PTR: Cedar Point Opening Day 2010!

[gigacoaster2k]

Tom (Tom76257) drove up to my house Friday night, and we were so excited that we slept for about 3 hours. We decided we wanted to be there around 7:30 am, as we planned on hitting Dragster first to get a rollback.

My alarm went off at 3:30 am. We packed food in a cooler, grabbed our stuff, and left at 4:20 for Cedar Point!

We stopped at the Speedway where I work to get breakfast for me, and a bag of ice for our cooler. Then it was back on the road!

Good morning, home of America's Roller Coast!

I completely flipped out (as I always do) when I saw

THIS!

I'M EXCITED!

Cedar Point, HERE WE COME!

Tom is excited too!

My excitement quickly turned to irritation when I handed the parking attendant my KI platinum pass, and it came up invalid. I sarcastically said "well, THAT'S a surprise." They told me I'd probably have issues at the gate too, but waved me through anyway.

Great.

We got to the Soak City lot around 7:45 am.. but not before I properly greeted my Arrow hyper.

MAGNUM!

We were lucky enough to get a spot very close to the front gate, and went to a small GR booth by the gate. We were given tickets to get into the park, and they apologized profusely, but it did nothing to quell my irritation. My CF platinum pass didn't work at KD or Carowinds, and now it won't work at CP. I am far from happy about this. I paid the full $160 for a pass that doesn't even work.. this needs to be resolved.

I got cold, and ran back to the car to get my hoodie. I came back to see that the line at the gate was going back about as far as the eye could see.. I wish I'd gotten a pic.

Either way, the gates opened, and Tom and I RAN to Dragster, and when we got there, there were only 9 people in front of us! My lungs were burning, but I was happy to have beat the huge crowd!

We waited.. and waited.. and waited. I took some photos to pass the time.

Magnum testing!

Millie testing with water dummies!

Dragster waiting for us.

10 am rolled around, and Dragster was down for maintenance. I expected this, and had told Tom the night before that the latest I'd wait for Dragster was 11 am and if it wasn't open by then, I was going to Magnum. We heard something, and I looked at the track to see the catch car finally moving down the track.. several minutes later, the brake fins went up and we heard a deafening roar as a train shot past us and up the lift hill! The huge crowd cheered excitedly as we realized we may get to ride soon! I told Tom I was heading for the front part of the loading station instead of the back.

The queue opened a few minutes after 11 am, and I couldn't stop dancing in excitement as we speed-walked all the way through and to the station! They test-ran the green train empty, and it rolled back! They ran it again, and it cleared the hill without hesitation. Thinking we wouldn't get a rollback, I was still excited to get the first train of the year. That's when Tom excitedly said "IS THAT THE BLACK CHERRY TRAIN we're going to be on??!!! That train is the king of rollbacks!!" I couldn't help getting excited when he said that!

They finally opened the station to load the trains half full, and we ran to our seats! I jumped through the opening queue gate and was the first public person to touch Dragster's first train!

We screamed wildly as we slowly made our way out of the station, and we looked to the right to see Adam (pkiboy) on the midway! He knew we were going for our first rollback.. he smiled to us and said "You got it." This made me scream with joy.. I was so excited by this point that I was shaking!

Our train launched, and off we went.. shot straight up.. got to the top of the hill..

it sat up there for a few seconds and suddenly we were going

BACKWARDS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

WE GOT A ROLLBACK ON THE FIRST TRAIN OF THE YEAR!! I was screaming and screaming in absolute utter joy as we flew at an extreme speed backwards and straight down from 420 feet in the sky!

THAT WAS ABSOLUTELY INCREDIBLE! Tom and I both now have 1 rollback.. that was THE best Dragster ride I've ever had!

The ride op walked the track and asked if anyone wanted to get off.. the answer was a collective and resounding "NO!!" She laughed, we were launched again, and this time it cleared the hill.

We met up with Adam and shared our rollback joy for a little bit, and then Tom and I decided it was Magnum time! My friends Bre and Kelsey work on that ride. We got in the queue to see Bre leaving for break. She saw me and gave me a hug. We saw Kelsey in the station too. I've missed my Magnum girls!

STAY TUNED!

