Cedar Point (CP) Discussion Thread

[ElectricUncleSam]

Poor RMCstreak was being blasted for her pre-lift section when it hasn't even been built yet and now everyone's going mathematically crazy trying to figure out all her angles and how tall she is. She can't grow up from the awkward young girl she was into the beautiful woman she was always meant to be without picking her intentions to shreds every step of the way, huh?

 

Some of you need to chill out or do something to divert your attention. It's an RMC, we know it's coming, everything is going to be okay, I promise. Following the construction of a ride should not consist of insane, crazy speculation or 3 paragraphs of completely biased criticism, especially when construction crews have barely touched the thing, lol!

Wait, I'm lost, when did we start talking about the pre-lift section? Is there already I-Box track installed?

[ImNotOneOfYou]

I see literally no difference between Bill's post and your quote....

 

It took me a minute too. I think he means that he fixed his initial post.

Yep.

Ah, okay. I'm too accustomed to seeing that used in a way that implies a fix has been made.

 

Same.

 

fixed

[SbSteveZ]

I see literally no difference between Bill's post and your quote....

 

It took me a minute too. I think he means that he fixed his initial post.

Yep.

Ah, okay. I'm too accustomed to seeing that used in a way that implies a fix has been made.

 

Same.

 

fixed

[DavidB]

I'm very new to posting here but have been following from the shadows for a fair while now, and was hoping to get some advice for my trip this weekend. I searched the forum some, but was hoping to get a little more concise information if anyone has it.

 

It looks like the weather forecast is calling for winds of 15-20 mph both Friday and Saturday. I am staying at Lighthouse Point and going to the park Friday, Saturday, and Sunday and intend to make full use of early entry and may well get fastlane or fastlane plus on Saturday as well. From my understanding, Gatekeeper, Raptor, and TTD, as well as Skyride and Windseeker are most susceptible to wind closures.

 

Is this correct and are there any strategies you guys would suggest, keeping the wind in mind? Current plan is to make sure and hit Maverick on Friday early entry and Millenium Force Saturday for early entry, but aside from that hadn't planned much outside of the standard basics like back of the park first, front of the park later.

 

Any wind related suggestions would be much appreciated!

 

Thanks

[coasterbill]

I'm very new to posting here but have been following from the shadows for a fair while now, and was hoping to get some advice for my trip this weekend. I searched the forum some, but was hoping to get a little more concise information if anyone has it.

 

It looks like the weather forecast is calling for winds of 15-20 mph both Friday and Saturday. I am staying at Lighthouse Point and going to the park Friday, Saturday, and Sunday and intend to make full use of early entry and may well get fastlane or fastlane plus on Saturday as well. From my understanding, Gatekeeper, Raptor, and TTD, as well as Skyride and Windseeker are most susceptible to wind closures.

 

Is this correct and are there any strategies you guys would suggest, keeping the wind in mind? Current plan is to make sure and hit Maverick on Friday early entry and Millenium Force Saturday for early entry, but aside from that hadn't planned much outside of the standard basics like back of the park first, front of the park later.

 

Any wind related suggestions would be much appreciated!

 

Thanks

 

Assuming this forecast holds up, this is my assumption. You're right to keep an eye on this. Any time you see a number around 20 MPH in the forecast it'll cause issues. Those indicate sustained winds so gusts will be much higher.

 

Sky Ride and Windseeker won't move once until at least Sunday and even then there's a good chance they'll be closed all weekend. If this were the regular season they would try to run them in any window they could but with their staffing issues this time of year they only seem to run those rides if they're extremely confident that they'll be able to run all day and they won't have staff standing around doing nothing when they could be better utilized elsewhere. It sucks, but it is what it is.

 

- They've eased up on Gatekeeper a little bit. It used to shut down when Raptor shut down but that's no longer always the case. I give this about pretty good chance of closing at some point this weekend but you'll be able to get some rides in. They'll keep it staffed and run it when they get a window. It's the most resilient of the 3 you mentioned.

 

- Raptor is a tough one. The problem is entirely with the MCBR and the speed in which it enters it so wind direction plays a role. If it's blowing off of the bay they're more likely to be cautious. I expect Raptor to close at some point but they'll keep it staffed and open it if they have a window and they will at some point. On Friday they might take the ride down to 2 or maybe even 1 train if it runs to keep it fully loaded.

