DAN-EL's Cedar Point review, day 1

Having arrived in Ohio late Sunday evening, (After spending Sunday at SFoG) I grabed my rental car, drove to my hotel room, showered and sacked out. I awoke the next morning at around 7:00am. Showered again, dressed and hit the road. In this case the road was Interstate 80-90, a truck ridden toll road between Toledo and Cleveland. I would like to take this opportunity to say.....I HATE TOLL ROADS!!!. Anyway, I made my way to rout 4 as opposed to highway 250. I chose rout 4 because it was closer to Toledo than the usuall CP 250 exit. I drove down rout 4 passing numerous farm houses and a bar/lounge on my way to Sandusky. As I made my way through Sandusky, I passed by numerous houses, run down buildings and, of course, Sandusky High School. Where a sign out front read "Good luck class of 2002!) I followed the signs pointing the way to CP. I nearly got truned around but righted myself soon enough. I came to the causeway and drove across, took my place in line at the parking ticket booths and waited my turn. As I waited, I noticed Millenium Force off to the left in the distance. What an awesome sight! I could see other rides in the distance as well. I thought to myself "I'm finally here!" As I entered the park I noticed that they had let the guests with courtesy passes in first. Darn, that meant that there would be a wait for MF. Oh well, on with the report...

Cedar Point day 1...

As I entered the park there was already a pretty good crowd of "courtesy" guests in line for Raptor. Since it was the first ride I came to I got in line. The wait was about an hour and a half for a front seat ride.

Raptor: B&M Inverted:
The first part of the ride consisting of a rather long drop into a vertical loop and barrel roll, followed by the cobra roll, is intense and fun. Then a turn into the midcourse and off again into a series of two barrel rolls seperated by a length of staight track. After the last barrel roll you enter the ride's best element, the final helix. The helix is fast and intense, an awesome sensation! The ride itself is like a lengthened version of Batman:TR with two additional elements added. Those being the cobra roll and final helix. Fast and intense and kinda rough at times, but I don't like it better than Bats. At least Batman doesn't have a midcourse. Rating 8 (on a scale form 1 to 10)

After my ride on Raptor, I headed on up the walkway past the sky cars and the Corkscrew to where Millennium Force stood towering over everything in sight! I got in line and waited about two hours. I rode towards the back of the train.

Millenium Force: Intamin Giga Coaster:
That lift hill is steep! It was exhilerating on the way up. As the train crested the hill and started into the 300ft drop I put my hands up. I have heard people say that they were afraid to put they're hands up on MF's first drop because it made them feel as if they would fall out of the train. Well, I did it! And yes it made me feel as if I was going to come out of the train. But I loved that sensation! It's what sets MF apart from other hypers. The rest of the ride consists of an overbanked turn leading into a tunnel and up the first rather large airtime hill. Nice pop of air at the top. Back down onto the island and a series of banked turns leading back up another smaller airtime hill and another nice bit of air. This leads back into the tunnel where the on-ride photos are taken. Back out of the tunnel and around the que line with another smaller hill and another pop of air! Up over the smaller overbanked turn and onto the endrun. This is one fast intense and FUN fride. Great first drop, decent air and no midcourse brakes! It it lacks anything it would have to be a helix. A truly awesome ride! Right now Titan and MF are neck and neck for my favorite hyper/giga. Rating 9

After MF I strolled over to where Iron Dragon stood. This ride seemed to have no line so I got on. After one ride I realized why it had no line. The ride is BOOOORING!

Iron Dragon (Draggin' Iron); Arrow suspended:
Slow and tedious through a serious of uneventful turns leading to a second lift hill. The ride becomes halfway decent off the second lift when it picks up a bit of speed and the cars actually begin to swing out a bit. Down into the mist over the pond into a slightly more intense series of turns onto the end run. All in all a pretty dull ride. Rating 3

Next I decided to hit Corkscrew for the count. It was also a walk on.(gee, I wonder why?)

Corskrew: Arrow loop/screw. Corkscrew, how do I loath thee, let me count the ways. I loath thine herky-jerkyness and thine head banging madness. Even the fact that thou crosseth over the walkway cannot saveth thee. Thine only redeeming quality is that thou art mecifully short! Rating 4

After getting banged around on corkscrew, I headed towards Mantis. After a bad experience on Georgia Scorcher at SFoG I was debating rather get on this stand up. But I needed to ride it for the count so I got in line. I waited about 45 mins for the front car.

Mantis: B&M Stand up
The ops at CP certainly do a better job of helping you get into a comfortable riding position that the ones at SFoG. This time I was actually standing up instead of riding on my cotch the whole time! The ride starts just like a lot of other Beemers, with a first drop into a vertical loop. Ok, what's with the trim brake on the first drop?! That was a real momentum killer! Anyway, after the trimmed first drop you enter the vertical loop. Fair bit of intensity. Then into an inverted diving turn, nice. Then a banked turn leading to another banked turn onto the midcourse. Off the midcourse into an overbanked turn and into "S" shaped set of turns which lead into a sort of figure 8 set of turns and another couple of turns over the pond onto the end run. I didn't hurt at all this time thanks to those fine CP ride ops who made sure everyone was comfy before dispatching the train. The ride was a bit overbraked and marginally rough but nothing I couldn't handle. A good bit of intensity on the various elements. However, I really don't like riding standing up as it can be VERY painfull at times! Needless to say, stand ups aren't my favorite type of coaster. Rating 7

After Mantis I headed further back into the park. I came across the Cedar Creek Mine Ride. The line was short so I got on.

