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Cedar Point Trip Report

Cedar Point: I'm sorry if it's too long for you. I tried to keep it short, but I couldn't.

From Adriel Tjokrosaputro
Posted July 15, 2009 at 5:18 AM
I began my day by myself. Since my sister and my dad aren't a roller coaster fans, they slept until later (around 10.30) that day. I stayed in Sandcastle Suites so I was able to take advantage of the early entry given by the hotel.

I arrived at the resort entrance area by 8.45 and there were around 200 other people already waiting in front of me. Of course this is a big deal. It was the Saturday before the July 4th weekend so I expected the park to be extremely packed with THOUSANDS of people. The park opened the gate at around 9 a.m. and we all started to run toward the Frontier Trail area. By that time, there were only 5 rides that were opened: Maverick, Millennium Force, Raptor, Camp Snoopy and Iron Dragon. So I was able to tell directly where everyone was heading to: Maverick and Millennium Force.

I chose to ride Maverick first. After running for about 5 minutes, I jumped into the line directly with around other 100 people behind me. I was lucky to be on the first train of the day. Now for the ride itself, I had been told that Maverick isn't the best coaster in the park. It's fun, yes, but it's just not as good as the other coaster the park has. The lift hill part of the coaster is amazing; it was the fastest lift hill I've ever been on. The drop, measured at 95-degree of descent, was also superb. The coaster went into full speed directly. The inversions of the coaster are also well-done. Very smooth. The launch is also amazing although I'm a bit disappointed it only goes for around 5 seconds and then there's a brake. The main highlight of the coaster is however the sharp turns. The coaster can be described as 'flexible' as its sharp turns can't be accommodated to other coasters in the park. Plus the theme, the high capacity and the efficiency, I'll give this coaster a 7/10.

Next stop: Millennium Force. From the review I had read, Millennium Force is arguably the best coaster in the world (although some sources list the coaster as 'No.5' in the world). It's tall, fast and the force is so... millennium. By the time I arrived there, I had to wait for around 30 minutes before I was able to get on the train... on the first row. Being in the first row is an experience you must try. In my opinion, Millennium Force is truly the highlight of the park. Coaster fans have so many reasons to say this is easily the best coaster they've ever been on. It's fast, the first drop is amazing and the view from the top of the hill is simply breath-taking. Unfortunately, Millennium Force is disappointing when it comes to airtime. In fact there are only 3 parts in the coaster where the rides experience airtime. For a coaster this huge, the amount of airtime is just too little. For this, I give the coaster a 9/10.

By the time I got off the train, the park was officially opened to the public. The crowd hadn't reached the area I was in yet so I took an advantage by riding Maverick and Millennium Force once more each.

It was 10.30 and I was able to ride both coasters already. By now, the crowd had reached the Midway area. Top Thrill Dragster started its run and the other coasters could be seen having its 10th (or so) train going up the lift hill. So I headed to Mean Streak since it was located in the back corner of the park.

After I rode Mean Streak, I knew exactly why this coaster never made it to the top wooden coaster list in the world. Although it's overwhelmingly huge and made people think it's one of the best wooden coasters, the ride is rough. It was EXTREMELY ROUGH when I was on it. If you want to ride it, make sure you don't have heart conditions as it's the MOST PAINFUL coaster in the park. Even the shortest drop makes you feel as if you're in an earthquake with a magnitude of 7.0-8.0. It's better to save this ride later in the early evening just before the sun set. DON'T RIDE THIS AT NIGHT. I repeat, DON'T RIDE THIS AT NIGHT! I'm pretty sure you'll hurt yourself if you do so. 4/10 for this coaster. I had a heart attack.

I was planning to go on Magnum XL-200 however... the train was stuck on the lift hill; the coaster was temporarily closed. Disappointed, I went on and looked for another coaster to ride.

There were only 2 coasters nearby: Gemini & Top Thrill Dragster.

