Category Archives: Rides

News and Updates, News Stories, Rides, RollerCoasters

Is Cedar Point still America’s Roller Coast?

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From the Sandusky Register…

Cedar Point Skyline

SANDUKSY

A Six Flags park in California is the new roller coaster champion, but Cedar Point officials say the rival park wears a tarnished crown.

Cedar Point says the park’s Superman: Escape from Krypton ride isn’t a roller coaster, and it shouldn’t be counted as such.

The Sandusky Register interviewed three roller coaster buffs, all of whom disagree with Cedar Point — they say Escape from Krypton is a legitimate roller coaster.

Last month Six Flags Magic Mountain in Los Angeles announced that with the opening of its newest ride, Green Lantern: First Flight, the park now has 18 roller coasters.

That surpasses Cedar Point’s 17.

But Cedar Point spokesman Robin Innes says Six Flags is stretching the definition of “roller coaster” when it includes Superman: Escape from Krypton.

According to the ride’s official website, Escape from Krypton blasts riders along an L-shaped track that extends 415 feet into the air, giving them 6.5 seconds of weightlessness and plummeting them back to earth in a free fall.

It describes the ride as a “dual-track coaster.”

But the ride resembles Cedar Point’s Power Tower, Innes said, which lifts riders straight into the air.
Cedar Point does not include Power Tower among its official list of 17 coasters.

Escape from Krypton also resembles Demon Drop, a former Cedar Point ride. Referring to Six Flags’ Escape from Krypton, Innes said, “We would call it a free-fall ride.”

Innes also said the quality of Cedar Point’s coasters is second to none.
Six Flags, meanwhile, isn’t jumping into the fray.

A spokeswoman for Six Flags Magic Mountain, Sue Carpenter, did not return phone messages a Register reporter left Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.

Still, roller coaster enthusiasts and people unaffiliated with the theme parks say it’s reasonable to classify Superman: Escape from Krypton as a roller coaster.

Cedar Fair, Events, News and Updates, News Stories, Ride Construction, Rides

Cedar Point’s Coasting for Kids Three Years and Thriving

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Cedar Point Press Release

SANDUSKY, Ohio – Coaster-riding will take on a new meaning when Cedar Point hosts Coasting for Kids on Sunday, July 24 at the Sandusky, Ohio, amusement park/resort.

This special event helps raise money for Give Kids The World, a Florida-based nonprofit organization that provides weeklong vacations to children who have life-threatening diseases and their families.

Cedar Point has participated in the event since 2009. In two years, it has raised more than $27,000 for the organization.

During Coasting for Kids, the top 60 guests who raised the most pledge money will have the opportunity to ride on the park’s legendary Gemini and Magnum XL-200 roller coasters for up to nine hours. They will start their day on the Magnum from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. and then make their way to the Gemini from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Each participant is required to raise at least $75 by Wednesday, July 20 through their own fundraising page at www.firstgiving.com/gktw. Interested guests who want to participate but cannot attend may sign up as a “virtual rider.” Last year, Cedar Fair Entertainment Company that owns and operates Cedar Point and 10 other amusement parks raised more than $40,000 for the organization!

Participants will receive a complimentary breakfast and lunch, event T-shirt and free admission into the park. Prizes will also be awarded to the top three fundraisers. First place will be awarded a four-hour VIP Tour for four people, second place will receive four tickets to HalloWeekends and a behind-the-scene tour at Cedar Point and third place will earn a Give Kids The World bag, filled with gifts from the Give Kids The World Village.

Any guest who brings an item from the Give Kids The World wish list on Sunday, July 24, will receive a coupon for $10 off regular one-day admission to Cedar Point. The coupons are only valid that day and cannot be used with any other coupon or discount.

Founded in 1986, Give Kids The World also provides children in poor health and their families with accommodations and donated tickets to many popular attractions around the country, including Cedar Point.

For more information about Coasting for Kids, please visit cedarpoint.com or call the park’s general information line at 419-627-2350.

