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Cedar Point (CP) Discussion Thread

p. 2030 - Top Thrill 2 announced!

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I'm sure many will be happy to know this:

 

Gatekeeper's restraints are slowly being modified one by one so that the vest does not lock anymore. I'm not sure which ones are already adjusted and which aren't, but it will eventually be all of them.

 

Happy Thursday!

 

 

Interesting and good to hear. I was at the park Wednesday for a quick pit stop on my way to Michigan's Adventure and got the dreaded restraint lock on the back left seat. Didn't happen when I rode it three weeks ago in the front left and fifth right. The old collar bone was definitely hurting (and still is a bit tender) from Wednesday's ride. The good part was that the line was only 10 minutes long!

 

We thought we might be able to breeze through the park and hit all of the major coasters with minimal wait. GK, MaxAir and Windeeker were all less than 10 minute waits, but when we got back to MF and Maverick, they were both close to one hour. We skipped both of those and walked on Magnum before heading out.

 

Saw that Skyhawk was running, albeit only one side. The line was long for that as well as it seemed like most of the masses were at the back of the park on that evening, or at least during the time we were there.

 

Stopped by on the way back home yesterday and did the water park for a couple of hours. It seemed like they were shutting the coasters down quite a bit because of showers and clouds in the area. Never heard any rumbles of thunder or saw any lightning, but the showers were apparently just enough to shut most of the coasters down. I did find it interesting that they were still running Power Tower and Windseeker!

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Hi pple,

 

I am from Singapore, worked in Carowinds for the summer of 2010.

And since then, fell in love with coasters.

 

Come this 18th - 19th July, i am planning a trip to CP.

As i am travelling alone, i am looking to meet friends who are heading there on the same dates.

My objective is simple: Clear all the coasters in 2 days.

 

Draft Itinerary

Land in Chicago, rent car to drive to Sandusky?

Thinking of booking hotel in CP itself, any intro?

2 days in CP.

 

Any tips and recommendations are appreciated.

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Hey all, I have quick question. Is there any real breakfast buffets/restaurants on-point? I don't eat usually in the morning so I have no clue but I'm going with family and they want breakfast... I know about the McDonalds but they don't want to get in the car. Staying at the Sandcastle btw. Thanks, Joel.

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Hey all, I have quick question. Is there any real breakfast buffets/restaurants on-point? I don't eat usually in the morning so I have no clue but I'm going with family and they want breakfast... I know about the McDonalds but they don't want to get in the car. Staying at the Sandcastle btw. Thanks, Joel.

 

Perkins inside Breakers. Breakwater Cafe has a buffet and is right next to Sandcastle. I can't speak for that at breakfast but I thought their dinner service was crap. There's also a small donut/bagel shop in Breakers that sells defrosted baked goods.

Edited by DirkFunk
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Hey all, I have quick question. Is there any real breakfast buffets/restaurants on-point? I don't eat usually in the morning so I have no clue but I'm going with family and they want breakfast... I know about the McDonalds but they don't want to get in the car. Staying at the Sandcastle btw. Thanks, Joel.

 

I stayed in sandcastle for my two previous visits to the point and last time we had breakfast at the buffet right next to it. The food was terrible, I don't think I've ever had a worse breakfast somewhere before I defiantly wouldn't recommend it.

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Last night I had a chance to ride in a modified seat on Gatekeeper, and I'll say...SO MUCH BETTER. I had no soreness after the ride at all. If anyone's interested, I do know of two seats that have been changed already; Gold train, right side, rows 2 and 4 outside seats. I'm sure there are others I'm not aware of, but try those first if you want to experience it.

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In all honesty i'm not one for rumors, considering my home park, Darien Lake has waaaay to many of them floating around all the time and most of them are false anyways. Maybe the positioning of the new video cam and the logo tease go hand in hand?