Looking up into the sky, I saw the world's 2nd tallest coaster. Top Thrill Dragster, whose speed reaches 120 mph in just 4 seconds, had a line of 60 minutes by the time I arrived in front of the line, so I decided to go on it before it the line got worse. The coaster had amazingly high efficiency despite the fact that they only got a total train capacity of 72 people (in which each train took around 2 minutes to complete each 'lap'). The scariest part of the ride, I must say, is when you're waiting for the green light to goes on. The launch wasn't as intense as I thought it would be but the coaster is AMAZING! With only lap bar holding me, I could feel the airtime on the top hat. Even it only lasted for 20 seconds, the coaster is simply breath-taking. There's no other coaster that could beat the experience (not even Kingda Ka due to its harnesses). I give this coaster a 9/10.

Got off the train, headed out to the Midway again and then I rode Gemini. Now let me tell you. Gemini, although not as huge as other coasters in the park, is an example of 'size doesn't matter'. The company sure knows how to make the most of the thrill while on-ride. The coaster is extremely smooth, surprisingly. I thought it would be rough since the coaster is made out of wooden support (although the track for the coaster is steel-based material). The coaster also has an amazing first drop. Even before the ride ends, the thrill doesn't end. The last helix before the finish line was amazingly intense. Even more exciting the coaster is a racing coaster, meaning that you're actually racing with the other side of the coaster. With a capacity of more than 100 people, this coaster has a short wait all day long without reducing its total passengers. This is a perfect coaster for those who are brave enough for something big yet aren’t ready have the ride to go on the extremes. I give this ride a 10/10. An instant favorite in the park!

By this time, I decided to go on Magnum XL-200. The ride had just been opened so the waiting time was only 10 minutes (and it was around 12.40). Magnum XL-200, from what I had been told, is an instant classic of the park. I guarantee you those who told me that were absolutely right! Not only that, Magnum is actually the best coaster in the world (Millennium Force fans will hate me fore saying this). The lift hill, although traditional, is made for purpose: so that people can enjoy the amazing, beautiful view of Lake Erie. The first drop is rather exciting than intense. The second hill doesn't have airtime. I was disappointed at first but then I knew why. On the second half of the ride, the coaster is all about airtime. There are so many airtime and most of them are SUPER EXTREME airtime. Second half of the ride is better than the first half, which focuses more toward scaring its riders, heights and speed. Although its crown has been stolen by Millennium Force and Top Thrill Dragster, Magnum XL-200 tops my list as the best coaster in the park. 10/10 for the ride. Oh and if I could, I'll give another 1 point for the tunnels. The airtime inside the last tunnel was crazy.

It was around 1.10 and I decided to go to another ‘big’ coaster in the Top Thrill Dragster Midway area. This time, I did the stand-up coaster called Mantis. I personally enjoy stand-up coaster. My last stand-up coaster was The Riddler’s Revenge which I rode back in 2007. I expected Mantis to be less intense since it only has 4 inversions and it’s shorter (in both height and length). But oh boy oh boy… I rode it with my seat being set way too high. The staff did a pretty bad job in setting the seats height. Eventually I rode the whole thing with my crotch being pressed toward the seats (which is, of course, a nightmare for males). The whole ride was painful. Not only that, apparently the other people that sat in the same row as me had the same problem as well… and all of them are boys. So yeah, we basically screamed on top of our lungs not because we were excited, but because we were in horrific pain. By the time the train reached the station, we felt so numb ‘down there’. But don’t get me wrong. The coaster was intense. With high G-force and sharp turns, no wonder Mantis had long line all day long. Too bad the staff did not-so-great job. 6/10 for Mantis. I’m sorry B&M fans.

By 2.30 in the afternoon, I met my dad and my sister. They said they arrived at the park around 12-ish and already rode Wildcats and Iron Dragon (note that they are kind of afraid of huge coasters). We decided to have late-lunch in Panda Express nearby Millennium Force. The food was great, I must say. If you’re eating here, don’t forget to try the kung pao chicken. I have no idea why, but every single Chinese restaurant I found in USA has really good kung pao chicken.

