WayCool64

I did go on most of the flat rides such as Cedar Downs, MaXair, Skyhawk (which I was surprised was open given the recent incident that happened), Troika, Monster, pretty much all the car rides, and the list goes on. The only reason I didn't mention them was because there honestly wasn't much to talk about. But I enjoyed all of them. I will say that Cedar Downs was a pretty surprising ride with it's speed (I also loved the music that played when the ride was going. Seriously, I want a copy of that song), and I liked Skyhawk over MaXair.

I just got to go on my first-time visit to Ohio with a friend of mine on the week of 7/30-8/6. We were able to visit both Cedar Point and Kings Island. Admittedly I didn't take as many pictures as I hoped, but I think I have enough to fit in for a trip report. I'm gonna do something different from the usual. Because I wasn't able to take enough pics, what I'll do is first describe my experience each day at both parks, give my thoughts on some of the rides, and then show the pics. Also as a little warning, I'll probably reference some other parks and rides only for comparison as this was my first visit to a theme park(s) outside of California. Part 1: Cedar Point Part 2: Kings Island Let's start things off with Cedar Point, which was our first destination. Originally we were supposed to do Kings Island first, but I guess since Sandusky was closer to the Cleveland airport and since we had arrived from a night to morning flight, we went to Cedar Point first. We had stayed in this cheap, but fairly okay motel, not too far from the park. Boy did Cedar Point meet my expectations! It was sure is a damn impressive park with every different kind surprise here and there. On the first day (Thursday) we went to the park, the park seemed pretty filled with guests, but it certainly wasn't crowded. We arrived in the afternoon, so we didn't go on as many rides as we would, but we did some of the coasters (like about 6 out of the 16 they had). We started to learn which place was what and which ride was where The next day (Friday), we made use of the early entry for Platinum Pass users and did more coasters since the day was longer. The crowd on that day was slightly smaller than the previous day. This time, we were able to do all the coasters (with the exception of Wilderness Run for obvious reasons). And since it was pretty hot, we went on all three water rides to cool off more than we needed. When we wern't riding rides, we walked around the park for a while, went inside the Town Hall museum, and did the Dinosaurs Alive exhibit at night (which actually scared my friend in a hilarious way). We also got to see Luminosity, which we both found just okay. The day after (Saturday), it was storming really hard, so instead of going to the park during that time, we went to see Guardians of the Galaxy at a nearby movie theater and have lunch at Five Guys. After the thunderstorm was gone, we decided to visit the park for a while, but not as long as our previous visits. Even though there was a small thunderstorm, that didn't prevent the usual weekend crowd. Not only was the place packed, but the Cedar Fair guys were clever at raising the price for their FastLane passes during the weekend (It raised about $10 higher than the usual price). But since we pretty much went on most of the rides and all the coasters without the use of a FastLane during the past two days (in which we used instinct and strategy to get on each ride), we didn't do as much. We visited the Dinosaurs Alive exhibit, played a little mini-golf at Challenge Park, caught a vaudeville act at the Frontier Trail, bought souvenirs, etc. Pros of the park: many things to do (both with the rides and other attractions), lots of great detail, and a huge scale towards everything (seriously, I think it takes more than 5 minutes just to loop around the whole park), when not crowded, the park can be quite peaceful. Cons: Some rides required to use a locker, some of the rides that had this rule I could understand (ex. MF, StR), but others kind of perplexed me (ex. Gatekeeper). I admit we did get lost a few times, but we soon started learn about the whole park grounds. Here were my thoughts on the rides: Blue Streak (2x) - We decided to do this first since it was the nearest, it had a slightly shorter wait time, and it was a classic. Pretty mellow, but it was pretty fun. Cedar Creek Mine Train (4x) - Really good ride. Definitely one that was worth riding over and over both during the day and night. I especially love the section over the water. Corkscrew (1x) - A pretty okay ride, though I have been on better Arrow corkscrew coasters. Only problem I had was with the backrest that looked like it was incomplete and hurt my neck/back area. Gatekeeper (2x) - My first B&M wing coaster and I enjoyed it! I even got to go on both sides. I was also able to get a front of the line pass after playing Plinko. I actually didn't mind the forcelessness of the ride (in fact I may even say that it made the ride more enjoyable for me). Though i will admit, I do not like the new B&M restraints. The problem I have with them is that the "vest" part of the new restraints seem to be uncomfortably pressing on my collar bone, like it would crack if the ride was going. But in the end, the ride became one of my favorites at CP. Maverick (1x) - Wow! I can see why the park advertises it as the wildest coaster in the park. There were a helluva lot of G-forces on that thing, which IMO made the ride a bit uncomfortable mostly when going through the