Leaderboard

Soo after years of saying I wanted to, and my work blessing me with two days off in a row, I finally booked a very last-minute trip and made my way up here on the 17th. With that, the downside to this was that I only had a day in this park but I feel like I made the most of it. I did spend the extra $20 to get the drink pass and upon getting there decided also to buy the express - it looked like it was going to be a busier day in the park, and again I only had a day and wanted to ensure I was able to do everything. I did still miss some stuff, mostly the flatrides and I chose to skip Corkscrew. Steel Vengeance and Maverick are the hidden gems in the back of the park. SV is insane. I went into Maverick blind so I was also pleasantly surprised by it. Both coasters really pack some punches. I did find Maverick to be uncomfortable but that was kinda my own fault - accidentally stapled myself into the restraints. Rougarou exists. Ops were fun though. I kept track of my coaster credits because I wanted #50 (I know, I know... baby numbers) to be one of the crazy ones. After finally seeing TT2 with my own eyes it was kinda intimidating and it took me like all day to psyche myself up to do it. Made Siren's Curse my 50th credit. They put me and another single rider in the front. Terrifying. I'm gonna need that ride audio on Spotify or something though. I love the theming even if it is minimal, though I know its nitpicky, I do wish the track was green or teal instead of red. I just think it'd be more aesthetically pleasing. Iron Dragon is a fun family coaster. Happy I can cross a coaster like that off my list. Took a food break (all the food is great btw!) then did Gemini. Only one train on this day idk if that's a common occurance or not. Had more fun than I thought I would, though I was sat behind a kid who kept flailing his arms backwards and hitting me though, that was a little annoying. Got in line for Millennium Force three separate times (it was soft down the first two, then I had to unload on the third time.) Apparently the gates to get on the ride are suuuuper finnicky, and if people push or pull on them or whatever it can cause the trains to e-stop. Op explained this to everyone in line because I guess that caused a train to e-stop right before the unload. The more you know! Besides that, the actual coaster is very fun. I know it's a mixed bag on here but I found Valravn was very fun. I go back and forth between that and SV being my third favorite coaster here. Also my first experience with a dive coaster so that may be part of it. I survived Blue Streak I liked Raptor. I did not have high expectations because I don't love coasters of that style (please understand my home park is SFDL so my only other experience is Mind Eraser.) Magnum was alright. I fortunately didn't end up with bruises but it was a pretty rough ride. GateKeeper is fun. Literally just felt like I was flying, also adored it being in the front of the park and the 'theming' if you will with that. TT2 ended up being my last ride though not totally by choice. It went down four separate times while I was in line for it. Literally would run a few cycles with people, then would see it was just testing. By #3 I almost cut my losses and was about to just reride some favorites but I was already waiting for that long, I may as well see it through. I did not regret it, I literally don't have words. What an insane coaster. It's just... an experience you need to have if you're an enthusiast. By the time I got off it was a little past 9, so barely an hour left of park open. I wanted to try to still get some rerides in, but Iron Dragon went down around 8 and never reopened, and when I got off TT2 it went down again, and Siren's and MF were also down. So I decided that was my sign and headed out. My overall thoughts, now that I've actually experienced it CP very much deserves the hype it gets. It definitely makes the top 10 on my favorite parks list, probably even in the top 3. It probably will be a long while before I get to come back, but when I do I definitely will plan it better and make a longer trip out of it - so I can have a few days in the park and don't have to speedrun everything and can even take a day to the water park. I'm sure there's some stuff I missed but this is already a very long trip recap, sorry lol. I literally have dreams about some of these coasters I cannot wait to be back one day. That's all.

I made a quick visit to the park last Wednesday, not just for riding a few rides, but also buying some popcorn and seeing how much can go into my Playland Popcorn Bucket. Turns out the Large is twice what my little plastic "pail" can hold. Next time, I'll get the smaller size and see how that works out. On my usual way to the park. Once inside, I turn left and see this. The log flume ("we're riding in a ....") is at the front of the park. Pretty basic layout. Still gives a good WET thrill. Now THIS is landscaping, lol! Too bad there's not more of this around the park. My popcorn destination: The Snack Shack. I can already see that it won't all go into my bucket. It's twice as much popcorn. So next time, I'll get the smaller bag. Work on the Amphitheatre is looking good there. This was a quickie TR, so I end this one with the usual WHEEEEEE!