[Pillsberry123]

Congrats on the rollback and riding the first train of the year! Man I wish I could get to Cedar Point on opening day one year. That year will probably be the year I get my drivers license haha

The Platinum Pass problem is getting to be ridiculous. Hopefully they'll have the problem figured out by the time we get around to Cedar Point in June.

[DropZone99]

Glad to hear you finally got your roll back! Now when do I get mine?

[gigacoaster2k]

Tom and I were getting hungry, so out to the car we went. It had suddenly gotten ridiculously hot, so I went from a hoodie to a tank top and applied sunscreen. I took some more photos.

Magnum!

Tom is a big fan of Tilt-A-Whirls, and I had told him where the one was at CP (it's in Camp Snoopy behind Dragster/in front of Gemini), so he went to ride it. I chose to stay on the bench outside the ride.. as fun as those rides are, my stomach does not like me one bit afterward.

Some unexpected and very pretty scenery by the entrance to the ride.

MILLIE!

Tom on the Tilt-A-Whirl!

He got off the ride saying that it was quite possibly the best Tilt-A-Whirl he'd been on.. so for those of you who like those rides, you may want to try it from what he told me.

We walked around to check the line for Maverick, and it was ridiculous, so we passed on it. I got a great photo.. it took me forever to get this.

We went to Skyhawk. I took some photos while we waited in line.

Tom and I.

We were about to get on when it looked like the ride had been e-stopped due to someone losing a shoe, but they announced that there was a mechanical failure, so we went around to check the line for Millie.

STAY TUNED!

[CincyMan98]

I'm going next summer - it's going to be a two day thing for my family. Even though its a year from now, this PTR is getting me even more excited!

[The Interpreter]

Congratulations on the rollback!

Someone else also had HIS Kings Island Platinum Pass NOT work at Cedar Point, either.

You are right, this IS ridiculous. To put it mildly.

The chain's best customers, who paid the most for their passes, and they don't even work at most parks. And, except at Kings Dominion, not even an "I'm sorry." At least they let me in. Which is more than Carowinds did the second Sunday they were open...

[Dbfan]

A great PTR as always. Quick question, do people stare when they see you taking a picture of you hugging Magnum? Just wondering.

[markr]

I was at CP yesterday but I didn't see you and Tom. Of course it was pretty crowded. I agree with you about the Tilt A Whirl: I hate it. Congrats on your Dragster rollback. ( You and Tom are tied with me with 1. )

[coaster_junky]

i love sky hawk, it's my number one flat ride of all time. , sorry to hear about the not getting to ride it and congrats to a roll back, the closest i've come to one was waiting next to the "grandstands" after one of lake erie's freak rain storms.

[Diamondback96]

I want a rollback now!

Nice PTR as always.

Edit: Angie, you're on Youtube!

[gigacoaster2k]

I got some photos of my Millie as we walked toward it to check the line out.

Shoot The Rapids.. it looks like fun. I'll probably ride it when it gets hot later this year.

People having fun on Millie (well, almost everyone)!

Go Millie go!

Happy 10th birthday, Millie! I like the new commemorative banners.

Millie's queue was completely full, so we passed on it. This suddenly made me far more upset than I thought I would be. I turned and wistfully sighed as I looked at the lift hill of the coaster that was a turning point in my life as an enthusiast, and walked away feeling like I wanted to run back and wait in that long, long line.

Iron Dragon has a bit of a wait.

We headed to Dodgems and had quite a bit of fun bashing into other cars. I love bumper cars.. always have!

I think Tom had sensed how upset I was about not riding Millie, so we went back to check the wait. It was posted at 1 1/4 hour, so we decided to wait. We saw a random guest change it to 2 hours, and we also managed to see Adam, Aaron (pkiVortex), and Shawn (Beast Man) in the line.

Millie is still popular after 10 years.

GO MILLIE GO!

I had forgotten how wonderful this ride is. We rode in seat 2:1, and I did indeed get airtime. I did feel some forces through the overbanks too. I got off the ride smiling as I remembered why I love it so much.

We headed to one of my favorites.. Blue Streak!

Tom said we should sit in 1:3..

HOLY EJECTOR SEAT! I'm never sitting any where but that seat again! We came back to the station to see no one waiting for our seat.. so we got a reride!!

