Leaderboard

After a successful first day at Cedar Point, it was time for our second and final day at the park before moving on. This time around, we were parked over by the Hotel Breakers (for some reason) and ended up doing Early Entry from that side of the park. We used being on that side of the park to our advantage and while we missed out on the early rides on Gatekeeper, Raptor and Valravn (all of which we had done the day prior), it positioned us well to hit Maverick and Steel Vengeance first thing in the morning. Our view from the parking lot this time around... We were pleasantly surprised to find that Maverick was operating with the Early Entry attractions during this morning. We used the standby queue (since Fast Lane doesn't work during the Early Entry time) as a way to kill time while we waited for the park and Steel Vengeance to officially open. The beauty of this plan was that we were able to wait for Steel Vengeance's line to open right after the park officially opened to all Guests, and still having Fast Lane Plus, we were among the first people in the Fast Lane queue to ride. We waited ten minutes from the time we entered the queue to the time we rode for the first time. And since the queue was so short because we got off of the ride so early, we got right back in line and waited only 15 minutes in the Fast Lane line to ride again! I have no doubt that there are actually enthusiasts that see these life size Coaster Cutouts that are available to purchase at Cedar Point, that buy them to bring them home. I am not one of them. Genuine thrills. Back to back morning rides! It isn't a visit to Cedar Point without a trip to see the Happy Friar. They were out of buffalo sauce (how, I don't know) so I went with garlic parmesan fries with corn dog nuggets. Snake River Expedition is the new attraction addition for the park's 150th anniversary celebration... A family ride somewhat like Jungle Cruise in terms of it being a guided boat tour around the park's waterway with live performers along the way. You get pre-grouped into parties of two once you've completed your journey through the slow-moving queue. I avoided spoilers to experience this attraction fresh for myself, so I was surprised at the number of performers and pre-shows included in the total experience. Ride vehicles in theme... There's a neat little indoor pre-show that sets the story for your expedition. The gist of it? You're taking gold down river to another frontiersman on the team. But beware of opposing cowboys trying to steal your gold. There aren't too many boats and seating is limited, so this attraction can get a lengthy queue. If this kind of attraction is the kind of thing that "floats your boat," it is best to get in line as early as possible to minimize your wait time. Each keelboat features a driver and a frontiersman guide, both of which have speaking roles throughout the experience. You pass show scenes along the river with some interesting "animated figures." Temper your expectations... Disney or Universal animatronics, these are not. But the show scenes are cute for what they are. The backside of the former Shoot the Rapids station is now a show scene. We were warned to look out for bandits! After a bandit boards and hijacks your boat, you float down river and get caught in the middle of a (high quality) shootout scene. During the pre-show and during the ride spiel riders are warned about the infamous basilisk that the Snake River gets its name from... You end up seeing it (or getting shot with its venom) at the end of the ride. Overall a cute experience. Solid for what was surely a limited budget. This is a decent addition for families with younger kids not old enough to tackle the bigger thrills the park has to offer. Be mindful of how badly you want to experience this though and weigh how long you're willing to wait. If it is important for you to experience, get in line earlier, because this isn't high capacity. After the prior day's fun on Magnum, we had to go back for more. Thankfully this time I didn't get attacked by any flying objects. What's not to love about Top Thrill Dragster? I will never not love that something like this can exist without nets. Rougarou was better than I remembered from my prior trip. Still far from the best coaster in the park, but certainly not the worst. Sadly I didn't get a chance to ride Windseeker this time around. This is one Great view of the Lake. Wicked Twister doesn't get the love it deserves. Forceful as heck and those launches are so surprisingly powerful. Plus you get some great airtime in each direction coming down the spikes. Without the All Day Dining Plan for our second day, we were free to try some different culinary options including Melt. The inside of the restaurant is filled with old signs and memorabilia from the park's history. Plus it is a full service restaurant and bar... So if you need some liquid courage or some hearty food, you're covered. So much history in view. There's no shortage of themed merchandise to be found in the park. Lots of retro items too... I have that Raptor CoasterDynamix Nanocoaster model from my last trip. So many Nanocoaster options to choose from! I also have the Steel Vengeance model. A look at the BackBeatQue - BBQ Smokehouse venue that we ate at the day before. These were new to me... Not my style but I do think there's an audience for these. I always love walking through the park's arcade building... There's so much history in this structure. ZOLTAR!!! I didn't get to ride Cedar Downs this time around either. Special 150th anniversary merch... Nifty. A neat concept from CoasterDynamix. Back for more Rougarou... I don't want to think about this as a standup coaster. Artsy fartsy. We love theme parks, roller coasters AND donkeys! Llama... Llama llama llama. The Frontier Festival, the park's food & wine festival was running during our visit but other than a few drinks, we didn't partake. Have I mentioned how much I love Maverick? One more neat Coaster Cutout! As we left Cedar Point to make our way to West Mifflin, we passed Castaway Bay which was closed for refurbishment. But it looks like it'll be in pristine condition when it reopens. So marked the end of our time at Cedar Point. Overall we were very lucky between the weather, the crowds and the staffing. The park really has a top-notch collection of coasters and is well worth visiting every few years or so. Next up is Kennywood!

