Cedar Point TR 9/19 & 9/20

[clbehymer]

I made the 5 1/2 hour trip to trip Cedar Point this weekend. What a trip. Friday night we got there right around 6 when they opened. We were greeted at the gate by the not so scary monsters. I had to make my usual trip to GR because my pass doesn't scan, and then we were off to Raptor. This was maybe a 10 minute wait. I have never had a wait less than 30 minutes before. Great ride, but every time I ride it, I end up smacking my head on one of the restraints. Not to mention that during the ride my hair got tangled in the restraint and it didn't feel good when I tried to stand up when the ride was over.

Next up was Millie. Another maybe 10 minute wait. This ride is great. I love the lift, mainly because it seems that nothing is around you and the view is gorgeous. We enjoyed this ride so much that we went right back in line and did it again!

We then made a pit stop at the Red Garter Saloon to catch the show and get a couple of overpriced beers. This show is awesome. The band was great and all of the group members (except the drummer) came out into the audience and interacted with them.

Next up was Maverick. 45 minute wait. This would be the first time that I had ridden Maverick in the dark. WOW!!! I couldn't see the track and it was a great ride. You never knew which way you were going to get turned next.

Next up was the Cornstalkers maze. I had pretty high expectations for this maze and it almost surpassed them. It was better than the werewolf canyon that was in its place last year. It wasn't as open and those guys that stand in the corn always get me. There was a disgusting toilet that got me also. I did like the ending last year better than this year. Last year there were 3 "pigs" that were dancing to Green Jelly's Little Pig and this year was just a guy sitting there with a chainsaw. He didn't do anything, just sat there.

Then we went through the scare zone, FrightZone. This area was so dark and foggy. I had scareactors jumping out at me all over the place. It was better than last year. There was a part that one of the guys stroked my hair and said, see you in your dreams princess in a very spooky voice. I didn't think that they were really able to touch you. Oh well, its not like I was running to tell someone. It actually added to the experience.

We made our way to Fear Faire. This is another scare zone. This is a good area, too. There were a lot of props that looked like they were actors waiting to jump at you, and there were actors that looked like props that did jump at you. I did have one guy that kept following me and scaring me with some sort of noise maker. Of course that it didn't help that the people that I went with told the actors my name and they were trying to scare me, too.

Next we went to Club Blood. This was ok. Not a lot of scares and not as "adult" as the one at KI. There were the cage dancers, but they weren't as scantily clad. At the end there was an actor that hid behind the door right before the exit that scared the crap out of my friend. I'm pretty sure that she jump far enough that she smacked her head on the other side of the wall. Very funny!

We went to the Pharaoh’s Secret next. This was okay. It was a black light responsive paint type of house. I thought that we had 3-D glasses last year, but we didn't get them this year. I think it would have helped to have them. The best part is when you have to walk across the bridge and the tunnel is moving.

After that we went to ride Wicked Twister. No wait at all. This ride gets me every time because of how the track just ends in the air. It did seem that the ride cycle was shorter, but I'm sure that was just me.

After that we went back through the Fright Zone. Got scared a bunch, and then headed back to Millie for a night ride. The fog was really neat going on this ride because the new scare zone, Terror Island, went underneath Millie.

We wanted to ride the dragster, but it was down. We then went through the Fear Faire again and then headed to the hotel.

More to come...

[clbehymer]

Well we decided to stay at the Howard Johnson right outside Cedar Point. I went into the lobby and asked the lady at the counter if there were any available rooms with 2 beds. She said yes and I filled out the registration card, paid with cash, and we went to our room. This was one of the better "cheap" hotels that I have stayed at in Sandusky. Room was clean, nice sized room, and the shower had hot water with plenty of pressure. There were just a couple of bad things. One thing is that you can hear the train that passes through blowing its whistle every 5 to 10 minutes. The other was that when we entered the room, there was a bottle of lotion on the nightstand and a hair band on the bed. I figured someone left it from before or it was housekeeping's items.

Around 6:30 or so in the morning, we all saw a bright light. No, it was not a religious encounter or a near death experience; it was a girl opening the door with a keycard coming to get her things. This woke us up out of a dead sleep and did not please us that someone was able to just walk into our room. It was settling to know that it was someone that left it and not one of those hotels that provide lotion on the nightstand, if you know what I mean.

Anyway, I got up around 9 and got into the shower. After I was done and got dressed, one of my friends and I decided to go down to the gas station for some morning caffeine. The other friend that was with me got into the shower while we were gone. I don't know why, but I always check to see if my key works before I leave. This time, it didn't. The housekeeper was right there and she let me back into my room and told me to go to the front desk and get my keys re-scanned.

So we went to the gas station and stopped at the front desk to activate our keys. When I told the lady what room I was in, she said that it wasn't in the computer. She asked my name and still didn't find it. The lady that checked us in was leaving as I was coming in and I told the new lady that she was the one that checked us in last night. This lady looked through the paperwork and couldn't find anything for me or my room. She asked me if I had a receipt, and I told her no, I paid with cash and didn't think about getting a receipt. So she decided to call the girl that just left. The girl told her that she didn't check anyone in with cash last night. The friend that came into the lobby with me was wearing a bright pink Nike sweat suit. I told her to let the girl on the phone know that and maybe it would jog her memory. Still the girl denied it. After about 10 more minutes of conversation trying to get the girl to remember me, the lady told me that she was coming back in and that she would call the room when she got there. About 10 minutes later, the maintenance man came to the room and asked me to come to the front desk. The girl that checked us in was standing there and still claimed to not recognize me. That would be understandable if I came in around actual check in time and she had seen a lot of people that day, but there was hardly anyone at the hotel. So I'm sure that the lady is thinking what I was thinking and the girl was nervous. Basically, I had to fill out another registration card and come back before I left for the day.