After lunch, I went on the popular Skyhawk. People had told me that this is one of the scariest rides in the park. It’s even arguably scarier than Maverick. The harness made the ride even scarier since passengers are able to feel the most of the airtime. What’s more, the ride goes more than vertical so yea… you get the idea. 8/10 for the ride. If only the ride was longer, I would rate it a 9.

At around 3-ish, we separated. I went to the front section of the park and they went to Camp snoopy. I went on Raptor. The line was the longest I had on the day: 90 minutes. It was surprising since that time the coaster operated 3 trains with total capacity of 96 people. And it still took 90 minutes to get through the line. Perhaps B&M coasters are more popular in Cedar Point? The coaster, although not the biggest inverted coaster I’ve ever been on, was superb. It was thrilling and exciting from start ‘till end. But more importantly, it’s painless (unlike Mantis). The inversions are very smooth and the coaster has some great airtime. Still, it’s a bit too short. Maybe it’s just me, but it’s quite short, yes. 8/10 will do just fine for this coaster.

I then went on the oldest coaster in the park: Blue Streak. People said that this smaller wooden coaster is better than Mean Streak and I agree with them. The coaster has so much more airtime compared to Mean Streak and it’s much less painful as well. Despite its old age, the ride is very smooth. There’s nothing much to say about this coaster, it’s that usual out-and-back style wooden coaster. But it’s a classic for sure. People shouldn’t miss this on their visit to Cedar Point. 7/10.

At around 5.20, I went across the Midway area and went on MaxAir. MaxAir was awesome. I had seen the ride on the internet and I had been told that the ride reaches up to 70 mph. It was much better than my expectation. The airtime was indescribable and the speed made the ride even better. The best part of the ride is when you’re hanging almost upside-down experiencing the zero-gravity at the highest point. I waited for 30 minutes for the ride since the ride has great capacity (50 people each cycle). 8/10 for this ride. Can’t wait to ride it again.

Since Disaster Transport had a 5-minute line, I decided to give it a try. From the reviews that I had read before my visit, Disaster Transport is probably the ‘black sheep’ of the park. It fails in many things such as ‘attempt for theming’, thrills and the ‘bizzare’ factor. Now, since I had never been on a bobsled-kind-of coaster before, I’m quite impressed by the coaster. The ride was very smooth and the whole thing I saw in the building was just so weird. The theming is bad but the ride was great. A 6/10 should be cool for Disaster Transport.

Next stop was Wicked Twister. Standing more than 200ft tall, the ride conquered the front section of the park. It wasn’t intense at all, but it was fun. The twister part was awesome, especially the one that goes backwards. In the line I met Charla & Mirna (go check The Amazing Race: All Stars. They won the 3rd place) but I didn’t get to take photos together. Anyway, the ride was short, yes, but it was fun. And the feeling of being launched while inverted under the rail-track was priceless. 7/10 for the Wicked Twister.

Another short-haul ride that I took in the front section was Demon Drop. I had seen the ride before in Six Flags Magic Mountain but didn’t get a chance to ride since it was shut down. Demon Drop is a perfect ride for those who want to go on the free-fall type ride yet can’t take the Power Tower. The drop was amazing but the brake part was quite a pain. If you couldn’t take high G-force, you may choose to skip this one. Although Demon Drop is short, it’s so much fun for all ages. 7/10 for the ride.

It was around 7 in the evening and I decided to go back to the back section of the park. I rode Iron Dragon, the only suspended coaster in the park. The ride was… surprisingly rough. Maybe it was just me not enjoying the coaster or what, but the coaster lacks the thrill that Ninja (Six Flags Magic Mountain) has. The coaster is short and the elements aren’t interesting, except the use of terrain surface. What’s more, the ride was overshadowed by the presence of Mantis nearby so yea… you get the idea. 4/10 for the ride. I didn’t really enjoy it. Ninja is WAY better.

