DILinator

Everybody keeps saying "it all boils down to the holding brake", but that's not entirely true! At least not in my experience... People I've simply shown pictures of the ride to, or described it to, are intimidated by it, without even knowing about the holding brake. Don't get me wrong, the holding brake is an additional "WTF" factor driving the fear and intimidation up, but the coaster's size, and simply the "look" of that vertical drop, are the biggest factors leading to the GP's fascination/terror when it comes to them, at least in my experience!

^^I can't see embedded videos while at work, but if what was linked to is a clip from Spaceballs...

I considered wearing my MSU Big 10 Champions hoodie to the Passholder Preview night, but decided to be nice!

Going to a new amusement park is always worth it, and Kings Island actually has a number of enjoyable coasters other than those three! You'll have a really good time, I'm sure! *Edited, because I really need to pay more attention when posting here, and not try to do three things at once while attempting to provide helpful information!

A couple of things... First off, note that when I utilized early entry this past Saturday, nothing started running until about 9:45... So, there is a chance that you only get on one of those three rides you mentioned during early entry. Hopefully not, hopefully they're running things a little quicker for you that Sunday. I just wanted to give you a heads-up, so you weren't completely caught off-guard if it goes like that again when you're there. Secondly, friends who went this past Sunday, reported more reasonable wait times for Valravn than Saturday (which makes sense), but additionally, you may want to do Maverick and MF during early entry, because almost everybody there for early entry will go to Valravn, making it longer than it may end up being later in the day. At least that's what I found this past Saturday. Have a nice trip!

B&M - Vortex (Carowinds) Intamin - Wilderness Run (Cedar Point) GCI - Gwazi (BGT) Pretty much all of the B&M Stand-Up coasters would be at the bottom of my list, but Vortex, which I just rode last year, was horrid on a whole different level! Mantis, which no longer even exists in Stand-Up form, was WAY better, even at its worst! I know Wilderness Run is kind of cheating. And no, it's not a "bad" ride, for what it is - a kiddie coaster. But of all of the Intamins I've ridden, it's by far the dullest, most boring, and therefore "worst", in my list. I remember really enjoying both sides of Gwazi when I rode it initially, way back in 2001. When I last rode the Lion side in 2014, it admittedly wasn't a great coaster anymore... It's too bad the ride deteriorated so badly over the years. I will say that Wildcat at Hersheypark was given serious consideration for this dubious distinction as well, however. The two are/were not that far off!

Seriously, that sums up why dice coasters are so "intimidating." Suspended over a vertical drop for a few seconds (that feels like an eternity.) That's intimidating to most people. Both Coaster enthusiasts and general public. Except, that's not entirely true, at least not in my experience. Even without seeing the train suspended there, or knowing that's what the ride experience delivers, people I've shown the coaster to, find it intimidating. So as I explained earlier, there are a number of other factors at work here...

This is something I'm glad to see somebody else say, because it's always frustrated me about Magnum! It can be a really fun coaster, but it can also be ridiculously rough, or even just "meh", from ride to ride... I've determined that the roughness increases with each row in each car (ie. the first row on the last car, is less rough than the last row on the first car), so I think where you sit really plays a part. I either wait for the front, or sit in row one of the last car, and I enjoy my rides in both of those places! Getting a middle row anywhere other than first car tends to lead to "meh" rides for me, and sitting in the last row is always a mistake, in my opinion... What this entire conversation boils down to, is personal preference, and tolerance. Each person, individually, has their own tolerance and preference levels when it comes to roughness, what constitutes roughness, and what they're willing to "endure", for the sake of the ride experience. Personally, I avoid most of the old Arrow loopers these days, because I know the ride experience they deliver isn't something I enjoy (Loch Ness Monster aside - still love that ride!). If SOB still existed, I'd never ride it again, because I also know what that will give me - and it isn't good, and will likely linger past my visit to the park! There are probably other woodies that I would consider "too rough", but none come to mind as being unrideable. Even Mean Streak, I am more willing to ride than most people I know! I just ride in the front seat, and lean forward most of the ride, except for the few airtime moments, where I lean back and put my hands up! (And no, I didn't get that idea from anybody here, as it has been my practice since long before I knew this site existed.) So again, it's all about personal preference, and really isn't something anybody can definitely say is, or isn't a factor, for anybody else...

I don't personally feel much of what you're describing, but most of my non-enthusiast friends, when I first show them a dive coaster (often, in my case, the new Valravn) they are very intimidated and in awe of it! I think it's likely the dramatic look of the vertical drop, coupled with the sheer size of the coaster's structure in general. The lift hill, in part because it's so large due to the turn, is an imposing presence on a park's skyline, and the track itself is pretty huge, to accommodate the larger than normal 8, or 10 across trains. As for the ride experience, a rider knows going in, the feeling that going down a steep drop causes from other coasters, so the thought of that feeling being compounded on a straight drop, brings on the butterflies and nervousness that you feel looking at the ride, and waiting to ride it. That's my perspective on why, at least...

Triotech has fanboys??? Who knew?!?

My overall thought is that it is a great addition to Cedar Point, a very fun coaster to ride, but one that will not get a lot of repeat rides from me unless the line is no more than 30 - 45 minutes... That is how I feel about TTD too, though I think I personally prefer Valravn a little more, since it's not a "one trick pony". The view from the top of Valravn is amazing, that first drop still feels unique and exciting (even with Maverick, TTD, and WT all having vertical, or beyond vertical drops), and the final inversion element offers serious hang time, especially in the back right! What I like even more than the coaster itself, however, is the impact the ride has on the area around it. It just brings that whole part of the park to life, and has turned one of the more awkward, dead-end parts of the park into a fun and exciting place to walk through, even if you don't NEED to! Really, my only complaint, or negative, would be the choice of yet more orange for the park. But that's mostly because I just don't personally care for the color, and also think a darker color scheme would have fit the ride's theme better as well. Minor quibbles though, and I think installing it was a great move by Cedar Point!

