Park Review: Cedar Point

the rating system I will be using is called the "Griswald rating system". Here's the breakdown of the rating scale.

+5 - the ultimate.
+4 - superb
+3 - great
+2 - good
+1 - okay
0 - marginal
-1 - bad
-2 - terrible
-3 - the worst.

here's my review of "America's Roller Coast", Cedar Point.

The Park: +5.
Would you expect anything else from the award-winning, coaster-thrilling amusement capital of the world? This park has recieved the Golden Ticket award for "best park in the world" for 6 years in a row. and for good reason. the pathways are spotless, the staff are great, the ride lines move at about mach 1, and it is my personal favorite among all other parks at this point.

The Coasters:


Raptor - Inverted - Designed by B&M in 1994. >>>>> +5

Not the tallest, not the fastest, but an absolutely wonderful ride that turns and tosses you every which way at speeds over 55 mph. There are absolutely no slow spots on the entire ride, and the sequence is so incredibly fast and smooth and twisted that it is impossible to know where you are. This ride climbed up to the top of the list as my favorite inverted coaster. A must-ride!
[image]http://www.rcdb.com/picmax/cedar-point/raptor9.jpg[/image]


Blue Streak - Wooden - Designed by John Allen in 1964. >>>>> low +2

A nice fun classic woodie. Not very comfortable, with its less-than-perfect maintenance record, and not very classic, with head rests and seat dividers. Oh, well. Still a classic in my books, and still just kind of fun.
[image]http://www.rcdb.com/picmax/cedar-point/blue-streak6.jpg[/image]


Mantis - Stand-up steel twister - Designed by B&M in 1996. >>>> low +2

this ride has a really great first drop, a very cool big loop, and, well, not much else except pain. There are a terrible amount of bumps on the course of the ride, and a lot of very sudden banking transitions that cause you to hurt in the less-than-perfect harnesses. Riddler's Revenge blows this coaster out of the water.
[image]http://www.rcdb.com/picmax/cedar-point/mantis9.jpg[/image]


MILLENNIUM FORCE - GigaCoaster - Designed by Intamin in 2000. >>>>> +5

Sheer brilliance! Anyone who says this coaster is overrated has never been on this coaster at night in a light drizzle. WOW! the speed is insane through the whole ride, the turns are intense, and there is wonderful airtime going over the tops of the 3 big hills. Sitting in the back, you feel like you're going to be pitched into sandusky bay. no wonder this ride snatched the #1 steel coaster spot on the Golden Ticket Awards. RIDE RIDE RIDE!!!!!!!!!
[image]http://www.rcdb.com/picmax/cedar-point/millennium-force1.jpg[/image]


Magnum X-L 200 - Hypercoaster - Designed by Arrow in 1989. >>> high +4

Good old classic coasters never die. Magnum has taken the top spot on the golden ticket awards every year from 1997 to 2001, dwarfed only by Millennium Force in 2002 and 2003. This coaster has a great amount of hangtime on the first drop, insane negative g's over the tops of all the bunny hills, and a very intense turnaround all packed in to one coaster. it's not quite as smooth as an Intamin or B&M, but at a 30 minute wait, it's the best "value" in the park.
[image]http://www.rcdb.com/picmax/cedar-point/magnum-xl-2004.jpg[/image]


Gemini - Steel racing coaster - designed by Arrow in 1978. >>>>> +4

and speaking of classics.... here's another of Cedar Point's gems. No, this is not a wooden coaster... if you look close enough, you will see that it in fact does have a tubular steel track. The drop is great, the layout is fun, and you can actually reach out and touch someone in the other train as the 2 trains pass in the turns. Whee! Fun!
[image]http://www.rcdb.com/picmax/cedar-point/gemini1.jpg[/image]


Mean Streak - Wood megacoaster - built by Curtis Summers in 1991 >> -1

yawn... ever since Cedar Point added 2 sets of trim brakes to the top of the first drop, this coaster has really stunk. it still does. the train crawls over all of the hills, and it feels like you're on a caterpillar the whole ride. Ride it once, but don't expect much except a mediocre first drop.
[image]http://www.rcdb.com/picmax/cedar-point/mean-streak6.jpg[/image]


Wicked Twister - Inverted Impulse - built by Intamin in 2002 >>>>> +3

This is my 2nd favorite impulse coaster ever. The spirals are so wicked that it's crazy! The feeling of weightlessness is wonderful, and the spirals are intense above all else. Very fun, and very twisted.
[image]http://www.rcdb.com/picmax/cedar-point/wicked-twister11.jpg[/image]


Top Thrill Dragster - StrataCoaster - built by Intamin in 2003> low +4

this ride is awesome! The launch presses you back in your seat, and it's like being in a space shuttle almost. then, you go completely weightless as you fly up 90 degrees, you stay weightless all the way over the top, and all the way down. WHEE! this is one awesome thrill machine! Too short, though. Prepare for up to a 5 hour wait for this ride.
[image]http://www.rcdb.com/picmax/cedar-point/top-thrill-dragster40.jpg[/image]

other coasters:

Corkscrew: low +1
Iron Dragon: low +1
Wildcat: high +2
Disaster Transport: +2
Cedar Creek Mine Ride: low +1
kiddie coasters (2) not rated.

other rides worth mentioning:

Power Tower: low +4
Witch's Wheel: high +2


Park Awards in 2002:
#1 Steel Roller Coaster - (Millennium Force)
#3 Steel Roller Coaster - (Magnum X-L 200)
#12 Steel Roller Coaster - (Raptor)
#1 Best Park
#3 Friendliest Staff
#1 Fastest Moving Lines
#2 Best Souveniers
#1 Best Games Area

well, another year at Cedar Point gone. Hope you visit some day. [:)]

Cool report CJD. Im at the point of wetting myself i wanna go so bad, hmm to late...

Cool!! I actually had many different opinions though about some of the rides there, such as Wicked Twister and Mantis, I would have rated those higher. Cool ride reviews[pshades]