CP questions...

Hey all, will be making my first trip to the Point in a few weeks and wanted to ask a few questions to help a first timer. First, are there currently any discounts or promotions going on as far as admission? I'll be there the first week of August. Second, I'll have about 6-8 hours...how best will my time be spent to get the most out of the park? I know that's kind of a general question, so I guess what I mean is what can I pass on without missing out? My main focus will be of course the coasters...but past TTD, MF, Magnum, and Raptor I really don't know a whole lot else about the coasters there besides their names and what I can find on RCDB. Any input or thoughts would be appreciated, hope I haven't wasted anyone's time with this post. Thanks! :)

Big suggestion ride Wicked Twister, it is a ride you do not hear about much, but is one of the most under appreciated rides in the park. Ride in back seat. Go in the early morning or late at night tehre are short lines on it then, so you can ride multiple times.

TTD is a good ride that you will have time to ride once.

MF wait for front on it, it is the best. Front is the best but anywhere on the ride is awesome, especially for your first time. Back is good, but you do not get the view like front, but back the forces do feel a little bit stronger, but I prefer front

Raptor is best at mid day, morning is a disaster and people like to ride it as tehir last coaster of the night, because it is by front. Ride Raptor anywhere it is good, but front, or back deliver best rides.

If you are there with more than two people, and gemini has both coasters running ride that front row, it is alot of fun riding while racing and stuff, and BTW Red usually wins.

Magnum I like very back seat, the bunny hills on the way back are so enjoyable in back.

TTD if you have time, and the line isnt terribly long, I would wait for front it is the best seat, without a doubt. For front I would go to the station closest to the que, which would be the second one, and wait for front, the line for front is usually alot shorter in this one station than the other. Also I like second station because you just get to sit in the seat alot longer :).

Mantis gets alot of complaints but I think it is an awesome ride, but very forceful on your legs.

Mean Streak is a great ride some times, it is weird one time I will enjoy it, and the next I will not. But usually i like it, and if you do ride it, I would get on the train and go on MF after that, becuase the train entrance is right by MS, and the other train station is right by MF.

Iron Dragon, and Wildcat I would skip because you do not have more than one day at the park. Disaster Transport I would ride if it is a hot day out, it is a good ride, and fun, but just a tad too short.

Skip corkscrew, too painful.

I would ride both sides of Power Tower this is an awesome ride. Both sides are great IMO. Up you will have to wait longer though. But both sides are worth it.

Then on your way out I would get on Demon Drop. Unless you are parked by another entrance then, I would skip Demon Drop.

Discount tickets at Tops as well. I would get a fastpass for MF and Magnum, becuase Dragsters fastpasses are never too definite, so I would just wait for that line. But go ahead and get them if you wish. If it seems to be running well then I would get it, but if not I would not. If it is windy I would skip the fastpass also.

Magnum rarely sees a line over 30 minutes. If it's your bag, consider a stamp for Mantis instead---it's a slow loader, so doesn't have the capacity of some of the others.

Try to get the freeway passes for MF and TTD and ride them both in the front if you have time. If not, take the back seat on MF and second seat on the TTD.

Magnum gives the best air in the third seat and the last seat. I really like the last seat the best.

WT back seat.

Raptor right rear seat is the best but any seat is good.

Blue Streak is a fun old wooden coaster with some good air, best ridden in the front or back seat.

I too like Mantis and any seat is good.

Power Tower is good if you like drop rides.

If I were you, I would start the morning at MF when the park opens. Get a ride in on it and then get your freeway stamp at 11. Then hit the Mantis and then take the train to the back of the park. Hit the Mean Streak and then work your way up toward the front of the park, hitting Gemini and then Magnum. Then you will be by TTD and you can check out the line or get your freeway stamp at 2 pm. If the line isn't too bad, ride it then. Then you can hit Power Tower and then head up to the front of the park for Raptor, Blue Sreak and WT. If you like spinny flats, Chaos is located close to WT and is one of my favorites.

