You decide on new Cedar Point attraction

Editor's note: Justin Dietz is a Register correspondent representing CPFoodBlog.com and @FUNFoodBlog on X. SANDUSKY — The dust has not even settled yet on the new Top Thrill 2 roller coaster debuting to the public this weekend, and Cedar Point is already looking to the future. Well, sort of. Cedar Fair typically plans five to seven years ahead and is asking for guest feedback on the latest and greatest new attraction they want to come to the park. Cedar Fair has sent out a survey to select season passholders, seeking input on which type of attraction they would like to see at the park in the future. The Cedar Point-specific survey provides the following information and asks for feedback on four new options. Family thrill coaster Embark on the ultimate out-and-back coaster that stretches 4,500 feet, claiming the title as the longest family coaster on Earth. Get ready as this coaster launches you not once, not twice, but three times at a breathtaking top speed of 55 mph through a labyrinth of high-speed twists and turns that skim perilously close to the ground. As you zoom in and out of tunnels and near-miss terrain, experience a series of stomach-flipping airtime hills that will have you racing toward the dead-end track six stories high Just as you reach the edge, prepare for a thrilling backward free fall, hurtling you back through the track — this time in reverse. This is an interesting concept that will soon open at Kings Island with the Snoopy's Soap Box Racers ride. The Kings Island coaster was made by Vekoma and opens later this spring. The big difference is that the Kings Island model is only 672 feet, though the total traveled distance extends to 1,400 feet when going forward and backward. The idea of this type of roller coaster coming to Cedar Point is an interesting one. The first thing that comes to mind is if you want to fit 4,500 feet of track onto this roller coaster, where are you going to do it? For comparison, this concept is longer than GateKeeper (4,164 ft). Our guess is while they would try to claim 4,500 ft as the longest family coaster, in actuality, since it is proposed to go forward and backward. At most, you are looking at 2,250 feett of track or roughly the length of Blue Streak. Therefore, the only realistic location would appear to be the former Forbidden Frontier on Adventure Island space. The Zamperla family thrill launch coaster seems to fit the potential bill, offering a spiked forward and back model, though their off-the-shelf model only shows 1,702 feet with a max speed of 45 mph. This could mean they are looking at a custom model that adds to the length and speed to meet the design requests. The potential downside to this option is dispatches. With only one train in operation, the proposed 1,210 people per hour ride capacity would likely be even lower considering the ride would be longer. It seems like the perfect need for a switch track, like the one used on Top Thrill 2 to keep the line moving. Water coaster Prepare for an innovative roller coaster and water ride combination. Step aboard an eight-person racing boat and stay dry for the first part of the experience, speeding along a steel track through an exhilarating coaster experience of sharp banks, twists and turns high above the ground. As the ride reaches its climax, brace yourself for the ultimate thrill: a massive hill that sends your boat plummeting down into the splash pool below. The sudden plunge creates a towering wave that drenches all those on board, providing a refreshing and unforgettable experience for thrill-seekers and water lovers of all ages. The big question here is will it be another water attraction that gets guests soaked? If guests want to be drenched, they have Thunder Canyon and Snake River Falls. There is a notable gap in the list of Cedar Fair attractions of a log flume that gets guests splashed, but not drenched. Overall, this concept may only appeal to a small portion of park guests since not everyone wants to walk around soaked all day. Options for this ride could be Mack or Intamin. The Mack eight-person water coaster seems to fit the bill, offering both a banked roller coaster and a free-falling splashdown. The concept drawing in the survey also matches the layout of the Mack version. Tilt coaster As riders board, the journey begins with a slow ascent up a towering lift hill, the track ahead seemingly severed. At the apex, the coaster halts, the weight of the train shifts forward, tilting riders face first and lifting riders in the back 90 degrees vertical. As the coaster continues to tilt forward, the two pieces of track connect, sending riders down a twisted beyond-vertical drop, traveling 78 mph through the world's