We headed back to the car because I was getting cold again, and we were both hungry.

After that, I wanted a ride on Magnum, but it was down. We decided to head to the front of the park and go to GR to get our platinum pass coupons, where they told us they no longer have those and that we have to order them.

I saw that Raptor was down to an hour wait and immediately entered the queue. We barely waited 45 minutes.. I love that capacity monster.

We headed over to Disaster Transport to see our friend Scott that works there. We not only saw him, but ALL of the effects were on.. I'd forgotten what a great ride Disaster Transport is!

We saw that Wicked Twister was a walk on, so we got in line. No sooner than we got to the queue gate, it broke down. We waited a few minutes, and ducked out of line in favor of seeing if Magnum was running.

We hit Power Tower Space Shot on the way.

We got in line for Magnum to see Bre once again leaving to go to break. I jokingly chastised her for it lol. We saw Kelsey again, and this time when we rode, the trim was off! YES!

We went to go look at our photo, and Tom bought it for me. I LOVE IT.

Tom, you ROCK. THANK YOU. He knows how much I love Magnum!

We went to the car to drop off the photo, where I also dropped off my camera, and then rode Magnum again.

Since we didn't get to ride Skyhawk earlier, we rode that, and then decided to check the line for Millie. We were meeting up with a group of KICers at Maverick at 9:45, so I prayed that the line was short so we would get a night ride on my Millie. I saw that we were about to walk through Starlight Experience, which was spectacularly done. I saw Millie's lift outlined in the twilight sky, and told it "I love you".. a second later, a bunch of blue lights came on all around me.. Millie spoke to me, and you cannot tell me otherwise!

We got to Millie's entrance to see that the wait time was 1 1/4 hours.. my heart was crushed as I realized we didn't have time for a night ride on the coaster that is the reason for my username. Forget anything negative I've ever said about Millie.. I declared right there that my love for that coaster had been fully restored that day, and that it was going back in my top 10 steel coasters. Millie has special meaning to me, and not being able to ride it at night was a huge letdown. I swallowed the lump in my throat as we walked away from that magnificent coaster and I resisted the strong urge to run back to it.

Tom and I met up with Dustin, Ryan (CoasterKid), Dustin's dad, Adam, Aaron, and Shawn for Maverick's last train of the night. The ride op held our train for us so that we would indeed get our last ride.

That was one amazing last ride on Maverick at night.

We said our goodbyes, and left the park around 11 pm.

RIDE COUNT: (+1 for Tom, he rode Tilt-A-Whirl so he has 1 more ride than I did)

Magnum - 3

Blue Streak - 2

Maverick - 1

Dragster - 1

Millie - 1

Raptor - 1

Skyhawk - 1

Disaster Transport - 1

Power Tower Space Shot - 1

Dodgems - 1

As crowded as it was, that had to be one of the best days I've ever had at an amusement park. Thank you to everyone who made it such a wonderful day.

[TH13TEEN]

^ In that VID I hear a big "YES!" from giga.

[coaster_junky]

I want a rollback now!

Nice PTR as always.

Edit: Angie, you're on Youtube!

lol at 0:43 it looks like you're giving praise to the coaster gods angie!!

you can even hear you over the guy yelling about his kids first ride ever.

[gigacoaster2k]

I want a rollback now!

Nice PTR as always.

Edit: Angie, you're on Youtube!

TOM AND I HAVE PROOF OF OUR FIRST ROLLBACK??!!! THAT'S SO AWESOME, IT'S RIDICULOUS!

[Ogrmac]

Awesome trip report, as always! Glad you had a great time. I cannot wait until June when I get to go!!!

[brick52]

I wish I could go =(

[gigacoaster2k]

A great PTR as always. Quick question, do people stare when they see you taking a picture of you hugging Magnum? Just wondering.

Most people look at me weirdly. Some people laugh. I had a CP police officer laugh at me.

I licked Goliath's support at SFOG. I don't really care what other people think.. I like being crazy.

CP is only a 3 hour drive from my house, and I live about 20 miles north of Dayton OH. It's worth the drive especially if you have a platinum pass. The energy in that park is unreal, they pull out all the stops.. I love it.

