Skycoastin' Steve's 2010 Season Extravaganza!!

[Skycoastin Steve]

^This is Jen everyone. She's my travel partner. I've converted her from a comfortable member of the GP to a Dork-In-Progress in about a year and a half's time. Her coaster count has gone from a measly 12 last March to a whopping 181 today. She now knows the difference between Intamin and B&M, as well as my stance on the "you go faster in the back" comments that the GP makes. She's going on the Northeast USA trip with me next year, and is a fellow Gator. Welcome Jen to TPR everyone!

[jynx242]

^Hey Jen! See you next summer since Eli and I are signed up for the North East trip as well.

 

David

[larrygator]

I won't saying which one, but one of those pictures made me throw up in my mouth.

[Skycoastin Steve]

^

 

Be glad that you didn't have to see any of them in person.

[paiging_jen]

^Hey Jen! See you next summer since Eli and I are signed up for the North East trip as well.

 

David

 

Looking forward to it!

[Skycoastin Steve]

While I'm writing the Cedar Point portion of my trip report, enjoy this little nugget from Waldameer's karaoke day on Sunday. My ears were bleeding.

 

[ajc47]

^Some people just have no shame.

[Skycoastin Steve]

Alrighty, so anyone who has read any of my posts knows that I like Cedar Point. A lot. Given its flaws (yes, it has them), I still enjoy going there more than most other places just because there's SO much to do. And the thing that made this trip so special for me was the fact that I was able to enjoy more than just the coasters during my two-day stay. Is the food overpriced and not that great? Yes. Should there be more shade on the main midway? Absolutely. Did they go a little overboard with building coasters? Debatable. Is it still an awesome park? Most definitely. Is it the best park in the world? Nope, but that doesn't matter to me. On to the trip report.

 

After our three-park day that included DelGrosso's, Lakemont, and Waldameer, we were able to get into Sandusky just a little before closing, so we went ahead and made it a four-park day and got in for a late night, back of the train ride on Millennium Force, which was AMAZING. More on MF later. The next day, we were up bright and early for the Platinum Pass early entry.

 

Our first stop of the day was of course MF, and we got the front row since that was just something Jen HAD to experience. Once again, amazing. We then grabbed Maverick in the back row before the GP made it in the park, which was also a ton of fun (as always). After that, it was the credit whore portion of our day, as we knocked out Mean Streak (ouch, yawn), CCMR (ouch, yawn), and Woodstock Express (not bad for a junior coaster). After a hilarious journey on Paddlewheel Excursions, we got an ejector seat ride on Magnum (LOVE!), followed by some head-banging awesomeness on Corkscrew. Then it was time for Dragster, and I just can't get over just how much better the ride and ride experience are on this over Kingda Ka. It's not even close. Moving on though. After lunch, we made it back to the front of the park and swept by every credit up there, including two rides on Wicked Twister (one on each end of the train). We also rode Maxair a couple times and at some point in there I know we rode Skyhawk. Overall, the first day was a great success as far as credits were concerned, as we got everything except Gemini under our belts (Gemini had one side running and a horrendous line).

 

The second day was my true "geek out" day since we basically had all the coasters out of the way at that point. We did the early entry again and did Maverick in the first row this time. Then we went over to Dragster before opening and waited on the front row, which was spectacular and windy! After Dragster we hurried to Gemini (one sided operation again) to get the credit before the line got long. Once we were done with that, we basically just meandered around the Point for a while. We took a walk down the walkway next to the beach and looked at Magnum's layout from back there (I showed Jen where the profile used to be in 1989), and then we walked by Breakers and Jen got another history lesson on that. After going back in through the beach entrance we rode Ocean Motion and paid our respects to the ride before its dismantling. We would also get a back car ride on Magnum at this point, which I kinda regret that I haven't done this more. Back car was ridiculous!

