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Ride On_17

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Everything posted by Ride On_17

  1. I really like FUNTV. Granted I barely got to see any of it at CP yesterday due to pretty much nonexistent lines, but what I did see was nice.
  2. The time had finally come after 6 and a half long, grueling months. A record number of snow days, minus 40 degree windchill, and staring at empty parks on webcams were quite common throughout this brutal part of the year. Then came Saturday, May 10th. All day I had to constantly check updated, the webcams, and live feeds for the latest on Cedar Point's Opening Day 2014. Prom was amazing, and then I was able to look forward to post prom - a trip to the Point. Since it was Mothers Day, I was more than happy to let my mom come along too to spend the day with her also. My dad wasn't able to go, but the two of us left our house a little before 8 to go pick up several people that we'd take with us. By 8:30 we were headed for the park. We arrived pretty much exactly an hour and a half later at 10 right as the park was opening to the GP. Even though my mom, one of my friends, and I had Platinum Passes, two of my friends who were with us did not so it wouldn't have been fair to get there an hour early, only for the two of them to have to wait outside the park for another hour. First things first: Typically I hate going to amusement parks with groups of 4 or more people. It just gets too complicated when deciding on what to ride, eat, and all that stuff. Plus being a coaster enthusiast makes it worse since I don't want to tell everyone what to ride and when, so it's hard to sometimes try not to let the enthusiast side of me take over when I come with a group of non enthusiast friends. So I patiently waited as everyone had to get selfies and pictures of the park...as soon as we stepped out of the car. But I don't blame them. It sure is an impressive sight from the parking lot, and boy did I miss that view. Even though it had been over half a year since I had last been there, in a way it felt like it had only been a week. So finally everyone was ready to actually make it toward the entrance. The park was so empty. As soon as we even pulled into the parking lot I knew it would be a great day. My mom, one friend, and I went to get our actual passes and were in and out in 5 minutes. As soon as we entered the park I saw my 9th grade Honors Biology teacher (and our theater director) and his family. We just said hi and talked briefly before moving on. Again, I had to remind myself that I could come back to the park anytime and ride whatever I wanted and to let my friends do what they wanted this time. So whenever they wanted to go look in a shop or meander slowly for a while I'd go along with it. Same with my mom. We all finally decided on going to Millennium first. But of course, we walked by Iron Dragon and someone in my group really wanted to go on it. It wasn't my idea of my first coaster of the year, but I went on it and forgot how much fun that ride is. My mom decided not to ride it but my three friends and I did. It's pretty long and is a fun mild coaster. I still don't get why the height requirement was bumped up 2 inches though. Oh, and there was absolutely no wait. Walked right on toward the back. Then we finally arrived at Millennium. before we even got in line I was super excited. I could see that there was no wait, not even on the ramp going up to the station. Sure enough, we were able to walk right on. Just to make it easy, we all got in random rows toward the back and I loved my first ride of the year on Millennium. It already had its rattle but it was still as great as always. We all agreed to go right back on, and due to the lack of people the ride ops opened up the gate and let us right back in line by the station so we wouldn't have to walk out and go all the way around again. After this second round my friends were ready to move on wanted to go on Mantis. I absolutely hate this ride so I refused to ride, same with my mom, so we just waited outside the entrance until there were done. It didn't take long since...what a surprise...no wait. While we were on ID we saw that Dragster's line was nonexistent so that's where we wanted to go next. One of my friends doesn't like launches so decided to opt out of Dragster. So it was my mom, two of my friends, and me who went on it. Just like the previous rides there was not a line. We only had to wait about 5 minutes in the station. Hands up the whole time and it was just as thrilling as I remembered it. Plus one of my friends had never been on it before and she loved it. We went back and rode it a second time. The parents of the friends I went to prom with then met up with us. They drove down separately, but joined our group. It was fun to have so many friends and my mom to enjoy the day. If it wasn't Mothers Day we'd be on our own but we thought we'd be nice. So even though our group was now up to 7 people, I still had tons of fun. Heck, I'd have fun at Cedar Point (or any amusement park) no matter what. Next stop was Magnum and I rode in the last row. It's a fun classic coaster despite being jerky. Then we walked down the new Gemini Midway. All I can say is "WOW!" It is such an improvement and I didn't even recognize the area. I did not miss the blacktop at all, and the whole are looks so refreshed. There's so much color and excitement and I love it all. Pipe Scream was down when we walked by, so I'm not sure what was wrong with it. Lake Erie Erie Eagles was running but it had a long line (capacity nightmare on a day that's not busy--not a good sign for later in the season) and none of the people I was with felt like going on them so I'll have to try them another time. I'm still hesitant on both of these new