info
Google Groups no longer supports new Usenet posts or subscriptions. Historical content remains viewable.
Dismiss
TR: Cedar Point
134 views
Skip to first unread message
surfd...@aol.com
May 30, 2021, 9:23:21 PM5/30/21
to
I visited Cedar Point recently for the first time in 14 years. Here are my thoughts:
Stayed at Breakers for the first time. The hotel is very nice! The boardwalk is awesome and it’s nice to be able to walk around just outside the park. Early entry was very helpful in getting some extra rides in.
Did 2 rides on Maverick for early entry and then got on line for Steel Vengeance, which I wanted to get on before the long lines began, which I had heard about. Got on in about 10 minutes. The locker system works great, it’s just like at VelociCoaster, where you can take small items through the line then leave them in free lockers just before you get to the station. You then get the items from the opposite side of the locker afterwards. The ride itself is decent. I rode in row 6 (of 12), which wasn’t ideal. I did ride again just before closing with no wait, asked for row 11 and it was much better. I’m not a big fan of RMC, but this was decent. The small hills just before the lift and the last bunny hops at the end of the ride were the best. This coaster was coaster credit 500 for me, which was a long time coming, took almost 11 years to go from 400 to 500. They closed the line early so that the last ride cycle was just before closing (which was 8pm). As far as Maverick, it’s still my favorite coaster in the park, got 2 rides for early entry, and then one toward the end of the day just before my last ride on Steel Vengeance. It’s a great ride that just keeps going nonstop. The last time I was at Cedar Point (during Coastermania 2007), Maverick was only weeks old.
Magnum XL-200 - gave it a courtesy ride and while the ending is really good, still not a big fan of the ride.
Valravn - waited about 1 hour 45 minutes. Surprised it doesn’t have a dual loading station like Sheikra does. Not a huge fan of dive coasters, but this one had some decent inversions. One strange thing I noticed - when released from the set of brakes to roll into the station, it gains some decent speed and then has a pretty short stop. Coaster credit 501 for me.
Wicked Twister - easily my second favorite coaster at CP after Maverick. So much fun! I’m sad to see that the impulse coasters are starting to fade away. Got 2 rides on this.
Gatekeeper - this was the last coaster here that was new to me (credit 502). The ride was down when I went over to ride it, but I waited it out a little, and luckily, it came back up shortly and only had to wait like 2 trains. Got on the right hand side of the track. This was pretty good, had some scary turns off the lift hill and the “keyhole” affects were great. A really good ride, would like to have ridden again, but as a long lost shirt I bought on my first visit in 1997 said, “so many rides, so little time”. This was my 3rd b&m wing coaster, and I have to say I enjoy it as a launch coaster (Thunderbird) most over this and Wild Eagle at Dollywood.
Raptor - still a decent ride but nothing compared to Batman and Montu. Got to ride in the front.
Blue Streak - Had way more fun on this than I expected! I don’t know if it’s because I didn’t have other wood coasters to compare it to this trip (since it wasn’t a multi park trip to Kings Island, Geauga Lake, etc.), or what, but the ride was pretty awesome. I never got the hype for Blue Streak, but really enjoyed my one ride this visit on this, and I wasn’t even assigned the back car (my car of choice on any wood coaster). Probably my 3rd or 4th favorite coaster at the park after this trip.
Cedar Downs was fun as usual, tame compared to the Derby at Playland which I rode every few years. It was good that CD still has the “racing” back and forth feature working. Glad they keep this. I also rode one way on the Skyride. It’s crazy how short it is compared to the whole park.
Corkscrew was fun. Actually asked to change my assigned row to the second to last row since there was no one else behind me on line. Gives a good ride. Iron Dragon was decent. Other than Big Bad Wolf, all the arrow suspended coasters are about even for me. Gemini was awesome as usual. Definitely one of my favorite coasters at the park. No wait both times and I could actually choose my row! Cedar Creek Mine Ride was tight but fun. No wait on that one nearly an hour before closing before I did my last rides on Maverick and Steel Vengeance.
Rougarou was interesting. I rode it as Mantis years ago, and this was pretty bumpy as far as headbanging with a lot of the transitions. I don’t remember if it was that bad as Mantis as far as headbanging. This and Valravn I’ll likely skip if I ever get back here anytime soon.
