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The main goal for this weekend was to give Cedar Point's latest attraction, VertiGo, a shot. This ride would prove to be a bit gunshy at first. It didn't open until about 1:30 in the afternoon on Saturday, but in the meantime we hit some coasters.
Saturday was actually rather crowded. However, if one knows how to work the park, it's still possible to ride a lot in the face of that. In addition to our eventual VertiGo ride, we got:
Blue Streak (3 rides) -- We spotted a maintenance worker greasing the track in the morning, which gave us hope for later in the day. I miss the buzz bars and no headrests, but this little woodie can still deliver when it wants to.
Gemini (2 Red, 2 Blue) -- One lap on Red was before Blue even opened. This ride is still fun, and is a capacity MONSTER. It's just so easy to get rides on this...
Magnum (2, both ejector) -- I still love this ride
Cedar Creek Mine Ride, Corkscrew, Iron Dragon, Mean Streak, Millennium Force, Power Tower (Space Shot side), Raptor, and Wildcat -- 1 lap each
We passed on Disaster Transport and Mantis, but could easily have squeezed them in there if we'd really wanted to.
For lunch we wandered over to the TGI Fridays (we were already over in Challenge Park trying to find out when VertiGo would be opening -- "Within the next 2 hours" was the best answer we could get).
When VertiGo finally DID open, very few people seemed to be daring to sign up.
A VertiGo ride costs $10, and it was worth every penny. (Some people seemed confused by the pricing, but it's quite simple. VertiGo costs $10 flat. A "Double Dare" gets you 1 ride on each of VertiGo and Ripcord, at a $5 discount, so 3 riders taking a Double Dare would spend $20 EACH. The people in front of us at the ticket booth couldn't comprehend this for some reason, arguing with the attendant that the 3 of them should have only had to pay $20 total to ride VertiGo. Ijits...)
The restraints consist of a simplified flight suit -- straps go over your shoulder, then a Velcro strap goes around your waist. 4 sturdy metal pins hang down from straps on this, which go into corresponding locks on the seat. Once in, you're quite secure, but VERY free to move.
We opted for the Big Bang setting. In this mode, halfway up the riders' seats rotate so they're facing straight down, and the seat stays that way all the way up, and until you're halfway down. Folks, this is the biggest rush I've ever been on. I'll have to try the other 2 settings (3, if I can convince them to let me try "Absolutely Insane" ;) )
Dinner on Saturday consisted of Johnny Rockets (sorry Dan). I've eaten at "full" Rockets before, and loved it. The one at Cedar Point has a vastly stripped-down menu, but the food was just as good as I remember. I opted for the "St. Louis" burger, while my brother and sister both had BLTs. We also split an order of onion rings (VERY good) and chili fries (a meal in themselves), and had shakes for dessert. VERY good food, I'll be back.
We left the park around 10pm Saturday night, feeling tired but happy. Some threatening weather was due to move in, and we were starting to see flashes of lightning in the distance, so we decided to try to beat the crowds out. It looked like a smart move.
Sunday morning we decided to try to hit the park for a few hours before heading home to Pgh. The forecast for the day was pretty bad, but we figured that if it started to rain we'd just hit the road early.
We left the park at 1pm to drive home, and in that time we hit:
Magnum (2)
Gemini (2, both red since blue hadn't opened)
Mantis, MF, Corkscrew, Iron Dragon, Troika (1 each)
Power Tower (1 up, 1 down)
AND had lunch at Macaroni's before heading out.
All told, not a bad weekend at all. I just can't say enough good stuff about VertiGo. It's definitely intense, and not for everyone, but WOW...
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--Greg
My page My other page And my coaster page
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