Maverickrocks Posted June 17, 2009 Posted June 17, 2009 I had the pleasure of attending CP's Coastermania for the first time on June 5-6. It was a lot of fun, and while there were a few flaws, like having one only one major ride open at a time for ERT on Fri., it seemed like it was very sucessful. This year, they seperated the ERT into three different sessions instead of one big one, allowing for more time at the park. This worked fine, and gave me plenty of time to ride whatever I wanted and get some rest in between. It certainly was a perfect weekend to go to the park. Crowds were very light, weather was generally good. There was some downtime, but it was no big deal. Anyways, I left on Fri afternoon from the Columbus area with my dad and brother, who drove seprately. As expected, traffic was pretty bad, and not just on US 23. I think it took about 20-25 minutes longer then usual to get to Sandusky, but no big deal. Before heading to the park we stopped by my motel for the weekend, the Comfort Inn Maingate on Cleveland Rd., to check in and get situated in the room. Perfectly decent place, and it was relitavly inexpensive compared to some of the other places in town. There was a biker event going on, so the motel was never quiet, but it didn't make a big difference. My dad stayed behind at the motel while my brother and I headed to the park. We got there at about 6:00. It took only three minutes or so to reach the parkig lot, and the view across the bay was stunning. Checking in wasn't very well planned. There were only two windows open, and it took about 15-20 minutes. We started out on Wicked Twister, riding in the second to last row. I kinda liked this praticular shot... CP actually has a nice beach (for Ohio at least). Afterwards, we met up with TPR member CPMaverick, I know from school. We headed over to the Coral Courtyard for the happy hour, which turned out to be awsome. It was more like dinner. They had all good selection of food, like quesidillas and Italian sausages. Very tastey, and they sure didn't go cheap on it like I was expecting. We ate and filled up on free soda before walking to the Challange Park gate to hit the back of the park. We rode Gemni, where CPMaverick's train was stopped on the lift because somebody took out a camera. Then we went to Maverick, to find that it was down. Looked like it could be up again soon, so we went on Skyhawk to pass the time. Are those trees I see? Way to go, random light pole Maverick was back up when we returned and was only about a 25 minute wait! Themed buildings... Nice touch to the queue, execpt when it gets filled with litter Yay! We're about to get on Maverick! It kinda reminds me of the sterotypical ending to a western, where the cowboy rides off into the sun We hit Magnum afterwards, riding twice. Trims were off! Unfortunatly the muffleheads were everywhere, making it nessecary to keep mouths shut for the ride. The area by Magnum gives some great vews of Dragster's tophat After that, we split up, with CPMaverick staying at Magnum and my brother and I going to Milliennium Force. We rode once, then my brother had to leave with my dad to go home, since he had stuff going on Sat morning. I went back to the front of the park with him, the went back to Magnum for the ERT. Milliennium... This is the new fountain they put in on the Main Midway to replace the old ball-style one. ERT was a bit of a disaster. Magnum had about a 20 min wait, so I only rode once. Skyhawk was deserted, and was much better. Got in 5 rides, one which was a extra after the ERT ended (thanks to the awsome crew for that!). I only got in one ride on Maverick because the wait was 35-45 minutes, thanks to it being the only ride open at the time. Headed back to the motel at about 12:40 or so. The walk back the the main parking lot took forever, and was a little creepy because of how quiet it was. You don't see this much About 4 hours of sleep, then it was back to the park! Saturday, June 6 ERT was much better today! Started at Milliennium Force. CPMaverick dosen't go for the ride, so he waited at Dragster, hoping for a rollback, which never happened (it was pretty close though). I got in 5 rides before we met up and headed to Power Tower and Dragster. We rode Dragster once with a 20 min wait, then went on Power Tower (almost walk on), on the launched side. Fun ride, and the view was outstanding. Keep Arms Down, Head Back and Hold On! Since it was about a half hour befor early entry, CPMaverick headed to Raptor to wait for it to open. I got in another lap on Dragster, then headed back there, getting there about 5 minutes before opening. Raptor at early entry was great! Got on the first train of the day in the back, then rode six more times. I got in 2 or 3 front seat rides, all walk on. Raptor is also running much better this year. While there is still headbanging is some places, it isn't painful at all. The transition to the brakes at the end of the ride is smoother, so you don't need to brace for it anymore. The ride was really flying, helix was crazy! Really is a great ride! Yay for test seats This is what 4 hours of sleep plus coaster ERT does to you.... Early Entry is where its at Pre-lift drop Just after early entry, I went to Wicked Twister for a front seat ride, which ended up taking about 10 min because several people had the same idea. Rode Maxair once while I was over there, then headed out to the ticket boothes to buy the drink wristband. The wristband cost about $6, but it was definatly worth it. I met with CPMaverick by the main gate, and he told me he was leaving to sleep. He ended up missing the rest of the event, opting out of returning to the park for the rest of the weekend. Since I was on my own, I basically ended up stolling around the main midway, watching a marching band and riding Blue Streak until it was time for the film festival presentation. I also went in Donut Time to fill up on caffine and get online. These guys were really good! They did more then marching and playing too Ok, back to coasters! Wheeee... Zero-G goodness The film festival was pretty cool. It was nice just being able to sit and relax for a bit. I loved being in the ballroom, since I had never been up in it before. They had five entries, played back to back. After watching all five films, we voted for the winning movie. I voted for number 4, which was a well put together movie showcasing the rides and atmosphere of CP. Number six, a