News and Updates, News Stories, Rides, Spinning Rides, Thrill Rides

Cedar Point’s New WindSeeker Swing Ride Opens for the Summer!

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Cedar Point Press Release

SANDUSKY, Ohio – Cedar Point’s WindSeeker towering swing is now open!

The 301-foot-tall WindSeeker, the newest ride at the Sandusky, Ohio, amusement park/resort, opened for the season yesterday, Tuesday, June 14.

It is receiving rave reviews. Riders are clapping and cheering as they descend the tower to the ground.

“It was awesome. It goes so high,” said Abbey Decker, an 11-year-old from Oak Harbor, Ohio. “I never knew Lake Erie was so big!”

Bordering the Cedar Point Beach, riders on the WindSeeker are treated to dramatic views of Cedar Point, Lake Erie and the Cedar Point Beach. On WindSeeker, riders sit in open two-passenger swings with their feet dangling in the breeze. The swings rotate around the 30-story center column as they slowly ascend the tower. At the top, riders are nearly face-to-face with the very top of the Power Tower and almost as high as the first hill of the Millennium Force roller coaster. (Guests must be at least 52 inches tall to ride WindSeeker.)

According to Cheryll McCarty, 40, from Bay Village, Ohio, “It is the best. The view was beautiful. I felt like I was on top of the world.”

With the opening of WindSeeker, Cedar Point now has 75 rides, including 17 roller coasters, more rides than any park in the world.

In addition to WindSeeker, the park has recently opened several new live shows for the season. This summer’s new offerings range from country favorites to classic rock and a gravity-defying stunt show with rollerbladers and skateboarders. An ice-skating show featuring Snoopy and the Gang opened over the weekend.

Earlier this month, American Portrait, Cedar Point’s new nighttime show, opened for the summer. Sponsored by the Marathon Petroleum Company LP, American Portrait features patriotic music, high-def images and colorful pyrotechnics that illuminate the evening sky.

To save money on a visit to Cedar Point, the park has a variety of money-saving deals that are available online at cedarpoint.com. Even more savings are available to guests who stay at one of the park’s resort properties. Resort guests also qualify for Early Entry and can enter the park one hour before it opens to the public.

For more information about WindSeeker and Cedar Point, please visit cedarpoint.com or call the park’s General Information Line at 419.627.2350.

 

News and Updates, News Stories, Rides, Spinning Rides, Thrill Rides

Cedar Point’s WindSeeker takes flight

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From the Sandusky Register…

WindSeeker Ribbon Cutting
SANDUSKY

Cedar Point finally launched WindSeeker, giving thrill seekers the ride 301 feet above Lake Erie they’ve been waiting for.

The first batch of riders rode up into the sky at 8:10 p.m. Tuesday.

Two season pass holders from the Toledo area were the first in line. Jordan Jacobsen, 21, and Sarah Pietras, 19, rode side by side in one of the 32 pairs of seats that swing around the ride’s tower.

“Exciting. Great view. Amazing view of this park,” Jacobsen said. “Pretty windy up there. Definitely if you’re seeking wind, you’re getting it. Not much of a thrill. Much more of a view. Still exciting.”

“It was amazing,” Pietras said.

It appeared to spectators below that as the riders neared the top, the seats swung farther out.

“The farther up you get, you go sideways more,” Pietras confirmed. “I was a little scared.”

Cedar Point had hoped to launch the ride on opening day, May 14. Bad weather delayed construction, and mechanical bugs that park officials didn’t discuss also slowed the launch.

“Start the season,” Cedar Fair president and CEO Dick Kinzel said after he and Cedar Point general manager John Hildebrandt cut a ribbon to officially open the ride, shortly after park employees rode it to give it a final test.

“Better late than never. We’re ready to go,” said Kinzel, who is retiring at the end of the year and who drew cheers when he spoke at the park’s Coastermania event earlier this month. “It’s been a long grind. We appreciate the patience the public has had with it.”

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