Geeky Pastimes
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So this was our first trip to Cedar Point, had been wanting to go for a long time but it's not the easiest place to get to from the UK! We ended up settling on going for Memorial Day weekend, flying direct from Heathrow to Detroit, then renting a car and driving to CP, staying at Hotel Breakers.
We ended up having Saturday afternoon, all of Sunday, and then Monday morning in the park. We expected massive crowds but thanks to lots and lots of rain, the crowds weren't too bad. Instead we had to contend with rides that were constantly shutting down whenever the rain started. We got a fast pass for the Sunday so when there were gaps in the rain we could get on everything we wanted to, and we're so glad we did - we ended up being able to do every ride as much as we wanted and although it was an expensive holiday, it was probably a 'once in a lifetime' kind of thing, so we made the most of it.
Overall Park
To be honest I was a little disappointed with CP. It was almost definitely because of the rain, but there's really not a lot of atmosphere there. Getting on to the peninsula, it really is impressive seeing all of the huge coasters, but once you're in the park it feels quite small and there's not really much to 'explore'. The new Frontier Town had just opened when we got there, but there were no actors to be seen (again, maybe due to the intermittent rain), just a load of quite good theming and some licensed music playing through. The part of the park with the best atmosphere was the Monster Jam event, because there were staff who were enthusiastic about it hanging around, the music they were playing fit well, and you had the constant roars of the Monster Trucks from the little track.
The main thing I think Cedar Fair could do with improving is the food. On here the Famous Dave's BBQ placed was recommended to us, and that was absolutely fantastic and everything we wanted from a restaurant, just outside the park, but inside there's a really poor offering and most of them don't open until 11am and then close quite early too, so getting breakfast in the park or having your dinner later isn't really an option. All the chain offering were really cut down versions for the park (the Panda Express barely had any choices).
We had a great time at the park, but it is definitely all about the rides. Whereas European or Disney or Universal parks (or even Magic Mountain) can just be nice places to hang out and explore, at Cedar Point they make it pretty clear the rides are the only real reason to be there, which is fine, but a bit lacking compared to some other places.
Negativity aside, onto the rides!
Magnum XL 200
This was a real surprise, I expected it to be just like the PMBO at Blackpool PB, but it's a completely different beast. There's loads of fantastic airtime on this, that's only slightly spoilt by the horrible jolts whenever you land back down. The tunnel was unexpected too with some cool lighting effects inside. CP really seem to keep their rides in a pretty good condition, especially when it comes to paint and effects, so even though this was an older and pretty uncomfortable ride, it was a lot of fun
Steel Vengeance
This was one of the two rides we really came here for, and it didn't disappoint. We ended up having four or so rides, one at night, one on the front, one at the back, and one in the middle (in the rain). Every single ride felt really different and some of them felt almost too out of control. Pro-tip for anyone who's tall or a bit on the heavy side, make sure the belt buckle isn't between your thigh and the restraints, the airtime is a killer when it pushes you into it and there's so, so much airtime. The pacing is fantastic and blows Wildfire out of the water, showing what you can do with the second half of a coaster once it's lost the initial speed. It feels like it really keeps on going at full intensity right up into the brake run. I loved the outbanked turn (Love that on Wildfire too) and the rolls into the structure. I still love the duelling aspect of Twisted Colossus, but it's hard to deny this is easily up there as one of the best coasters in the world, the only really flaw is that at times it might be too much, my wife wasn't keen on reriding much (and she's loved X2 and Wildfire so is no wimp) but the forces really can be a bit over the top, which is exactly what some people are looking for. The night ride was interesting as swarms of bugs are drawn to all of the lights so everyone on the left hand side of the train had to fight their way through the swarm on their way up the lift hill and a couple of air time hills send us straight through massive clumps of flies. The ride photos had everyone desperately trying to cover their faces.
Top Thrill Dragster
This was the other reason we were here, after loving Stealth, Red Force and Kingda Ka, we wanted to try the one everyone raves about. It was amazing. Again we ended up with four rides on this, a couple at the front, and even near the back it's nowhere near as rough as Kingda Ka. You can definitely feel that it's a little slower (and doesn't have that weird double boost thing KK has) but it doesn't detract from the ride at all and the twist on the way down is just spectacular. It helps that the views are so much better than they are with KK.
