http://www.sanduskyregister.com/articles/2...e9834453714.txt

It's seemed to me that over the past few years, Cedar Point has been becoming more a Theme Park than ever

This article even called a section of the park "Frontiertown." (I assume they meant the "Frontier Trail")

Frontiertown and Frontier Trail are both themed areas of Cedar Point. Frontier Town has the more colonial Americana area with Skyhawk and the Antique Cars, but also has Maverick and Mean Streak's little frontier junction area. Frontier Trail is the actual shaded trail that connects the Millennium Plaza with Frontiertown, and has all the little shops, Panda Express (they have a knack for putting Asian food in just the wrong place, don't they?), the rapids ride, and now Shoot the Rapids. In other words, it's sort of like pre-2002 Rivertown - the water ride area that's themed to a specific time period and very shaded. They comprise the only themed region of Cedar Point!

Panda Express (they have a knack for putting Asian food in just the wrong place, don't they?)

The Pagoda Gift Shop would have been a great place, but there's already a gift shop in there.

And, at KI, where would you put a Asian restaurant? I guess International Street?

^

International Street used to be busy, maybe the busiest section in the park. The merchandise isn't nearly as unique as it used to be, and Kings Island's rides are free, while the merchandise is expensive. We do not need another restaurant in International Street. What we need are replacements of current 'boring' shops

International Street's food isn't even foreign anymore. From what I hear, International Street's food was once comparable to Epcot.

The merchandise isn't too bad. It's a whole lot better than what you'll find at some smaller parks. I happen to really like the model Eiffel Towers.

Which ones? The older ones were some kind of metal. Late last summer, the newer ones appearing in the stores appeared to be made of a much cheaper, non-metallic composite resin type material. The price, though, remained the same.

I didn't know that! I have one from 2008

And I was planning on buying one online, too...

Do they still have The Beast claws?

At the end of last season, the old, metal Eiffel Towers were for sale side by side with the new resin, composite ones. As I said, both were the same price. If you bought one online, I bet it would be luck of the draw what you got...

I wonder if it had anything to do with the models breaking. Mine has broken twice, I wonder if using a resin allows for them to make it in one piece instead of two like the metal ones. Probably not, but just saying.

It is reliably reported that steel has been placed today for the new Cedar Point ride. The Cedar Point webcam doth confirm this.

Cedar Point's Shoot the Rapids Water Ride Begins to Take Shape

SANDUSKY, Ohio, Feb. 4 / -- Midway through the winter on Lake Erie, construction crews on Shoot the Rapids, the new water ride at Cedar Point amusement park/resort in Sandusky, Ohio, are taking the park's new river-ride adventure to a higher level.

Throughout the fall, crews cleared the 2.5-acre site and completed a majority of the groundwork -- most of it below the surface. Trenches were dug, footers for support columns were poured and water lines for the ride's landing areas and special effects such as geysers and water sprays were installed.

Now the crews' focus is higher -- about 8.5 stories above the ground.

Earlier this week, crews began erecting portions of the ride's steel track. Although Shoot the Rapids will be the park's third water ride, it will still use steel tracks and two lift chains to carry the boats to the top of two hills, one of several exciting features of the ride. The $10.5 million project will be the most expensive water ride ever built at Cedar Point.

The ride's first hill, its largest, will be 85 feet tall. It will be three feet taller than the park's Snake River Falls that opened in Frontiertown in 1993. It will also be one of the tallest water ride hills in the world. After plunging down the first hill, riders will travel through a rustic setting with wooded areas and canyon walls that spray guests with water. The second hill will carry riders up nearly five stories before sending them to the ride's grand finale – a splash landing through churning rapids and spraying water from all directions.

Before the track can be erected, several steel support columns, some as tall as 80 feet, must be lifted into position and bolted onto the concrete footers. Overall, 18 steel columns will be required to complete the project. With normal weather conditions, Dangler expects the lift hills to be completed toward the end of the month.

At the same time the lift hills are being assembled, crews on the ground are framing and pouring the ride's concrete trough. When completed the trough will be nearly 1,500 feet long and will require more than 5,800 cubic yards of concrete. The slope of the trough and the ride's pumping system, consisting of 12 pumps, will move the boats along the 2,100-foot-long course.

In March after the ride's structure has been completed, the electrical and water-pumping systems will be installed and the ride's loading station will be built.

After that, it's weeks of inspections, testing and training so that Shoot the Rapids will be ready to provide a brand new and exciting ride experience for park guests on Saturday, May 15 when Cedar Point opens for its 141st season.

SOURCE Cedar Point, a Cedar Fair Entertainment park

http://www.prnewswir...e-83557662.html

It should be interesting to see whether they carry through with all the theming shown in the video or if they pull another Maverick. Given CF's financial state, I'd lean toward the latter.

I never realized it would be 85 feet tall. Wow.

I was just up there...there is track all over the parking lot...not that that is anything weird...Just wanted to add

Includes pictures!

...Ed Dangler, Cedar Point's director of maintenance and new construction, said timing is crucial to the project.

"All the underground work has to be completed before the ground freezes," he said. "Working on frozen ground takes a lot more time, which adds to the cost of the project. Plus, after the ride is built, there has to be time for testing and training before the ride can open."

Dangler said he expects the lift hills to be finished by the end of February. After the ride's structure is completed, crews will install the electrical and water-pumping system and the ride's loading station.

http://www.sanduskyr...ont/1904501.txt

i thought this was a really neat video showing off the construction via web-cam, reminds me of the video they showed in maverick's que line in '07

I think everyone should take a look at this: http://www.cedarpoint.com/public/fun/blog/2010/4/30/The_Price_Of_Fur....cfm

Anyone else astonished by this, especially all the hints of an immersive ride with the T word.

Maybe CF is taking starting to take storylines more seriously.

No denying it - after purchasing the Paramount Parks, Cedar Fair started to develop an eye for themeing. In many ways, they had to - once you own Kings Dominion, you must at least try to place appropriate rides and appropriate places. It's too nice of a park to slap a millennium-and-technology-themed ride in the middle of a Frontier town. So they learned to create simple (but still passably themed) stations (see Maverick & Diamondback), play appropriate music in the queues where available (Maverick) and even add some little details - the props for Shoot the Rapids, the tunnel on Maverick (when it's turned on...), X-Base's expansion for Firehawk.

Is it perfect? No. Are they trying? It seems that way. Now if only they would focus on fixing up the themeing on the old rides and adding themeing to the new ones... But still, touche Cedar Fair!