BeemerBoy

In fact, oddly enough, the announcement was made time and time again that almost anything was ok as long as it was secured in a cargo pocket that either zipped or buttoned. To me, that seems very trusting of people's choice in clothing, considering the nature of the ride.

Nope.

^ Wow, I had no idea Rupert Murdoch posted in here! Scott "I guess I'm a moron then" B. EDIT: Yes, I'll agree, at least a choice was given to Robb.

That's as far as I needed to read. Yeah, they'll find someone willing to sellout the industry for facetime. Glad it wasn't you.

Maybe we're all missing the bigger picture here. Six Flags is actually attending to, and trying to maintain their world-class woodie. If the experience is slightly altered a mph or two, it's much better than letting the whole thing turn to crap. It's really just nice to see a big chain doing what they should with a great ride. Maybe I'm wrong, but either way, I'm still dying to get a ride on it.

I'll have to agree with this. I really enjoyed all your reports, and it looks like you guys had an incredible trip and got some awesome pics! It's just constructive criticism, but this would've worked much better as a long continuing report rather than a fragmented one. Either way, glad you had a great time! EDIT: I LOVE that Raptor pic, and the shot of Maverick's airtime hill! Awesome stuff!!

Cmon, man. I've been called a lot of things, but "fanboyish" is a first for me though. It's ok to dislike Wildcat. That's cool and the gang, 'cause it's nothing serious. You'll just burn in hell for eternity. But still, nothing serious. Scott "Wildcat for President '08!" B. Just kiddin' with ya, Wes.

Yay for small parks! Cool report, guys.

That sucks about your camera, Scott. It's fairly new isn't it? Warranty issue? Anyway, Awesome report! F1 rocks!! To this day, I still miss Ayrton Senna driving the streets of Monaco. Glad you had a great day out there. LOL. Scott "Ferrari " B.

^ Aww, cmon. No love for Wildcat? I've got it ranked only behind Mav, Raptor, MF, and TTD. The drops are just absolutely fun, Fun, FUN (if I may quote Cam), and the helix is awesome too. In fact, for its age, this thing is remarkably smooth. Cmon, I know Ginzo and Wildcatjoe31 are with me on this one at least. Midwest trippers, I hope you feel the same! Yeah, I heard there were around 1700 enthusiasts there, and I'm surprised we didn't see each other at least once during the event. Thanks, man. Yeah, we're definitely up for hangin' out if you guys make it down this way. Together, our TRs would create an indestructible force capable of ruling the universe....or something like that. Oh no, please not Rosie! Anybody but her. I'll even take Imus, or O'Reilly...and I can't stand them either. Your teaching begins next week at the Dagobah system. Be taught well, you shall. Thanks Chuck. While we were at the petting zoo, I was able to gather some valuable infomation that may be of great importance to you..... Oh, and a Huge thanks to all the other great compliments posted! "Chuck, you didn't hear this from me, alright? Good. Word has it that the seagull mafia over by Wicked Twister has gotten wind of your visit on the Midwest Trip. I don't wanna say too much, but I've heard they already have attack plans rehearsed, in the event you should buy a frozen treat! Again, you heard nothing. I can't risk being shipped off to Michigan's Adventure if I'm caught. Godspeed."

Awesome report Cameron!! I can't believe it slipped by me until now. I loved the cup of water "trick" on the swinging ship, and the cave pics were great! I think the Show Me State just moved it's way up our to-do list. Thanks for that.

This is just another reason why I LOVED a place like Dollywood so much. The older work staff really helped to make it a very enjoyable visit. Their tremendous pride in their park, and each individual job was truly evident as you watched them work. I honestly don't remember (though there may have been) a single ride op under the age of 30! I understand it's a completely different environment from Socal, but regardless of pay, each of Dollywood's staff performed as though they were the CEO, and should be a model for every single park out there. I wish every teen ride op was as concerned with rider safety as they were with their next text message.

Wow. Kudos on the way you guys handled it then. I'm not sure I could've held back from ripping him a new one.

Yeah, that's kind of what I was thinking too. I'm glad she's ok. I'm curious though, what was the op's reaction? Did he offer an apology or anything?

Does ACE have a "Jackass of the year" plaque we could award him? You know, for his immense contributions to morons everywhere.

^^ The man's right.

ACE, their "awards" are about as significant as their outdated newsletters. Scott "hey guys, did you hear Maverick is opening soon?" B.

