FreeFaller

Expedition Ge Force at Holiday Park

That lift walk was incredible. I loved it. The view from up there is so stunning! Plus, I always enjoy test riding in the morning, because the parks looks amazing then. These spiders freak us out! People told me that spiders were terrible this year. They are EVERYWHERE. Especially at Magnum, where there are lots of shady places. Good question! I use these days to relax, meeting my friends, doing short trips, getting food. Most of the people go back to school here, that's why it is boring here sometimes. You can pick up hours at the park (cleaning rides, setting up stuff for Halloweekends etc.). Cedar Point also offers bus trips. This week I'm going to NYC for example. I've never heard of this rumor.

Welcome back riders, how was your ride? Awesome! Keep on sitting, because my cultural roller coaster ride through the United States is just about to start. After my amazing trip to Chicago and Six Flags Great America, I took a plane to Cleveland where my crazy work experience at Cedar Point should finally start. I arrived in Cleveland on June 28 around 11am in the morning. Since I didn’t have a car, I had to take a $100 cab to Sandusky, the middle of nowhere! I got to see the area where I should live for the next couple of months, which consisted of literally nothing However, driving down the causeway to the park was one of the best moments ever. I have waited for such a long time to call this park my home and now there was the time when I arrived there. I was SO excited. I literally can’t even describe that feeling. Thinking about it makes me so happy. I was just looking out of the window and being impressed. Cedar Point’s skyline is one of the best coaster skylines I have ever seen in my entire coaster life! When the cab parked in front of Human Resources, I was still completely flashed and couldn’t realize that I had finally arrived at CEDAR POINT – AMERICA’S ROCKIN’ ROLLER COAST. Before starting working, I had to process in at Human Resources, which took quite a time. I couldn’t process in until my first workday, which was July 1. When I arrived at Cedar Point, the first thing I had to do was arranging my dorm room. It was a little bit confusing, because the building next to Cedar Point called Cedars was full. There was no room available so I had to take a room at Commons, which is down the road before taking the causeway to Cedar Point. It was quite stressful with my entire luggage, but I had big luck, because the manager of housing took me there by car. Thanks a lot for that! Just for your information, I have changed my room 3 times since I came here because of my roommates, which is quite common here. My current room is amazing. I live with one of friends, which makes it so much easier. Rooming with people you know is really good. Since I had become a member of the Cedar Point Employee group on Facebook, I had already made friends before I have arrived at Cedar Point. That’s why I went to a party with all of them on my first night here. The first days here at Cedar Point were so crazy and stressful. I had to buy all the stuff for my room (pillows, blankets etc.) and since I couldn’t process in until my first work date, I had three days to visit the park and ride rides. It was so nice to ride all the coasters after one year of not seeing Cedar Point. It felt like a vacation and this feeling kinda went away after some weeks of working at this place. It is a good sign, because it means that I got used to the daily life here and I can now call this place my home. It doesn’t feel like a vacation place anymore, it’s more like my home as I said. The following photos show my first days here at Cedar Point. Scroll through them and feel how I felt: EXCITED! Tell everybody I'm on my way I made it to Cleveland! Somewhere in Ohio! Welcome to CEDAR POINT! Best skyline ever! The nicest bus I've ever seen! Doing Walmart shopping! What about some maXair? Hey guys, what's up? Look! That's Lake Erie! Relaxing on the beach! Iced Coffee before working! Processing in at Human Resources! The best ID I've ever had so far! Marcel the shell from Germany! All clear! My first American Bank card! Employee Ride night on my favorite coaster! Bugs in my face after Top Thrill Dragster! Doing a Magnum lift walk! Happy Marcel! Hello! 205 feet in the air! Gatekeeper selfie! I'm addicted to the... ...BEACH! CP life! Marcel is ready to work! CP breakfast! CP lunch! Still happy after a long day at Cedar Point!

Yes I will Come and say hello! Thank you guys! I can't wait to continue my report! It's so much fun. But first, let me go back to work!

