Cedar Point Photo Trip Report -- Sunday, 6-24-07

[TopThrill182]

Well, although it is shameful, I was finally able to take my first trip up to Cedar Point this past Sunday. We were able to get our season passes and parking pass quite quickly as there wasn't much of a line. So I haven't been studying a lot of the season pass threads, but what is up with the parking pass situation this year? I couldn't believe that you have to pay an extra $10 to allow someone else in your family to park. When you buy a parking pass you would have to assume it would be for a family quite a bit of the time. Seems like a rip-off to me. Anyways, onto the TR.

There are three ways to read this. Obviously its long and I don't want to make you all suffer through all the text.

 

1.) You can read it all the way through.

2.) You can read everything but me raving about Maverick which takes up quite a bit of space.

3.) You can simply read the summary/notes at the bottom.

 

Weather

Temperatures were in the lower 70s, but the lack of sun and a nice breeze throughout the day made it comfortably cool. It was overcast for most of the day.

 

Time at Park

11:00 am - 8:00 pm

 

Crowds

The parking lot wasn't all that crowded at 11, but as the day went on it seemed to get more and more crowded. All of the midways in the park were quite crowded, but lines for rides fluctuated greatly throughout the day. They were pretty unpredictable.

 

Trip Report

 

On our way to the rides I was noticing the front entrance and have some thoughts on it. I actually hope they sell Demon Drop. While its a nice ride, the front entrance could use a bit of refreshing. Some new lamp posts on the main midway, some more landscaping, and something cool in Demon Drop's place (ride or not) could go a long way in making the front entrance a bit more snazzy.

 

Mangum

We rode Magnum twice. The first ride was a walk on, the second ride had a 5 minute wait.

 

I was surprised to see that at almost noon Maverick was a complete walk on. Even the front car only had a one train wait, so I decided to wait for it. All three trains were running so it moved quickly. Wow. Nice way to start the season. The ride is much smoother than I remember it being in previous seasons, and it was very exciting. The trims seemed to be on a bit more strongly today (or this season), and this really did seem to tame down the rest of the ride. Not a lot mind you, but a little. You still got the ejector airtime, it was just no longer bordering on painful. It didn't really make the ride better or worse, just a small observation. The second ride had a wait going down the stairs, and I was pleased to see a grouper keeping the station pretty empty (1-3 trainloads of people). Overall, a very cool ride. I even saw some lighting effects in the third tunnel.

 

Maverick

We rode Maverick once. The wait was just over an hour.

 

The day had finally arrived. I have been waiting to ride this ever since the track pieces arrived last summer. The queue was completely full and the sign said there was a 1.5 hour wait. The outdoor part of the queue was quite pleasant. The queues were wider which was nice, and yet none of the large trees in the area seemed disturbed. The indoor queue was also nice. The queue was again wide enough to be comfortable, and the shop located in the building, along with the themeing, made it a cool little area. Overall the entire queue area looks better than I ever thought it could be. I even heard people commenting on how good it looked, and how well they pulled off the rustic aspect of it. We soon proceeded up the stairs into the station.

 

The grouper kept the station nice and uncrowded which was nice, but they still would usually listen when people request certain areas of the train which is good. I chose the front car since there was only a 3 train wait. The gates opened and I sat down in the comfortable seat. Although the restraint did press down on your thighs a bit, it really was comfortable. The handles were in a perfect location for your arms, which I would soon realize was important. We got the clear and we were out of the station; my Maverick ride had started.

 

The lift was taken at a brisk pace and was pretty cool. It provided a nice view of Frontier Town. Launching over that lift and down the first hill was perhaps the best part of the ride. Even in the front I got a nice bit of airtime. You can definitely tell its 95 degrees. The drop is short, but certainly packs a punch. The first two changes in direction are the most insane parts of the ride. They really were wild and certainly very intense. They make the changes in direction on Mantis look tame. You really feel like you're going at a TTD speed during these elements. The airtime hill was awesome, and again, I got insane air in the front. The horseshoe roll was pretty cool and feels like a true mix between a zero-g-roll and a corkscrew. Its hard to describe but it was a nice sensation while on the ride. The turn in between the two was cool also.

 

So now we proceed into the tunnel. There wasn't any fog in the tunnel, so you could clearly see all the lighting and the end of the tunnel. Still, it was the temperature was refreshing, and the launch felt quite intense and the lights near the end add a lot. The turn out of the tunnel was surprisingly intense and we rocketed over the top of the turnaround hill without having time to breathe. We rocketed down the hill into the canyon and experienced the s-turn. I truly do thank whoever had the idea of removing the heartline roll. I just can't imagine taking it at these speeds. I think it would have been overkill. The s-turn isn't all that noticeable as it is taken at an incredibly fast speed, but it does disorient you right before the camera.

 

The next two near inversion twists are again intense. They are also extremely disorienting. The last airtime hill is again a nice touch, and you hit the brake run.