turns. Not a bad coaster, just not what I had expected and mostly didn't think it was as great as everyone made it out to be. Magnum XL 200 (2x) - On my first ride, it was a bit uncomfortable on the legs, even when on the supposed "Magic Seat". On my second however, I found a more smooth seat and enjoyed it more. It had great airtime, I loved the sections with the tunnels. To me, it's just good. Millennium Force (2x) - I now see why this was given many Golden Ticket awards for best steel coaster. I had an enjoyable experience on this ride both during the day and night. The first drop is breathtaking, the airtime is spectacular, and it was overall satisfactory. Top Thrill Dragster (2x) - Sometimes there's a difference between seeing a coaster in action and actually riding it, and TTD is no exception. The launch was a lot more forceful than I had ever imagined. On my first ride, I mostly had my eyes closed, and when it was done, I just asked myself, "what just happened?" as if I blacked out while riding. On the second ride, I had my eyes mostly opened this time and experienced the whole thing better. I will say this, it is very intense (probably the most intense launched coaster I've ever been on), yet pretty awesome. Mantis (1x) - I had a surprisingly ironic experience on this ride. After hearing about how it's a painful ride, I had low expectations. I pretty much felt like I was going to have an experience similar to riding Vortex at CGA. But when I actually rode it, not once did I ever bang my head. It's not the smoothest stand-up coaster, but it honestly wasn't as bad as it was said to be. All in all, while Mantis isn't as great as Riddler at SFMM, it is definitely better than Vortex. Mean Streak (1x) - As expected, Mean Streak is a painfully rough ride. However, unlike Ghostrider at Knott's Berry Farm, where on that coaster the rough shakiness nearly suffocated me to death, MS pretty much jacked up my back, and I think I can still feel some of it's effects on me. I wouldn't recommend this to anyone unless they really want to do all the coasters at CP. Gemini (x3) - I had fun with this ride. On the first two times, me and my friend got to race each other (with me being victorious everytime). On the third ride, we went together, though we lost to the other train. The ride may be good if you go by yourself, but it's better when you have someone with to race. Iron Dragon (2x) - Even though I'm a bit tied between this one and Ninja at SFMM, I would say that Iron Dragon is slightly better, especially with the finale over the pond. Wicked Twister (1x) - At first, I was a bit worried since I heard about the whole fitting with the restraints, but when I got on the ride, the restraints did actually fit me perfectly despite my weight being less than 200 lbs. The ride itself is okay, but nothing to write home about. Raptor (1x) - I loved this ride! It's definitely one of my favorite inverted B&Ms. I would say that it reminded me a bit of Silver Bullet at KBF, though it's been a long while since I went on that ride, though personally I think Raptor had the upper hand than SB since Raptor felt longer. Shoot the Rapids (1x) - A pretty relaxing water ride, though IMO it was the least wettest. Snake River Falls (1x) - Even in the back row, I got a face full of water. I will admit, it's pretty soak-filled, probably even more than Jurassic Park. Though it's not the wettest ride I've ben on at CP, that goes to... Thunder Canyon (2x) - This is hands down not just the wettest ride in the park, not just the wettest ride I have ever experienced, but IMO, the wettest ride in any amusement park! Especially with those waterfalls at the end. Windseeker (1x) - An enjoyable flat ride, gives a pretty interesting view of the park. That's pretty much all I can say about. Funny thing while riding, someone on the beach spelled the words "Don't Fall" on the sand. CP&LE Railroad (3x) - The first half is pretty calm since there isn't a lot to see aside from Lake Erie, Millennium Force, and Maverick. The second half on the other hand, caught me off guard a little. When we were going through the Boneville, I almost felt like it was a leftover from a Halloween event and that someone was gonna jump out and scare us. Also the gunshots caught me off guard too. But enough about the words, onto the photos! Cedar Creek Mine was a fun classic ride. Looks like they were already starting to advertise for Halloweekends (sorry if the pic came out shaky, I didn't realize this until way after I took it). I was able to get a good shot of TTD in action (If you can look closely). But this pic doesn't do any justice, you need to actually be there to see just how massive this thing is (seriously, I couldn't believe how tall it is IRL)! Love that finale on Iron Dragon! Especially with the mist on the pond. Next few pics I took on the Giant Wheel. I think this one looks great with the park in the sunset. Gatekeeper was definitely a favorite of mine (even if the restraints felt slightly uncomfortable). I kinda like how in here, these three rides almost looked meshed together. Since it was a bit easy to get close to Gatekeeper's track, I was able to snap a pic of one of its diving loops. And so ends our two and a half day trip to Cedar Point. All in all, Cedar Point was definitely one of the best amusement parks I have ever visited (so far that is). It had something to cater for both coaster fans and non-coaster fans. I can now see why it is rated the Best Amusement Park in the World. This park will definitely be in my top ten list for best parks.