I skipped Millennium Force and Top Thrill Dragster in favor of getting on most of the Arrow coasters and another ride on Maverick. I wanted to ride the train, but time didn’t allow for it. Snake River Expedition wasn’t going to open until the following week.
For food, I got the chicken strips at Coasters. Several food locations were not yet open for the season. Waited about 15 minutes for a late lunch at Coasters. Was decent. Got the free drink wristband (for staying at Breakers) there and got a refill later in the day with no line. Ate dinner after closing at TGI Fridays at Breakers.
The park has some decent souvenirs, many throwback items for the 150th which was last year. I just got a souvenir map. Would have liked to have gotten a Cedar Point jacket with zipper pockets, but the store was closed when I went back. Hoping Kings Island might have a similar item when I go later this summer.
The main thing I didn’t care for at the park was the assigned seating on most of the coasters. Operations was pretty good otherwise. After hearing horror stories about opening weekend, everything seemed pretty normal and what I was expecting when I went. All the rides were open, some food locations weren’t, but no ridiculous lines for no reason anywhere really. I wanted to try one or two of the food items at the food festival, but the minimum purchase was 8 tickets and each item was 2 tickets.
I had a pretty great time at the park and hope I don’t have to wait another 14 years to return!
Stayed at Breakers for the first time. The hotel is very nice! The boardwalk is awesome and it’s nice to be able to walk around just outside the park. Early entry was very helpful in getting some extra rides in.
Did 2 rides on Maverick for early entry and then got on line for Steel Vengeance, which I wanted to get on before the long lines began, which I had heard about. Got on in about 10 minutes. The locker system works great, it’s just like at VelociCoaster, where you can take small items through the line then leave them in free lockers just before you get to the station. You then get the items from the opposite side of the locker afterwards. The ride itself is decent. I rode in row 6 (of 12), which wasn’t ideal. I did ride again just before closing with no wait, asked for row 11 and it was much better. I’m not a big fan of RMC, but this was decent. The small hills just before the lift and the last bunny hops at the end of the ride were the best. This coaster was coaster credit 500 for me, which was a long time coming, took almost 11 years to go from 400 to 500. They closed the line early so that the last ride cycle was just before closing (which was 8pm). As far as Maverick, it’s still my favorite coaster in the park, got 2 rides for early entry, and then one toward the end of the day just before my last ride on Steel Vengeance. It’s a great ride that just keeps going nonstop. The last time I was at Cedar Point (during Coastermania 2007), Maverick was only weeks old.
Magnum XL-200 - gave it a courtesy ride and while the ending is really good, still not a big fan of the ride.
Valravn - waited about 1 hour 45 minutes. Surprised it doesn’t have a dual loading station like Sheikra does. Not a huge fan of dive coasters, but this one had some decent inversions. One strange thing I noticed - when released from the set of brakes to roll into the station, it gains some decent speed and then has a pretty short stop. Coaster credit 501 for me.
Wicked Twister - easily my second favorite coaster at CP after Maverick. So much fun! I’m sad to see that the impulse coasters are starting to fade away. Got 2 rides on this.
Gatekeeper - this was the last coaster here that was new to me (credit 502). The ride was down when I went over to ride it, but I waited it out a little, and luckily, it came back up shortly and only had to wait like 2 trains. Got on the right hand side of the track. This was pretty good, had some scary turns off the lift hill and the “keyhole” affects were great. A really good ride, would like to have ridden again, but as a long lost shirt I bought on my first visit in 1997 said, “so many rides, so little time”. This was my 3rd b&m wing coaster, and I have to say I enjoy it as a launch coaster (Thunderbird) most over this and Wild Eagle at Dollywood.
Raptor - still a decent ride but nothing compared to Batman and Montu. Got to ride in the front.
Blue Streak - Had way more fun on this than I expected! I don’t know if it’s because I didn’t have other wood coasters to compare it to this trip (since it wasn’t a multi park trip to Kings Island, Geauga Lake, etc.), or what, but the ride was pretty awesome. I never got the hype for Blue Streak, but really enjoyed my one ride this visit on this, and I wasn’t even assigned the back car (my car of choice on any wood coaster). Probably my 3rd or 4th favorite coaster at the park after this trip.
