My trip to Cedar Point - 8-11-08

[mplebanon]

Keep in mind I had my 11 and 13 year old daughter's, therefore some of the extreme rides were out of the question, but the lines were long also.

We got there and rode the Raptor first. Awesome ride. Beats anything KI has in that style of coaster. Very impressed.

We rode Maverick next. Most intense and fun coaster I've ever ridden that didn't have a big hill involved. I can't explain it and I wasn't ready for what I experienced. I thought it was going to be more basic than it was, but it was awesome and creative. Waited for 1 hr to ride it and when we got off, the line had increased to about 2.5 hours. Worth the wait! My girls loved it!

We rode Mean Streak next, large wooden rollercoaster that will bore you to tears. Not sure why Cedar Point keeps this coaster, but it is a snorer. It's slow as molasses and has not airtime whatsoever. Tear it down, please.

Next we rode the Mine Ride (Adventure Express) and then Gemini (double steel coaster that looks like a wooden coaster). Gemini is fun and has two headchopper effects. Not great, but fun enough.

At this point, my eggs from breakfast were coming back up (actually started after Maverick). But I'm a 43 year old guy with bad heartburn (I live on Zantac 150), so I'm entitled to feel crummy.

My kids rode Magnum and loved it. I would have ridden but was sick. Wish I would have.

They then rode Corkscrew and said it should be torn down for being outdated and boring.

We rode Iron Dragon which is better themed and has more character than Top Gun, in my opinion. Quick line, too.

We wanted to ride the Mantis, but the line was 1.5 hours.

We wanted to ride Millenium Force but the line was 2 hours. Heard from a few riders that Millenium Force has a bug problem and you should keep your mouth shut when riding or you'll eat them. Apparently the park has no idea why it attracts bugs. That's what I was told, whether true or not.

Kids were intimidated by Top Thrill Dragster........but still an event to watch. Nearly everyone stops to watch it go.

We rode Disaster Transport, the in the dark coaster. Nothing special, but still kinda fun. Almost outdated.

My 13 year old rode Demon Drop and got sick. Too funny.

We were there 9 hours. Rode The Wildcat. My kids wish KI had one of these. They said it was a fun little ride for not being a big coaster. I always wish KI would bring one back. I think they used to have one called the Mouse.

We finished up on Thunder Canyon. Better themed than White Water Canyon, but TC has not geysers, which stunk. But they do have 4 waterfalls, which made it VERY INTERESTING. I got soaked by one of them. If TC had geysers, it would be better than WWC. If WWC had 3 or 4 waterfalls, it would be the best. I like features on both of them.

I would give Cedar Point an "A" and give KI a "D" if grading. Cedar Point has that throwback feel of old time parks mixed with all the new stuff. The theming is far better and it has alot more character. Going to Cedar Point only made me disappointed in what we have here in Cincinnati.

We hit Soak City too. Overall, I liked their slides better, but KI's waterpark (can't think of the name) does have the funnel, surfboarding, and a much bigger waver pool. I would give the edge to Soak City on slides, especially the "in the dark" slides. But overall, KI's waterpark has more diversity to offer in types of water rides.

Also, if you have kids, we stayed at Castaway Bay, an indoor waterpark resort (associated with Cedar Point). My kids had a blast. I highly recommend it.

And on our way home, we stopped by an African Safari in Port Clinton (between Sandusky and Toledo). It was pretty cool. You drove through it and got to feed everything from Deer and Antelope, to Moose's, Buffalo, Giraffes, and Zebras.........Alpaca's, Llama's, etc. Fun for the kids. I gotta go clean my car. The animals actually stick their heads in your vehicle.

That's my report.

[The Interpreter]

Thanks for writing! Two observations:

Kings Island's Wildcat style ride was actually a S.D.C. Galaxi coaster called Bavarian Beetle. The Cedar Point example is a Schwarzkopf wunderkind! It is a far superior thing to Bavarian Beetle, and I am a HUGE Bavarian Beetle fan!

Also, calling things outdated is not necessarily a good thing. The Coney Island Cyclone is outdated. Heck, to some, Racer is outdated....

[mplebanon]

Outdated to me is when a thrill ride no longer provides a thrill. For instance, Screamin Demon was torn down because better rides were established that incorporated a loop in them. Why would someone want to ride something to just sent you back and forth through a loop after riding better rides? Cedar Point's "Corkscrew" has come up against the same problem. It just doesn't thrill anymore. When my kids get off a ride and say it was boring, I think the ride is no longer thrilling anyone. Same with "Mean Streak".

On the flip side, some old rollercoasters still provide the thrill of "airtime" and "speed", such as "The Racer" or "The Blue Streak". I know it's subjective, but I think you can take a poll to determine how much a ride still thrills.

For instance, "Disaster Transport" was still fun for me and my kids, even though it is probably not very innovative anymore. We still had fun because it was in the dark and curved around alot.

Again, subjective, but I hope you get what I mean. Some rides can be old but still provide a thrill with hills and speed. Others had one or two innovative ideas about them that just don't cut it by comparison anymore, such as "The Corkscrew" or "Mean Streak".

I guess I"m getting repetitious, but I don't know how to get my point across.

[mplebanon]

Thanks for writing! Two observations:

Kings Island's Wildcat style ride was actually a S.D.C. Galaxi coaster called Bavarian Beetle. The Cedar Point example is a Schwarzkopf wunderkind! It is a far superior thing to Bavarian Beetle, and I am a HUGE Bavarian Beetle fan!

Also, calling things outdated is not necessarily a good thing. The Coney Island Cyclone is outdated. Heck, to some, Racer is outdated....

I actually rode the Bavarian Beetle way back when. I guess I was thinking "The Mouse" from the Rollercoaster Tycoon game.

[tigellinus]

Hello, I haven't read the rest of your TR (yet), but "living on Zantac 150"?!? As a MAJOR Zantac 150 fan myself (when I do need to sparingly take it), have you ever considered that you might have acid reflux??

My brother-in-law's a gastroenterologist and "living on Zantac 150" does not sound good, especially when he disapproves of me taking it like 2 times over 2 days during a family cookout when I see him.