Cedar Point Media Day, OSU Day, Opening Day

[coasterfanatic83]

Well, today was the beginning of my weekend in Sandusky with Zach (TTD-120-420). Media day was incredible. Things ran smoothly, the press conference was amazing to listen to, and it was a beautiful day.

Oh, and Gatekeeper,

Here are my thoughts on Cedar Point's newest addition:

First off, I would like to rescind any qualms or concerns I had about this ride. I was very questioning all throughout construction and what not, and I would like to take a minute to say that I feel like a fool for that.

This ride is incredible. We rode it 17 times today, in nearly every seat on the train. In terms of which side I prefer, the right is better. The wing-over with everything falling out from under you is miraculous, and there seem to be more exciting moments on that side. The best rides were in the front row, but the back isn't too bad either. In terms of the actual ride and layout, this ride is a menace. It is violent yet smooth. The valleys have incredible G-Forces (I even started to grey out, and I never do that). The keyhole is unreal. The second zero-g-roll is slow, but that makes it much better. This ride, if it were at KI, would be the best ride in the park. Overall, this ride is something that everybody needs to experience.

This ride is beautiful as well. The colors, the lights, and everything else you could imagine were miraculous. The train's eyes were lit up, and even the photo booth and gift shop had a beautiful mural on the walls. The B&M roar we all know was nearly nonexistent, which helps at the front gate. The lakeside view only makes it that much better. Gatekeeper Plaza looked really good today, and the keyholes were incredible to look at in the dark. Once the grass grows, this will be incredible to ride. Another thing that really impressed me, was that there were no bins for bags and stuff in the morning, but they were installed by the afternoon. Talk about efficiency! Also, this ride is the most photogenic that I have ever seen; even more so than Vortex. I don't believe you can take a bad picture of Gatekeeper.

There were only a few negatives about the ride itself. The biggest, in my opinion, was that the shoulder harnesses really tightened throughout the ride. It got to the point where it was almost painful. Also, the camelback airtime hills didn't really deliver any airtime, unless you sat in the very back row. Ultimately, this is not a ride I could marathon, because it is rather violent for a B&M. It shakes and jerks quite a bit and the G-Forces are intense. These are the only negative things I can find about this ride.

The new front entrance is incredible, day or night. The buildings look nice, and the keyholes massive. The new flat screens looked good today as well.

Unfortunately, the seagulls have already begun their attack on the new ride and entrance.

Oh, and riding a ride at sunrise is way cooler than riding at sunset.

And Trent Richardson, running back for the Browns, was on a train with us!

Later on in the day they opened up Raptor and Millennium Force for us as well, which was great of them. I can't say enough about the friendliness of the employees, from Mr. Ouimet himself to the young lady serving us our food. I was impressed. And free lunch and breakfast was nice as well.

If you have any questions, feel free to ask. I believe Zach will post some pictures on here later tonight! Thanks for reading- stay tuned for the rest of the weekend!

[McSalsa]

Great review...even though I have yet to ride this, obviously...just a question, and I'm sure I'm not the only one wondering this- have you ever been on Wild Eagle @ Dollywood, X-Flight @ SFGam, or (unlikely) one of the foreign B&M Wing Coasters for comparison purposes?

Also- a B&M that is actually FORCEFUL for the first time in a long time? Wow...makes me kind of hope whatever new ride KI is getting, if it is a B&M, is also forceful...(imagines a B&M Giga that is somewhat similar to Intimidator 305 in layout, and has good forces besides just airtime but of course it also has lots of ejector air moments, but with B&M's ultra-comfy hypercoaster trains, and with far better reliability and capacity compared to I305 as well...) Agahagahahagahagaha...drool...

[coasterfanatic83]

I have not ridden any other wing coasters, but Zach told me that it was much better than Wild Eagle, which he has ridden.

And yes, this ride will kick your butt if you mess with it

[LongLiveTheSmurfRide]

Reading reviews at Point Buzz and now this one, I'm hearing quite a bit about the harnesses and that they can be quite painful or limit deep breaths. I don't like what I'm hearing, though some people have said that they didn't notice an issue at all. I'll be out there next weekend to try it myself, but I'm starting to get anxious that the harness will detract from the ride.

