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Day 1
I turned out to be wrong. It rained pretty hard until about one in the afternoon, too much to even think about entering the park. By 1, it was starting to clear up, so we took a shuttle to the marina entrance. As we went into the park, none of the rides were open yet, so we decided to go ahead and eat lunch at the Game Day Grille. After lunch, the rain had pretty much stopped, and we went ahead and lined up outside the queue for Raptor, which was testing by this point.
After about a 5 minute wait, we were on, somewhere close to the back row. Raptor is by far the best invert I have ever ridden, from the layout to the airtime on the drop. It went a bit faster through the circuit than I remember in years past, probably because of the wet track.
Next up was Wicked Twister, because it was so close (and a walk-on). We rode second from the back, in order to get more air on the back spiral. Compared to other Intamin launches, the launch isn't very powerful, but it is obviously the spirals that make the ride as enjoyable as it is. We also saw Disaster Transport being deconstructed.
We walked over to Windseeker after this. I didn't get to ride it last year, because it was shut down the whole time. It was actually pretty surprising that it was open this time, because it was rainy and windy. As we were about to get on, it started pouring rain again, so we got out of line and went under the stadium next to Windseeker. We waited here for rides to open again until almost 4 o'clock as it continued to pour rain. Once it stopped, we rode Windseeker. It was pretty cool, and because you are kept at that altitude for such a long time, you really have the opportunity to appreciate how high up you are.
After Windseeker, the forecast said the rain was done for the day, which was exciting. We walked to Millennium Force next. The main queue only took about 15 minutes, but the front row line took an extra 30. As always, it was beyond worth the wait. My favorite drop I've ever ridden, followed by a supurb layout filled with a mix of overbanks, airtime, and splattered bugs makes for a world class coaster, my personal favorite. Front row really is the best way to ride it, the back row doesn't really provide much more airtime than any other row does.
Skyhawk followed Millennium Force. I love this ride, by far the best non-roller coaster I've ridden.
We checked out the winners of the Cedar Point K'nex contest after this. They were really cool to see, although I noticed that they all had some damage from transit. I took a few pictures of Mythos that I'll share later.
Maverick came next. The queue was about 45 minutes, as usual, and we sat in the back row. I prefer the back on Maverick, it's more intense in really every way. It seemed to throw you around more than I remember, which is good other than the fact that my ears are level with the OTSR's.
By this point it was about six, and we made the decision to wait for dinner until the park closed at 9. We then headed for Top Thrill Dragster, and queued up. Probably a 20 minute wait later, we were in line for front row, and in another 20 minutes were in the train. The station is split into two separate loading platforms, and the advantage of loading on the second train is that you get to see the train in front of you launch.
It was just as intense as I remember it being, but I had an easier time keeping my eyes open. A look around from the top and a few swallowed bugs later, my brother and I were exiting the train and looking at how hilarious we looked on the on-ride photo.It was getting dark by this point, and we rode Iron Dragon and Mantis. Both were walk-ons, front row for Iron Dragon and second row for Mantis. We hit a swarm of bugs on Iron Dragon (what else is new), and Mantis wasn't as painful on the feet as in previous years.
At this point, it was about 8:30, and we decided the last ride of the night would be Magnum. My brother, for whatever reason, doesn't like it, so he and my dad left the park to get a table at Famous Dave's, where we would eat dinner. My mom and I headed to Magnum, and because she "doesn't do airtime," I rode as a single rider, ejector row of course. It was pretty cool to ride it in the dark, which I've never done before. It was a great ride to end the day on.
For dinner at Famous Dave's was a spicy pulled pork sandwich and jalapeno macaroni & cheese.
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Day 2
The day started out on a much nicer note than the first day, with perfect weather and no rain on the forecast. We headed to the park at 9:30, and got in line for early entry at 10 at the resort entrance. We could only stay until 2:00, because it was an 8 hour drive home and my brother had school the next day, so we prioritized what we needed to ride.
Once they released us, we ran to Millennium Force first. I was the first one to get there from the resort entrance, but a number of people beat us from the marina entrance. We walked right into the station, and got in the short line for front row. We would have been on and off the ride in 5 minutes or so, but it broke down after 2 trains (we were next to go!). Everyone waited half an hour until they fixed the problem, and tested a few trains. We luckily got to ride before early entry finished. It's a good thing we didn't leave the line and come back later, because the queue filled up very quickly.
We walked to Top Thrill Dragster next, and got in line just before early entry finished. We saw the mob coming as soon as we got in line. It was about a 20 minute wait, and they had to add the last train (gold). We rode back row. I was surprised at how much more intense the drop was from the back, which I certainly didn't expect.
After that, we decided to hit some more important rides that we hadn't yet. We walked to Gemini. The line was 15 minutes, which was surprising, but it turned out that only the red side was running. Still a fun ride, and very smooth, but not quite as fun as when both trains are running.
Next was Cedar Creek Mine Ride. It has always reminded me of something on RCT2, which is always fun to imagine. It's a fun ride as well.
We rode Power Tower following Cedar Creek Mine Ride, the shot side. The shot up is fun, and there are great views.
The last roller coaster of the day was Blue Streak, which I had to convince my brother to ride because he doesn't like rough roller coasters. It was about a 15 minute wait, and we rode in the middle of the train. It was just as fun and airtime-filled as I remember, and not as bumpy as my brother remembered.
After this, I got a t-shirt and we had to leave. Although the first half of the first day was rainy and almost rideless, we still had a great time. The rain also had the effect of almost clearing out the park on the first day!
Ride Count:
Raptor x1
Wicked Twister x1
Millennium Force x2
Maverick x1
Top Thrill Dragster x2
Iron Dragon x1
Mantis x1
Magnum XL-200 x1
Gemini x1
Cedar Creek Mine Ride x1
Blue Streak x1
Windseeker x1
Skyhawk x1
Power Tower x1
I'll post pictures tomorrow.
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