 

In other news, I went to Cedar Point for the 4th of July and there ended up being a few storms which led to some problems on the towering Millennium Force and Top Thrill Dragster. I waited an hour and a half to ride the Dragster and when i was 4 trains away from riding, an operator felt a single drip of rain and the ride shut down for what i believe was at least 3 hours. I can't say for sure being that I left immediately after, but also I saw multiple empty trains with ongoing rollbacks after it closed. Also the Millennium Force operators were very slow at points of operation. They were constantly closing the ride down to switch out trains and/or add/remove trains for well over an hour and due to some heavy looking clouds, they shut down the ride for about 10 minutes, twice. The closing down due to the clouds I didn't mind as much as how they were constantly wasting time to switch trains. the "Best Steel Roller Coaster in the World" should at least have a ride operators team that knows what they're doing. I went on Mantis and Raptor right before GateKeeper in chronological order via Circas of the rides, and it was really interesting to feel the differences from '94 to '96 and then '13 all from 3 different types of B&M coasters. I admit I didn't like the Mantis sending all my weight to my legs, it did hurt alot to the point where I lifted my legs up to avoid the situation, Raptor was phenomenal! Never have I been on an inverted coaster with such power! and gateKeeper was amazing because:

1) I went on during the 4th of July Fireworks

2) The line was literally 5 minutes long

3) the views of sandusky from the ride were spectacular

4) It was anticipated since last august

 

The lighting problem with GateKeeper was disappointing though with the LEDs being some on, some off, and the Keyholes not living up to par with Power Tower, WIndSeeker, Giant Wheel and Millennium Force's Lighting packages. But overall it was a good ride.

 

Maverick closed down for a while for a slight Down pour but as always it was worth the wait, Mean Streak was alot smoother than other Wooden Style rides I've been on with the exception of Blue Streak and Power Tower gave a good ride even though I have heard some negative critisism about the ride from other threads. Anyways, Thats all I have to blabber about Cedar Point. Still a Great park and it has Great memories. I look forward to my next visit.

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I have finally been able to go to Cedar Point after years and years of putting it off.

 

First off, I did not realize just how close this park is to Baltimore. It only took me 6.5 hours to get there and I thought it would take about 8 hours.

 

Driving up to the park my first impression was completely amazed. The skyline of this park is simply beautiful. I know this park can get really crowded so I was expecting it to be chaos getting in and our of the parking lot. However, I was pleasantly surprised as how easy and efficient everything was. The entrance is beautiful. I was surprised not to see any metal detectors and/or bag checks. Every other Cedar Fair park I have been to has both. I was also able to take my outside drinks in every day I was there. Maybe I just got lucky, not sure.

 

I am not someone who is picky with a park having shade and/or trees. I simply enjoy when a park is clean and tidy. This park was both extremely clean and tidy. Walking around for the 2.5 days I was there I continuously saw people sweeping up trash and things. I loved how on the side of the park where Gatekeeper, Wicked Twister, and Magnum are I felt like I was in an a well taken care of amusement park. Than on the other side where the water rides are I felt like I was in the middle of the woods in a very old town.

 

The operations were amazing! They had train after train in and out so fast! I have never been to a park that has so many coasters running 3 or more trains on so many rides before. It makes me think why can't other parks do this? Also I noticed they would dispatch the next train before the last one made it to the break run. Again, this makes me wonder why so many other parks do not/can not do this? Many of the staff were literally running on the station to check restraints. This is awesome customer service in my opinion. We did purchase the Fast Lane Plus for Friday and it sure did come in handy. At one point Gatekeeper had a 3 hour wait and we waited about 15-20 minutes. Also many of the other coasters has at least 1.5 hour waits from about 11:30 till closing.

 

Rides:

 

Blue Streak - such a classic coaster. I was expecting it to be rough but it was not. I loved the back row on this. I could not stay off of it.

 

Cedar Creek Mine Ride - Very rough coaster in my opinion. Not worth more than one ride.

 

Corkscrew - One of my faves in the park. To me this is a classic.

 

Gatekeeper - I have never been on this type of coaster before this trip. I was not sure what to expect. The restraints were very comfortable. Why can't they replace all SLC's with this version? lol I love the initial flip at the top and the first drop. After that honestly, I was not that thrilled. It is a fun coaster and we rode it several times but it was not my favorite in the park.

 

Gemini - I LOVE this coaster!!! I love the lay out and that it is not rough at all - at least in my opinion. I also enjoyed that so many people played along with reaching out to the other train. My favorite drop is near the middle of the ride.

 

Iron Dragon - boring, that is all.

 

Magnum - Very rough in the back. Minus the helix in the back it reminds me of Steel Force at Dorney just much more rough. I do love how it goes out away from the main park and travels through the water park. It would have been neat for it to go out over the water.

