Cedar Point 10/31-11/2

[DJSkyFoxx]

Ok. So to preface, after having experienced CP in the fall for the first time ever last year, my fiancé and I decided then that we would find ourselves there only during the fall season as the cooler air/light crowds ( on non weekend/Hallo days ) are lighter and the overall vibes are just preferred as a whole. I think at this point if we were to find ourselves inside the park in the summer months it would be because A) we lived in the area or B ) Special event such as Sandusky Pride. Otherwise, we prefer a fall visit.

We had been planning out our trip for awhile and it so happened to work out that it fell on Halloween weekend. At first I was slightly nervous that the crowds would be overwhelming on Halloween night so we bought our FL+ wristbands just in case. Ended up not being crowded at all actually. So while it felt silly spending the money on the wristbands, they did come in handing for making re-rides easier on TT2 and SC. Everything else was quite literally no more than a 15 minute wait. The longest wait of the night for me was Millie because I wanted the front seat as always. But even then, with them only having the red and blue rain operating, that two-train dispatching was much more fluid than when they have three on the track. 

While we ended up having dinner and riding other favorites, my main focus will be on TT2 and SC, so here goes.

Top Thrill 2. I had a lot of complicated emotions around this one and I think there might be those of you who would agree with that. As a long time fan of the original hydraulic launch, I wasn't really sure how to feel about a swing launch. I had both the feelings of being glad they kept the ride at all, but simultaneously I felt the swing launch would be a cheesy replacement for the in your face original hydraulic launch. I realized when walking up to it and seeing it operate with my own two eyes that I was actually growing more excited to experience it. My fiancé was incredibly nervous as she never got to ride the original and this would be her first time ever going this high and this fast. The station op was chill about my request for the front seat as I wanted to see if it all reminded me of the original as the front seat was my favorite spot. We got on really quickly and I was met with seats that felt comfortable, but honestly it felt strange not being able to place my feet firmly on the floor. I'm not very tall but I'm not super short either, so I was able to sort of place the balls of my feel on the floor, but then I sort of realized it was neat to be able to swing my legs a little. It was dark outside which added to the excitement and I realized as we were lined up for the first launch "wow, its been a long time old friend". I wasn't sure what to expect, but I was keeping an open mind. I wasn't at all scared, but more nervous that I would be disappointed. Boy was I wrong. The first launch was nice since it was just fast enough that it felt exciting, but slow enough that for the first time my brain could process what was actually happening and I could sort of take in the scenery and admire the structure. That changed very quickly when going backwards. Holy WOW. I was absolutely NOT expecting those LSMs to have so much pull and bite to them. That backwards launch....you could really feel the train being pulled with some seriously force in a way I was not expecting. It was amazing. And the view from the front row on the spike was absolutely incredible. That hang time feeling didn't last long before absolutely blasting through the LSMs again and again WOW...I never thought any launch could feel more forceful than the hydraulic launch system that the original Dragster had...but it actually RIPPED through and up the top hat with such a force that I quite literally couldn't help but giggle and smile. It felt similar in some ways and yet so different, but I was actually very pleased with the outcome. Albeit always holding a candle for the original Dragster, I am incredibly happy with this new version and I am really thankful that it not only lives on, but absolutely carries the torch. And watching them dispatch the trains Saturday night was a thing of beauty. Well oiled machine that night. So big kudos to the ones operating it. Also, good job CP with making sure Republica's "Ready To Go" was playing outside of the ride. Really added to the nostalgia for those of us who grew up with the original. I managed to get 2 rides in and was about to get a third, but sadly it broke down and I chose to divert my attention to Siren's Curse. TT2 now sits solidly in my top 5 for sure though because it's truly just so much fun. 