 

After lunch at Coasters, we went and changed into our swimsuits to do all the water rides. We got progressively wetter as we rode STR (review to come later), Thunder Canyon, and SRF, but it was perfect since the temperature was right in the high 70s and the sun was out! On a side note, the weather was absolutely spectacular both days, couldn't have asked for anything better from Mother Nature! Once we dried off and changed back into regular clothes, we went back around and got the coasters in the front of the park again, the Midway Carousel, and another ride on Maxair. Towards the end of the night, we went around to get one more lap on Maverick (5th row), then walked through the Starlight Experience and ended our trip on a night ride on MF in the back row, just the way we started our CP experience!

 

I'm going to break this post up and give my thoughts on a lot of the rides in my next post.

[Skycoastin Steve]

Alright, so since it had, for all intents and purposes, been two years since I spent a real day inside the park, I got to update my opinion on a lot of their rides. Last year I went to the park for about a half a day with family and it really wasn't that enjoyable, so this time was much better.

 

Millennium Force - Alright all you haters, I got one thing to say. Shut it. I was honestly going into this trip wondering if MF would still be my #1 steel (as it has been since I first rode it 10 years ago), since I had experienced I305 earlier in the year. The only thing that happened was this ride got CEMENTED at #1. It was running as smoothly as I can ever remember it running, save for its opening season. It was also delivering WAY more airtime going over the island hills than I've ever experienced. Seriously, my butt was off the seat on those hills (which has never happened to my recollection). I've never cared about the lack of airtime on the ride, as it was built for speed and turns more than anything, but it was so refreshing to get some nice floating out of it! So basically, this ride is virtually untouchable at this point.

 

Maverick - Still amazing, but it could definitely use the straps from I305.

 

Top Thrill Dragster - The difference in this and Kingda Ka is night and day. From the queue inside the ride, to the grandstands, to the speedometer, to the Christmas tree lights, to the sound effects, to the lapbars, this ride completely and utterly blows KK out of the water in every possible way. Still in my top 10.

 

Magnum - It's a little rougher these days, but I still friggin' love this coaster, and I always will.

 

Mean Streak - TAER IT DOWN!!!!!!111!1!11

 

Blue Streak - Way better than I remember, awesome airtime.

 

Wicked Twister - Another that ended up being better than I remember, just for the fact that I hardly ever rode it during the two years I worked at the Point. Back seat is wicked fun when you're hanging at almost 200 feet up and staring at the ground!

 

Raptor - Plummeted in my rankings. Starting to rattle a lot, uninteresting layout (especially after the MCBR), and slow. After riding Afterburn as much as I have this year, it probably seems a lot worse than it is, but MAN I didn't enjoy my two rides on it.

 

Disaster Transport - For the first time that I can remember, it was truly pitch black inside the building, which made it WAY more fun than usual. And as a hidden jewel, someone placed a stuffed Domo in the Alaska-themed portion of the ride right at the end!! I seriously almost peed my pants I was laughing so hard!

 

Maxair and Skyhawk - Still awesome flats, I think every major park should have a Frisbee and Screamin' Swing!

 

RipCord and SkyScraper - Stopped by Challenge Park to ride these (my first time since 2008), and SkyScraper is still one of the most insane rides I've ever been on. Jen almost had a heart attack, stroke, panic attack, and aneurysm at the same time!

 

Starlight Experience - I actually liked it a lot, despite the fact that we were speed walking through it to get to MF before the line closed. I can't wait to see how it turns out at Carowinds next year.

 

Shoot the Rapids - I didn't think it was that bad. It was very nicely themed, was a relaxing float through the river, and the two drops were fun. Didn't get extremely wet on it (about the same as any other log flume), and I enjoyed myself on it. Was it worth the $10 million investment? Probably not, but it's too late to take it back now. I think for what it is, it's a good enough attraction for them.

[Skycoastin Steve]

Full album with the pics from the entire trip can be found here!

Yay Cedar Point!

My old stomping grounds for two years.

Early morning ride on MF!

They took the tunnel, and were flashed in the process.

Somehow I kept photographing the yellow train.

10 years old and still kicking ass!

Sign action.

Didn't ride till the 2nd day, but it was good enough for a log flume.

Maverick!

Water bombs! Current computer background.

Fountains and Stengel dives.

