News Cedar Point Project 2025: Siren's Curse (Vekoma Tilt Coaster)

[themeparktribune]

@Coasternerd is correct my post is more frustration with local media over sensationalizing this kind of news. It’s problematic they’ve needed to evac Sirens Curse a few times now but it appears if it does get locked in the tilt position it appears it takes ~10 minutes to reposition it at a level grade to evac the train. I would be significantly more concerned if we were seeing people locked in the tilt position for 30 minutes or hours.

I'd again argue that those events are newsworthy, normal operations aren't. Of course there are times when those issues get blown out of proportion, but if it was first time Siren's Curse breaks down in that position and there is video of it, if I were a news editor at a local TV station, then yes, I'd run that as a story. And if it were a longer breakdown, then it's newsworthy again.

It's not any journalist's responsibility to make the parks look good. Fans often demonize the media for reporting factual information because it reflects negatively on the parks and it's a sign of how twisted our information ecosystem and media literacy has become.

Cedar Point is one example of that, as I saw plenty of social media comments cheering on the park when they retaliated against the Sandusky Register doing actual journalism about the park by stripping media access from the paper.

 

[CoasterAuditor]

Hey @themeparktribune I don’t disagree with your points about journalism as a whole. My concern really boils down to people out there who are less informed spreading misinformation about these things as they see them on the internet. Your point on journalism is valid in its entirety.

 

[Coasternerd]

There’s a distinct line between Journalism and Clickbait—Journalism usually tells the hard truth, meaning something like the Siren’s Curse stopping in the tilt, would have wording like: “Riders Stopped Mid Tilt on Cedar Point Roller Coaster” and in the article would state that the ride was stopped safely, evacuated if needed, and that the ride is perfectly safe and all safety procedures were in place. Clickbait would be something like: “BREAKING: Riders Suspended Mid-air on Cedar Point Roller Coaster” and the article would state the coaster, that it was stopped in the tilt, and maybe that it was evacuated. Often times also does NOT include that the safety systems were functioning as designed and that’s what draws fear into the general public.

 

[ControlsEE]

Not to turn this into a journalism discussion, but I lost all faith in local media when they did a human interest story on my sister and only got her name and occupation correct, despite interviewing her. The only reason I could think of was that they were just lazy. It wasn't even a better or more eye catching story than the true one, they actually weakened it. I can't help but think what they would do with more important information.

 

[richmondrider]

The amount of times my parents have sent me one of the fanatical articles about this ride in the past few months is unreal...

 

[warfelg]

This is why parks need good, quick, PR departments to put out statements so things can’t get twisted by the press.

 

[themeparktribune]

There’s a distinct line between Journalism and Clickbait—Journalism usually tells the hard truth, meaning something like the Siren’s Curse stopping in the tilt, would have wording like: “Riders Stopped Mid Tilt on Cedar Point Roller Coaster” and in the article would state that the ride was stopped safely, evacuated if needed, and that the ride is perfectly safe and all safety procedures were in place. Clickbait would be something like: “BREAKING: Riders Suspended Mid-air on Cedar Point Roller Coaster” and the article would state the coaster, that it was stopped in the tilt, and maybe that it was evacuated. Often times also does NOT include that the safety systems were functioning as designed and that’s what draws fear into the general public.

First, safety systems functioning as designed is very different than the ride functioning as designed. Siren's Curse is not intended to get stuck mid-tilt, but there are systems in place in case that happens, and that means something went wrong. Even if that's as minor as a sensor malfunction, if it's the first time that happens and it's captured on video, or if it happens more frequently, that's newsworthy.

Second, what you described is not clickbait, which would be if the headline or description doesn't match what actually occurred -- riders got stuck, they were evacuated, no one was hurt. Responsibly reporting on that event does not mean editorializing that "the ride is perfectly safe." Like I said, it is not the media's job to make the park look good and that appears to be what you're asking them to do.

This is why parks need good, quick, PR departments to put out statements so things can’t get twisted by the press.

Well yeah, the PR departments' job IS to make the park look good and deflect any and all negative information as best they can. They would do that more effectively if they engaged with journalists honestly and didn't look like they were hiding something. A non-response isn't going to kill a story.

Cedar Point is really the last park that should be defended like this. Are we forgetting how they fought to keep records from the Top Thrill accident hidden from the press?

 

[Gavin]

Cedar Point’s Siren’s Curse stalls again, raising safety and protocol concerns

OSHA confirms a complaint was filed after a worker appeared unharnessed 160 feet above the ground during an evacuation of Siren's Curse, Cedar Point's new roller coaster.

www.cleveland.com

 

[harry580]

oh my god, looks like we got another top thrill 2 problem in our hands

edit: wow, I got backlash for saying that, I could had put a warning before saying that

 

[Coasternerd]

This is nothing like Top Thrill 2’s issues…

 

[themeparktribune]

Siren's Curse not only didn't break down during my two days at Cedar Point, it actually filled in one morning as an Early Entry ride when Millennium Force was down.

Fantastic ride that we're honestly not hyping enough. There's more to it than just a great first drop and the onboard audio really enhances the experience.

 

[zachclarke]

Very cool and fun ride, although I found myself wishing it did a little more something. Whether it be more intensity, more snappiness/unpredictability to the elements, more length, etc. The layout is incredibly smooth and graceful so it's comfortable, and I would imagine very rerideable, which probably appeals to a wider audience. But with the relatively short ride time it could stand to be a little punchier I think. An incredibly thoosie take, I'm aware.

It's for sure an all time spectator ride with the tilt and close flybys all through the queue. The general industrial aesthetic and gravel all over the ride area makes it a lot of grey to look at, along with the ride's incredibly dense grey support structure. The water features are a nice touch, though.