We just posted our Storm Runner POV!

When a park buys rides like this it's a bit like a middle aged person buying a supercar. It's totally impractical but it's a lot of fun while it lasts, you just have to make sure you give it a spin when you get the chance, otherwise you'll miss out and regret it for ever more.

Great report as always Adam, nice to see a review of the Snake River Expedition ride. Seems like I'd heard very little since that opened and most of it was somewhat negative, so nice to something positive about it for what's it is. My only wish is that it was a little bit higher capacity, I love these type of attractions at thrill ride heavy parks but I'm not going to wait as long for that as I could for a major coaster. Looking forward to Kennywood.

Saint Louis Zoo has a great train. It gets you pretty close to the animal enclosures and there are several long tunnels.

Awesome day 2!

So, absent a lot of other information to troubleshoot with, that pretty likely means your IP has been blocked by the server. That doesn't mean that /you/ actually were, but most residential internet doesn't have static IPs...someone else could have gotten blocked for one reason or another, and then your ISP decided to go ahead and reallocate IPs and give you that one that had been blocked. On most ISPs you can get it to give you a new one by just unplugging your cable modem for a bit (overnight if you want to be sure); when you reconnect the modem it should give you a new address, and more than likely that solves that issue. If it doesn't, there are other things to look into, but that's the low effort way to fix the majority of those errors.

Universal has sent us information on a brand-new haunted house for Halloween Horror Nights 2021, based on The Haunting of Hill House Netflix series! UNIVERSAL STUDIOS’ “HALLOWEEN HORROR NIGHTS” TO DEBUT ALL-NEW MAZES AT UNIVERSAL ORLANDO RESORT AND UNIVERSAL STUDIOS HOLLYWOOD INSPIRED BY NETFLIX’S CRITICALLY-ACCLAIMED SERIES “THE HAUNTING OF HILL HOUSE,” BEGINNING THIS SEPTEMBER Orlando, Fla., Universal City, CA (July 8, 2021) – For the first time ever, Netflix’s critically-acclaimed series “The Haunting of Hill House” will bring its ominous presence to Universal Orlando Resort and Universal Studios Hollywood in all-new mazes for “Halloween Horror Nights 2021,” which is officially back beginning in September. Upon its release, Netflix’s “The Haunting of Hill House” became a worldwide phenomenon of unsettling proportions that elevated the horror television genre. Created, directed and executive-produced by horror mastermind Mike Flanagan (Hush, Oculus, Gerald’s Game) and executive produced by Trevor Macy via their Intrepid Pictures, the chilling horror story follows members of the Crain family who are haunted by long-dormant fears stemming from their time living in the menacing Hill House as children and then forced to face the ghosts of its grisly past. Reincarnated as “Halloween Horror Nights” mazes, the imposing and mysterious Hill House eerily comes to life beckoning guests to embark on the dark journey experienced by the Crain family. Iconic scenes from the Netflix series will be featured throughout the maze, including the omni-powerful Red Room – the heart of Hill House – and the infamous Hall of Statues, where deceptive powers overtake everyone who enters. Apparitions will appear around every corner, from William Hill – The Tall Man, whose towering stature overwhelms everyone he encounters; to The Ghost in the Basement, who feverishly crawls throughout the bowels of the House in search of his next victim; to The Bent-Neck Lady, whose disturbing scream and ghastly appearance invoke a constant state of unnerving dread. “The Haunting of Hill House” mazes will test even the bravest guests as they attempt to escape the entanglement of the estate’s eternal stranglehold or succumb to the powerful forces of Hill House – leaving them to wander the endless halls forever…alone. “I have loved Halloween Horror Nights for so long,” said Flanagan, Creator, Director and Executive Producer of “The Haunting of Hill House.” “Some of my favorite memories of Halloween were made at Universal Studios, screaming and laughing with my friends. It is such an honor to be included among such fantastic Haunts, and I’m so glad that fans will be able to walk the halls of Hill House this Halloween. This is – without a doubt – one of the coolest things that’s ever happened to us at Intrepid. We are so excited to visit the Red Room again – we hope to see you all there!” “It’s a nightmare come true to bring Netflix’s “The Haunting of Hill House” to life for our guests this year at ‘Halloween Horror Nights,’” said Charles Gray, Senior Show Director for Entertainment Creative Development at Universal Orlando Resort. “The show brought true horror to the masses, similar to what we’ve provided our guests at this event for nearly 30 years – Hill House is a perfect fit for “Halloween Horror Nights” as it enters a new decade of fear.” “Mike Flanagan has elevated the horror genre with his supernatural thriller, ‘The Haunting of Hill House,’” said John Murdy, Executive Producer of “Halloween Horror Nights” at Universal Studios Hollywood. “We continuously challenge ourselves to raise the bar with each maze we create, and we look forward to creating a unique experience for our guests that combines both the psychological and visceral twists from the series. The goal is to make our guests feel as if they are walking in the footsteps of the Crain family, re-living all the horrors that they experienced.” The “Halloween Horror Nights” events begin on Friday, September 3 in Orlando and Thursday, September 9 in Hollywood – and both events run select nights through Sunday, October 31. Select tickets and vacation packages are now on sale for “Halloween Horror Nights” at Universal Orlando Resort; tickets for the event at Universal Studios Hollywood will be available soon. Due to popular demand, event nights are expected to sell out. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit www.HalloweenHorrorNights.com. Currently streaming globally on Netflix, “The Haunting of Hill House” is produced for Netflix by Amblin TV and Paramount Television.

