WindSeeker to soar at Cedar Point

If you like being whirled around about 30 stories above the ground, held aloft only by a mechanical arm, you'll love Cedar Point's new ride.The amusement park unveiled its new ride for 2011 on Tuesday. The WindSeeker, which will soar 301 feet above the ground, will spin around its 64 riders for three minutes. At night, it will be lit up by a "dramatic light package," park officials say."It will be a very thrilling ride," spokesman Robin Innes said. "You will be up over 30 stories, spinning around."What do you think? CLICK HERE to take our pollThe ride will be located in the space occupied by Ocean Motion, a swinging pirate ship ride in a northeast section of the park, near the water. Ocean Motion will run for the rest of the season and then will be dismantled. It is up for sale.Riders on the WindSeeker will spin around above the former Ocean Motion space and a portion of the beach.Cedar Fair had filed to trademark the name "Stratosoar," inspiring speculation that the new ride would have that name, but Innes confirmed the ride will be called WindSeeker. It's manufactured by Mondial, a Dutch amusement ride company, which announced the ride early this year and hasn't built any yet.The ride announcement was relatively early by Cedar Point standards -- other ride announcements have generally been later in the year -- but the park struggled to keep the news a secret. Although information about the ride had leaked out, including stories in the Register last week, new details emerged Tuesday.The 301-foot-tall ride will be the third-tallest ride at Cedar Point, topped only by Top Thrill Dragster at 420 feet and Millennium Force at 310 feet for the tallest hill. It will be slightly taller than the Power Tower at 300 feet, though Power Tower takes its riders only 240 feet in the air, closer to the ground than WindSeeker's passengers.WindSeeker passengers who summon the nerve to look down should have lots to see."Day or night, WindSeeker will provide riders with dramatic views of the park and the Cedar Point peninsula," said John Hildebrandt, Cedar Point's general manager.The $5 million ride will be part of $6 million of planned improvements at the park.Innes would not comment Tuesday on the other $1 million of capital spending."We'll make some additional announcements later on," he said.The park also is promising improvements for this year's "Halloweekends" season.Jeff Putz, co-webmaster for the PointBuzz Web site, said he's looking forward to the new ride."To find something that is truly unique about the rides they have is kind of a good thing," Putz said. "I'm really looking forward to it."Cedar Point's 17 roller coasters are the most of any amusement park in the world, but coaster fans driven by wishful thinking had hoped for one more, Putz said.Cedar Point plans its rides several years in advance but officials won't say if another coaster is in the works.Park officials hope WindSeeker will be a ride that's both thrilling and appeals to a wide range of park visitors, Putz said."What it will really come down to, are people really scared of heights?" Putz said. "If you can take that height I think it will maybe have broad appeal."Cedar Point, which has more than 508,000 Facebook fans, announced the ride on Facebook at about 2 p.m. Tuesday before releasing the news to conventional media outlets, showing the importance it places using social media to stay in touch with its fans.Fans posted hundreds of comments soon after the announcement. Some expressed disappointment the park hadn't added another coaster, but many praised the ride and remarked upon how tall it would be."Have you ever gone 301 feet in the air in just a chair? No, I think not," fan Jason Bullock wrote, defending the ride.Cedar Fair, the park's parent company, also announced it is buying WindSeekers for its Kings Island, Canada's Wonderland and Knott's Berry Farm parks.Innes said he assumes progress in building the ride will be webcast on the Internet."I have not heard that officially yet," he said. "Normally, we try to redirect our park cams so they can watch all of the progress and the updates on the rides. I expect that to happen."Facts about the WindSeekerHeight: 301 feetDiameter: 81 feetRotation speed: 25 to 30 mphProjected height requirement: 48 inchesCost: $5 millionRide time: 3 minutesNew attractions at Cedar Point2003: Top Thrill Dragster.2004: Additional cottages and cabins at Lighthouse Point, added three new restaurants.2005: MaXair ride.2006: Skyhawk ride.2007: Maverick roller coaster.2008: Planet Snoopy area for smaller children.2009: Starlight Experience (nighttime LED light show on the Frontier Trail.)2010: Shoot the Rapids water ride.2011: WindSeeker ride.Read all about a brewing patent war with the ride company that makes the StarFlyer, which the WindSeeker greatly resembles except the WindSeeker has bars instead of chains holding the swings.For video of the WindSeeker visit Cedar Point's Facebook page here or visit Cedar Point's WindSeeker page here.Here's a snippet of what Cedar Point is saying on its website:In the early 1900s, the Cedar Point Beach was a hub of activity as families played in the sand or frolicked in the lake. One of its most popular attractions was the Sea Swings that would dip riders into the cool waters of Lake Erie as it spun in a circular motion.Now 100 years later, Cedar Point will add a 21st century version of that thrilling ride to the park for next summer.The new WindSeeker will be a 301-foot-tall tower that will spin riders nearly 30 stories above the Lake Erie shoreline. Seated in two-person swings that will allow their feet to dangle, riders will slowly begin rotating in a circular motion as the swings ascend the tower. "Spinning almost 300 feet above Lake Erie and the Cedar Point Beach will be a very exciting ride experience for our guests," said John Hildebrandt, the vice president and general manager of Cedar Point. "Day or night, WindSeeker will provide riders with dramatic views of the park and the Cedar Point Peninsula. It will be an extremely popular addition to Cedar Point."Another swing ride, the Wave Swinger that opened in Frontiertown in 1979, is 31 feet tall and has a top speed of approximately 9 mph.What do YOU think? Talk about it via our comments section with fellow Cedar Point enthusiasts and Register readers.