As some of you may know I am the guy who put off his vacation when Dragster had its accident and I decided I didn’t want to come unless it was replaced or “remastered”. Then when it did come back reimagined I once again stopped my plans when it went down early in the season. And boy am I glad I did wait(more on that later). I stayed at hotel breakers with my mother from July 14-July 19. So I got 4 full park days and a half a day when we arrived because we got to the park at like 2pm. I’ve never done a trip report before so if this is a little rough bear with me. I have tons of thoughts, hot takes and opinions I’d really like to share. Let me start with the good. Immediately upon arriving they were able to accommodate our early check in request and had the room ready. Room was tidy, had no bad smells and had a perfect view of TT2(as I had requested lol). Immediately the hotel staff made us feel very welcome and had no issues answering our questions or taking our trash away. They were very very quick to respond to all requests such as extra blankets or coming by to pick up the trash(we were told to leave it outside the door). This kindness extended to the ride ops and all park staff we encountered. Everyone was super nice! The rides! After hearing on Facebook so many awful accounts of rides being closed that simply wasn’t my experience at all. Yeah Millie and Maverick went down twice at two inconvenient times but other than that I barely ever saw a ride closed. Let’s start with B&M’s. First thing I did was ride gatekeeper in the front row on the left. Starting the ride off with an inversion that flips you over the tracks was an awesome sensation! I really enjoyed it and the gate elements added a lot of fun to the ride experience. Rougaru was meh in terms of layout and honestly I didn’t enjoy it enough to ride more than once. Ironically I think my opinion of it would be far better if it was still a standup ride. But it was by no means bad and I didn’t find that my head banged around too hard. Raptor was awesome! My favorite B&M in the park by a good margin. It had a great layout with wippy inversions and a final helix that seems to go on forever(my favorite part). Unfortunately I do agree with the people who find Valraven very dull. It felt completely forceless to me and honestly I only have two good things to say about it. The smoothness and that last inversion gives you a little bit of hang time. I’m simply not much of a fan of Dive coasters Speaking of Forceless, let’s get to Millie. I have heard this ride called Millennium forcless for as long as I knew it existed. I got a front row seat for the first ride and was immediately struck by the view, the videos don’t do it justice. The first drop was awesome but I immediately greyed out in the helix and went on to grey out twice more in the layout. The ride was smooth and fun but I absolutely did not find it forcless at all! I do prefer Fury but this ride has aged VERY WELL IMO. I greyed out on that first Helix every single time. Magnum. Honestly respect the ride for its history but I hated it. Just too painful and I have massive bruises from it. Corkscrew, Gemini and Blue streak were also not very pleasant to be on and frankly I rode them just to say I tried them lol. The only two coasters I did not ride was Iron Dragon and Cedar creek mine ride. Wild mouse by Zamperla was fun! The only thing wrong with it was its very short layout. Great family ride. Let’s move on to the other Zamperla creation and my new number one coaster. TT2 was worth the wait and then some. Being thrown back at 100mph at like 350 feet was simply incredible. Both in view and strong floater airtime. Going up that top hat was really quite intense and being jerked over it into the downward spiral was nuts(especially back row). It bordered on uncomfortable but man I absolutely loved it guys. I have a TT2 blanket on me as I type this Sirens curse was very fun and while Cedar Point isn’t lacking in great coasters this was more than a solid addition. My only gripe with the ride is that I wish it had a bigger drop. The layout after the drop was really good and had no down time(great pacing). And man it was potentially the smoothest coaster I’ve ever ridden. The Vekoma at my home park is night and day difference in smoothness. Also that light package for nighttime is absolutely gorgeous and the on ride audio was super neat. Not to mention the very good theming around the queue. It’s not Disney, but they clearly cared and it shows. Next up we have two absolute gems! Maverick and Steel Vengeance. Both of these rides lived up to my high expectations. Mavericks low to the ground layout and snappy elements remind you that size isn’t everything. The launch under the station is a genius way to keep the layout compact. And boy at night you feel like you’re getting launched into the wall. Both Maverick and Vengeance are better at night. Steel Vengeance was completely insane. Like to the point I’m still not sure if it’s a great ride just because of the sheer intensity. The layout and ejector airtime simply can’t be appreciated by a forum post or a YouTube video. I would argue that as great as the first half is that the second half is even better. Visually just going through all that wood was so disorienting in the best way possible. And you really feel out of control. It’s probably the most intense ride I’ve ever ridden. I think I do prefer Maverick simply because I found it more comfortable as Steve was hard on my legs. I also loved how the rides very much feel like rivals and that the park embraced that fully with a backstory. The flat rides were good! Max air and skyhawk were standouts. I found power tower to be disappointing. You simply don’t drop far enough imo I really don’t have many negatives but they do exist. I think the employees being forced to ask every single time if you want a souvenir cup even if you’re holding one got old fast. I was very polite to them as I was informed beforehand they get into trouble if they don’t ask. It made me feel sad for them because you always have A Holes who you know treat them badly over it. The breakers wasn’t disgusting or anything but it certainly didn’t feel its price. I understand they’re getting away with that though because it’s simply a 5 star location and the convenience is ridiculously nice. I feel spoiled staying on site. The all season drink plan was so sooooo worth it. Getting to fill your body with power aide came in extremely clutch in the hot weather where it’s a struggle just to stay hydrated. I also really liked the food. Cheese on a stick didn’t disappoint me and the portion of fries with my meal was very large! The macaroni and cheese was to die for as well. We ended up eating outside the park one night at a place that was called Brick oven bistro or something like that. We loved our food and the price was very reasonable. Anyway guys my trip was everything I hoped for and more. The only bad part was my mom didn’t want to ride much. None of my guy friends or coaster buddies were available this summer (work, kids etc etc). But my mom did surprise me. She rode Sirens curse, gatekeeper, Valraven(the GP seem to adore this one) and I somehow talked her into riding Maverick even though she had read how intense it was. She walked away with Maverick being her favorite by far! If you know my mom this was a BIG plot twist lol. Unfortunately on our last night at the park we were in the queue and it broke and never reopened, so she never got her night ride in. Cedar point simply can’t be missed and I’m already hoping to return in a few years. 10/10 trip. I am so jealous some people get this as their home park. And with Kings Island not being too far it’s an embarrassment of riches for Ohio.

