Jason Bryans
Trip Report - Cedar Point 5-13-00 - Opening Day
Weather - Warm and windy - Rainy in the early AM, turning to mostly sunny around noon.
Crowd - Packed
5-12-00
We decided to stay at camper village to see how the facilities were. We arrived on the peninsula around 10:00. We were able to see Millennium Force from several miles before we reached the causeway. To get to Camper Village we had to travel along the shoreline past Blue Streak and then we slowed down when we came to Millennium Force. I had to stick my head out of the window to see the top of the lift hill. There were no lights other than the beacon at the top and the moonlight. The supports looked so much thicker than I had imagined. We continued past the turnaround after the lift. It was wider than the photos I had seen. We parked the camper and ran to the parking lot next to Gemini. We watched the testing of ripcord with several of the employees. Several seconds later we heard a faint sound that slowly turned into a roar. We looked and saw Millennium Force running though it's course. I was in sheer awe. After two of the trains past, we heard loud clicking. I remembered that the yellow train had problems with the anti-rollbacks making the noise. I looked and sure enough, a yellow blur. At that point, I fell on my knees and blacked out.
5-13-00
Our plan was to wake up at 6:00, get out of the camper and be at the Marina entrance by 6:30 to beat any crowd that might form. We woke up and the sound of rain on the top of the camper was very distinct. We were depressed, it was raining and opening day. Someone must have really liked us because at 6:30 the rain ceased to fall, granted the ground was fairly damp, but there was no more rain. Needless to say there was much rejoicing.
We quickly got ready for our big day and donned our running shoes, camera and money and we were out the door. As many know, Camper Village is a good 20 min wait from the Mariana entrance and we were late as it was. A very nice employee (who will remain nameless) gave us a ride to the entrance. We jumped in line around 7:00. We weren't the first people there but we were very close. Whist in line, we met a couple behind us, who at first we thought was Monty Jasper and his wife. We talked for the remaining 2 hours about roller coasters and Cedar Point in general. I also saw Dan and several other recognizable people behind us. We saw several guests running from the main entrance towards Millennium Force and all heck broke loose. There was an old man taking the tickets (which were no more than simple adding calculator paper slips) He definitely wasn't ready for the people shoving season passes or tickets in his face and running.
We sprinted past the dodgem II. There were probably 60 people ahead of us waiting to get into the que, very decent. When the finally settled in the line, we were one row from the ramp leading to the loading station. The first train started up the hill and there was cheering from the entire line, it crested and Swoosh! It came around the que and the crowd was applauding and cheering, it was definitely a high-energy moment. My favorite part of the que is near the unloading platform. The track is so close you could reach out and touch it. It's thrilling to forget it's there and have it zoom right behind you. By the time you turn around it's already past. Finally we made our way into the station. I must say that is one of the most impressive stations ever. The spinning Millennium Force gobos, "chasing" red neon lights over the trains, and the sounds of everyone cheering was absolutely exhilarating.
From here the format will be in the standard form, with minimal commentary, of all the rides and places in the order that they happened.
Millennium Force
Seat: Blue train, right side, fourth row from the back of the train.
Wait: 15 mins
Comments: The train flies out of the station and up the hill. From there you don't have time to enjoy the view. The first drop sure feels like it's straight down. You are glued to your seat around the turn and into the tunnel. The second hill had some good airtime. After that, pure speed, smoothness and more speed to boot. Pulling into the station there wasn't a person yelling, applauding or cheering. Fellow coaster enthusiasts, we have a winner!
Chaos
Seat: Bucket 12
Wait: Walk-on
Comments: *yawn* It looks great but it's not that exciting.
Magnum XL-200
Seat: Front, left side
Wait: 25 mins
Comments: Even though Millennium Force has eclipsed it, this is still a great coaster. It's definitely worth the wait. It was a little rough, probably due to the winds and the fact that I had been spoiled by Milennium Force.
White Water Landing
Seat: Is there any real difference?
Wait: 5 mins
Comments: I was more interested in the views of Millennium Force than the actual ride.
Wave Swinger
Seat: "one of those red ones"
Wait: 3 mins
Comments: Come on! I was damp from White Water Landing; it seemed like a good idea.
Mean Streak
Seat: Blue Train, last row, left side
Wait: 40 mins
Comments: Ouch! I'd love it if they had better trains. The molded rubber is an instant backache. Always carry plenty of insert favorite pain reliever here.
Raptor
Seat: Read comment below
Wait: 2.5 hours
Comments: This was the biggest disappointment. We start climbing the stairs to the loading platform when the ride is shut down due to winds. We had been in line for an hour, another few mins wasn't going to hurt. Well… 1.5 hours later, still nothing. We left the que.
Gemini
Seat: Red Side Third row, right side
Wait: 20 mins
Comments: There is a reason it's called GEMini, this is certainly a hidden gem of Cedar Point. Why more people don't ride is beyond me. The trains weren't dispatched at the same time so there was no hand slapping but there was some competition on being first to the station. Needless to say, the red side wasn't victorious.
Cedar Creek Mine Ride
Seat: third from front, left side
Wait: 2 mins
Comments: I love the new system that they installed. It makes for more efficient operations. It really is a good ride, great for kids who aren't up to magnum but are a little old for Jr. Gemini.
Millennium Force
Seat: Red Train, Third from the back, left side
Wait: 2.5 hours
Comments: We were really spoiled the first time having waited 15 mins. This was to be our last ride of the day. It was getting dark and I had the urge to ride once more. The lights came on around 10:30. The supports alternated red, white and blue and there was much rejoicing. We boarded, hooked up the belts and we blasted up the hill. We crested the top and headed going straight down. Riding in the dark is awesome; nothing can prepare you for the insane ride. It seemed like we were going so much faster in the dark. If you have a chance to ride Millennium Force once, do it as late as possible.
Ripcord
Seat: 3 people, Right side
Wait: 15 mins
Comments: I had never been on ripcord before, 10:30 at night seemed like a great time. We suited up, strapped on and we were hoisted up… and up… and up. Finally we got to the top. 3 - 2 - 3 - Fire! We dropped and swooped. It was an awesome! It was definitely worth the 15 bucks.
Overall impressions: I have never been to Cedar Point on opening day, especially for an event such as the opening day of Millennium Force. The weather was great. I set out to ride Millennium Force and I did just that. Other than the Raptor incident, the trip was absolutely perfect. Millennium Force was everything I imagined and more, Cedar Point and Intamin defiantly has a winner, hands up.
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Keep it Coastin'
Jason Bryans
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Owner of The Cedar Point Coaster Web Page
http://www.msu.edu/user/bryans
Wow! What a great report!
A couple of comments about it:
-Hey, there is nothing wrong with taking a spin on Wave Swinger after White Water Landing. In fact, that is one of my favorite things to do at Cedar Point.
-That many people DO ride Gemini, the capacity is just that great.
-You really make me want to get back up to CP to ride MF again :)
Thanks for the great report!