Cedar Point & Six Flags WOA: 5/22/02 to 5/26/02
Associated parks:
None
Secondly, I had been corresponding with someone over e-mail. She was going to be in Orlando at the same time and I was pretty excited about meeting her. We e-mailed each other twice and I heard nothing more from her. Several "how are you? Write soon" e-mails went unreplied. The e-mails seemed very friendly and I didn't do anything revolting. I hoped that something could happen when we meet, but I was being overly optimistic. Her silence was pretty loud -- I got the point that she wasn't interested. I was so angry that I didn't want to be within 1,000 miles of her.
I already had bought a seasonal passes to CP and SFWOA. I already had the hotel reservations, so I figured I might as well go.
I was indeed pretty excited about going to Ohio for the parks. I must have watched some coaster videos on them a lot of times. I read and re-read brochures I got from them. This must be what it's like for those who visit WDW once a year.
So here are my impressions...
CEDAR POINT
The first thing I noticed was that this park is clean! I think there is a trash can every 10 feet. There are sweepers everywhere!
I went to the park for the roller coasters. Cedar Point has a lot of flat rides, but I can ride them at my local carnival. However, my local carnival doesn't have Millenium Force! So onto the coasters...
Wicked Twister
This was the ride that I promised myself I would ride first as soon as I entered the park, no matter what the wait time was. I waited 30 minutes for my first ride. It is a wild ride! My hands were shaking after it. I had to sit in the Space Spiral to calm down.
Disaster Transport
This was the big surprise of the trip. Last year, the ride was in bad shape. The queue was beaten up and smelled musty. The ride was like Space Mountain with a 99 cent budget. They really fixed the place up. They sell 3-D glasses for $1 and there are some neat queue effects. The ride itself is a lot darker and has some nice starfield effects. The Alaska storyline is kind of lame, though.
Raptor
A good suspended coaster. The final helix is my favorite part. I couldn't help thinking throughout the ride that Dueling Dragons at IOA was better.
Blue Streak
This is a good out and back coaster. It was faster than I remember. Consequently, I think that made the right a bit rougher.
Millennium Force
This is the smoothest coaster at Cedar Point. It has great airtime and a great first drop. My favorite thing to do in the first drop is to lean forward a bit. Then you feel like you're going to fall out of your seat!
Mantis
I've liked all the B&M coasters I've rode. Not this one. This ride is painful to my legs. I rode it once and said, "That's it!"
Iron Dragon
This is a good suspended coaster, but not as intense as the other coasters in Cedar Point's collection. The ride really picks up speed at the end!
Wildcat
This is a basic steel coaster. Nothing too exciting. I missed out in riding this last year and I'm glad I didn't cry too much about it. The end break on the coaster is hard. You'll fly foward when you hit the end!
Corkscrew
I rode this twice. I'm not a big fan of these corkscrew-type rides ever since I rode the Python at BGT. The Python is painful to my neck. The first Corkscrew ride was painful. The second one was not too bad. Towncrier at the DIS meet noticed a robin's nest in the tracks.
Mean Streak
I call this "the king of pain" for a reason: it is extremely rough! It's a long twister wooden coaster, but I had a hard time enjoying the ride because I could feel it compressing my spine! I heard that other people have said that it was smoother than in past years. I don't know what they were thinking!
Gemini
This was a pretty good ride, although it was rough in spots. Everytime I rode, they only ran one side.
Magnum XL-200
I rode this one twice. The first ride was rough. The last few moments of airtime made my thighs hurt. They kept on slamming against the lapbar. On the second ride, it started sprinkling on the first half. Getting hit by rain on this ride is painful! This ride was also very smooth. It's the smoothest ride I've ever had on it.
Cedar Creek Mine Ride
Mine rides tend not to be extreme rides, but it was fun. It's not as good or nicely themed as the ultimate mine ride -- Big Thunder Mountain Railroad.
