Coastermania '03

[coastrcorey]

Ok here I go!So, me and my dad left on thursday right after I got out of school (my last day). We were all packed up ready to make our 8 hour journey. I started out driving. Our plan was that I would drive all the way to Gurnee and switch drivers there. Once we were in Gurnee my dad all of a sudden pulled into the drop-off area at GAm... I was shocked! He said, "Ok, I'll pick you back up here in an hour and a half.". So I ran to the gates with my season pass in hand. Only thing I rode though was V2... The park was packed with schools. Afterwards, we left Gurnee and continued our trip to Sandusky, OH. We got caught in MAJOR traffic in Chicago. The traffic jam set us back a whole hour. After we got through that it was a looong drive through Indiana and half of Ohio. We didn't get to Sandusky until 12:00!!! So, we asked for a wake-up call at 4:00 am. We realized we'd only get 4 hours of sleep before our 21 hour day at Cedar Point. Then we realized we went through a time-zone change. So, we'd actually only get 3 hours of sleep! Woke up, got dressed and ready, then headed to the park. I've gotta say, it's really cool going to an amusement park so early in the morning.Well, we got there, and I INSTANTLY fell in LOVE with the park. It's AMAZING! We ended up being first in line to get into the park. We were disappointed to learn that Top Thrill Dragster was down, but we did end up getting ERT on Millenium Force instead. Once they let us in everyone (including us) ran to Millenium Force. We got on the ride. It was SOOO COOL! After that, MF's line was huge, so we just walked over to Dragster to stare at it. NONE of you (unless you've been there) can even imagine how big this thing is. It is HUGE! At about that time we got our ERT on Power Tower... That is a very neat ride also. Then we got a bunch of ERT on Raptor... I applaud the Raptor crew for there amazingly excellent operation of the ride. They were pumping people through that thing SO fast (no stacking at all either).Since TTD wasn't working, they gave us all two little cards. One was a line bypass card for ANY ride in the park (you went through the exit of a ride and bypassed the whole line)(better than freeway). The other was a freeway card for TTD (it can be used anytime during the season).We used our line bypass on Millenium Force and got front row... Amazing!Through the 10 am - 10 pm regular day we rode pretty much every roller coaster (except a few). Great day. At noon we went to a presentation by Monty Jasper and a few other CP execs. That was fun. We learned a lot about Dragster and what it's current problems are. At 2:00 pm we had our 'complimentary' lunch. Then, at 10 pm, we started the rest of our ERT. First we rode Magnum, then Gemini twice. Then, Magnum again. And to finish the day off, Wicked Twister 9 times in a row!!! There was nobody at Wicked Twister... We were practically the only ones there!After that, we went back to the hotel... Slept... Then on our way back home I stopped at GAm again! I got there at 6:30, and stayed till closing... Rode: East River Crawler, American Eagle blue twice in a row, Giant Drop, Viper, then a Superman night-flight.So, my Coastermania trip was AMAZING! I don't want this to sound bad, and Great America still is and always will be a great park, but, Cedar Point does sort of put it to shame... Lol, yes, it's that good! I'll definately be back for Coastermania '04! I'm already also considering working at Cedar Point when I'm 18 (after my senior year of high school).Intersting Random Fact I Learned:- At night they actually water Mean Streak. That's right, there are actually sprinklers on Mean Streak to water the wood and keep it from warping and to keep it moist...* Pictures Coming Soon *

[Do I Know You]

Great TR!! I would've gone if I didn't have school that day >_<

[DejaVuGurl1203]

Good TR! Sounds like you had a great time. If I went I would have been disappointed too that TTD was closed. I might try to go next year, I'd just have to convince my parents.

[coasterguy]

I hope TTD is open when I go in 11 days!!

[coastrcorey]

Yeah, I'm going to convince my uncle to take me later this summer when TTD is a little more reliable. Then I'll be able to use my Freeway pass.Oh yeah! I forgot to mention that I did see TTD test run twice through the course of the day... When it tested it was SO incredible! It's speed and power is amazing! Watching that train climb that tower made me salivate... Lol, I wanted to ride it REALLY bad! The tower lights (the ones that mimic the tree) seem to sort of work, they looked pretty cool... Oh well, hopefully I'll still get to take a ride on it this summer.

[SFGA 11]

Nice TR. Hopefully I will be able to go to Cedar Point again this year for HalloWeekends.

[CoasterDave316]

- At night they actually water Mean Streak. That's right, there are actually sprinklers on Mean Streak to water the wood and keep it from warping and to keep it moist...

Ha, I found that funny, it obviously doesn't help the ride. I wonder if they are hopeing for Mean Streak to grow into a better coaster.

[SFGAmfreak4life]

Good TR. I hope I can make it out there the day after I graduate.

[coastrcorey]

Oh yeah... At Q&A with Monty and the others, someone asked about Mean Streak... They said they spend about $250,000 every month to maintain it? Yeah, and he talked about how they had to add brakes and other modifications to how they run it, just to keep it's maintenance cost down. Whatever...

[coasterzak]

Excellent trip report. Too bad you couldn't have stopped at SFWoA. Glad you liked my CP! I still haven't been there yet though. Hoping to get a ride on TTD, but you are right, it is so hard to understand how tall it is. Everyone just thinks its a tall, quick ride, but just seeing it up close blows you away! I couldn't believe it from the parking lot, and I'm yet to set foot in the park to look straight up at it. But she is huge. I'm happy someone else has got to experience the point, it is an experience like no other. And yes, your SFGAm is still a great park! I might not make it this year, but will travel to SFDL, SFNE, SFGAdv and SFA all in one huge roadtrip. I'll have to let you guys know how it compares.

[SFGAmfreak4life]

Sounds cool coasterzak. Man I cant wait until I go to CP!

[goldmember]

Coastrcorey, just out of curiosity, did you like millennium force more than raging bull. I've heard different opinions from some people. Another thing, is iron dragon or gemini worth riding. I want to know what rides to hit when i go in 10 days.

[coastrcorey]

Oh yeah! I definately loved Millenium Force over Raging Bull. Both are great, but MF really takes the cake in my book. I just love how there are dual load/unload stations (increased capacity), the smooth elevator lift, and the intense drop!Iron Dragon and Gemini are definately good rides! Don't miss 'em... They may seem wimpy, but both are really fun! Gemini is surprisingly smooth!

[SFGA 11]

Yeah, when I went to Cedar Point I was expecting Gemini to be rough since it is fairly old (built in 1978), but I was suprised to find it smooth and fun! Although I like SFGam, CP gives more a friendly feeling to you, and they make you feel welcome.IMHO.

[SFGAmfreak4life]

Gemini is smooth because it runs on steel rails. Technically it is a steel coaster. Its only considered a woodie because of the wood supports.

[coasterzak]

CP does tend to feel like it is stuck up and better than all other parks. That is the only thing I do not like about it. They know they are good and they can take that too far sometimes.

[coastrcorey]

Got my pictures! They're kind of crummy, but oh well.http://www.photogra.com/index.cfm/a:413772

[chiatrain]

Nice CP photos, corey. Hearing the good things about CP(minus TTD being down), I am really looking forward to my first CP visit later in the Season.

[SFGA 11]

Nice pics. Glad you had a fun time at CP.