 

WOW. That's all I can say. This is hands down the most intense ride I have ever been on. It just never lets up! It has a nice length, and is most certainly exciting. The themeing was better than I ever expected, and although some things were cut, others were gained. The fog in the tunnel really is needed, but I feel confident they will bring it back someday once they work out the bugs. The tunnel is still cool without it. There is only one downside to the ride. I found there to be quite a bit of head and neck discomfort. Its not really "head-banging", but I did find my ears bashing against the restraint quite a bit, and the changes in directing were rough on the head and neck. Its not unbearable, but I did hear quite a few people commenting on it after they got off. Still this ride is awesome. I never, never thought it would be this good. It is one of the few rides I've actually felt a need to hold on! I'm not ready to say it beats Millennium Force, which still is my number one coaster, and will have to ride it a few more times to see. But I'd definitely say it comes in at number 2 on my list. Nice addition CP!

 

Mean Streak

We rode Mean Streak once. It was a walk-on.

 

I have to preface my comments by saying I apologize for any positive things I've had to say about this ride this year. Wow. This ride just felt out of control! I don't know if it was just my train, but this was the worst ride I've ever had on Mean Streak. The first drop felt non-existant as the trims were on quite strongly, and yet the rest of the ride felt faster than ever. They really need to crank up the MCBR. The shimmying was just out of control, which created a bouncy roughness throughout the entire ride. The numerous added track gauges just didn't seem to help. I don't think the ride needs to be demolished or anything, but it does need some work. Just some grease would go a long way, and would certainly be easy. It really does need something though. Grease, re-tracking, new trains, take your pick. Reaching the brake run brought about a sigh of release from the entire train.

 

Gemini

We rode Gemini once. It was a walk-on.

 

Gemini was a pleasant surprise. It was as smooth as glass, which is something I wasn't able to say for past rides in recent years. The airtime was abundant, and it was just a ton of fun. All of the trains were racing too. Nice ride.

 

Power Tower: Turbo Drop

We rode Power Tower: Turbo Drop once. There was a 10 minute wait.

 

I didn't ride the Turbo Drop side of PT for all of last year due to the longer lines, so I wanted to be sure to ride it today. I had a bit of apprehension after the recent Six Flags incident, but that all went away once we were 240 feet in the air. Wow. What a nice view. These drop rides always make me a bit nervous, but they are truly some of the most exciting rides out there in the end. Great ride.

 

Corkscrew

We rode Corkscrew once. It was a walk-on.

 

Surprisingly enough, they weren't stacking all three trains. They were sometimes, but they seemed to have brisker operations this year (probably helped by the fact that riders now check their own seat-belts). The ride was perfectly smooth, and surprisingly intense. The first drop and loop always surprise me with their intensity. Still a nice ride for CP's collection.

 

maXair

We rode maXair once. The wait was 15 minutes.

 

The ride looked like it had just exited from some downtime, so the line was contained within the permanent queue. This is really a great ride. It seems like it goes on forever, and is the perfect mix between intensity and excitement. It is truly one of CP's most enjoyable flats. It has a great location too.

 

We then went over to Famous Dave's for lunch. The food was great as usual, but I was surprised at the lack of staff. The restaurant was more than half empty, and yet there was a 30 minute wait. Do they have a big-time staffing issue, or was this a one time thing? Still a great lunch.

 

Raptor

We rode Raptor once. The wait was 25 minutes.

 

Raptor is one ride that impresses me more and more every time I go on it. Today was no exception. It really is a great ride. The zero-g-roll, the ending helix, everything is great. It is definitely one of CP's best coasters, and is one of the more enjoyable ones everywhere. The video equipment is somewhat ugly, especially with the plethora of cords they seemed to have added, and the entire ride could use some more landscaping and paint, but its still a great ride nonetheless.

 

Blue Streak

We rode Blue Streak once. It was a walk-on.

 

This is another ride that continues to impress me. It is probably the smoothest wooden coaster I've been on in a while, and delivers the classic "wooden out of control feeling" in a comfortable way. The airtime was in abundance, and it was just really enjoyable. Not a top 10 coaster, but enjoyable all the same.

 

--

 

At this point I had hoped to get a back seat Maverick ride, but just as we arrived at the entrance it closed for mechanical reasons. I know it has a lot of intermittent break downs, so I was going to wait it out. After about 15 minutes however, they went onto the break run and emptied out all of the trains. I know this isn't a good sign on other coasters, and the attendant at the entrance agreed it wasn't a good sign for this one either. Since we had to leave in under an hour now, I just decided to move on. TTD had an hour and 15 minute wait, so we went over to MF.

 

Millennium Force

We rode Millennium Force once. The wait was 25 minutes.

 

Wonderful Millennium Force. I had forgotten just how good it was. I was anxious to see how it was running this year. Last year I had many "wow" rides, but also had some rides that made me think "this is my number one coaster? sad..." Some of my family had gotten in line about 30 minutes before us, and yet we got off only 10 minutes after them. They waited an hour and we waited only 25 minutes which was quite nice. The lift hill and the first drop are unforgettable, and the numerous over-banked turns are just awesome. It was running quite fast today, and there was a ton of airtime. It is still my number one ride... For now. It is just an amazing ride.

