Jump to content
  TPR Home | Parks | Twitter | Facebook | YouTube | Instagram 

Cedar Point (CP) Discussion Thread

p. 2030 - Top Thrill 2 announced!

Recommended Posts

I do think it's sort of funny that when GateKeeper's vests were uncomfortable and then modified everyone is fine with it- as they should be, but when Skyrush's lapbars were modified, Intamin was the worst manufacturer in the industry according to some (I only rode with Skyrush's original restraints and I didn't find them to be bad). I'm only pointing this out to show that ALL manufacturers sometimes have to make adjustments to new products. It's perfectly normal.

 

As someone who very much did not enjoy the restraints on either, I think the major difference is while Gatekeeper's vests were uncomfortably tight, Skyrush's lapbars felt like they were going to snap my legs off. On GK, you could hold the vest away from you and somewhat mitigate the issue, but there wasn't a whole lot that you could do as a rider on Skyrush to make it less painful. That being said, I haven't ridden Skyrush since last year, so I don't know how big of a difference the modifications made. I'm fairly confident that unlocking the vests on GK fixed the issue there altogether; I don't have as much confidence with Skyrush.

 

I've also ridden enough B&Ms and Intamins that I trust B&M's restraint designs to be comfortable a whole heckuva lot more than Intamin's.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

So...New coaster for CP in 2015, 2016, or later?

 

My guess is only a family coaster for those years. Cedar Fair has only been adding one major coaster per year right now.

2012: Leviathan

2013: Gatekeeper

2014: Banshee

 

Gold Striker opened in 2013 too, but it was planned to open in 2009, not 2013.

 

So I think we'll see coasters going into other Cedar Fair parks for a bit before we see CP get a big, major coaster again.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

^^ I agree. When I rode GK the vests hadn't bee modified yet and, as you said, they were uncomfortably tight but no more than that. I only rode Skyrush this year and while I LOVED the ride itself the restraints were pretty painful. I don't know how they were before but they gave me some nasty pain in all the airtime moments. While you're sitting in the brake run they do open just a bit to relieve you but, honestly, unlike other intamins I've ridden where the pain only comes in the brakes, on skyrush it was clearly felt the entire ride. I think the only thing that could be done was either to shorten the bars on the side (as someone here as suggested) so that the restraints hold your legs closer to the waist or changing their shape all together. The thing is though, with that much airtime I'm not sure if any kind of restraints would be comfortable in the most ejector moments, maybe B&Ms would.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Friday and Sunday (tonight). Easily.

Yep I can vouch for that, station waits all around all day today except 15-20 mins on Dragster and Maverick. Will definitely try to come back on this day next time if I can, it was perfect.

 

Lengthy TR follows. Highlighted the rides so you can just read what you want.

 

I was SO CLOSE to a rollback on Dragster today! I got on the train, they decided it wasn't working, then had us get off and get back in the que. After about 45 mins they tested the train I had been previously sitting in and it went through no problem so they loaded up the train behind it from platform 2. When they were getting ready to launch we on platform 1 boarded a train behind them and I sat there in the train and watched them stop and roll all the way back. Everyone who was on it looked absolutely thrilled with rolling back..I was so jealous..I missed a rollback by that much! Still, was pretty cool to even watch one like that. Our train that launched after them barely made it over the hill. Dragster was not liking the wind today, I was lucky to get three rides in as it was up and down most of the day. The operator told us "As you're cresting the top look down at Millennium Force 'cause they'll be 11 stories below you." So I did, and he was right..it was a weird sensation to be looking DOWN at Millennium's lift hill!

 

Due to the aforementioned light crowds today I was able to easily ride every non-junior coaster in the park, with multiple rides on the bigger ones. Corkscrew wasnt bad, I got a huge pop of air on the first drop, I still dont know how but even my feet flew up. Iron Dragon was pretty boring I thought, Gemini was a little better as was Mine Ride. I didn't have the best time on Magnum, but it was partially due to the fact that I rode it late in the day when I was already pretty tired and sore so that ejector air was kinda painful. Had I rode it earlier it probably would have been more enjoyable.

 

A lot of the pain was caused by Mean Streak..man some people had been saying it was less rough lately but that was easily the roughest most painful ride I've ever had on any coaster period. I was totally doing the Hades 360 face the whole time. It was throwing my back agaist the seat back repeatedly, I felt like it was trying to give me a hernia or something! I was in the back row, and I know I might have a different experience in another row or another train or at another time but I found that first ride so painful I didn't want to risk another one like that. I think that ride will probably be my last. Mean Streak Henry boggles my mind.