Howdy neighbor! Sorry I missed this the first time around. Your ultimate frisbee team is actually named the Albino Squirrels? That's hilarious!! Hersheypark would be proud. Thanks. I love this line! Thank you. I took notes and learned from some of the best. As far as more TRs soon, well, we're hoping so. We're always accepting donations for the "help Mr. and Mrs. Beemer travel and document it with big TRs fund." A donation in someone's name also makes a great gift....much like the Human Fund ( I know gmoney will appreciate that one.)

First of all, I'm glad I got the elusive "Dan posting in your thread credit." Do I win anything for that? ^ I'm not sure if they still "offer" it. The postal mark on Shan's was just a boring Orlando one. Chuck, nice to see the pirate finally relinquished it long enough for a pic. Tom, what's crazy is that despite you being away when it arrived, you still almost beat Joe. Joel, it's great to hear you arrived safely at Epcot! It's sad to hear your postcard couldn't say the same about Mexico. (we'll send out a search for the donkey immediately ). Hope everything is going well with getting situated and settling in. With Soren leaving, they're gonna need a new Epcot TPR member photo credit.

Awesome report so far, Tom! Anxious for more.

Yeah guys, it was just a simple comedic jab at this thread. No harm meant. I still love ya'll. Even the jews. Okay, with that out of the way, I'll try to tackle as many comments as I can. Thanks. Glad someone caught it! I was disappointed no one mentioned the Big Lebowski one in the Epcot TR. Rock on! Ask my chiropractor. You were there in spirit! Keep the faith, my friend. Keep the faith! Oh, and the background looks great. Yeah, I thought so too. To paraphrase Kinzel, he said they had the opportunity to ride a competitor's flyer (evidently suggesting B&M, since they own Firehawk?), and thought is was incredibly uncomfortable and impractical. I'd bet the house you never see one at Cedar Point. Why would it not be out of the question, or why would they think dive machine in the first place? Not sure what you meant there, Ted.The topic of future coasters was mentioned, and someone suggested how great Griffon was. I'm not sure who answered, but they mentioned that everyone on the panel actually really appreciates the input they receive from the enthusiast community as to what's hot elsewhere in themeparkland. It's been a few days now, and I'm not sure the direct quote, but the idea of a dive machine seemed to be taken with a hint of optimism, at least from my viewpoint of the panelists. That's not to say it's on the drawing board as we speak, but it just seemed that the idea wasn't shot down immediately like thought of good wood. Of course, it's all simply speculation. Nothing more, nothing less. In fact, I'd put more stock in that long awaited dark ride before any new coaster arrived. And one other sidenote to those who continue to feel they are landlocked. When the topic was brought up, Kinzel simply said something to the effect that they always have a trick up their sleeve. And speaking of the dark ride idea, it was applauded by what seemed to be a majority of the crowd. I'd lean towards the fact that they own the rights to Snoopy, Scooby, etc. if you're searching for a possible theme. Only you'd catch that Matt. Only you. And to the many other compliments....thank you very much. I really appreciate it!

I gotta also say that it was a pleasure meeting many of you during our two days there. We ran into "the one," coreyml and dougstanton (sorry it took us that long to run into you guys ), Jerry (who is a mainstay over at CoasterFanatics.com), and the two GCI interns...aka Adam and Evan. I still want one of those shirts! (btw, please tell the boys to get to work on Mean Streak, if indeed there's any real possibility there.) And finally, I'll leave you with this. Jamie, my count is now 1. On the way back to the locker, Raptor gave us a great look at her. Cedar Fair promotes legalized gambling in their parks. I LOVE it!! This is for all those who constantly complain about a "lack of significant airtime." Four train shot! Well, if you consider Power Tower to have "trains" I guess. You know you want me. 21 million for Maverick, and I still have to lay on concrete?!? Thanks CF! On three....1, 2, 3....awww. LSMs, magnetic braking systems, pneumatic water canons....this must be the Will Smith creative license version of the old west. See? Honestly, it was pretty funny to watch as the wind blew the stream right back onto the oncoming trains. I kept wondering why the trains were returning to the station wet. lol I told you I'd get all up in your grill. At this point in the afternoon, Maverick had 6 trains running. Five of which were both in the station and on the brake run at once. On our way back over to Maverick, I thought this was a cool game, so I displayed my sick skillz with the roundball. Check out that form, fool. I won a small Colts football? I had no use for it, so some random kid in line got lucky. Gemini. Much more fun when they get the dispatches right. My brakes are big Bon Jovi fans. Hi, I'm Magnum. There are still some folks who think I'm a top 5 steel coaster. They're called Ohioans. After boarding from the exit passes, our train was second to go when we were asked to step back into the queue for a brief maintenance issue. I'm not sure what they were doing to the catch car, but it only took a few minutes. They resumed with no test runs. It was funny to see everyone rooting for a rollback. Didn't happen though. (I kidd, I kidd) Keep an eye on these. They're all line jumpers. Corkscrew pic. Yeah, just Corkscrew pic. Lunchy munchies. Q&A, minus the main participants. and I begin to feel much better. ...this.... Hi, I'm Mantis. I look at MF all day and feel horrible about myself. However, if I turn around I see..... Where are we again? And its cars? Did I mention I LOVE this ride? Hi Cameron. Purty. And after riding Blue Streak, you get to see Raptor again. Why do we need two more pics of it? Because. That's why. Just because. All kidding aside, she ran great! Hi, I'm the number one woodie in Sandusky. Sadly, I realize that's not saying much. Even the park benches own Mean Streak. We didn't actually ride 'em, but the sign sure is cool, ain't it? Hi. Hi, I'm Wicked Twister. Would you guys like to be my first riders of the day. Don't worry, two ride ops survived the test runs. What do you think I am? Wolf Bobs? Can you pick out my favorite? We got impatient while waiting, and a fight broke out over MF's top speed. So this was the line for donuts. Mmm, donuts.

