Cedar Point Trip Report June 13-16

[BaMiTsPaT]

June 13th we embarked from Avon, Connecticut at 9:15 A.M for Bradley International Airport. Our flight was to Baltimore and was delayed until about 12:45. We had no issues connecting to Cleveland, and arrived there around 4 PM. After getting our car we headed off to Sandusky and Cedar Point. After about an hour drive we arrived at the road that Cedar Point is on.

The views from driving around the park towards the Hotel Breakers were breath-taking (the pictures from that are at the end). We arrived at our lake-side room and unpacked our suitcases. We left our room and walked down toward Wicked Twister to have a look at some of the rides in the park. Next, we walked back the other way toward Mean Streak and the convenience store over there (sorry I forgot the name of it.) After getting some breakfast foods and candy we got back in the car and drove to Famous Dave's at the Cedar Point Marina. (Thank you to whoever it was that suggested I go there I forget what thread I asked that in).

Famous Dave's was fantastic! Between my friend and my dad and I we ate a full rack of ribs with apples and fries as side dishes. Everything was great! The ribs were very meaty and the side dishes were delicious! 10/10

We drove back to the hotel and decided to go to bed, as we were getting up at 8AM to eat breakfast and buy our tickets before the 9AM entry. I woke up at 8 and took a shower. After that, I ate a package of strawberry Pop-Tarts and a cup of orange juice before we headed out to the park.

 

The first ride we hit was Iron Dragon (don't ask me why ) It was a decent suspended coaster, although probably the worst of the three I've been on (ID, Ninja at SFMM, and BBW). It was much tamer than the other two, but the Cedar Point foliage made it a decent ride and the final twisted bit in the mist was enjoyable.

Average wait: 0 minutes

Laps:1

6/10

 

Next in our "ERT" was Raptor. This ride was great! It was very forceful and had a really cool layout. I loved the helix at the end, and the drop off the brakerun was very cool too. We only rode it once because we never really made it that far forward in the park afterwards . I'd rank it my 4th favorite invert behind Dueling Dragons (dragon challenge), Montu, and The Silver Bullet.

Average wait: 5 minutes

Laps: 1

9/10

 

We were saving Millennium Force for later on in our trip, but decided to hit it now while the park still wasn't open to the public. We only waited for it once during our trip, and it was a 20 minute wait on Tuesday. Our first ride was in the back seat, and I honestly didn't like it that much. I heard it was a force to be reckoned with and some said it was better than Bizarro, but I was extremely underwhelmed on my first lap. It felt so forceless that my friend dubbed it "Millennium farce". Later on in our trip we hit it 3 more times, and in the middle I enjoyed it, but the front was my favorite seat on the ride. The speed was incredible, and being peppered with bugs was insane!. The drop was incredible, but it joined my top 10 at #3.

Average wait time: 15 minutes

Laps: 4

10/10 (the front row inflated this a little )

 

It was now 9:40, so we decided to hit Maverick while the park was still closed. This is the time that I realized that this park is HUGE! Maverick and Millennium Force are right next to each other on the map, yet they are so far away by foot. We got to the ride at around 9:55 and there was no line. We wove through the queue and got on the train that was loading right when we got up to the station. We rode in the middle car, and I loved it. The drop was IMO better than that of Fahrenheit, and the layout was insane. The second launch didn't really feel like a launch, but in the front row it was very impressive. The two airtime hills had INSANE airtime and the two turns at the end were impressive. After riding it in the front row, I have finally found a coaster that I like more than Bizarro (for now )

Average Wait time: 30 minutes

Laps: 3

10/10

 

The park was finally open now so we went around riding the other great coasters and rides. Next was Skyhawk. This ride kicks major tail! It is so much better than Thunder N' Lightning at Lake Compounce, and the airtime is crazy! Looking straight up at the clouds freaks me out every time. The only complaint I have with these rides is that the ride cycle is very short.

Average wait time: 5 minutes

Laps: 3

9/10

 

Next my dad decided he was hot and that we should ride the two water rides in that section of the park. We hit Snake river Falls which SOAKED me, and then Thunder Canyon added to the wetness. Snake River Falls was just another large splash boat ride with a roof on its head.

Average wait time: 0 minutes

Laps:1

7/10

Thunder Canyon had almost no theming until the finale which just drenched everyone. I put it behind every rapids ride I've been on other than the one at The Great Escape.

Average Wait time: 5 minutes

Laps: 1

6/10

 

Next we had the grossest pizza I've ever eaten. It was so cheesy that I can never look at pizza the same again. We decided to settle our stomachs with a ride on the Mean Streak. The Mean Streak looked so promising from outside the park, and dominates the corner it is in. We took one ride on it in the back row, and it is the worst wooden coaster I have ever been on. The first drop is trimmed to death, and the ride shakes you like no other. Right when you think it might pick up speed, it doesn't. The second half is a waste of space, as it feels like a sunday drive through the neighborhood.Waste of space.

Average wait time: 0 Minutes

Laps: 1

4/10

 

We made our way toward the front of the park, hitting Cedar Creek Mine Ride next. This ride did absolutely nothing until the last helix. It was rough and underwhelming, which is sad because I usually like mine rides.