^ I think Lake Compounce raised the issue to resolve it since my visit.

^ This Disney marketing team is on point.

"The cart did not derail." - Six Flags "What happened then?" - World "The rear wheels came up off the track." - Six Flags "So, they derailed?" - World "No." - Six Flags

Cedar Fair... why are you like this?

I bought a car with a 72 month lease in October 2019. Due to COVID, my federal student loans were placed in forbearance. I used the money that would have gone into my student loans towards my car payments. I submitted the last payment today. On my birthday.

Found on Facebook... Cedar Point from above, July 4, 1987

I booked thru a travel agent and received Early Park Access on my ticket for the two days I was there. It was extremely smooth getting into the park for me Monday and Tuesday, but of course that meant waking up at the ungodly hour of 5am and arriving there AT 6:30am. You only really need to do EPA if you LOVE IoA potter stuff, or you're a morning bird who isn't planning to do night rides and want to get the park over with sooner. Huge crowds did form at entry and security closer to noon, with the afternoon seeing huge security lines backed all the way to the parking structure trying to get in to either parks (at least according to a friend). Park was fantastic, weather was fantastic(ly HOT! Holy cow, that morning humidity was insane). So many new attractions I finally got to try ever since my last visit when Dragon Challenge was still operating in 2017: Hagrids, Bourne Stuntacular, Fast and the Furious, Transformers, revamp-ed Hulk, aaand VelociCoaster. VelociCoaster was absolutely worth the hype, all the more with really great operations allowing me SIX rides between the two days I was there (Day 1: two in morning + one night ride. Day 2: three consecutive morning rides). I had been using the single riders line on the first day thinking I was getting there quicker, but I made the better choice on day two to wait in the full 60 minute stand-by queue. Not only was I getting the full themed queue with the cool effects and lovely extended-queue views, but the line moved MUCH more consistently and guaranteed me one front-row (kindly requested) ride! The trains are indeed incredibly comfortable to me as well, the ejector airtime is plentiful (more airtime moments front seat, but more powerful airtime in back seat), the inversions and launches are super-sweet as-is the pacing of the whole ride, and the theming through the ride is stellar too! I'm also one that appreciates any coaster with good path interaction, and this coaster may be one of the best with with the top hat dropping near path and queue, the top-gun stall directly over path (no nets, ftw!), the huge overbanks over the bridge, and that roll over the lagoon grazing past extended queue folks! This hit a LOT of things I love most in coasters. It might be my personal new #1! P.S.: After finally experiencing Fast and Furious, I no longer think it deserved the hate it's received.