Day Two. Our day at the park began at 6am, as we weren't in a huge rush to join the running of the bulls to Maverick. Instead, we purposely arrived casually late and went straight to Raptor. A big thank you goes out to Maverick for thinning the lines to both Raptor and MF for morning ERT. We managed 3 front seat rides in about 15 minutes, and then headed over to MF (I absolutely refuse to call coasters cutesy names like Millie, btw.) MF was about a 15 minute wait, and was still running great. There was definitely a noticeable Intamin shake after the first overbank, but the rest of the course still delivered in my mind. I'm not gonna fan any flames about airtime or lack thereof, but my butt managed to float off the seat four different times, thus leaving me satisfied. Personally, I'm a height and speed freak, so the first drop and many low-to-the-ground moments have always been more important to me when it comes to judging this ride. We then headed over to Maverick for one ride before the morning ERT session ended. Here's my thoughts on the ride. From the front seat with a little work on your part, it's the best ride in the park. The ride from any other seat just didn't seem to cut it with me. Quite honestly, it took 3 rides on it before I was even willing to rank it above Wildcat, which I really love. I found that if I leaned forward from the very beginning, hunching over and sticking my head out as if riding a crotch rocket motorcycle, the ride became comfortable and very exciting. By leaning forward, seeing and anticipating the transitions and turns, I was able to avoid what was rather uncomfortable head and neck banging from any other seat. The course itself was really fun. It had a little bit of everything in it, and only once did the pace slow down almost to a stop (curiously, when we rode later in the day with 6 trains on the course, our train slowed to a crawl before launching out of the tunnel). The lack of the heartline, although disappointing, didn't really make a huge differnce. Lauching into a trim was a bit odd, but you definitely picked up plenty of speed immediately following it. All in all, as long as it remains as smooth and quiet as it currently is, CP has a big winner on its hands. Following our morning ERT, we headed to the front of the park for what was the only real disappointment of the day. Strangely, there was only one location open for any real food for the enthusiasts. It created a huge line just for donuts and muffins. Oh well, not the end of the world as we still had some time to kill before the park opened at 10 to the GP. At noon, we headed to the convention center for a nice Q&A session with CP Executives, including Dick Kinzel himself. Honestly, I had no intentions of asking anything, and allowing the throngs of coaster dorks to do the work for me while we sat and listened. Here's a brief synopsis of what was said. Please remember, I only took mental notes, so none of the following is directly quoted, and only summarized. First off, a gentleman asked the panel if they had any reservations about going back to Intamin after TTD. Following some small laughter by the panelists, which included about seven executives to which I can't remember any but Mr. Kinzel specifically, the answer was no. Kinzel expressed that he was dismayed that Maverick opened a couple weeks later than planned, and placed blame on the manufacturer, but admitted that Intamin delivered a satisfying product in the end. He also said that there were 3 coaster proposals on the table before they settled on Maverick. One was similair to MF, one was similiar to Magnum or something, and the other I don't recall. This got me to thinking about wood. I then grabbed the mic and asked if at anytime during the planning stages with Intamin, was an Intamin woodie considered? His answer: NO. I