Hey, don't diss us OSU people! We love and have just as much right to ride coasters as you, and we were paying customers! I agree that it was crowded, but throughout the day, I didn't wait more than an hour for any ride (except the new hotness). It really wasn't THAT crowded (from my standpoint. You may have seen different). The funny thing is, I wasn't even trying to diss OSU people there! Believe me, dissing OSU is one of my favorite things to do - if I did it, it wouldn't be subtle! See, not so subtle there...

But they scan passes for parking... Every CF park I've gone to does this. Except for that they don't always scan passes for parking. I'd say that, this is a rough estimate of course, about half of the time I have my platinum pass for parking, I either have to flash it up or give it to them to merely look at. FWIW, both times entering the Parking Lot this year, the pass was just held up through the window, and we were waved on.

I went up to CP Friday night, and Saturday until 3:00, and I'd have to agree with your Pros and Cons. However, as much as I like and enjoyed Valravn, I think I'd almost make your #2, #1! I was SO impressed with the new area around Valravn, and what it does to improve the park as a whole, and would consider that the top benefit of the coaster - even more than the coaster itself! Such a great upgrade! Every time I went back and forth from the front of the park and back again, I went out of my way to go through that area, just because I liked it SO much! Regarding the CONS, specifically, you nailed 'em! I still had a fun time at CP, but it was pretty ridiculous from an operations standpoint in those regards. Hopefully, they don't plan the Passholder Preview night on OSU Day again, and if they do, at least I know now not to bother going...

Having just visited Cedar Point this past weekend, I believe the last coaster I rode before leaving, was...

For me... After a looooong off-season, I finally got on this fun new coaster Friday! Valravn!

Mediocre coaster in a fantastic park. Shrug indeed. Have you even ridden it yet? Because if not, you can't really say what type of coaster it is! I have ridden it, and would take it over everything I've ridden (which DOESN'T include TC or YOLO) at SFMM , with the exception of Tatsu, and possibly X2 (though I found it less "rough" than that, which I prefer.) Now, if you are are saying SFMM is full of mostly "mediocre" coasters, then by all means, carry on with your labeling of Valravn that way!

First off, I think the "rattling" conversation is stupid. However, if people are going to talk about such inane things regarding B&M's, I felt the need to point out that they may be missing something there... Secondly, I despise the mere notion of Bud Light, or any other crappy domestic beer. I'm a beer snob through and through. However, just because somebody is a beer snob, doesn't mean they have to like IPA's... I am a big fan of Stouts, and Porters - Dark Beers! IPA's just aren't my thing... I gave the Valravn ale a fair shake, but it isn't something I'll get again. As for where I got it before it apparently sold out, the good old Red Garter!

Oh, and the ride I noticed "rattling" the most today? Not a B&M... An Intamin, Millennium Force, was actually rattling pretty good I noticed! More than I recall previously...

I just left the park, and I will say that while the initial wait time appeared to be huge (having already ridden it, there was no way I was going to wait in it), by the time we left around 3:00, it was ihnto the queues designed for it, meaning less than an hour and a half wait. So it definitely got better as the day went on. Also, wait times for the rest of the coasters and rides were very reasonable, as a result of the glut of people waiting for Valravn. Less than 15 on MF to open the day (though I'm sure that got worse), and around an hour for Maverick and TTD. Raptor said it was that long as well, GateKeeper wasn't more than 15 when we got on, and when Magnum finally opened after a long delay, it didn't sound like it was very long. maXair was the only bigger ride that never opened while I was there. I walked onto SkyHawk, Pipe Scream, and essentially Blue Steak, while Rougarou would have been only around 15 minutes if I didn't have to wait for a train to be switched right before I got on. All in all, a really pleasant day at the park, and not too crowded, actually! I tried a few of the new Valravn items, such as the beer (which I wasn't crazy about, but I don't like IPA's), and the Ice Cream (which was fabulous!) The new area around Valravn is fantastic, and is an even better addition to the park than the great coaster itself! So much life around there, mixed with great walking views, and a fabulous ambiance! It's going to be a banner year for CP, and I'm looking forward to my numerous future visits!

I was there last night for Passholder Preview night, and in my 30+ years of going to CP, I've never seen traffic so bad, and the only time it was worse for parking was a Halloweekends night years ago! Truly horrific traffic! And no, this was NOT normal, to be expected traffic... Like I said above, and other friends there who go even more frequently echoed, it was far from a normal to be expected situation... Having said that, it was still an exciting night, getting to ride Valravn for the first time, at night! The wait was terrible (as was to be expected), but at least better than earlier, apparently, as we "only" waited 2 hours and 10 minutes instead of 3. The coaster and area looked fantastic, and the ride itself was really fun! We were assigned the back row (I won't get into my rant on the evils if assigned seating here), but at least I got on the right end, which is apparently one of the best seats. The ride time is a bit short, especially after waiting so long, but that's a minor quibble. (No, I didn't hear any rattle! ) Really fun coaster, and obviously it's going to be a major hit with the GP! Good job Cedar Point! Can't wait to see/ride it in the daytime today!

It's 3 hours from where I live in mid-Michigan to Cedar Point, but I still consider it my "local" park, and go semi-frequently! When it's all (or mostly) highway driving, it's not a bad trip at all! I wish Holiday World was only 3 hours away from me!

Yeah, I feel like it's more like scales, as if on a dragon. Which can be associated with castles... That's kind of the loose "themeing" I get from it. I did notice the tiling on the front of the Valravn trains as well, right below the name of the ride. So that's tied-in at least! I believe this might be the "look" they're going for there...