Watch your time so you can get back to MF and TTD for your freeway times. If the lines are moving quickly, you may want to take a few laps at a time before moving on to the next ride. CP is a big place and you will do a lot of walking if you go back and forth between rides for second and third laps. I like to take 3-4 laps on rides like Magnum, Gemini, MS, BS and even WT before moving on to the next. Saves a lot of walking.

Have some good shoes on.

Front seat lines for MF and TTD will be an extra 30-45 minute wait, but are well worth it if you have the time.

I hope this helps and I hope you have a great trip.

PS. Go to CP's web site and you can request a coupon book. I think that they have $11 off coupons in there. And other coupons for food and games and other thing. *** Edited 7/7/2004 12:11:46 PM UTC by CP ismyhome***

Wow, thanks for all the info...didn't expect so much detail and all, so really appreciate it! One question I still have is about this Freeway thing...I'm assuming it's like Disney's FastPass, is that correct? Also, how does CP work it? Do you get tickets from machines or what? Do you pick them up near the rides? Again, appreciate the info for a first timer!

There's a stand that's set up near the entrance of each ride. Someone stands there with a hand stamp. You get a very inky stamp on your hand that has a code for the ride name and then a one-hour window for you to get in line for that ride during. It doesn't take you right to the platform or anything, just gets you through most of the line. Dragster and Millennium are probably the only two that it's consistantly worth it - the other rides if you do the sequence right (and aren't there on a Saturday) you can usually get in line near to the Freeway merge point with little or no wait.

Also, the line to GET the freeways is a little ridiculous too - MF's line backs up for probably a good 20-30 minutes when they're giving them out ... which is hilarious because at that time, the line for the ride itself is usually comparable to the Freeway line. I rarely use the system myself.

And I will say this too - if you've ever ridden a shorter (like 100-150' range) S&S shot tower, or an Intamin 2nd or 3rd gen drop, don't bother with Power Tower. It feels really forceless on the shot compared to the smaller towers, and the drop is just boring compared to the true freefall of the Intamin towers. That being said, Demon Drop is IMHO the best freefall ride in the park, clunky sounds and rust and all!! *** Edited 7/7/2004 2:56:22 PM UTC by Impulse-ive***

just wanted to second the motion on wicked twister. it is my personal favorite there! ride twice because the front and the back are both great and the lines are not usually bad :)

Wicked Twister - most of the thrills of Dragster, none of the wait ;) Can't beat it!

Cool...thanks for the info! Oh, one other question...big guy here, not fat but tall and thick(6'3-6'4 and 265lbs). Any rides I will have issues with, or any that I should watch out for? I know sometimes the restraints can be a pain for us larger guys, and sometimes you just can't get them to lock. Thanks again!

Wicked Twister isn't nice to people with larger chests (muscle or fat or boobies [heh, I said boobies]) and MF has the well-publicized issues with people with larger thighs fitting.

In both cases, it doesn't seem to be a "fat" thing, it's more like if you're built larger than the average person due to muscle, nature, eating too many twinkies or whatever, Intamin restraints are a crapshoot as to if you'll fit or not (and it can depend greatly on how sympathetic the ride op is feeling that day)

In addition to coasterbuzz, you might want to check out the MF posts on www.pointbuzz.com
The info on the seatbelt issue is covered more extensively there. Lots of people gave their height, weight, etc. and told if they could ride or not. It's really a crap shoot, because everyone carries their weight differently.

Sounds like your built a lot like me and I am JUST able to ride MF so you should be able to also. There are test seats located at the ride entrance. MF and TTD are the only ones that may give you a problem, but you should fit. When you pull the seat belt tight, move it back and forth as you pull and you will be able to pull the one inch of slack out that is required.

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the [power tower] drop is just boring

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The up side, I agree. The down side, I don't know---the idea that gravity alone is not sufficient to pull you back to earth strikes me as true genius. Being pushed up into the restraints at the beginning of the drop side always strikes a bit of terror in my heart that Demon Drop just doesn't quite deliver.