We ended up waiting for nearly three hours for this once as we got in the queue for the front, then it broke down. They fixed it in about half an hour ,but then they immediately shut it for a rainstorm. Most people left but we couldn't see the point as all the rides were shutting, so decided to stay in the station where it was dry. Ended up having some fun chats with other people in the station about other parks and coasters, and the time really flew by. Eventually it opened and we were on the front of the first train out, launching into a very misty top hat, but sadly we didn't get a rollback.
Millennium Force
This was another pleasant surprise, as I've done a few other big Intamins like EGF, Thunder Dolphin and Goliath at Wailibi Holland, but this was something else entirely. The speed is just relentless and although it isn't rough, it's ridiculously intense all the way round. That first corner had us starting to grey out a little every time. Also the seats are fantastic, with every other row a little raised up, this really helped to give those raised rows a better view and our no-queue ride on the second row felt like a front row, rain stinging our faces and everything.
Valravn
This was a little disappointing the first time we went on it when it was cold and grey and we were on the back, it just felt like every other dive coaster (especially like Sheikra), but on the front in the sunshine on Monday it was miles better. There's some really spectacular views from up there and the layout might not be incredible, but it's good as far as Dive coasters go. I think I still prefer Sheikra for the setting, but it's very close
Rougarou
Not a big fan of floorless B&Ms, but was interested by this as it used to be a stand-up, so I figured it might be a bit different from all of the others. The first half definitely was, and felt like everything was a bit more sweeping and flowed better, but the second half devolves back into a standard floorless with those awkward transitions into some elements that are maybe a little too tight. It's not a terrible ride at all, but we only had one ride and didn't feel like returning to it.
Maverick
Maverick is such a weird coaster. It's an Intamin Blitz, but is absolutely nothing like Taron at Phantasialand. It's entirely its own thing, intense but small, smooth but incredibly fast. Every element is a huge amount of fun and the second launch is crazy. I feel like Maverick is made to look a little insignificant compared to the giant coasters all around it, but it's so well crafted and unique, it was easily one of our favourites on the park.
Gatekeeper
This was my favourite wing coaster to date (have only done Swarm and Fenix before) but I'm still not a big fan of these. This one is much more forceful and the rolls over the gate look awesome, but it's just not very exciting compared to the rest of the rides here.
Raptor
Raptor was a great invert. I'm still more of a fan of the terrain versions we have in Europe (Nemesis and Black Mamba especially) but the great views and some really smooth elements made this our favourite in the USA so far. As with all of these, it only really felt worth riding in the front row.
Wicked Twister
Had never done one of these before, but it was way more fun than I expected. It's almost more like a flat ride, but there's something so weird about going vertically up in an inverted train. We sat near the back of the train and got that cool forwards facing dramatic drop, and the launches through the station were far stronger than we expected. I loved this and wish more parks would get them, not sure if I'm in the minority as I never hear anyone rave about them at all.
Corkscrew
This was just a bog standard corkscrew coaster, it looks much, much better from off the ride than on it. Really impressed with how good the paint looks for such an old ride!
Iron Dragon
This was a weird ride. Had never done one of these before either (we missed the one at Magic Mountain last time) but it's an alright family coaster. Not the most exciting, but there's some nice landscaping around it and it's definitely a novelty.
Mine Train
Loved this as a little family ride. Weirdly has some of the best theming in the entire park, and loads of geese that seemed perpetually scared of it. You'd think they'd fly away really. It's a super weird layout, but surprisingly forceful for such a little thing.
Gemini
This was the only huge disappointment of the trip. I absolutely love duelling coasters and this wasn't duelling for whatever reason. Even if it was I'm not sure it would have improved it that much, it's just an incredibly boring layout, then really comfortable on that helix near the end.
Blue Streak
Really enjoyed this. Quite a lot like the Big Dipper at BPB, it has a decent amount of airtime and if you can look past the kind of uncomfortable restraints, it's a great little coaster. I'm not really one for nostalgia about classic coasters, but there's something refreshing about something so simple and effective in a park with so many huge beasts as CP.
Overall, the coaster selection here is obviously incredible. We loved nearly all of the rides and they were definitely worth the trip. The food was disappointing and the hotel, despite being fairly expensive, wasn't anything special, and because of that I think we're unlikely to come back again unless they get something really spectacular, still, it's another bucket-list park off the list. Just Fuji-Q and Dollywood left to go!