Now onto the absolute highlight of the trip for me and my fiancé'. I am going to start with the fact that I have ALWAYS been a major fan of Vekoma. Despite their flaws with their earlier designs with shaky-rough tracking coasters, I always believed in their vision. They were always kind of the budget and space friendly coaster manufacture, but I always admired their unique take on coasters while also providing big thrills. They always just came in at a different angle than others and I have always rooted for the underdog. In a world where B&M and Intamin reigned as kings, Vekoma was always in the shadows making their moves and providing thrills where the kings could not fit for one reason or another. But could they survive with their rough reputation? Vekoma has done something incredible in my eyes. Guys they really have absolutely showed up and shown out. When KI got SSBR, I knew even for that being a small family coaster that they found their groove. Even for such a small coaster, it packs a punch and guess what? Its SMOOTH. I knew when CP was getting Siren's Curse I not only wanted to experience it for a new coaster experience, but also to experience a grown-up Vekoma installation and I was absolutely BLOWN away as was my fiancé'. Let me break down why. And pardon me, I am going to Vekoma fanboi hard here so let me have my moment of pride for them. Heck one of my online screen names in high school lovingly showcased my support for them. 

For one, the trains. My goodness how absolutely insanely comfortable they are. If KI gets a new grown-up Vekoma looper we are in for a real treat because hands down this has to be one of the most comfortable trains I have ever sat in personally. 

Secondly, the lighting on the trains themselves is gorgeous. I love how the lighting matches the storyline perfectly and the fog/light changing and all the little nuance along the way. Just brilliant. Oh, and the actual metallic shift in the paint is something to behold. All of the details in this thing just took me aback in a way I did not expect. 

And of course, for those of you who have ridden it, you already know how absolutely great the onboard audio is. It really does add something special to the ride. From start to finish the audio matches the entire ride experience perfectly. I won't spoil any of it for those of you who haven't taken the journey yet, but its just special. Truly.

Now the ride experience itself. I was actually more excited to experience SC than TT2. I realize they are two very different kinds of coaster, and albeit loving TT2 now, SC really stole the show for me. This thing is absolutely 110% infinitely re-rideable. Its insanely smooth, glossy transitions and just so much fun. This ride is just absolutely a blast. From the appearance, audio, comfortable trains...goodness I am obsessed you could say. I will also add this. For those who may be scared of being tilted forward and hanging in the restraint, if you ever rode Firehawk or any Vekoma Flying Dutchman and felt fine, the best way I can compare the hangtime is to that of the Flying Dutchman...but actually more comfortable. I can't really explain it any other way, but the audio might also be soothing too while you're tilting and then the hang time isn't very long and it's comfortable. I know most of us here do not fear coasters as a whole, but for anyone second guessing themselves over a tilt coaster, this one is not one to miss. Seriously. This is now our favorite roller coaster. I had high expectations for this ride since reading about it and my expectations were far exceeded. I am so incredibly proud of Vekoma. Also, side note. After riding many of the coasters that day, it was easy to tell that a lot of them were on their final set of wheels for the year and were riding as such. You could easily tell SC was also towards the end of that set of wheels and it STILL rode like silk. I can only imagine what a fresh set of wheels would feel like. 

There is my long review of the two new coasters and my personal take on them. I am already looking forward to going back next year and taking a few more rides on TT2 but definitely lapping SC as many times as I can.

 

As for the rest of the time we were there, Saturday was spent doing SC for early entry, having lunch, looking around at the stores and then coming back later that night for some shows since it was the last night of Halloweekends. Our main focus wasn't coasters on Saturday as it was Friday night and it was far busier as to be expected. Sunday I literally popped in to grab a couple of surprises and leave, but I got to observe the sheer amount of people coming in for the last day of the season. I was glad I got in early because holy wow....no thank you!

 

To anyone reading this, thanks for taking time to do so. 

[Diamondback_Is_King]

1 hour ago, DJSkyFoxx said:

Ok. So to preface, after having experienced CP in the fall for the first time ever last year, my fiancé and I decided then that we would find ourselves there only during the fall season as the cooler air/light crowds ( on non weekend/Hallo days ) are lighter and the overall vibes are just preferred as a whole. I think at this point if we were to find ourselves inside the park in the summer months it would be because A) we lived in the area or B ) Special event such as Sandusky Pride. Otherwise, we prefer a fall visit.

