Friday - June 5thFinally after more than a decade of waiting...
Part 3 - Cedar Point
After several hours of tossing and turning we got ready for the day and our 2 1/2 hour drive to Cedar Point. I knew Ohio wasn't going to be like California but I wasn't expecting to see almost nothing for more than 130 miles! The only decent sized town we drove through was Mansfield were I got a ticket for running a red light! In my defense the caution light changed much faster than any I've ever seen before. The officer was really nice, but didn't let me off the hook! He did say that a lot of people run that light and that is why he was setup there... So I don't feel as special I guess :/
Well after almost 3 hours of only seeing barns and random houses we finally made it to Cedar Point!
We made it to the park several minutes before Early Entry was let in. I think I was shaking a little because I was so excited. Of coarse when the gate opened we rushed to the most highly anticipated feature... The bathroom! By the time we got out we rushed over to Millennium Force. Millennium Force was predicted to be my new favorite coaster so I was extremely to finally ride it. When we got to the entrance I was told to store my backpack in a locker. I liked how all the lockers were for all day use and it only cost $2 (depending on size.) There were a few people in line so it should have gone fast but we had to wait for operators to take water dummies out of a train. I think we waited close to 35 minutes for front car second row seats.
The lift hill is steep and fast which is pretty exciting, but it kind of killed the first drop a bit. I think a first drop is more exciting it's approached slowly and Millennium Force just speeds on by. I was impressed by the rides speed, but it wasn't very forceful like I was hoping. I wanted to feel tight turns and hills with great airtime, but I was a little let down. I still think Millennium Force is a great coaster, but it is not in my Top 10.
After that we decided to ride Maverick before the park was open and lines filled in. I don't know why, but I wasn't expecting much from Maverick and never gave it the attention it deserves. We waited about 15 minutes for front car second row. The ride had a quick jolt of speed at the bottom of the lift hill but it didn't travel that fast up the hill. The beyond vertical drop was extremely exciting even though very brief. The ride changes direction very fast tossing us side to side! The first hill had an extreme amount of airtime follow by a flawless twisted horseshoe roll. The second launch was much faster than my mind had calculated leaving me breathless! The ride continued with even more twisted track and one last hill packed with tons of airtime. Sarah and I instantly declared Maverick our favorite coaster! We wanted to ride it again, but the line was much longer when we got off. We should waited again because the line got longer as the day progressed.
Now that we were extremely excited we needed something to ruin it for us so we went on Mean Streak. Even though it is much larger than any wooden coaster we have ever been on before there was no excitement to ride this. We waited just a couple minutes for front car second row (See a pattern) and the ride was rough the second it started moving. The 1 good thing I can say about this coaster is that it has a nice view from the lift hill, but then again every coaster at Cedar Point has a nice view. The first drop was large but had brakes on it! The entire coaster was just brutal and unpleasant. GhostRider is easily and easier coaster to ride. Mean Streak is now the worst coaster I've ever been on!
After that we headed over to Gemini. I have heard many good things about Gemini so my expectations were high. Unfortunately only the red side was open so we didn't get the race we were hoping for. Gemini was fun, but I thought it would have been better as a wooden coaster. It was really smooth and had great drops, but the turns didn't have the rumble only a good wooden coaster could deliver. Sarah really enjoyed Gemini because it was a big coaster that rode like a little coaster.
Our next coaster was Magnum XL-200. I didn't know what to expect from this ride because I've read so many mixed reviews. I've always looked forward to riding this 20 year old original hyper coaster and now it was my time! Magnum XL-200 is nowhere near as rough as it's "relative" Desperado. The ride was actually very comfortable and exciting. The final stretch back to the station was loaded with airtime and exciting tunnels! This was one of my favorite coasters of the trip!
Now were hungry and needed to get some rest so we went to the Midway Market because it was highly recommended to me. I think it cost about $15 a person and the food was pretty good. I highly recommend any indoor facility when you have a long day to get through. We stuffed our faces with food and Sarah's favorite, desert!
Now feeling recharged we headed over to Disaster Transport and waited in line for several minutes. The ride had broke down so we left and headed over to Wicked Twister. This was one of the rides I was concerned about fitting on, but I fit on the test seat outside the line. The line was little long but it moved faster than V2: Vertical Velocity back at home. I forgot to keep count, but Magnum XL-200 was my 50th coaster since Sarah and I have been dating. Wicked Twister was Sarah's 5th.
Oops! I mean 50th!
Wicked Twisted was very fun, but I think I prefer the straight vertical spike and 45 degree spike on V2: Vertical Velocity.
After that we headed back to Disaster Transport and now the line was moving again. I was expecting Disaster Transport to be pitch black, but there are several moments of visibility. The theme is pretty good but could use an update. The ride was really fun and moved a lot faster than I predicited. It didn't really feel like much of a "bobsled," but that might of had something to do with the lack of light.