Some of these ideas of mine may be a stretch, but hey, one can dream, can't he? CGA: 2015 - Use Kidzville as an expansion for Planet Snoopy to accompany with the Peanuts 65th anniversary and the release of the new upcoming movie 2016 - 40th anniversary of the park, new shows, new film in the Action Theater, new flat ride, maybe a new hyper coaster in the Invertigarden and Tidal Wave/Greased Lightnin' area. 2017 - Remove Vortex, add a floor drop waterslide to Boomerang Bay 2018 - Renovate and reopen the Action Theater's unused side and show two new films, build new B&M floorless coaster in Vortex's spot 2019 - Remove Thunder Raceway and replace with a Slingshot attraction 2020 - Use the Pictorium/Imax building for a new dark ride SCBB: 2015 - Refurbish some of the restaurants 2016 - Give the Cave Train a bit of an overhaul (last time I went, the ride seemed to be lacking) 2017 - 110th aniversary, replace Fright Walk with a new classic-style funhouse, remove Sea Serpent and replace with a larger family coaster 2018 - Give Ghostblasters an upgrade (sort of in the style of Ghostblasters II) 2019 - New flat rides 2020 - Probably remove one of the old flat rides 2024 (extra) - Giant Dipper's 100th anniversary, probably replace the Morgan trains with GCI Millennium Flyer trains

I'm going to be visiting the park (as well as the state of Ohio itself) for the first time this Friday and Saturday. I already have a Platinum Pass, I may plan to get a FastLane for one of the days, and I already have my hotel booked. But I was wondering if there are other things I should prepare for on a first time visit? Like where to start first, what are the best times to get on rides, etc.

I would make Vortex at CGA smooth again, either remove all the unnecessary seatbelts for the Grizzly or give that coaster new trains, give Revolution new trains, and do SOMETHING with Ghostrider (I don't care if they even gave it the RMC treatment, which would seem unlikely)