 

Mantis - I was in the last row in a middle seat. I had NO head banging. However, my friend was on the end seat and got a massive head ache from this. I wanted to ride again and again. This is now my favorite stand up coaster.

 

Maverick - My second favorite coaster in the park. I LOVE the layout. I was not expecting such a small coaster to pack such an awesome punch. The very quick jolts make this coaster amazing for me. Once we went under the station and it slowed I was not expecting such a fast propel. The element it does under the first drop is my favorite part.

 

Mean Streak - Such a massive structure. In my opinion it is a beautiful coaster to look at it. It "looks" intimidating and that is what I like about it. I rode near the front in case the back was too rough. It started off well and I liked it. Once it got to the second half it was quite boring. The end was the worst. However, I do see this as a awesome coaster for people who are trying to transfer to bigger rides. The drops are not steep and the speed is an enjoyable one.

 

Millennium Force - In my opinion this coaster is the parks crown jewel. This is my favorite coaster in this park by far. I LOVE the lay out a lot. My first ride was in the back seat and I loved being drug over the lift hill. I also rode at night in the front seat - sheer epicness in my opinion.

 

Raptor - This is a fun suspended coaster but nothing spectacular to me. I only rode once. I still prefer Talon or Alphengiest.

 

Top Thrill Dragster - Extremely fun coaster - way better at night. I am still a Kingda Ka fan boy though.

 

Wicked Twister - Nothing special - moving on...

 

The only downfall I saw was the rain policy. One rain drop falls and EVERY coaster closes. I have NEVER seen that before. I have been to so many parks in the rain and as long as there is no lightning and/or thunder and the rain is not hard the rides stay open. Corkscrew even closed for "weather" and the sun was out! We were confused by that.

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^I enjoyed reading your trip report, I also just made it to CP for the first time in June. Let's compare notes! In general I was also super impressed with the park's operations, cleanliness, and atmosphere (that one being a big surprise considering who owns the place). And the skyline is insanely awesome... to me it was like walking up to Cinderella's castle in Disney World.

 

Blue Streak - such a classic coaster. I was expecting it to be rough but it was not. I loved the back row on this. I could not stay off of it.

 

I agree! I loved it. It's definitely the best classic wooden coaster I've been on outside of Knoebels.

 

Cedar Creek Mine Ride - Very rough coaster in my opinion. Not worth more than one ride.

 

Corkscrew - One of my faves in the park. To me this is a classic.

 

Weird! Switch these two around and you'd have my thoughts practically verbatim. CCMR was easily the best mine train coaster I've been on, I loved the hard laterals, the helix finale, the nice long layout, the lovely setting. Corkscrew hurt my neck.

 

Gatekeeper - I have never been on this type of coaster before this trip. I was not sure what to expect. The restraints were very comfortable. Why can't they replace all SLC's with this version? lol I love the initial flip at the top and the first drop. After that honestly, I was not that thrilled. It is a fun coaster and we rode it several times but it was not my favorite in the park.

 

I wonder if they've done something about the restraints since I rode it. The whole ride I felt like I had a heavy weight on my chest, by the time we were waiting on the final brake run I could only take short, shallow breaths. I'd take having my thighs crushed over feeling like I have to fight the restraints to breath. Totally took me out of the experience. Other than that, I agree, first flip awesome, after that, nothing special.

 

Magnum - Very rough in the back. Minus the helix in the back it reminds me of Steel Force at Dorney just much more rough. I do love how it goes out away from the main park and travels through the water park. It would have been neat for it to go out over the water.

 

Magnum is a lot like Steel Force, except better in every way IMO. I loved the roughness, and the bunny hops during the second half were everything SF's second half wishes it was. The only thing I prefer about Steel Force is the helix, I think it's a much more exciting turnaround. Other than that, Magnum is basically my perfect coaster.

 

I have a totally unrelated question. People often talk about wanting CP to build out onto the lake. I'm just wondering if this is even possible. I know they don't own the lake and probably wouldn't be allowed for legal reasons, but I mean physically speaking, from an engineering standpoint, would it even be possible to build a coaster out over the lake, with supports that go all the way down to the bottom? I imagine that lake gets really deep really quick, and you'd have to dig really deep to secure the supports in something that isn't sand or mud.

