Cedar Point (CP) Discussion Thread

[Canobie Coaster]

^ Being visually impaired has its advantages since I always have my glasses on. And I have my only slightly nerdy Walmart brand glasses strap.

[operative_me]

I finally took a ride on the Monster Trucks yesterday with my girlfriend, they were pretty fun. If you are expecting full on jumps of a hundred feet you'll be disappointed, but the course has enough obstacles where you get jostled around a bit in your restraints. It's interesting enough for someone who has no experience with that sort of thing, and it's a real hit with the kids.

 

Frontier Festival - meh. In previous years, Brew & BBQ was a crazy good deal. I think Platinum Pass holders got 20 tickets for like $20. Well with the name change came a price change. 20 tickets are $30 for pass holders, $35 regular. Food samples are tiny. I had some wings and some chicken drums, and they were good, but there wasn't a lot of them. My girl had loaded mac and cheese which she said was good, and some sort of dessert thing from Miss Keats Sweet which she liked, but once again it was a tiny amount.

 

I will say they really did a nice job with decorating the area, with a sunflower theme (tied into Maria's Fields of Hope which is a cool charity they are supporting) and they had actors in entertainment scattered about. Just don't go in expecting to get a full meal, even with 20 tickets.

 

However... if you are looking to drink a few beers (or wine or whatever), a 12 oz beer is 3 tickets. So for $30 you can get 6 beers which translates to about $5 a beer, which is a damn steal at the park. Go on kids, get duffed and save money!

 

ERT was Dragster and Magnum. I avoided Dragster at the beginning because a) I knew most people would head there first and b) the worst of the worst of the worst enthusiasts were camping outside the line well before ERT opened. Blah. I took 5 rides on Magnum which were mostly douchebag free, except for the one dude who started b!tching the second we hit the trims and continued to b!tch at the ride ops when we got back to the station. I hate this dude and hope he gets a paper cut on his bag today. Eventually I wandered over to Dragster and got 2 rides as the crowd thinned, it appeared most of the hardcore "Ride Warriors" were behaving, so that was a relief.

 

I found out that I like Valravn more with each ride. This means I like coaster enthusiasts less with each ride. It's a win-win.

 

So correct on all levels, lol. I actually have started to like Valravn in the back row, it took me 3 years to figure that out.

 

I'm glad you all had a nice trip, in spite of this rather lousy weather we've had. (I hate to say this, but yesterday was perfect and today is looking like the same.) I would like to say I'm sorry your Blues had a rough go of it on Sunday but... I mean I hate Boston sports, Boston fans are annoying, I just don't like them. But as a Blackhawks fan the sight of the Blue Note... after nearly 30 years of watching the Hawks and Blues beat the ish out of each other during the regular season makes it impossible for me to root for St. Louis. Sorry, I don't know you, you seem like a nice enough dude, but I can't do it. This is almost as bad as having to watch the Steelers and Ravens play each other.

Edited June 16, 2019 by operative_me

[prozach626]

^ hahaha @ Blues/Blackhawks. It's one hell of a rivalry to watch. If Detroit wasn't knocking us out of the playoffs when I was younger, it was you guys.

 

I'm glad you're having good weather. I sat on our balcony yesterday morning while everyone else got ready. It was a beautiful morning. All I could do was chuckle. The one cool thing about the weather on Monday was that it was so chilly and windy that it actually made it feel like Haunt season. It was bizarre for that kind of weather this time of June.

[bert425]

Great report Zach, and glad y'all had a good time.

 

but to you (and Bill), I have to say I'm glad the game was so bad (I know, I know. . . . .but remember, WE were literally less than a mile from the stadium, with hotel on Washington (that was functioning as media center hotel) - so thanks to the Blues getting creamed so early? It was quiet by 11, and we were able to get a good night's sleep -- the better to prepare for drinking at Grant's Farm the next morning )

 

so sorry/not sorry for the St Louis Blues fans -- at least from what I hear, the player who was suspended for the game on Sunday (apparently the best player on the team? per our Airport shuttle driver) is back tonight. . so in all likelyhood, the Blues are gonna win the cup

[prozach626]

^I think tonight's game will be a coin toss. I don't think Boston expected this series to be close. No matter what, it's been great. This is our first trip to the Finals in 50 years and these are our first ever three Cup Finals wins. It's been one hell of a ride from dead last place in January. Who would have seen this coming? No one supporting the blue note has any right to be angry if this doesn't go our way tonight.

[operative_me]

Having a team in the Cup Final is one of the most stressful things I've ever dealt with in my life, lol. Especially in an overtime situation when you can go from elation to utter depression in a split second. I know their are plenty of non-sports fans here who think I'm being over dramatic (and to be fair I probably am) but in the moment... oh Lord, it's a lot to handle.

[rjr19]

Having a team in the Cup Final is one of the most stressful things I've ever dealt with in my life, lol. Especially in an overtime situation when you can go from elation to utter depression in a split second. I know their are plenty of non-sports fans here who think I'm being over dramatic (and to be fair I probably am) but in the moment... oh Lord, it's a lot to handle.

 

I wish I could feel your stress but since I live in Buffalo, I’m just happy if the Sabres win a game lol

[ytterbiumanalyst]

Sounds like a good trip overall. Agreed on Valravn; I've never understood the hate for that ride. It's really fun.

 

I found the bartenders at Melt and Chickie's and Pete's to be better than the ones in the park's own bars. The food there tends to be more reasonable in price, if not in size.

[rjr19]

Sounds like a good trip overall. Agreed on Valravn; I've never understood the hate for that ride. It's really fun.

