Park Review: Cedar Point

Here is the first of my 5 park reviews from this summer. Before working at Cedar Point, I was able to spend one free day doing nothing but riding coasters. This is the premise that this review is based on.

I will be using the "Eric Griswold" rating system, which rates parks and rides from -3 to +5 as follows:

+5 - The Ultimate
+4 - Top 10 material
+3 - Excellent
+2 - Above Average
+1 - Okay
0 - Slightly Favorable
-1 - Lousy
-2 - Miserable
-3 - Tear it Down and Try Again

Each ride will be rated in 3 categories: "Technical" (banking transitions, rider comfort, overall look of the ride), "Pacing" (how well the ride keeps the adrenaline flowing. (This area will have the most effect on the final rating)), and "Originality" (or lack thereof). All three scores will be weighted differently, depending on how much they affect the overall ride experience, and compiled for an overall rating.




CEDAR POINT - SANDUSKY, OHIO

The Park: +5

Cedar Point is the one park that has it all. With 16 coasters, 67 rides, great food, incredibly friendly staff, a clean appearance, and a beautiful setting, Cedar Point deserves its golden ticket award as the #1 amusement park in the world. My only complaint is that the prices are a little steep. Everything else is wonderful, however. I literally lived in the park for 2 months, and never got bored. if you ever get a chance, you should most definitely come and experience "America's Roller Coast" for yourself.



THE COASTERS: (16 total)



RAPTOR - high +4

Technical: low +4
After 10 years, this coaster has gotten a little rougher than it used to be. There is a little headbanging in the cobra roll and coming out of the corkscrews, and a painful banking transition coming into the station. Not a big deal, but compared to other B&M inverts it is much rougher.

Pacing: +5
Pure and simple, it has the best pacing of any invert. The main reason is that the entire ride has no trim brakes. The most intense part of the whole ride is the beastly 4-g double helix at the end. The intensity is non-stop, and this factor really pushes this ride to the top.

Originality: low +4
Without theming like Montu and Alpengiest, this coaster loses a bit of its luster. The rating is still high due to the cobra roll, the awesome double helix finale, and the felling that your feet are going to hit the ground. Overall, it is still a dynamite ride that is not to be missed, and holds the #5 spot on my list of top steel coasters.




BLUE STREAK - low +3

Technical: +1
This coaster is in need of a good oiling. In all the turns, the guide wheels squeal at a deafning volume. The seats, although PTC style are kind of uncomfortable. The ride itself has a bumpy track and is in serious need of some rework. However, it is not the coaster's fault, it's CP maintainance that is at fault.

Pacing: +3
The pacing of this ride is typical of a John Allen - type track layout, with hills, dips, a little airtime, and one fan turn. Very fun.

Originality: low +4
Of course it's original... it's CP's first coaster, and after 40 years it still packs a whallop. For that, I give this coaster credit. Overall, this is fun ride that is just past its prime.




WILDCAT - +2

Technical: high +3
The banking transitions are quite comfortable. The new paint scheme makes this coaster look fabulous, and it is a nice warm-up for some of the bigger rides. The only thing this coaster loses points for is its ride capacity. The line takes forever, even when it looks short.

Pacing: +2
Average for a carnival-type portable coaster. Very fun, but too quick and not much for an adrenaline rush. The first drop is good, and the helicies are nice and powerful.

Originality: 0
The fact remains that this is nothing but a midstream portable coaster that has several others just like it, and is nothing but a few drops and some turns.




IRON DRAGON - high 0

Technical: high +1
There is pretty much nothing technically wrong with the ride itself. The points are lost as follows: uncomfortable seats and arrow horsecollar restraints, very tacky supports (the new paint scheme made it worse), and an un-nescessarily slow and loud chain lift. Its the little things that matter on this ride, and compared to other suspended coasters, this on just doesn't work. The name "Iron Dragon" is cool though...

Pacing: -1
Yawn, Snore, oh wait the double helix was half decent. The pacing of this ride is slow, and it just crumbles compared to Big Bad Wolf and Top Gun. Reccomended for numbers or as a warm-up for Millennium Force.

Originality: not rated
Not original, but not built to be the biggest and baddest like most CP coasters, therefore I won't dock this ride anymore. Overall, don't expect any sort of mega thrills. ride it for fun, and try to ignore the fact that the banking causes the trains to swing more than the force of the ride.