I didn't ride the Woodstock Express, but the layout of it seemed so similar to the Flying Unicorn at IOA. I didn't ride Jr. Gemini either. I'm too big for those seats.
I stayed onsite at the Breakers Express and the Breakers. I was quite surprised by the Breakers Express. It was extremely clean and quiet. I almost can say that it was better than the Breakers. You don't have restaurants or gift shops at the Breakers Express, but there are plenty of places to eat in Sandusky. I didn't pay much difference for the two places -- $59 a night at Breakers Express and $75 a night at the Breakers.
It's also good to stay onsite. You get in 30 minutes early to ride Wicked Twister and Millennium Force. I did this on Thursday and I got to ride Millennium Force 3 times in 15 minutes. Then the bulls came and the line got long very fast. Wicked Twister was down during early entry.
Also try CP's FP clone, Freeway. They stamp your hand with a return time. I did this for Wicked Twister and I was on in 10 minutes. The regular wait was 30 minutes. My return time was 1 pm. I got it at 12 pm and was able to ride Disaster Transport and Raptor in that time. I even had a few minutes to stop and rest! A few CP employees kept on calling Freeway "Fast Pass." I hope Disney doesn't get word of that. They'll be angry for using a copyrighted statement!
Crowds weren't that bad, even though it seemed like a bunch of school groups were there for Physics Day. My longest wait was Raptor for 1 hour. Millennium Force was 45 minutes once. Wicked Twister seemed to run about 30 minutes to 1 hour. Most of my waits were 5 minutes to 15 minutes to 30 minutes. The average was probably 20 minutes.
Now onto...
SIX FLAGS WORLDS OF ADVENTURE
I had heard bad things about this park: rude employees, overflowing trash cans, broken rides, slow throughput on rides, etc. I didn't find it to be that bad. Maybe it was because it was a slow day (rain was forcasted, but it only hosed down for 10 minutes), but I didn't find it to be too bad. There were things that stuck out -- obscene graffitti in the Villian queue and a bathroom marked "WOM," but nothing that truly revolted me. Only two rides broke down, but they were up later.
The crowds were pretty low too. Most rides were a walk-on. I think my longest waits were for X-Flight at 10 minutes and the Villian at around 15 minutes.
Now onto the rides...
Superman: Ultimate Escape
Maybe I would think this ride was cool if I rode it before Wicked Twister. After Wicked Twister, though, this ride seemed like a kiddie ride. Wicked Twister gives you a good twist, no matter which seat you're in. Superman: UE doesn't do that. If you sit in the back, you miss out on the twist during the first one. I rode this 4 times because the lines were short.
X-Flight
This is not the fastest coaster, but it is an interesting coaster experience. You actually feel like you're flying, more so than coasters like Raptor, Montu, or Dueling Dragons. I like the loop. It's disorienting to be on your back and watch the front of the coaster loop up. I rode this 3 times before it closed for the day at 5 pm.
Mind Eraser
Ho-hum, a standard boomerang. I rode it once just to say that I did.
The Big Dipper
The queue for this ride looks terrible. There was a bee stalking innocent guests. Paint was peeling on the gates. The seats were ragged. This was a good out and back coaster, though. A little rough in some spots, but it had some good airtime, partly because of the lack of seat belts (it just had a lapbar). I rode it twice.
Serial Thriller
A lot of people call this "hang and bang." I now know why. As I rode this one, my head kept on banging against the restraints. Ouch, ouch, ouch! I promised myself not to ride this one again.
Batman: Knight Flight
This was my favorite coaster in the park. It's a smooth B&M floorless coaster. It's not as good as Kraken. I liked sitting in the back row. When you go down the first drop, you feel a "whip" sensation as you turn to go down. I wonder if Kraken has the same effect. I rode this one seven times.
Raging Wolf Bobs
This twister wooden coaster has some neat laterals, but it was rough!
