fair will bring.

Having rides that are both record-approaching thrills and theming is a tough bag. With Cedar Fair and Six Flags parks, you get amazing rides, but relatively little/no theming...although SF probably gets the nod here even though it is relatively low-key. With Disneyland, you get insane theming on relatively mediocre rides. Dollywood and the Busch parks combine both in a way that is unmatched, IMO. That said, those parks are small in comparison, with smaller coaster counts. I would recommend taking a mental picture of the parks today, and again when we are 5 years or so removed from Kinzel being in charge. Things will hopefully get shaken up a bit.

Sadly, this has been compounded by Cedar Fair being a publicly traded company. Cedar Point has always been my "home park", and while there certainly have been positives, there have been negatives as well. Then again, at KI all of you may have been at least somewhat used to being corporate-owned. Cedar Point lost a lot of "little touches" that made it feel more "homey" and "family-centered"...much like a Holiday World feel...I guess a lot of the charm?

I was going to say something similar. You're right...don't jump the gun, but if you can't make an educated decision in 2 years, you are incompetent. Just a "wild" guess, but I think it's safe to be confident that at some point in this season something will be said regarding the future of SOB.