Frightfest was just canceled but they state they are still open Sat & Sun during the daytime..

Thank you Amy! I appreciate the detail you provided and will definitely give it another shot. As long as my health permits it.

Day 9: Bay Beach and lots of driving Drove about 5 hours from Shakopee to Green Bay and spent a little over an hour at Bay Beach. This park was pretty cool and the rides are insanely cheap. Between my wife and I we rode 10 rides for $9.50. The food was also reasonably priced and it's really neat that the city owns and runs the park. As for the star attraction... Rode Zippin Pippin in Row 3 for my first ride and it was sort of uneventful up there. Some floater on the camelbacks. But then...that f*cking triangle hill. Good lord. I thought I threw my back out the first time over it. I don't know how much ejector air I was expecting to get, but it's more like one big jackhammer directly into the restraint and nothing can prepare you for how strong that one moment of airtime is. I don't understand how it why they built this hill, but it is very insane. Rode again in back and this is where it's at. The first drop has solid ejector, every bunny hill launches you pretty good when you go over them, and then that triangle hill still hits like crazy in back. This is an elite wooden coaster in the back row. And that's with 3-5 people in the train. Can't imagine how good it would be with a full train. And you can ride it for the low, low price of $1.50. 100% worth driving out of your way to go ride it. As for the rest of the park, it's mostly kids rides but they have an insane flat called Scat that is basically a roundup on crack, and they run it for a solid two minutes. One of the more dizzying experiences of my life. They also have an old school Eli Bridge Ferris Wheel which is the 2nd I have ridden in the past 4 days after not riding one for the last 25 years since Whalom Park closed in Lunenburg MA. They also have a regular Ferris Wheel. We rode both. Otherwise, they have a weird slide with very steep bumps but also long flat sections. I feel like you would get scary airtime on this on a cooler day but it was a little sticky today. They also have a Moser tower that they brought in from Fantasy Island that was okay but not as good at the one at MOA. I think that covers what I hit. Like I said, check this place out. It's absolutely worth going to Green Bay for. Staying in South Bend tonight after a miracle 4.5 hour ride from Green Bay to South Bend not hitting a lick of traffic in Chicago. Heading to Cedar Point tomorrow and Wednesday and then wrapping up the trip with a quick pit stop at SFDL on Thursday.

Yep, that's what I'm thinking. I did email the park and got the following non-answer answer: "The park hours are 11am-7pm on week days, then 11am-8pm on weekends. Our park won't be closing until November 2nd. That is subjected to change later in the summer." Love the disclaimer at the end!

He has expressed disdain for enthusiasts and this hobby repeatedly and yet he spends a lot of time on here communicating with said enthusiasts; a classic bully. Don't waste the time, he isn't worth it. Instead lets celebrate you! Congrats on doing what makes you happy and achieving a goal, doesn't matter a wink what others think. As a parent and teacher I want to congratulate you personally for advocating for yourself! I know from first hand experience that is often a difficult thing for someone on the spectrum to do. So, live the life that makes you happy, be kind, be accepting, and focus on the things and people that make you feel happy and fulfilled. Good luck!!

Makes sense. You should know there's a defensive way to ride Magnum that should stop any sort of leg injuries: 1. When you get in, slide your butt forward and push your belly out as far as you can to pass the restraint check. 2. After the train leaves the station, slide all the way back. There should now be plenty of gap between the lap bar and your body. 3. While you climb the lift, tighten the seat belt as much as humanly possible. Then tighten it some more. You should have no room to move your hips at all. 4. Now, when you go over the triangle-shaped hills, the seat belt will hold your body in place stop your thighs from slamming up into the lap bar. Sitting in a non-wheel-seat (middle row of any car) also helps. I do this exact procedure on any Arrow with those kind of restraints (Gemini, some of their mine trains). I also do the "slide forward during restraint checks" on most coasters with lap bars to avoid stapling (where the ride attendant pushes the lap bar as far down as possible), which it sounds like you probably got on SV.

Not a medical episode and ruled an accidental drowning... https://www.wgal.com/article/hersheypark-girl-who-died-identified-sophia-subedi/65529313 "Multiple witnesses who said they were at the boardwalk at the time of the incident said they thought the lifeguards lacked urgency when responding. In a statement, Hersheypark addressed these claims, saying "it is very unfortunate to hear the negative speculation regarding our response, which is categorically and provably false." The spokesperson for the park reiterated that the lifeguard response was immediate, professional and consistent with their training."