 

Mantis - I was in the last row in a middle seat. I had NO head banging. However, my friend was on the end seat and got a massive head ache from this. I wanted to ride again and again. This is now my favorite stand up coaster.

 

Ug.

 

Maverick - My second favorite coaster in the park. I LOVE the layout. I was not expecting such a small coaster to pack such an awesome punch. The very quick jolts make this coaster amazing for me. Once we went under the station and it slowed I was not expecting such a fast propel. The element it does under the first drop is my favorite part.

 

This was my third favorite, though I had hoped it would become my new favorite ride. What I loved about it was how different it was from every other CP coaster, and just about every other coaster I've ever ridden. But overall, I think it's quite possibly overrated. I wouldn't say the ride is "one note" exactly, but ultimately I don't get much out of twisting back and forth and back and forth, which is mostly what this ride does, with the exception of two (count 'em! two!) airtime hills. I prefer Skyrush's layout, which is more like "twist, airtime, twist, airtime, twist, twist, airtime" rather than "twist, twist, twist, twist..."

 

Mean Streak - Such a massive structure. In my opinion it is a beautiful coaster to look at it. It "looks" intimidating and that is what I like about it. I rode near the front in case the back was too rough. It started off well and I liked it. Once it got to the second half it was quite boring. The end was the worst. However, I do see this as a awesome coaster for people who are trying to transfer to bigger rides. The drops are not steep and the speed is an enjoyable one.

 

To me it was dull from start to finish. I totally disagree that it would be a good coaster for people transferring to bigger rides. It isn't very fast or intense, but it is rough (normal wooden roughness), and it isn't fun. If I wanted to get someone on a bigger ride, I'd say "Let's ride Raptor and I'll hold your hand", then they'll have a blast and want to go on more. I wouldn't do it with a ride they probably won't enjoy.

 

Millennium Force - In my opinion this coaster is the parks crown jewel. This is my favorite coaster in this park by far. I LOVE the lay out a lot. My first ride was in the back seat and I loved being drug over the lift hill. I also rode at night in the front seat - sheer epicness in my opinion.

 

AGREED. Except I like Magnum a little more. But besides that, AGREED.

 

Raptor - This is a fun suspended coaster but nothing spectacular to me. I only rode once. I still prefer Talon or Alphengiest.

 

I loved Raptor, mostly because BM inverts are generally my favorite kind of inverting coaster (Maverick is a rare exception). They always feel more intense for some reason, and never any headbanging. But THANK YOU for saying Talon is better!! I thought I was the only person who believed this. Talon is totally underrated, what does Raptor have that Talon doesn't, besides slower pacing?

 

Top Thrill Dragster - Extremely fun coaster - way better at night. I am still a Kingda Ka fan boy though.

 

I'm not a huge fan of either of them, but I prefer TTD purely for its placement in the park.

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^^I haven't ridden Maverick since 2009 but I thought it had three airtime hills... the one before the horse shoe roll, the trimmed one after the launch (some floater air), and then the one in between the Stengel Dive and the curve into the brake run. Just curious as to which one you are not counting (I'm assuming the trimmed one).

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I would agree on MF. Easily my favorite coaster of all time, that is, until I ride I305 in August, lol.

 

As for Magnum. The first part of the ride is great. Good drops, some fun airtime and a tunnel. The second half blows, the bunny hops give my thighs a beating. Other than that I still love it to death.

 

Gemini is by far my 2nd fav. That is one ride I can ride all day. Blue train, back seat. The hand chopper is awesome. If i'm not riding MF I'm on Gemini. It was my first big coaster and i'm still in love with it.

 

Anyone else going to the point on July 14-17?

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I have a totally unrelated question. People often talk about wanting CP to build out onto the lake. I'm just wondering if this is even possible. I know they don't own the lake and probably wouldn't be allowed for legal reasons, but I mean physically speaking, from an engineering standpoint, would it even be possible to build a coaster out over the lake, with supports that go all the way down to the bottom? I imagine that lake gets really deep really quick, and you'd have to dig really deep to secure the supports in something that isn't sand or mud.

 

Dubai has done it multiple times and has built fairly large buildings on the extended areas. Not sure if there would be any chance of them possibly using this concept at Cedar Point.

