Top Thrill 2 4/28/2024

1 year ago I gambled with Coastermania tickets, because of what I heard for the 2022 event. I decided on that fateful day, to get tickets for me and my mom. Here I am a little over a year later getting to ride TT2 early with the keychain they handed out at that event.

The good:

It’s super smooth, at least in row 2 where I rode. The launch has a decent tug on you all 3 times, albeit not nearly as forceful as the original TTD. The spike is crazy looking down 300+ ft at the ground. The airtime on the top hat lasts until the bottom of the spiral, which is crazy

The bad:

There is a slight rumble on the first launch. Doesn’t detract from the ride, but it’s there. I didn’t feel it much after the second and 3rd launches. The queue is awful, not much to look at, and without phones it’s miserable. At least it’s only 2 sets of switchbacks.

Overall:

The ride is an insane experience. I thoroughly enjoyed the entire experience, and can’t wait to go back. My mom also loved the ride. I genuinely cannot wait to go back to the park Saturday 5/4. Any questions feel free to ask

Alexander James:

The bad:

There is a slight rumble on the first launch. Doesn’t detract from the ride, but it’s there.

If it doesn't detract from the ride, why is it bad? And what exactly is it, just a vibration of the train during the launch?

without phones it’s miserable.

Lord knows what people did before mobile phones.

Funny enough, I just watched (for the 2nd time) the documentary The Social Dilemma yesterday with my son as it was part of an assignment for his senior year Civics class. It's a good reminder to gtfo our phones every once in a while, probably especially when we're outside at an amusement park.

I did not find the lateral movement to detract from the ride in any way. In fact, if you're in the front and can't see the train in front of you, I'd venture that you wouldn't even notice it.

It’s super smooth and has a slight rumble? Maybe I’m misunderstanding “rumble”.

Vater:

Lord knows what people did before mobile phones.

We walked to school uphill both ways, naturally.

Rumble is the sound a shimmy makes. A shimmy happens when the trains are a bit loosey-goosey, which means they just need a little TLC.

Queues were an art form back in the day at Cedar Point with Decker, Bertsch, Falfas, etc. Their design was the best in the seasonal industry and part of the operational “efficiency” culture. As of late they’ve been completely wonky, especially Vengeance being an odd maze of sections and now TT2 with no sight lines. They need to turn over design to someone who gets the psychological aspects of queuing.

Queues went faster too in the days before IROC and ever-shortening seat belts. I can remember MF dispatching trains while the previous train was still out on the course. Now it's just a question of how long you're going to sit on the brake run.

Bakeman31092:

A shimmy happens when the trains are a bit loosey-goosey

“I can remember MF dispatching trains while the previous train was still out on the course. Now it's just a question of how long you're going to sit on the brake run.“

Yep, and I’ve watched a cleared train sit in the station hundreds of times when it could have been dispatched!

Anyone know the blocking on TT2? I feel like it could support a 4th train by having one on “hold” at the turn into the station until those trains advance so there’s always a train unloading and loading.

The switch goes as soon as the train crests the tower, and once it's in place, they can dispatch another train. I don't know what the duty cycle of the LSM's is, so while you may be able to put a train there, I don't know if the capacitors or whatever are "charged."

I also got my preview ride in on Sunday. Was one of the unfortunate ones who was stuck in line during the 45 minute breakdown. (Good to see some things never change, haha)

But overall I enjoyed the ride. Absolutely love the backwards part! As a bonus, I got to ride in the very back row, which of course was the 2nd most popular besides the front. They were letting people choose to wait for front or last, but were otherwise assigning seats, as I think is the norm at CP now.

Look forward to this being a ride I actually go out of my way to ride now. Not looking forward to the long lines, as they didn't seem to move very fast, (and will be effectively half speed once Fastlane is implemented, but I'm not trying to turn this into a FL debate.)

So is it three trains on a single station now?

Looks like 3 trains total, didn't see a 4th off to the side or anything. 20 seats each. One long station, unloading done in a separate area and then the empty train moved forward. Much like MF but all under the same roof. No need to do 2 at a time now because of the much longer ride cycle. 3rd train holds at the end of the brake run or the curve, I forget which.

Why is loading so slow with no loose articles and no seatbelts to slow things down? What is the bottleneck?

Maybe it's because it's the first day of public riding.

Vater:

If it doesn't detract from the ride, why is it bad? And what exactly is it, just a vibration of the train during the launch?

I noticed what felt like a vibration only on the first launch. Figured I’d point it out

Jeff:

once it's in place, they can dispatch another train.

Incorrect on this. When I was there they sent a train before the switch track was aligned. The train simply came to a stop and wait about 3 seconds for the switch.

Watching the webcam on Sunday, I was a little surprised to see a couple trains appear in the frame while the switch track was in transition from the launch position. Would have expected the train couldn't leave the station until the switch track was in the switch position. But in those cases, the train stopped/slowed down until the switch track was in position.

In most cases, the trains did not appear in the frame on the webcam until the switch track was in place. Though it may have left the station before the switch track was in position but that could not be seen with the view the webcam was showing.

By "dispatch" I meant put it on the circuit, but in practice on media day, every train out of the station went right on.