I had dinner again in Panda Express at 7.10. On 7.30, I decided to re-ride the coasters that I liked. I rode Gemini once, Magnum XL-200 once and Top Thrill Dragster once. My dad was lucky enough to record me on the video while riding Top Thrill Dragster. By 9.20, my sister and my dad decided to watch the new multimedia show (I forgot what’s the name) while I went to ride Maverick and Millennium Force again. But this time… in darkness.

Maverick in the night was extremely different. Since I was unable to see anything clearly, I wasn’t ready for everything that came to me. So I had a quite painful and jerky ride since I didn’t position my body correctly. If you can’t handle pain, don’t ride Maverick at night. Yes it’s much more thrilling.

Millennium Force at night was also awesome. I went into the line at around 10.30, just right before the park was closed. The line was about 45 minutes. At night, I was able to see a beautiful view of the moonlight reflection on Lake Erie. There were stars on the sky. You can look at all of these during the steep ascend to the top of the first hill. But of course that didn’t last long. The coaster was so much more exciting, thrilling and fun at night. Unlike Maverick, Millenium Force at night was as smooth as it was in the day. Riding Millennium Force really made a difference in my ‘Top Cedar Point coasters’ list. By the time I finished, Millennium Force topped my chart.

Overall, my visit was perhaps one of the best theme park visits I’ve ever had. Cedar Point is a very friendly park. The staffs/workers in the park are very professional. They keep efficiency of every ride in the park commendable. The park is also surprisingly clean despite the huge number of visitors. The ride ops, especially, were extremely entertaining. Each time before they dispatched a train, they always said some stuff like, “Are you ready to go on the … ?” Even when the ride ended, the ride ops would ask the passengers again. “Hello people, welcome back to the station. How was your ride?” These interactions really made a difference because not only it entertained people but also made people show their enthusiasm on the rides they had just been on. The amazing thing was they didn’t do it only on the day but also at night. From 9 in the morning ‘till they dispatch the last train of the day, they kept doing that thing. This shows the real effort and enthusiasm given by the staffs and the workers of the park.

If you’re planning to go to Cedar Point, don’t be afraid to go on the weekend. The park handles efficiency very well.


My Top Cedar Point rides:
1) Millennium Force
2) Magnum XL-200
3) Gemini
4) Top Thrill Dragster
5) Skyhawk
6) Raptor
7) MaxAir
8) Maverick
9) Blue Streak
10) Wicked Twister
11) Demon Drop
12) Mantis
13) Disaster Transport
14) Mean Streak
15) Iron Dragon

What about your charts? What are the rides that you like? What do you think of Cedar Point?


Comments in chronological order. Most recent at the bottom. Scroll down to respond.

From Kaycee Glattke
Posted July 15, 2009 at 9:38 AM
Sounds like you had a very pleasant trip!! I've been lucky enough to get to go to Cedar Point twice (since I live in Florida it's a pretty long commute!) and I must say, it's by far one of my favorites. I went with my sister and dad in July or August 2007. (it was late summer) The only thing that was bad about that day was the sweltering temperatures and the lines. Maverick had just opened, so the lines for that were excruciatingly long, backed up out of the entrance. Were not line people, so I missed out on that one. But Top Thrill Dragster. Man. I had been looking up each and every detail about it on the Internet for months before we went to the park. I even bought the song they play in the queue (Republica's "Ready to Go") and put it on my iPod! I think we waited for about an hour and a half, and when we got to the station they let me cut our line because I was riding by myself. The adrenaline rush while waiting for the green light is truly the best part!! My heart was pounding while we were waiting, and then the launch was probably the most intense coaster launch I've ever experienced. I wish I couldve looked at the screen that clocks the speeds for each train, but my eyes were pretty much forced to look straight ahead! Haha! But I am so glad I got to ride TTD. The first time I went to CP it was closed because Ohio was getting the remnants of Hurricane Katrina at that time. I didn't even know what it was then lol!
I do have one question for you. What is Skyhawk? I don't remember that from when I was there.
(sorry this is so long! I would write more but I don't want to take up all the space lol; I just like to write about theme parks and roller coasters :] )

From Eli Katzman
Posted July 15, 2009 at 9:45 AM
I read it, and now I'm too tired to say very much, so i only have a few facts.