Fountains and overbanked turns.

Patrons from Cleveland and Detroit probably wouldn't be phased by the sight of someone with a gun.

Ohio: Birthplace of Aviation

I love the sign. It's a shame it took them 20 frickin' years to get a sign for this ride.

Flower! The park was looking great, kudos to the landscapers!

Yay Cedar Point!

Race for the sky!

Coming down through a TWISTY!!!

"ohhhhhhhhhh shhhhhhhhiiiiiiiittttttttt!!!!"

No rollback this time. In fact, I didn't see a single rollback the entire trip. And the ride didn't go down either time we waited for it, which has NEVER happened to me.

This picture is brought to you by the French.

Yellow, yellow, yellow, GREEN!

My my my, how different this will look by next year.

An under-appreciated portion of the park.

Guy in the front right seat is either 1. constipated 2. clenching or 3. taking a dump on the coaster. If you know which, EMAIL DAN!!! mrt0ad13@aol.com

More TWISTY!!!!

The operator explained, and I quote, "If it doesn't fit in the back, put it in the front." TWSS.

Love.

If Huss weren't bankrupt, I would say they should build one in my back yard.

12E

I was terribly disappointed by Raptor, but it still takes nice photos.

Coming down from the loop, no good faces this time.

This just in from CNN: We have achieved loop.

Misty AND Twisty!

"Oh come on, I'm a dragon made of iron and THIS was the best ride you could come up with in my honor?!?!?!"

Untrimmed Mantis. So-so ride.

This just in from Fox News: More loop has been achieved, and we believe it was the Left's fault!

Dive loop. Like regular loop with a touch of Greg Louganis. It works.

Some B&M twisty for ya.

The start of day 2, and I challenge anyone to give me a better skyline than that.

M for Maverick!

Oh noes! The coaster is stuck upside down!

Got two trains in there. TWSS?

Dragster is taller than the sun!

*in the voice of Droopy Dog*

 

"Going up, sir."

I could sit and stare at this ride for hours.

*in the voice of Droopy Dog again*

 

"Going down, sir."

Money shot.

Lovely shot of Magnum.

Incredible ride. On a side note, I was actually the first person to go up in this ride after it was built at CP.

Good times were had here for two years!

Jen and I with the Erie Ocean in the background.

More Magnum awesomeness.

Lonely Train in the Sky: The Ride

Dragster snuck a train in there.

So much fun it's scary!

Doing its pretzel thing.

A wooden stake in the ground isn't a very thrilling addition for 2011. I want my money back.

From the train.

Upskirt MILF porn!

Thankfully I got a good first drop picture just before the train rounded the corner.

Bret, Bart, Brent, Beau, Ben, and Sam!

NINETY-FIVE DEGREES!!!!!

Signature shot.

Skyhawk is a swinger. And it goes both ways.

Lonely Riders in the Sky: The Ride

MINE?

Midway Carousel, the only thing at CP that's older than Jeff Johnson!

Blue Streak, old enough for my mother to have ridden it as a youngster!

As you can tell, the sky was providing some lovely backdrops for these photos.

Rest in Pieces.

Another signature shot.

The sun going down as the riders go down. All this going down is getting me excited......

McDonald's: The Coaster

Red and White Barcode: The Ride

The interactive fountains that replaced the ball fountain that now resides at Alabama Adventure and replaced.....interactive fountains.

 

The end!

[Philrad71]

Nice report!

 

I don't think we could have missed you on our trips to Delgrosso's and Lakemont by more than a couple of days.

I wished that I could have gotten to the wing fest that they were having at Lakemont the night we were there though...stupid no campgrounds in Altoona - we ended up at Raystown Lake though, which kicked total ass!

 

I completely agree that MF is still better than I305 - especially the front seat at night. It's still my #1 although I'm sure most would disagree. Also agree that TTD blows away KK, Maverick desperately needs the soft shoulder straps and WT is awesome in the back seat!

[slither37]

This picture is brought to you by the French./quote]T

 

^ hilarious, all that is missing is the dropped weapons....

 

Photos are great, very very nice work.