I went to Kennywood for the first time on Sunday, and I had a blast! Due to a weather delay on the first leg of my trip and weather concerns for Monday, I decided to take a chance and fit Kennywood in for the second half of the day after riding Leap the Dips at Lakemont. I realized that I probably wouldn't get much in at Kennywood and decided to just take it easy and enjoy what I could. Because of the change of plans, my original coaster riding companion couldn’t join me, so it was just me and my coaster-phobic friend. Kennywood wasn’t as busy as I expected for a Sunday at 3:00pm. I walked straight to Steel Curtain to check out the line. It was posted at 45 minutes. Not bad compared to the reports of 2 hour waits, so I got on line. It seemed like all was well until they began cycling empty trains. After the 3rd or 4th empty train, I left and went to Phantom's Revenge, which was my most anticipated coaster. They were only running one train at that time, but the 25-30 minute wait was worth it! This ride lives up to the hype. It was hauling, and I loved the air and view coming over the second hill. After Phantom’s Revenge (or is it Antom's Evenge?), I went on my most anticipated woody, Jackrabbit. They were running two trains and the line wasn’t very long, so there wasn’t much of a wait. The line cut off right before me, so I got the front seat!! Such a fun ride! I love the classic woodies that don’t break my back (like Leap the Dips did!), and the double down is, like many have said before, a high point. My coaster-phobic friend snapped this on-ride photo of me! Next I rode Racer, which also had a short wait. It was my first racing coaster, and I had fun on it. I was in the blue train, and we tied with the green train! After Racer, I rode the Whip, which has always been a favorite flat of mine. My coaster phobic friend also turned out to be whip phobic, so I rode it alone and my cart was extra bouncy. Surprisingly, my friend suggested the Pittsburg Plunge because there was no line and we wanted to cool down. We walked right on, got seated in the back, and of course came off soaked. I haven’t been on a Shoot the Chute since the 90s, so it was a fun way to cool down. We also took a spin on the carousel, which is quite nice! I snapped a photo of Phantom's Revenge and the Whip while waiting for the ride to begin. Because my friend had fun on the Pittsburg Plunge, I tried to get him on the Jackrabbit. I wanted a second ride, and I hoped I could work him up to riding Thunderbolt, but he didn’t trust my description of the Jackrabbit as mild ( I did however get him to ride Leap the Dips earlier while at Lakemont, and he had more fun on it than I did!). I didn’t want to waste time looking for a solo rider for Thunderbolt, so I skipped it. It does look like a lot of fun, and I will make it a priority on my next visit, whenever that might be. Finally, I went back to Steel Curtain where the trains were no longer empty. They were running two, but loading seemed quite slow. Overall I think I waited about 30 minutes because I got to skip the line when they needed a single rider. Not bad for a Sunday!! Going into the visit, Steel Curtain wasn’t one of my most anticipated coasters, but wow! It was smooth, forceful, and fast! I loved the dive drop, and there are some strong positive gs when they snap the photo! It was a quick trip, but it all worked out and I had an excellent time! The park was nicer than I expected based on descriptions I’ve read from those who lament the passing of the good old days. I would agree that it doesn’t match up to the old-timey charm of Knoebel’s or Waldameer, but the stellar lineup makes up for the somewhat sterile feel.

Here's a few of my favorites: Impulse at Knoebels, my fiancee and I ended up riding with another group. The one girl obviously terrified grabbed her hand as we all had them in the air. So we were all holding hands unintentionally straight up for the ride photo, we most certainly bought the photo. Over the weekend a guy that was extremely confused on how SV could go upside down and be safe as a wooden coaster. After talking him into riding it and explaining it's perfectly safe, explaining he'll have the time of his life and getting him to work up the courage. Afterwards he gave me the biggest bro hug when he saw me in the park thanking me up and down for talking him into it. A few wardrobe malfunctions always make for a good laugh, a bit embarrassing, but funny none the less. The most recent was a girl freaking out behind us on The Voyage and having a good laugh about it with us. Explaining the second half she couldn't get it under control since, well, it's the Voyage's second half. Plenty of stories of catching hats (since we typically ride in the back) and being the hero for ten minutes giving it back to the person that thought it would be lost forever. We've developed a skill for catching loose articles from other riders. I'm sure there's a million more stories I can't think of, the Impulse one was pretty hilarious to us at the time though. It's kind of crazy how quickly you can make friends with complete strangers at amusement parks and those are always the best (and funniest) moments.

Sierra Sidwinder at Knott's Berry Farm. Was in the park with family and joined my mom and cousins for a ride (none of them had been on it before). A kid behind us in line started getting nervous as we got closer to the front and my mom's instincts kicked in and she started mom-ing him about how it was going to be fine and how he'd have so much fun. And it seemed to genuinely help. Cut to.... we finish our ride and hit the brakes and my mom turns to me and says "oh man that kid's gonna die".

They have lifted the mask rules. Masks are no longer REQUIRED. They might recommend or even request one but not required like before, entirely voluntary. Pretty simple to understand. They also stopped the other restrictions, no temperature checks, no reservations (no capacity limits), no distancing. Back to 2019 operations. Well except for allowing masks which I'm certain would not have been allowed before. But, while I refused to go to the park while masks were required, you are free to not go now that masks aren't.

I haven't posted anything that isn't true. And you continue to have it out for me for some reason. Each time you post evidence supporting me. We can disagree here. But the fact remains, masks are not required of anyone at many Six Flags now. I have not suggested anyone do anything against park rules.

Recommend is not the same as require. tndank is correct.

Xcelerator has been down the last couple days as well as Hangtime. Also, if you come, show up at 9-9:30. If you don't get ready to wait in this line to get in. The line to get in stretches the length of the marketplace, then, turns and heads down to the south parking lot. It's been like at least the last three days. Oh, this is at around 11:20-30 when I've been leaving.