[The Interpreter]

Indeed...due to life's circumstances, this was the first park opening day I've made this year. It was well worth it...as was the detour to the place where I rode Diamondback earlier today.

Platinum Passes...one of the best things about Cedar Fair.

especially when they actually work.

[KI Kevin]

Argh, I told my friend and dad, "I'm serious this is the best time to get a rollback," but they got me to ride Maverick instead.

This morning I went to Maverick first, and we were the 10th people in line. So we could have been on the first train, but decided to wait for the front and got on the 5th. What happened first train (that we could have been on)? ROLLBACK ON MAVERICK.

I was pretty upset.

[The Interpreter]

Don't be. In my many, many, many Kingda Ka rides, how many rollbacks have I had? 0.

Top Thrill Dragster? 0.

Italian Job Stunt Coaster: 1.

Volcano: The Blast Coaster: 1.

Outer Limits: Flight of Fear: 3.

[coaster_junky]

which italian job and which outer limits: Flight of Fear did you get your lucky rollbacks?

[The Interpreter]

Both at Kings Island, and while the rides were known by those particular names.

I had no such luck at Kings Dominion with the rides of those same names...

[KI Kevin]

Still, I've never had a rollback on ANY ride, it didn't even occur to me that I would even have the slightest CHANCE of getting a rollback on anything besides TTD til I looked up and the train I could have been on was rolling backwards down the hill.

Plus I was already in a bad mood since they opening of the ride was extremely delayed. It didn't open til about 9:45, while Millie had been running most of ERT.

[LongliveKingsCobra]

I have never heard of a rollback on OL:FOF, that sounds really fun!

[The Interpreter]

Maverick didn't consistently run Saturday, either. Much of the time, it was either down or cycling empty trains.

Terp, who sat on the brake run nearly 30 minutes once Saturday...and when the train was finally unloaded, the silent ride ops didn't even say "I'm sorry," much less offer anything else...

[KI Kevin]

I believe there was one on opening day this year, along with a parking garage rollback too.

I enjoyed opening weekend, but I think in future years I'll go the second weekend. Hopefully it will be less crowded. Maverick, Dragster, and Millennium Force were pretty consistently over an hour on Saturday, unless you were really lucky. It was the first time I'd ever seen Magnum with switchbacks open, and Corksrew had a 45 minute wait.

On top of that, I feel that there was a considerable amount of downtime (particularly in the Intamins). If I remember correctly, all 4 had downtime over the weekend, some more than others (Wicked Twister). In fact, there was a point yesterday when we hadn't ridden anything near the front of the park to check out those rides. Raptor? Closed. Wicked Twister? Closed (for most of the day, the attendant said). Chaos? Closed, the cars are completely gone. The attendant at Wicked Twister told me that Chaos is completely unoperational, which means it's probably gone. Disaster Transport? Closed. Even the Johnny Rockets took about an hour to get our food. AND we had heard from a few people that had come from Dragster telling us that it was closed too. That was just in one given period of time. Around 4-5, I think. Also, I had gone to Magnum at point in the day, only to be rejected by the "THIS RIDE IS CURRENTLY DOWN DUE TO MAINTENENCE" sign.

Don't get me wrong, it was fun, but I'd like to have seen a bit better operations. I understand that it's opening day, but it's unacceptable to have 5 rides down, let alone four in one section of the park alone.

[Diamondback96]

Parking garage rollback?

[The Interpreter]

Backlot Stunt Coaster...

[KI FANATIC 37]

Congratulations on the rollback!

Someone else also had HIS Kings Island Platinum Pass NOT work at Cedar Point, either.

You are right, this IS ridiculous. To put it mildly.

The chain's best customers, who paid the most for their passes, and they don't even work at most parks. And, except at Kings Dominion, not even an "I'm sorry." At least they let me in. Which is more than Carowinds did the second Sunday they were open...

Oh ohh... I don't like how this sounds. What's wrong with the PP's this year. Because I'm going to KI next weekend and I don't want any screwups.......

[LongliveKingsCobra]

Well you could also having a parking garage roll back if you don't hit enough speed going up the incline at Northgate mall...

Cobra, who has had this happen once.