 

- Dragster is going to be a sh*tshow this weekend. It'll run sometimes and they'll keep it staffed and try their best but I would expect frequent wind closures combined with standard frequent breakdowns. Unlike the other coasters I believe this one's panel actually prevents it from launching trains in high winds. You'll probably be able to get some rides in but I expect it to go up and down a lot and it may be closed for a good chunk of Saturday.

 

When wind speeds get that high additional closures are possible too. Rides like Power Tower and Millennium Force could go down but it's not likely. The rides you mentioned are the biggest concerns and if those rides do go down it won't be for an extended period of time. Since you mentioned Maverick, it'll run in almost anything.

 

For Early Entry, be flexible. A lot of rides will take forever to get running with the low temperatures and high winds. Rides like Millennium Force will be frontloaded with water dummies and crawl a** for the first few test runs so if you see this happening or if the ride isn't open yet just be flexible and go to something that's running. Valravn seems to have zero issues with wind, that might be a good bet. Maverick might be also. As far as the coasters I mentioned, if you see them running on Friday night then ride them just in-case.

Edited October 20, 2016 by coasterbill

[CP Maverick]

TL;DR

 

Sky Ride won't open so you should cancel the trip.

[coasterbill]

TL;DR

 

Sky Ride won't open so you should cancel the trip.

 

Sky Ride's operating procedure during Halloweekends is the #1 reason why I'll never go to Halloweekends. It's not as if your day will be ruined if it's closed, but my stance is why schedule a trip on a day when a ride you enjoy will probably be closed (even if it's not a major ride) when you could really pick any weekend out of the year to visit and be less likely to have that happen? This goes for Windseeker too which I enjoy more than anyone should, lol. Then again if I loved closer and could visit more than once a year then I wouldn't care at all and I obviously acknowledge that very few people like those rides as much as I do.

[boldikus]

TL;DR

 

Sky Ride won't open so you should cancel the trip.

 

[DavidB]

Thanks for the info Bill! All of this is very helpful. I have a feeling I'll just have to watch for TTD to start testing and head that direction if it seems like it may open. The forecast on weather underground does show the wind dying down some after dark both Friday and Saturday, so hopefully things are open for night rides. I'd like to get on all the coasters, if for no other reason than for my friend who has never been to CP to get on them. But after making sure to get a couple rides on Valravn and Rougarou since I haven't been on them, my biggest interests are Maverick, Millenium, Magnum, and TTD.

[coasterbill]

Thanks for the info Bill! All of this is very helpful. I have a feeling I'll just have to watch for TTD to start testing and head that direction if it seems like it may open. The forecast on weather underground does show the wind dying down some after dark both Friday and Saturday, so hopefully things are open for night rides. I'd like to get on all the coasters, if for no other reason than for my friend who has never been to CP to get on them. But after making sure to get a couple rides on Valravn and Rougarou since I haven't been on them, my biggest interests are Maverick, Millenium, Magnum, and TTD.

 

You're welcome! You'll have a great time and you'll get on all of the coasters. For Dragster, try to get on it Friday night. It generally has shorter waits. It's infinitely better in row 1, but on your first ride just jump in the shortest line so you make sure you get a ride in because of the forecast.

 

By the way, you know about limited ride availability on Halloweekends Fridays right? It's not a big deal but the following rides are closed. They'll be open Saturday though weather permitting. Rougarou, Gemeni, Cedar Creek Mine Ride and Corkscrew are the only coasters on the list. I know you said it's a priority so I thought I'd mention that Rougarou has zero issues with wind and will absolutely operate.

 

Antique Cars

Camp Snoopy

Cedar Creek Mine Ride

Cedar Point & Lake Erie Railroad

Corkscrew

Gemini

Giant Wheel

Rougarou

Sky Ride

Super Himalaya

Troika

Witches' Wheel

- Link

[DavidB]

Thanks, yes I know about the limited ride selection on Fridays. I have been to Halloweekends before but it's been a few years and wasn't nearly as prepared for it as I am this time. I'm quite excited, as I've had a real lapse in my "enthusiasm" and only recently went to a park(SFSTL) for the first time since the last trip I took to Cedar Point in 2013. I was considering going for front row of TTD as the first ride to really try and blow my buddy's mind...

[savetheclocktower]

For Dragster, try to get on it Friday night. It generally has shorter waits.

