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It most likely was a strict ride host. In 2003, I once was told to put my camera in a cargo pocket or a locker when I got in line for TTD because he told me the lap bar wouldn't come down. I'd ridden tons of times with the camera attached. The camera was in a bag secured to my belt. So I put it in a cargo pocket, which felt much less secure than the belt. When I got in the station, I put it back on my belt and had no other problems -- with the ride hosts or the lap bar. Lockers are not hourly. I've seen this questioned numerous times in this thread. The lockers at the front of the park are the all-day lockers, but the lockers anywhere else (Magnum, TTD, MF, Thunder Canyon and Skyhawk) can be "all-day" lockers too. There is no limit on them, except you can't keep them in there overnight.

Transfer track. I can't wait to get a good look at the G-trains. I wonder if they'll really be any different than what we've seen before.

I rode Raptor 19 times today, and I got the last train of the night.

The amount of braking before the launch depends on if the block is clear. If there's a train sitting in the final brakes, you're going to sit there. If it's clear, you just push right up to the launch.

I'm quoting this for truth. I really feel it's my No. 2 coaster at the park. It's behind Raptor but it bumped Magnum to No. 3.

I doubt the Joe Cool riders will be there as much as they were over the weekend. No more free shirts or fleeces to give out. I'm going again on Sunday. I'll hit Raptor for Joe Cool ride time, but I'll get back to Maverick to see how the lines are. So far, I've seen nearly the entire queue full and only waited an hour. The way the trains move in the station and how short they are really helps load times.

I rode in the front seat yesterday, and the back's better. There's really good airtime in the front on the hill before the corkscrews, but it's more intense in the back. The first drop can't be beat in the back either. Cedar Point's really got a winner on its hands. I think it's my No. 2 coaster at the park.

Magnum can overshoot the first set of brakes easily. They're short, and the train flies into them. It had been raining all day, so they were wet. With a train in the station and a train stacked in the transfer track, if the third train overshoots those brakes, it'll hit. I think Cedar Point might have to do what Kings Island did a few years ago and add some magnetic brakes to that brake run. Keep the air brakes toward the end, but the magnetic brakes will slow the train down no matter what the conditions are; rain, high speed. With magnetic brakes slowing the train, the air brakes can safely stop the train every time.

I didn't notice the headchoppers at all. The ride is so quick, it was hard to notice them. I'll pay more attention tomorrow. Actually, coming out of the tunnel, I noticed more my collar hitting the restraint than the headchopper. Haha.

Oh. Well, it wasn't true. At least in the times I visited. There were extra queues set up on the midway, but even with those full, I can't imagine the waits being that long.

The wait time or fat people not being able to ride? Because neither is really crazy.

I waited a little more than an hour, but I got there just after 9 a.m. I doubt it had a four- or five-hour wait. The entire queue was filled, and they were running pretty quickly. It might have been more like two hours. And "morbosity friendly" it is not. I saw two people get kicked off because they were too big. I guess they didn't check the test seat.

Apparently the front of one train and back of the other are in pretty bad shape. At least, the fiberglass shells. I'm not sure about the chassis. They have the two trains in the transfer track, and the third is at the base of the lift. The two trains involved are covered with tarps. I took pictures. The back car of the other train. The front car. It looks off somehow, but it's hard to tell with it covered. People looking at the trains.

I rode Maverick today. Here's a quick review: It's fun. Really fun. But it's not the best ride in the park. You don't get off saying, "Wow! That was freaking amazing!" It's more like, "Wow. That was super fun. Want to ride again?" I rode in the back row, and the first drop is crazy. You're out of your seat and back in it in an instant. You can tell you go beyond 90 degrees. The lift hill itself is cool. You fly up there in no time. It's probably as fast as Millennium Force's, maybe faster. It also rolls back sometimes. A train in front of me rolled back. It does so slowly. The rest of the ride is really speedy, and you bump your collar (shoulders, head, neck, whatever) a lot because the transitions are so quick. The canyons are fun. There's good airtime once you hit the top and start exiting the airtime hill. The twisted horseshoe roll is smooth and perfectly heartlined. You hardly move sideways at all. The launch is taken immediately. There's no stop, and you hardly slow down. You hit the brakes, coast forward, then you're off. The effects in the tunnel are cool. There are lots of light effects. The smoke was not on. The turn out of the tunnel is really quick, and you fly out of the tiny hole. The brakes catch you, and you drop to the right. I caught a tiny bit of airtime off the drop, but it's cut back because of the brakes. The S-curve is hardly noticeable. There's a water cannon that shoots above you right as you exit the S-curve. Your picture also is taken there. The turn under the first drop is immediate, and before you know it, you're in the Stengel dive. It's super fast and feels pretty cool. There's some airtime in the hill afterward, and you turn into the brakes. Wow. It's really cool. I'm not sure if it'll really be that good to marathon because you'd get a bruised neck or collar. But you could try it and probably learn how to take the quick transitions. So that's my quick review. 8.5/10. The water jets aren't on, but there are three of them in the lagoon next to the turn after the hill following the launch. There is a water cannon that shoots over the canyon. Nothing's wrong. That's just two ride hosts walking down Snake River Falls' lift. A ride host sits up there. They must have been relieving someone. One's probably the team leader.

Cool TR. I take it that "Fort Kinzel" thing is new. Ha. How fun.

I noticed those too. What a bunch of idiots. I'm psyched about riding! Tomorrow! On one of Raptor's air gates. In line for Dragster.

^Haha. Fine by me. I've got an MF shirt that says 92 mph.

The CP blog said the first 3,000 riders on Memorial Day weekend will get T-shirts, and the first 500 Joe Cool riders on Memorial Day will get a free pullover fleece. All right. The decision to get some rides on Raptor first has been trumped.

They're putting a ceiling/floor in above/below the station so things don't fall on the track before the launch as the train goes under the station.

I heard on opening day that Sandor Kernacs rode it and said they couldn't open to the public. Then I asked a ride host that, and he told me Sandor said it was fine, but you couldn't ride with earrings. Haha. I can't wait for it to open. Speaking of signs, they took the sign that said, "Wanted: Riders to tame the wildest ride this side of the Pecos!" The one that's just outside the entrance. The logo is still above it, but the actual sign part has been removed from both sides of the wood. I thought you were talking about this sign at its entrance.

Oh yeah. Kinzel hates woodies because Mean Streak (and to a lesser extent*, Hercules) has been so bad with the amount of maintenance they require. I was surprised Valleyfair got Renegade. I figured a Cedar Fair park wouldn't see a woodie until after he retired. *As in, it's not in the park he actually has his office in.

The one on the Grand Canyon is more impressive.

I can't tell. Is if free spinning or controlled? Also, are those magnetic brakes at the end? I didn't get a good look at them.

Seat belts?! At a Cedar Fair park?! No way! Trick track? Ha. The ride's bad enough. ginzo, why do you hate your home park?

Just because it's not in the news doesn't mean it's not a bad idea.