Now it was time for the most scariest ride of the day, Sky Ride. Ok, well it wasn't that bad, but these things do freak me out! The scariest one I've ever been on is at the San Diego Zoo. Sky Ride had some great view of the front half of the park, but it scared the crap out of me because it started to shake coming into the station.
And now it was time for the real scariest ride of the day Top Thrill Dragster. The line was long, but it moved very fast with 5 trains in operation! The wait for front was just outrageous, so we waited for second. Sarah wasn't sure she was "man enough" to ride this thing, but it turns out it was pretty easy! In fact the only thing that stands out on this ride to Xcelerator is the 120mph launch! The 420ft. tower was really easy and it travled slowly over the hill overing no airtime! The twisting drop down though was pretty freaking cool! In comparison though I prefer the intense ride on Xcelerator over Top Thrill Dragster.
Top Thrill Dragster gave us a big rush of energy and we rushed over to Corkscrew. Corkscrew was pretty fun for a super short coaster, I wasn't expecting so much airtime on the second drop! The ride is still really smooth for an old Arrow Dynamics coaster.
After that we noticed Gemini was racing so we headed back over for a ride on the blue side. This time we rode near the back of the train. The back offered more forceful drops and a much better ride experience for us, + who doesn't love a racing coaster?
We skipped Woodstock Express and headed over to Cedar Creek Mine Ride. While I think Cedar Creek Mine Ride looks a lot better than Gold Rusher, I thought the ride was really boring. It lacked those tight turns that toss you around like a rag doll. The final helix was my favorite part, it was EXACTLY like Gold Rusher.
After that we checked Maverick's line to see it was completely filled in and then peaked into the Town Hall Museum. There were a lot of interesting things about the parks history.
By now the park was extremely crowded and sun was burning us alive! We got in line for Mantis and that is when we started to feel miserable! Sarah both felt exhausted and were ready to be done with this day. Mantis took more than an hour to get on and was the longest line of the day. I thought it was a great coaster and I especialy liked the twisted layout during the second half of the ride. Sarah thought the coaster vibrated too much and it reminder her of Scream! I thought it was a great Stand-Up coaster that offers a more twisted layout compared to Riddler's Revenge and Chang.
We needed a break from aggressive coasters so rode Iron Dragon. Definantly one of the slowest coasters I've ever been on! The layout actually looks okay, but the trains travels through it very slowly. It was a nice break that we greatly needed.
After that we got in line for Wildcat. I told Sarah to expect good things from this ride, and we weren't dissappointed! Wildcat is a little scary because it has an "unsafe" look to it, but it is a total blast! The drops are all steeper than expected, the ride is really smooth, and the helix is a little intense!
Moving on even though we just wanted to crash we headed over to Blue Streak. Definitly a much better ride than Mean Streak! The ride had a great amount of airtime on all the hills! I thought the ride was a bit too violent, but Sarah thought it was totally fun! It might have something to do with me sitting on the right side of the train. Sarah got force on to me during the turn around while I was pressed up against the side of the car! Blue Streak was fun, but so far I wasn't too impressed with Ohio Wooden Coasters.
Finally the last ride of the day, Raptor. I'm glad we saved it for last because the line was shortest at this time in the day. I wasn't shocked that the two B&M coasters in the park had the longest lines! Raptor was very hard to wait for, my legs just didn't want to be stood on any more, and my eyes wanted to shut. I'm glad we waited though because the ride was really good! It was exciting, intense, forceful, and pretty long! I still think I prefer the intensity of Batman The Ride, but this coaster definantly kicked Silver Bullet's butt! Raptor was one of my favorite rides at Cedar Point, and a good coaster to end the day with.
I thought Cedar Point was a great park with a pretty good coaster collection. I thought the park was in a great location and it was cool to see water all around the park. I thought the park had pretty gardens especially a long the Midway. I didn't like how some of the buildings, rides, and theme had this outdated look. There were a lot of signs, buildings, and benches that needed a new look or new paint.
I definitly prefer Six Flags Magic Mountain over Cedar Point because I think they have a better coaster collection in almost all categories! We did have a great time at Cedar Point and hope to visit it again sometime in the next few years! Thanks for reading and have fun!Today's Ride Rankings
16. Mean Streak
15. Cedar Creek Mine Ride
14. Sky Ride
13. Iron Dragon
12. Blue Streak
11. Corkscrew
10. Wildcat
09. Disaster Transport
08. Gemini
07. Mantis
06. Wicked Twister
05. Millennium Force
04. Raptor
03. Top Thrill Dragster
02. Magnum XL-200
01. Maverick
Found Coins: 2 Pennies
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