1. I looked at how long it was, so I got a couple of slices of cold pizza from the fridge. I'm not that fast of an eater, and I was done half-way through!

2. i can't wait to go. I know almost everything about Cedar Point, and I haven't even been! Oh, and thanks, you just helped me out even more!

3. I assume that the B&M coasters were popular because they only have 2! They have 5 arrow, and 5 intamin. Weird, Huh?

4. i know what you mean about mantis. I've only ridden one B&M stand-up, which was Georgia Scorcher at SFOG. My first ride, yes, i was way too up. That hurt a lot, but i can't imagine something 3 times as intense! i got to ride it a couple more times, though, so I knew what to do. Also, I found out a cool thing about B&M stand up coasters: as you go over a hill, get airtime by kind of "jumping", or lifting your feat up for airtime. It's really cool!

Ok, glad you had fun. I have a slight chance of going to CP and KI next year. I love B&M, so... I might not enjoy it as much as you, but i still love intamin, so i'll still have a blast, and notice how awesome it is!

Oh, also, I love Panda Express, too. They have one at my home park, SFA. I always get a double-entree of steemed rice and both of orange chicken. MMMMMMMMM.....

From Ryan Sanford
Posted July 15, 2009 at 4:28 PM
Nice report Adriel.

I just got back from there yesterday, and had a blast.
I'm surprised you didn't enjoy Maverick and Mantis too much.
It seems like you fit in a lot of rides in the day. Riding Millennium and Maverick multiple times is incredible. (and panda express)
Hopefully the heat wasn't too bad.
My top 5..
1) Millennium
2) Maverick
3) TTD
4) Magnum
5) Mantis

From James Rao
Posted July 15, 2009 at 6:46 PM
With Famous Dave's amazing Texas Manhandler Beef Brisket sandwich literally a chopstick away from CP, why in the world would anyone waste their time at a mall food court caliber Chinese fast food slop house like Panda Express?

Having said that, thanks for the report. Glad you had a great time!

I do have a question, though. In your report you rated Gemini and Magnum as 10/10, and gave MF a 9/10. However in your listing at the end of the report MF got the nod at #1. I am confused. Which was your favorite CP coaster?

And where's the love for the Wildcat? It may look like a traditional Wild Mouse, but it packs a bit of a punch, and is a lot of fun. You should have at least given it a go! I guess you have a reason for another visit! ;)

From Derek Potter
Posted July 15, 2009 at 6:40 PM
I like the Gemini, but I have to disagree with you on that one. I don't think it gets a 10, still good, but not a 10. I do agree with you on Mantis though. I also agree with James about Famous Daves and the Wildcat.

Glad you had fun at the Point. It's kind of hard not to..unless it rains.

From Brandon S
Posted July 15, 2009 at 9:46 PM
Yea, Gemini doesn't deserve a 10. I'm surprised you didn't like Maverick that much. I consider it one of the best in the park. Also, with Mantis, it's hit or miss on the pain. You could ride it one time and be in pain, and then go on again and have a extremely smooth ride. It's really weird. As for the Millennium night ride, it's awesome! You need to visit during Halloweekends when the fog from the haunted areas is covering the layout. It is the best ride experience ever. You were also a little to generous with Mean Streak. I think it deserves a 0. Or maybe a 1 just to be nice.

From Erin B
Posted July 17, 2009 at 11:00 PM
Great trip report! I usually only skim over long posts but I stuck with yours and it was worth it.
As for my top 10 at CP --

1) Magnum
2) Maverick
3) Millennium Force
4) Blue Streak
5) Gemini
6) Raptor
7) Top Thrill Dragster
8) Wicked Twister
9) Iron Dragon
10) Disaster Transport

Honestly, I just tacked 9 & 10 on there to get to 10.