When I came back the lady gave me a 20% discount and had apologized for all of the mishap. I wonder what happened to the girl???

Finally, we were off to the point again. This was a very crowded day. The shortest line we waited in was for Gemini and it was 45 minutes. Most everything had a 1 1/2 hour wait or longer.

Since we didn't get to ride TTD the day before, it was the first thing that we rode. Neither of my friends had ridden in the front seat, so we waited an extra 10 turns to get them in the front and I had to keep letting people in front of me so that I could ride with them. So, before the haunts opened we rode... TTD, Magnum, Skyhawk, Millie, and Power Tower. Then we went through the Undertaker U haunt, Terror Island, Carnevil, and ended our day with Fear Faire.

Terror Island was pretty cool because it twisted around underneath Millie. Lots of potential scares, but because of how busy it was, I could see everything. Well, almost everything. I got a couple of scares myself.

I would like to say that I hate clowns. I watched Poltergeist one too many times as a child, and I had a clown doll that looked a little too much like the one in the movie, and it scared me. With that said, CarnEvil was not the place that I was looking forward to going through. Of course, the first clown I encounter asks me if I like clowns and I reply no. I assume that one of my friends told her my name, like the wonderful people that they are because she screams, Corey's coming in and she doesn't like clowns! Through the rest of the haunt, I had clowns in my face.

Undertaker U was pretty good. It was dark and foggy. A good amount of scares. There was a part where they used an air shot at your feet that scared my friend. That was funny.

Fear Faire was better Friday night because there weren't as many people, but still pretty good.

It was now around 10:00pm and with a long drive home, we decided to leave. We usually spend another night in Sandusky and drive home the next morning, but I had tickets to the Colts game and was supposed to meet with other friends at 8:00am to head up to Indianapolis to tailgate before the game.

We hit the Starbucks on 250 and headed home. We arrived on the North side of Indy a little after 3:30am and I made my way to Columbus. It takes about an hour to get to my house from my friends house and after a long day at the park that was a long drive home by myself. I made it home, took a shower and went to sleep for about an 1 1/2 before I had to get up to get ready for the game. Well, I'm sure you know how that went.

[tigellinus]

^^Yeah, you should have skipped the Colts game...The Barn sucks for them right now!!

[House]

It's a nice freaking stadium though. I've been there twice already.

[tigellinus]

^^But if the Colts can't win in it, then who cares?! I have good season tickets and honestly, going is a little depressing now thinking that our new crib is jinxed....Super Bowl or not!!

I saw the Dome finally deflated today...a sad sight to see considering THAT is where I witnessed the 3rd best day in my life (behind the Super Bowl win and my first visit to SF Great Adventure), beating the Patriots in the AFC Championship game!!

Now, we're stuck with 'The Barn that Peyton built'!!

[The Interpreter]

Awww...first of all that was a great trip report...

And second, tigellinus, your first visit to Great Adventure affected you that much! Wow.

And here I thought I was the only one....

Terpy, who does indeed love the Point, but also loves the theater of the absurd that begins with the melodious voice at the gate intoning "Make Today A Great Adventure!"

[clbehymer]

Thanks Terpy.

I've never been to Great Adventure. It's a park that I need to venture to within the next couple of years.

I've been able to visit Knott's and Valleyfair while traveling for work. Maybe they will send me that way soon!

[tigellinus]

And second, tigellinus, your first visit to Great Adventure affected you that much! Wow.

And here I thought I was the only one....

Terpy, who does indeed love the Point, but also loves the theater of the absurd that begins with the melodious voice at the gate intoning "Make Today A Great Adventure!"

Yep!! 'Tis true...after living down the road from KI for 2 years and slowly starting to make headway into traveling to other close parks during that time, I finally made my first big trip as a burgeoning enthusiast to Great Adventure at the beginning of the 2007 season for my first ever SFGA trip!!

And wow, Wow, WOW!!! What a park, and what a trip! My first ever rides on a B&M hyper and Intamin woodie were just too incredible for words, and I also loved Medusa and really dug KK as well and rode it a ton, especially since prior to 07 I had only been on TTD about 5 times. The weather was perfect, and even my girlfriend who took tons of convincing to go even liked it, and it was just the most fun I've ever had in one day!! AND when I felt I really became a "true" enthusiast! (Because you really cannot be one unless you've traveled to different parks, at least in my opinion)

Of course, a year and a half, 150+ coasters, and 20-something parks later, yeah...I'm pretty much your typical jaded enthusi-a$$ who hates lines, dislikes the GP simpleton's, and misses the innocence of going to park and taking it at a leisurely pace by picking things on a park map to ride, or seeing things that looked cool and then riding it, taking in the "charm", etc.

That's not to say I won't have a blast riding Diamondback the 200+ times I've calculated I should be able to ride it next year (if not more!). But it is to say the enthusi-a$$ part me of is convinced that unless the drop is at least 74 degrees, it's an over-engineered B&M POS that won't be fun...which is not really rational thinking!

So that visit was a big deal for me!! (Good thing I guess I went during the Shaprio Era when by all accounts most Six Flags were dumpy and poorly operated under Burke and Co.)