[Sean978]

Part 1
So for our last trip before our summer ended, Gabe and I ventured to one of the largest, most praised parks in not only the U.S., but the world-Cedar Point. Although Gabe had already been here in 2013, he wasn't a credit whore then and missed 4 credits. Add that to the new for 2016 Dive coaster Valravn and we had a trip. (Warning- The pictures are pretty bad this time around, and I even had to use a few of Gabe's, so don't get your hopes up)

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Because of bad planning on my part, and a lack of pictures from the first day at the park, this trip report will not be in chronological order, but more like a circle of the park.

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So once you get past the endless amount of restaurants and shops past the entrance you can choose to go left, right, or straight ahead. If you turn to the left you'll be faced with Raptor, the coaster that Gabe disliked and Tarheel believes god himself forged.

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I've found that as I ride more inverts, they blend together more and more. Raptor was no exception. While it wasn't as forceless as Alpengheist, and it wasn’t as rough as Stinger, it was very… normal. Like a longer Afterburn, but lacking the fun or intensity. It'll join my rankings around coasters like Avalanche where I don’t dislike them, they just aren't memorable.

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After you shamefully get your credit from Blue Streak, you can move about 50 feet before you find Valravn's entrance. I'll admit that I was a bit let down when this ride was leaked, and even more when it was officially announced, but seeing it in person ignited a bit of excitement as it was MASSIVE…

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…and it was awesome! While all but the last 2 elements are pretty standard for a dive machine, Valravn blows Griffon out of the water. The inversion are well timed, and the only rattle I felt out of any of our rides was at the bottom of the second, near-vertical, drop.

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I was pleasantly surprised by Valravn, and although I'd love to see one at Carowinds, I don’t see it happening. I wouldn’t be surprised if Cedar Fair keeps this exclusive to CP.
Also worth noting is the fact that this ride is insanely popular, with the wait never below 45 minutes and even about a 10 minute wait for FastLane most of the day.
To be continued...

[Sean978]

Part 2

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If you keep heading towards the back of the park Rougarou is the next coaster you'll meet. I always thought that it was so cool that such an awful coaster could be made into something re-rideable, and although I didn’t have stellar expectations I was excited.

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After riding I can tell you that even though it definetly isn't the best coaster ever, it is a ton of fun. I actually would put this above Dominator at KD because of it intensity and creative layout from start to finish. This also solidified my desire for Vortex to be converted.

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Now comes the hardest part of the trip report, telling everyone that Millennium Force isn't that great and doesn't deserve 15 continuous Golden Tickets.

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Listen, I'm not saying it’s a bad ride, it really isn't. It's not rough and it's not really forceless, it's just a fun ride with nothing insane to it. To put it simply, I'd rather ride MF than something like any of the Batman inverts, but I'd rather ride Banshee.

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Moving into the frontier area of the park you see the most overused themed area ever, and my favorite one. None of that matters though, as you eventually wind through the best shaded area in the park to Maverick.

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Over the years Gabe had consistently hyped Maverick up to me, and about a month before we left we both were worried he'd made it sound better than it could deliver. I'm here to tell you that no matter what, you CANNOT overhype this ride, especially with the new restraints. It's my new #1 beating Fury just slightly.
To be continued...

[Sean978]

Part 3

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To me (and Gabe) Maverick and Fury are in a class of their own, demolishing any other rides and using all possible potential. The ride perfectly combines airtime, smooth inversions, and low to the ground moments to deliver a thrilling and superb ride.

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Next up would be Skyhawk, a ride that was closed all of Gabe's last visit. Luckily it was open this time around and we made sure to get a good amount of rides in. I can't really say much other than that it's an oversized Barnstormer. Overall a great flat.

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One thing that I absolutely loved about Cedar Point is that they have a museum in the park. Just a small touch that adds a ton. After Gabe's "ride" on Gemini, we hit all the kiddie coasters, Cedar Creek Mine Ride, and Mean Streak. In the front we found Mean Streak to be bearable, but still uncomfortable.

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Oh boy. How do I put this so that I won't get banned immediately? I'm sorry Jon, but this ride is alright at best. I actually had pretty decent hopes for this ride, but the last half of this ride absolutely any good impressions I'd had of the ride. The airtime is jerky and slams you into the restraints (See my Skyrush rant in the 5 Park Vacation of Righteousness TR)

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Next up is Gemini, my personal favorite Arrow coaster. This is by far the smoothest Arrow that I've been on, and even had some decent airtime. While the station is EXTREMELY 80's, the ride is actually very fun. So much fun that Gabe and I rode it 4 times. (P.S. that’s the same amount of rides we got on MF)

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And now for Dragster, the worst decision Dick Kinzel ever made (Yes, even he admitted it) and somehow also an icon of not only Cedar Point, but coasters as a whole. I actually enjoyed it more than Kingda Ka, but I have no idea why. An awesome ride that I wish Intamin had waited 20 years to build (Or never built at all).
To be continued...