From Adriel Tjokrosaputro
Posted July 18, 2009 at 10:42 AM
Kaycee, I had an extremely great time that day at the park. That day, though, the line was extremely long for Raptor and Mantis and that was all. Even Top Thrill Dragster's line wasn't as long as those two's. Oh and I forgot to say this. When I was lining up for Mantis, a girl collapsed due to heat exhaustion. Fortunately someone came right away and everything went all right. And haha don't worry about the length of your reply. Just look at my trip report. I should say thank you very much for reading my report. By the way, Skyhawk is a giant swing ride located nearby Snake River Falls. People often simply call it Screamin' Swing due to excessive screaming produced by its riders. Built by S&S Power, it's the world's largest swinging thrill ride.

Eli, I'm sorry if my report is too long. Hope you don't mind that much. Oh, right! They have only 2 B&Ms! No wonder... 5 Intamin?! Hahaha I just realized that as well! Oh but lately my sister and I don't really like Panda Express that much anymore. Around 2 weeks ago, we went to this Chinese restaurant called P.F.Chang in Boston and it was superb. I think there are more P.F.Changs around USA. You should go there. I wish they have P.F.Chang in theme parks.

Ryan, thank you. Appreciate your comment. Maybe it was just me; I had a quite painful time in both coasters, especially Mantis. Maverick was quite painful at night. Oh and Millennium Force is even better at night! Go at night! For the heat, unfortunately it was so hot that day. But the temperature went down so fast after 4 PM though.

James, I had no idea they have famous sandwiches nearby! Oh no! I should have gotten the sandwich instead. You're welcome, James. I did have a great time. Oh I rated Millennium Force a 9/10 because I rode the coaster earlier on the day. But then later I rode it at night and I changed my mind. Millennium Force is truly unbeatable at night. Haven't tried Magnum at night though... Poor Wildcat. I didn't get to ride it. I think I underestimated the coaster. It was my fault... I'm pretty sad right now for not riding it.

Derek, Gemini got a 10 from me because it was such a huge surprise for me. I never thought the coaster would be that much 'fun'. Therefore I gave it a 10. Oh thankfully it didn't rain on my visit, although it was a bit cloudy.

Brandon, Maverick was good at day but painful at night. That's why I gave it a 7. Woah, really? But I was so shocked because of the pain. And the line for Mantis that day reached more than 90 minutes so I decided to ride it only once. Halloweekends? Oh I've heard a lot of great stuff about the event. Unfortunately, I'm on the other half of the world during the time. Maybe next year I'll try going to Cedar Point. Thank you for the advice. Haha yes, I'm quite generous. The only way I can give Mean Streak a 1 is if I rode Mean Streak at night.

Erin, are you serious? Thank you. I thought I wrote way too much for a trip report. That's a really cool list you got there. I agree with you on Magnum XL-200, Millennium Force and Raptor. Oh no, Top Thrill Dragster at no. 7? Why?

From Erin B
Posted July 18, 2009 at 11:50 AM
While I enjoy Dragster and appreciate it for what it is, it's just not a favorite of mine. I much prefer a ride with more elements and I'm a sucker for airtime. I also have a hard time justifying an hour or more wait for a 16 second rush. It's all about personal preferences, though, and I definitely understand why some would rank it higher. I'd just rather spend my time riding more classic coasters.

From James Koehl
Posted July 25, 2009 at 4:27 AM
Why does everyone have to trash-talk Mean Streak? Yea, it's rough, but I think that roughness gives it an intense factor that the smooth steel coasters lack. Front-car in Mean Streak is an annual highlight of our CP visit.
You also didn't mention the Cedar Creek Mine Ride-now THAT is a 0/10 ride! We use it to threaten punishment for my 10 year old son when he's being a pain. The first (and only) time he rode it, when he was 7, he started loudly complaining,"This is BORING!!!BORING!!!" for the entire ride. We now tell him that if he doesn't behave we are going to make him ride the Mine Ride- he straightens up right away!
I'm glad that you seemed to have a great time at Cedar Point. I've been going there since 1965, and it's amazing to see how the park has grown since then (I won't give you a history lesson unless you really ask me for it). Sometimes we tend to take our home parks for granted- reading about how others view them helps us to see them in a different light.