rides since spinny stuff gets me dizzy easily but I'll probably at least try them sometime. I don't like eating much at amusement park but was getting hungry so decided to get some fries from Happy Friary. Everyone got a little snack and I loaded my fries with vinegar. They were so delicious. Sling Shot will look really cool where it's at too. The way is positioned, you'll be able to see it coming from FrontierTown toward the Gemini Midway. It will be very impressive to see. Also, I even loved the new planters by the Gemini restrooms. They add a nice touch. And yes, there is now a sea of concrete in front of Gemini. The grassy area in front of the station has greatly been reduced and replaced with concrete. I actually don't really mind it too much but it just looks different. Next we got to Maverick and it said it had a half hour wait. The line stopped just outside the entrance to the old White Water Landing station building and knowing this ride I figured it might end up a little more than a half hour, but that's still good compared to how long this ride's line usually is. But it was still a huge contrast compared to all the previous walk-ons. Maybe 15 minutes into our wait, the ride shut down. What a surprise (Not). I swear, Maverick always shuts down while I'm in line for it. I just never have good luck with it. My friends really wanted to ride it so we stuck around and waited. Slowly people trickled out of the line until there was hardly anyone left. We talked to some really nice employees. Eventually so many people had left the line that there was nobody else in front of us, only 2 people behind us. We just sat on the steps leading up the Maverick's station. At least it was warm and sunny. By this point we had been waiting over an hour and my friends were getting frustrated. So we decided to leave and come back later, and just as we had walked back down the stairs into the WWL building, a train ran. We hurried up and got back in line behind the 2 guys who were previously behind us. We were hopeful it would open soon and then we would be one of the first people back on. Well we waited, and kept on waiting. No more runs. So then we really left the line completely. And guess what. As soon as we were about 20 feet away from the ride, it started testing. So we hurried toward the ride's main entrance to get in the quickly forming line. Finally after at least an hour and a half of waiting for it, we got on. I only ride in the back row on this coaster and loved it. It's nonstop and is relentless. Something interesting I noticed after getting off is that the row of trees between the patio area outside of Maverick's exit and Maverick's launch tunnel (also near Chick fil A) were all chopped down. It looked really strange and I hated it. I have no clue why the park removed those trees, but I miss them. I had seen that CP Rundown posted that Gatekeeper didn't have any wait, and since two of my friends had never been on it we headed there next. To get there we walked through Frontier Trail. I was very impressed by the new and improved petting zoo. It was a really nice surprise. I figured it had been a crazy April Fools Joke but it turns out there was some truth in that the petting zoo actually did get expanded and got a face lift. There were so many animals, including piglets and other babies. There were lots of people here and it was fun seeing the little kids so happy to see and pet all the animals. We then made a quick detour as someone wanted to go on Corkscrew, so my mom and I went on Power Tower (drop side) meanwhile. We were lucky enough to get the seats facing the park. I love this ride a lot. Once at Gatekeeper we walked right on. First we rode the right and then went on it again on the left. I rode toward the back both times. My favorite is still the back left. The first ride was very smooth, but the second one had that annoying rattle. It wasn't bad enough to make the ride enjoyable but it was just a nuisance. I was also happy to see that the vests still did not lock. I'm glad they're fixed for good (hopefully). We were all getting really hungry by this point and went to Chickie and Pete's. My mom and I couldn't wait to get the CrabFries. We've had a craving for them ever since we first had them in Ocean City, NJ last summer. They were just as good as we remembered my mom and I ordered two. Then the two of us split a classic cheesesteak. It was pretty good, but I definitely love the CrabFries. Two of my friends were crazy enough to want to ride Raptor right away but there was no way I'd go on something like that after eating. My friend's parents left at this point, and my mom and one other friend rode Giant Wheel. It's a great way to relax and enjoy the view of the park. Then we met back up with my other friends and rode Cadillac Cars. It was then 7pm and we only had an hour left til the park would close. We decided to go to Millennium (which was still pretty much a walk on) before heading back to Maverick to finish off the night. Thankfully it was running fine this time. We got to see the start of a great sunset before coming back toward the front of the park by going back through the Gemini midway. I can't wait to go back to see it once it's dark and all the lights are on. Before leaving we stopped in several more shops and got ice cream at Toft's. I got 2 scoops of Buckeye Bites and it was really good. We all had a great day at the park, and I was happy to finally be back. One more comment about the park: I loved the customer service. I'm not sure if it's just because it is early in the season or if the park has been doing a better job at hiring and training, but every singly employee I encountered was friendly. Whether it was a restaurant, ride ops, merchandise, food service, or any other staff, everyone was very nice. Hopefully this will stay.
