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Shoot The Rapids, Now Open (June 26)


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Long lead time bites paper:

There's a new way to cool off at Cedar Point.

Shoot the Rapids, the amusement park's newest ride that just opened Saturday, promises to be a splash as visitors travel through meandering rivers along the Frontier Trail and Millennium Island before climbing two lift hills and "shooting" them through whitewater rapids and rockwork for a good soaking.

They'll also encounter numerous water features and special effects throughout the three-minute ride, Cedar Point officials said.

Now it's ready to take visitors in its 10-passenger boats for rides on the most expensive water ride built at Cedar Point. It has for a namesake a previous water ride at the park....

http://www.monroenew.../ARTS/705309963

Oooops....

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I watched STR test yesterday, and I will tell you guys right now, it looks like fun. They had dummies on the boats, and everyone gasped in jealousy when they saw a boat full of ride ops. The ride ops looked pretty thrilled after they exited.. not to mention they were wringing water out of their shirts. The last drop is guaranteed to get you completely drenched.. trust me on that. It was torture watching it test and not being able to ride just yet.. it was unseasonably hot at CP yesterday. I can't wait for it to open.

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The last drop is guaranteed to get you completely drenched.. trust me on that.

Thus making it a horrible replacement of White Water Landing, which it supposedly was. I guess people wouldn't spend 5 dollars if the weren't drenched to the bone now would they.

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That's my only issue with the new ride, really. Rapids rides drench you and make you dripping wet and you'll be that way all day; the giant splashdown Congo Falls boat gets you pretty wet, but you can at least dry in an hour; log rides are supposed to get you a little moist, mostly spritzed and misted.

I could understand if Shoot the Rapids was Cedar Point's only water ride. But they already have the two "soak you to the bone" rides (the rapids and the splashdown). What they need is something that doesn't actually get you that wet, but helps you cool down. I think the inescapable waterfall and the massive splash from Shoot the Rapids will actually work against it in the long run - if people want to be soaked, there are two rides with much shorter lines within a 4 minute walk.

But, maybe I'll be proven wrong! Maybe the waterfall will stop just before you get to it, and the splash will not be as massive when the boat is loaded.

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Long lead time bites paper:

There's a new way to cool off at Cedar Point.

Shoot the Rapids, the amusement park's newest ride that just opened Saturday, promises to be a splash as visitors travel through meandering rivers along the Frontier Trail and Millennium Island before climbing two lift hills and "shooting" them through whitewater rapids and rockwork for a good soaking.

They'll also encounter numerous water features and special effects throughout the three-minute ride, Cedar Point officials said.

Now it's ready to take visitors in its 10-passenger boats for rides on the most expensive water ride built at Cedar Point. It has for a namesake a previous water ride at the park....

http://www.monroenew.../ARTS/705309963

Oooops....

ROFL!

Special effects!?

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...Mr. Innes said engineers have had to make modifications to the boats for Shoot the Rapids and the process was taking longer than expected.

Dick Kinzel, Cedar Fair's chairman, also stated that the ride's boats had been made too large and needed to be retrofitted.

Once the ride is fixed, it will need to be inspected and licensed by the Ohio Department of Agriculture's Division of Amusement Ride Safety.

A division spokesman said yesterday that Shoot the Rapids was in the process of being inspected this week, but there was no timetable for when the inspection would be completed. The ride, which is the park's first major ride since its Maverick roller coaster debuted in 2007, isn't the first to experience delays. The Maverick missed its scheduled debut by three weeks. Another coaster, Top Thrill Dragster, debuted on time in 2003 but spent parts of its first season closed for technical adjustments.

Dennis Speigel, president of International Theme Park Services Inc., of Cincinnati, an amusement park consulting firm, said current rides are so complex that delays are not unusual. "I think this is part of a normal shakedown built into the timetable," he said.

For now, it is early enough in the season that Cedar Point won't suffer any damage either to its gate revenues or reputation, Mr. Speigel said.

"Now, if this were to run on another a few weeks, then it could become a problem," he added.

http://toledoblade.c...INESS03/6020344

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The crack staff at the Sandusky Register just keeps on keeping on:

...The boats turned out to be the wrong size when delivered. The ride was designed and built by IntaRide LLC of Glen Burnie, Md., a company that has built successful, signature Cedar Point rides like Top Thrill Dragster, Millennium Force and Magnum....

http://www.sanduskyr...ont/2084742.txt

Who knew? And here I once thought the big blue thing was a B and M...I shot an Arrow in the air...