first upside-down tailspin, a triple dose of airtime on three camelback hills, through a series of double twists, turns and rollovers on the world's only tallest, steepest and fastest tilt coaster. Does this make Valravn obsolete? We already have a hanging coaster that guests enjoy. The tilt coaster concept does not necessarily fill that gap of attractions the park does not already own. The most likely tilt coaster manufacturer would appear to be Vekoma, though, apparently, Maurer Rides, Intamin and Jinma Rides also provide tilting coaster models. Tower coaster "Riders aboard a coaster train of four pods, each circular pod holding four riders, two facing forward and two facing backward. Riders are launched out of the station spinning into uncharted territory when they are suddenly launched upside down before flipping back right side up to ascend a near-vertical 200-foot tall tower. "When reaching the top, the pods circle 180 degrees, dangling on the edge, before the train reverses, sending riders back down to earth in a free-fall thrilling descent through the same harrowing upside down, twists and turns they experienced on the way up." This concept is straight up out of "Roller Coaster Tycoon." The idea seems similar to that of the spinning Wild Mouse at Cedar Point, but Zamperla does not appear to have a similar tower concept. Next, we thought of Mack Rides, like Time Traveler at Silver Dollar City or Sierra Sidewinder at Knott's Berry Farm. But, again, not seeing any similar concept models. With nothing to really base the experience off of, this concept is difficult to envision. But it is an interesting concept not currently at Cedar Point. What's missing? Notably missing are several ideas guests have been asking for as long as we can remember. Probably the biggest miss is the concept of a dark ride. Guests have been asking for a replacement for the Pirate Ride and even Disaster Transport from the moment they were removed from the park. Granted, Cedar Point does not have the best track record when it comes to long-term themed attractions (looking at you Snake River Expeditions). But it is in the overall company's wheelhouse at parks like Knott's Berry Farm which have themed dark rides (Calico Mine Ride and Knott's Bear-y Tales: Return to the Fair), water ride (Calico River Rapids), and log flume (Timber Mountain Log Ride). Even Canada's Wonderland has Wonder Mountain Guardian and Boo Blasters (this dark ride is also present at Kings Dominion, Kings Island and Carowinds). In other words, the company, as a whole, has it in its wheelhouse to be able to pull off a dark ride, but it has yet to materialize despite guest requests. Another big concept missing is that of a traditional log flume. Cedar Point used to have Mill Race (1963 to 1993), Shoot the Rapids (1967 to 1981 and 2010 to 2015), and White Water Landing (1982 to 2005). The current water rides inside Cedar Point (Thunder Canyon and Snake River Falls) are soaker attractions, which not every guest wants. Of course, as mentioned above, the proposed water coaster concept once again puts it into the soaker category and not a casual water ride. Now, imagine this: What if they took a dark ride concept and log flume concept and combined them? Has that ever been done before? Yes. Yes it has. They literally have the blueprints for Timber Mountain Log Ride at Knott's Berry Farm that perfectly combines the two into an attraction that always has a line. In addition, the wonderful team at Knott's also does seasonal overlays, giving the attraction unique Halloween and Christmas overhauls that provide for a unique experience. Of course, one does not need to transport Timber Mountain exactly to Cedar Point, as it can be customized as a unique attraction. Another major attraction Cedar Point is missing is a modern wooden roller coaster. Sure, we have Blue Streak which has provided decades of entertainment, and it's celebrating 60 years of operation this season. But guests would love to see a modern Great Coasters International or Gravity Group woodie. Again, the Forbidden Frontier on Adventure Island space seems like the perfect candidate for a likely location. Guest feedback from the survey is just the first step in preparation for an attraction in the coming years — one would think the ride that is going to move the needle the most would be a good wooden roller coaster on the island. While the family coaster is interesting, the limited capacity does not offer the widest appeal. Though we have said it before, if you move kid rides over to the island, like from Kiddie Kingdom, and open up access from Camp Snoopy, the idea of a family coaster on the island begins to look a lot more promising. Which direction should Cedar Point go in the future?