[coaster1000]

Great photos! Some of them got a nice "old school feel" to them.

 

Went to CP the for the first time a couple of weeks ago. MF is my no. 1, too. The airtime over the hills was seriously amazing.

 

 

I was a bit underwhelmed with TTD (yeah, wierd) but Raptor was fantastic. Especially the pop of air right before the second wingover. Be sure to get a backseat!

[CoasterPrince]

The start of day 2, and I challenge anyone to give me a better skyline than that.

 

This comes pretty close, I must say.

[atem122]

^FANBOY!!!! / One of those things isn't there anymore / CP's is still better.

 

I love this TR, the captions are funny, and it's giving me a MAJOR CP boner.

[Skycoastin Steve]

^^Nope. Not even close.

[Top Thrill Dragster]

 

The start of day 2, and I challenge anyone to give me a better skyline than that.

 

 

 

 

[HCLcoasters]

^nope

[bgwfreak777]

Exactly. Look at all the urban "junk" in front of that shot.

 

All the power lines, etc.

 

Nothing like driving across the causeway into CP or seeing it from the town of Sandusky.

[Skycoastin Steve]

^That's pretty much it. Magic Mountain and Great Adventure might both have a lot of coasters to dot their skyline, but the fact that CP is flat and borders a large body of water just makes them stand out that much more. I will say that I did like SFMM's skyline quite a bit, just not as much as CP's.

[jynx242]

Steve - thanks for posting your trip report. Great pictures as always, and the seagull photo and caption had me snickering at my desk for a bit.

 

Thanks for making my co-workers realize how odd I am again.

 

D

[Skycoastin Steve]

^For you, Dave.

 

[atem122]

 

The start of day 2, and I challenge anyone to give me a better skyline than that.

 

 

Done.

[PhantomNick]

^ Nice

 

Millennium Force - Alright all you haters, I got one thing to say. Shut it. I was honestly going into this trip wondering if MF would still be my #1 steel (as it has been since I first rode it 10 years ago), since I had experienced I305 earlier in the year. The only thing that happened was this ride got CEMENTED at #1. It was running as smoothly as I can ever remember it running, save for its opening season. It was also delivering WAY more airtime going over the island hills than I've ever experienced. Seriously, my butt was off the seat on those hills (which has never happened to my recollection). I've never cared about the lack of airtime on the ride, as it was built for speed and turns more than anything, but it was so refreshing to get some nice floating out of it! So basically, this ride is virtually untouchable at this point.

 

Maverick - Still amazing, but it could definitely use the straps from I305.

 

Top Thrill Dragster - The difference in this and Kingda Ka is night and day. From the queue inside the ride, to the grandstands, to the speedometer, to the Christmas tree lights, to the sound effects, to the lapbars, this ride completely and utterly blows KK out of the water in every possible way. Still in my top 10.

 

I simply had to quote this segment from your ride overviews, as you sum up my views on these three coasters perfectly! Millennium is still my #1 steel as well, and I have yet to have a ride on it where it didn't deliver the goods. I've heard the "Millennium Forceless" comments and I honestly just don't get it. Different strokes for different folks, I guess. Seeing the looks of those I305 strap restraints, I think those would be a HUGE help on Maverick. I love the ride, but there's a couple spots that can give me a jab if I'm not ready for them. As for Dragster, I really think it craps all over Kingda Ka. The whole experience is just so much better on TTD. I still thought KK was a blast, but those restraints really eliminated the awesome freedom you get on TTD as the train screams down the launch! Still hangin' on in my Top 10 as well, at number 9.

 

This really was an awesome trip report, by the way. Great summary, stellar pics, and some captions that cracked me up! Glad you had such a nice trip. I actually haven't been to the Point since 2008, which is a situation that will need remedied next year for sure!

[Skycoastin Steve]

^^Can't argue with that view! :drool:

 

^Thanks for the comments, it's nice to see there are some other sane enthusiasts out there. The 305 straps are VERY comfortable and would be perfect for Maverick, so I hope the right people have done the right research on 305 and will be retrofitting those trains next year.