Cedar Point Trip Report 7/24, 7/25, and 7/26

[ziplock]

First off I'd like to apologize for taking so long to get this trip report posted. . Sorry for the length and let me know how it is !

Saturday, July 24th was the long awaited day for me. The start of the highly anticipated and well planned theme park tour. Being only 14, I rarely get a chance to travel these parks that I’ve always dreamt of visiting, and I was overjoyed by the fact that I finally got the opportunity to visit Cedar Point, Kings Dominion, and Carowinds for the first time. The Kings Island trip was just the icing on the cake to this trip, as I have been there two other times. The trip was intended to be a mostly fun trip, however my dad had incorporated some business in there as well so we were very busy the whole trip! We started driving on Thursday the 22nd from south central Wisconsin because we were to go to Lexington KY to do some working for my dad’s business on the 23rd and 24th.

At around 1:00 on the 24th we left Lexington and started heading up north to Sandusky for our first park of the trip, Cedar Point. It had rained intermittently on the trip which we knew wasn’t a good sign for the rides being open, but I was determined to go especially after seeing the state of the Super 8 hotel we were staying at about 10 minutes from the park. We arrived at the park around 7:00 PM and went to go get our Platinum Passes processed. By the end of our trip, these Passes would have quite a bit of use out of them so it was a very worthwhile investment. While getting our passes processed we asked a couple employees if they had any idea about the rides being open and they said that most of them were temporarily closed during the storm. For this night on the 24th I had one goal and one goal only, to ride Millennium Force. I didn’t care how long the line might be, of all the rides of our trip this is the one I was looking forward to the most.

As you might expect, Millennium Force was closed and there was a very long line out of the entrance of people waiting for it to open. Did this stop me? No. I was on a mission to ride it even if would be the only ride of the night. We waited about 30 minutes for it to open. With people cheering when each and every test train going by. Once the ride opened, I was surprised of how fast the line moved. However once we got to the last covered back and forth line section before the ramp to the station, it started raining again. At first it started off light and then got heavier and heavier until it was pouring down rain and lightning too. Although the portion of the line that most people were staying in was covered by one of those sun shades, everyone was still getting soaked. For 1 and a half hours we waited in the pouring down rain and lightning. Not one train was tested and people we’re getting worried that it wasn’t going to reopen that night since it was so late. By 10:00 PM the rain had mostly let up, but there was still lightning in the distance. Since everyone that had been on the uncovered ramp to the station when it started raining had left, those who were under the cover of the sun shades moved onto the ramp. About 15 minutes later they sent their first test train, which was welcomed by thunderous applause. 10 minutes after the first test run I was in line for my favorite seat on a majority of roller coasters, back seat. We had about a three train station wait until our train was secured and all clear to go.

I was very excited. Probably the most I had ever been to ride a roller coaster. And Millennium Force did not disappoint. The tall and very fast lift hill first gives you a very nice overview of the lit park in the night, then throws you over the first drop for some serious ejector air in the back seat! After the insane first drop I was greeted by the best overbanked turn that I have been on and from there it was all intensity. Airtime, tunnels, speed, and high g turns make this ride amazing. And a backseat ride at night after waiting ever so long for it to open? Spectacular. This ride experience is the second best experience I have ever had on a ride. But it is my third favorite roller coaster I’d ridden and still holds that place. By far the best roller coaster of the trip. And how long did I wait total? 2 and a half hours, and it worth every second of it. Ride Rating 10/10!

After getting off that ride we walked past the entrance again to see how long the line was. It was only halfway up the ramp to the station! We waited a minuscule 15 minutes to get ride back on the back seat of the train. The ride op asked us how we got on so fast and we told him the line wasn’t long due to people leaving from the rain storm. I’m not sure if he thought we line jumped or something, but I was just glad to get back on the ride so fast!

After experiencing the awesomeness that is Millennium Force TWICE we headed over toward the back of the park to see if Maverick was running. Nope the whole part of the park by Maverick was totally dead. No lights and no people. So we went over to see if Magnum was running. It was so we waited about two trains for back row. 10 minute wait!

From how old I knew this coaster was, I thought it would a very rough ride like the typical Arrow loopers that I have ridden have been. I was really surprised surprised of how glass smooth this ride is! Sure it has some jerky transitions and restraints that brought pain to my legs, it was a good, airtime filled ride! The drop and pretzel turn were also very cool elements. 8/10 Good and has nice airtime, but quite painful on the legs in the hills after the MCBR!

After the ride on Magnum it was rather late so we decided to head to the front of the park again expecting to leave. However we saw Power Tower running, and there was no line. Because I love Drop Towers and space shots, and because I knew that it would it would have a line the next two days, I decided to ride it then. Both sides were really cool but I love airtime and the feeling of zero g so I decided I like the turbo drop side a little better! On a flat ride rating I’d give Power Tower an 8/10. Its really cool but not as good as other space shot rides such as Superman: Tower of Power at SFOT.

