Cedar Point (CP) Discussion Thread

[JonnyRCT3]

The fact that Valravn and GateKeeper aren't considered star attractions in the eyes of some people is a good thing. That just shows how strong of a lineup the park has.

 

[storms555]

^Six Flags Great America is my home park and i do go quite a few times. I do enjoy myself there and Goliath is awesome! Short but awesome! However....there is times i wish Great America was more like Great Adventure or Magic Mountain. I know thats unrealistic but i still I still have yet to go to those parks but i want to go soooo bad! Despite Great America being my home park and I enjoy going there,I still think Cedar Point is far superior and fun! I'm sure most would agree.

[SFOGdude25]

I absolutely love having a plethora of great coasters at CP. It helps me not get bored with the park too quickly if at all. When I go to parks I like to just hit rides as I walk by them, which means at CP I'm riding something new for the day way more than I otherwise would at a smaller park. Not only that, but nearly all of CP's coasters are ones I like to re-ride (the one exception being Corkscrew), meaning I can spend an entire day riding all those great coasters as much as I'm willing to stomach. It's heaven on earth for me.

[prozach626]

No one is saying that the lineup is too good for anyone, or at least I wasn't trying to imply that. I was simply making an observation how it's weird that somehow I personally experienced that I didn't appreciate the good coasters as much as I normally do, due to my divided attention among the other couple of really great coasters. I mean it when I say please don't mistake my post for complaining, what so ever. I wish I could appreciate each coaster at CP like a lot of guys do, but I find it strange that with such good offerings at the end of the day there are only a couple at the park that I really want to ride over and over again.

 

Strangely enough, yes. I do actually prefer Carowinds to CP, which I found to be incredibly bizarre, since CP is clearly the better overall park. I don't try to fight it, I just go with what I like. It seems what I have found out is that for my wife and I spending time at a park with just a few great offerings is just as satisfying as spending time at a park packed full of great offerings. I guess that's more my "speed." If that somehow makes me lesser enthusiast then so be it. Maybe part of the enjoyment comes from being able to buy a FL+ at parks like Carowinds and Kings Island, where I can walk directly to the station on all of the star attractions, even during the busy summer months. It really adds something to the experience for me to be able to walk by Fury, Afterburn, Diamondback, Banshee, etc. and make the decision to ride, before proceeding almost immediately to a boarding train. Not at all because I want to get in as many laps as possible, but because it seems to take away some sense of urgency and provides my wife and I with more time to just walk around truly carefree while not waiting in any lines. It's our formula and it works for us.

[MrSum1_55]

SFGAm is a bit of a odd case, because it is a park with lots of 'good' roller coasters, but not really any that are universally considered 'top ten' material. The closest has to be Goliath, but many still consider this to be the weakest RMC. It is saying a lot that Cedar Point added both a dive coaster and the largest wing coaster since I last visited, but I do not have that intense of a drive to go back, because I do not see either of these as too major increases to the lineup. This is really saying a lot about how impressive Cedar Point's selection really is. By contrast, SFGAm is not really a park that gives me too intense a drive to visit, even in spite of its large number of coasters. To me, it is only a park I would go to if I were in the area for other reasons. (And I actually will be going there, but mainly just because I will be in Chicago for different reasons).

[storms555]

I can see myself wanting to revisit CP though. CP is a really awesome place but yea average parks like Great America I'd probably be indifferent about revisiting if i lived far from it. Still i can see why people may not want to revisit even flagship parks like CP unless they got newer coasters of WOW! coaster,as amusement parks and traveling costs a lot so its better to go when you just really really want to go. Other then that though i dont get why people wouldnt want to revisit CP,especially coaster lovers.