We had been planning out our trip for awhile and it so happened to work out that it fell on Halloween weekend. At first I was slightly nervous that the crowds would be overwhelming on Halloween night so we bought our FL+ wristbands just in case. Ended up not being crowded at all actually. So while it felt silly spending the money on the wristbands, they did come in handing for making re-rides easier on TT2 and SC. Everything else was quite literally no more than a 15 minute wait. The longest wait of the night for me was Millie because I wanted the front seat as always. But even then, with them only having the red and blue rain operating, that two-train dispatching was much more fluid than when they have three on the track. 

While we ended up having dinner and riding other favorites, my main focus will be on TT2 and SC, so here goes.

Top Thrill 2. I had a lot of complicated emotions around this one and I think there might be those of you who would agree with that. As a long time fan of the original hydraulic launch, I wasn't really sure how to feel about a swing launch. I had both the feelings of being glad they kept the ride at all, but simultaneously I felt the swing launch would be a cheesy replacement for the in your face original hydraulic launch. I realized when walking up to it and seeing it operate with my own two eyes that I was actually growing more excited to experience it. My fiancé was incredibly nervous as she never got to ride the original and this would be her first time ever going this high and this fast. The station op was chill about my request for the front seat as I wanted to see if it all reminded me of the original as the front seat was my favorite spot. We got on really quickly and I was met with seats that felt comfortable, but honestly it felt strange not being able to place my feet firmly on the floor. I'm not very tall but I'm not super short either, so I was able to sort of place the balls of my feel on the floor, but then I sort of realized it was neat to be able to swing my legs a little. It was dark outside which added to the excitement and I realized as we were lined up for the first launch "wow, its been a long time old friend". I wasn't sure what to expect, but I was keeping an open mind. I wasn't at all scared, but more nervous that I would be disappointed. Boy was I wrong. The first launch was nice since it was just fast enough that it felt exciting, but slow enough that for the first time my brain could process what was actually happening and I could sort of take in the scenery and admire the structure. That changed very quickly when going backwards. Holy WOW. I was absolutely NOT expecting those LSMs to have so much pull and bite to them. That backwards launch....you could really feel the train being pulled with some seriously force in a way I was not expecting. It was amazing. And the view from the front row on the spike was absolutely incredible. That hang time feeling didn't last long before absolutely blasting through the LSMs again and again WOW...I never thought any launch could feel more forceful than the hydraulic launch system that the original Dragster had...but it actually RIPPED through and up the top hat with such a force that I quite literally couldn't help but giggle and smile. It felt similar in some ways and yet so different, but I was actually very pleased with the outcome. Albeit always holding a candle for the original Dragster, I am incredibly happy with this new version and I am really thankful that it not only lives on, but absolutely carries the torch. And watching them dispatch the trains Saturday night was a thing of beauty. Well oiled machine that night. So big kudos to the ones operating it. Also, good job CP with making sure Republica's "Ready To Go" was playing outside of the ride. Really added to the nostalgia for those of us who grew up with the original. I managed to get 2 rides in and was about to get a third, but sadly it broke down and I chose to divert my attention to Siren's Curse. TT2 now sits solidly in my top 5 for sure though because it's truly just so much fun. 

Now onto the absolute highlight of the trip for me and my fiancé'. I am going to start with the fact that I have ALWAYS been a major fan of Vekoma. Despite their flaws with their earlier designs with shaky-rough tracking coasters, I always believed in their vision. They were always kind of the budget and space friendly coaster manufacture, but I always admired their unique take on coasters while also providing big thrills. They always just came in at a different angle than others and I have always rooted for the underdog. In a world where B&M and Intamin reigned as kings, Vekoma was always in the shadows making their moves and providing thrills where the kings could not fit for one reason or another. But could they survive with their rough reputation? Vekoma has done something incredible in my eyes. Guys they really have absolutely showed up and shown out. When KI got SSBR, I knew even for that being a small family coaster that they found their groove. Even for such a small coaster, it packs a punch and guess what? Its SMOOTH. I knew when CP was getting Siren's Curse I not only wanted to experience it for a new coaster experience, but also to experience a grown-up Vekoma installation and I was absolutely BLOWN away as was my fiancé'. Let me break down why. And pardon me, I am going to Vekoma fanboi hard here so let me have my moment of pride for them. Heck one of my online screen names in high school lovingly showcased my support for them. 

