Siren’s Curse is a brand new Vekoma Tilt model roller coaster (not a dive coaster like some supposed "Insider" says in the video) installed at Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio.
[If you want just the POV video, here it is.]
The Tilt coaster is unique due to the tilt section of track that sits at the top of the lift hill. Once the roller coaster is sitting on the tilt section just off the top of the lift hill, it is locked in by a front bumper and full holder on the back, locking in the coaster car. The section of track then breaks free on a pivot positioned near the middle of the coaster and tilts 90 degrees into a vertical position with the front car below the back car. After a system check to make sure the pivot section and the below catch track are perfectly lined up, the front bumper is removed, and then the back holder is released.
I really like the queue of Siren’s Curse. There is no Disney-level theming, but there is a nautical theme to go with the backstory of Sirens haunting Lake Erie. There are bubblers to keep things interesting and what appears to be toxic waste barrels, because who wouldn’t want a ride themed to toxic waste? The beauty in the queue doesn’t rely on these manmade objects, but in that the queue wraps around the feet of the roller coaster and becomes a great advertisement for what you’re about to ride.
Like most new roller coasters, the ride is perfectly smooth like glass. The release is a bit jarring where my head consistently hit the headrest behind me, but not violently or hard, just enough that I felt pressure. More violent, but in a good way, was everything that happened after the drop. In too many cases where a coaster has a good gimmick to start with, it seems like, just after the gimmick is over, you’re already most of the way back to the station, but not Siren’s Curse. This coaster relentlessly pops bunny hills and direction changes throughout the lower half at such a fast pace that the elements are difficult to count while riding.
The over-the-shoulder restraints lay flat so they don’t box your ears, and particularly when in the vertical position, there is enough give in the harness that you lean forward quite a way from the back of the seat…which is probably why you are thrown back when the coaster releases from vertical.
One of my favorite things about this coaster is something completely new to Cedar Point: on-ride speakers and a corresponding soundtrack. When the ride pulls out of the station, you will hear airy, melodic, yet spooky music, like Gregorian Chants sung by women, essentially the sound of the sirens themselves. Pulling onto the lift, the siren’s melody is accompanied by threats and taunts, with the final taunt being delivered as the roller coaster tilts. But the moment that the coaster car drops, the soundtrack is completely replaced by heavy metal instrumental music that accompanies you throughout the lower portion of the coaster.
Siren’s Curse will utilize two coaster trains, each with six cars that seat four people each, for a total of 24 people per run. At 90 seconds-ish per run, I worry that the queue and wait time might get out of control very quickly. But my biggest complaint about Siren’s Curse is not the coaster itself, but the placement. Many other deserving parks in the Six Flags/former Cedar Fair portfolio would have Siren’s Curse in their top three coasters in the park, but at Cedar Point, it’s hard to make an argument for Siren’s Curse being included in the park's top six.
If you’re interested in the convoluted history of how Cedar Point got Siren’s Curse, I posted a somewhat cryptic article on the discussion boards that goes into it: The History and Origins of Siren's Curse.
Siren’s Curse is set to open to the public on Saturday.
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Oldtimers rule!
This seems to be consistent with other impressions of this coaster that it is more than the 1-trick pony that it looked like it was when it was announced last fall. The layout does appear to delver a thrilling experience, and the addition of the fog in the tunnel and on-board audio sets this apart from pretty much everything else at Cedar Point.
Looks like Cesar's got a pretty impressive new bicycle there. ;-)
I was worried that this might wind up being a ride that didn't have a whole lot of interest besides the tilt, but it's good to hear that despite the short ride length it still packs quite a bit into the layout. I'm hearing a lot of people saying it's a top five at the park, which is a very impressive feat for a park with three or four coasters ranked among the best in the world. Would it have been better at a different park? Yeah, probably, but I understand the decision to install it here given the debacle that was Top Thrill 2. Either way, with this and Flash at SFGAdv looking like they're going to be the best of the bunch among regional US parks this year, I hope it paves the way for more modern Vekomas across the chain, as the company has a lot of fantastic concepts in their catalog that would be excellent fits for the small or mid-size parks that don't need a giga-sized investment.
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I've been saying all offseason this will be the sleeper hit of 2025. People on this (and other) websites have been crapping on it because its a last minute addition, sent from another park, not "CP quality" etc but quite frankly even though there is already a taller vertical drop coaster right next to it, this looks like a much more fun ride. Not everything has to be the tallest or fastest to be fun.