Crystal Springs Oasis by CedarPoint6!
thedoctorpepper had this to say about this great park:
All too often in our friendly microcosm that we know as the RCT Community, budding parkmakers keenly show off their latest work to the masses. Whilst there is usually nothing wrong with these skilfully crafted creations, many lack flare and originality. CedarPoint6, by these standards, is not an average parkmaker! As I walk you through the park (albeit at a brisk rate), I’m sure that you will see for yourself why this is the case.
As a guest, the first thing that I noticed was the entrance itself. The quaint little wooden structure seemed inviting, and certainly not threatening. This is an accurate portrayal of the contents past the gates, and I think it is fair to say that CSO is designed with family in mind rather than hardcore thrill seekers. The courtyard beyond, surrounded by three elegantly and precisely designed buildings (some of which boasting middle-eastern architecture), gives a wonderful view of the tri-duelling water flumes, collectively known as the Tropical Shoots. According to the release notes, these were the first attractions to be built in Crystal Springs Oasis when the Arizonian land was purchased in 1967 (I must say, I loved those notes – very authentic!).
If one were to turn left from the courtyard, you would soon approach the Eden Hotel & Spa. The building itself was probably my least favourite aspect of the park because of the continuous style, which seemed substandard to the rest of the site. It is, however, cradled by foliage and is surrounded by some lovely little details not least a fully equipped patio and a nature walk. Filling the space between this luxury complex, and the Tropical Shoots that I mentioned earlier is an eclectic looking space housing yet more water slides, named Yellow Dart and Red Rocket respectively. Backing onto this, and with its front facing a tranquil region of water is a rustic looking structure, adorned with detail and clever in design. Whilst the building itself looks an average size, who would have thought that it contains within it no less than three rides: Warehouse 29 (a kids track ride), Warehouse Rat (“a custom wild mouse ride from Mack” as says the brochure) and Generator (based of course on Amazing Earl’s ever-famous Double Swinging Inverter). There are other rides behind this building of course, including Hydro Thunder (a unique little design, which I’m rather fond of), Red Thunder and Blue Lightning.
Just along this path, and over a bridge takes you to the “Thrill Zone”. Now, despite the unoriginal name, this area of the park features two excellent ride designs. Storm Force is a splash boat ride incorporating a fabulous hack to make the boat ‘ride’ on water with any visible track elements. Although I’ve seen this done before, I think that CedarPoint6 does it better than ever in CSO. The second, and more dominant force on this diminutive isle is the highlight of the park as far as I am concerned, and therefore deserves its own paragraph:
Renegade, a B&M creation, is a superb rollercoaster design. The track drops no less than twenty times, and winds its way through a total of six inversions. I love the way that Brian has managed to mould the track over the landscape (or vice versa one could say); the small difference in height from track to ground adds a whole new dynamic to Renegade, and makes it stand out in the crowd. Good use of tunnels, water and of course landscaping adds to the attraction of this… attraction, but one could argue that the placement of trees and greenery is excessive and distracts the eye from the ride itself. I thought about the station design, and initially wondered whether it could have been more prominent, but on balance I’m glad that it doesn’t stand out too much: it gives Renegade a chance to show off!
Moving off the island, and past a large central area of swimming pools and water, we approach the second main attraction of the park. Neptune’s Revenge is one of the more recent additions to the Crystal Springs Oasis, and I’d wonder judging by the track design if was built last to fill some space. I like it actually, and the statistics speak for themselves. I think that the landscaping could have been more dramatic to give a greater impression of the fury that one might associate with the title of this ride, but I guess I’m starting to get picky now. Excellent path interaction, beautiful buildings and the inclusion of the ever-popular ‘transfer track’ element are easily enough to redeem this ride, and even go as far as to make it really stand out.
In the same area is Raging Waters; “a large multi-level rapids ride”. I don’t care what anyone says about the ride statistics, but this ride looks stunning! The way that it cuts through the waterfall is fantastic, and it looks so real. Again, Brian has skilfully used a hack to achieve this effect, and as I said earlier he pulls it off brilliantly.
As we continue on with our whistle stop tour of Crystal Springs Oasis, we arrive at Treasure Cove Adventure Golf. This, once again, is one of the better designs that I’ve seen in the RCT Community of late, and the use of landscaping and scenery is top notch. I love the way that the course passes under and over ground with such ease. The queue size is a concern though… Parallel to this section, but nearer to the centre of the map is CSO’s equivalent of Disney’s Main Street, and whilst I’m suspicious that this might have been an afterthought or even a space filler, it really doesn’t matter because the buildings are such a pleasure to look at. I’ve got to admire the middle-eastern influence that CedarPoint6 has managed to incorporate; it’s really very unique for a park set in Arizona!
And finally, we end our adventure at Dutchman’s Revenge. What this woody lacks in size, it makes up for in theming, landscaping, and even track design. The wonder of this ride is that it’s so simple, but so effective as the ride statistics show. I wish that this could have been double the length to allow riders to get the most out of the design, but space clearly was the issue. Bearing that in mind, I think that Brian has excelled himself in coming up with this design, and managing to fit the track onto the land! The minimal use of buildings in this area has been utilized to create maximum effect.
Luckily, this last attraction is right next to the car park. After a great day out at Crystal Springs Oasis I need to get myself home and tucked up in bed. Of the parks I was privileged to judge this month, I think it is an understatement to say that CSO was a worthy runner-up, and that, it was. I hope to go home and dream about CedarPoint6’s next coaster concoction!
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Edited by Buckeye Becky, 21 October 2006 - 03:43 AM.