[Donkeygoat]

I have a few tips for these, they may work, they may not... but it's worth a try. That's a fair assessment of Corkscrew. Riding in the first row of the back car is my best advice but you're not going to have a pain free ride on Corkscrew ever, it's not THAT bad though. Blue Streak (like all 3 bench PTC wood coasters not located in Elysburg, PA) runs much better in a non wheel seat. That ride can jackhammer quite a bit in a bad seat but this can easily be avoided by sitting in a middle row of any car. With Magnum, tighten the seatbelt as much as possible to avoid slamming into the bar. I used to hate the ride but that trick made me love it.

 

Looking back, I kinda regret not giving some of those coasters another chance, but when I was at the park and rode a coaster I didn't like I'd rather just ride something I know I like. As for Blue Streak that was such a painful experience that I wouldn't try it again. Maverick wasn't at all rough, but the restraints don't lock and keep pressing down. Im thin but tall which means the restraints go down very far after the first hill and my shoulder gets a lot of pressure. My brother hated Magnum more than anything else at the park and I didn't know about the seatbelt trick then. Corkscrew didn't exactly hurt but I was so close to wacking my head to the restraints (during all my time riding coasters I've never had a good headbang except one on Dragon Khan).

 

Also, it takes a good 5 hour drive from New York (which we only visit once every two years) for me and my family to get to Cedar Point and I feel I'd rather try some new parks in the area the next time.

[ElectricUncleSam]

I always thought the B&Ms complimented the Intamins really well at Cedar Point. Are the B&M's (aside from Raptor of course) overly forceful? No. But they're incredibly fun rides. I absolutely love dive coasters and Valravn is no different, the feeling of power and speed if pretty awesome on that ride, as is the view and the 2 dives. I also really enjoy the barrel roll, it's forceless but has a cool floating sensation to it.

 

As far as Rougarou goes, I actually think it's the most forceful floorless out there aside from Dominator. Don't get me wrong, a "forceful" floorless coaster isn't saying much, but it's kind of snappy and fun. I think it's the weakest B&M in the park but it's a very good ride. As for Gatekeeper, I absolutely love the thing. The first drop is insane, the keyholes are fun and I really like the sensation of flying that it provides. Raptor is forceful and awesome but I'm not really talking about Raptor. We all know that already.

 

I never felt like the park had a "bipolar" coaster lineup, it just has a great variety of rides. Aside from Corkscrew there really isn't a dud in the bunch, and even Corkscrew has it's good points. It's not rough enough to be unbearable and while it's by no means a good ride, kids seem to really like it, it has some historical value and it looks spectacular. They have a great collections of Arrows to compliment the B&Ms and Intamins which round things out nicely (and having a collection Arrows that don't suck makes them kind of unique to be honest)... I have to admit I can't really find any issues with their coaster lineup. I felt like Valravn was just the icing on the cake and putting an RMC into the mix is flat out ridiculous. I can't wait.

 

I don't want to come across as a fanboy but I really can't objectively find any issues with this stacked coaster lineup. I guess maybe they could use another high intensity coaster to compliment Maverick, Dragster and Raptor but by the looks of things we won't have to wait very long.

 

I thought Maverick, Magnum, Rougarou, Valravn, Blue Streak and Corkscrew all hurt more or less

 

I have a few tips for these, they may work, they may not... but it's worth a try. That's a fair assessment of Corkscrew. Riding in the first row of the back car is my best advice but you're not going to have a pain free ride on Corkscrew ever, it's not THAT bad though. Blue Streak (like all 3 bench PTC wood coasters not located in Elysburg, PA) runs much better in a non wheel seat. That ride can jackhammer quite a bit in a bad seat but this can easily be avoided by sitting in a middle row of any car. With Magnum, tighten the seatbelt as much as possible to avoid slamming into the bar. I used to hate the ride but that trick made me love it.

 

As far as Maverick and Rougarou being rough... I've got nothing. I have no idea why people think Rougarou is rough and Maverick was always awesome and smooth and is even more awesome and smooth with the new vests. With both of them you should keep your head forward and lean into the turns but that goes for every coaster so I can't really help you there. Eat some Wheaties before going to the park maybe? IDFK.