For one, the trains. My goodness how absolutely insanely comfortable they are. If KI gets a new grown-up Vekoma looper we are in for a real treat because hands down this has to be one of the most comfortable trains I have ever sat in personally. 

Secondly, the lighting on the trains themselves is gorgeous. I love how the lighting matches the storyline perfectly and the fog/light changing and all the little nuance along the way. Just brilliant. Oh, and the actual metallic shift in the paint is something to behold. All of the details in this thing just took me aback in a way I did not expect. 

And of course, for those of you who have ridden it, you already know how absolutely great the onboard audio is. It really does add something special to the ride. From start to finish the audio matches the entire ride experience perfectly. I won't spoil any of it for those of you who haven't taken the journey yet, but its just special. Truly.

Now the ride experience itself. I was actually more excited to experience SC than TT2. I realize they are two very different kinds of coaster, and albeit loving TT2 now, SC really stole the show for me. This thing is absolutely 110% infinitely re-rideable. Its insanely smooth, glossy transitions and just so much fun. This ride is just absolutely a blast. From the appearance, audio, comfortable trains...goodness I am obsessed you could say. I will also add this. For those who may be scared of being tilted forward and hanging in the restraint, if you ever rode Firehawk or any Vekoma Flying Dutchman and felt fine, the best way I can compare the hangtime is to that of the Flying Dutchman...but actually more comfortable. I can't really explain it any other way, but the audio might also be soothing too while you're tilting and then the hang time isn't very long and it's comfortable. I know most of us here do not fear coasters as a whole, but for anyone second guessing themselves over a tilt coaster, this one is not one to miss. Seriously. This is now our favorite roller coaster. I had high expectations for this ride since reading about it and my expectations were far exceeded. I am so incredibly proud of Vekoma. Also, side note. After riding many of the coasters that day, it was easy to tell that a lot of them were on their final set of wheels for the year and were riding as such. You could easily tell SC was also towards the end of that set of wheels and it STILL rode like silk. I can only imagine what a fresh set of wheels would feel like. 

There is my long review of the two new coasters and my personal take on them. I am already looking forward to going back next year and taking a few more rides on TT2 but definitely lapping SC as many times as I can.

 

As for the rest of the time we were there, Saturday was spent doing SC for early entry, having lunch, looking around at the stores and then coming back later that night for some shows since it was the last night of Halloweekends. Our main focus wasn't coasters on Saturday as it was Friday night and it was far busier as to be expected. Sunday I literally popped in to grab a couple of surprises and leave, but I got to observe the sheer amount of people coming in for the last day of the season. I was glad I got in early because holy wow....no thank you!

 

To anyone reading this, thanks for taking time to do so. 

Loved hearing your thoughts on your trip and these two amazing new rides! I love both of them but I think I like SC better. My CP rankings are:

1. SteVe

2. Maverick

3. Siren's Curse

4. TT2

5. Milie or Valravn

[DJSkyFoxx]

16 hours ago, Diamondback_Is_King said:

Loved hearing your thoughts on your trip and these two amazing new rides! I love both of them but I think I like SC better. My CP rankings are:

1. SteVe

2. Maverick

3. Siren's Curse

4. TT2

5. Milie or Valravn

Absolutely! They really have two great additions on their hands. Well, an addition and a half technically. But either or, they are both serious heavy hitters and they both offer something really special. Really thankful they saved Dragster and gave it a new lease on life and that its truly as fun as it is and even more grateful that SC came to Ohio! If I lived closer I would have put some serious laps on that thing, but until that day comes I will ride as many times as I can in a visit 

My CP top 5 :

1) Siren's Curse

2) SteVe

3) Millie

4) TT2

5) Maverick 

[DJSkyFoxx]

Also....side note. The amount of love shown for Iron Dragon over the weekend was honestly shocking. The amount of people I heard around me talking about heading over to take a ride on it or the amount of people lined up to ride in general over the weekend was pretty great to see. It isn't the most spectacular coaster by any stretch, but it a good solid intermediate coaster which CP doesn't have as many of compared to other parks. It may not be my favorite, but I have a soft spot for old Arrow Suspended coasters and I have respect for the path it made for the rides we have today. I do hope it sticks around for many years to come as these are slowly becoming extinct. 

