8/16: Open to Close (Random Quotes!)

Edit: Damn! Didn't think it would be this long. Really made the TR for myself but if you read it all I'll give you a gold star!

I rarely do Trip Reports, partly because I don't read other peoples' TRs, mostly because I'm too lazy to. But this time around I felt compelled to do so, because of some really fun times with my friends, and some notable things around the park.

Departure: 7:10am, 8 Mile and I-94
Mode: I-94, I-75, I-280, Route 2.
-Note: First time taking Route 2 to CP. We had a medium sized group, so my friend followed in his car. We got to about half mile separation, due to a slow driver between us.
Arrival: 9:30ish
Overall weather: Sunny, mid-high 80's, low humidity. A perfect day, almost too perfect...

Ride Breakdown:
1) Top Thrill Dragster
Wait: ~45min.
Notes: I was the fool holding a small American Flag in one hand, with the other hand pointing "Number 1!" and trying to do my best "I'm a tourist" impression ;) :)

2a) Corkscrew
Wait: ? 30-45min.
Notes: I was super hungry after Dragster, so I grabbed insano-expensive nachos from the grandstands while my friends waited and rode Corkscrew.

2b) Sky Ride
Wait: n/a
Notes: My friend insisted that the Sky Ride be called the Gondolas. Really, what else is there to report with the Sky Ride?

Line check: Walked to Raptor and saw a 45-90 minute wait. Gave up and dipped our feet into Blue Streak's queue and didn't like the wait there either.

2c) Wicked Twister
Wait: ~50min.
Notes: Props to the crew for keeping the long line moving. Line began around the pop machines, but seemed to consistently move. Also didn't seem to be too bad thanks to that nice lake breeze. Oh, where's the dive show? My friend is a diver and wanted to dive fro the random red chair up there.

Line check: MaxAir closed. Boo.

3) Disaster Transport
Wait: ~45min.
Notes: "If there's one line you wait in at Cedar Point, this is the one!" ... "It feels best when you lift up your shirt and lean on it." ... "Dirtiest pole in the whole park!" ... "I see this is where Spencer's gifts gets their money from." ... "Oh Flash Welding! That flash bulb sure is welding!" ... "You know, that robot has been repairing the same car for at least 6 years." ... "Look, the boxes up there move! / Oh, that's what this is, a tissue box factory." ... "How many in your party? / Seven. / Ok, step aside please. / Oh, where's that REJECT light now eh?!?" :) That was a fun queue.

Line check: Magnum looked to be 90min. and over.

4) Gemini
Wait: ~30min.
Notes: Was the ride op making a reference to Red vs. Blue? ;) Very smooth ride, but only one hand slap...

5) Mine Ride
Wait: <20min.
Notes: The definite "jackass" coaster for my friends and I. The station was PACKED, what happened to the western-theme turnstyle? On the curve that passes the station, I took advantage of it and waved my American Flag and yelled "AMERICA NUMBER ONE OH YES!" as we passed by. Perfect. Timing.

Random Note: Where'd the mutant carp go?
Quote: "Man, this river sure smells like methane or meth-amphetamines. / Methanephetamines?"

6) Mean Streak
Wait: ~40 min.
Notes: "Man, I forgot how out-of-the-way this coster is." Why the hell did they have the overflow queue open? Seriously, what a pain in the ass to walk all the way around! My friend and I really wanted to go on MS because I guess we're sadistic. Last year we were really beat up by the ride, and this year we knew we were in for a ride. As the train unloaded, nearly all the girls were holding their boobs, and not in the good way, but the painful way. Our train came to a full stop on the brake run, and there was a definite collective groan of pain from everyone on the train. My friends have eternally dubbed this woodie "The Pain Streak."

Line Check: White Water Landing. No "queue time" sign, but it was just about to pour onto the midway. Too bad, it would've been a nice splash of coolness.

Food Break: I noticed the "Basket Trick" at the food stand in Frontier Town with the sheltered outdoor area. My friend and I split a basket, she takes the fries, I take a footlong hotdog. The girl at the counter asks, "Would you like cheese on that?" Sure, why not. A minute later, she presents me with a footlong COVERED with cheese. I cannot emphasize how much cheese she put on there. Imagine taking a footlong bun, filling it full with nacho cheese, then putting the footlong dog in it. In hindsight I should've taken that cheesedog back to her and demanded another, but I didn't. My friends and I start taking fries and scraping cheese to the side. Still, it was pretty bad. I ate the meat of it, and thank God I could taste that it was actual beef too, but there was still a good 8" of bread and nacho cheese.

