TopThrill182

Never really saw this coming...

Yeah I really like Scream's colors. It does sound like they have faded though...

^^^ Yeah the service was great for us too. It just seemed like they may have had a lack of servers or kitchen people therefore necessitating keeping many of the tables empty. The food is amazing though. ^^ The ear-banging is there, but as you said, it is hard to really pay attention to it with so much else going on! And maXair is pretty great. And I actually really enjoy Skyhawk although I didn't get a chance to ride it on this trip. Sometimes I like Skyhawk more than maXair. Thanks for all your guys input. And is there a way to upload these photos to TPR's server?

Well, although it is shameful, I was finally able to take my first trip up to Cedar Point this past Sunday. We were able to get our season passes and parking pass quite quickly as there wasn't much of a line. So I haven't been studying a lot of the season pass threads, but what is up with the parking pass situation this year? I couldn't believe that you have to pay an extra $10 to allow someone else in your family to park. When you buy a parking pass you would have to assume it would be for a family quite a bit of the time. Seems like a rip-off to me. Anyways, onto the TR. There are three ways to read this. Obviously its long and I don't want to make you all suffer through all the text. 1.) You can read it all the way through. 2.) You can read everything but me raving about Maverick which takes up quite a bit of space. 3.) You can simply read the summary/notes at the bottom. Weather Temperatures were in the lower 70s, but the lack of sun and a nice breeze throughout the day made it comfortably cool. It was overcast for most of the day. Time at Park 11:00 am - 8:00 pm Crowds The parking lot wasn't all that crowded at 11, but as the day went on it seemed to get more and more crowded. All of the midways in the park were quite crowded, but lines for rides fluctuated greatly throughout the day. They were pretty unpredictable. Trip Report On our way to the rides I was noticing the front entrance and have some thoughts on it. I actually hope they sell Demon Drop. While its a nice ride, the front entrance could use a bit of refreshing. Some new lamp posts on the main midway, some more landscaping, and something cool in Demon Drop's place (ride or not) could go a long way in making the front entrance a bit more snazzy. Mangum We rode Magnum twice. The first ride was a walk on, the second ride had a 5 minute wait. I was surprised to see that at almost noon Maverick was a complete walk on. Even the front car only had a one train wait, so I decided to wait for it. All three trains were running so it moved quickly. Wow. Nice way to start the season. The ride is much smoother than I remember it being in previous seasons, and it was very exciting. The trims seemed to be on a bit more strongly today (or this season), and this really did seem to tame down the rest of the ride. Not a lot mind you, but a little. You still got the ejector airtime, it was just no longer bordering on painful. It didn't really make the ride better or worse, just a small observation. The second ride had a wait going down the stairs, and I was pleased to see a grouper keeping the station pretty empty (1-3 trainloads of people). Overall, a very cool ride. I even saw some lighting effects in the third tunnel. Maverick We rode Maverick once. The wait was just over an hour. The day had finally arrived. I have been waiting to ride this ever since the track pieces arrived last summer. The queue was completely full and the sign said there was a 1.5 hour wait. The outdoor part of the queue was quite pleasant. The queues were wider which was nice, and yet none of the large trees in the area seemed disturbed. The indoor queue was also nice. The queue was again wide enough to be comfortable, and the shop located in the building, along with the themeing, made it a cool little area. Overall the entire queue area looks better than I ever thought it could be. I even heard people commenting on how good it looked, and how well they pulled off the rustic aspect of it. We soon proceeded up the stairs into the station. The grouper kept the station nice and uncrowded which was nice, but they still would usually listen when people request certain areas of the train which is good. I chose the front car since there was only a 3 train wait. The gates opened and I sat down in the comfortable seat. Although