MANTIS - low +1

Technical: -2
This coaster is a complete technical failure for B&M. First off, the coaster looks extremely out of place. It just seems to hover in a tacky paint scheme with a plain station on top of a filthy lagoon. The seats are very uncomfortable going through the track. Some of the banking transitions near the end are incredibly painful, and there is lots of headbanging in the corkscrew. If you don't ride in the front, you are asking for pain. Compared to almost every other B&M coaster on the planet, this ride is just a complete let-down.

Pacing: +1
A decent first drop, even though there is a big, nasty trim brake halfway through it, and some good positive G's coming into the brakerun. Evrything else is taken too slow or too painfully to be enjoyed at all. The ride is crawling and wandering aimlessly by the end.

Originality: low +2
Not much interesting about this ride except for the fact that is is a standup coaster. The inclined loop is original, but the last half of the ride is just completely stupid.




MILLENNIUM FORCE - +5

Technical: +5
Where can I even begin with this ride? It is just an amazing experience. The lifthill is a piece of art, the track's banking transitions are perfect, and the trains are the best designed I have seen, with the open-aired sides and tiered seating. The seats and harnesses are so comfortable that you feel more like you are flying than riding a roller coaster. It is just absolutely amazing.

Pacing: high +4
The best first drop of any coaster in the world. Sitting in the back seat, you feel like you are going to be pitched into Sandusky Bay going over the crest. The airtime is splendid on the first drop and 3 hills, and the only real boring spot on the ride is the turnaround. The speed is nonstop, and it a sheer adrenaline rush from start to finish. The speed and amazing intensity catapult Millennium Force into the #1 spot on my top steel coasters list.

Originality: +5
For breaking 10 world records when it opened, I think this rating speaks for itself. Everything about this ride is original and has become the backbone which alot of the best coasters on NL have been designed around. Overbanked turns, airtime, the drop, this is truly a coaster experience that cannot be found anywhere else in the world.




MEAN STREAK - low 0

The CP wood coaster plague continues. Mean Streak is like Blue Streak, only less thrilling, heavily braked, weaker, louder, squeakier, rougher, with no airtime, and completely lame save 2 half decent un-braked drops. This is not good wood. The first drop would be amazing, but the first thing you do when you crest it is hit 2 sets of trim brakes. Through the first turn, the high banking and slow speeds make you feel like you are going to fall out to the inside, and the guide wheels sound like they haven't been oiled since 1991. This coaster is an embarassment to the Golden Ticket awards. It should be on the "all time failures" list. The structure is very intimidating, though.

Technical: high -1
Pacing: high -1
Originality: low +1




CEDAR CREEK MINE RIDE - 0
Slow, slightly painful, and not that interesting. Ride it for numbers, but otherwise skip it.




GEMINI - low +4
This ride is very unique and fun. Through the turns, you can clap hands with someone in the train next to you. The wooden structure is very cool for a steel coaster. The drops and headchoppers are wonderful and fast and exciting, and the last helix will take your breath away. This coaster gains serious points for being very fun, and having a nice intense finale. It's a shame Arrow didn't build more coasters like this instead of their corkscrew crap coasters. this is a very entertaining and unique ride.

Technical: +3
Pacing: high +3
Originality: +5




MAGNUM X-L 200 - high +4

Technical: high +3
being an Arrow coaster, this ride naturally loses some points in this category for the poorly executed banking transitions and overall mediocre fine tuning. The ride is a gem to look at, however, and the lines are handled to the point that the longest wait, even on a Saturday, was 15 minutes.

Pacing: +5
Pure, ferocious, jaw-dropping intensity. The airtime is completely unmatched, the view is spectacular going down the 2nd drop, the tunnels are dark and unforgiving, and the turnaround is taken at amazing speed. The original is still one of the best. As far as steel coasters go, Magnum is now #2 on my list.

Originality: +5
The world's first hypercoaster, with tremendous airtime and a wonderful setting. Need i say more?




CORKSCREW - +1

The harnesses are horrible, there is headbanging throughout the whole ride, the banking transitions are about as good as the ones on RCT, and I did not have a good time riding it. Why, then, did it not get a worse rating? The coaster is simply unmatched in location and in originality. The double corkscrew passes directly over the famous CP midway, and it is a unique experience to watch people flip upside down directly above your head. Add in the history behind this ride, and you have to give it at least some credit.

Technical: low -1
Pacing: 0
Originality: low +3




TOP THRILL DRAGSTER - +4

Technical: +5
I really should take points off for the in-numerous times this ride had broken down, but looking beyond that it is a piece of engineering art. The launch and brake systems are revolutionary, the ride is smooth as glass, it looks absolutely stunning, and it can be seen from a whopping 13 miles away on the Ohio Turnpike.