By this time it was nearly the 11:00 PM closing time, so we decided to head out back to the hotel to get some rest for another full day of roller coasting. We also hadn’t eaten in a good 11 hours and were very hungry in line for Millennium Force, so we were ready to leave for the night!

At 8:40 the next morning we were on our way to the park again for the platinum pass early ride time. As soon as our passes were scanned, we jogged all the way to Millennium Force, expecting to get a couple rides on it before the majority of platinum pass holders and hotel goers showed up. We were greeted at the ride entrance by a park employee and a large crowd of angry visitors. They told us that Millennium Force had been struck by lightning the previous night and won’t open until later on in the day. They also told us that Top Thrill Dragster had been struck by lightning three times, and it will be down for most of the day.

Knowing that Maverick was the only more popular ride that was open, we ran to it, trying to utilize whatever early ride time we had left. Of course since the other two most poular rides weren’t open, Maverick’s line was longer than expected. From the time we walked into the entrance to the time we boarded the front seat of the Maverick train was about 1 hour.

Maverick is a very cool ride. The intensity starts just out of the station, as the launch hill throws you over the 95 degree drop, then the ride is pure twisty madness until it sends you through a surprising forceful 70 miles per hour launch. After the launch, the twisted inversions just continue until the final brake run. Maverick packs a big punch for such a small ride. Second best ride at Cedar Point and second best ride of the trip. 10/10

After finally getting on a single ride, it was nearly 11:00 so we decided to go to Mean Streak and beat the crowd to its opening. Since my dad doesn’t like wooden coasters, I waited by myself about 10 minutes for it to open, then got right onto the ride.

Mean Streak is one rough ride. The drop and some of the hills are good, but overall the ride is jerky and rather boring. 5/10 I wouldn’t wait any longer than 5 minutes to get my brain rattled again on this one.

We then went to Gemini and waited about 10 minutes to get on the train that the coaster enthusiasts weren’t riding. Gemini is surprisingly smooth and has some nice airtime as well. It also was slightly jerky in the transitions though. Gemini reminded me a a much more tame version of maverick in a way. 7/10

After Gemini we headed back out to our car for some lunch. We packed a cooler and a lot of water in it and made frequent visits to the car every day to stay hydrated. It was around noon and this time and Millennium Force and Top Thrill Dragster were still closed. However, while were eating we say two Dragster Trains and a couple more Millennium Force trains testing. So after lunch we rushed right to Dragster to see a line forming right outside the entrance, but the ride still closed. We waited for dragster to open for about 30 minutes, but decided that we didn’t want to waste our precious time at Cedar Point waiting for a closed ride so we headed over to Disaster Transport.

While DT isn’t the most thrilling ride built, I find it pretty neat that it’s an inclosed bobsled and it was still a fun ride. We waited about 20 minutes because of its low capacity. 6/10

While we were in the area we decided to check out maXair. I had already ridden Delirium, but I wanted to see how the two compared. We waited about two cycles to get on the ride. I must say, I love these types of rides. The negative g forces on the swings are cool, and you also get great views. 8/10 on a flat ride scale.

After maXair, we decided to head over to WindSeeker and Wicked Twister. We waited about 15 minutes for WindSeeker, and about 20 for Wicked Twister.

WindSeeker is an underestimated little ride. Just the mere height of the ride is freaky, but let alone be spinning at relatively high speeds makes this a worthwhile tme investment in your day. I also enjoyed the views from the top. 7/10

I knew what to expect from Wicked Twister since I’d been on V2 at Great America. I love the launch of these twisted impulse coasters and the twist on the back spike just adds to the overall enjoyment. 8/10. Very nice, but my no means a top ten coaster.

From here we went to the high capacity B&M invert that looms over the entrance of park, Raptor. we waited about 10 minutes for front row. Now I’m not the biggest fan of inverted coasters, but I still enjoy them.

Raptor surely rises above the B:TR clones. It was my favorite inverted coaster to this day, but would be beat twice later on in the trip. 8/!0. I love the height, drop, and pure twisty-ness of this ride.

We made a quick trip back to the car for water to see that Millennium Fore was finally running. It was about 6:00 PM by this time and Top Thrill Dragster was still closed. I was getting concerned that I wouldn’t get a ride on it! We decided we needed to get another night ride on MF, but it wasn’t quite dark out yet so we rode other rides in that general area until then.

First up was Mantis. We went for front row and waited about 15 minutes. I’ve never liked stand ups because they hurt my legs, but I tried it out anyway. It’s worth a ride, but I definitely would not re-ride. It was rather painful actually so I’d rate it 5/10. It has a trim brake on the drop. Ruined the best part.

I was curious about what people hated so much about Iron Dragon so we went over to check it out. We waited 10 minutes to get in the middle of the train. All I can say is definitely like Flight Deck and Ninja more than this as far as Arrow suspended coasters. It’s jerky and rather slow. 5/10. I can see it as a nice starter coaster for a beginner in thrill seeking, but nothing more than that.