 

Raptor was my first ride of the day during early entry, and I think it's definitely better than the Batman clone at Magic Mountain. It's a better layout than Flight Deck at CGA, but I think Flight Deck edges it out in intensity. One weird thing in operations I noticed...in the morning they were only loading rows 1-4 they werent allowing anyone in the back rows. They said they don't use the back rows 5-8 when it's cloudy..really? Bizarre. So I had to come back later to get my back row ride in. When I came back several hours later (after seeing trains cycle with riders in the back row) I went up to the station only to find they had just started switching back to rows 1-4 only again. I told the op who was assigning rows I came from a long way away and had been waiting for a back row ride so he took mercy on me and allowed me to go sit by myself in the back row, thank you!

 

Blue Streak was pretty awesome too, it was exactly as people here have been describing lately..it's short and sweet with great pops of air and I like the classic feel.

 

Wicked Twister does indeed have fast lane now! It's not special or upcharge or anything, its just FL like any other ride. It joins the main que after the last switchbacks in the fenced in path. My home park is SF Discovery Kingdom in Vallejo so I've ridden V2 several times, and as expected I thought Wicked Twister was quite a bit better. On V2 the back row is the best as you go further up the straight tower and get some nice hang time, but on WT I found the front seat substantially more intense than the back and much more fun. There were a LOT of people being denied rides on 'Twister for the seat belt not buckling, and they were not large people. Those seat belts are just so short that a lot of people had trouble getting it to buckle. Its not your stomach/gut that gets in the way, its the thickness of your thighs. I know there must be a specific reason it's that length, I wish there was a way to lengthen it just an inch or two...it didnt seem to be missing by a lot.

 

I think Mantis might have a bad rap. I rode in the front row and didn't find it the least bit uncomfortable. It was the smoothest standup ride I've had (Vortex, Riddler's Revenge) but Riddler's has a better layout in my opinion. Some poor sap in the train in front of us lost his lunch so the crew had to get the hose out. First time I've actually seen that happen in person though I know it happens everywhere almost daily. Funny some of the GP around me started saying things like "Wow this ride must really be intense!" hehe..no I don't think that had anything to do with it.

 

GateKeeper was another pleasant surprise. I heard a lot of 'meh' reviews but I thought it was quite a good ride. I found the right side more enjoyable as I liked being turned under on the first drop. That first airtime hill was surprisingly nice too. I did stumble on one of the locking vests today they apparently hadn't gotten to..it was front row right inside on train 1 which they were not running on Saturday..it didn't tighten too much during the ride so it didn't bother me..I only noticed once we hit the brakes that I didn't have any slack like with my two previous rides.

 

Millennium Force pretty much lived up to the hype for me. I actually got in last night at 8pm so I snuck on to a night ride after hearing from several people that it was a good night ride, and it was. I think I liked it more in the day time though on my Sunday rides as I'm a sucker for a good view like you get of the lake on that lift. Got great air and relentless speed, it was exactly as expected, which was excellent.

 

Maverick was the highlight. It really is a fantastic coaster, the airtime is excellent, the first drop is unmatched in my experience, and only one turn after the MCBR was slightly uncomfortable. The second launch in the tunnel was a lot more forceful than I was expecting, a great surprise. I loved how they run the operations loading two trains simultaneously.

 

In comparison to Magic Mountain, I was at SFMM just last weekend so the differences were really quite glaring. SFMM is good at piling up thrill coasters, which they do well, but CP beats them in pretty much every other regard, especially capacity/efficiency. On every single ride the ops were clearly trying to dispatch trains as quickly as reasonably possible and I didn't witness any unnecessary stacking all day. The employees seemed much more friendly and willing to chat with guests, frankly they just seemed to enjoy their job more than SFMM employees. I liked the crew hoodies a lot of the ride ops were sporting, a very nice touch.

 

Ride Count (Including 1 ride on MF and GK last night):

Raptor - 3

Gatekeeper - 3

Maverick - 3

Dragster - 3

Millennium Force - 3

Wicked Twister - 2

Blue Streak - 1

Mine Ride - 1

Gemini - 1

Mean Streak - 1

Mantis - 1

Magnum - 1

Corkscrew - 1

Iron Dragon - 1

Cool story bro. Wish I was there.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

So, I heard with the new Gatekeeper restraints the ride experience is a lot better... Did anyone ride prior to the new restraints, have a good experience and then ride afterwards and get an even better experience? I won't be able to return to the park this year to see for myself so I was curious compared to the old restraints, How is the overall ride "better" or "worse"?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

^ I've experienced both situations. Before the fix on the restraints, the "vest" would clamp down on you and your collarbone during the ride. If you're skinny (like me) it became painful, especially waiting to get into the station. Now the "vest" doesn't tighten during the ride making it enjoyable.

