A (longwinded) NooBs first trip...

wow...boring trip dude.

Whoops. Lets try that again, shall we? It was many things, boring was not one of them....

OK, trip report time. I got loads of useful info from this board prior to my pilgrimage to the point this past weekend, so here is my attempt at giving something back. And it’s a little longwinded…

As noted, first time to CP. Ever. Events finally transpired to allow for a solo 2.5 day jaunt. So, I fired up the package deal, and off I went. Chose the Hotel breakers for purely mathematical reasons. I looked at the actual value of the extras and what I would use (ie soak city tix = zero value since it wasn’t open and I flew in from Chicago (and boy are my arms tired)). HB had the biggest positive between room rate and package cost. GREAT decision as I ended up loving that walking distance location. But boy is that place a dump. Amenities really didn’t figure into my decision making process as it was just me, and wasn’t planning on being in the room much – which I wasn’t. And maybe I am spoiled by more “modern” facilities, but 100 years old or not that place was just plain old. 100 years of smoke permeated the place. People were eager to please, and the stay was pleasant enough, but those who believe that place is anything other than adequate as a hotel really need to get out more!

That said, I can see why many folks believe CP to be the best park on the planet. It reminded me of parks my parents would take us to 25 years ago. And in this way, nostalgia was a good thing.

LOVED the frontier area, loved the midway. My home park is SFGAM outside of Chicago, a fact that will come into play, especially in the ride specific comments. It felt much more like a holistic “theme park” than a collection of rides, which I enjoyed. Arrived Sat evening, had about 4 hours in the park before closing. Sunday the 14th I decided to trip to up Geauga Lake and kill the morning there, which was both a good and bad decision, especially regarding ride availability at CP the next day . Monday, I had from open to about 4 PM before leaving for the airport. This was pretty much sufficient time, especially as I was alone and in “accomplish many things” mode – so I was hustling pretty good.

Ill get to the rides at CP in a bit, but a few words about Geauga Lake. Judas Priest was this place a graveyard. Got there when it opened, and as is my habit, tooled to the back of the park to make my way forward “against traffic” – except there WAS no traffic. So, rode Raging Wolf bobs – only person on the ride. Then rode Dominator – ONLY person on the ride. Then rode thunderhawk and Villain – ONLY PERSON on the ride. It was turning kind of spooky. I actually started waiting for people to show up.

Now, I did have fun on those rides, it is a strange – and quiet - experience indeed to have an entire ride to yourself. But it did take some of the fun out of it. Coastering, I learned, is a bit of a social activity, which I never realized before. It is an individual, and a communal experience at the same time. And that’s as philosophical as I intend to get.

All of the aforementioned coasters are fine examples of their form – I especially liked the fact that I rode a woody with steel supports, and a steel with wooden supports (Gemini) in the same day. Big Dipper wins the award for the worst restraint system in the history of mankind. Good coaster, but in the name of all that is good and holy, retrofit some real lap bars in that thing! Skipped Steel Venom (here’s that SFGAM reference) as it is identical to V2 at Great America. I really made the trip to go on Xflight, and it was worth the trip. A better ride, more varied overall, than Sup:Ult Flight at SFGAM (S:UF still has the most outrageous element EVER at the bottom of that dive loop) but this was fun throughout. Front and back were BOTH very good indeed.

So, back to CP. Sat night, TTD was pretty much not running (Saw a lap or two from a distance, but intermittent running at best.) By the time I got back on Sun, there were people sitting in the cars, but they never moved… and it closed, never to reopen, not that night, and not all day on Monday. So, a disappointment, but reason enough to go back.

Monday, I figured I would be a riding machine – during the week, kids in school, should be empty, right? Nope – here come the calculators and pencils, and busloads of school kids. Physics day, apparently. Not a big deal, except I felt a little bit intimidated – never was all that good at math! Really, this made a pleasant change from the Geauga Graveyard – full of life and the way are park should be. Only negative manifestation was in the line for MF – since TTD was down, the line was certainly more than it would have been had that other monster been open. So as a result, only got in one ride – but what a ride it was. Ive never been a particular nut about first drops – and in fact this one is NOT the most intense for me – that honor goes to Raging Bull. And I think I know why. MF crests and drops – fairly standard activity. Bull crests, dips a bit and then drops – so you go over with a little flair. And I swear that thing leaves the tracks. The float is unreal. But on bull, the rest of the ride pretty much sucks. MF, is, as you know, interesting and fun the whole way thru due to that speed. And smoooooth. I even liked the restraints. Felt secure enough to let go and “raise the roof” on my first flight – and I expected this one to be a knuckle-whitener. A winner thru and thru. Gotta lose a little weight though. That belt was just a little too close for comfort, and to be refused to ride is enough reason to pass on that extra donut.

