Cedar Point - May 23rd

The stars aligned and I was able to get back to Cedar Point with some friends. My last visit was a graduation present in 2005 and I was anxiously awaiting a return to the park.

I'm going to save the complete play-by-play rundown, since I've done that before, and make this a brief-ish trip report.

We arrived at about noon thanks to a 4.5 hour drive, but were glad to find the park only moderately full. The entrance and midway looks great, very well kept and lots of nice flowers.

The rides:

Mantis - I rode in the front, back and near-back. The near-back ride was the smoothest, but overall, Mantis was running great. It didn't seem as intense as in 2005, but the drop was giving some nice air in the back and the dive loop was amazing. Two train operation and for the most part, there was no stacking.

Millennium Force - It's been awhile, but damn I love this ride. We rode in the back and the second row, red and yellow trains. The second row ride at sunset took the cake, and that drop is still my favorite. 3 train operations, yes there was stacking, but the line was moving well.

Gemini - What a fun ride, smooth and some nice air. My blue train cheated on the station return and won. No wait.

Magnum XL-200 - Maggie was running great and with all three trains. Nice and smooth and lots of great air on those furious final bunnies. I think I see why she is so loved.

Mean Streak - Back row! I didn't hate the ride last time and didn't hate it this time, either. It's kind of lackluster, but not the worst thing I've ridden. It wasn't running that rough, though my friends didn't exactly agree with me. 3 train operation, little stacking.

Maverick - W!O!W! is all I have to say about Maverick. I think it takes the top stop for Cedar Point coasters in my book. We rode twice, both in the front row after 65 and 45 minute waits. The ride itself is just insane and completely fun. The first drop is beautiful and I loved looking straight into the ground. The speed in the opening turns in phenomenal and that airtime hill was great. The horseshoe was nice and smooth. I think the ride is better without the roll, as the dive into the rocks is great with what it has. My favorite part of the end was the insane second Stengel Dive and the airtime hill. Just a great, great ride. I found Maverick to be intense, running as smooth as glass and I give it *****! Running all six trains (apparently it valleyed Thursday?).

Top Thrill Dragster - Still better than KK because that launch just kills. I rode twice and got massive air on the tophat and thrown through the spiral. Running all six trains, 40 and 10 minute wait.

Wicked Twister - WT had some mechanical problems early on and then when we were waiting it broke down. Not to worry, it was back up later and we rode next-to-front and next-to-back. In the back, the second pass up the back tower really gave me an "Oh s**t" moment, I hadn't remembered the crazy spin on that one.

Raptor - Intense as always, Raptor was barely trimmed and running wild. The back was a little rough for my friends, but I loved it. Second row was smooth and intense. 40 minute and 7 minute wait, all three trains.

Corkscrew - I rode for nostalgia, but it's still kind of fun. 2 trains, there were 3 early on but one was down for maintenance, not that 3 is ever necessary.

Notes:
- MAXAIR was open all day but I didn't ride because my friends don't like flat rides.

- Nice to see a Chaos in operation, should have ridden it

- Skipped Blue Streak, DT and Iron Dragon on purpose

- Wildcat was not open, only one car in the station. I guess they took off the damaged ones?

- It shows how good B&M and Intamin are that 15, 13 and 8 years after their rides opened they pull huge lines and cheers.

- The bathrooms were clean in all the places I looked.

- The food service was quick, efficient and they were very nice. This was at Chik Fil A and Panda Express.

- I was worried that the Point had gotten lax after some pretty rough reviews, but it was just as amazing as it was three years ago. Crews were great and the coasters were behaving and running great.

Overall, it was a beautiful day at Cedar Point, capped off by a MF, Maverick, and last-second Dragster ride. That Intamin trio (or four with WT) is something of dreams.

Hope everyone has a great summer of riding. I hope to hit Hard Rock and Kings Dominion soon and I'm mulling a PA, Great Adventure, Dorney, Hershey, Knoebels trip.

*** Edited 5/24/2008 5:24:33 PM UTC by Willh51***

Nice report! I think CP is heaven on earth! We are making our first trip Sunday hope to be there at 9:00am to get our season passes processed. Can anyone tell me what the lines have been like this weekend at the season pass processing place. This is the latest we ever have had them processed. We usally go opening weekend.

Sounds amazing. I can't wait to get out to Cedar Point again later in June!

I can't wait for my trips to cedar point! I'm going on Tuesday and then again for Coaster Mania.