the restraint did press down on your thighs a bit, it really was comfortable. The handles were in a perfect location for your arms, which I would soon realize was important. We got the clear and we were out of the station; my Maverick ride had started. The lift was taken at a brisk pace and was pretty cool. It provided a nice view of Frontier Town. Launching over that lift and down the first hill was perhaps the best part of the ride. Even in the front I got a nice bit of airtime. You can definitely tell its 95 degrees. The drop is short, but certainly packs a punch. The first two changes in direction are the most insane parts of the ride. They really were wild and certainly very intense. They make the changes in direction on Mantis look tame. You really feel like you're going at a TTD speed during these elements. The airtime hill was awesome, and again, I got insane air in the front. The horseshoe roll was pretty cool and feels like a true mix between a zero-g-roll and a corkscrew. Its hard to describe but it was a nice sensation while on the ride. The turn in between the two was cool also. So now we proceed into the tunnel. There wasn't any fog in the tunnel, so you could clearly see all the lighting and the end of the tunnel. Still, it was the temperature was refreshing, and the launch felt quite intense and the lights near the end add a lot. The turn out of the tunnel was surprisingly intense and we rocketed over the top of the turnaround hill without having time to breathe. We rocketed down the hill into the canyon and experienced the s-turn. I truly do thank whoever had the idea of removing the heartline roll. I just can't imagine taking it at these speeds. I think it would have been overkill. The s-turn isn't all that noticeable as it is taken at an incredibly fast speed, but it does disorient you right before the camera. The next two near inversion twists are again intense. They are also extremely disorienting. The last airtime hill is again a nice touch, and you hit the brake run. WOW. That's all I can say. This is hands down the most intense ride I have ever been on. It just never lets up! It has a nice length, and is most certainly exciting. The themeing was better than I ever expected, and although some things were cut, others were gained. The fog in the tunnel really is needed, but I feel confident they will bring it back someday once they work out the bugs. The tunnel is still cool without it. There is only one downside to the ride. I found there to be quite a bit of head and neck discomfort. Its not really "head-banging", but I did find my ears bashing against the restraint quite a bit, and the changes in directing were rough on the head and neck. Its not unbearable, but I did hear quite a few people commenting on it after they got off. Still this ride is awesome. I never, never thought it would be this good. It is one of the few rides I've actually felt a need to hold on! I'm not ready to say it beats Millennium Force, which still is my number one coaster, and will have to ride it a few more times to see. But I'd definitely say it comes in at number 2 on my list. Nice addition CP! Mean Streak We rode Mean Streak once. It was a walk-on. I have to preface my comments by saying I apologize for any positive things I've had to say about this ride this year. Wow. This ride just felt out of control! I don't know if it was just my train, but this was the worst ride I've ever had on Mean Streak. The first drop felt non-existant as the trims were on quite strongly, and yet the rest of the ride felt faster than ever. They really need to crank up the MCBR. The shimmying was just out of control, which created a bouncy roughness throughout the entire ride. The numerous added track gauges just didn't seem to help. I don't think the ride needs to be demolished or anything, but it does need some work. Just some grease would go a long way, and would certainly be easy. It really does need something though. Grease, re-tracking, new trains, take your pick. Reaching the brake run brought about a sigh of release from the entire train. Gemini We rode Gemini once. It was a walk-on. Gemini was a pleasant surprise. It was as smooth as glass, which is something I wasn't able to say for past rides in recent years. The airtime was abundant, and it was just a ton of fun. All of the trains were racing too. Nice ride. Power Tower: Turbo Drop We rode Power Tower: Turbo Drop once. There was a 10 minute wait. I didn't ride the Turbo Drop side of PT for