Average Wait time: 5 minutes

Laps: 1

3/10

 

Next up was Gemini. After CCMR I was not excited for Gemini, but I was pleasantly surprised. I rode both sides, and was impressed with the capacity and how quickly the line moved. This ride had some good airtime throughout, and the racing element is great on this ride, especially slapping hands with riders on the other train.

Average Wait time: 10 minutes

Laps: 4

7/10

 

We rode the Woodstock Express, and it is my favorite Vekoma that I have ridden! Although it sits in a barren area of the park, it is actually a fun little ride! It's pretty fast for a kid's coaster too!

Average Wait time: 5 minutes

Laps:1

5/10

 

Magnum XL-200 was next. I was not looking forward to it after hearing how rough it was. It lived up to this non-hype. It was very rough on the thighs and back. I rode it in the front on our second day at the park and it was a great ride. It had good airtime, starting with floater air before the turn-around and then ejector air after the turn. It was a very fun ride!

Average Wait time: 10 minutes

Laps:3

8/10

 

We decided to save TTD for last, and rode the Corkscrew. It was...a Corkscrew. I knew it was a classic, but I didn't really enjoy it. It was very rough and very tame at the same time. I think I like watching it corkscrew over the midway more than I like riding it.

Average Wait time: 10 minutes

Laps:2

6/10

 

We went back to ride the Blue Streak, and it was a fun little ride. It had alot of airtime for its size, and it was very fast-paced. We rode it once, but I could have done it several more times. Best woodie in the park !

Average Wait time: 0 minutes

Laps:1

7/10

 

We decided to ride Wicked Twister next, and it was the first impulse coaster that I have been on. It was fairly intense, and the twisted towers made it a really cool ride. We rode it 3 times from 945-10 PM the first night which was really awesome.

Average Wait time: 15 minutes

Laps:4

8/10

 

Maxair was next, and I can say that it is my favorite flat ride. Its swings are so forceful, and the views are incredible. The spinning is not very fast, but definitely adds to the ride, making it far superior to the skyhawk.

Average Wait time: 20 minutes

Laps: 3

10/10

 

Disaster Transport was next. i heard that it was a terrible ride and should have been torn down. I'll admit that the theming is brutal, but I really enjoyed this ride. I think that the poor theming adds to the fun of the ride. At night when you can't see the light coming through, it is a very cool ride! It was the surprise of the trip!

Average wait time: 20 minutes

Laps: 5

7/10

 

Wildcat was a tiny little ride, but it was actually fairly decent. It had some nice drops, and wasn't as rough as I expected it to be, although it looks like it belongs in a fair, not at Cedar Point.

Average Wait time: 15 minutes

Laps: 1

6/10

 

Mantis was the last coaster we hit on this loop. It was very rough on my head. I am only 5'7'', but I don't remember Riddler's Revenge beating me up that much. It just shook me on every fast section. It was so relentless that I didn't want to ride it again. Unfortunately I did, but fortunately my second ride wasn't nearly as rough on my head.

Average Wait time: 10 minutes

Laps: 2

7/10

 

We decided to go have dinner at T.G.I Friday's which was a good meal, and afterwards we returned to the park. It was about 7:30 and we decided to wait in line for the Dragster. The line was only up to the ramp, as it stayed all night. We rode it 3 times that night, and I got two trains at the end of the night. (the last train had a row empty and a coaster enthusiast that we met from Louisiana asked if we could ride again, and the ops told us about these empty seats which was awesome.) The Dragster was great. I thought it would be a one trick pony, which it is, but that is one hell of a trick. The acceleration was so fast that I was out of breath by the time we arrived at the hill. The drop from the tower isn't nearly as exciting as the launch but it offers good views of the park, and is pretty neat. This is now my number 4 coaster, ahead of Tatsu and Xcelerator.

Average Wait time: 15 minutes

Laps: 5

10/10

 

We rode the power tower at the end of the third night because we forgot that we had skipped over it. The shot side was really lame and I was disappointed by this ride.

Average Wait time:5 minutes

Laps: 1

6/10

 

Overall, I love Cedar Point. We went during a dead time, which was great because we finished the park in 1 day and had 2 more for re-rides and napping and going to the beach. The operations were fantastic compared to my home park (SFNE) and made even the lines that we met the third day we were there bearable! Thank you Cedar Point!

 

Overall: 9/10

 

A few pictures to follow!

Wicked Twister from the path behind our hotel

Magnum!!!

Three coasters from the Challenge park...no trains :'(

Almost signature shot!

Attempt at a panorama...sorry for that

It looks good from here...

Train check!

I see Maverick!!! It looks so good from here

EXTREME airtime!

My favorite picture that I've ever taken. So cool !

TTD photo credit!

[tiger01]

Nice TR! Love the pictures! I wish My Home Park could be as big as Cedar Point! The place is great and its beside the beach with amazing views! If they tore down Mean Streak i wonder what they would replace it with???

(Mega-Lite!!!!! )

[RctInfinity]

Great TR! I can't wait for my first time in early August! If only I'd meet the same crowd levels...