From Erin B
Posted July 26, 2009 at 8:34 AM
Mean Streak gets trash-talked because many people [myself included] find that it crosses the line between wooden-coaster-roughness and unbearably painful. I personally prefer a coaster that shakes you up a little bit and think that a little roughness adds something to the ride, but Mean Streak is too much. The last time I rode that monster, I left the ride in so much pain that it literally hurt to breathe. My sister was near tears. I know that everyone has different levels of pain tolerance and what not, but I think there's a reason why Mean Streak's queue is constantly vacant.

From Ryan B
Posted July 26, 2009 at 10:46 AM
That and all the lame trim brakes.

From Brandon S
Posted July 26, 2009 at 3:54 PM
Mean Streak is the worst coaster ever. The pain is unbearable. I can take pain on coasters too, but when I'm on Mean Streak, which is barely ever, I am begging for the ride to be over. Also, yes Cedar Creek Mine Ride is a bad ride mostly because how painful that is, because they have lap bars that aren't adjustable and crush your legs. Last time I went on that, I couldn't move my legs. Literally, couldn't move my legs at all.

From Becky Conat
Posted July 27, 2009 at 12:54 PM
Alright, all the other CP peeps responded so I gotta add my two cents!! :-)

I am glad you enjoyed the park. I know I am biased since its the one I grew up at, but nothing is better then CP for coasters. (Although MM in Cali runs a very very close second)

I have to agree with your rating on Mean Streak. To me it's too rough to be enjoyable. Beast at King's Island is rough and still enjoyable, Mean Streak is not.

And I love Gemini!!! I think it's one of the best dueling coasters out there (wooden were you can slap hands.) I have ridden the American Eagles and Racers and I think Gemini has them beat. Did you know it was the tallest, fastest coaster in the world when it debuted in 1978?

My husband and brother won't ride Mantis because of the seat thing. It has happened to me too and the CP staff are strict about where those seats are before the train takes off. But I would take CP staff any day over some lax staff I have run into at Kennywood or a Six Flags.

"Welcome back riders how was your ride?" *Screams*
"Awesome (ad lib about exiting the ride), Enjoy the rest of your day at Cedar Point, America's rocking roller coast." :-D

From James Koehl
Posted July 27, 2009 at 3:34 PM
My kids and I finally got to CP yesterday, and after riding Mean Streak I can understand your problems with it. I honestly don't remember it being so rough in the past- I don't know if it needs to be rebuilt, retightened or removed. My kids refuse to ever ride it again. I still got a great adrenalin rush, but they were not having a good time. I was really surprised by the complaints about Mine Ride. I've never had a problem with the restraints, but that's just me. Obviously other have had problems. My complaint is the fact that the ride is boring!
We had a great time riding most of the other coasters, and lots of other smaller rides. The large crowds made us decide to skip TTD, Maverick and MF this visit. It's amazing how much you can do when you don't spend a few hours total in line for a roller coaster!

From Ryan Sanford
Posted July 27, 2009 at 4:23 PM
Yeah, we all know mean streak is painful and needs to be fixed.
I don't think it needs to be taken out though. Overall, its a nice layout and long ride.

From Brandon S
Posted July 27, 2009 at 4:31 PM
No, Mean Streak doesn't need work done on it. It needs to be removed. Trust me, the only way that it will EVER be a good ride is if they tear it down, and rebuild it. Nobody rides this ride anymore. There is no reason for it. They have already put work into it, and it has just made it worse. I hope the thing gets struck by lightning and burns down. We could have a bon fire! Seriously though, who cares about "how great the layout is"? It will NEVER be a good ride. I have never been on a ride rougher than Mean Streak, it's just terrible.