Hey TPR members! Welcome to my CRAZY cedarfantastic adventure in the United States! My name is Marcel the shell (that’s what everybody is calling me over here right now) and I hope you are ready to be part of my thrilling summer adventures at Cedar Point and America in general. For those of you who don’t know me: I’m originally from Germany and I took one semester off to work as a ride operator at the second best amusement park in the entire world: CEDAT POINT! I’m stationed at Magnum XL 200, which is a super fun ride to work at. It is really fast paced (more info about working there later). Some of you might wonder why a German dude travels all around the world to work at an amusement park and the answer is: I’m a CRAZY coaster enthusiast who loves to experience new adventures. Last year, I did the Texas/Midwest trip and during my visit to Cedar Point I felt like that this is the place where I belong. Furthermore, I wanted to develop my personal skills and gain an international experience. It’s never wrong to look at the work ethic of another country and improving one’s language skills. A friend of mine was working Gatekeeper and convinced me to apply for a summer job at CP the place to be. When I came home from this amazing TPR trip, I started searching for job opportunities at Cedar Point and I thought that I could never make it with all the documents that needed to be filled out (visa, work permission etc.), but my friend Danny supported me and helped me wherever he could because – as I said – he was working there. It took me from October to April to arrange everything and plan my travels. And as you will see in the pictures: I’m really here in the United States living my own American Dream: Working at an American amusement park and feeling how I have NEVER felt before: HAPPY, BLESSED, FREE and CEDARFANTASTIC. My message to all the people out there: Never give up. If you have a goal, you can make it! You just have to follow your dreams! This thread is all about my summer here at Cedar Point where the thrills connect and my travels throughout the United States afterwards. I arrived in late June and I will stay in America until the end of November. Many trips to post about! Before I came to Cedar Point, I visited an amazing friend in Chicago. Thank you Cameron for showing me your favorite city on earth, taking me to Six Flags Great America to ride the incredible Goliath and taking care of me during my first days in America! Chicago is so beautiful that I don’t know how to put its beauty into words. It’s just amazing! So impressive and American at the same time! Now, I understand why you never want to leave this city During my visit to Chicago, we did an amazing architectural boat tour that featured all the stunning buildings in Chicago. Definitely worth doing it, especially when you’re tired from walking around the city! Are you guys ready to follow me along my CRAZY adventure? You better be, because you’re clear and outta here! Enjoy your ride through America! Note: I try to update this thread as much as possible and do it as accurate as possible. It might take some time, because I’m still working here at Cedar Point and arranging my trips. Thanks for your understanding. Me and the BEST Chicagoan tour guide ever! My sister made a CP cake for my going away party. Retweeted by Cedar Point My best friend Sarah wrote a poem, which... is so nice. Thank you! I'm ready to go! Airport photo! Blogger photo before boarding the plane! We're flying high! I made it to America! First stop was Detroit, before... Flying offers spectacular photo opportunities Thank you for these amazing Front of the Line tickets Cameron! Shopping Cedar Point approved shoes... Dinner at... ...Firkin! So delicious! Selfie time! Cool beans in front of the... Looking forward to Cedar Point! Disney rules the world! From Chicago to the... ...airport. Flying out with Southwest! Happy traveler! YAS! Six Flags! That's how my work shoes looked like when they were new! Fresh pressed orange juice to start the day: Cheers! Thumbs up! Breakfast at ''Over Easy'' On our way from Evanston to Chicago! ...flying to Chicago! From the airport right to... Look what I have! Streets the ride! Skyscrapers! I think I'm somewhere in Chicago, ILLINOIS! Hello Chicago! Street view I'm a poor student, so a photo in front of that fancy building is all I can afford I made it to Chicago! Chicago, you are awesome! Marcel the shell and the skyline of Chicago! Touristic photo! Look at that skyline! Postcard? Who wants to buy one? Somewhere in Chicago Doing the fancy architectural boat tour Hello, what's up? ...BEAN!

I'm really curious about how it feels to hold both phones in my hands. I hope the iPhone 6 is not too big, because the 5 was really perfect. My iPhone 5 broke so I need a new one, but I'm not sure if it is worth buying the new one. They don't offer an unlocked version of it yet.

I think those emails are really useful. I have been busy in the last couple of months and didn't have the chance to browse TPR for the latest updates, but the Monday Fun Emails have always brought me the threads that were updated and worth reading during the week. Keep them going, it's awesome for all the people who cannot browse TPR on a regular basis

This ride looks absolutely insane! How many G's did it have? 5-6? Looks so fast and so crazy!

Looks like you a had a great time in Europe! Glad you liked it! I can't wait for the rest of your updates though!

Thank for taking your time and updating the thread all the time. The photos look absolutely stunning and I'm sure you guys are having a great time! Keep it up and have fun!!!!

Thanks for the great report! Alaska reminds me of Europe!

Awesome start to your trip report! I'm excited about all the other parks! This rusty thing was hopefully not part of any ride?

Both. Even if this means more work for you guys

Seriously?! This is terrifying! Oh wait, I'm talking of China, it's TERRIFYING!

^True Werner I'm looking forward to your France trip report though! Even if it's in German, I'm pretty sure that you can enjoy the footage! Check out my Follow-Me-Around Video! [youtu_be]http://youtu.be/Mkb8ztf31SQ[/youtu_be]

^ It was fun! However I prefer Pegasus at Europa, because it's Europa

Nice to see such a nostalgic trip report! I'm happy that TPR was founded and hasn't lost any magic! I think 2006 marked a new era: the era of MANY awesome TPR trips!