really funny movie about the 100 days before Coastermania, ended up winning. It was really cool being in the Colesium ballroom. Since lunch wasn't until around 2:00, I Milliennium Force, which to my suprise only had a 20 min wait, the CP&LE RR, Magnum (5 min wait). I didn't ride this though, even though the wait was in the station The first 20 seconds of the ride are good, but after that it just hurts. Maverick....with that amazing first drop of 95 degrees 20 years old now It's always neat to watch the trains go over the midway Magnum- Latin adjective which means "large" or "great." The name sure fit the ride when it opened. Nowdays, this is the "magnum" ride Racing for the Sky! 0-120 in less then 4 seconds! In case you forgot... Iron Dragon...which is more intense the Maverick, according to a lady I heard getting while exiting the train... Ouch! There's the Skyride, gently sailing you over the midway Then there's the Kick the Sky ride....throwing you upside down and across truns, pounding you with G's From the Point Pavillion, you can get an awsome look at Raptor's pre-lift There goes the floor And you're flyin' out the door! Up the loud lift hill. It is a little quieter this season though. There they go.. You also get a great view of Blue Streak! The lunch was awsome! Again, CP outdid themselves with food. Freshly grilled chicken and jumbo hot dogs, vegtable lasanga and potato salad with free soft drinks and strawberry shortcake dessert. Yum! The bugs were pretty bad at lunch, but it was still enjoyable without a doubt. Since CPMaverick left, I ended up eating lunch with a guy I rode with on Milliennium Force during the ERT, talking about the event and our trips, the park, coasters and a bunch of other stuff. After lunch, I immeaditly went back to the motel, which was a relief because I had become tired and didn't feel too good. For some reason, I wound up with a bad cold...probably because I didn't have a jacket on during the morning ERT when it was in the 50's. I slept for 2 and a half hours then left to get dinner at the Qudoba on 250. Got back to the park at around 6:30 or so, rode Raptor four times since it was a five minute wait (seriously, it was more like a Sunday in terms of crowds). Rode MF with about a 20 min wait and went back to Maverick only to find that it was down. I decided to just take it easy, so I walked around the Frontier Trail, my favorite part of the park. I got some good views of MF along the way Another amazing first drop Ok, so some of you might find this shocking, but CP also has..guess what..a little somthing called charm. It's one of the reasons I love the trail. Much like Indiana Beach's slogan "There's more then just corn in Indiana," the Frontier Trail goes by the phrase "There's more then just concrete and trashcans at Cedar Point!" Cedar Point had a drastically different attitude about dealing with trees in 1970. Instead of tearing them out they built around them...this one is goes right through the roof of the cabin porch! The Trail even has a gristmill..which I haven't seen open for almost a year...hmmm The Trail sign. Unfortunatly, it's still a shadow of what it used to be. The Blacksmith hasn't been open for some time now, and Pottery Demos and Basket Making have been gone for years. Approaching Frontiertown, you get a good look at Snake River Falls, which was deserted Splash! The Signiture Shot Nobody was riding though Hey look! There's also this ride.... How many rides can you spot? Since Maverick was down, I went on MF again, then went to the main parking lot to get my jacket for the night. I ended up moving the car for a much better spot as well. When I got back inside the park, it had gotten dark so I rode Skyride and walked back over to the Starlight Experience, the new night time attraction to the Frontier Trail. The Starlight Experience is basically a long walk through of thousands of LED lights and other stuff to produce a stunning night atmosphere. It was really cool! CP needed somthing that to enhance "experience" factor, and this hit the spot perfectly. It really enhances the atmosphere of the Trail at night, and its fun to walk through. Everyone I saw seemed to love it, so it looks like the park has a winner on its hands! Unfortunatly, I didn't get any photos of it, because I forgot (I was too busy enjoying it). I did get a few pictures CP at night is very lively It's also very relaxed at the same time The rest of the night was great. I got two rides on Dragster (way better at night, amazing view) with short waits, a ride on Wicked Twister, four Maxair rides (3 in ERT) and nine rides during Raptor ERT. Maxair ERT was fun, but the muffleheads were thriving around the lights of the ride. Raptor ERT was one of the highlights of the trip. I rode five times without leaving my seat. Ben, the ride host doing the spiels, got everyone pumped during the ERT and was pretty funny too. He kept joking about Diamondback and its trims, and about its stacking problems, and about Mean Streak and some other CP/KI related stuff. It was great! The night ended with the ride going down. I was on the train in the station, so I didn't get as lucky as the riders on the train stuck at mid-course blocks. Still and interesting ending though. Sunday, June 7 This was really just a morning coaster run, since I had to get back home by afternoon. Got to the park, parked by Soak City, then rand to Maverick only to find it still down from the previous day. But TTD was open, so I ran there and got in two rides in 10 minutes! I went over to Raptor after that and rode three times, twice in the front which was walk-on. After that, I rode Sky Ride and went to Milliennium Force. I couldn't resist... The shot that everyone has Planet Snoopy I almost completly forgot about this ride, lol No. That's better MF was a two train wait for the back. Awsome! No line at all! I ended up riding twice in the back row. Maverick was up and running again! I rode Maverick once in the back with only a less then a 20 minute wait. Awsome as always. Before heading home, I grabbed some of CP's frozen custard in a fresh fruit bowl. It was really good and not too overpriced! I would have loved to have stayed for the rest of the day because the lines were some of the shortest I've ever seen. All in all it was an awsome weekend, and CP really did a great job on this year's event. Best of all, the park was deserted. I don't think I've ever gotten to ride so much before.