The Villian
I was really looking forward to riding this one. I had tried to ride it two times during the day, but it broke down. I finally got to ride it. The seats were really comfy. The ride wasn't. It was rough! A guy with an ACE jacket held tight to the handlebar. You'd think an ACE'er would have his hands up!
Double Loop was down all day. I didn't ride the Roadrunner Express, but as I watched it, it was interesting to see them run the train twice through the track. I don't think very many kiddie coasters do that. The trains are very long!
I think the coasters could have had better throughput. Most were running one train. Batman: Knight Flight was running two trains. I suppose it was because there was a small crowd, but with rides like X-Flight, it could've used an extra train to speed things up.
I went to the Wildlife side (the old Sea World Ohio). I kept on thinking that Sea World Orlando was much better. Things seemed old. The animal habitats had some blochy areas in the tank. I'm not sure if it was rust, but it didn't seem to have a polished and professional look as Sea World Orlando. The Mission: Bermuda Triangle queue had a musty smell. It was practically deserted over on the Wildlife side. The animals looked well-treated, but their habitats need some sprucing up. I'm not sure how it was like when it had the Sea World name, but it didn't seem worthy of a Sea World title. I didn't stay on this side for two long -- maybe 90 minutes at the most. I may have had a better impression if I caught some shows.
And that is my vacation! I'm glad I took this break because I am more excited about an Orlando vacation than ever.
Barry H said:
"Wildcat
This is a basic steel coaster. Nothing too exciting. I missed out in riding this last year and I'm glad I didn't cry too much about it. The end break on the coaster is hard. You'll fly foward when you hit the end!"
Am I the only one who thinks this is an *exceptional* coaster? I'd put it in the top 5 of CP's collection... the steep drops and the strong G-forces (especially in that last helix!) add up to a fantastic ride, IMO.
(Maybe I'm just a sucker for Schwarzkopf... :))
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1 Day, 4 Planes, A whole New World. 9/11/01
I love Wildcat, but I don't think its good enough to be in CP's top five. Wildcat really does have an out of control feeling though.
Anyways, it sounds like you had a pretty decent trip. Although your trip on Mean Straek sounded to be painful, I can assure you that it really isn't half that bad if you lean forward on the seat and try not to let your back hit the seat.
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Cedar Point 2003, and it begins...
Hmm... Let me give this a shot...
1) Raptor 2) Magnum 3) MF 4) WT 5) Gemini
So, I guess it wouldn't. Actually, in case you're wondering, I'd put it, maybe 6th. I seem to remember having problems squeezing into the seats (not weight-wise, I have long legs), but on those single-car rides, it seems like all the forces are exaggerated (especially drops), and there's no way Wildcat isn't cooler than any other wild mouse coaster.
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"Well, I'm sure I'd feel much worse if I weren't under such heavy sedation." - David St. Hubbins, Spinal Tap
http://www.loopscrew.com
I guess I'd have to order 'em like this:
1) Raptor 2) MF 3) Wildcat/Magnum 4) Gemini/WT
I suppose the ties are cheating :) :
1) Raptor 2) MF 3) Wildcat 4) Maggie 5) Gemini 6) WT
And I'll agree with you I-Nar, that the seats are a bit hard to squish into to, and I'm only 6' tall...
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Thank You for challenging TOS: The Ride. We hope you enjoy the rest of your day, here at Coasterbuzz.
I don't know if I can say that about Big Dipper-it was running horribly the day I got there. Blue Streak, however, is an amazing ride. Here is my top 5:
1. Millie 2. Raptor 3. Maggie 4. Blue Streak 5. Gemini
I was there before Wicked Twister. Also, although not on my top 5, Wildcat is an amazing coaster. It is pretty smooth (considering age) and fast paced, with great drops and helices. Not scary, but great fun. The only thing that confuses me about this ride are the cars (themed to look like cars). Why would you call a ridee with cars that look like cars the Wildcat?
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105 coasters, and the Cyclone still tops 'em all.
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