Cedar Creek Mine Ride: Mine Train:
I liked this only marginally better than the one at SFoG. The helices lacked any intensity, even when sitting in the back of the train. The best part of the ride to me was the drop over the water. But that isn't enough to save this ride. Rating 4

Next up was Mean Streak. When I first saw this woodie it looked to me as if they had stolen the Texas Giant from SFoT and put it here. One ride, however, made me realize the that this was NOT the Giant.

Mean Streak: Dinn/Summers woodie:
Are they kidding me?!! This is CP's answer to the Texas Giant?! I had heard a lot of bad things about MS and now I understood why. The first drop is literally braked to death! What follows is an uninspired track layout that lacks anything close to airtime! No magic carpet finish like on TG. Just a buch of slow, rough turns in a twisting manner in and out of the structure. If Curtis Summers desinged this then why in heaven's name didn't he add some sort of spectacular finaly like the Texas Giant. I simply couldn't believe how pooly desinged this layout was! What a waste of good lumber, building this thing! Rating 0

After MS I needed something to get my juices flowing again. the next ride I came across was Gemini.

Gemini: Racing steel/woodie (steel track, wood supports)
This ride was quite a bit of fun if a bit rough. Nice air on the hills and GREAT headchoppers going into the third turnaround. The helices at the end were a bit rough but quite intense. I won on the Blue side and lost on the Red side. Actually, the Blue side seemed to be winning all the races due to the Red side being braked a bit more that the Blue going into the final helices. Therefore, if one wishes to win then one should ride the Blue train. DUH
Rating 7

Next I made my way towards Magnum. Maggie didn't seem to be to crowded so I got in line. About a 30 min wait and I was on.

Magnum XL200: Arrow Hyper: I'll admit Maggie was rough but awesome nonetheless! The first thing I noticed was how little leg room the was in the trains. As the my trian made it's way up the hill I noticed the view of lake eerie, awesome! The the first drop, Mags certainly delivers good air on the first drop. The next two hills had even more air to offer up for my enjoyment. The tunnels are awesome! The transition into the pretzel turnaroung can be pretty rough and I had a hard time holding my hands up all the way through. Now comes Maggies best elements. Those hills and tunnels! Wicked airtime rips on the triangle shaped hills and that last tunnel is one of a kind. With an airtime pop in the dark! This ride truly deserves the praise it recieves. I had heard a lot of people claim that Maggie was rough, it is. I had also heard a lot of people claim Maggie was great, it is. Rough or not, this is one unbelieveable ride! Rating 9

After Mags, I decided to go over and see what was going on with Wicked Twister. It had been closed all day. But there was no op out font to answer any questions. It was begining to look like I might not get to ride WT. I decided to head for Disaster Transport. The op at DT informed me that WT might be open on Wednesday. That was good news as I would be comming back on Thursday, I might just get to ride WT after all. But for now it was Disaster Transport.

Disaster Transport: Bobsled in a box:
Yep, it's a disaster allright! I take it this is CP's answer to Space Mountain. So what do you get when you take an average bobsled ride, put it in a box and add some cheesy looking theming? Answer, you get an average bobsled ride in the dark with cheesy theming! I'm sorry but I nearly laughed myself to death when I entered DT's psychadellic que line. This has to be silliest attempt at theming I've ever seen. What's more the place was a sweat box, someone needs to turn on the air! As for the ride....a very forgettable bobsled ride through the dark with occasional cheesy looking rocks and lighting effects to look at as you go. Laughable. Rating 5

By now I was pretty hungary so I decided to stop into the Johnny Rocket's for a burger. Excellent food selections at CP. Afterwards I headed over to Raptor again and noticed Blue Streak sitting behind it. I rememberd I hadn't ridden it yet so got in line. Only about a 10 min wait.

Blue Streak: Classic out and back woodie:
Great ride! Good speed and great air on the hills. And that turnaround was fast and intense! Airtime all over this ride! Rating 9

After a great ride on BS I noticed that the line for Raptor had thinned out a bit. This time I rode the back. Another good intense ride. My feet felt like they were gonna explode on the last helix! Great ride!

After that I went back to Maggie again. Only a 15 min wait this time. And another great ride, this time in the front. The roughness was less in front but the airtime and tunnels were just as awesome as ever! What a ride!

There was still a pretty good line for MF. I wanted to ride one more time before calling it a day. There was a 30 min delay as a train got stuck on the lift. This was actually a good thing because the sun had gone down by the time the got the ride running again. This gave me the opportunity to ride Millie at night! I must say the lighting on Millie is awesome at night with all the changing colors. The nightime ride on Millie was awe inspiring. I sat near the back again and I can tell you that as good as Millie is during the day it's 10 times as good at night. The intensity level picks up and the sheer power of the ride is unimaginable at night. Probaly the greatest rush I've ever had!