Guest Posted June 18, 2009 Posted June 18, 2009 I can't wait til I go to CP. I'm going to take some AMAZING pictures!
coolcalicoaster Posted June 18, 2009 Posted June 18, 2009 Nice report and great pics. Thanks for posting them. I cannot wait to go to CP this year, as I took last year off for my west coaster trip. I had a great time visiting all the California parks but I missed Cedar Point. There really isn't anything like it!
slither37 Posted June 18, 2009 Posted June 18, 2009 Great TR. I was there too, and actually remember seeing the Griffon T-Shirt. I am from Columbus too, and wanted tot ell you that I find going up 71 to Mansfield exit 169 (Route 13) north to route 250 which goes right to Sandusky is much quicker, usually about 30 min-45 min faster. BUt that kind of depends what side of COlumbus you live on. Traffic on 23 until you get out of Delaware sucks. I can be on the causeway 2hours after I leave my driveway. Next, did you notice that the ride cycle for Skyhawk is longer, which was completely awesome. Up until this year it was 2 max height swings and then the brakes. This year much better. I agree with the ERT on Friday, I thought it really sucked, we got in line for Maverick at 11 after 1 ride on Magnum. We had ridden Maverick around 8 pm and waited 35 min. Once ERT started it was just as long if not longer. So we left after the one ride on Maverick. Saturday ERT was fantastic, Totally redeemed Friday night, we rode MF 3 or 4 times and then got 4 or 5 rides on Dragster before early entry. Then headed back to MF for more no wait rides. I was pretty done just before the start of night time ERT on Sat. but there was 0 line for Raptor so we got few rides on that and left around 9. Long day. And food looked good to me, only thing is I went to take a bite of my potato salad and there was Mr. Mufflehead, who sacrificed himself to get a bite of it. Kind of turned my stomach so we had to forego the food. I could not get away from them and since I was feeling queasy already, my daughter and I decided to skip it and went to her fave Panda Express anyway. Well, it was her fave until later when we found the Montgomery Inn pulled pork back by Maverick. Yumm. I was shocked at the light crowds on Sat. It looked crowded and there were lots of people in the park, but lines were very short. I know we must have been at WT at the same time as we went there right at 10 as well, which I usually try to do. Thanks again for the great TR!
Maverickrocks Posted June 19, 2009 Author Posted June 19, 2009 Thanks for the heads up! I actually live in Worthington, just off High Street, so 23 has always seemed practical to me, but it is prone to traffic. I've been on 71-13-250 route before, but with a school trip on school busses, so couldn't really measure if that way was longer or shorter. Looks like I'll have to try it out myself soon.
coasterfreak101 Posted June 19, 2009 Posted June 19, 2009 About 4 hours of sleep, then it was back to the park! That was my favorite part of that weekend! Saturday was a nineteen-hour day on four hours of sleep! It was great. I just wish Friday night's ERT could've been pulled off a bit better. But I agree with everyone, Saturday totally redeemed it. Especially Raptor that night.
cycamps Posted June 19, 2009 Posted June 19, 2009 Nice to see pictures of the park. It hurts to see them and know I may not get there this year...
netdvn Posted June 19, 2009 Posted June 19, 2009 Awesome pics! Thanks for posting these... But did you get any info regarding the land clearing going on within the park like any hints?
Maverickrocks Posted June 19, 2009 Author Posted June 19, 2009 I may be wrong since I missed the park presentation Friday, but I don't think there was any Q&A this year, if there was, there are no new developments as of now. It will be a new ride, that's all thats been confirmed.
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