Philrad71

To be honest, I have never seen the GP act as giddy, happy and enthusiastic as when the train comes back to the station on MF compared to any other coaster that I have ever ridden. Magnum used to get similar reactions back in the heyday when it was the biggest coaster in the park - and still does on occasion at night. To each his own though. Some people prefer Maverick over MF, while some people prefer Gatekeeper over Raptor, while others prefer Valravn over Maverick. Everyone's tastes are different, but I still rank MF close to my #1 coaster. Why? Because it's fun and has a lot of elements that I like in a coaster such as the steep, fast lift, the awesome first drop with a killer view, speed, smoothness, and two really fun airtime moments (the hill before the photo tunnel and the bunny hop by the station).

Lovin' it, guys! Hadn't had a chance to check this report out as the past couple of days have been so busy, but glad you had such awesome weather at the park...with a very little crowd for CM! And I agree with TBpony about Skyhawk.. I am the same way in that I get absolutely terrified at the openness of it, but once it's over, I'm ready to get back in line. I will say that riding it is a lot more fun when you're buzzed and there is no line, so the ride op's let you re-ride if you want. Nothing better than riding Skyhawk 6-7 times in a row without ever getting out of your seat!

^^ I have had mixed rides on Raptor the past two years. Two years ago it was brutal on me, but this past year I rode in the front and loved it.

We've had maybe one day in the low 80's this year and I think that it was on a day that DL wasn't open. How do we know that they aren't just waiting for our neck of the woods to get more than two days in a row above 70 degrees before they fill and operate Thunder Rapids? The boats missing could be a concern, I suppose...but don't they have a storage shed for them? Has anyone asked park management about the ride or is anyone working at the park this year browsing the forum that could comment? EDIT: Just found this on the DL website...although that is probably from last fall. But then again, as kids are not out of school yet, the same message could apply with a quick edit of the website.

and actually. . he was just waiting for me to post this one, so he could snag it. . . .THIS has simply *got* to be his new Avatar: I agree, Bert!!! Yeah, count me as one that's a "little" surprised to hear about Blue Streak. I always wait for the front and have had some smoother "wheee" airtime on it. Hopefully they can drop a little love on it within the next couple of years as it's too much of a historic icon to not keep it running well. Then again, I have also had both good and bad rides on Gemini in the past too. If you get in the wrong seat, that final helix can become "the helix of hot death" real quick-like.

^ Hehe...awesome photo, Bert! Love Cedar Downs! Bill - is it safe to assume by your new avatar that you really liked your visit to CP?

Awesome job, Andy...thank you for sharing the great shots! I really need to get over to that restaurant across Sandusky Bay to have a beer and just bask in the great view from that angle. We've been to Battery Park and Marblehead, but this looks like another great way to take it in one of the best skylines on the planet. And I agree about your vote for the best airtime hill at CP, although I love the last two hills on MF too!

Uggghhh...I'm so sick of hearing about people complaining at coaster ERT events. It's like these people don't even have a clue how life could be so much worse than not getting a couple of the bigger coasters for an ERT session. Other than MF, Magnum is my personal favorite coaster to ride at night at CP. I love it to be my last ride of the night before heading back to Camper Village (damn, I meant Lighthouse Point) or The Breakers. It really is a great way to close out a great day of coaster riding.

Thanks for posting this report and taking the time to go check these two parks out for us, Taylor! I recall driving on I-86 and seeing signs for an amusement park around Elmira. I had no idea what size the park would be, but assumed that it was small because I had never seen anything posted about it on TPR. Another park that I would like to get to in NY besides Coney Island & Seabreeze is Sylvan Lake....such a cute looking little retro park!

Glad to hear that you guys are having a blast, Bert...sure wish that we could have been there to hang out with the four of you! But in all fairness, I was able to get a ton of much needed yard work done, including a memory garden built for the two cats (buried next to one another) and tons of dead branches cut down from the pines and willow tree in the back yard. Looking forward to you and Bill's trip report(s)!

^ Thanks for the great photos - both of you ...all you needed to do was mention "large selection of beer and pretty great bar food" and I was sold. What, they have pianos too?

Camera is toast. Confirmed after further inspection that it's a shutter problem. very[/i] manageable. Maybe the earlier-in-the-week forecasts helped keep people from planning trips here today? Had a 4-train wait for Dragster at 2PM -- when does that ever happen? Millennium Force was station waits from about 930AM-1030AM (notable because it was actually longer during the official CoasterMania ERT). Longest lines I've seen for anything on the app have been about 20 minutes, though I'd wager the big Intamins might have snuck up to around a half hour at times. Most of the second-tier coasters have been station waits to maybe 5 minutes. The Q&A session with Tony C, Jason M, Rob D, and others was fun (and funny) even if there wasn't a whole lot of really new information. But a few hints and nuggets that might be worth sharing later. Oh, and I know at least one TPR member had a finalist entry in the photo contest (not me) so hopefully we'll bring home the prize! Taking a short break but still got ERT to go tonight and it's going to be great. Sorry to hear about the camera, Andy...but thank you for providing all of the awesome shots that you captured - in particular, the ones on the boat tour.