 

--

 

Summary/ Notes

 

- New parking pass rules seem a bit ridiculous

- No long lines for rides

- Park entrance could use refreshing

- Maverick is just incredible, and is unbelievably intense; it does however have quite a bit of ear bashing and head/ neck discomfort, but it still falls as my number 2 coaster

- Corkscrew, Gemini, Blue Streak, and Raptor were all running really well; fast and smooth

- Magnum was also running well, but seems slowed down a bit

- Mean Streak was worse than ever, needs grease and/or another fix

- Millennium Force was just amazing, still my number one coaster

- Power Tower and maXair still great flats

- Famous Dave's seems short on help

- A lot of "junk" being stored in some ride areas (tons of wood at Gemini, chaos cars - presumably MiA - at Mean Streak, etc)

 

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Photos:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Well that concludes my first great day at CP. Thanks for reading.

[scud]

Good TR. Very informative. Maverick's awesome, of course, but I noticed the earbanging (if I may coin the term) as well.

[bulldogmom]

Great TR! Your description of Maverick is right on. It's such a unique coaster, it's hard to describe, but you did it perfectly.

You and me are very much alike- MF is my #1 and Maverick my #2. I hate Mean Streak, and love Maxair and Power Tower.

And I also think that Demon Drop should be headed for the scrap heap. With the addition of Power Tower, it's like a joke, and an eyesore. And that landing on your back! ouch. I would love to see them put the old Sky Wheel (double Ferris wheel) back in that spot, but I don't see that happening. Plus I think they need to put a dark ride back, but obviously it wouldn't go in that spot.

[steel]

^Are you kidding? Demon Drop is fifty bagillion times better than Powerless Tower! It's hardly even a contest! PT is about as forceful as Jr. Gemeni!

 

Awesome trip report, though. I would love to live less than ten hours away from Cedar Point. That seems like it would be nice.

[HHIslandGirl]

And I also think that Demon Drop should be headed for the scrap heap. With the addition of Power Tower, it's like a joke, and an eyesore. And that landing on your back! ouch. I would love to see them put the old Sky Wheel (double Ferris wheel) back in that spot, but I don't see that happening. Plus I think they need to put a dark ride back, but obviously it wouldn't go in that spot.

OMG! Someone else who remembers the Sky Wheel! That was my FAVORITE when I was little! I'm pretty sure there's a picture of me riding that somewhere in my parent's house!

I never understood the allure of Demon Drop. I've ridden it and it's just "meh".

[pianojohn]

I was also there on Sunday, but we walked right into Famous Dave's with no wait at noon. And the staff was excellent with lots of service, not to mention GREAT food. I had read a report about how slow it was, but I was very impressed.

 

And the food we got...well....see the pic!

My partner Shawn about to dig in !

Yum! The feast for two....but would probably feed 3 or more!

[rollerdude]

It looks you had a great time. It's good to hear about Gemini, cause I think it's underrated. Maverick does have lots of ear banging, but in my opinion, it is too much of a fun coaster to pay attention to your ears. I also like maXair, probably the best flatride there.

[FeelTheFORCE]

Great PTR!

[TopThrill182]

^^^ Yeah the service was great for us too. It just seemed like they may have had a lack of servers or kitchen people therefore necessitating keeping many of the tables empty. The food is amazing though.

 

^^ The ear-banging is there, but as you said, it is hard to really pay attention to it with so much else going on! And maXair is pretty great. And I actually really enjoy Skyhawk although I didn't get a chance to ride it on this trip. Sometimes I like Skyhawk more than maXair.

 

Thanks for all your guys input.

 

And is there a way to upload these photos to TPR's server?

[kraxleRIDAH]

^Are you kidding? Demon Drop is fifty bagillion times better than Powerless Tower! It's hardly even a contest! PT is about as forceful as Jr. Gemeni!

 

I completely disagree. I never understand why some people think so highly of the first generation Intamin drop rides. I personally think they are horrible. Painful (when you stop abrubtly with your back on against the track and facing the sky) and not as thrilling.

[Masked_Maverick]

^ But you have got to admit that Demon Drop is oen of the better first generation Intamin Drop rides. I rode Mr. Hyde's Nasty Fall back when GL still had it and it was extremely painful. While I have never had a bad ride on Demom Drop.

[sweetmelissa]

^Are you kidding? Demon Drop is fifty bagillion times better than Powerless Tower! It's hardly even a contest! PT is about as forceful as Jr. Gemeni!

 

I completely disagree. I never understand why some people think so highly of the first generation Intamin drop rides. I personally think they are horrible. Painful (when you stop abrubtly with your back on against the track and facing the sky) and not as thrilling.

 

Demon Drop is my favorite ride there (besides the roller caosters). 'Twas the first ride I ever went on at CP, and I fell in love with it. I guess it's all personal opinion. I prefer first generation drop rides...most of the time.

[dandaman]

^Actually, my first ride, too.

 

Painful? Yes. Thrilling? Yes. Better than Power Tower? I can't really say. I like the view from PT, but Demon Drop seems to have that certain... what's it called? Oh... "drop feeling".