Cedar Point (CP) Discussion Thread

[DBru]

A "good" hour at Millennium Force is around 1200 riders per hour. I assure you that Maverick's capacity is nowhere near 1200.

[DoinItForTheFame]

This is slightly off topic, but this is a question I asked a while ago and didn't get an answer. How many people per hour is considered a good capacity? I thought anything over 1000 people per hour is considered good, but someone said Maverick and TTD have bad capacities.

 

Per RCDB: (and several other sites)

Maverick Capacity: 1,200 riders per hour

Millennium Force Capacity: 1,300 riders per hour

Top Thrill Dragster Capacity: 1,000 riders per hour

 

- And if you are curious:

GateKeeper Capacity: 1,710 riders per hour

Raptor Capacity: 1,600 riders per hour

Rougarou Capacity: 1,800 riders per hour

Blue Streak Capacity: 1,400 riders per hour

Corkscrew Capacity: 1,800 riders per hour

Gemini Capacity: 3,300 riders per hour

Iron Dragon Capacity: 2,000 riders per hour

Magnum XL-200 Capacity: 2,000 riders per hour

Mean Streak Capacity: 1,600 riders per hour

Wicked Twister: 1,000 riders per hour

 

So it is not that Maverick, and TTD have "Bad" capacities... However, they are some of the worst capacities in the park. Considering Top Thrill Dragster has the SAME capacity as Wicked Twister... When TTD Runs 5 trains and Wicked Twister runs 1!!! Yes, it has "bad" capacity. However its not so much the PPH that is the problem... The problem is the down time the coasters face. Considering TTD is down as much as it is, AND it has such low capacity makes it seem so much worse compared to GateKeeper for instance. Also, the amount of people at Cedar Point make the lower capacity coasters seem much worse than they really are.

 

Also, getting the coaster to run at 100% capacity all the time is also a problem. For the most part I have never had a poor experience at Cedar Point with ride host getting the guest on and off the ride. They are always doing a great job. But there are always things they can not control such as large guest, guest with loose articles, weather, downtime... ect. So when all this is added together, yes TTD and Maverick may not have "bad" capacities when you just look at the PPH, but when you think of all the things that can keep them from hitting those PPH numbers, then yes... They do have bad capacities.

[GwaziBSRider1]

Just wondering, do all of the Cedar Point hotels offer early access, or is it only Hotel Breakers?

 

Also, my trip will likely be second week of June during the week. How bad should crowds be?

 

All hotels will allow you early access, but if you stay at Castaway Bay or Breakers Express, you'll have to drive yourself to the park. Crowds should be fairly light that week, but you may have some school groups (not sure when area schools let out). If you're going for multiple days, you shouldn't need FL.

[VF15]

Great picture of Cedar Point from their Facebook page.

[coasterbill]

In regards to the capacity discussion, I completely understand the reasons behind this is and that ridership does not always equal popularity but I love watching Sky Ride beat Top Thrill Dragster and Maverick every year. I just wanted to throw that out there.

[drummermattk]

Looks like the theater's gone!?

[tarheel1231]

Going back through the thread this morning (I have no life), it seemed like Gatekeeper opened to rave reviews. Now it seems like it's at the center of most new-school B&M jokes. I wonder why that is.

[coasterbill]

Because enthusiasts like to complain.

 

Everyone should have know that the coaster would be a smooth and fun but forceless ride based on the manufacturer and the coaster type. That's exactly what we got and I really enjoy it. If I want intensity I'll go to the back of the park and ride Maverick or across the midway and ride Raptor. If I want an awesome first drop and a sensation of flying with some great near-hits thrown in then I'll go ride Gatekeeper.

[thrillrider]

^Exactly!

 

Not every coaster is going to be mind blowing intense. You need to have a variety of different types of coasters that appeal to different people. Not everyone wants white knuckle rollercoasters.

[tarheel1231]

Oh dear Lord, I've just started another B&M vs. Intamin debate. JUST SHUT UP TARHEEL!

[coasterbill]

Nobody is debating, we're saying that the coasters compliment each other very well. That's the opposite of a debate.

[gerstlaueringvar]

I just hope GateKeeper can be half as intense as Parrot Coaster. The ride would be so much better if it hauls through the course.

[thepoint4life23]

My Friends loved the ride and i would call them Non Coaster Nerds.

[SFOGdude25]

^Exactly!

 

Not every coaster is going to be mind blowing intense. You need to have a variety of different types of coasters that appeal to different people. Not everyone wants white knuckle rollercoasters.

A million times this. I loved Gatekeeper. It's beautiful to look at and provides a very graceful ride experience. A coaster doesn't have to be intense or chock-full of airtime to be good. Gatekeeper is a great example of this.

[coasterfreak101]

A million times this. I loved Gatekeeper. It's beautiful to look at and provides a very graceful ride experience. A coaster doesn't have to be intense or chock-full of airtime to be good. Gatekeeper is a great example of this.

 

Exactly. My entire top ten consists of crazy-intense rides (Skyrush, El Toro, Maverick), but after Maverick and Millennium Force, Gatekeeper is my next-favorite ride at the park. Just an honestly great time all around, and absolutely stunning to look at.