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Lake Erie is actually quite shallow even at its deepest. I believe Sandusky Bay (the body of water on the Millennium Force side of the park) is roughly 12 feet at the deepest points. It isn't so much of an issue of depth, or the fact building in a lake that freezes over, it is who owns the land. The State of Ohio owns Lake Erie through a trust - if I'm not mistaken Cedar Point (or any lakefront property) only owns the property up to where the ordinary low water level is (I believe that is how the state words it). While I'm sure there are some exceptions for docks and such, building a permanent structure could be quite different. (Dr. M - I know you said you knew they didn't own it when you asked - just figured I would throw out some of the facts I learned from my nerdy Cedar Point research days).

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^Makes sense! Thank you for answering.

 

^^I haven't ridden Maverick since 2009 but I thought it had three airtime hills... the one before the horse shoe roll, the trimmed one after the launch (some floater air), and then the one in between the Stengel Dive and the curve into the brake run. Just curious as to which one you are not counting (I'm assuming the trimmed one).

 

Hitting the brakes immediately after the second launch was such a buzz-kill for me that I had completely blocked that hill out of my memory. Upon reflection, I'm not sure I noticed any airtime at that spot, or anything other than a general feeling of "Aw man, seriously?" I don't doubt it's there, I just didn't notice.

 

I would agree on MF. Easily my favorite coaster of all time, that is, until I ride I305 in August, lol.

 

As for Magnum. The first part of the ride is great. Good drops, some fun airtime and a tunnel. The second half blows, the bunny hops give my thighs a beating. Other than that I still love it to death.

 

Haven't gotten on I305 yet, I'm super excited for it, hopefully sometime soon. Although, the ride is very "TWISTY!!!" and as I said twists just don't do as much for me as they seemingly do for others. Still, I'm sure I'll enjoy it.

 

My brother also had a bad time with the bunny hops on Magnum, on our second ride apparently his wallet and cell phone were perfectly positioned so as to deliver maximum thigh pain. The funny thing is, none of the times we rode did I even notice the lap bar was there. I was really surprised when I started reading online how many others have problems with them. It'll always amaze me how two different people can have such entirely different experiences with restraint systems, even when sitting next to each other. Like Gate Keeper nearly suffocating me while being perfectly comfortable for others.

 

Oh, and also about Magnum... it practically feels like a wooden coaster, which is partly why I love it so. Hey, I have another unrelated question: For those long-time CP fans, was there ever a time when Magnum was butter smooth, or was it always a little rough? Because Steel Force is getting pretty old as well and it's still extremely smooth.

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I wonder if they've done something about the restraints since I rode it. The whole ride I felt like I had a heavy weight on my chest, by the time we were waiting on the final brake run I could only take short, shallow breaths. I'd take having my thighs crushed over feeling like I have to fight the restraints to breath. Totally took me out of the experience. Other than that, I agree, first flip awesome, after that, nothing special.

Yes A few pages back a couple people reported they have slowly begun updating the restraints so that they no longer do this. Hope it's all done by the time I visit in Sept!

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Oh, and also about Magnum... it practically feels like a wooden coaster, which is partly why I love it so. Hey, I have another unrelated question: For those long-time CP fans, was there ever a time when Magnum was butter smooth, or was it always a little rough? Because Steel Force is getting pretty old as well and it's still extremely smooth.

 

I always say a ride on Magnum depends on the alignment of the planets. Sometimes it is really smooth (by Magnum standards) other times I have sworn never to ride it again.

 

Was it ever smoother? Perhaps, but I wonder if our definition of "smooth" has changed over the years. For the first several years Magnum was open there was no B&M, let alone MF/Maverick to compare it to. Having never rode those during the early years I used to remember the ride as smooth. Now you ride a B&M or one of the newer Intamins and almost anything feels rough, let alone Magnum. On a related, but unrelated note, Magnum has received a lot of work - almost like a wooden coaster over the years to a lesser extent. The third drop pull-out was re-profiled after the first season and the pretzel helix was retracked in the mid-90s. Heck, the cars used to have up-stop bars vs wheels. Smooth or not the ride experience, in some ways, has changed slightly over the years.

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^ Depends on your budget and expectations - if you want a low cost exterior corridor motel that you only planning on sleeping in it will barely serve that expectation. I always recommend checking out rates for Breakers Express generally it isn't much more than the going-rate around town.

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