  3. I missed out on one yesterday. I was eating dinner while he had it. Oh well. I'm sure I'll get one eventually.
  4. If only I had the money for that... Image what a conversation starter that would be.
  5. Everyone please keep in mind that none of us are here to ruin anyone's fun. It's just that there are plenty of other ways to do it at amusement parks than illegally taking pictures and videos. Granted I'm only in high school, but I do know that posting pictures and saying you have done illegal activity on the Internet is not a good idea at all. Ride On_17, just trying to help before this issue gets worse than it already is.
  6. I will also be going on Sunday. The weather looks like it should be pretty decent. Like others have said, please don't use the GoPro. Even though you said you've done it before, that is breaking the law. I don't mean to be Mr. Partypooper, but just follow all the park's policies especially regarding stuff like this. I can't wait for the park to open! This is been a long off season.
  7. I know this is an old topic but decided to bring it back. I really want to join this group if I end up going to Ohio State. It seems like such a cool thing to be involved with. I've never heard of any other group like this at other schools. Has anyone else?
  8. The entire night was such a blast and I was proud to be a part of it. And this isn't my picture, it's Playhouse Square's, but the chandelier is an official Guinness World Record for world's largest outdoor chandelier! https://www.facebook.com/playhousesquare?fref=photo
  9. Some fireworks were shot off from the roofs of buildings, and the main show took place down at the end of the street. I still can't get over how awesome the fireworks were. All of the lights and new signs looked incredible.
  10. After Shaw's band plays, a group called the Singing Angels performs, followed by several other groups. Then it was finally time for the lighting ceremony! Everything, especially the chandelier, looks so amazing lit up.
  11. Inside the crazy Starbucks. Hot Chelle Rae People were watching from the windows of all the surrounding buildings. Shaw's band comes blasting through the crowd.
  12. St. Eds Trash Talkers This obviously caught my attention. The chandelier is massive and is really cool. It wasn't too busy when we first arrived but people were making there way there.
  13. At first I just planned on posting some pictures in the random picture thread, but decided to just create this whole topic due to the amount of pictures and information I wanted to share. Friday night (May 2nd), Cleveland hosted an event called Dazzle the District. Cleveland is home to the world's 2nd largest theatre district, only next to New York City's, called Playhouse Square. Playhouse Square has been in the process of major renovations and enhancements to the theatres and the surround area. In addition to new signs, arches, and interior theatre work, one of the main new features is the world's largest outdoor chandelier made with tons of crystals. I still question whether or not it will last without getting vandilized, but sure hope this won't happen. So my mom and I picked up my grandparents a little after 5 and headed to downtown Cleveland. There was tons of traffic and it took forever to finally get into the city and to find a place to park. We saw some stilt walkers and the St. Eds trash Talkers (a group of kids from St. Edwards High School who have become locally famous for using anything and everything as drums) and they were as fun as always. We then made it Playhouse Square where the event was taking place. The roads were closed, there was music, and lots of excitement was in the air. As we walked in my my mom and grandma went through the bag checks, they were passing out free blinking and light up goods. I got red light up glasses. Even though it wasn't dark yet, lots of people were already wearing them. We walked around and admired the chandelier. Even in the day without being all lit up it was very impressive to see, and it made quite an impact. Between it and the new Playhouse Square arches, Cleveland was proudly boating to anyone who goes through that area that we have an amazing theatre district. We were starting to get hungry so bought some food tickets. There was a whole street lined with tents of food. Local restaurants provided the food which ranged from sliders to Mediterranean wraps to mac'n'cheese. I got a Mediterranean wrap and loaded tots (tater tots with lots of melted cheese, pickled cabbage, corned beef, and bacon). They were both