Cedar Downs was fun as usual, tame compared to the Derby at Playland which I rode every few years. It was good that CD still has the “racing” back and forth feature working. Glad they keep this. I also rode one way on the Skyride. It’s crazy how short it is compared to the whole park.
Corkscrew was fun. Actually asked to change my assigned row to the second to last row since there was no one else behind me on line. Gives a good ride. Iron Dragon was decent. Other than Big Bad Wolf, all the arrow suspended coasters are about even for me. Gemini was awesome as usual. Definitely one of my favorite coasters at the park. No wait both times and I could actually choose my row! Cedar Creek Mine Ride was tight but fun. No wait on that one nearly an hour before closing before I did my last rides on Maverick and Steel Vengeance.
Rougarou was interesting. I rode it as Mantis years ago, and this was pretty bumpy as far as headbanging with a lot of the transitions. I don’t remember if it was that bad as Mantis as far as headbanging. This and Valravn I’ll likely skip if I ever get back here anytime soon.
I skipped Millennium Force and Top Thrill Dragster in favor of getting on most of the Arrow coasters and another ride on Maverick. I wanted to ride the train, but time didn’t allow for it. Snake River Expedition wasn’t going to open until the following week.
For food, I got the chicken strips at Coasters. Several food locations were not yet open for the season. Waited about 15 minutes for a late lunch at Coasters. Was decent. Got the free drink wristband (for staying at Breakers) there and got a refill later in the day with no line. Ate dinner after closing at TGI Fridays at Breakers.
The park has some decent souvenirs, many throwback items for the 150th which was last year. I just got a souvenir map. Would have liked to have gotten a Cedar Point jacket with zipper pockets, but the store was closed when I went back. Hoping Kings Island might have a similar item when I go later this summer.
The main thing I didn’t care for at the park was the assigned seating on most of the coasters. Operations was pretty good otherwise. After hearing horror stories about opening weekend, everything seemed pretty normal and what I was expecting when I went. All the rides were open, some food locations weren’t, but no ridiculous lines for no reason anywhere really. I wanted to try one or two of the food items at the food festival, but the minimum purchase was 8 tickets and each item was 2 tickets.
I had a pretty great time at the park and hope I don’t have to wait another 14 years to return!
DJ Wiza
Jun 2, 2021, 2:16:03 PM6/2/21
to
SACRILEGE!
Then again, I think Beast is the most overrated coaster in the world, which I'm sure some people would call sacrilegious.
> I also rode one way on the Skyride. It’s crazy how short it is compared to the whole park.
Years ago, it used to go all the way to Frontier Town. The building is still there, between Skyhawk and CCMR, but has been repurposed as bathrooms and storage.
-DJ
Then again, I think Beast is the most overrated coaster in the world, which I'm sure some people would call sacrilegious.
> I also rode one way on the Skyride. It’s crazy how short it is compared to the whole park.
-DJ
TheK-ManRocks
Jun 2, 2021, 8:19:38 PM6/2/21
to
Too bad you didn't get a long term prognosis on Millennium Force.
As for the cable cars, when they were built, they extended the full length
of the park at that time. The park grew beyond that over the decades.
Boblogone
Jun 3, 2021, 7:44:57 AM6/3/21
to
> Years ago, it used to go all the way to Frontier Town. The building is still there, between Skyhawk and CCMR, but has been repurposed as bathrooms and storage.<
Separate rides. The main midway Skyride is just as it always has been. The Frontier Lift's other station is now Iron Dragon's station.
surfd...@aol.com
Jun 3, 2021, 10:01:32 AM6/3/21
to
Wow, didn’t know CP had 2 skyrides. When did it close? My first visit was 1997.
surfd...@aol.com
Jun 3, 2021, 10:06:03 AM6/3/21
to
On Wednesday, June 2, 2021 at 8:19:38 PM UTC-4, TheK-ManRocks wrote:
>
> Too bad you didn't get a long term prognosis on Millennium Force.