From James Rao
Posted July 27, 2009 at 5:10 PM
Mean Streak is another woodie built by the Dinn Corp after teaming up with Curtis Summers just like my very own Timber Wolf at Worlds of Fun. For some reason, the Dinn Corp's wooden coasters (once the partnership with Summers began) just do not stand up to the test of time. After a decade or so, the rides stop being fast and fun and just start being fast and painful. Then the requisite retracking kicks in and the ride becomes slower but stays just as painful.

The Dinn Corp has been defunct since the early 90's, maybe some of their coasters should be retired as well?

Although I do like it when the train returns to the station and the voice over the PA says: "Welcome back! How was your ride?" And everyone just replies: "PAINFUL!"

From James Koehl
Posted July 27, 2009 at 6:27 PM
If CP ever does remove Mean Streak, I hope they replace it with a water ride similar to White Water Landing. The park needs a water ride that you can ride and get a little bit wet without getting drenched and having to change clothes. I like getting spashed on a hot day, but if I want to go swimming I'll go to Soak City.

From Erin B
Posted July 27, 2009 at 9:44 PM
I'm no expert, but I really don't think there is anything that can be done to save Mean Streak. That ride is an absolute mess and efforts to fix-up the ride have brought very little improvement. Additionally, would Cedar Fair invest the money required to [possibly] make Mean Streak rideable? I know demolition is costly & the construction of a new coaster is obviously costly, but those may outweigh the cost of rehabbing and maintaining this visually impressive but incredibly disappointing coaster.

And James, rumor has it that Cedar Point will see a new log flume for the 2010 season. Note that I said "rumor", but I'm sure someone will jump on me for this regardless, haha.

From Brandon S
Posted July 27, 2009 at 10:11 PM
^Your actually quite correct about the flume for 2010. There is a lot of evidence for it. I pray to God it doesn't happen, but that's just me. Also the only thing they could do to make Mean Streak good is too rebuild it from scratch. That's not worth it, so why don't they tear it down, build a good woodie, a B&M floorless Dive Machine(my first choice) or a flyer? It's not worth keeping it there. It has very, very low ridership too.

From James Koehl
Posted July 28, 2009 at 3:06 AM
Brandon, what's wrong with a flume? This may be sacrilege, but not every ride has to be a roller coaster and not everyone likes to ride them. Take out Mine Ride and you've got plenty of room for a small-to-medium-sized flume ride, especially if part of it goes over the lagoon.

From Adriel Tjokrosaputro
Posted July 28, 2009 at 11:49 PM
I believe Mean Streak is the worst coaster in the park. The thing is I didn't ride Cedar Creek Mine Ride because it looked so kiddish, therefore I didn't ride it because I know it was just not worth the wait. Mean Streak is good yes, only if it doesn't have that super-shaky-sensation. It would be a delight if somehow they're able to reduce the vibration by getting new trains or whatever they can do (although it's nearly impossible).

Becky, yes yes! Gemini is actually the best dueling coaster I've ever been on. Dueling Dragons comes in a close second. The thing about Gemini is that the riders are able to interact with each other. When I rode it, there was quite of verbal fight between red and blue side, "You're going down!" "No you're going down!!!" And hahaha, yes I love it when the staffs do that. They really have respect toward the visitors of Cedar Point.

James, on my visit the park was surprisingly not busy at all. I visited the park on Saturday before July 4th. Even some people that I met in the park were quite surprised by how not-so-busy the condition of the park was. The longest line that day was Mantis, which peaked up to 2 hours. Thankfully I waited for only around 90-ish minute.

I don't think Cedar Point will remove Mean Streak. It's one of the biggest wooden coasters in the world: they want to keep it until it's not in the 'World's biggest wooden coasters' list anymore.

By the way, when I rode Mean Streak the 'interaction' went like this...
"Welcome back riders, how was your ride?"
*silent*
"I know, you guys are speechless,"
It was very funny.

I personally think log flume isn't something that they should build unless it's really good; like VERY VERY good. Don't get me wrong. I love log flume: it's moderate in thrill yet maximum in fun factor. But for a park like Cedar Point it just doesn't live up to expectation.

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