And Top Thrill Dragster successful? Well it did cause a ka...

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  • 3 weeks later...

Good for those guests going this weekend!

Although, I would anticipate the line to be TERRIBLY long due to the hot & humid weather we have been getting here on the shores of Lake Erie, and, given that this would be STR's actual opening weekend, I would also anticipate various breakdowns.

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I find it interesting that some of the people commenting on the status update are complaining that there aren't enough thrills at Cedar Point. Really? Having the most roller coasters isn't enough? There are some people that you'll never please...

I for one would love for a ride similar to Shoot the Rapids at Kings Island, though I suppose I should wait to see how the ride is first. I would love to have a "big" log flume in the park again, as I greatly miss Kenton Cove Keelboat Canal :(

But this is exciting news that they are finally getting it open, I hope everything goes smoothly!

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IF the Sandusky Register is correct, the park announced the ride is going to open Saturday (by tweeting, among other things) BEFORE the state inspection is complete (I suspect the Register is not correct, surely the park would not do that):

...As of Thursday afternoon, inspectors were tentatively scheduled to look at the ride at 10 p.m., said Kaleigh Frazier, a Department of Agriculture spokeswoman. A successful inspection means the ride will get a license to operate....

http://www.sanduskyr...launch-saturday

If the Register is correct, and if for some reason the ride does not pass inspection before Saturday, this could be a wee bit embarrassing, to put it mildly.

...The twice-delayed ride was originally supposed to launch on May 16. That date was then bumped to May 29. When that date passed, too, Cedar Point promised it would make no further announcements until officials were absolutely sure the ride is ready....

BEFORE the state inspection is complete? Really?

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I find it interesting that some of the people commenting on the status update are complaining that there aren't enough thrills at Cedar Point. Really? Having the most roller coasters isn't enough? There are some people that you'll never please...

As with most people, myself included, we tend to look at certain things through rose-colored glasses.

This is a KI site, so it is understood that a vast majority of the people will be KI fans no matter what- just like I am a Browns fan no matter what.

I will bash the $hitsburgh Cheaters till I'm blue in the face, just like some will never be happy with CP. It's just the way that it is. CF knows they can't please everybody- and even attempting that would be foolish as they would be chasing their tails. They need to keep the majority happy. As enthusiasts, many may not always understand that.

I was lucky enough to visit many parks at a young age. That gave me a wide view of different parks & the rides they have/ operate etc. Many other people have only visited a small handful of parks leaving them a small comparison. Such a small comparison often leads to the "KI vs. CP" or "Paramount vs. CF" discussion. Can any of those truely be compared?

Back on topic... wink.gif

STR could have already been given a conditional license to operate. There have been boats operating (although the wrong boats) that could test the safety features (photo eyes, prox switches, e-stops, anti-roll backs etc.). It could be that the only thing stopping the approval of the full-operating green light is the actual operation of all the boats together, which can take place at night (as the approval operation often does) to get in the necessary operational hours the state is looking for.

Or it could also be that the Register is making a mountian out of a molehill to sell more papers....

EDIT- There have been confirmed reports that STR has been testing with CP employees on the boat. I would have to say that the ride has been approved for operation, but, the official papers are not in CP's hands.

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SANDUSKY REGISTER SAYS SNAG!

...UPDATED 7:15 p.m. Friday:

Cedar Point is battling last-minute snags as it works to try to get its new Shoot the Rapids water ride opened on the weekend.

"We have experienced some last-minute delays that may prevent the ride from opening," said park spokesman Robin Innes, emphasizing the word "may."

He said the park is working with the manufacturer to work through the problems, which he declined to describe....

http://www.sanduskyr...s-722-pm-friday

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Just a thought....

Assume you are a state ride inspector...and you are assigned to inspect Shoot the Rapids at 10p.m. on a Thursday night. Hours before your inspection, you find the park has announced the ride IS opening Saturday. What would you do? Would you be very, very certain the ride meets each and every exacting requirement? Is it possible your boss would tell you to look for problems even more so than usual? Is it possible the park was being a bit...presumptuous? Or is this yet another real problem that could keep the ride from opening for quite some time?

My bet is it opens Saturday morning, but that Cedar Point will have learned a lesson. Hopefully.

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