>
> As for the cable cars, when they were built, they extended the full length
>
> of the park at that time. The park grew beyond that over the decades.
I would’ve liked to go on Millennium Force, but time was starting run out, and wanted to get a lot of those other rides in, and the line for Millennium Force was pretty long, it was either one ride on MF and not time for much else, or get all those other rides in instead. As was TTD’s. My next visit, whenever that may be, I’ll definitely skip Valravn and probably Rougarou as well. I’d probably do 2 days if I go this long in between visits, this was a visit that had to be done in one day though.
>
> Too bad you didn't get a long term prognosis on Millennium Force.
>
> As for the cable cars, when they were built, they extended the full length
>
> of the park at that time. The park grew beyond that over the decades.
surfd...@aol.com
Jun 3, 2021, 10:07:29 AM6/3/21
to
Marshall
Jun 3, 2021, 10:12:21 AM6/3/21
to
On Thursday, June 3, 2021 at 10:01:32 AM UTC-4, surfd...@aol.com wrote:
> Wow, didn’t know CP had 2 skyrides. When did it close? My first visit was 1997.
It closed for Iron Dragon. I dont remember if thats when the paddleboat left also or when they just cut the center island in half to allow a pass thru and it was MF that killed the boat.
> Wow, didn’t know CP had 2 skyrides. When did it close? My first visit was 1997.
DJ Wiza
Jun 3, 2021, 5:38:35 PM6/3/21
to
-DJ
Marshall
Jun 4, 2021, 7:48:35 AM6/4/21
to
Surf Dance Chris
Jun 4, 2021, 8:57:32 PM6/4/21
to
DJ Wiza
Jun 5, 2021, 1:27:09 PM6/5/21
to
Heather Kendrick
Jun 5, 2021, 2:19:02 PM6/5/21
to
On May 30, 2021, surfd...@aol.com wrote
(in article<3cbab706-dfaa-4ab1...@googlegroups.com>):
>
> Wicked Twister - easily my second favorite coaster at CP after Maverick. So
> much fun! I´m sad to see that the impulse coasters are starting to
fade
> away. Got 2 rides on this.
Our tastes sure do differ. Wicked Twister is the one coaster at CP that I
ride once a season just to be a completist and then I´m relieved not to
have to do it again. Shuttle coasters make me sick, is the trouble, and the
thing that REALLY makes me sick is anytime I decelerate rapidly while going
in reverse. So it´s really not meant to be between me and Wicked
Twister.
>
> Cedar Downs was fun as usual, tame compared to the Derby at Playland
One of my petty annoyances as a carousel person is listening to people going
on about how crazy fast Cedar Downs supposedly is. It´s run way too slow
and in fact I am pretty sure that the non-derby carousel at Crossroads
Village (Flint, Michigan) runs about as fast as Cedar Downs. That´s just
how fast regular carousels used to run. Now CP's racing derby runs as fast as
a carousel and their other carousels run as fast as a sleepy snail. ... OK,
I´m done.
Thanks for the trip report. We (husband and I) haven´t decided to start
doing amusement parks again yet but we likely will this summer. I haven´t
been to a park since going to Vortex´s farewell day in October 2019, and
I´ve been sitting on a Cedar Fair Platinum Pass all this time. I bought a
commemorative brick and haven´t seen it yet!
--
Heather, the Carousel Rabbit
(in article<3cbab706-dfaa-4ab1...@googlegroups.com>):
>
> Wicked Twister - easily my second favorite coaster at CP after Maverick. So
> much fun! I´m sad to see that the impulse coasters are starting to
fade
> away. Got 2 rides on this.
ride once a season just to be a completist and then I´m relieved not to
have to do it again. Shuttle coasters make me sick, is the trouble, and the
thing that REALLY makes me sick is anytime I decelerate rapidly while going
in reverse. So it´s really not meant to be between me and Wicked
Twister.
>
> Cedar Downs was fun as usual, tame compared to the Derby at Playland
on about how crazy fast Cedar Downs supposedly is. It´s run way too slow
and in fact I am pretty sure that the non-derby carousel at Crossroads
Village (Flint, Michigan) runs about as fast as Cedar Downs. That´s just
how fast regular carousels used to run. Now CP's racing derby runs as fast as
a carousel and their other carousels run as fast as a sleepy snail. ... OK,
I´m done.