followed up by asking will there ever be? his answer once again: NO. Ok then, thanks. None of it was demeaning, but the answers were clear and concise. Folks, I wouldn't go placing any bets on Intamin wood showing up at the point anytime soon. They were, however, very encouraged by working with GCI and Renegade. The vibe was that Renegade will be a measuring stick for future wood installations at CF parks. Here's the rest of the highlights: - There will definitely NOT be any B&M flyer at CP, ever. - A dive machine is not out of the question. - One of the gentlemen in charge of future ride installations or whatever, has been pushing for a darkride for years now. - The earring rule on Maverick is implemented by Intamin, not CP. - This is speculation on my part, but I'd look for KD to receive something big in the next few years. - Demon Drop is still for sale. - When discussing theming, Kinzel made the comment that if given the choice, he'd always rather spend an extra million on more track than theming. - And on a lighter note, someone asked if they had ridden Kingda Ka? I can't remember who answered, but they said they were there to ride ET, and after pausing for comedic effect, said that KK was down. - Finally, it was mentioned that it's a possibility that Clair Hain of GCI *may* eventually try to improve Mean Streak. We can only hope! Following the Q&A, we caught up with someone to ask about our 2003 exit passes. Without hesitation, we were directed to park operations, where they glady took down our last name and instructed us to provide it at any time to the ride op at the exit of TTD for a direct pass onboard. Thank you Cedar Point! Without a doubt, this made my day, and you easily redeemed yourself. That was alot to read through, so I'll just say that everything else went terrific, and we are definitely anxious to return asap. Thank you all for reading. Now onto the second batch of pics. Enjoy. One last aquatrax shot before break. A few more to come later. Who said they slacked off on the theming? Jesse James drove a pickup, and Billy the Kid owned a cherrypicker didn't they? Just missed the perfect money shot. Hi, I'm the water cannon where the heartline roll used to be. If you piss me off, I'll get all up in your face. Launch. Sorry, I *had* to. Mmmmmmmmmm. From the second swithback from the water, it proved to be about an hour wait. The grounds around Maverick looked great. Damn that was boring. Oh, I'm not an aquatrax? How bout a water cannon in the face? You can all relax now. Here is the segment entitled obligatory Maverick pics. See how sexy I am? Hi, I'm Millennium Force. I'm tall, blue and handsome. I have one of the world's greatest first drops, own lakefront property, like to live in the fast lane, and can always show you a good time. If you think airtime is overrated, and would like to get to know me, look me up at cedarpoint.com. Mission Accomplished. 15 minute waits during ERT. Again, thank you Maverick. As do we both love this one. I LOVE this coaster. Oh, hi Joe. The trash cans loved Nikki, Jer, Paul, Tom, Ronnie, Bobby, Ricky, Mike, Ralph, and Johnny's trip reports of camera capturing camera, so they tried their best to replicate it, minus the cameras in hand. If you look close, you can see through about 7 different cans. RCT flower beds. Third time was a charm for her on this one. It should make a certain beer lover happy. We teased Shannon about being photographically challenged, but there's just something so intriguing about this shot she caught. And it makes me one very happy BeemerBoy. Yes, disembodied ride op arm. Three front row rides in 15 minutes does indeed deserve a thumbs up. Hi, I'm Raptor. The Rodney Dangerfield of B&M inverts. Why thank you. If you were wondering what the park entrance looked like empty, here you go. Ooooh, I feel so special.