I had just visited the park recently. I finally got my Gold Pass upgraded to a Platinum since I'm planning to visit both Kings Island and Cedar Point later this summer. One of the biggest disappointments of my visit was that Gold Striker was closed all day (which had also happened during my last few visits to the park). But let's just move on to the pics. Flight Deck looks pretty good in its new colors. During my many visits, I've always seen the jukebox in the American Cafe not working. So I was very surprised to see that it was mostly working again (I say mostly because I don't think the buttons were working). Hello, unused side of the Action Theater. Probably to continue being unused for the rest of the attraction's lifespan. Apparently there was some sort of extreme sports area built on the Inverti-garden. Wasn't sure if it was for a one-time event or something. But at least they're making good use of Invertigo's space. Decided to see the new ice show. The show was actually generous in letting us take pictures. Unfortunately, most of the ones I took ended up either too blurry or too bright. The show itself wasn't too bad. There were some pretty impressive stunts in it. But it's only worth seeing once. Looks like Zombie High isn't going anywhere soon Amateurish attempt at a coaster-nerd shot #2 Amateurish attempt at a coaster-nerd shot #1 Since Gold Striker was down, I went to ride it's older, and less impressive brother, Grizzly. The ride itself seemed to be a bit smoother than last time. But the loading times were too long than they need to be. Looks like Gold Striker isn't the only ride getting tagged with unnecessary graffiti. Up next, the ride formerly known as Survivor Amateurish attempt at a coaster-nerd shot #3 Amateurish attempt at a coaster-nerd shot #4 As I was heading to the bathroom near Delirium, I noticed some remains of the old Tidal Wave/Greased Lightnin' coaster, and had to take a picture of it. Looks like even when removed, some rides just never want to be forgotten. Even though Gold Striker was down, that didn't stop me from at least taking a picture of it. Amateurish attempt at making an artsy picture of Gold Striker and Star Tower I finish my report with a picture of the new Levi's Stadium, which looks pretty good. Panoramic view of Planet Snoopy

If my memory serves me correct, I believe that the brakes were in use when I rode it, though it didn't bother me as much. Again, I'm a bit fuzzy on the details.

I had recently visited the Boardwalk last week with a few friends. And I noticed that a lot of things have been changed around since my last visit (I last visited the place sometime around spring break last year). I may be a bit late on noticing them since I haven't followed this thread as much. One of the more notable changes was in the Haunted Castle. I've noticed a few new additions that make the ride seem to go more for the scare factor than just make it a creepy, yet family-friendly ride (which I'm not against even though most haunted houses/rides aren't my thing), some including new gags, darker lighting, and lots of loud noises. I also noticed that there were a few things that were a bit off in the Cave Train; most notably the spinning tunnel was removed and replaced with an empty room with what seemed to be blacklight colored cave paintings. One more change I found was that the Logger's Revenge sign now had a figure of a surfing beaver rather than a lumberjack (I wasn't able to take a picture of it unfortunately since we were caught up in all of the fun while at the park). The rest of the visit went pretty well. Only few of the rides had pretty long lines. One of my friends and I got into an intense competition on Ghost Blasters (with me being victorious from a close tie). The Giant Dipper ran pretty fine (perhaps a bit smoother than I remember). Wipeout was closed which kinda sucked since we all wanted to ride it. And I got terribly soaked on Logger's Revenge. I will definitely say that the highlight of my visit was Undertow. Not only was it a really great coaster (I'd even put it in my list of favorites), but it also partially helped one of my friends get over her small fear of roller coasters, which I must say was a great accomplishment. The coaster was so great, we were able to ride it twice on both sides. All in all, I must say that my recent visit to the Boardwalk will in no doubt be a memorable one.

I could probably do some park updates this summer, since I have a gold pass and it's not too far from where I live.

Let's see, during the year I visited CGA about four times, visited USH during spring break, and went to SFMM during the first week of November. My top 3 coasters of 2013 would have to be: 3. Scream (SFMM) 2. Full Throttle (SFMM) 1. Gold Striker (CGA)

For me, it was Journey to Atlantis at Sea World San Diego. Last time I went which was many years ago (I was about 9 years old or so), I wanted to ride it, but then I chickened out in the end. It's something I've kinda sorta regretted.

Last time I went to USH (which was about a few months back), they did have something like this in place. There's also another similar system being used at the Cedar Fair parks as well.