Afterwards I decided to call it a day as I had a 2 hour drive back to my hotel room. And what a day it was. Fantastic.

Overall park rating 9

This park was clean with efficient ride ops. Lots of things to do and tons of kiddie rides and flat rides. Great places to eat as well. The park has a lot of coasters but only a few of them are truly world class. As for Wicked Twister it was closed on Monday so I didn't get to ride it. But that would all change on Thursday when I returned to CP for another visit.

Look for my day 2 CP report for more on Wicked Twister. That report will be comming soon. My next report will be my PKI report. I had a good Tuesday a King's Island. Lots to talk about, so till next time.......Take care.
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TITAN RULES!

*** This post was edited by DAN-EL on 6/18/2002. ***

While you may not have enjoyed all the coasters you rode you did get a lot in for one day. Looks like you are having a fun little Coaster Trip!

Probably would have gotten even more rides in if you hadn't gone to Raptor first and waited over an hour like every other person walking in the main entrance! ;)

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-Matt
2001 Magnum Crew

Sorry, it was my first visit to CP. I wasn't exactly sure what to hit first. I sort of played it by ear. Besides, I had two full days at CP and plenty of rides.

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TITAN RULES!

For playing it by ear I would say you did pretty well.

Just wondering because i'm going to Sfmm in July. I wanted to know how Goliath/Titan compared to Millennium Force or Magnum. Thanks for the help.

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Top 5:
5) Magnum 4) Raptor 3) Apollos Chariot 2) S:ros Sfdl
1) Millennium Force

Right now I have MF and Titan tied at the top with Mags close behind. Both Titan and MF are fast and smooth. Titan has two beautifull helices plus a great airtime hill. While MF doesn't have any helices, it does have a great first drop, good airtime and lots of speed.

As for Mags, it's a rough and tumble airtime filled ride that shoud be ridden cautiously as it isn't near as smooth as Titan or MF.

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TITAN RULES!

I shouldnt say anything (especially since I am wearing a Titan shirt right now), but Titan was the most lackluster hyper I've been on. I think it's that I didnt like the arrangement of elements. 1st half= all drop, 2nd half = all turns. If there was a drop or two in the midst of all those turns, I have liked it more. Titan's layout was well executed (smooth, powerful) I just didnt like the layout.

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Besides, if we were really shutting down people we disagreed with, would Jeremy (2Hostyl) still be around? :) I think not. - Jeff 1/24/02

Well, to each his own I suppose.

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TITAN RULES!

Come on Dan, Corkscrew isn't that bad, is it? I know it may be a rather small and average coaster to be the only "standard sitdown looper" at a park as large as CP. But keep that saliva to yourself!

I know that you are local to Texas Giant, that's both good and bad for CP. Good for Magnum, because you're used to a rough and tumble good ride. Bad for Mean Streak because the two coasters look so similar, but ride so differently.

coastingohio: I persinally like Titan/Goliath better than Maggie/Millie. But Phantom's Revenge beats them all (IMO).

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Nothing... NOTHING... can prepare you for... the Fourth Dimension!

*** This post was edited by Soggy on 6/17/2002. ***

I haven't been on Titan with it's extra helix, but I've also got Goliath and Millenium pretty much tied in my top tier, but as much as anything because they are such different beasts. MF is all about the first drop (incredible!) and then it's all speed, with only a couple of very small pops of air. Goliath's drop isn't as impressive, but you've got the drops, an airtime hill that blows out anything MF dishes, and then it's all positive G's. Basically it comes down to speed vs. G's, and that seems to be how people rate, based on what they prefer.

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Sometimes it's up. Sometimes it's down.
But with God, life is one thrill ride that you'll never regret being on.

Sorry, Sog. I didn't realize you had a soft spot for Corky. Or do you? Anyway, I was uderwhelmed by the Corkster. It was plenty rough and there were MUCH better rides for me to get on at a park this big. To me, Corky just didn't have the intensity needed to make up for the terrible headbanging like Vortex at PKI.

Maybe it's gotten rougher since you last rode.

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TITAN RULES!

No, I don't have a soft spot for CP's Corkscrew, but I just didn't think it deserved as bad a rap as you gave it. I too was underwhelemed and got knocked around, but I think I have it a 4 or 5 out of 10. It takes something REALLY lousy to garner a rating of 1 out of 10 from me.

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Nothing... NOTHING... can prepare you for... the Fourth Dimension!

Ok, well maybe I did come down a bit hard on Corky. After having been on Ninja at SFoG (which really does deserve it's 1 rating) my opinion might have been a tad biased.

In other words, I just sort of rode Corky and thought to myself..."hey, this feels a lot like Ninja" After that there wasn't much chance that I was going to give it more than a 1 or 2 at best.

But your point is well taken. After re-reading my review it does seem that I bashed it rather harshly. If you'll re-read my review of Corkscrew, You'll see that I've increased the rating to 4. I've also re-worded it a bit.

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TITAN RULES!