[Manic Monte]

Yes. It's perfectly okay for a coaster to be plain old crowd pleasing fun. That's what I love about watching Robb's videos. They find a way to have fun on just about everything, even if it's not in their "top 10".

[whatabeast]

One of my non-enthusiast friends (which, let's be real, describes pretty much all of my friends) rode Gatekeeper before me, and when I asked him how it was he said, "Ehhhhh. It was worth riding. Maybe not worth riding again." and I feel like that sums it up pretty well.

 

It's beautiful, though. I think I like watching it more than I like riding it. I feel like CP pays a lot of attention to park aesthetics when they add new rides, and I love them for that.

[Password121]

Maybe it's just me, but I thought Gatekeeper was a great ride. No, it's not very intense, but it has its moments. If you go in expecting a very intense ride (which I still don't understand why any enthusiast would - are any of the B&M wing coasters much more intense?), then you might be a little let down. I don't go in expecting all out intensity, and you know what? It delivers.

From a perspective looking solely at ride dynamics, although it isn't very intense, it has a very unique, fun first drop, an actually fairly intense immelmann (in the last row), a middle of the road floater hill, a fun giant corkscrew, and three more beautifully shaped, fun inversions.

The train does get a little sluggish by the final inversion and helix, but the pacing is overall fairly good.

 

In the end, Cedar Point wanted a new coaster to deliver a fun ride that appealed to a broader audience than rides like Dragster or Maverick, and could handle the crowds. Not only that, but it opened up the views of the beach, added to the already impressive skyline, and created one of the most iconic entrances in the world to one of the most iconic parks in the world. In my book, Gatekeeper is a homerun.

 

If you haven't already seen it, there's a really interesting documentary from Devin Olson on youtube. I've watched it at least two or three times- it's worth checking out if you haven't already.

[FaithPlus1]

I love riding Gatekeeper!

[Mossed]

Maybe it's just me, but I thought Gatekeeper was a great ride. No, it's not very intense, but it has its moments. If you go in expecting a very intense ride (which I still don't understand why any enthusiast would - are any of the B&M wing coasters much more intense?), then you might be a little let down. I don't go in expecting all out intensity, and you know what? It delivers.

From a perspective looking solely at ride dynamics, although it isn't very intense, it has a very unique, fun first drop, an actually fairly intense immelmann (in the last row), a middle of the road floater hill, a fun giant corkscrew, and three more beautifully shaped, fun inversions.

The train does get a little sluggish by the final inversion and helix, but the pacing is overall fairly good.

 

In the end, Cedar Point wanted a new coaster to deliver a fun ride that appealed to a broader audience than rides like Dragster or Maverick, and could handle the crowds. Not only that, but it opened up the views of the beach, added to the already impressive skyline, and created one of the most iconic entrances in the world to one of the most iconic parks in the world. In my book, Gatekeeper is a homerun.

 

If you haven't already seen it, there's a really interesting documentary from Devin Olson on youtube. I've watched it at least two or three times- it's worth checking out if you haven't already.

 

This post sums up my thoughts perfectly. Cedar Point has arguably the best coaster collection even without GateKeeper, what it didn't have was a quality entrance. The amount of excitement you'd have after driving up the causeway would quickly get replaced by the image of an outdated front gate. Cedar Point made a statement with GateKeeper.

 

It's my fourth favorite coaster in the park, and yet I'd probably take it over Maverick (my favorite) because of the capacity, updated gate, and views of the lake.

[christianscoasters]

GateKeeper is one of my favorites just for the fact that it's totally re-rideable and every seat provides a unique experience. I prefer the front right or the back left. They are both totally different. GateKeeper has an excellent first drop with fantastic forces at the bottom, followed by a pretty awesome airtime hill. Ever since the restraints were fixed to where they don't lock and tighten like they used to, the ride has only became better and better. I agree that it's not the most intense, but it's a winner because it's just plain FUN and that's what it's all about!!! I could ride GateKeeper all day. Meanwhile, my favorite ride at CP, which is Magnum, I can only do a few laps before I'd need to take a break. I have a friend who prefers GateKeeper to Raptor because while she isn't exactly a "coaster person," GateKeeper isn't as snappy or forceful and she wasn't as scared of it, despite the height. The big thing is, don't forget to have fun. Getting all the credits is important, I get that, but what's the point if you don't have fun doing it?

[Superbatboy]

I thought GateKeeper was fun, the only lame part is the ending.

[Woodie Warrior]

I loved GateKeeper. Just a fun ride from beginning to end.

[drummermattk]

As from my Top Ten Coasters, I thought Gatekeeper was an EXCELLENT RIDE! although i rode back right when i went, it was really smooth and all in all a very good ride.

[rcdude]

When I visited Cedar Point this summer, I thought GateKeeper was a solid B coaster. It's not something I'd go out of the way for, but it's definitely worth a ride if I'm at the park. I don't consider it one of Cedar Point's top coasters, but I do think it is in the upper half of their lineup. The ride is very similar to Scream! or Silver Bullet in that it is a fun ride but not an overly unique or intense one, and while most would not consider it a must ride few would consider it skippable.