There are not enough facepalms in the world to describe how I feel about what I'm seeing. This is the most invalid argument I have ever seen in my life! Speaking from a standpoint of one who actually has a disability (I'm autistic), I really don't care about the system changing (all the power to the parks). I've gotten used to the new Fastpass-esque disability systems that the other parks have been using (Universal, Cedar Fair, etc.), and sometimes I'll just go through the regular standby line and not use the disability pass at all. I don't mind standing in a 30-90 minute long line for a ride that's 1-5 minutes, I've been in longer lines than that in my life and I've never complained about it, I just deal with it.

I just visited CGA on saturday, and I finally got to ride Gold Striker for the first time! Not only did it live up to my expectations, but it even exceeded it! I was able to ride it about four times (the last time was at night). I also decided to check out the live shows since the new On Broadway show premiered on that day. I thought that On Broadway was a pretty entertaining show, even though I wasn't familiar with most of the songs (I'm not much of a musical buff). I also decided to check out Happiness is Snoopy, and I found the first half to be a bit lacking, but by the second half it got more interesting. I also found out some really interesting, yet really dumb, information about why the storage bins at the Logger's Run and Rip Roaring Rapids were removed. According to ride op at RRR, they were removed because of the park's transition from Paramount to Cedar Fair. I find this story to be really stupid. Why would Cedar Fair remove those storage bins?! They had a purpose to be there: it was so that the guests' belongings wouldn't get soaked or drenched. It blows my mind that CF would do such a thing!

I honestly like Happy Feet. At first I was a bit skeptical because I really didn't know what to expect. But when I got on it, I actually enjoyed it! Sure, it's not as fantastic as Spongebob (especially 3D wise), but it's still very exciting! I can easily explain the 'who are we' question, it's basically because they just got a random scene from the actual movie and somehow edited it and programmed it into a ride.

In my past experiences at that park, the elevator by the waterfalls NEVER worked since day 1. From what I understood, it was abandoned before the park first opened probably either due to time constraints or lack of funds. So it never worked, and probably never will.

I agree. Out of all the different ridefilms they could've used, they went with Happy Feet? Well, then again, I did see that same ride appear in other simulators as well, but still. Also, since the ride was basically built from recycled footage from the first film, it would be a bit hard to make the 3D look good, especially when retrofitting it into 3D (which is one of the issues I have with modern 3D films nowadays). Yet despite it's problems, I still thought it was an enjoyable ride (almost better than Spongebob).

That same thing happened when I was waiting in line for Tiki Twirl!

The best trick is to lean your head to the right side of the harness on Vortex. The souvenir cups are about $12, I think. And the Happy Feet ride is already open.

Just got back from Opening Day with my friend. Boy, do I have mixed feelings towards today! Highlights: I got my free souvenir cup! I know I'll be using it all season long! The opening ceremony was pretty good as well! The new AFX film is Happy Feet: Mumble's Wild Ride, to which it was basically recycled footage from the first movie, though it was fairly enjoyable as Spongebob (yet I felt the ending was quite anticlimactic). Got some double ride time on Drop Tower! I finally figured out how to avoid headbanging on Vortex! Decided to get a caricature which turned out great! Lowlights: Not a lot of employees knew about double ride time, so that event was sort of a fail. A lot of stuff broke down (not just the rides, but also some of the equipment used around the park as well). The place was sorta filled with wasps (to which I despise greatly!) The lines for the food was pretty slow. My friend lost his hat on the Logger's Run. Gold Striker isn't open yet! (I know it's not finished yet, but still) In short, I thought it was a fairly decent day. I'll probably come back when Gold Striker opens.

For me: 1. Vortex at CGA (Gave me a headache after riding it for the first time) 2. Ghostrider at Knott's (It seriously shook the wind out of me) 3. Kong at SFDK (even though it's no surprise that it's a Vekoma SLC)

YES PLEASE! Would be perfect for playing a racing game like the Mario Kart series or F-Zero series (F-Zero has more coaster-like tracks, so probably the latter). Or better yet, theme park games like Roller Coaster Tycoon 3 or No Limits!

DO WANT! I would die happy if that were to happen!

YOLOcoaster, because SFMM is the nearest park to where I live!