First trip to CP 9/21-9/22 (long)

I had never been to CP and didn't know what to expect. Boy, was I surprised.

I flew from Miami Friday morning and arrived in Dayton. I was with my 7 year old daughter. We were close to CP and it was about 5:30 pm. It was pouring like crazy and the skies looked like it was going to rain all night. I decided to stop at a drug store and buy an umbrella. I spoke to someone there who told me that the heavy rain was unusual and he gave me directions to CP. We decided it had to stop raining sometime and maybe we would be better off in the long run if it rained because the crowds may be light.

We arrived about 5:50 through the Marina gate. We wnt straight to MF and were greeted with a 5 minute wait. WOW!!! This ride is awesome and we decided to ride it again but in the front this time. After a very short wait we got on. The drop was so steep it felt like we were vertical. Unfortunately, there was a light rain beginning and we were pelted with rain bullets for the duration of the ride. Not a good feeling. We rode once more and headed to Iron Dragon. Good ride in the second half part. We then went to Cedar Creek MR. Not impressed. Next, it was Magnum. Fun, fun, fun. Another CP gem. We rode about 5 times with a 5 minute wait and then did Demon Drop. That was OK.We also rode the Himalaya ride and walked around the park to look around. Also, we rode Wildcat with about a 10min wait. That was pretty fun. A lot like the traveling coasters at county fairs. We went to MF again around 9:30pm and the wait was still about 5 minutes. An employee told me this was very rare and so did a season pass holder. From what I had read on these forums, I believe it.

We ended the night with more rides on MF including the last row of the last train of the night. Very special. The ride op mentioned it to my daughter and she just smiled. By the way, she absolutely loved this ride and couldn't get enough of it. She was raising her hands all the way through after a couple of rides. It was funny because on the hills with airtime she initially would put her hands down because the feeling freaked her out. It was so funny to see her face everytime the airtime began on the hills for the first few rides.  Anyway, the airtime is awesome and the turns are incredible. The speed was so impressive as it felt like a powerful beast with a 3000hp motor.

Another thing that I noticed was the efficiency and enthusiasm of the ride ops. Also, how excited EVERY single person is after riding MF. The ride ops do a great job of firing up the crowd.

Saturday, we arrived at 11:20am and I thought maybe there was a Joe Cool event because people were on the coasters. It never occured to me that the park was open early. Wwe went to the Boathouse and entered about 11:45am. MF was 15 minutes but quickly grew to 1 1/4 hours throughout the day. We only got one ride this day, 12 overall. Gemini was great and fun. 4 rides. Mean Streak was a piece of junk and we both hated it. 1 ride. Corkscrew was average. 1 ride. Iron Dragon was fun and my daughter liked it. 2 rides, 5 overall. Disaster Transport was uneventful. Blue Streak was above average.Woodstock express was nothing special. Jr. Gemini was just for the count.  We didn't ride the 54" height requirement rides because my daughter isn't tall enough. She was checked all day at all the rides which was a direct contrast to PKI (Sunday, same trip-another trip report). At least some parks do their jobs.

Overall, I think this park is awesome and I was totally impressed with everything. Especially after going to PKI the next day. Also, the Midway Market had good food. I think the atmosphere is so fun and I would love to go back as soon as I can. My home park is IOA and CP is an amusement park so it was a change in styles. I have a feeling that there isn't another amusement park out there with the total package that CP has. But I will continue to visit other parks in search of another experience like I had in CP. Hopefully, it won't be long before I visit CP again. WOW!!!!!!!!!!

Man, you really should have found a way to ride Raptor and Mantis. If it was a walk-on, couldnt your daughter have waited in the station or the exit? I guess it depends on how old she is though. Glad you liked MF.

I'm glad to hear you enjoyed your trip to CP.  It's good to know when people notice the efficiency/enthusiasm of the crews.  I've been to a lot of parks and very few of them come close to the operations of CP.  HersheyPark and Busch Gardens Williamsburg are very friendly, but just not as quick.  Every park has their strengths and weeknesses, but operations is definitely something for which CP sets the standards.  I'm proud to have been a part of that this summer and look forward to going back every year as a guest.

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-Matt
2001 Magnum Crew

I live in Florida so I have been on enough B&M's. I wasn't really interested in going on Mantis although it would have been really cool to ride Raptor. I would never leave my daughter alone as I don't trust anybody and don't feel comfortable with it. My daughter is 7. My main reason for going was to have fun, ride MF, Magnum and a few others and get my daughters coaster experience a little higher. I had a great time and Friday at CP was a true highlight of my life. I had so much fun.

I really have to call Cp and get an adress of a higher up so I can tell them how much I appreciate their park and staff. I would go back to that park this weekend if I could. I was totally impressed!

BTW, I loved Magnum and the crew was very efficient and fun. There is NOTHING negative about my experience at CP. It was awesome.