Paddle-wheel Excursions RIP

You might be onto something Chuck Wagon. Be on the lookout for Kinzel taking a joyride in the Winnebago along the chausse next summer.

~Rob

I have to say I'm torn about the Red Cross "Last Ride" for PWE. As great of a cause the Red Cross is (and in the aftermath of Irene), to me it feels like selling tickets to your beloved grandmother's funeral. And to those who love the ride, having Mr. Kinzel drive the last boat is NOT a good PR move for the Red Cross or CP. Sure he'll be "driving the last boat into the sunset" for both PWE and his career w/ Cedar Fair, but is that how he wants his last moments at CP remembered? Killing one of the last true "family friendly" rides in the park. Pretty self-indulgent, if you ask me. Why not fill the last boat w/ fans of the ride (essay contest, maybe) or w/ former captains, instead of the highest bidders. I think that would leave a much better legacy and be a much better PR move for CP.

Well to me, this gives everyone on the people on the last boat ride a chance to throw him overboard...just kidding. :)

Captain Crunch said:
And to those who love the ride, having Mr. Kinzel drive the last boat is NOT a good PR move for the Red Cross or CP. Sure he'll be "driving the last boat into the sunset" for both PWE and his career w/ Cedar Fair, but is that how he wants his last moments at CP remembered? Killing one of the last true "family friendly" rides in the park. Pretty self-indulgent, if you ask me. Why not fill the last boat w/ fans of the ride (essay contest, maybe) or w/ former captains, instead of the highest bidders. I think that would leave a much better legacy and be a much better PR move for CP.

I agree 100%. But I'll tell you why - the PR department had no choice in the matter. I'm sure somebody brought it up as a joke and/or casual mention to him, he said, "Sure!" and the next thing you know, everyone around him takes that as a "yes, do it," and marketing is reluctantly selling this awkward idea against their will.

Unfortunately, this happened/happens all the time. Nobody will stand up to him and say, "that's not a good idea."

Now you know what would be really funny? If the boat ran out of gas, drifted and then bumped into the island and the trees like it sometimes did. Kind of a fitting metaphor for his career, I'd say!

Shawn Meyer said:
Well to me, this gives everyone on the people on the last boat ride a chance to throw him overboard...just kidding. :)

But are we really just kidding...? ;)

^ Yes I"m just kidding. I wouldn't do that, but everyone else who is mad at him might push him overboard.

Ensign Smith said:
Though to be fair, two-boat operation does a pretty good of handling all but the busiest crowds the ride experiences these days.

Only because they rush them around the island at full throttle. The boats go WAAAAAY too fast, and you barely have time to see the scenes, and about half the jokes are cut out.

Instead of four minutes with two boats it should be eight minutes with four boats.

--Dave Althoff, Jr.

I am trying to make it out to the park this weekend to get my last ride. :(

I made a late donation via phone today and will be on one of the last 2 rides. I won't get priority seating because I came in after it ended. But, I got the imopression that there are still spots available if you meant to bid and forgot. Just give firelands a call and ask for Ron Rude.

Going tommorow for our last ride. Hope the rain threat keeps guest 3343 at home. ;)

I managed to get the first boat of the day for my last ride before heading home. While waiting for it to open at 11, just about everyone in line was there solely for their last rides. A few older people who had a long history with the ride, and some families getting their kids on it before the end. Not one of them was happy with the new deal.

Such a bittersweet moment.......

Well, I rode about 10 times between 2 and close. The lines mid day were about 20-30 minutes with 3 boats running. They were some of the longest lines I've ever seen. After getting off one of the rides, I actually had someone ask me when they took the indians out. :-)

I also saw the disappointment in many peoples faces and attitudes. But, it's just like White Water Landing. There's a lot of people who loved the idea of the ride more than actually riding it.

A large part of the disappointment this time around comes from the needlessness of the removal. If the park *has* to put in Dinosaurs Alive! on the island they could do so without removing Paddlewheel (build a bridge, ferry guests to the island via the boats, etc.), yet they apparently saw this as an opportunity to cut the ride instead. While the loss of White Water Landing was a considerable bummer, it was closing with the knowledge that something significant was taking its place.

Maybe this is overly optimistic, but CP did eventually replace WWL with a similar ride in Shoot the Rapids (although how they executed the new ride is a completely different story). I thought that the removal of WWL meant the end of flume rides at Cedar Point. I guess we can hope that PWE gets a similar "replacement" in the next few years.

Sadly, I believe this is going to be PWE's replacement.

I had the honor of being on the last boat and it was a very special experience. We went around the lagoon twice, the first time with the classic jokes. They let the boat coast a bit slower than has been the norm lately so the ride took a bit longer. Dick also said at the beginning of the cruise that we would be going around the lagoon a second time and he claims he didnt inform the rest of the executives on land about it. He only drove the boat out of the dock which got a little dicey for a few seconds and then the other captains (2) took over. On the second trip around the lagoon Dick did some CP trivia and gave out some merchandise. The ride looked absolutley great at night. I cant remember ever riding it that late before.

Overall, like it was said before, a pretty bittersweet experience overall but also a very classy affair.

djDaemon said:
Sadly, I believe this is going to be PWE's replacement.

It would be a strange twist of fate, that Paddlewheel itself becomes an upcharge attraction.

I rarely see many people on the cruise with the boats they have now. They don't need 4 more boats.

I also had the honor of being on the last boat, and while it was a pleasant ride and a memorable experience, it was like being at the funeral of a family member or good friend.

Did CP remove the ride because of low ridership, as they might attest, or was low ridership due to lack of visibility, care and feeding, ride procedure (zooming around the island with no time to look at the scenes), or the slow decimation of the ride's atmosphere with no attention paid to fairly trivial and relatively inexpensive enhancements (e.g. moving or replacing scenes that had been displaced by other attractions over the years)?

I, of course, would maintain that the ride was merely a shadow of itself ever since the Iron Dragon went in, and the move to the smaller boats didn't help. But I suppose I saw the writing on the wall when folks like Bucky the Beaver and Buck Skinner never came back, and when the much-talked-about interaction with Shoot the Rapids never materialized.

At any rate, I think it's a great mistake. My first (and fondest) memories of CP with my own parents were spent on the Western Cruise in the '70s. We were able to get our 6- and 4-year old daughters on for a couple of rides earlier in the day yesterday, and I can't imagine not being able to share that experience with them again next year. Coasters and thrill rides are great, but true family rides--rides that anyone from infants to grandparents to folks in wheelchairs can experience--are few and hard to come by.

Rest in peace, my friend. Perhaps once the dinos have run their course, CP may have a change of heart and consider resurrecting you. Some of us will still think of you often.

Western Cruiser said:
I also had the honor of being on the last boat, and while it was a pleasant ride and a memorable experience, it was like being at the funeral of a family member or good friend.

I haven't been to that many funerals, fortunately, but I'm sure it was nothing like that. That's being a bit dramatic.