Cedar Point and Kings Island also announced plans today to install WindSeeker for the 2011 season. Like the previously announced WindSeekers at Knott’s Berry Farm and Canada’s Wonderland, Cedar Point’s and Kings Island’s WindSeekers will also stand 301 feet tall. Read below for more information on these rides.
Cedar Point:
Cedar Point has announced that it will introduce WindSeeker, a 30-story-tall swing ride to the Sandusky, Ohio, amusement park/resort for next summer. WindSeeker will tower above everything around its location on the beach, rising almost as high as the Millennium Force roller coaster’s giant first hill.
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. At the top, the swings will be reaching speeds between 25-30 mph, flaring out almost 45 degrees from the tower. WindSeeker will be able to accommodate 64 riders (32 swings) at one time.
“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.”
WindSeeker will be positioned near the present location of the Ocean Motion swinging boat ride and will extend the park’s midway onto the Cedar Point Beach. At the end of the season, Ocean Motion, built in 1981, will be dismantled. It is currently available for sale.
In comparison to other Cedar Point rides, WindSeeker will climb nearly two stories higher than the cabin on the park’s Space Spiral observation ride and is only a few feet shorter than the first hill on Millennium Force. 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.
The ride is manufactured by Mondial, a 23-year-old Dutch-based company. WindSeeker will cost approximately $5 million to build. Riders must be at least 48 inches tall and will be secured with individual over-the-head lap bars with interlocking seat belt.
Overall, Cedar Point will add more than $6 million in capital improvements to the park for 2011.
Kings Island:
If you think riding Drop Tower at Kings Island is a thrill (and it is – riders enjoy a breathtaking view of the region as they ascend toward the sky, then take a 26-story freefall at 64 mph), wait until next year!
Kings Island will continue to change the landscape for thrill seekers in 2011 with WindSeeker, a 301-foot-tall tower that will spin riders 30 stories above the park. 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. At the top, the swings will reach speeds up to 30 mph, flaring out 45 degrees from the tower. WindSeeker will accommodate 64 riders (32 swings) per ride cycle.
“The addition of WindSeeker reflects our commitment to providing our guests with world-class thrills, fun and fantastic family entertainment,” Kings Island vice-president and general manager Greg Scheid said. “Soaring 300 feet above Kings Island will provide an exciting ride experience for our guests.”
WindSeeker will be located in the Coney Mall section of the park near the Vortex ride exit.
The $5 million ride is manufactured by Mondial (pronounced mohn-DEE-ahl), a 23-year-old Dutch-based company. Riders must be at least 48 inches tall to ride and will be secured with individual over-the-head lap bars with interlocking seat belts.
WindSeeker will make its debut when Kings Island opens for the 2011 season in the spring.
And the all CP fanboys are pissed that their ride isn’t taller than the others.