By this time is was getting darker so we got in line for a ride on Millennium Force. About an hour and 15 minutes later we were in the front row ready for take of. Another amazing ride on an awesome coaster. However the wait time was extended due to mechanical issues.

This Cedar Point trip was severely plagued by “Inta-fails”. The Intamin rides, which are the best in the park, just could not stay open. All three of them were down for a good majority of our visit. This increased ride wait times and irritated many guests. I got to see several visitors angrily state to a park employee that it is “The worst costumer service of any park they’ve gone to”. I felt bad for the employees that were told to stand by a closed ride and explain to angry crowds why it wasn’t open.

After that rid on Millennium Force, it was around 8:30 and we were starting to see test trains on Top Thrill Dragster! We speed walked over to entrance to see that the line was 1 and a half hour. We weren’t going to pass up on possibly our only opportunity for a ride on TTD so we got in line. The line only would’ve been about an hour, but again it went down several times while in line for it. We had originally planned to ride front row for this night ride but after seeing front row riders wipe countless dead bugs off their face in the brake run, we settled fro second row.

Wow this is a rush. It’s just pure insanity from the first intensely forceful launch to plummeting 420 feet back to the ground into the break run. It’s even better at night. 10/10 Better than Kingda Ka because it has lap bar restraints and isn’t as rattly.

By the time we were off TTD, the park was nearly closed so we left early so we could get an early start on the next day.

We arrived fro ERT again on that Monday morning, and speed walked over to Millennium Force. We got a front row ride within 10 minutes of entering the line, and decided to get another quick ride on MF while the crowds still hadn’t arrived. However, when we were next to board the back row, the ride went down. It was another 30 precious minutes of ERT wasted from a ride being down, but we stayed and rode anyway.

We rushed on over to Top Thrill, hoping to get in line before the general crowds stampeded in. We waited around an hour for an amazing front row ride TTD.

After riding those two we decided to hit the road to go to Doswell, VA for Kings Dominion...

Thanks for reading. I'll have the other parts of my trip posted as soon as I can!

[PhantomTheater]

After experiencing the awesomeness that is Millennium Force TWICE we headed over toward the back of the park to see if Maverick was running. Nope the whole part of the park by Maverick was totally dead. No lights and no people. So we went over to see if Magnum was running. It was so we waited about two trains for back row. 10 minute wait!

That is how Frontier Town is at night, generally everything is still open though.

From how old I knew this coaster was, I thought it would a very rough ride like the typical Arrow loopers that I have ridden have been. I was really surprised surprised of how glass smooth this ride is! Sure it has some jerky transitions and restraints that brought pain to my legs, it was a good, airtime filled ride! The drop and pretzel turn were also very cool elements. 8/10 Good and has nice airtime, but quite painful on the legs in the hills after the MCBR!

Magnum has no MCBR, it has an annoying set of trim breaks. MCBR can stop a train dead, then release the train which can make it back around. Magnum can't do that.

Also no Kitty? No Blue Streak? No Skyhawk? No Cedar Downs?

[ziplock]

Maverick was closed though at that time.

And sorry I didn't know there wasn't a mid course on Magnum. I knew it was slowed down somehow though.

I did ride Skyhawk on my second day of the trip, I don't why I forgot to mention that. No Wildcat or Blue streak though. We focused on the bigger attractions of the park.

[thekidd33]

Sounds like a good trip! If you get a chance to go back don't overlook Blue Streak. Some awesome air on that ride!

Oh and...

Maverick is a very cool ride. The intensity starts just out of the station, as the launch hill throws you over the 95 degree drop, then the ride is pure twisty madness until it sends you through a surprising forceful 70 miles per hour launch. After the launch, the twisted inversions just continue until the final brake run. Maverick packs a big punch for such a small ride. Second best ride at Cedar Point and second best ride of the trip. 10/10

Fixed.

[flightoffear1996]

Front row on Dragster is the best and worth the extra 30 minute wait for it.

[The Interpreter]

Wonderful trip report. Maverick is very much a front seat coaster (and for me, at least, ONLY a front seat coaster).

[marlfox_21]

I would post my trip report regarding my 1st trip to Cedar Point in nearly 9 seasons on here. But the only thing I have to say ( because this would take a while to word properly ) is that you don't want for me to post it. The only thing good that happened was that I was with and had time alone with my wife. Which is always wonderful but.... ( I could have stayed home to be with her and saved my money. ) And yes, I don't usually have anything bad to say about these parks. .......growllllllll.

[The Interpreter]

The parks benefit from constructive criticism. Especially now, as new management takes over. What happened?

[ziplock]

Wonderful trip report. Maverick is very much a front seat coaster (and for me, at least, ONLY a front seat coaster).

Thank you Interpreter. And I couldn't agree more. We rode front seat on both Maverick rides.