I am still writing DT essays in college, despite everyone asking me not to.
The closure of a popular and iconic ride at any amusement park sparks a range of
emotions. Nostalgia, frustration, and anger were three felt among fans of Cedar Point after the
announcement of the closure of Disaster Transport in 2012. This closure marked the end of an
era for this iconic piece of the park. The decision to close Disaster Transport was received
differently by the parkโs official announcement and fan reactions. The official statement from
Cedar Point in 2012 emphasized business factors, while fan responses on websites like the
popular forum for theme park enthusiasts, โCoasterCriticโexpressed sadness, nostalgia, and
frustration.
The official statement from Cedar Point, as reported by Cleveland.com, serves a
pragmatic purpose: it informs the public about the closure and justifies it through operational
reasoning, including the need for space and the costs associated with maintaining the aging ride.
This is presented in a formal, business-oriented genre meant to reassure the public and
maintain the park's reputation. This decision is accurate with the previous actions of the Cedar
Fair company, which is known for operating record breaking attractions. This announcement
effectively chopped one of the only family oriented Roller Coasters in the park to make room for
the new, record-breaking, wing coaster GateKeeper.
Cedar Pointโs decision to close Disaster Transport in 2012 was part of a larger trend of
updating and improving rides to keep the park competitive, a similar decision to the reasoning
for the building of the ride in the first place โ Cedar Pointโs attempt to compete with Disney
World. The ride had been in operation for over 30 years and had outlived its usefulness in terms
of maintaining cutting-edge technology and safety standards. The fan reactions, however,
occurred within a context of nostalgia and personal attachment to the park, as Disaster
Transport had been a signature ride for many visitors. The official statement from Cedar Point
targets the general public, potential visitors, media outlets, and most importantly, coaster fans.
It aims to present the decision in a way that aligns with the parkโs brand image, focusing on
practical and business-related reasons for the rideโs closure.
The Cleveland.com article is authored by a reporter (Marcia Pledger of The Plain Dealer)
who presents an objective, fact-based account of Cedar Pointโs closure decision. The article
opens with โDisaster Transport, Cedar Point Amusement Parkโs only enclosed roller coaster, and
the Space Spiral observation tower are both coming down, the Sandusky amusement company
announced Fridayโ (Pledger, 2012). This opening is very matter-of-fact, offering almost no
opinion on the change. The article also references a quote from Jon Shields, a spokesman for
Cedar Point, providing clarification that they cannot confirm the addition of a new roller coaster,
but want to make better use of the park by removing these two rides (Shields, 2012). The stance
is business-oriented, with the article framing the closure as a necessary step for the parkโs
ongoing development. The context is one of corporate responsibility and the changing needs of
amusement parks. This is a rather neutral stance taken on by the popular Cleveland news
source, considering Cedar Point is an iconic part of Ohio Culture.
The cleveland.com article uses logic to justify the closure of Disaster Transport by citing
different operational and financial factors, including the rideโs age and maintenance costs. The
statement from Cedar Point argues that it wants to focus on new attractions to maintain its
competitive edge, which is also evident in the announcement of the rideโs replacement to come
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later on. The article also builds an appeal to the general ideas surrounding the park by quoting
different official sources from the park to emphasise the idea that it is in the best interest of the
park to close the ride and move on to bigger things. Appeals to emotion are only subtly present
with the quick implication that the ride was well loved and mentioning the charity event that
took place after the announcement of the rideโs closure. There is one very subtle reference to the
theming of the ride itself, in the last line of the article Pledger writes โAfter 28 seasons of
launching riders to Alaska and outer space, Disaster Transport will complete its last mission
July 29, Cedar Point reported in a press release fridayโ (Pledger, 2012).
On the contrary, there are many coaster enthusiasts who were saddened to hear of the
closure of Disaster Transport. In a very popular article from โCoasterCriticโ, a well known
blog-style publication detailing the opinions of fans and consumers of Cedar Point, sadness,
disappointment and nostalgia over the closing of the ride was conveyed. Throughout the
publication by โCoasterCriticโ, a heavy emotional background was given to the removal of the
ride, a theme present among many coaster fans. This article also details other fan reactions,
mentioning โIn only a matter of hours the Facebook group, Save Disaster Transport and Space
Spiral popped up,โ (The Coaster Critic, 2012). This forum of fans is an important contrast to
note in the overall end of the ride.
After reviewing both sources I understand the necessity of the decision to close the ride,
however, I think that the decrease of the family friendly environment of cedar point could have
been slowed if the ride had been maintained. This is also a classic case of the tension between
progress and nostalgia. There is an often underestimated importance of preserving the
sentimental value of iconic rides. If the park had spent more time upgrading the ride, I do
believe that there would be an uptick in ridership and more opportunities for expansion.
References
CoasterCritic. (2012). Reactions to Disaster Transport & Space Spiral's Removal. Coaster
Critic. Retrieved March 19, 2025, from
https://coastercritic.com/2012/06/02/reactions-to-disaster-transport-space-spirals-re
moval/
Pledger, M. (2012). Cedar Point to close two rides, Including Disaster Transport. Retrieved
March 19, 2025, from
https://www.cleveland.com/business/2012/07/cedar_point_to_close_two_rides.html