[jbeast]

DJSkyFoxx...I cannot agree more on your take on both coasters. That backward launch on TT2 caught me totally by surprise on how forceful it is. Just could not believe it. I loved the original version, and the updated version is just the best.

And Siren's Curse is just a flat-out amazing coaster in every aspect. The hangtime waiting to be let go is so much fun and it is one snappy coaster through the rest of the course! So much detail in that coaster!

My only hope is KI gets something on that par and even better for the old Vortex spot.

[robintodd]

My wife and I were also there Thusday - Sunday.  We always go the last weekend, been doing it for 26 years now.

Thursday as mostly a wash out.  

Friday the park attendance was VERY light.  Never saw more than a half hour wait for SC all day.  Expected it to get busier at night but it never did.  I put it up to trick or treating.  Kids may love CP, but the love candy more

Saturday was completely busy.  90+ minute wait for SC.  

Only stayed till about Noon on Sunday just to get a last walk around the park.

The main thing that stuck with me was the mazes.  With the exception of Cornstalkers 2.0 (we didn't go thorough Slaughterhouse) but the other 4 all had changes/updates to them.  I found the $10 worth it.  Lines were 45-60 minutes so the crowd didn't seem to mind the cost either.  The biggest change was they took the shower scene with the bugs out of Eerie Estates and replaced it with spiders and webs???  Didn't go thourgh Cove because the line was outrageous (no maze access required) and also skipped Bayou because it's a hike just to the walk through.

All in all great trip but think we'll be doing the second to last weekend from now on.  Tomo's inside Breakers was closed for the last weekend (happens from time-to-time) and we both really look forward to that dinner.  

[DJSkyFoxx]

I was definitely shocked at how not busy Friday night/Halloween was. I really thought it was gonna be at least moderately busy, but like you said @robintodd, it was basically a ghost town in CP standards. I was kicking myself a bit about buying FL+, but we figured we'd rather be safe than sorry since we weren't sure what the night crowds were going to be like. And since I wasn't really sure of the line situation for TT2 and SC, I wanted to make sure we could get on those relatively quickly and enjoy the night at the park without having to waste much time since our time was limited anyways. I suppose I have spent more on dumber things. But either or, I'm glad you also had a great time too! I think going forward we may also wait until closer to the end of the season too as that was really a great experience. 

We didn't end up doing any of the mazes, however we did catch two shows. We saw Skeleton Crew which honestly was incredibly entertaining for it being on such a small stage. It was also a shorter show, but they packed a lot in those 10 or so minutes. The three guys doing the show had a lot of energy and skill and it was so fun to watch them. We also caught Fangs After Dusk. Really was impressed by how good they sounded. They did 80's music and they were actually quite nice to listen to! We wanted to catch the murder-mystery style show but because we already walked back up towards the front of the park we didn't feel like making the trek back there again after walking around all day and the previous day. 

[robintodd]

14 minutes ago, DJSkyFoxx said:

I was definitely shocked at how not busy Friday night/Halloween was. I really thought it was gonna be at least moderately busy, but like you said @robintodd, it was basically a ghost town in CP standards. I was kicking myself a bit about buying FL+, but we figured we'd rather be safe than sorry since we weren't sure what the night crowds were going to be like. And since I wasn't really sure of the line situation for TT2 and SC, I wanted to make sure we could get on those relatively quickly and enjoy the night at the park without having to waste much time since our time was limited anyways. I suppose I have spent more on dumber things. But either or, I'm glad you also had a great time too! I think going forward we may also wait until closer to the end of the season too as that was really a great experience. 