Many – many other rides were down intermittently throughout the day, which caused some walking frustration, but it is early May, so what can you do? Magnum was a walk on ALL DAY – which was rather shocking to me. Speaking of Magnum (which I probably rode more than any other ride) – loved it, but whoever says THIS one is smooth is nuts. I think a few fillings came loose. Maybe it was the cold weather, or the night time rides, but this was on par with the corkscrew for comfort.

A few other thoughts.

Gemini – LOVED IT. Maybe my second favorite after MF. Could really feel the back on the train PUSHING the front over some of the hills

Mean Streak. Biggest disappointment. BRAKES on the first drop??? Travesty! Great layout, long, but come on now, this shouldn’t be a family ride. First seat was a walk on regularly.

Blue Streak – this is a little more like it. Classic, and fun

Mine Ride – this was actually my first ride on the first night. Not as bad a restraint issue as the dipper at GL, but not comfortable either. Good ride.

Corkscrew – similar to demon (the old “turn of the century” at SFGAM) rode for the sake of completeness. Once.

Disaster Transport – Am I the only one who likes this? Having ridden similar rides outside, the enclosed part completely redeemed it. LOVED the enclosed hill. Very effective illusion – felt like you weren’t going up at all. Just going slowly forward. Reminded me of the tunnel in Willa Wonka and the Chocolate factory – never a bad thing.

Iron Dragon – rode for completeness. Again, once.

Mantis – Certainly better than iron wolf at SFGAM, but not a real fan of the standing coaster. Fine for what it is.

Raptor. – Having been on the original inverted Batman the Ride at SFGAM more times than I care to admit, this is better – more stretched out, longer – I would put this on a par with Montu. Good, but not something I needed to repeat ride.

Twister – I actually think the alternate version – the back spike as a straight shot with the brake stop - is better (more varied) than the twisting element on both ends, but that said I hate that brake stop. Every time I fall into the harness I have great fear – not “this is fun” fear but rather “I hope the mechanics don’t fail” fear. So I liked this one better even though I believe the SFGAM ride is a better design… weird, I know.

Finally, wildcat. Fun. What else can you say? Quite a bit of lateral Gs at the end there…

And I think that’s about it. Great park, unbelievable collection of rides. 20 new coasters in a 48 hour period. Cant ask for much more than that I suppose!

That’s about all I can think of now… fire away with any questions, I’d be happy to reply.

*** Edited 5/17/2005 9:33:54 PM UTC by Skeptic555***

Happy to hear you enjoyed your visit. You have to go back to ride dragster! I can say with confidence I know you would like it. Whatever it takes, just go back and ride it.

lol..very nice trip..i cant wait til i take mine tomorrow.

Ok... just a question, you said that GL was empty... how many people were riding with you on X-Flight? Some, I assume? I think it would be awesome, though, just once, to ride Dominator by myself!

First time, which was front row, there were 2 other people on the ride... also in the front row with me. Next time in the back row, 3 others in my row, and a few scattered here and there. And y'all are POLITE - in both cases I was asked if I minded if they joined me. Of COURSE not - I wasnt planning on stretching out across all 4 seats!

Disaster Transport – Am I the only one who likes this?

No, my girlfriend thorougly enjoys it, and I thought it was much better on the second trip than the first.

Twister – I actually think the alternate version – the back spike as a straight shot with the brake stop - is better (more varied) than the twisting element on both ends

I thought so, too, but I LOVE the back spike - it scared the hell out of me, but in a good way.

I had the same feelings about GL when I went last year. We got there mid-day, and yet still managed to park in the half-empty front row of parking. Everything was a walk-on. We spent two days there, and I think the longest we waited for a ride was two rides for the front of Dominator, and ten minutes for Steel Venom after the crew cleaned up a corpse bird that the train had hit.