[coasterfanatic83]

From what I saw, it looked like people who aren't very big, in terms of weight, had issues with harnesses on their collarbones. Mine are still sore this morning. After about 4 rides it started to really be uncomfortable, as it was pressuring the same spot every time.

The restraints are not something that should stop you from riding this thing though, because it is that much fun.

[coasterfanatic83]

Day 2 was an absolute success! OSU day crowds weren't bad at all, and we rode every coaster in the park with time to spare. Gatekeeper's line was only about 20-30 minutes.

Just a few things I noticed: Gemini's new station looks pretty good. The new lights and painting touch-ups all throughout the park really make a difference! Millennium's lights and paint look great!

It was good to ride Cedar Downs with Gator to start the day, and we saw Don walking around and just enjoying the park as a guest, riding Raptor and then seemingly following us to Blue Streak afterwards (we think he was stalking us).

The weather wasn't too bad, other than being a little chilly. Oh, and Gatekeeper is still awesome.

[TTD-120-420]

We are home from opening day, and after three days in the park I am exhausted. No sleep at all over the past three days.

Yes, Gatekeeper is a lot better than Wild Eagle. Never been on X-Flight, but I thought Wild Eagle was pretty boring.

I did not think as highly of the ride as Caleb did. I did not think it was extremely forcefull, and I could marathon it for a decent amount of time if I could. Caleb got through 4 rides and was headed to the bathroom to lose his dinner from the night before. He's a baby like that.

The best part is the keyhole section. It wasn't much of a headchopper effect, but it just looked cool.

After three days we rode GK 18 or 19 times. (lost track)

Here are some pictures, including pictures from the Sandusky Register that we are featured in (captions are below each picture):

This is from the Register. We are in the 2nd row on the right side.

Same as above

Oh, who is that in the second row hanging out behind Matt Ouimet? Us

I had to take advantage of the podium.

Ouimet doing interviews

Look who was working hard all day

Trent Richardson from the University of Alabama and now wasting his time with the Browns.

[TTD-120-420]

Sorry for the double post.

I just want to apologize for how awful of quality these pictures are. I would blame it on the camera, but I think Caleb and I are the real problem. We suck at taking pictures.

Alright guys, I'm gonna go sleep for a few days. . .

[MDMC01]

Great pics; I'm going to The Point in about a month and this makes me so pumped to ride Gatekeeper

EDIT: ... and all the other awesome rides CP has to offer

[malem]

I blame the phone. Even the best smartphone cameras are at most lackluster.

Great report, thanks for posting! You've made me wish I had driven up there Thursday.

Caleb got through 4 rides and was headed to the bathroom to lose his dinner from the night before. He's a baby like that.

Taking your first rides at night couldn't have helped the situation. I'm sure he's grateful you shared that with the world.

A few times, I've felt slightly off after partaking in an amusement ride. Granted, I didn't immediately get back on 3 more times to see what would happen, and it was probably my fault for not having my head positioned as intended.

[TheCrypt]

Nice pictures. Gatekeeper looks amazing at night! Hopefully Kings Island thinks so too and updates lighting packages within the park.

[coasterfanatic83]

Opening Day was very crowded, but we managed to get basically everything in. At that point I was too exhausted to look for things to write on here about, but it was another day at the best amusement park in the world!

And yes, Gatekeeper had me blowing a few chunks- thanks for sharing that with the world Zach.

I can't wait to go to bed

[TTD-120-420]

I blame the phone. Even the best smartphone cameras are at most lackluster.

Great report, thanks for posting! You've made me wish I had driven up there Thursday.

I would blame the phone, but we used a real digital camera. Yes, we are that bad at taking pictures.

I forgot to mention we met and talked to Gator on Cedar Downs during Ohio State day. We also said an awkward hello to Don who was waiting behind us to ride Raptor.