If I were running ... Cedar Point (RD Sussman)

it's Tuesday and RD is back with another one of his great articles. 

Kind of a new series within a series, he's taking another look at Cedar Point today, but from a different point of view. Not necessarily what's "wrong" with Cedar Point, but what RD would do if he ran Cedar Point. 

Enjoy ... 






Written by RD Sussman

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Starting with this post, every now and again I'll be taking a look at existing parks, and how I'd run them if I were the GM. To that end, I'll be using the park's own financial data, layouts, etc. to keep it within a reasonable window of actual financial & operational means - that is, I'd be running the park, but not in 'sandbox mode'. 

This week, I decided to use Cedar Point as if I were GM. To start, I looked carefully at my past visits, as well as to what the park has done over the past 15 years. I looked at their financial records, attendence records & other factors, and then put myself in the position of GM. 

As I look at the park currently, it is in relatively good shape. Most of the park is kept up with, with some areas needing more attention than others. I'm also discouraged with how I see the park has neglected certain areas. CP has some of the tallest rides on earth, as well as basic collection of coasters of different shapes & sizes. Flat rides are a relatively good balance, again different shapes & sizes. Food outlets tend to be placed in somewhat prominent areas, but in some cases necessary facilities such as restrooms & guest service areas are quite a distance from each other. Landscaping is pretty, but could use a few touch-ups. 

First, let's address the coaster collection: CP has a broad base of coaster technologies. However, looking at the past 15 years, no real strides forward have been made in the balance of the collection. I see a huge problem in this, especially with the neglect of older attractions that have lost their lustre & their glory. Of note:

• Mean Streak - once the world's tallest wooden coaster, this ride has been in a steady decline since, and now provides a rough ride, partly due to years of operating heavy trains & near constant replacement of track pieces due to that stress. Trim brakes now dot the tracks to slow the trains down, and in the end the ride has ended up being a shadow of its former self. 
  
• Cedar Creek Mine Ride - One of the world's first mine coasters, this ride has aged with grace, but not in the way it should. 
  
• Raptor - When Raptor ruled the skies in 1994, it was a great success, but has suffered in her glory since the addition of taller & larger rides throughout the park. While still thrilling, there is a lot that could be done here. 
  
• Iron Dragon: "Dragging Iron" is a suspended coaster which has had the fun engineered out of it. Sluggish performance, very little sway & a rather bland layout make this ride a past-tense ride. 
  

Mean Streak

So, looking at these rides, I've come up with this:

• Mean Streak - After 25 seasons, it is time to retire. The land underneath Mean Streak is good property, and could be used for better utility. To gut & restore Mean Streak would be expensive, especially with a structure exposed to many years of harsh weather & water exposure; to replace it with a steel track would negate the purpose of the ride. So instead, I choose to remove it. 
  
• Cedar Creek Mine Ride - CCMR would get a massive overhaul, not entirely unlike what other parks have done with their own mine rides. First, addition of special effects & show scenes within the confines of the ride to give a new visual experience to a good basic ride. 
  
• Raptor - A new coat of paint, a new set of scenery & addition of special effects along the course to give a new level of thrill to a good, reliable classic coaster. 
  
• Iron Dragon - R.I.P.  It is time to put this one out to pasture. As much as I love suspended coasters, it is eating up space in the middle of the park, space that could be used better for future attractions.
  

Iron Dragon

As for the rest of the coasters, this is a hard picture to settle out. While many of the coasters are in good condition, some have outlasted more than they should. In this, there are a few that I would consider either retooling or replacing entirely with newer technology. The issue is, of course, space & placement. Some rides are squeezed into locations that would make efficient replacement nearly impossible. 

Flat rides: Most of CP's flat rides are in good condition, but much like many parks around the world could always use a boost. The critical issue with most flat rides is capacity, something that CP has tended to try and boost as much as possible. To this end, there are holes in their lineup which could be easily filled with good, thrilling rides. Gerstlauer, MACK, Zamperla & many others offer new-generation thrills in a small space, some of which would be exceptional additions to CP's lineup. A SkyRoller from Gerstlauer, for example, would give a great new visual to the existing skyline, as well as giving a totally new concept in thrill rides at the same time.

