CP 5/17-18: The good, the bad, and the ugly.

When I went to CP a week ago, I waited a total of 5 hours, including an hour and a half breakdown, for 2 rides on TTD. The question of "Is it worth it?" came up a number of times as we sat and baked in the hot sun for an hour and a half, especially since the breakdown was in our second ride. And considering that our wait would have been just over an hour minus the breakdown, it was frustrating to be almost on the train, and then just sit for a while. What's more, I make at least 3 trips to CP every year, and probably more than that this year, so it's not like I wouldn't be able to ride it again for a while.

But for me it was important to be able to ride the ride in the front, and during the day, since our first ride was near the back at night. I wanted to come away from my first trip with these experiences in my pocket. So those are the main factors that influenced my stay in line throughout the breakdown.

In the end, I was able to ride the ride in the front, and it was an awesome experience, that I am so glad I did not leave the park without. I found it much better than my first ride near the back. Had I rode in the middle or back again after the 3 hr. wait, I don't think it would have been worth it (especially considering it was my second ride - my first wait was 2 hrs. and it was worth it for a first ride). But after experiencing the front on TTD, all thoughts and angst over the hour and a half shutdown disappeared, blown away by the thrill of the ride. So in the end it was worth it.

The bottom line of what I'm getting at though, is that it really depends on individual circumstances whether it's worth it or not. And people who decide it's not, are not chicken or non-enthusiasts for saying so. It's simply a matter of personal opinion. I can definitely say that having rode TTD twice now, and especially since I experienced it in the front, I will not wait 3 or probably even 2 hrs. again for the ride this year. The crowds will eventually die down, and an hour to hour and a half wait for a ride of this calliber would not be bad.

Anyway, that's my two cents, and I hope nobody's offended. Take care and God bless!

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Robby5150 said:
I also heard a "this ride sucks" little chant,

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Last week there were several people doing this. It's kind of hard to believe people cheering & giving each other 5, and then saying the ride sucked. This ride is definately worth the wait, and MOST definately worth the extra time waiting for the front. Once all the trains are running and the bugs are out, a full queue will easily take 2 hours or less.

-Matt
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TTD: the most exciting & intense moments of every coaster rolled into 17 seconds of pure sensory overload!

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XFlight said:
However, i experience numerous rude employees and my biggest complaint was standing in line at TTD for 45mins of downtime without a single announcement that it was down.

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Maybe the fact that it wasn't running for 45 minutes should be a big enough hint that it is down. Common sense at amusement parks seems to be a dying art.

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tambo

I am planning a trip in early June and I hope they get all the bugs worked out on all the rides. We managed to ride MF 6 times in 2 days last year, but it sounds like TTD has boosted park attendance and increased the lines. I have a feeling TTD will be great ride and worth a 2 hour wait but I don't think it will be better than MF. Maybe they intended it that way. Oh well. Wish me luck and I will report when I return.

I'm sorry, but in my opinion NO ride is worth a 5 1/2 hour wait.

IF I were at a park that I may not get back to (ever, or just for a very long time), I would not want to waist my time in line for one ride at the expense of missing out on several others... no matter if it is a new "spectacular" ride or not.

IF I were at a park I visit often, I would be content to enjoy the other rides and catch the new "spectacular" ride during a later visit when the lines are a little more reasonable.

That's one of the main reasons why CP is not on our plans for our Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan trip later this summer. I think it rates a two (or three day) trip unto itself next year when (hopefully) the line will be a little shorter and half a day won't be spent waiting for this one ride.

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Kind of hard to take a post as objective if a park or coaster name is part of the "user name"
*** This post was edited by SLFAKE 5/21/2003 9:42:13 AM ***
*** This post was edited by SLFAKE 5/21/2003 9:44:06 AM ***

This topic is exactly why I booked my trip as I did. I specifically planned it early enough to have lower crowds, for two days - including a weekday, and booked a room at a CP resort to gain early entry. I waited at most 2 hrs. for TTD. Would I have waited longer, sure...I had two days there and I probably won't be back to CP for a few years.

It's completely a manner of personal opinion, but I fail to understand complaining about it....wait time is a fact of life like death and taxes and when it comes to CP, much like the ride itself, the wait too will be extreme. Plan on it and put it within your limits of acceptance or fuggedaboutit.

alrite, i only read the first 7 or 8 comments, coz you guyz where rambling on crap... banshee was impressed by TTD, but as fair as i can see, and i would feel the same as well, if i had to wait a whole day to ride 1 ride.

Nemmy, who waited 1.5 hours to ride ToT in dreamland, the most he ever waited for (1.25 hrs for indiana jones)
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Colossus [1]
Nemesis: Inferno [6]

I just pray that CP has their act solid next Tuesday. I never ever ever get to CP, so I must ride TTD. (or at least I hope to, rain and wind be damned!) Personally, I could care less about the ride, as much as I want to brag to my pals in Seattle that I actually rode the thing. Then again, these are the same guys that think I am an absolute dork for taking a "coaster" vacation. Regardless, I am more excited for WT, and MF. I am an impulse freak, and I want to see if I actually like MF now. ;)
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Holy crapola! Sony might be the ultimate destination!

Nasai: If you will be at the park for more than one day, you will surely get at least one ride on Dragster. I suggest getting in line right before the park closes so you don't "waste" any other precious park time.