We didn't end up doing any of the mazes, however we did catch two shows. We saw Skeleton Crew which honestly was incredibly entertaining for it being on such a small stage. It was also a shorter show, but they packed a lot in those 10 or so minutes. The three guys doing the show had a lot of energy and skill and it was so fun to watch them. We also caught Fangs After Dusk. Really was impressed by how good they sounded. They did 80's music and they were actually quite nice to listen to! We wanted to catch the murder-mystery style show but because we already walked back up towards the front of the park we didn't feel like making the trek back there again after walking around all day and the previous day. 

We also saw Fangs on Friday, wanted to see it because consistanly it is the best show in any park and I always look forward to the Red Garter Saloon Rock show.  Wanted to see it Friday to catch it Saturday as well, and we decided not to catch it Saturday because the show was sub-par in our opinion.  The sound was not on par with previous years (balance was way off) and just not the same intensity.  Don't get me wrong we enjoyed it (KI needs something similar) it's just that we weren't blown away as we have been in previous years.

I would suggest hitting the second to last weekend.  Seems as though the last Sat/Sun is always crowded.  Get there Thurs, it's less crowded and stay however many nights you want.  We stay 3 because it acts as an insurance policy in case of bad weather.

Maybe we'll run into you next year!

Cheers.

[Losantiville Mining Co.]

5 hours ago, robintodd said:

We also saw Fangs on Friday, wanted to see it because consistanly it is the best show in any park and I always look forward to the Red Garter Saloon Rock show.  Wanted to see it Friday to catch it Saturday as well, and we decided not to catch it Saturday because the show was sub-par in our opinion.  The sound was not on par with previous years (balance was way off) and just not the same intensity.  Don't get me wrong we enjoyed it (KI needs something similar) it's just that we weren't blown away as we have been in previous years.

I think you may have just been there for one of their bad shows. When I saw it earlier in the season (once during their open rehearsals and again for the full thing during HalloWeekends) they looked and sounded awesome! It's definitely one of the best rock n' roll shows I've seen the parks put on. The live band helps a ton as well. It also has a cult following that packs into the Red Garter Saloon most nights which amps up the energy big time.

I wish Kings Island could get something even close to Fangs After Dusk, but it seems the chain is content on repeating the same Live Entertainment options at KI year after year. Nytewalkers is probably the best show we had this Haunt season and it felt stale. Ghouls Gone Wild also feels like it should be a daytime-only show since it's so family-friendly. The Festhaus atmosphere also seems to suck a lot of energy out of the show. Dr. Nightmare's Game Show is... yeah. I won't beg and plead for the return of Hot Blooded — although this would've been the year to do it — but Haunt is an event that thrived with energetic and risque shows. Maybe we'll see a better lineup next year and Fangs After Dusk can continue to energize crowds at Cedar Point.

[IndyGuy4KI]

I really thought after I rode both of those that you and @IBEW_Sparky would really enjoy these 2 coasters and was really hoping to hear your thoughts. You put that TR down perfectly with how I feel about them as well. I will say, I like SC a little bit better over TT2. The onboard audio really tilts it over the edge for me.  Pun intended! I am so glad you enjoyed them both. 

[DJSkyFoxx]

15 hours ago, IndyGuy4KI said:

I really thought after I rode both of those that you and @IBEW_Sparky would really enjoy these 2 coasters and was really hoping to hear your thoughts. You put that TR down perfectly with how I feel about them as well. I will say, I like SC a little bit better over TT2. The onboard audio really tilts it over the edge for me.  Pun intended! I am so glad you enjoyed them both. 

I have no shame in saying SC is truly my #1 coaster right now. It's just pure fun from start to finish. This ride does everything so well and it doesn't have to be the biggest/baddest in the world to do it right. And TT2 is just such a great rush and really is fantastic, but SC feels like a more complete experience with the extra details and the on-board audio and that's what really gives it the winning edge (as you also mentioned) along with the fact that this thing is just so incredibly smooth. I've been crossing all my fingers that KI will put a new Vekoma in Vortex's plot for so long. The idea that it could be a big possibility has me even more excited after experiencing this beautiful coaster. 

And thanks @IndyGuy4KI ! I'm glad you enjoyed them as well. Looking forward to taking some more laps on these next year!