Pacing: high +4
For the 14 seconds that this coaster lasts, it is the most intense time of your life. the speed is nearly instantaneous, there are some great -G's coming onto the crest of the hill, and nothing beats looking DOWN on Millennium Force before the drop. My only gripe is that you don't feel so high. There is zero anticipation coming into that drop. Still, TTD has earned the #9 spot on my top steel coasters list.

Originality: high +3
the concept behind this ride is brilliant, and the queue house is a work of art. The ride itself is ridiculously un-original however. Launch, crest, drop, spiral, brakes. Wow, I'm impressed... not.




WICKED TWISTER - high +3

This ride is fun, and intense, but the double spiral really makes it feel more like you are spinning than free-falling. This ride may be taller and faster than "Superman: Ultimate Escape" at Geauga Lake, but it is less original, and doesn't have that kamikaze feel to it.

Technical: +4
Pacing: +4
Originality: +3




NOT RATED:

Disaster Transport
Jr. Gemini
Woodstock Express




CEDAR POINT TIPS:

1. Ride Millennium Force and Top Thrill Dragster at night
2. DO NOT COME TO THE PARK ON A SATURDAY
3. Stay long enough to see Snoopy's Summer Spectacular (10:00 PM)
4. Try Hofbrau's Bratwursts [;)]
5. Ride in the front seat of Top Thrill Dragster (it's worth the wait)
6. Ride in the back seat of Millennium Force and Wicked Twister
7. Ride the "drop" side of Power Tower
8. Start your day off with Magnum and Gemini, not Raptor, MF, or TTD (too busy in the morning)
9. Bring discount Cedar Point Pepsi cans ($10 off)
10. Use the "Freeway" stamps whenever possible.


Well, that's all about Cedar Point.

Next park review: Geauga Lake

see ya [;)]

-park review posted by CJD

Thanx for this usefull ultra review. I really wanna go to Cedar Point (I never have been there [:(]) because I wanna ride ttd.

Great Review cjd! Man Cedar Point rules!

[Brtnboarder495]

Its a good review, but I dont agree with some of the coaster ratings

sounds big, good review im going there soon too.

Great review!

Bino

Wow, cool. I just hope Aug 28 isn't a Saturday.

Edit: Ah, bullsh*t, it is. Oh well.

Saturday is when everyone comes. On an average day at Bayou Refreshments, we were empty except maybe a couple of drink orders most of the day with a lunch rush at 3 pm. On most Saturdays, we were serving people nonstop from 10:30 am to 9:00 pm.

incredibly friendly staff

Some of the ride ops weren't that friendly, but not that bad either. Some ops try to give a good time like shouting "How's your ride?" and having us go "GREAT!!!" It was cool. Anyways, can't wait for the CP comin' up this year.

is the freeway pass free, when i went i didnt even know about it, but i mean do u get like a certain amount of passes u can use?

there is no charge for it. All you have to do is go to the ride you want to get the freeway for, get your hand stamped, and then come back during the time that it says. You can get a maximum of 2 freeway passes during the day, and one ride per stamp. Still, it is highly valuble on skipping the lines on TTD, MF, and Raptor on a busy day. Coasters you do NOT want to get a freeway for are Magnum and Mantis. Those rides have no lines anyway, and it will be a waste of a stamp to worry about those lines.

Not exactly, when i went to CP mantis had a half-hour wait, while definitly not as long as MF or TTD, still a long line to wait in 90 degree weather.

Well, don't waste it on Magnum. One day, teh only line for it was the safety lanes. It was wonderful. I dunno about Mantis howver.

Line or not, Mantis isn't worth it. If there's any ride with freeways, Mantis is the biggest waste. As you can see, I only gave it a low +1 while all 5 of the other rides with freeways got at least a high +3 or more. Make with the numbers, and choose your freeways wisely.

Yeah, take teh freeways to ttd and mf. What about Raptor? Or just wait till afternoon?

actually, if you get to raptor right when the park opens theres no lines whatsoever because everyone bolts to mf an ttd. Thats what i did when i first went into the park, and i rode raptor twice in like 10 mins.

Too bad I can't get there when the park opes because I'm going in this group and some peeps come late so we have to wait for them. How f*ckin annoying. And actually, peeps who go in the park usually flee to the nearest ride availible, except probably a few who run to MF and TTD because they came just to ride those.