Rougarou has never been that rough, but I vastly preferred Mantis. The new floorless trains still make it far from a bad ride, but it just doesn't have that floaty intensity that Mantis had. At least I got to ride Mantis in its last season before it was closed. Unlike MS...

[ElectricUncleSam]

I feel kinda oddly about Valravn. Firstly, I thought it was pretty intense since I greyed out after the first drop atleast two of the three times I rode it. Secondly, I thought the restraints felt uncomfortable, even though I had absolutely no problem with GateKeeper's. I suspect both of those things has to do with the fact that I rode Valravn much later than the other rides and were probably sore and tired. I did however feel a lot of airtime during both of the drops.

 

As for ranking I'd put it right under Raptor, which means 6th best for me. The theming was kinda halfassed and barely-existent in a way that you felt like they only did it so they could call it a themed ride (talking about the AR stuff). If I'm completely honest I kinda hope CP doesn't start theme their rides because that's always what I found charming with Cedar Point; it has the atmosphere of a giant boardwalk park almost.

Eh, greyouts can definitely be a sign of a truly forceful ride, but everybody has a different G-force tolerance than others. For some (me), greyouts can happen somewhat easily on rides like Wild Eagle, Invertigo, and KI Vortex. For others, they almost never happen. If you don't grey out on i305, you're probably expected to live forever.

[njcoasterguy34]

I guess that means I'll live forever, since I didn't grey-out on I-305. Actually, I have never greyed-out on any ride.

[Devins3]

I did a little science experiment at GADV yesterday. They had a blood drive at the park that I participated in, they were offering a free ticket and I haven't made it to GADV this year so I figured why not. Nitro has never given me issues with grey/blackouts and I wanted to see how blood donation would affect it, if at all. Everything was normal until I was re riding, then I was greying out going through the helix which never happens to me before. So moral of the story, if your susceptible to blackouts don't donate blood right before going to the park. Well I guess you didn't need me to tell you that it's pretty obvious, just wanted to share an interesting observation I had that that was relevant.

[coasterer]

I've been to Cedar Point probably around 5 times in my life, all spaced out from 1996 to 2013. And yet I don't think I've ever ridden one ride there more than twice in a single day. The park is just too big and there are too many things to do. At almost any other park, I'll ride everything once, then marathon the one or two I liked the most. Similarly, if I go back to a park, I have no problem just riding my favorites and not worrying about the rest. But with Cedar Point, even when I go back, I find myself willingly riding an easy 8-10+ different rides before I even think about rerides. And that's with me selecting the best, time-worthy rides. This is part of what makes Cedar Point so unique and amazing. No other park is like that.

[boldikus]

I guess that means I'll live forever, since I didn't grey-out on I-305. Actually, I have never greyed-out on any ride.

 

I never grey out on anything... except every single ride I took on I305, including a full-on black out once.

[coasterbill]

I guess that means I'll live forever, since I didn't grey-out on I-305. Actually, I have never greyed-out on any ride.

 

I never grey out on anything... except every single ride I took on I305, including a full-on black out once.

 

Ah one of the many times you tried to be sensible and take a break from riding something when you felt like you were about to die and I told you to get your ass back in line. Why do you listen to me again? Take it from me... listening to me is a terrible idea.

[boldikus]

I guess that means I'll live forever, since I didn't grey-out on I-305. Actually, I have never greyed-out on any ride.

 

I never grey out on anything... except every single ride I took on I305, including a full-on black out once.

 

Ah one of the many times you tried to be sensible and take a break from riding something when you felt like you were about to die and I told you to get your A$$ back in line. Why do you listen to me again? Take it from me... listening to me is a terrible idea.

 

I blame it on the Haunted Bar.

[Donkeygoat]

The park is just too big and there are too many things to do.