Thanks for the trip report. We (husband and I) haven´t decided to start
doing amusement parks again yet but we likely will this summer. I haven´t
been to a park since going to Vortex´s farewell day in October 2019, and
I´ve been sitting on a Cedar Fair Platinum Pass all this time. I bought a
commemorative brick and haven´t seen it yet!
--
Heather, the Carousel Rabbit
Surf Dance Chris
Jun 5, 2021, 10:44:56 PM6/5/21
to
Dave Althoff, Jr.
Jun 9, 2021, 3:07:06 PM6/9/21
to
Heather Kendrick <bunny...@ameritech.net> wrote:
: On May 30, 2021, surfd...@aol.com wrote
: >
: > Cedar Downs was fun as usual, tame compared to the Derby at Playland
The Cedar Downs Racing Derby is supposed to run at 4.25 RPM
It just so happens that Cedar Point's Midway Carousel runs at...4.25 RPM.
The secret, of course, is that the Midway Carousel would fit into the Cedar
Downs infield, probably with room to spare.
--Dave Althoff, Jr.
/X\ _ *** Respect rides. They do not respect you. ***
/XXX\ /X\ /X\_ _ /X\__ _ _ _____
/XXXXX\ /XXX\ /XXXX\_ /X\ /XXXXX\ /X\ /X\ /XXXXX
_/XXXXXXX\__/XXXXX\/XXXXXXXX\_/XXX\_/XXXXXXX\__/XXX\_/XXX\_/\_/XXXXXX
NEW! When emailing this account, include the 'canonical magic word' in
the body of your message for a quicker response.
: On May 30, 2021, surfd...@aol.com wrote
: >
: > Cedar Downs was fun as usual, tame compared to the Derby at Playland
:
: One of my petty annoyances as a carousel person is listening to people going
: on about how crazy fast Cedar Downs supposedly is. It?s run way too slow
: One of my petty annoyances as a carousel person is listening to people going
: and in fact I am pretty sure that the non-derby carousel at Crossroads
: Village (Flint, Michigan) runs about as fast as Cedar Downs. That?s just
: how fast regular carousels used to run. Now CP's racing derby runs as fast as
: a carousel and their other carousels run as fast as a sleepy snail. ... OK,
: I?m done.
: a carousel and their other carousels run as fast as a sleepy snail. ... OK,
The Cedar Downs Racing Derby is supposed to run at 4.25 RPM
It just so happens that Cedar Point's Midway Carousel runs at...4.25 RPM.
The secret, of course, is that the Midway Carousel would fit into the Cedar
Downs infield, probably with room to spare.
--Dave Althoff, Jr.
/X\ _ *** Respect rides. They do not respect you. ***
/XXX\ /X\ /X\_ _ /X\__ _ _ _____
/XXXXX\ /XXX\ /XXXX\_ /X\ /XXXXX\ /X\ /X\ /XXXXX
_/XXXXXXX\__/XXXXX\/XXXXXXXX\_/XXX\_/XXXXXXX\__/XXX\_/XXX\_/\_/XXXXXX
NEW! When emailing this account, include the 'canonical magic word' in
the body of your message for a quicker response.
Boblogone
Jun 10, 2021, 7:06:42 AM6/10/21
to
Forgot or didn't get around to Cedar Downs this Coaster Mania.
What RPM does it seem to be running at these days?
What RPM does it seem to be running at these days?
TheK-ManRocks
Jun 10, 2021, 5:12:44 PM6/10/21
to
Cedar(and Lake Compunce) run most of their flats conservatively compared
to at RPL(Rye Playland) - or should that read that RPL runs their flat rides
relatively aggressively?
Fifteen years ago I roce LC's version of
https://www.technicalpark.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Flying-Dutchman-Home1.jpg ,
and compared to RPL, where that same ride the gondolas were iissing some adjacent trees(!), the one at LC felt like it was barely moving, and barely got off the
ground! By the way, what was the original name for that design? I know
Flying Dutchman is just a style variant of the thing.