Damn, now I'm a bit scared about whether or not I'll get to ride TTD and MF...which are the two main reasons I wanted to go to CP. Here's a question...and hope it doesn't come off as blasphemous(LOL)...if you weren't able to ride TTD and MF, would you rather go to PKI or Geauga Lake? Or would CP still blow the others away even taking TTD and MF out of the loop?

If you have early addmission go straight to Mantis, that is if TTD is not open, Mantis probly has one of the slowest lines i have ever been in. If TTD is open RUN to it. here are queue times(this was last year for me);

Raptor-1hr-45mins day, night 4mins
Blue Streak-10-5mins
Disaster Transport-(do not miss) usually 30mins
Wicked Twister-30mins
Corkscrew-Walk on
Iron Dragon-15-4mins
Wildcat-15-20mins
Mantis-45mins all day
Millennium Force-1 1/2hr
Mean Streak-around 5 to 2 mins
Cedar Creak Mine Ride-walk on
Gemini-around 15mins or more becasue of the change of the station
Magnum-15mins
TTD-15mins-7hrs

If you hop in line for Millennium Force about 9pm when you get off Raptor should still be open. So go ride that. Raptor is usually open until everyone is out of the park. Do not miss night rides on;

Magnum
Raptor
Millennium Force(carefull of bugs!)
Mean Streak
and you might wanta try Wicked Twister

For flats;

Whiches Wheel
Power Tower(both)
Demon Drop(ride as many times as possable)
Choas(very diffrent from SF's)

Surftxwaves - I'm female, 5'7", don't weigh 200 lbs, and wear a sz. 16 jeans. I've always ridden MF, but couldn't this year. Got the belt closed, but couldn't pull the extra slack. Some people who got booted off MF said they could ride TTD. I didn't try, didn't want to suffer that embarassment again. I think you'll be ok, because guys tend to have smaller thighs, hips and butts. But you also have to consider the size of anyone you might be going with.

When I sent my opinions to CP about the seatbelt situation, they not only didn't care, but their email also informed me of the other rides I may have trouble with. (I think it's a bit exaggerated, but I guess they got nervous about us "fat" people getting upset.) This is cut & pasted directly from the email:

"Our larger guests may experience difficulty on Millennium Force, Raptor, Mantis, Mine Ride, Blue Streak, Power Tower, Monster, Wave Swinger, Disaster Transport, Chaos, Corkscrew, Wicked Twister, Wildcat, Mean Streak, Top Thrill Dragster, RipCord and most Soak City attractions. These rides are manufactured by several different manufacturers who each have strict but different standards for safety restraints."

They also wrote: "Due to rider restraint system requirements, guests of exceptional size may not be accommodated on some of our rides. This may apply, but not be limited to, men who exceed 6'2", or those who exceed 225 pounds, have a 40" waistline or 52" chest or females who exceed 200 pounds or wear size 18 or larger. Each person has different body proportions so it is not possible to list exact size and weight." (Got that right, I was under the limits for women)

Anyway, both your backup parks are great. I just got back from KI and HW. Great trip, but in retrospect, mostly rough wooden coasters. GL has lots of nice steel. So where you go depends on what you like more. Good Luck! *** Edited 7/7/2004 11:20:04 PM UTC by Coaster Junkie***

to bad for Pamila Anderson:(

Geauga Lake won't have the lines that CP or PKI will have, but the rides are not as extreem. PKI is a great park with great rides, but I still like CP the best.

Like I said, I'm about your size, 6'3", 260#, 42" waist and I am able to ride both MF and TTD. Just there on 7-5-04. TTD's seats are just a tad deeper than MF's and you have a little more room. MF would be the only one you may not be able to ride, but I really think that you can. I was able to get a good 2" to 2 1/2" slack out of the belt by rocking it back and forth as I pulled on it. They require one inch.

Ok cool...well sounds like it shouldn't be that big a problem fitting on then. Hope not, really want to ride MF! Any sort of order of rides, or "touring plan", that anyone uses to make the most of your time?