We ended up having Saturday afternoon, all of Sunday, and then Monday morning in the park. We expected massive crowds but thanks to lots and lots of rain, the crowds weren't too bad. Instead we had to contend with rides that were constantly shutting down whenever the rain started. We got a fast pass for the Sunday so when there were gaps in the rain we could get on everything we wanted to, and we're so glad we did - we ended up being able to do every ride as much as we wanted and although it was an expensive holiday, it was probably a 'once in a lifetime' kind of thing, so we made the most of it.
Overall Park
To be honest I was a little disappointed with CP. It was almost definitely because of the rain, but there's really not a lot of atmosphere there. Getting on to the peninsula, it really is impressive seeing all of the huge coasters, but once you're in the park it feels quite small and there's not really much to 'explore'. The new Frontier Town had just opened when we got there, but there were no actors to be seen (again, maybe due to the intermittent rain), just a load of quite good theming and some licensed music playing through. The part of the park with the best atmosphere was the Monster Jam event, because there were staff who were enthusiastic about it hanging around, the music they were playing fit well, and you had the constant roars of the Monster Trucks from the little track.
The main thing I think Cedar Fair could do with improving is the food. On here the Famous Dave's BBQ placed was recommended to us, and that was absolutely fantastic and everything we wanted from a restaurant, just outside the park, but inside there's a really poor offering and most of them don't open until 11am and then close quite early too, so getting breakfast in the park or having your dinner later isn't really an option. All the chain offering were really cut down versions for the park (the Panda Express barely had any choices).
We had a great time at the park, but it is definitely all about the rides. Whereas European or Disney or Universal parks (or even Magic Mountain) can just be nice places to hang out and explore, at Cedar Point they make it pretty clear the rides are the only real reason to be there, which is fine, but a bit lacking compared to some other places.
Negativity aside, onto the rides!
Magnum XL 200
This was a real surprise, I expected it to be just like the PMBO at Blackpool PB, but it's a completely different beast. There's loads of fantastic airtime on this, that's only slightly spoilt by the horrible jolts whenever you land back down. The tunnel was unexpected too with some cool lighting effects inside. CP really seem to keep their rides in a pretty good condition, especially when it comes to paint and effects, so even though this was an older and pretty uncomfortable ride, it was a lot of fun
Steel Vengeance
This was one of the two rides we really came here for, and it didn't disappoint. We ended up having four or so rides, one at night, one on the front, one at the back, and one in the middle (in the rain). Every single ride felt really different and some of them felt almost too out of control. Pro-tip for anyone who's tall or a bit on the heavy side, make sure the belt buckle isn't between your thigh and the restraints, the airtime is a killer when it pushes you into it and there's so, so much airtime. The pacing is fantastic and blows Wildfire out of the water, showing what you can do with the second half of a coaster once it's lost the initial speed. It feels like it really keeps on going at full intensity right up into the brake run. I loved the outbanked turn (Love that on Wildfire too) and the rolls into the structure. I still love the duelling aspect of Twisted Colossus, but it's hard to deny this is easily up there as one of the best coasters in the world, the only really flaw is that at times it might be too much, my wife wasn't keen on reriding much (and she's loved X2 and Wildfire so is no wimp) but the forces really can be a bit over the top, which is exactly what some people are looking for. The night ride was interesting as swarms of bugs are drawn to all of the lights so everyone on the left hand side of the train had to fight their way through the swarm on their way up the lift hill and a couple of air time hills send us straight through massive clumps of flies. The ride photos had everyone desperately trying to cover their faces.
Top Thrill Dragster
This was the other reason we were here, after loving Stealth, Red Force and Kingda Ka, we wanted to try the one everyone raves about. It was amazing. Again we ended up with four rides on this, a couple at the front, and even near the back it's nowhere near as rough as Kingda Ka. You can definitely feel that it's a little slower (and doesn't have that weird double boost thing KK has) but it doesn't detract from the ride at all and the twist on the way down is just spectacular. It helps that the views are so much better than they are with KK.