[gabed]

Millennium Force isn't that great and doesn't deserve 15 continuous Golden Tickets.

I'm sorry Jon, but this ride is alright at best.

Are you trying to get us murdered?!?

[Sean978]

Part 4

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On to the "eh"-est. flat on the planet, Power Tower. Both sides are really forgettable, even though they are pretty fun. Moving on…

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…To Cedar Point's own beach! I have to say that this was one of the coolest things about the park, and completely makes up for the park's hilariously (Sadly?) undersized waterpark.

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After soaking up enough sun, you can re-enter the park next to Windseeker, and if you're like Gabe and I you ride it almost 2x as much as every other ride. Yeah, that wasn’t a joke, we rode it more than everything other than Maverick and Valravn.

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Once you've fulfilled your need for Windseekers and Ferris wheels, you'll find yourself next to this mammoth of an impulse. After riding Possessed at Dorney, I was excited to try the larger and double spiraled version.

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Thanks to 101gabed for this pic!

Although I found it a bit rougher than Possessed, I really enjoyed Wicked Twister. I actually didn’t find much difference between the holding brake and spiral, but I think I prefer the holding brake.

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Moving on to the areas newest and largest coaster, I actually got pretty excited. On Gabe's first visit he HATED Gatekeeper, so I had no reason to be excited, but nonetheless I still found myself looking forward to it.
To be continued…

[Sean978]

Part 5

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Gabe and I both were surprised at how nice the ride went and how smooth it was. The keyholes are insane, and the roll off of the lift hill is an insane touch.
I actually would say that Gatekeeper's keyholes look cooler than Fury's bridge, although I still prefer Carowinds' plaza overall.

So after close to 3 years I finally visited the "Roller Coaster Capital of the World". I have to say that I was very impressed overall, with a clean park, nice employees, and fast operations. A huge thanks to my parents and my grandma for making the trip possible, and with that my summer closes…

(A few leftover pics. I have two extra park maps, if anyone is interested PM me)

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It's. Not. A. Coaster.

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[tarheel1231]

Raptor is God incarnate and you have blasphemed its holy name. Do not be surprised if a giant hawk/falcon swoops over you in the night, takes you to its nest, and attempts to feed you to its young.

But seriously, great trip report! Hopefully I can make it back here soon. Maybe if they decide to RMC Mean Streak. Or burn it down. Either scenario would get me back up there immediately.

[coasterbruh]

raptor sucks . . .

[Edwardo]

"After you shamefully get your credit from Blue Streak"

How's it Shameful? 320 coaster in and I love Blue Streak. It was running amazingly back in May.

LOL if Dick Kinzel thinks TTD (a misstep in manufacturer, but a very marketable attraction 10 years on) was his worst mistake, he must have forgotten Geagua Lake, over paying for the Paramount Parks (and losing all of that talent), the failed Apollo deal, and the Falfas debacle. Even Shoot The Rapids was a worse decision.

[tarheel1231]

What was the mistake, buying Geauga Lake or closing it?

[gabed]

LOL if Dick Kinzel thinks TTD (a misstep in manufacturer, but a very marketable attraction 10 years on) was his worst mistake, he must have forgotten Geagua Lake, over paying for the Paramount Parks (and losing all of that talent), the failed Apollo deal, and the Falfas debacle. Even Shoot The Rapids was a worse decision.

I could be very wrong on this, but I swear I read somewhere that he felt Magnum was the greatest investment he made and Dragster was his biggest regret.

EDIT: From PointBuzz https://pointbuzz.com/Forums/Topic/-dic ... -ever-made

[Edwardo]

I'm in no way doubting he said it. I'm saying that he's so out of touch with how terrible a job he did the past few years that it's laughable that he thinks TTD was his big misstep.

In his recent biography, he talked about how he was going to add another 300' ride to Cedar Point, and that it went to carowinds instead, like his plan was better. Yeah. Because Fury (and building up another park in the spotlight, thereby making more money) should have went to CP. riiiiight.

His obsession with that park and neglect of others was starting to be almost criminal.

And it's not about whether he should or shouldn't have bought Geauga Lake. But the way they handled the park (which is still open by the way, the park never closed, just the dry rides) was a darn shame. Right sizing that park would have changed the game.

[Sean978]

I'm in no way doubting he said it. I'm saying that he's so out of touch with how terrible a job he did the past few years that it's laughable that he thinks TTD was his big misstep.

In his recent biography, he talked about how he was going to add another 300' ride to Cedar Point, and that it went to carowinds instead, like his plan was better. Yeah. Because Fury (and building up another park in the spotlight, thereby making more money) should have went to CP. riiiiight.

His obsession with that park and neglect of others was starting to be almost criminal.

And it's not about whether he should or shouldn't have bought Geauga Lake. But the way they handled the park (which is still open by the way, the park never closed, just the dry rides) was a darn shame. Right sizing that park would have changed the game.

That is the best post I've ever read on this site.