CEDAR POINT TR:
I visited Cedar Point this past Friday and Saturday..... decided to take advantage of the Fast Pass Plus system as it is unlikely I will be returning anytime soon. Although the lines were not as long as I had anticipated, I definitely enjoyed being able to skip the lines, especially on Maverick, my new favorite roller coaster. My home park is Six Flags, a nice park with some thrilling coasters, but Cedar Point simply blows it out of the water. They had smoothest ride operations I had ever seen, wonderful live entertainment wherever you went, and more cleanliness than the Cleanest Theme Park in the World. And I haven't even gotten to the rides yet. Here are my reviews ranked in order of appreciation:
Maverick: 3 rides- I had heard lots of positive feedback about this ride, and I can see why. Right from the lift hill launch until the final airtime hill I was hooked. Combined with the ability to ride it 3 times in less than half an hour, I give this ride a solid 10/10.
Millennium Force: 2 rides- I did not find anything exceptional about Millennium Force, but then again I didn't find anything bad about it too. Great airtime in the back and some magnificent views of the park. 10/10
Magnum XL-200: 5 rides- I could hardly believe this ride had less than a 10 minute wait. Awesome airtime, especially on the second half. If this was at SFGAm it would easily top Raging Bull. 10/10
Top Thrill Dragster: 1 ride- I could only bring myself to ride this once- The sheer size of it is both amazing and terrifying. When I did ride it though, it was an adrenaline rush from start to finish. 10/10
Raptor: 3 rides- Nice, forceful B%M Invert. My first Cobra Roll was a bit of a letdown though... 9/10
GateKeeper: 2 rides- Really fun, fast, and otherwise typical wing coaster. cool keyhole inversions over the front gate. Also quite photogenic 9/10
Blue Streak: 6 rides- Though I got off to a bad start with this ride, I rode it some more and experienced some serious airtime, especially for a small roller coaster like that. Truly a classic 9/10
Rougarou: 2 rides- I also did not like this roller coaster at first, as I was really thrown around the first time. When I got back on for a second time, though, I managed to choose the right seat as all of the roughness went away and was replaced by airtime and some nice forces. Still hard to imagine as a stand up roller coaster though... 8/10. On a side note, I couldn't believe that Rougarou was a walk-on on a Saturday, even if it was June.
Gemini: 10 rides- Nice racing ride with some nice drops, especially in the back. I always seemed to choose the wrong side 8/10
Iron Dragon: 2 rides- Small, slow, but a nice break from adrenaline pumping rides like TTD or Maverick. 7/10
Wicked Twister: 1 ride- Rather bumpy, but exciting launch. 7/10
Corkscrew: 2 rides- Surprising drop and airtime hill, but the rest was jarring and painful. 6/10
Mean Streak: 3 rides- This was a quite boring ride. I found the first drop sort of thrilling but the rest was just twists and turns. There were several points in the second half of the ride where airtime hills would have been perfect but Cedar Point choose to instead put gentle drops leaving you unsatisfied. Unsatisfying is a good way to describe Mean Streak 4/10. I would actually be interested to see what Mean streak might look like as an RMC.
Alas, I did not get the kiddie credits However, I did ride some of the thrill rides there, my favorite being the Power Tower, more specifically the Shot Side. Windseeker would have given me breathtaking views of Cedar Point and Lake Erie had I not been distracted by, well, all the wind. A bit more blustery than I expected, even for a ride who's very name is Windseeker.
As for the empty plot.... I could see them taking out either the dormitories or the Cadillac Cars and that would give enough space for a coaster. The plot just seems too large for a dark ride, unless Cedar Point is planning multiple rides for next year. But I doubt that. I'm quite sure that whatever they get next year, it will be a roller coaster.