We ended up waiting for nearly three hours for this once as we got in the queue for the front, then it broke down. They fixed it in about half an hour ,but then they immediately shut it for a rainstorm. Most people left but we couldn't see the point as all the rides were shutting, so decided to stay in the station where it was dry. Ended up having some fun chats with other people in the station about other parks and coasters, and the time really flew by. Eventually it opened and we were on the front of the first train out, launching into a very misty top hat, but sadly we didn't get a rollback.
Millennium Force
This was another pleasant surprise, as I've done a few other big Intamins like EGF, Thunder Dolphin and Goliath at Wailibi Holland, but this was something else entirely. The speed is just relentless and although it isn't rough, it's ridiculously intense all the way round. That first corner had us starting to grey out a little every time. Also the seats are fantastic, with every other row a little raised up, this really helped to give those raised rows a better view and our no-queue ride on the second row felt like a front row, rain stinging our faces and everything.
Valravn
This was a little disappointing the first time we went on it when it was cold and grey and we were on the back, it just felt like every other dive coaster (especially like Sheikra), but on the front in the sunshine on Monday it was miles better. There's some really spectacular views from up there and the layout might not be incredible, but it's good as far as Dive coasters go. I think I still prefer Sheikra for the setting, but it's very close
Rougarou
Not a big fan of floorless B&Ms, but was interested by this as it used to be a stand-up, so I figured it might be a bit different from all of the others. The first half definitely was, and felt like everything was a bit more sweeping and flowed better, but the second half devolves back into a standard floorless with those awkward transitions into some elements that are maybe a little too tight. It's not a terrible ride at all, but we only had one ride and didn't feel like returning to it.
Maverick
Maverick is such a weird coaster. It's an Intamin Blitz, but is absolutely nothing like Taron at Phantasialand. It's entirely its own thing, intense but small, smooth but incredibly fast. Every element is a huge amount of fun and the second launch is crazy. I feel like Maverick is made to look a little insignificant compared to the giant coasters all around it, but it's so well crafted and unique, it was easily one of our favourites on the park.
Gatekeeper
This was my favourite wing coaster to date (have only done Swarm and Fenix before) but I'm still not a big fan of these. This one is much more forceful and the rolls over the gate look awesome, but it's just not very exciting compared to the rest of the rides here.
Raptor
Raptor was a great invert. I'm still more of a fan of the terrain versions we have in Europe (Nemesis and Black Mamba especially) but the great views and some really smooth elements made this our favourite in the USA so far. As with all of these, it only really felt worth riding in the front row.
Wicked Twister
Had never done one of these before, but it was way more fun than I expected. It's almost more like a flat ride, but there's something so weird about going vertically up in an inverted train. We sat near the back of the train and got that cool forwards facing dramatic drop, and the launches through the station were far stronger than we expected. I loved this and wish more parks would get them, not sure if I'm in the minority as I never hear anyone rave about them at all.
Corkscrew
This was just a bog standard corkscrew coaster, it looks much, much better from off the ride than on it. Really impressed with how good the paint looks for such an old ride!
Iron Dragon
This was a weird ride. Had never done one of these before either (we missed the one at Magic Mountain last time) but it's an alright family coaster. Not the most exciting, but there's some nice landscaping around it and it's definitely a novelty.
Mine Train
Loved this as a little family ride. Weirdly has some of the best theming in the entire park, and loads of geese that seemed perpetually scared of it. You'd think they'd fly away really. It's a super weird layout, but surprisingly forceful for such a little thing.
Gemini
This was the only huge disappointment of the trip. I absolutely love duelling coasters and this wasn't duelling for whatever reason. Even if it was I'm not sure it would have improved it that much, it's just an incredibly boring layout, then really comfortable on that helix near the end.
Blue Streak
Really enjoyed this. Quite a lot like the Big Dipper at BPB, it has a decent amount of airtime and if you can look past the kind of uncomfortable restraints, it's a great little coaster. I'm not really one for nostalgia about classic coasters, but there's something refreshing about something so simple and effective in a park with so many huge beasts as CP.
Overall, the coaster selection here is obviously incredible. We loved nearly all of the rides and they were definitely worth the trip. The food was disappointing and the hotel, despite being fairly expensive, wasn't anything special, and because of that I think we're unlikely to come back again unless they get something really spectacular, still, it's another bucket-list park off the list. Just Fuji-Q and Dollywood left to go!