The program was lame! Like Going up doing some loops and get out! Really bad

^ The skyscreamer was down as well

With Parque de Atracciones and Madrid, my trip report comes to an end. On my last days, I visited both Parque de Atracciones and the city Madrid. Parque de Atracciones isn't really a one day park. You are most likely done in the afternoon which allows you to visit the city in the evening. Parque de Atracciones has some flat rides, but also an Intamin inverter which was really good, two Maurer&Söhne coasters called Abismo and Tarántula (out of service), a mine train and two kiddy coasters one of which is hidden in the newer Nickelodeon area of the park. With the season pass of Bobbejaanland you get free access to both Parque Warner and Parque de Atracciones, so if you're interested in going and a European citizen, order this season pass! The city of Madrid was really crowded and even the shops were open until 9pm on Easter sunday, which surprised me honestly said, because I thought the Spanish are quite religious. Enjoy the photos and get some last Spanish parks impressions. Panorama photo! Free Falling! Coaster selfie! Mc Donald's for sure! Madrid at night! Flying home! Airplane credit! Random Top Spin Flat ride ...Abismo! Entrance of... Twisty! Airtime! Tornado! Nickelodeon Shop! Kiddy Coaster! Coaster track! More coaster tracks! Twisty again! Madrid! I'm hungry! Madrid at night again! Mine Train! WIld mouse!

You're right! Nothing to add

^He rode it!

I visited Parque Warner on a Saturday. I expected huge crowds since it was Easter weekend. Apparently, the Spanish people don't go to a theme park on these days I think the FastPass is worth it when it comes to months like July when all the Spanish people have holidays. Like people have already said here, go to the park, check out the crowds and play it by ear then. I would not buy it again except there are really long waiting hours. As for the train dispatching, all I can say is that they were running two trains everywhere, even though there weren't huge crowds. That was really awesome! Keep in mind that the park can get more crowded later the day, because all the Spanish people go out in the evening. That's why the parks could get busy then.

The day after Tibidabo, I took a train to Madrid where I wanted to visit Parque Warner and Parque de Atracciones to end my Spain trip. The train ride was really fast and they even showed a film during the ride! It was pretty cool to see this service on a train! Even though I could not understand anything of the film, it was still fun! After my arrival at the hotel in Pinto, I took the bus to Parque Warner to get plenty of rides on the best Batman clone in the world, well at least according to my friend Bas! Bas, if you're reading my trip report I just want to let you know that I enjoyed my rides on Batman and I did some rides in honor of your enthusiasm about your number 1 coaster! I don't think it's the best Batman clone, but I guess it's because there wasn't the Spanish summer heat! I bought the Fast Pass, because it seemed to be busy, but somehow the park was really empty and most people were in the kiddy area! Really, this section of the park was so crowded and then you came to the thrill seekers areas and the queues were empty! I was really surprised. The park is opening a waterpark this summer, which will help to increase the number of visitors. They haven't already finished building it, but it should be done really soon. The worst coaster in the park was the Giant Inverted Boomerang. I'm sure this coaster ran better many years ago, but it gave me a huge headache. I rode it once to get the credit, because more rounds on this coaster would have killed me. Their wooden coaster looked like pain, but nothing is worse than HADES 360! The weather was sunny but really windy. Feel free to comment on my photos! Random Spanish countryside They're showing a movie during the train ride! A tropical area INSIDE the train station I found a traditional Spanish bakery! So delicious stuff! I think I am at Parque Warner! It was only 29 Euros! Getting my FastPass! The kiddy area was so crowded! Scooby Doo Dark Ride! Ouch! Looks like pain! Nothing can be worse than Hades 360, can it? Batman! G-Forces! Superman! Lifthill! Hey guys! Bad Boomerang! Not good! Random photo! Free Fall! TRUE! Pure happiness! Happy Rider! Food! Just to remind you where you are!

Hey TPR! This update is about some sightseeing in Barcelona and Tibidabo! Yup, you're reading right, I did some sightseeing! Crazy, isn't it? From Port Aventura I took a train right to Barcelona. The next morning, I visited the world famous ''Sagrada Familia'' which will not be renovated until many many many many years! The construction looks really impressive, so it's worth for some photos! I took some photos and went to Tibidabo afterwards. There is a bus that is driving you up the mountains to the amusement park where you have a fantastic view over the whole city! Tibidabo is famous for his ''bucket of death'' which freaked the crap out of me! That thing was so terrifying and even if I'm riding every coaster, this was the first attraction after many roller coaster riding years that scared me! There is also a kind of inverted monorail ride, that has a nice little surprise at the end of the ride Everybody who watched TPR's Coaster Expedition in Spain knows what I'm talking about! I only say 'heart attack'' While visiting Tibidabo I forgot my purse at a restaurant which made me freak out! I had big luck, because I noticed it only 5 minutes later, so I went back where a French family was waiting for me, because they found my purse! I was so happy, that I gave them some money to buy their kids some ice cream! Apart from that, my day at Tibidabo was a fun day! It is worth visiting that place, even though there are only two coasters. The view over the city is just amazing and the bucket of death anyway! Enjoy the photos! 11 pm, still 21 degrees Celcius! isn't that great? Arrival in Barcelona! For all the Apple whores out there! First stop: Sagrada Familia The bucket of death! Credit! You're right: At Tibidabo! Where could I be? Really terrifying! Breakfast! Sightseeing! More sightseeing! Bye Tibidabo!