 

I seriously recommend going there 3 days in a row, even if you'll get really tired. My third day was so amazing, perfect weather but in the afternoon pretty much walk-in on everything except Maverick, Valravn, Raptor and Millenium Force (yes, walk-in on TTD). Also, since I lived at the nearby hotel I could ride Maverick before the park was open (also walk-in).

[coasterbill]

We usually do 3 days there each year also over a long weekend. I highly recommend Labor Day weekend since they usually do pass holder ERT Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights.

[Physical]

We usually do 3 days there each year also over a long weekend. I highly recommend Labor Day weekend since they usually do pass holder ERT Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights.

 

How are crowds on Labor Day weekend? We're planning our first trip out to CP in 2017 and we still have no idea when we're going to go.

[drummermattk]

As 2017 will be the year i go to coaster club events (first time for everything lol) does anyone know what the prices are for Winter chillout and Coastermania?

[coasterbill]

We usually do 3 days there each year also over a long weekend. I highly recommend Labor Day weekend since they usually do pass holder ERT Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights.

 

How are crowds on Labor Day weekend? We're planning our first trip out to CP in 2017 and we still have no idea when we're going to go.

 

I've noticed that crowds don't really bother me as much as most people, but I think they're fine. Friday is usually pretty slow, Saturday and Sunday are busier but by then we usually go at a more relaxed pace anyway so we don't care. Rides like Maverick and Millennium Force can get around 60-90 minutes in the middle of the day but at that point we usually hit smaller rides or rides with shorter lines like Gemeni, Power Tower, Iron Dragon, Windseeker, Skyhawk, Maxair, Sky Ride and CP&LE Railroad until they die down. it's also a good time for some moonshine on Frontier Trail or lunch at Famous Dave's. Between ERT and Early Entry you get tons of rides in, and occasionally we jump in a long line in the middle of the day if we feel inclined. It's not so bad since you can take beer in line. That makes everything better.

 

Usually we do whatever we want for Early Entry, then hang out in the back of the park since it takes a few hours for crowds to pick up, then we focus on smaller rides and eventually make our way to the front late in the afternoon when lines are very manageable to non-existent for Raptor, Wicked Twister, Maxair, Blue Streak and Gatekeeper. Plus, if you can swing it, there's always Fastlane Plus.

[I Like Theme Parks.]

When I went near the front of the park a few hours before the park closed, it was amazing. I had most of the rides to myself, and it was actually a busy day earlier on.

[JRice92]

As 2017 will be the year i go to coaster club events (first time for everything lol) does anyone know what the prices are for Winter chillout and Coastermania?

 

Last year I believe the price for Winter Chillout was $50. I don't remember the Coastermania price.

[Physical]

It's not so bad since you can take beer in line.

 

I'm sold.

 

Doesn't sound too bad, plus CP is pretty huge. I'm sure we'll be able to find things with shorter lines. Worst comes to worse, we'll just post up at their Flyers for an hour or two until we get bored of that. Thanks for the insight!

 

Just started a new job that is a pretty significant pay cut from my old job, so fastlane might be off the table. We have a few months though, so we'll see.

[boldikus]

If you have til next summer put $5 a week aside for fast lane. Its so worth it. I would never Cedar Point without one.

[coasterbill]

^^If you're there for a few days you don't really need it. It's nice to have but not a necessity. At peak times, stick to Gemeni, Power Tower, Windseeker, CP&LE Railroad and Skyhawk if you don't want lines at all (and Snake River Falls if you're into that kind of thing), and for lines that usually max out around 30 minutes then stick to Iron Dragon (if the line is spilling out the entrance it's still a short wait), Magnum, Corkscrew, Mine Ride and Wicked Twister (unless it's the morning). The Museum is actually pretty cool too if you're sick of standing in lines, as is Famous Dave's in the Marina. In past years I would have suggested Challenge Park stuff and Mean Streak, but nevermind.