[Hoss]

Interesting how you found the back of Millennium Force to be the worst seat. I am the complete opposite. Here is my theory as to why you felt that way. First off, I would be interested in knowing what time of day your other Millennium Force rides were. Millennium Force is almost useless to ride early in the morning as your only back seat ride was. It is so much faster at night! It speeds up as the day goes on. And if you rode it before the rest of the park opened, then I am assuming that you rode in a rather empty train. Heavy roller coaster trains travel faster than lighter ones due to air resistance. And since Millennium Force has such a high average speed and since its the longest steel roller coaster in the country, the difference is more noticable on Millennium Force than most other roller coasters. The bottom line is that Millennium Force is a faster more intense ride at night, or just even later on in the day, no matter where you sit.

Personally like El Toro to name another, I find Millennium Force almost a waste of time in the moring. I always save it for night.

[ray8285]

Great info on the park.. I am taking the family in August and can't wait to try out the coasters!!!

[eddie200330]

It is so much faster at night! It speeds up as the day goes on.

 

I've never really comprehended these statements about a steel coaster, or wood for that matter. Do they raise the height of the drop throughout the day? LMAO

 

Just kidding, I think that the darkness enhances the speed factor as you have trouble adjusting your eyes to the surroundings. I really don't think rides actually pick up speed throughout the day, maybe different temps have a slight affect throughout a season.......

[Hoss]

It's not really that the ride will go faster as much as it is the ride will slow down slower if the train is heavier for example. The only thing that really kills the momentum of a ride is friction. That's why a roller coaster can never reach the same height as the lift hill again. I suppose that a simple way of explaining it would be like this. Imagine a roller coaster with a vertical drop and then flat horizontal track afterwards. F=MA The F is for the friction force. The M is the mass of the train and riders, and the A is the deceleration of the train. You have Rolling friction and an air friction. If you add mass to the train that increases the right side of the equation, but in the case of rolling friction that is also going to increase the left side of the equation because the normal force is going to increase. So basically the masses cancel out when your just dealing with rolling friction. Air resistance is also going to slow the train down. Air resistance is dependent upon the surface area not the mass. So if you add mass to the train its going to slow down slower than a lighter train. That's why the heavier train is "faster". This is something that really just builds up over time. I hope that that was an easy enough way of expalining it.

 

Go on youtube and Cedar Point has an official POV of MIllennium Force. If you compare it to other POV's of MIllennium Force that have fully loaded trains you will notice that it travels much slower.It takes it several more seconds to transverse the course. I would give you the links for it, but I just joined this site and there is something about not making any links in my posts until I have hit 50 for some reason. Another good example would be roller coasters valleying out. This almost always happens with empty trains.

[eddie200330]

^Actually I was just kidding about the speed increase, I believe pretty much with MF that all the trains are full and there is always a breeze blowing at CP, so wouldn't all of that just make no sense anyway?

[Hoss]

Well first off, when I started this I was referring to the person who stated that they were riding Millennium Force before the park opened to the general public that day. So I think there is a chance that the train they went on was not fully loaded.

 

But yes wind is another key factor. I don't know the wind patterns in Sandusky Ohio , but I do know that in most other places the wind generally dies down at night. Wind would obviously slow the train down; so it would help to ride at night. You yourself also brought up the point of rides feeling faster at night simply because we can not see as well. That also does have a lot to do with it I am sure. There are other factors such as temperature and humitidy, but to be honest with you I am not 100 percent sure myself how and why those change the speed of the ride. I am half way through my bachelors in Mechanical engineering right now. I will tell you when I find out if your still interested.

[eddie200330]

^ cool

[BaMiTsPaT]

Interesting how you found the back of Millennium Force to be the worst seat. I am the complete opposite. Here is my theory as to why you felt that way. First off, I would be interested in knowing what time of day your other Millennium Force rides were. Millennium Force is almost useless to ride early in the morning as your only back seat ride was. It is so much faster at night! It speeds up as the day goes on. And if you rode it before the rest of the park opened, then I am assuming that you rode in a rather empty train. Heavy roller coaster trains travel faster than lighter ones due to air resistance. And since Millennium Force has such a high average speed and since its the longest steel roller coaster in the country, the difference is more noticable on Millennium Force than most other roller coasters. The bottom line is that Millennium Force is a faster more intense ride at night, or just even later on in the day, no matter where you sit.

Personally like El Toro to name another, I find Millennium Force almost a waste of time in the moring. I always save it for night.

I rode in the back during the 9-10 ERT-thing, and the train was not full. My other rides were all between noon-2 save for the one night ride I had in the front seat.

[Hoss]

ahhhh good to know my theory was correct. I knew something was wrong when you mentioned enjoying it in the middle rows but being underwhelmed in the back.

[slither37]

Great TR, nice to CP gets some love. I go there frequently so perhaps I get jaded.

 

I do not know if I suggested Famous Dave's to you, I may have as I LOVE eating there. I would have told you to avoid MOST food in the park, exceptions are Happy Friar and the nachos and BBQ pork you can get at Red Garter and Last Chance Saloon, and of course any thing related to ice cream and funnel cakes. Other than those I eat at Famous Dave's.