"If I wasn't such a respectful person and if I weren't such a huge fan of Cedar Point and of it's workers, I would sooo throw this cheese monstrosity onto the midway."

Random Note: I was really disappointed when we walked down Frontier Trail and they had $4.99 turkey drumsticks. Really disappointed.

Line Check: Millennium Force. Well, there was no line - ride was down for some reason.

7a) Mantis
Wait: ~45min.
Notes: Sat this one out, Mantis kills my crotch down to my feet. Instead my girlfriend and I sat by the photo booth and laid down to rest. I managed to get a good 5 minute power nap in there. Go me.

7b) Iron Dragon
Wait: <10min.
Notes: Shortest wait of the whole day, and if my friends weren't so gung-ho for Raptor, I would've gone again. VERY relaxing ride. It was early evening, very cool breeze, very nice ride. I used to shun the Dragon, but I now defend her. It gives a great swooping feeling as you fly through whats left of the trees. Need a break? Ride the Dragon.

8) Magnum
Wait: ~45min.
Notes: She's smooth again! But the atmosphere in the station is almost drab. The stupid lawyer spiel doesn't even have background music. Nevertheless the ride was great. "Hey Tom, umm you wanna tell the ops that the last tunnel is on fire? / On fire? / Yeah dude, the smoke is just pouring outta there!"

9)Gemini
Wait: ~20min.
Notes: Most entertaining ride of the day. My friend and his girlfriend were in Red while my girlfriend and I were in Blue. Other groups of friends were in each train, yelling back and forth at each other. Handslaps up and down the train, as well as a maneuver I had never seen before; the "trainslap" - a horseriding style maneuver where you slap the side of your train to try to increase your speed. I think it worked cuz there was a guy doing it on Red and she won. Oh, and going down drops while looking back at your friend in another train and shaking your fist at him is alot of fun. Just don't do it before you go into the helix.

Line Check: Sky Ride (aka The Gondolas). It was late enough that the Gondola Rush Hour forced us to walk to Raptor. No biggie.

10) Raptor
Wait: ~40min.
Notes: Night had fallen, and the park had begun to light up. The new lighting on the games area is magnifiscent, as well as the lighting around the Sky Ride stations. The lights by the games adds to the excitement as you go up the first hill. Definitely one of the best rides I've ever had on her. And props to the Raptor crew, they kept everything moving!

Line Check: MaxAir. While on Raptor we saw MaxAir swinging, but the queue was dumping out onto the midway. For the life of me I can't convince my girlfriend that it spins slowly, despite even seeing it in motion!

11) Magnum
Wait: ~25min.
Notes: An all-out funfest. Smooth, smooth ride, not too many bugs, just all out fun.

Depart: 10:20pm, Soak City Lot
Final Departure: 10:50, after the immediate traffic jam and re-fueling.
Arrival: 1:10am, after dropping people home.

Final Notes: Overall, at least with the park-side of things and not the people-side (maybe too many people), I was happy with the trip, although at the same time I could see how peoples complaints were true. Food service, like my footlong cheese dog that just happened to have a hotdog in it, was OK. There are deals in the park with food that I dubbed "Cedar Point deals" which are deals at CP but rip-offs anywhere else. A food overhaul at the Point would be welcomed by my friends and I. Ride-ops were consistently friendly and looked like they were having fun. We miss having the Freeway stamps, though.

For a Tuesday mid-August trip it was pretty good. I was a little spoiled by my first trip back in early June, but I had fun. It was also the first time I had driven and gone from park open to close. Next time, I'll get more than 4 hours of sleep!

*** Edited 8/18/2005 8:15:19 AM UTC by MiLLeNNiuMRiDeR***

280 is open?

As of yesterday 280 southbound is open. But 280 northbound is closed at front street

I bet your friend that says "gondola" is a skier, right?

Sounds like a very crowded day. Was MF closed all day?

I was there this day also and yes Millennium Force was closed all day. Man, that park was packed! Never have I seen it that busy before, ever.

Sounds like you had lots of fun, your trip report was very amusing to read (and yes I read it all!)

Gold star to Jillly!

I-280 south is open, but north is closed after Rte. 2, only "open to local traffic". But the detour led us only about 1000 feet out of the way and then back onto I-280. I think it's ok you go that way late at night like we did, but if you go during more busy times your milage may vary.

I'm guessing that Millennium Force caused all of the other lines to be much longer than normal. So many people can fit in the turnstiles at once that it seems like a small city sometimes! At least Top Thrill Dragster was open all day, that probably helped the situation.

Monday the 15th was also a busy day.. but not too bad. Millenium Force was running that day but not at night. I guess the 16th was "Roller Coaster Day" whatever that is supposed to mean.