Hope all our TPR friends and CP employees have a great time at Coastermania this weekend! It looks like the weather gods are going to be kind to all of you for at least today and tomorrow. I was hoping for that, but sure wish that the planets would have aligned so that Michael and I could have attended the event - maybe next year, who knows? Looking forward to more photos from Andy (hope you get your camera working again!) and of course, Bill & Bert's reports...and the many others that will be there. Coaster season in the Northeast has finally started!

But who is gonna deny that the TPR ...ummmm...."social drinkers"....are some of the more civil and outspoken on here...whether people give a sh%t about (or like) our opinions or not? I think that a lot of viewers get where we are coming from more than we want to give ourselves credit for. And for anyone under 21 reading this, don't go thinking that drinking is cool - this isn't a site to condone drinking or to perceive that drinking is good. You must be 21 or older in the US to consume alcoholic beverages while at home or in amusement parks. Respect the law! Or at least try to do so until you're at minimum 16 years old...because that's how old you have to be to legally drink at Oktoberfest. But wait, this is the US...damn (I mean darn)!

Josh, Daniel, Marcel and countless other TPR members that have worked at Cedar Point all deserve props and kudos to pass along to all the other awesome ride op's at CP. You guys and gals do a fantastic job to make the experience even more enjoyable than the world class round-up of kick-ass rides and coasters - FOR REAL! Please feel free to take my comments and share at any team meetings that you may have - although I know that Tony checks things out on here too. Just commentary from a regular annual visitor... In my humble opinion, CP has the most outstanding ride op's that I have ever seen at any park in my life. Most are highly energetic, want to get trains/cycles dispatched in the most highly effective & proficient manner...and actually look (or at least act) like they're having fun while doing it. I have to assume that this could be the culture taught during some very fun and efficient learning classes? If so, this person should also be commended for their style of teaching and motivation. The ride op's at CP really do need to be the benchmark for all CF parks...or maybe even all parks in general. You all really do stand out as an exceptional bunch...now if we could just work a wee bit on retail and food sales employees! Call me a fanboy if you must, but...I know good things when I see them. The ride op's to me have ALWAYS been one of the highlights of our past visits to CP.

^ I know....me too!

I know that there are some seats that are rougher, some coasters are rougher, but our experience on Voyage was just plain not fun. When you feel like your getting your ass pummeled & you come off the ride woozy & with a headache then that automatically makes the ride not fun in my book. It also did my partner in the for the day with all coasters and rides, which in turn ended up being more of a downer because I really did want to go back and give it a second try on my own in the front. To each his own though. As I have stated on several posts, I would be willing to go back to give it a few more shots to see if we just got an unlucky row or something. Staying in the campground, having a couple of cocktails and "loosening up" just before a night ride might just give me an entirely different opinion of the coaster...ya never know!

^ Great review! That's awesome news about Skooters as it brings back some fond memories... I remember Michael getting his Red Sox hat knocked off him about five seconds into the ride on a t-bone. If I recall, it was a woman in her 70's and she just giggled and then drove off. Even funnier when a little girl then ran the hat over while giggling even more than the older lady. From then on out, I was literally in tears for the rest of the ride. One of the most fun (if not THE most fun) flat ride in the world, IMO.

^ Thanks Bill...she was a VERY sweet cat. Very timid and shy because of the abuse that her previous owners idiotic, stupid teenage friends did to her (the owner said that they put her in a laundry hamper and a dryer one time - uggh). Due to that, she was always skittish and never wanted to be picked up - even up until the very end. Her sister was the exact opposite and loved people and affection whereas Alexis pretty much shied away from strangers (although she would let Michael pet her). She would only come to you on her terms and one of the deals was the arm of the couch (almost an arm length away), because she was too shy to sit in anyone's lap, including mine!

It is with sad regret to announce that I lost my Snowshoe Siamese, Alexis last night after having her in my life for 17 wonderful years. It tears me apart because as we all know, they are like one of the family. Today was so bad that I didn't even go in to work. My weekend was horrible as I watched her just go downhill fast. She had no disease...just old age, but it's still hard. My beautiful princess, Alexis In her favorite spot - on the arm of the couch so she could be within petting reach of Daddy's chair. She never was a lap cat and was always shy because she had been abused before I adopted her and her sister.

That t-shirt is different speak than what I would imagine when I think of California and LA... There...that's much better (and no I'm not stereotyping - just being comical). LOL

The 4th is on a Tuesday this year. Flip the calendar two months, Phil...not one!

Middle of the week after a holiday weekend, you should not need FL+ unless there are a ton of school groups there. Even then, it will generally die down once they leave around 5-6:00.

^ That is the way that I would interpret the cost increase. Although I would expect both days to be busy as people take extended holidays around the 4th, no matter what day the 4th falls (Sunday this year). FL+ is always more expensive on weekends and holidays than on other days.