 

I found the bartenders at Melt and Chickie's and Pete's to be better than the ones in the park's own bars. The food there tends to be more reasonable in price, if not in size.

 

A few weeks ago when I was there, the park was flat-out mobbed. Lines for the food stands were AT LEAST an hour long to get lousy food with poor service. Went to the Famous Dave’s by Valravn, nobody in there, air conditioned, friendly and quick staff, and most importantly, fantastic food! Walk a few seconds to Famous Dave’s or something else just outside of the park. Worth it 100 percent!

[Nrthwnd]

Famous Dave's For President!

[coasterbill]

We love Famous Dave’s. There’s never a wait to sit outside and it’s a really nice place to sit.

[jlp94]

I saw a video on Instagram that GateKeeper vallyed this evening... this is what parks get for building forceless B&Ms.

[christianscoasters]

I saw a video on Instagram that GateKeeper vallyed this evening... this is what parks get for building forceless B&Ms.

 

And people still complain when it closes for wind. This is why! Lol

[coasterbill]

It sort of looks like it was a single incredibly strong gust out of nowhere ahead of a storm. Everything in the park closed as soon as it hit looking at Queue Times and they probably evacuated the train in the storm.

 

... sounds like a good time.

[teacherkim]

Zach, thanks for the trip report. When we are there in about a month the boy wants to spend part of a day at the water park and I'm laughing because I don't think it will ever be warm enough for the water park. Seems like everytime I have been at CP it's been cold and rainy.

 

Maybe I will just have to time my trips to wherever Bert goes......he informed me last weekend that he has excellent trip weather mojo

[bert425]

^ but I don't do waterparks. . . LOL. . . even tho been to CP twice, still haven't been in theirs (and when I was at Coastermania in June 2017, Bill and I dipped our feet in the lake, and it was freaking COLD). . .so I dunno!

 

I mean, we didn't even go on Tsunami Soaker with you on Sunday. . . so maybe me trip weather mojo doesn't work on waterparks, since the universe knows I don't like them

[ytterbiumanalyst]

It's never warm enough for that water park. Still a really good one though. Just get a Platinum Pass and go enjoy the cold water for part of a day then head back into CP after that. It's a good time.

[prozach626]

^And you get good views of Magnum.

 

Having a team in the Cup Final is one of the most stressful things I've ever dealt with in my life, lol. Especially in an overtime situation when you can go from elation to utter depression in a split second. I know their are plenty of non-sports fans here who think I'm being over dramatic (and to be fair I probably am) but in the moment... oh Lord, it's a lot to handle.

 

I'm not to that extreme, but I understand where you're coming from. I could feel my heart pounding in the third period. Even when we were up 4-0 with less than ten minutes to go I was still nervous. I intentionally didn't take tonight off work, which I could have easily done, because I didn't want to go somewhere to watch the game and give it 100% of my focus.

 

I still can't believe we won our first cup. I didn't think that was going to happen anytime soon. Seriously though, it really hasn't set in yet.

 

 

I saw a video on Instagram that GateKeeper vallyed this evening... this is what parks get for building forceless B&Ms.

 

I'm sure you could make wiser coaster design/purchasing decisions with your fifteen years of life experience.

[WolfBobs]

I saw a video on Instagram that GateKeeper vallyed this evening... this is what parks get for building forceless B&Ms.

 

*facepalm* I really hope that was a poor attempt at sarcasm.

 

Can anyone tell from that video if the train was loaded or empty? I couldn't really tell from that angle, distance and length of video.

 

Knowing Point Gatekeeper will be ready to go no later then noon today. Even if it's just two train op while this train waits to be returned to the track. I doubt management is going to want a train to be chilling next to the main gate by the time guests start to show up this morning.

[RollerManic]

I saw a video on Instagram that GateKeeper vallyed this evening... this is what parks get for building forceless B&Ms.

Yes, because rest assured, rides like Raptor have never valleyed

 

I still think I prefer these wing coasters to a plethora of “actually” forceful B&M’s.

[boldikus]

I saw a video on Instagram that GateKeeper vallyed this evening... this is what parks get for building forceless B&Ms.

 

*facepalm* I really hope that was a poor attempt at sarcasm.

 

Can anyone tell from that video if the train was loaded or empty? I couldn't really tell from that angle, distance and length of video.

 

Apparently a full train. Word on the streets (aka nerdy coaster FB groups) is that there was another full train on the lift that had to be evac'd as well, so this was definitely a freak gust of wind.

[coasterbill]

From what I’ve gathered talking to Cedar Point people over the years, the only (non-launch) coaster in the park that has never valleyed is Valravn. Score one for the “Forceless B&Ms”

 

PS: Gatekeeper was the park’s most ridden coaster last year, kiss the ring.

[coneyislandchris]

Quick question for anyone who's been there this season... is the main arcade on the midway still operating? I remember hearing that they were auctioning off a lot of their old school games a while back, and not sure what came of it. I see it still listed on the park map so I'm confused if they just cleared out a lot of space in there, replaced them with newer ones, or shut it down entirely. Thanks in advance.

[tndank]

It's still going. I didn't personally go in but a couple friends did and said it was pretty cool and had a bunch of old school games in there.

 

Anyone else ever get big bruises on top of their shoulders from riding Maverick a bunch? It was kind of funny when I noticed them.

[coasterbill]

The train is still on the track this morning:. Question of the day: If person A got in line for Gatekeeper right now and person B got in line for Hagrid's Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure right now, who would ride first?

 

Source: CP Food Blog