Good review.

Oh, and..

wow...boring trip dude.

Bwahaha, best response ever.
*** Edited 5/22/2005 4:10:34 AM UTC by grind your soul***

I like Disaster Transport.

nice TR...

the only thing i take offense at is your calling Breakers a dump.

maybe its just me and my love of historical places, but i LOVE Breakers and will scrimp and save to stay there. it is a GRAND place. maybe you missed the rotunda in the middle, but it is beautiful. if i could, i would have my wedding reception there....

we always stay in the old section facing the park and let me tell you, taking a nap and falling asleep to the sound of Maggie's lift hill is an experience i treasure.

(it also allows me to identify Maggie on TV from the other room....hee)

Well, I *must* have been in the "old" section (it actually was just off that Rotunda), since the telephone tapped out morse code.... the Bible said "Coming Soon - the NEW Testament!"...the ice bucket doubled as the in room sprinkler system...

I'm here all week - 2 shows friday. Try the veal.

In fact, I would stay there again as noted, since that location is outstanding. But, at the risk of futher inflaming the "antiques" crowd, sometimes old is just old, ya know?

Steve, Skeptic555

maybe request the brand-spanking new Tower section next time.

ive stayed in both the Tower AND the old section and i VASTLY prefer the old section. it has more charm and personality. the Tower is just too...sterile...boring...quiet...cant hear the park, coaters, waves, anything, really....

You shoulda stayed untill closing on Monday. I got there around 5pm, and MF was a 10-15 minute wait the remainder of the day. They never did open Dragster that day though. Great TP, sounds like you had a good time. And are you from the city or a suburb? I am from Evanston :)

Yeah, would have loved to stay longer, but had that plane to catch. Coming from Algonquin, so western burbs...

I love Hotel Breakers, the old section. We always get a room looking over Lake Erie and it's just beautiful in the morning. I have never been in the new section and I don't think I would really want to.

I don't think it's dumpy, it's historic.

Wow what an excellent trip report! Just thought I'd drop a few comments on some of your observations - nothing bad I promise! Allow me to appologize ahead of time if I don't get the 'quotes' thing figured out on this message board. Here we go!

Concerning the breakers:

But boy is that place a dump. Amenities really didn’t figure into my decision making process as it was just me, and wasn’t planning on being in the room much – which I wasn’t. And maybe I am spoiled by more “modern” facilities, but 100 years old or not that place was just plain old. 100 years of smoke permeated the place.

You MUST have been in one of the original wings of the hotel. There are 5 sections of the hotel, and 4 of them are guest rooms. Bon Air, the Towers, the Rotunda, and Breakers East (East is closest to the conference rooms). The Towers and East are brand new rooms from the major renovation several years ago. The rooms are absolutely wonderful. The Rotunda and Bon Aire sections are part of the original hotel and yes, they are a little rough. Specially when you consider what they charge. I would reccomend asking specifically for the Towers or East on your next trip! Well worth the extra $$$.

...but a few words about Geauga Lake. Judas Priest was this place a graveyard

.

One thing to remember about Geauga Lake - it is more of a regional park than a destination park like CP. Once school gets out you will see a very noticable increase in attendance. Plus, I think it is going to take a year or two more for people to really flock to the park. I do not have fond memories of the condition of the park when Six Flags owned it. And their maint. regiment left much to be desired as I have heard that rarely were all the coasters up and running on the same day (2 were down the day I visited).

Magnum was a walk on ALL DAY – which was rather shocking to me

This has been the norm with Magnum for about 3 years or so. Ever since MF and TTD opened it has been walk on dang near all the time. Which is pretty sweet as I still love that coaster.

Mean Streak. Biggest disappointment. BRAKES on the first drop??? Travesty! Great layout, long, but come on now, this shouldn’t be a family ride.

Well here is the story with MS. When it first opened in 1991 it lived up to it's name. Boy this one really beat you up. I rode it twice in one day that year and had bruises all over my outside thigh, hip, and ribs. Eventually the novelty wore off and people just weren't riding it. Notice how big the que line was? After the first couple years, it never came close to filling up anymore. Most complained about it being too rough. So several years back (don't remember exactly when) CP decided to slow it down a bit and see if they could make it more 'rider friendly'. Even with the slower speed there is rarely any significant wait even on the busiest of days. Which kinda baffles me as even slowed down it is a pretty cool ride!