 

Plus without the restraints not tightening, you get more "float time" too.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Cedar Point put on another fantastic event tonight. Honestly, they are going above and beyond for the enthusiast community this year! ERT was great on GK and MF for the first hour, getting 8 laps on GK without having to get off, only to switch seats or sides. Had three straight front seat rides without getting off. Awesome!

 

Hit Raptor and MF during normal early entry and enjoyed the Midway Market dinner (free for all) which included an alcoholic beverage. On the way out, got a free bag filled with a Halloweekends hat and hoodie!

 

Enjoyed the new house during the preview hour and finished the last few hours walking around through the zones. Got one of the tweetups for a coin which was nice.

 

After media day and this event though, I am simply getting spoiled. These events have been perfection. Thanks again to CP for the amazing evening.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I got off work too late to make tye drive and make it in time for the event, but I did get to the park about 6:30 last night. What a great night! The lines were almost non-existant, towards the end of the night EVERY coaster only had a station wait!

 

I got my GateKeeper credit, and it was about what I expected it to be. I don't really care for B&M Wing coasters, I'd rate GK higher than Wild Eagle, but not as high as X Flight. Honestly I can't wait for this fad to be over, at least until they come up with some 4-D trains or something. I sat in the last row on the outside right wing, and it was pretty rattle-y and forceless. I did have an unlocked vest at least.

 

The highlight of the night was my rollback on Dragster! I rolled back once 4 years ago after a rain, but I was in the middle of the train, and we only made it up to the twist for the top hat. Last night my rollback was in the front row, and I made it completely over the top hat before rolling back. It was great! We nearly rolled back on the second launch, too!

 

Maverick was running insane- the best coaster in the park by a long shot, and I felt it was actually smoother than it was the last time I visited in 2011. Millenium Force ran great the first time, my other 2 rides on it were slightly less exciting. Magnum also ran better than I remember.

 

I'll be in the park until closing today, in fact I'm writing this from McDonald's on the causeway . I'm going to try GK's left wing today since I liked the left better on X Flight, so we'll see!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I love B&M as you may know, but i was really disappointed with Gatekeeper on this trip. It was very bumpy, not rough, just bumpy (if that made sense) toward the back of the train. More so than the Diamondback rattle! I rode GK 30 times on media day, and enjoyed it tremendously, I did not enjoy it very much last night.

 

Rode Craptor once and Forceless twice.

 

One of my Forceless rides was at night. Both rides were 3rd from the back. (Station was flooded with people, and just wanted to ride and move on.) Only got a very small amount of airtime on the first drop, and that was it! The ride experience itself was made better due to the fog and ambiance in the area. Alas, there are still better coasters than Millennium Force.

 

Raptor (Craptor) was running 2 trains, and was a one train wait. It was giving good rides, but was very sluggish due to the weather. The MCBR did not grab the trains. Neither while I was riding, or walking past, I didn't hear the MCBR grab the trains. It still sounds like the station's tire kickers are going to fall off.

 

Went through all the haunted attractions, and enjoyed the props and makeup a lot. The scare-actors need to learn that when someone is walking with a bright light in their face, and fog all around, that they need to approach from the side, and not the front.

 

I am not a light weight, and would not like to fall on top of someone because I could not see them.

 

Overall, the park looked nice, and the staff was friendly.

 

GASP! Almost forgot! I took my first ride on Cedar Downs! It is my favorite carousel!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It still sounds like the station's tire kickers are going to fall off.

They are not fixed, they are suspended, and they knock back and forth between joints on the train. They're not broken.

 

No other B&M inverted roller coaster is that loud in the station.

 

Batman at SFGAm is not that loud in the station, and it was the first B&M inverted!

 

They should not knock back and forth that loudly.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I've never heard of any issues regarding weapons and safety at CP, hence why they don't have metal detectors. I honestly think it sends the wrong message to the people visiting the park when the first thing they have to do is go through a metal detector and bag checks.

