July 4-12, 2011
Cedar Point
Roller Coasters
Blue Streak: This 1964 out-and-back woodie is still fun. It’s a bit rough due to wear but ridable. Rode it nine times.
Cedar Creek Mine Ride: Built in 1969 by Arrow Dynamics, this double lift mine train is exactly as I remembered it. Good ride with a drop over a pond and a downward helix finish. Rode it three times.
Corkscrew: 1976 Arrow Dynamics ride with double-down first drop, vertical loop and double corkscrew. Decent ride with the typical Arrow roughness. Rode it one time.
Gemini: This is a 1978 racing coaster with steel track on a wood frame by Arrow Dynamics. It’s basically a double mine train on steroids with a 118 foot drop. Jerky ride with un-smooth transitions. The middle and front train sections are ridable but the back will beat you up (I hurt my elbow in the rear car). The park has added two trim brake sections to lessen the jerkiness. Rode this one five times.
Jr. Gemini: I was too tall to ride this 1979 Intamin kiddie coaster with a top speed of 6 mph.
Wildcat: In 1979, the park replaced it’s older Wildcat with an identical new version. It’s an Anton Schwarzkopf design suitable for traveling fairs but works well as a permanent structure. Small but enjoyable ride with three drops to ground and two helixes (counter clockwise and clockwise). Rode it twice.
Disaster Transport: This Intamin ride opened in 1985 as a bobsled and was re-themed and enclosed in 1990 as a spaceship. Either I missed something on my two rides or the theming makes no sense whatsoever. My best guess is that the renovators were on drugs at the time and no-one from park management rode it for approval. Theming aside, it is a good ride though.
Iron Dragon: 1987 Arrow Dynamics suspended. A double lift tame steel suspended coaster (where cars freely swing under the tracks). Ride it if the line is short. Went on twice.
Magnum XL-200: This landmark 1989 Arrow Dynamics steel non-looping out-and-back coaster with pretzel turnaround has a 195 foot first drop and runs along the Lake Erie beach. It has the potential to be a great ride. Unfortunately, it is plagued by a restraint design flaw. The lap bars ratchet downward with no play room whatsoever painfully pinning riders’ legs to the seat. There is a trim brake brake at the turnaround (presumably for lessening leg pain on the return run). Rode it seven times - septuple ouch.
Mean Streak: Massive wooden coaster with a 155 foot drop from Summers and Dinn in 1991. The concept and layout is great in theory but it can be a brutally rough ride. Wooden coasters of this size require quality wood, careful profiling, and continuous maintenance. Mean Streak is in serious need of track work (especially after the second drop). There is a brake on the first drop plus a heavier mid-course brake run to alleviate wear and tear and rider suffering. Will this coaster meet the fate of other similar rides (Hercules was torn down and Texas Giant was rebuilt using steel track)? Time will tell. Rode it five times - pass the ibuprofen please.
Raptor: This is an early (1994) custom inverted coaster from Bolliger and Mabillard (B&M) with six inversions. Good ride all the way from the first 119 foot drop through the ending helix. Rode it four times (once in the front row - great visuals).
Mantis: A 1996 B&M stand-up with four inversions. Bring your ear protectors and acetaminophen - this is a rough riding headbanger (even with a trim brake on the first drop and a mid-course brake run). Two rides was enough on this one.
Woodstock Express: Expanded version of a Vekoma roller skater opened in 1999 and located in Camp Snoopy. Good coaster for kids. Rode it once.
Millennium Force: Year 2000 offering from Intamin with a 300 foot drop and over 6000 feet of track. One of the best steel coasters in existence. First turn g-forces are strong enough to cause grey-outs. My vision would typically return on the hill after the first tunnel. Rode this one five times (would have ridden more but lines were prohibitively long).
Wicked Twister: Linear induction motor (LIM) launched inverted shuttle coaster with two spiral towers from Intamin in 2002. Worth riding if the wait is short. Went on twice.
Top Thrill Dragster: 2003 Intamin hydraulic steel cable launched coaster. Dragster goes from 0 to 120 mph in 4 seconds then goes 400 feet straight up and straight down. Short but thrilling. Not for the faint of heart. Rode it three times.
Maverick: Opened in 2007, this is the park’s newest coaster. It’s a steelie from Intamin with two linear synchronous motor launches and a beyond vertical (95 degree) first drop. This is a high speed ground hugging twisting ride that takes pain to a new level. Lap bars tend to tightly pin riders’ legs to the seat and the sudden turns bash peoples’ ears against the shoulder restraints (do not wear ear rings - unless you like to bleed). Rode it six times (yes I am a masochist).
Other Rides of Note
Cedar Downs: This is a classic 1921 Prior and Church derby carousel where the horses race each other. There are only three in the world.
Cedar Point & Lake Erie Railroad: The track has not changed since opening in 1963 even though the park has developed around it. The skeleton town of Boneville remains.
Shoot the Rapids: This is a new boat flume ride built by Intamin that opened in 2010. It’s anticlimactic as the second (and final) drop is small compared to the first one (85 feet). Also, the ground level flume sections are very slow.
WindSeeker: New for 2011, this is a circular swing ride on growth hormones. At 300 feet tall, it offers a great view of the park (if you don’t get dizzy).