delicious. Since it had started to get really windy and we were cold, we went into Starbucks to warm up and get something to drink. It was PACKED in there. The line filled the entire store and wrapped all around. After probably about 20-25 minutes in line we finally ordered. I just felt like a simple hot chocolate and it warmed me up right away. Side not, but I really can't wait to go to CP's new Starbucks. I'm glad they're getting a full service one. Anyways, after hanging out for a while in there it was starting to get dark. An alternative/rock band I like called Hot Chelle Rae was about to put on a free, outdoor concert soon we we went out to find a spot to watch. By this time, the entire area was super busy. It was mobbed with people, but everyone was happy, friendly, and having a good time. It was time to turn on the light up glasses and soon Hot Chelle Rae came on stage and put on a great show. No auto tune for them. They sounded just as good as their studio recordings. There was a bunch of speeches and some more performances by various singing and dancing groups. A local band, Shaw High School, also arrived and got to march through the crows of people. What a thrill for those kids to experience something like that. Eventually it was finally time for the lighting ceremony. There was a performance from the actress who stars in Wicked, and throughout her performance of "Defying Gravity," at certain parts during the song the new Playhouse Square lights and signs would turn out. It started at the far side of the street and slowly worked its way up toward the chandelier. Once by one the new signs lit up and the whole area looked amazing already. Then at a big moment in the song, the chandelier suddenly came to life followed by cheers and yells all around. Immediately, an awesome fireworks show began. It was the best fireworks show I've ever seen. No Fourth of July show has even come close to how amazing it was. Everyone was speechless by the end, and then a whole bunch of upbeat music was played as people slowly filed out of the area. The entire night was just so much fun. The atmosphere was electric (da dum ching ) and everything was very well done. I especially needed a break from all of my school work and studying which I've had a lot of lately. I had a blast spending time with my family at a great event, including a free concert. Later we found out there were around 20,000 people there, which is really impressive. Plus Playhouse Square and the area around it is just so special and recognizable. People may complain about Cleveland but it truly is a great city.
  14. When I go to KI in a few weeks I plan on trying the Chicken Shack. I'll have to compare it to Raising Cane's.
  15. I'd still like to take my first lap on the longest inverted coaster in the world. Less than 2 weeks til I get to finally ride it!
  16. This is pretty cool. Disney incorporates "A 113" somehow into most of its animations. And the reason behind it is interesting. http://sfglobe.com/?id=625&src=fbfan_625
  17. Something interesting that Jason McClure just tweeted... Jason McClure ‏@JasonMcClureCP 13m With Gemini getting all the love, Frontier Trail was feeling ignored. So, there are a few changes in the works for the Trail as well.
  18. At the PointBuzz Off Season Tour, Tony did say how big things are coming to the park, and that everyone will want to go to next year's tour. Plus there's the rumored Blue Streak midway revamp/Celebration Plaza Expansion that includes the demo of Cedars Dorms. I know GK was just 2 years ago, but I have feeling that the park has some major plans for 2015.
  19. ^My thoughts exactly. I realize that this could turn out to be nothing, but I have a feeling that this marking is in the Cedars dorm's parking lot.
  20. Tony just tweeted something very interesting. Could this be the start of a large 2015 project? Tony Clark‏@TonyClarkCP Bit early in the season for this, #dontyathink? pic.twitter.com/HR0eUIHt6z
  21. ^If you look at the webcams, you will see that there are 6 suspended white disks over the midway along Pipe Scream.
  22. A question I've had for a little while is what are those large, white disks? Are they for shade? Lights? Something else? I think they're ugly.
  23. All over campus. They ranged anywhere from the French Field House to Jennings Hall and many other places. My event, Geologic Mapping, was in Smith Lab.
  24. I would want it to be converted into a new attraction.
  25. It really is. That's one of the reasons why I want to go there.
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