 

I've never heard anyone say anything like that for any park, why would anyone object to something that would be there to make them safer? There are people who carry around weapons, and while I'm not saying park violence is a common thing, I'd rather wait an extra minute or two to know no one has any sort of weapon. And just because they haven't had any issues doesn't mean they don't need them. Don't wait until something happens to install them, install them right away so nothing ever will happen.

 

Believe me, with the time I've spent in and around parks in my time, I've heard plenty of people comment saying "this is confidence inspiring" when the first thing they do is go through metal detectors and pat downs. And like I said, the extra staffing and cost of that infrastructure has got to be absurdly high. There are parks all over the place that have no bag checks/metal detectors at the front gate and remain perfectly safe.

 

Just because one or two morons act like idiots doesn't mean the park should have to spend tons of extra money and man power in response to it. Punish those who do it rather than inconveniencing your company and future guests. I could go into a whole rant about how our country is too damn scared of the boogeyman (thanks to the fear mongering media), but I'll spare that one for another day.

 

Steve, I've got to disagree with you on this one. If nothing else because of the number of guests entering Cedar Point, they need some type of screening. Your comment of "because of one or two idiots," look at airports these days and what has and will continue to be spent on security.

Why don't they install metal detectors. They are indispensable security systems.

Edited by ShayneThill
Link to comment
Share on other sites

It would be a complete waste of money in both infrastructure and manpower, If someone wanted to get weaponry into the park it would be as easy as passing a bag containing same through any section of the publicly accessible part of the perimeter fence. The park has the benefit of having on site police which act as a major deterrent to any appreciable violent crime up to a active shooter situation.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Raptor (Craptor) was running 2 trains, and was a one train wait. It was giving good rides, but was very sluggish due to the weather. The MCBR did not grab the trains. Neither while I was riding, or walking past, I didn't hear the MCBR grab the trains. It still sounds like the station's tire kickers are going to fall off.

 

Do you just call it Craptor because you don't like how it sounds when the trains dispatch? That's pretty lame if that's so, I've heard you talk about that a lot versus the ride itself. I think it runs just as well as Top Gun/Afterburn at Carowinds in my opinion.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I noticed on Saturday one of the kickers on the transfer track didn't spin under its own power when the others did, but it would spin freely as a train passed through it, though, so it wasn't seized. I didn't ride Raptor Friday night. There was a pretty strong head wind (which gave me a TTD rollback!!) on Friday, I'm not surprised at all that Raptor was running a bit sluggish. I did ride Saturday, and it was running great! I always forget how good it is, it's my 2nd favorite invert behind Montu.

 

Despite the malfunctioning kicker, in my opinion Raptor didn't sound any different than SFGAm's Batman sounded when I rode it 2 months ago, they sounded exactly the same to me.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Who cares about the tire kickers? They don't have any effect on the ride experience, your park experience or really anything at all. If the ride is open and functioning, why would anyone care if a few tires aren't working. Batman at Great Adventure has had some tires not working and the world didn't end.

 

Raptor is an outstanding coaster, we rode it 5 or 6 times over labor day weekend and I didn't notice anything wrong with the tire kickers, probably because I wasn't paying attention to them because... who cares?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

^I never said I did care. The ONLY reason I looked at the tire kickers on Saturday is because of this thread, had it not been brought of that it was supposedly noisy I would've never looked at them at all. As I said in my last post, I thought Raptor ran great, and I didn't think it made any more noise than any other B&M invert.

 

I always forget how forceful parts of Raptor are, my only complaint is that parts of it could use a paint job, but it's no big deal, since it runs just fine!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

As they always say: Don't fix whats not broken! I love the Raptor. that being said, I could do without the Mantis. Kinda painful on the legs if you don't stand the right way IMO. When I was on raptor this year, I forgot to put my phone in the pocket that had a zipper, and I didnt realize until we were about to descend the first hill... Scary experience but even with that, It was a great ride. I love the roar that thing has. Mantis has a nice loud roar too. Is it bad to like the B&M roar?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have to agree, Raptor is a great, forceful old school B&M invert, but it was snappy when I rode, and jerked my head a lot, way more than any other B&M that I've been on.

 

I suggest riding it in the front, and leaning your head forward on the cobra roll and the last turn. I know the old line about how you shouldn't have to ride the coaster a certain way to enjoy it and all that but it eliminates any minor headbanging (and it really is minor) that might occur.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

Terms of Use https://themeparkreview.com/forum/topic/116-terms-of-service-please-read/