 

I agree with this statement. I worked rides during Halloweekends a few times, and would spend Friday nights riding. Riding Dragster those nights was such a fun time. There was often little to no wait, the closer it was to midnight. At first I would only plan on riding once or twice, but after that launch, I'm always thinking, "the heck with it, that was awesome! I'm totally riding it again!"

 

In my experience, Dragster seems to run with the least amount of downtime on cool, clear nights. With how temperamental that machine is, I was probably just lucky, but that's what I have observed.

[ElectricUncleSam]

I'll also be at CP on Saturday. PM me if anyone wants to meet up and get an impromptu TR going.

[ElectricUncleSam]

Double post

[MidwestThemeParks]

Why do so many rides at CP have problems with wind? It seems like their rides close for wind more than any other park, which I can kind of understand since they are on the water.

[coasterbill]

You just answered your own question. Cedar Point has to deal with high winds much more frequently than other parks do because of their location. It gets incredibly windy there.

[DoinItForTheFame]

Why do so many rides at CP have problems with wind? It seems like their rides close for wind more than any other park, which I can kind of understand since they are on the water.

 

Just like Coasterbill said, it all has to do with location.

 

Think of the location of Cedar Point. It's a giant peninsula that sticks out into the great lakes. There is nothing around the park to block the wind. The wind comes straight off the lakes and into the park. Where as other parks have things around them that block the wind.

[Vonni]

What is it about the south end of the Penninsula? The only rides that close due to wind are on the south end.

[CP Maverick]

The peninsula is narrower and has less trees.

 

But Dragster, Millennium Force, and Magnum have all been down from wind.

[coasterbill]

What is it about the south end of the Penninsula? The only rides that close due to wind are on the south end.

 

Nothing, it's purely coincidental. The wind normally blows from the bay. This causes Raptor to be facing a headwind at it's slowest / most valley prone point and Gatekeeper to face a headwind for almost the entire first half of the ride. Top Thrill Dragster is 420 feet tall and has a panel that won't allow it to launch in high winds and every Von Roll Sky Ride and Windseeker on earth goes down when wind gusts are around 20-25 MPH depending on the park.

[MidwestThemeParks]

You just answered your own question. Cedar Point has to deal with high winds much more frequently than other parks do because of their location. It gets incredibly windy there.

 

But still, when I was there you could barely feel any wind and rides would be closed because of it. I especially don't understand why Raptor has issues when it's not even on the outside of the peninsula.

[coasterbill]

Location in the park doesn't matter. There's nothing blocking the wind when you're up 100,200,300,400+ feet in the air. The rides that have the most issues with wind just happen to be in the same area with the exception of Dragster but it's a coincidence.

 

Personally I do think they can be a little ridiculous with Raptor and Gatekeeper. They should never start one of those rides in high winds but when they've been running for 6 hours on a busy, windy summer day, the wheels are warmed up and they're hauling through the slow points and filling trains they should almost never go down for wind as the day goes on unless the winds kick up considerably. Normally they're nearing the threshold all day, the winds pick up a few miles an hour and hit it and they take the ride down. When they do that it's a little ridiculous. Sky Ride and Windseeker need a strict limit, Dragster is forced to have one... but on those two rides I think they tend to get a little obsessive sometimes. Cedar Point is a bit conservative in that respect (I guarantee you a park like Great Adventure would never dream of taking Raptor and Gatekeeper down for wind as often as Cedar Point does for example) but generally I don't get on Cedar Point for the wind policy. The rain policy? Absolutely. The wind policy is generally not that crazy.

[blakelemay23]

Since when does Gatekeeper and Raptor have a lot of issues with wind?

 

Windseeker has problems because its 300ft in the air. Meanwhile, Skyride is pretty self explanatory as well. However, i rarely ever saw GK or Raptor go down for wind.

I saw those rides go down for wind maybe only twice in the time i was there this season. I always knew when Raptor was down because it was significantly more...ya know, quiet.

[coasterbill]

They don't have tons of issues but Raptor and Dragster close for wind before any other coasters do and Gatekeeper isn't far behind. The wind is supposed to be pretty significant this weekend so I would honestly expect Raptor and Dragster to go down for awhile. They've eased up on Gatekeeper a little which is nice. It used to go down at the same time as Raptor but that's not the case this season.

[Henry M]

Wind...the reason for smiler...