all of last year due to the longer lines, so I wanted to be sure to ride it today. I had a bit of apprehension after the recent Six Flags incident, but that all went away once we were 240 feet in the air. Wow. What a nice view. These drop rides always make me a bit nervous, but they are truly some of the most exciting rides out there in the end. Great ride. Corkscrew We rode Corkscrew once. It was a walk-on. Surprisingly enough, they weren't stacking all three trains. They were sometimes, but they seemed to have brisker operations this year (probably helped by the fact that riders now check their own seat-belts). The ride was perfectly smooth, and surprisingly intense. The first drop and loop always surprise me with their intensity. Still a nice ride for CP's collection. maXair We rode maXair once. The wait was 15 minutes. The ride looked like it had just exited from some downtime, so the line was contained within the permanent queue. This is really a great ride. It seems like it goes on forever, and is the perfect mix between intensity and excitement. It is truly one of CP's most enjoyable flats. It has a great location too. We then went over to Famous Dave's for lunch. The food was great as usual, but I was surprised at the lack of staff. The restaurant was more than half empty, and yet there was a 30 minute wait. Do they have a big-time staffing issue, or was this a one time thing? Still a great lunch. Raptor We rode Raptor once. The wait was 25 minutes. Raptor is one ride that impresses me more and more every time I go on it. Today was no exception. It really is a great ride. The zero-g-roll, the ending helix, everything is great. It is definitely one of CP's best coasters, and is one of the more enjoyable ones everywhere. The video equipment is somewhat ugly, especially with the plethora of cords they seemed to have added, and the entire ride could use some more landscaping and paint, but its still a great ride nonetheless. Blue Streak We rode Blue Streak once. It was a walk-on. This is another ride that continues to impress me. It is probably the smoothest wooden coaster I've been on in a while, and delivers the classic "wooden out of control feeling" in a comfortable way. The airtime was in abundance, and it was just really enjoyable. Not a top 10 coaster, but enjoyable all the same. -- At this point I had hoped to get a back seat Maverick ride, but just as we arrived at the entrance it closed for mechanical reasons. I know it has a lot of intermittent break downs, so I was going to wait it out. After about 15 minutes however, they went onto the break run and emptied out all of the trains. I know this isn't a good sign on other coasters, and the attendant at the entrance agreed it wasn't a good sign for this one either. Since we had to leave in under an hour now, I just decided to move on. TTD had an hour and 15 minute wait, so we went over to MF. Millennium Force We rode Millennium Force once. The wait was 25 minutes. Wonderful Millennium Force. I had forgotten just how good it was. I was anxious to see how it was running this year. Last year I had many "wow" rides, but also had some rides that made me think "this is my number one coaster? sad..." Some of my family had gotten in line about 30 minutes before us, and yet we got off only 10 minutes after them. They waited an hour and we waited only 25 minutes which was quite nice. The lift hill and the first drop are unforgettable, and the numerous over-banked turns are just awesome. It was running quite fast today, and there was a ton of airtime. It is still my number one ride... For now. It is just an amazing ride. -- Summary/ Notes - New parking pass rules seem a bit ridiculous - No long lines for rides - Park entrance could use refreshing - Maverick is just incredible, and is unbelievably intense; it does however have quite a bit of ear bashing and head/ neck discomfort, but it still falls as my number 2 coaster - Corkscrew, Gemini, Blue Streak, and Raptor were all running really well; fast and smooth - Magnum was also running well, but seems slowed down a bit - Mean Streak was worse than ever, needs grease and/or another fix - Millennium Force was just amazing, still my number one coaster - Power Tower and maXair still great flats - Famous Dave's seems short on help - A lot of "junk" being stored in some ride areas (tons of wood at Gemini, chaos cars - presumably MiA - at Mean Streak, etc) -- Photos: -- Well that concludes my first great day at CP. Thanks for reading.