Disaster Transport – Am I the only one who likes this?

Locals definately have a bias against this ride... lol. It was a dog when it was brand new (opened as an outdoor coaster called 'Avalanche Run'). People would ride it and say... "that was it? I waited in line for 2+ hours for that?" Putting it indoors was a valliant attempt to save a baaaad idea and for the most part I think it works. Used to be a little cooler when the projector was still running. At the top there was a movie projection of the earth spinning or something. I guess it just got to be too much of a pain in the butt to keep the projector running (and there was probably a $$$ element to - gotta cut those costs where you can). Best part of this ride could very well be the air conditioned que line on those dripping hot days of August

You came early in the season for your first visit, and I can appreciate that. But you run the risk of some rides being down as they are still shaking the cobwebs out of some of the big boys. My favorite time in the park is the fall during Halloweekends. The park is decorated up for halloween and it just has a cool feel to it.

Glad you enjoyed your trip!

CPLurker
*** Edited 5/31/2005 1:31:47 PM UTC by CPLurker***
*** Edited 5/31/2005 1:40:37 PM UTC by CPLurker***

I love reading "noobie" trip reports. es[ecially those done as well as yours.

Frankly, I have to agree with you about the old portion of Breakers. The only time I stayed there was in 1978 when my husband (then boyfriend) and I got a room. At the time, it was the ONLY on-point hotel...no Sandcastle Suites, no Tower, no Breakers East. Just the original. Our room was so small there was literally only 2 feet of space around the double bed.

But, as you said, how much time was going to be spent in the room anyway? If you want to spend a little more money, the Tower and Breakers East are the best way to go, or even better, one of the cabins. Sandcastle Suites is okay...but unless they've remodeled in the past couple of years, it's looking a little worn too.

no no no no....The last thing you want is for the restraints to change on the Big Dipper. Those original buzz bars are what keeps that coaster a classic. I was extremely disappointed when they removed the buzz bars from Blue Streak years ago. But then again, as an old fart, I miss those nostalgic, bang your thighs restraint systems.

CPLurker pretty much covered Magnum and Mean Streak. I will offer this advice for Magnum, though. Try riding in the MIDDLE of the car, not above a wheel. The ride is a bit smoother.

I'm another person who likes Disaster Transport, although you really should have seen it when all the themeing was running. Now, it's simply a bobsled coaster in the dark...but even that is kinda fun. In fact, we wear our sunglasses on it to make it even darker, and being one of the people who remembers the original themeing, I have a tendency to scream "we're out of control!!!" at the appropriate point in the ride. (Yeah, I'm crazy too).

Commentary: I loved Raging Bull. In fact, I giggled throughout the ride every single time I rode it on my one trip there in 2002. In fact, I liked it so much, I used most of my fast passes on RB.

The brake on the back spike on V2 freaks me with that "I hope the restraints don't fail" type fear. I love the twist up the back on Wicked Twister, especially in the second to last row, right seat. You get a clear view of the ground far below you.

I also agree exactly with your assessment of Mantis versus Iron Wolf. Mantis is better, smoother, the restraints are more comfortable, but, eh...it's a standup and I'm not really that impressed with them.

Did you ride maXair at all??

Nope, passed on maXair, those type of rides tend not to do much for me in general... although looking back, probably should have waited it out just for the experience. Ah, I've gotta go back to ride TTD anyway, so I suppose Ill have my chance.

I understand about the original bobsled ride. Same (or similar) ride existed for a year or three at SFGAM (called "Rolling Thunder" I believe). Rode it once, and what a massive waste of time. As noted, the darkness (and that cool lift hill illusion) completely redeemed it at CP.

Here is my Mean Streak advice - change the name to Kaerts Naem and run the thing backward. They run one side of the American Eagle backward, and it is just a ton of fun. Really, what have you got to lose? Cheap way to renew interest in the ride.

Glad you liked the report -as noted, having advance information from this forum made the trip much more enjoyable, so I was very pleased to contribute a little bit in return...