I almost fell asleep aboard a Cedar Fair Scrambler, compared to the balls-out,
raw experience on the same machine at Rye!
Heather Kendrick
Jun 10, 2021, 8:38:10 PM6/10/21
to
On Jun 5, 2021, Surf Dance Chris wrote
(in article<21ef94f4-f81a-4565...@googlegroups.com>):
> The sign at Cedar Downs says it goes 14.5 mph. How fast does Rye´s claim
to
> go?
I have my doubts that the Cedar Downs sign is accurate. It has had that same
sign with the posted speed for many years, but folks at the Merry-Go-Round
Museum have timed it and told me (in conversation, so take this hearsay for
what it´s worth) that it has slowed down repeatedly over the years. I
don´t know the speed for Rye´s, but it absolutely hauls to a degree that
I find it genuinely and delightfully scary. As you note, the fact that they
won´t even bring it up to full speed without having ride ops walk around
and make sure everyone is in the required position is pretty good proof that
it´s a lot faster than CPs.
Last time I was at Rye (I forget when that was, maybe 2018?) they had the
fore-and-back motion working again which made it even crazier at top speed
than on my previous visits when the horses were fixed.
I haven´t ridden Blackpool´s since 2012 so my recollections are out of
date and possibly obscured by time. What I remember thinking at the time was
that it was faster than CP´s but slower than Rye´s, but the horses were
fixed in place, making it my least favorite of the three. Of course, I
treasure the continued existence of all of them.
--
Heather, the Carousel Rabbit
(in article<21ef94f4-f81a-4565...@googlegroups.com>):
> The sign at Cedar Downs says it goes 14.5 mph. How fast does Rye´s claim
to
> go?
sign with the posted speed for many years, but folks at the Merry-Go-Round
Museum have timed it and told me (in conversation, so take this hearsay for
what it´s worth) that it has slowed down repeatedly over the years. I
don´t know the speed for Rye´s, but it absolutely hauls to a degree that
I find it genuinely and delightfully scary. As you note, the fact that they
won´t even bring it up to full speed without having ride ops walk around
and make sure everyone is in the required position is pretty good proof that
it´s a lot faster than CPs.
Last time I was at Rye (I forget when that was, maybe 2018?) they had the
fore-and-back motion working again which made it even crazier at top speed
than on my previous visits when the horses were fixed.
I haven´t ridden Blackpool´s since 2012 so my recollections are out of
date and possibly obscured by time. What I remember thinking at the time was
that it was faster than CP´s but slower than Rye´s, but the horses were
fixed in place, making it my least favorite of the three. Of course, I
treasure the continued existence of all of them.
--
Heather, the Carousel Rabbit
Heather Kendrick
Jun 10, 2021, 8:43:25 PM6/10/21
to
On Jun 9, 2021, Dave Althoff, Jr. wrote
(in article <s9r3go$2kn$1...@dont-email.me>):
> The Cedar Downs Racing Derby is supposed to run at 4.25 RPM
>
> It just so happens that Cedar Point's Midway Carousel runs at...4.25 RPM.
>
> The secret, of course, is that the Midway Carousel would fit into the Cedar
> Downs infield, probably with room to spare.
Yes, that´s why comparison of carousels using RPM isn´t useful in such
cases. Since it´s the measurement that´s easiest to take as a spectator,
though, it can be useful in comparing similar sized machines. For a case like
this I´d much rather know the speed of a rider in the outer row.
The Midway Carousel is painfully slow by any measure.
--
Heather, the Carousel Rabbit
(in article <s9r3go$2kn$1...@dont-email.me>):
> The Cedar Downs Racing Derby is supposed to run at 4.25 RPM
>
> It just so happens that Cedar Point's Midway Carousel runs at...4.25 RPM.
>
> The secret, of course, is that the Midway Carousel would fit into the Cedar
> Downs infield, probably with room to spare.
cases. Since it´s the measurement that´s easiest to take as a spectator,
though, it can be useful in comparing similar sized machines. For a case like
this I´d much rather know the speed of a rider in the outer row.
The Midway Carousel is painfully slow by any measure.
--
Heather, the Carousel Rabbit
0 new messages