Soak City

Water rides: This is an area where CP, much like their sister parks in the chain, has pretty much turned over to their water parks. I find this to be a HUGE mistake, and one I'd rectify as a priority. While rides such as Shoot The Rapids have been added, classic rides are missing, including a standard Log Flume. What parks don't realize as these rides may not be top-ten thrillers, they do draw an audience, and on a warm day they are well worth the audience. River Rapids rides (Such as Thunder Canyon) do a good job - but some people don't want to get that wet, especially if walking around a theme park all day. Smaller water rides & other such attractions would work.

Raptor

Family/Junior rides: This is an area where CP is failing at, particularly in the nature of additions & upgrades. While CP has added smaller flat rides over the past 15 years, the key focus on the total demograpic has been forgotten about. None of the coasters added in the past 15 years have addressed the family audience, and two family attractions were removed. This is a huge mistake, especially as there is a major demographic change going on throughout the USA. while families are getting smaller, parks are only focusing on the thrill audience (at high expense no less) who will soon want more middle-of-the-road experiences. Having a good, well maintained allotment of family rides & coasters will pay large dividends in attracting a slowly shrinking demographic to the park. Building a good audience base here is critical in a changing era of park operations.  

Food & dining: This is an area where Cdear Point does a decent job of offering a broad base variety, as well as having plenty of options throughout the park. But there is always room for improvement, as well as differentiation of dining experiences. Having additional options is always a plus in a park, particularly a park as large as CP. 

Shows: CP has a broad variety of stage shows & other related attraction areas. However, the removal this year of the CP theater (Formerly the Charles Schultz theater) is a step backwards. Every park needs a good air-conditioned theater where guests can rest & cool-off prior to heading out into the park again, and having one less theater is going to make that more difficult. 

So, let's look at what I'd do specifically, year by year, starting in 2016:

• 2016: Mean Streak gives its final rides, as Sky Flight (Gerstlauer Sky Roller) takes to the air. Dinosaurs Alive is reconfigured & realigned for future land use.
  
• 2017: Cedar Mill Splash, a MACK log flume is added. This new log flume occupies part of the former Mean Streak site, and is the cornerstone of a new area in the park, dedicated to the family & to classic rides & stories. Alongside Cedar Mill Splash is a new eating facility, air conditioned & with a stage show, similar to what Disney has in the Golden Horseshoe Revue, providing a place to sit, cool off & be entertained. 
  
• 2018: New wooden coaster - with the advances of both GCI & RMC, a new wooden coaster is built partially on the old Mean Streak site, featuring 21st century thrills. Alongside the new wooden coaster, classic rides from throughout the park are relocated here, restored & placed to maximize space, and to fully flesh out the area surrounding. 
  
• 2019: Restoration & rebuilding of both Raptor & Cedar Creek Mine Ride is done, featuring new effects & scenery on both. Corkscrew, Gemini, Blue Streak & Magnum all get facelifts as well. New green areas are installed along many midway areas, including more trees & sitting areas. Pop-up shows are added throughout the park to give guests a welcome distraction. Iron Dragon give its final rides, and closes at the end of the 2019 season. 
  
• 2020: Working with MACK, a new building begins to take shape where once stood Iron Dragon. Built in-between Rougarou & Top Thrill Dragster, this new coaster will feature an mostly enclosed layout, special effects & a high capacity ride system. Children are pleased with the addition of a new Gerstlauer junior coaster - The Flying Beagle - to Planet Snoopy, which is expanded & canopy-covered in part for comfort. Iron Dragon's platform is converted into a new two-story dining facility, replacing the existing food structure entirely, and allowing for a new bridge to the future attraction in its place. 
  
• 2021: IMPULSE, a MACK Blue Fire Custom opens to the public. Featuring multiple launches, several inversions & a fully enclosed theme building, the ride caters to the thrill audience by interacting with Millenium Force, as well as other attractions. Along side IMPULSE, a new night time fountain show is built where Iron Dragon's pretzel formerly was, featuring water effects & show scale water screens. 
  

So there it is, folks. My vision if I were running Cedar Point. Not too extreme, but in my opinion choices that are not only necessary, but would allow CP to flesh out the future very nicely, and keeping the feel & look of the park well into the future. 

So what do you think of RD's plan? Are you on board? Anything you'd like to change or add? Feel free to let us know in the comments below. 

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