CoasterMania '07 *Warning - scary statement ahead* Okay, I'll be completely honest. We LOVE Cedar Point! While many of you are scratching your heads, I'll just say that I'm not big on general industry awards, but I simply can't argue the "World's Greatest Amusement Park" title they love to flaunt. Our last visits were in '02 and '03; both during CoasterMania. While you'd tend to think the abundance of CP fanboys would cast an annoying shadow on such a long day at the park, we've found the event (despite some unfortunate circumstances in '03) to be quite enjoyable. For $32, it's hard to argue with over 18 hours of park time, including 4+ hours of ERT, a pretty good picnic lunch, and a nice Q&A session with the top Cedar Point executives. Well, in our minds anyway. As I mentioned, our '03 visit was during TTd's first month or so of operation. It turned out that Dragster decided to act like a 420 foot tall lawn ornament for the duration of the event that year. While everything else was still enjoyable, Dragster's maintanence issues, and subsequent handling of by park execs left a sour taste in our mouths. Basically, this is what happened. Both the alarm clock AND the front desk clerk failed to wake us up on time. Therefore, we arrived about an hour late for the morning ERT, and failed to hear the announcement regarding TTD. Throughout the day we kept hearing people mention about exit passes that were handed out as an apology for TTD possibly being down all day. Well, at the picnic lunch, I was able to speak with one of the executives briefly (name withheld). I explained how and why we arrived a bit late to the event, and kindly asked if there were anymore exit passes to be handed out. He politely answered, "I'm sorry, but unfortunately we gave them all away this morning." I understood, and proceeded to compliment Cedar Point on a terrific event despite the unfortunate TTD situation. He asked where we were from, and upon hearing that we roadtripped it from South Florida, he leaned closer and quietly said "don't tell anyone, but here's a couple for you," as he reached into his pocket and promptly pulled out two TTD exit passes. I gladly accepted, thanked him as we shook hands, finished our conversation, and walked away. Okay, inside I'm thinking why did you blatantly just lie to me before handing me passes? Obviously, the ride never opened and we left with two unused passes. Fast forward to this past friday (6-15-07). For four years, I was always more upset at being lied to than missing a ride on Dragster (am I wrong for feeling that way?). However, considering how much we still love the park, our willingness to forgive and allow for redemption, and the addition of Maverick, it was time to head back to "the point." Armed with two extremely outdated 2003 TTD exit passes. I'll get into the meat of the details from the event prior to the second set of pics. We arrived on Thursday around 3pm, checked into our hotel, rested a while, and then entered the park at 5pm for the Starlight hours offered at a reduced rate. We were accompanied by Shannon's cousin Todd, for his first highly anticipated visit to the point. Todd shed somewhere in the neighborhood of 21 lbs. over the last couple months by walking around 150 miles. He did so with the inspiration of riding Millennium Force comfortably. Give him a big hand for that one! The five hours gave us a great opportunity to be gracious park guides, and help him knock out about 8 credits. That allowed us to enjoy the next day's event at a more leisurely pace. From 5pm to 10pm we were able to ride TTD, MF, Maverick, No Streak, Mine Train, Gemini, Woodstock, Magnum, and TTd once again in the dark during the fireworks display. Not too shabby for 5 hours. Finally, on to the pics...... I leave you from the first part of the TR with No Streak. It's screaming "Somebody love me, PLEASE!! Look at how pretty I am at dusk." Yep, that's what I think of TTD at night. The ride was much more interesting than the lame thumbs up pose. I don't think I'm authorized to use the signature move without a certain New England cop's permission. Blurry pic. Check. This was following our first ride. Relax kids, there's more Maverick pics to come later. While I snapped this pic, we were listening to the theme music from Pirates of the Caribbean. Huh? I know when I think of old westerns, Clint Eastwood, the Duke, and Johnny Depp as Captian Jack ALWAYS come to mind! Okay, now seriously, how does this happen? There's freakin' 10,000 of these throughout the park, yet you people still can't hit the mark? I like what you did with the place, CP....green water and all. Maverick experienced a short downtime, which is the ONLY reason you saw No Streak first. Now it was time to boost my Aquatrax count. Do I at least get any style points? Mean Streak. Voted one of the top 2 woodies in Sandusky for the past 16 years!! My favorite part of the park. Who says Cedar Fair doesn't have trees? Oh wait, I'm guilty of that. Sorry, CP. I apologize in this instance. Forgive me? I'll be your best friend. A sign of quality. And of postponed openings. Shannon says, "I still loves me some Millennium Force." Oh yeah, we see you yellow train. I'm sure we'll get reaquainted with you soon. Hi, I'm Draggin' Iron. As the park's unofficial monrail, I just wanted to say a quick hello before they head over to MF. Things were great until I got a metal rod through my head. Four years later, and we're almost there. First up, TTD. And Shannon rejoices, considering I already had a 400+ft. rocket credit under my belt, and she had to listen to me talk about it until now. For the folks who actually appreciate the rich history of the park. OMG OMG OMG. Wait, I'm a grown adult. Breathe. Ok, there we go. Awesome. Now where can I find me some Callahan Brake Pads? Hmmm, it's not quite the way I remembered it. Has Jimmy fallen on hard times? Ah yes, that'll do. "Hey guys, yell out if you see a good place to stop and take a dump."

Nice pics, but this show looks simply sucktastic and completely out of place! I guess everyone wants to be Cypress Gardens now.