If you want a front seat ride, get in line about an hour before the park closes. If you are at the end of the line and the queue empties, they will make you get into another row. Trust me, it takes more than just one ride to comprehend what this ride is all about. It just happens too fast for your brain to catch up!

-Matt
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TTD: the most exciting & intense moments of every coaster rolled into 17 seconds of pure sensory overload!

I will only be there one day, but I am staying at Breakers Express. I was hoping to hit TTD early, then take my time in the rest of the park. I won't die if I can't ride it, but it would be mildly heartbreaking. I walked by X at SFMM last August, and saw it closed, only to see it open for business the day after I left the state. Sometimes, you just don't get what you want. I will, however, get to ride approximately 50+ coasters this trip, so all is well in Robland. :)
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Holy crapola! Sony might be the ultimate destination!

I was at C.P. 5/18, and spent most of my day in line for TTP. Uhm, by the time the ride was down for the first 45 minutes, we were in line for about 3 hours, so leaving the line would have been a lapse in common sense, not staying.

At the time, it just seemed the park didn't handle the situation as well as it could have. Before getting in line, we were told 4 hours, and we planned our day accordingly; when you're only visiting C.P. once this year, 1.5 hours makes a difference.

We weren't informed of any problems with the ride. When they were taking the back tires off, my brother and I were right behind the station, so we saw the guys in ties looking at the trains. What was happening? There were several theories, but the park never said anything.

Also, we spent about 2 hours in the shade of the station, freezing, while most of the ride ops. had their hoods up. I understand our comfort isn't an issue, but after spending most of your day in line, then being led to a seat only to be extracted again, merely being asked how your record-breaking ride was seemed kind of inconsiderate. We didn't feel at all appreciated, and I don't feel it was worth the wait. If I had known it would take 5.5 hours, and I was gonna freeze, I wouldn't have waited.

On a positive note, I did enjoy the ride. It wasn't the launch that got me-it was the rapid altitude change. My ears popped - a first-time on a coaster for me. Personally, I like the launch of Hypersonic better, but that's just my opinion - please don't flame me for that.

The thing that really upsets me about Saturday is that, because I waited for TTD, I missed out on so much else there. It was a good ride, but not worth a bunch of MF, WT, or Raptor rides I sacrificed waiting for it.

After the long breakdown and they started up the ride, when the ops asked "Riders how was your ride" Dead silence, not the normal yah or whatnot. :-) The ride ops, to me were fine. They did what they could, and I have no blame on them at all.

I think another favorite quote was from one of the ride ops who walked near that shed thing near the station by the line. I think she was more about getting people to stop sitting on the railing. But she said this "The ride is down because of technical difficulties, the ride will be up shortly, how long shortly is I don't know" Classic :-) They do their best and the last thing they want is to hear people complain about waiting. A for effort from me.

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Never underestimate the power of stupid people in large numbers

Glad to see you had such a good time.

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YOUNGSTOWN 2010

I really do feel badly for the ride ops on this ride. We were loaded onto trains TWICE only to be unloaded. One person in line asked what the problem was and the ride op said something to the fact that only the higher ups (Bob Wozniak was in the booth at the time) and the mechanics really know what the problems are. She said thier only job was to make sure that the seatbelts are buckled. At thgat point the guy beside me yelled out, "yeah, and to take all our sh*t"". This got a good chuckle from those waiting in line and and a smile from the ride ops. It really is true though. I think this would be the last ride I would want to work on if I were to return to The Point.

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Soggy said:
Coasterr, why is it so difficult for you to believe that the incredibly long wait caused Banshee to believe that the ride was NOT worth that kind of wait?

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Because he/she knew going into the queue that this is how long the line will be. Also given the fact of it's constant breakdowns should have also come into play. I have not ridden Dragster and I *refuse* to wait that amount of time for a ride...Banshee has him/her self to blame for the let down.

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100th coaster....Dania Beach Hurricane!

Coasterr, I agree with you 100% that I knew how long the line would be. Even though they worker at the front of the queue said it was a 4 hour wait, I knew it would be longer because of the constant mechanical problems that have been mentioned on here and GTTP. The long wait was a given. I was willing to wait even longer for my first ride, but just because I was willing to wait a little longer doesn't mean I have to praise the ride up and down like others on this site . If I would have waited for an hour or two I still think I would prefer MF or Raptor of TTD. It just wasn't my thing. It's not going to be everybodys favorite coaster. I'm really not sure why you continue to stick up for this ride if you haven't been on it yourself. If you read my post I wrote that the long wait and negativity may have tainted my "experience". IMO part of a coasters experience is the actual wait and built up of anticipation while in line. With the constant complaining and whining of those around me, that part of the experience was not great. I've already said that the ride itself was good. I refuse to praise it up and down if I don't thing it deserves it. Did I enjoy the RIDE? Yes. Do I think it's the best ride in the park? Not even close.

Wow, 5 1/2 hours is right up there with X from last summer, with one train. I'm sorry, my time is much too valuble to me to wait that long for *any* ride. This is what I was afraid of, after watching Knott's struggle with Xcelerator it's first few months. This is where being an enthusiast pays off as now I know what to expect. I too will wait until next year when some of the bugs are worked out.
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Tease Alert!

*Something* wicked this way comes...to the west coast in 2004!