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Cedar Point (CP) Discussion Thread

P. 2037: Siren’s Curse tilt coaster announced for 2025!

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I know this has been discussed before, but I've got a question for some of the ride ops that frequent this thread. Does anyone that has worked at Cedar Point know how many riders per hour Top Thrill Dragster actually does on a regular basis when it's up? Anybody know what the record is? My brothers and I were talking about this the other day and apparently the theoretical capacity for Dragster is actually higher than for Millennium Force, but I can't imagine that ever happening in real life when both are running consistently.

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And to think Knoebels' 30 second dispatches could be beat... here is Blue Streak in 1991. This is how we did it back then. Before the train is dispatched - 19 seconds after stopping - you will hear "the bell" alerting the crew they have but a few seconds to dispatch the train. The bell was on the drop of the 4th hill. The train leaving the station had to be completely outside of the station before the 2nd train was under the drag break to avoid a set-up.

 

https://vimeo.com/57728739

 

I didn't know how lucky I was to have worked on this ride for 2 years. Great times! Everyone says how great the Blue Streak still is, and yes they do take care of it best they can. But it's a completely different ride with all that heavy "train gear" that was added in the mid-90s. It just doesn't ride the track the same with the extra weight. They could have changed the ride system and brakes and left the train alone. In fact, I think that's how the ride ran in 1994. Oh well... good times! Maybe the park will one day see the value in a true classic (one bench seat, no seat divider and ratchet bars) and "fix" the trains. Kennywood understands... as do a few other parks.

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^We would occasionally ride a running board to the lift as well. People would be yelling "my seat belt my seat belt" when they couldn't fasten the belt quick enough. Riding the running board went from a sort of "cool carnie trick" that impressed people to a definite NO NO. We used to announce "seat belts are optional" as the train was leaving the station to a ride rule: if the restraint is on the ride, it must be fastened. The 90s changed a lot.

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I know this has been discussed before, but I've got a question for some of the ride ops that frequent this thread. Does anyone that has worked at Cedar Point know how many riders per hour Top Thrill Dragster actually does on a regular basis when it's up? Anybody know what the record is? My brothers and I were talking about this the other day and apparently the theoretical capacity for Dragster is actually higher than for Millennium Force, but I can't imagine that ever happening in real life when both are running consistently.

 

I worked TTD in 2009 and I can tell you that hours where there was no mechanical downtime we could expect 1000-1100. Which is considerably less than most of the big coasters in the park aside from Maverick.

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I know this has been discussed before, but I've got a question for some of the ride ops that frequent this thread. Does anyone that has worked at Cedar Point know how many riders per hour Top Thrill Dragster actually does on a regular basis when it's up? Anybody know what the record is? My brothers and I were talking about this the other day and apparently the theoretical capacity for Dragster is actually higher than for Millennium Force, but I can't imagine that ever happening in real life when both are running consistently.

 

I worked TTD in 2009 and I can tell you that hours where there was no mechanical downtime we could expect 1000-1100. Which is considerably less than most of the big coasters in the park aside from Maverick.

 

That's about what I thought it was. Thanks for the info!

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Seeing no air gates sure looks weird!

 

I really wish I could have experienced Blue Streak with the buzz bars. It still gives fantastic air with the PTC individual lap bars, so I can only imagine what it was then.

 

Add to that GCI (or CP doing just as GCI goes) took the re-profile saw to a few little pops of airtime. Due to space constraints, there was nothing they could do about that first speed bump though! But even the former 45 degree average drop has been "parabolized" at the top and reduced a couple degrees to about 43. Silly to spend time removing such a little pop of air, but that's what they do. The entrance and exit to the turnaround was changed, and what we called the "square hill" after the turn was also changed. We didn't know how lucky we were to have so many "classics" still around in the 90s. I covet those times now!

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There's a big difference between theoretical and actual, as we all know. In real life situations when both are running with a solid crew, Millennium will beat Dragster pretty easily. Millennium's theoretical is 1296, and it's actually attainable. Not easy at all, but 36 trains/hour is not uncommon to see with a good crew on the platform at Millennium Force.

 

Oh, and on that note - I'm very excited to be back at Cedar Point in 2018 as the Team Leader of Millennium Force!

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Blue Streak is still my favorite ride at the Point.

 

oh boy. . Bill and I *hated* (and I mean HATED) it.

 

one and done, and it messed both of us up for a while after. rough, rough, rough, and no, we were not on a wheel seat.

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There's a big difference between theoretical and actual, as we all know. In real life situations when both are running with a solid crew, Millennium will beat Dragster pretty easily. Millennium's theoretical is 1296, and it's actually attainable. Not easy at all, but 36 trains/hour is not uncommon to see with a good crew on the platform at Millennium Force.

 

Oh, and on that note - I'm very excited to be back at Cedar Point in 2018 as the Team Leader of Millennium Force!

 

that's awesome!

 

it was great meeting you last year, as brief as the interaction was!

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Blue Streak is still my favorite ride at the Point.

 

oh boy. . Bill and I *hated* (and I mean HATED) it.

 

one and done, and it messed both of us up for a while after. rough, rough, rough, and no, we were not on a wheel seat.

 

You just need to know where to ride. Only rows 1 or 2 for me.

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Hello, I’m trying to plan my first trip out to cedar Point this year and I’m wondering what the best time to go? I’m coming from California with my girlfriend so I’m trying to figure out the cheapest time to fly and when the crowds are the lightest? Thanks in advance!

 

May or early June weekdays are probably the best (basically any time the park closes at 8pm). However, May also has the most unpredictable weather of any month of the season here besides maybe October.

 

Of course, if you can afford at least one day of Fastlane Plus into your trip then it really wouldn't matter when you come, but I would still avoid July and August Saturdays. Even with a FL+ you may see 45+ minute waits for some of the more popular attractions like Maverick. Also remember if you are a Platinum Pass holder you can purchase a FL+ for the FL price in park only.

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Hello, I’m trying to plan my first trip out to cedar Point this year and I’m wondering what the best time to go? I’m coming from California with my girlfriend so I’m trying to figure out the cheapest time to fly and when the crowds are the lightest? Thanks in advance!

 

Go on a June weekday with an 8:00 close. Do NOT go on a May weekday. They'll be understaffed, many rides will open late or not at all and Cedar Point hasn't managed to get all of their coasters ready to operate for the year by opening day since 2013 or 2014. In some cases it took them weeks to get them all running (Wicked Twister in 2015 and Mean Streak in 2016 specifically come to mind).

 

Cedar Point runs like a well oiled machine between Memorial Day and Labor Day but before and after that all bets are off.

 

Since you mentioned airfare: If you're looking for cheap airfare, you don't mind driving a few hours and you're near southern California drive to Vegas and fly Frontier to Cleveland. Just check the site every day and sign up for their email list and you'll be able to fly for like $30 each way per person if you're patient and slightly flexible.

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Blue Streak is still my favorite ride at the Point.

 

oh boy. . Bill and I *hated* (and I mean HATED) it.

 

one and done, and it messed both of us up for a while after. rough, rough, rough, and no, we were not on a wheel seat.

 

You just need to know where to ride. Only rows 1 or 2 for me.

 

sorry, but one shouldn't need instructions on how to ride a roller-coaster.

 

Every seat should be, at the very least, a non-painful experience.

 

 

and yes, I say that even with knowledge that if you do the "Magnum trick" you get a great ride as opposed to a bad to so-so one.

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