I don't really mind waiting in lines, and have to agree that it adds to the overall excitement of amusement parks. It is nice though to have an empty park once in a while.

Late July and the first two weeks of August are the worst summer travel times I believe (meaning quite crowded). I'd go for July, but CP will be crowded whenever.

How was the line with one train?

MF doesn't really seem overrated to me. It doesn't have a ton of airtime but thats not the point of the ride. The Beast would also get my vote. It was cool, but I didn't see what all the fuss was about other than the nice woodsy location.

I'd have to say Islands of Adventure. While Hulk and Spiderman and the rapids ride were pretty good, the rest was average/ below average and there wasn't even much of that! The park also didn't have much shade, and midways seemed small, which made it un-enjoyable to walk around.

From the recent construction pics and such, I don't think the area will look like the rendering in terms of landscaping. I think they are going for a much more barren, desert look with a few pines.

I'm not going to Great America until the summer, but I can highly recommend Knott's. Its an excellent park with a lot of nice rides, and a wonderful atmosphere. I thought Silver Bullet was great.

Wow. Certainly seems possible. Nice find.

1.) Millennium Force (Cedar Point) 2.) Goliath (Six Flags Over Georgia) 3.) Raptor (Cedar Point) 4.) Déjà Vu (Six Flags Great America) 5.) Scream! (Six Flags Magic Mountain) 6.) Top Thrill Dragster (Cedar Point) 7.) X (Six Flags Magic Mountain) 8.) Magnum (Cedar Point) 9.) Viper (Six Flags Great America) 10.)X-Flight (Geauga Lake)

Robin just opened today. I'm not sure if you were asking what specific time. Pretty amazing they opened it after 5:30!

I wish I could've seen that. I'm still a bit confused as to how the queue will work.

Well due to the Flash Pass's price, I'd assume you don't really want to buy one until you need one. They weren't really all that popular when I was there, so I don't think they will sell out. You do have to keep in mind though, that the longer you wait, the greater the risk that they could be sold out. Just keep riding rides until you see that crowds are huge. Then go get one. You probably don't want to get one first thing at park opening, because you don't want to get it only to find out later you didn't need it.

I'd expect that day to be mobbed or empty. I've always experienced odd crowds when visiting parks on holidays. Based on my experience with the park though, and their latest snafu, I'd plan on it being crowded. Heres what order I would do things. 1. Deja Vu - If you do want to get on this ride, which I highly recommend as it is in my top 10, go to it first! This is a must. Even on uncrowded, days, the ride can develop over a 2 hour line which I have waited through. Its not fun. Even if the line looks short, it will take a while. If you go there first you can jump on immediately, and possibly get a re-ride. The ride is great, so I really stress coming here first. If its not operating when you arrive, ask the attendant how long it will be. If the ride is testing, or they think it won't be too long, stick around. It may very well be down for quite a while, in which case you'd want to move on. 2. Superman - I'd definitely do this ride second. Lines can also get to be really long (upwards of an hour and a half) so I'd do this immediately after Deja Vu. 3. Acrophobia - I wasn't able to get on this, but from everything I've read its a great ride. It is also supposed to have horrible lines though, so I'd try to do this one quickly. 4. Batman: The Ride - As said above, resist the temptation to ride Goliath. Everyone will be running to it so it will have long lines from the get-go. The line also moves pretty quickly so don't worry, you'll get on it later. 5. Mindbender - This is a great coaster, and can easily be overlooked. It's close to Batman, and you should be able to get on it without much of a wait about now. Those are the attractions that are generally really well rated, and thus develop abnormally long lines. After those attractions feel free to do anything else in any order. Ninja, Great American Scream Machine, Dalonega Mine Train, Georgia Cyclone, and The Georgia Scorcher are all other coasters you should enjoy that don't develop such long lines. Also, be sure to ride Goliath! It is one of my favorites and is truly a blast. I'd also recommend riding it twice (once at day and once at night if possible). Goliath lines remain about the same all day, and dwindle a little at night. If the park is REALLY crowded, I would invest in the Flash Pass. This park is hard to do on really crowded days even with a good plan. SFOG is a great park and I hope you have fun!

Wow. I remember visiting Knott's in the spring of 2005 vividly. I thought it was a great park with nice operations. Not a single ride was closed which differs from other parks in the Spring. Are ride closures the main problem with the place now?