Giant Wheel: This is supposed to be a two minute ride on a 136 foot tall Ferris wheel. For us, it turned out to be over a forty minute ride as the wheel got stuck while we were on it.
Observations
Cedar Point seems to have evolved from a traditional amusement park into a precision corporate money-making machine. Price gouging lurks around every corner. $10 to park (unless you have a season pass). ~$4 for a soda. $2 or $3 for a one time use locker (for rides that do not allow carry on items). $10 for an all day locker. There are expensive souvenir photos available upon entry and on-board most major rides. They are publicly displayed (for a brief time) but the park will not let you capture an image of the photo. No free personal pictures of yourself, you have to pay the asking price. Game areas are scattered throughout the park (it seemed like there was always a game visible from just about any location in the park). Advertising displays appear along walkways (like Kingsford and John Deere). Chain restaurants have invaded the place (Subway, Panda Express and Chick-fil-A to name a few). Theft is also a problem. We had flip flops go missing in the water park and a backpack taken in the ride park. Now we know why the employees are constantly saying “Cedar Point is not responsible for lost or stolen items.” The rides are good (for the most part) but the overall enjoyability factor has sadly taken a downward turn.
Kings Island
Roller Coasters
Racer: This is a John Allen (same guy that worked on the Cedar Point Blue Streak) wooden dual track racing coaster that opened with the park in 1972. Kings Island was running both tracks forward synchronized for racing. The ride has been well maintained and is still as fun as I recall (yeah, my memory goes back that far). Rode it three times.
Woodstock Express: Another John Allen woodie that opened with the park. This is a small kiddie/family coaster originally called Scooby Doo. Great starter ride for the younger crowd. Rode it once.
Beast: This is the longest wooden coaster in the world (and the third longest of any type). Running since 1979, it is primarily a terrain coaster with two sizable lift hills. Unfortunately for die-hards and purists, the Beast has been declawed. There are four brake-points throughout the course that slow trains right when things start to get interesting. It’s still fun, especially at night, but no longer has the out-of-control feeling. Rode it seven times.
Vortex: 1987 six inversion acrobatic coaster from Arrow Dynamics. This ride was closed without explanation.
Adventure Express: Arrow Dynamics mine train built in 1991. A surprisingly fun mine ride with action starting immediately out of the station. Got three rides in on this one.
Great Pumpkin Coaster: 1992 Miler kiddie coaster at what used to be the entrance to Enchanted Voyage. Too tall to ride.
Flight Deck: From Arrow Dynamics in 1993, this is the last of ten suspended coasters. Only five remain in operation. This is one of the better designs with nonstop action from lift hill to station. Rode it three times.
Flight of Fear: 1996 Premier Rides LIM launched indoor coaster. This ride is a big twisted spaghetti ball of steel in a building. Fortunately, the old head banging horse collar restraints have been replaced with lap bars making for a comfortable ride. A heavy mid-course brake brings trains to a virtual stop before continuing onto the second half. Fun and disorienting ride. Only rode once due to long lines.
Invertigo: This 1999 Vekoma inverted triple inversion shuttle (formerly called Face Off) has riders facing each other. Worth riding if the wait is short. Rode it once.
Flying Ace Arial Chase: This is a small Vekoma non-looping inverted coaster that opened in 2001. Good ride for the youngsters. Rode it once.
Backlot Stunt Coaster: 2005 Premier Rides LIM launched coaster with a Mini Cooper car theme. The spiral climb after launch, special effects and outdoor/indoor combination make this a joy ride. We went on four times.
Firehawk: This is an “old” style flying coaster by Vekoma originally opened in 2001. The line was long because only a single train was operating. Some members of our party braved the line for a ride. I skipped it. Luckily, I had a chance to ride it in 2004 when it was located at Geauga Lake. Not a bad ride but more of a novelty than anything else.
Diamondback: KI’s newest coaster built by B&M in 2009. Tall, steep, fast and long. The cars are surprisingly comfortable (nap-worthy) and have floor-less V shaped seating for a floating sensation and great visibility. The mid-course brake over-slows the trains for the second half. Other than that, it’s an excellent ride. Rode it five times.
Son of Beast: This giant wood coaster was built in 2000 and has been plagued with problems (mostly structural) since opening. It has not operated since 2009. The ride is still visible but is not accessible to park guests. It has been removed from maps and promotional material. My prediction is that Son of Beast is destined for the scrap lumberyard. Fortunately, the father lives on.
Other Rides of Note
Boo Blasters on Boo Hill, a ride through ghost shooting attraction, has replaced the Enchanted Voyage cartoon character boat ride. Boo I say - bring back the boats and cartoons (but maybe not the song).
Dinosaurs Alive: Though there is an up-charge, this new for 2011 attraction is a well done educational walk through exhibit.
Windseeker: This is the same ride as the one at Cedar Point.
Stricker’s Grove
Roller Coasters
Tornado: This mid-sized double out-and-back wooden coaster was built by grove owner Ralph Stricker and opened in 1993. It is only open to the public a few days a year. Fun ride with a couple of surprise airtime pops near the end. Rode it twice.
Teddy Bear: A junior wood coaster also built by Ralph Stricker which opened in 1996. Good ride for the kids. Rode it once.
