...And, that's a wrap

Best memory: Amazingly slow day with walk-ons after an afternoon downpour of rain. Plus during the rain, I found the candy covered pretzel sticks in the sweet shop. Yummmmm. And this doesn't really count for CP, but discovering the greatness that is King's Island and The Beast.
Worst memory: My brother in law finding a grey hair on my head while waiting in line at Soak City. The day I realized that I'm getting old.

Oh there are so many memories to choose from...

Best: Keeping Magnum open late with my crew for an extra few mins so that one of our good friends, and frequent riders could get his 5000th ride in on that trip. It was such an honor to be a part of that moment.

Worst: Hard to say as I loved just about everything about my job. I would have to say watching my crew leave one by one for school knowing that my turn was coming up soon.and then ultimately leaving.

I can only afford one weekend a year. Three days and two nights every summer. So the anticipation is part of the memory. Waiting for opening day, watching everything come together on the webcams and thinking, just a few more weeks, that'll be me.

The drive up. The skyline always rising up to greet me like an old friend, the lake shimmering on both sides of the road. Driving slow around the penninsula and having my eyes pop out of the sockets on how GREAT the hotel looks. Don't even miss the tatty old front porch. Check in, and hey presto, I can go to my room right away to drop off my stuff and YOWZA. The threadbare old room that I used to sleep in and stow my stuff was GORGEOUS.

ERTs. First seat on the Dragster with a first timer. Sweet cream cheese hot pretzels for breakfast, Rougabrew at Famous Dave's for lunch and Rougarou with Lash. (HEY LASH.) Dancing on the beach to a live band. Knowing just how to play the Elvis Live coin pushers for a crazy amount of tickets (the single biggest eater of my arcade money every year.)

Doing what I want when I want, coasters when I want, flats when I want, Soak City when I want. The joys of Single Ridership. Watching the boats at the Marina with a small amount of envy. Looking down from Windseeker at messages written by kids in the sand. Frozen custard, Walking Tacos.

Packing up, checking out. Driving past the great big exit sign all bittersweet, next summer seeming very very far off.

...I can't wait to do it all again next year. :D And hey, at least we can watch our big shiny new toy being built while we wait for next summer.

Best memory: my little brother hit the 48" mark and he finally got to go on Millennium!

Worst memory: the fact he hated Millennium and just wanted to ride Corkscrew for hours, dragging me along with him. (Anyone know a guy who can fix my neck?)

Ride in 2-1 with about one click away from your shoulders. Press your feet into the front of the car and enjoy the bunny hill, after that, press up with your feet to press into the shoulder harness to keep your head above it, very comfy ride on Corkscrew. Promise.

Go Intamin said:

Worst memory: the fact he hated Millennium and just wanted to ride Corkscrew for hours, dragging me along with him. (Anyone know a guy who can fix my neck?)

Bulldoze it

How can anyone hate Millennium?

thedevariouseffect said:

Ride in 2-1 with about one click away from your shoulders. Press your feet into the front of the car and enjoy the bunny hill, after that, press up with your feet to press into the shoulder harness to keep your head above it, very comfy ride on Corkscrew. Promise.

If a coaster requires instructions to be ridden comfortably, the coaster probably sucks.

Arrow coasters haven't aged well, except Gemini. I know not to sit in certain seats on Magnum to avoid bruised legs.

^^I can sit there in a normal position and still enjoy it, that just gives it an optimal experience and makes the corkscrew elements butter smooth almost. I may be biased, but after enough time that season in every seat 2-1 is def an ideal seat there.

Also, even if you remove Corkscrew which is really stupid, you don't gain really anything. It's next to Maint. buildings on point to the East and a midway to the West, so nothing gets accomplished. The land there is so small no coaster will replace it. You may get room for one or two more flats but that's it. Lastly you remove one of the parks most iconic midway images.

If they were to remove it, I think it would be replaced with something similar and would still go over the midway. I think Mack could build a similar ride that would be more smooth.

Why spend millions uprooting a coaster or making extensive changes to a coaster with such a small footprint and already works as is. After pretty much hitting up most Arrows aside from stuff very far West this year, Corkscrew is one of the better off Arrows still around being maintained. Cedar Point has done a pretty good job keeping it up to date.

Plus, to me it's also history. There aren't many full fledged hand built Toomers around in the world anymore, it's a dying breed and incredibly unfortunate.

thedevariouseffect said:

...after enough time that season in every seat 2-1 is def an ideal seat there.

Again, just as with Mean Streak, special instructions should not be required. And though I haven't been on it in years, I recall CS being awfully rough my last ride. I can't imagine it's improved with age.

Also, even if you remove Corkscrew which is really stupid, you don't gain really anything. It's next to Maint. buildings on point to the East and a midway to the West, so nothing gets accomplished. The land there is so small no coaster will replace it.

CP's limiting factor is not land. It's maintenance resources. So not having to maintain CS would allow them to build something (and it need not be a coaster) else.

As for the location, while I really do appreciate the historical significance, and the corks going over the midway is certainly iconic, it does sort of create a bit of traffic congestion due to the footers being in the way. The more years that go by, the harder it is for me to understand the justification for keeping it.

Thabto said:

Arrow coasters haven't aged well, except Gemini. I know not to sit in certain seats on Magnum to avoid bruised legs.

I hear people on Magnum all the time grumbling about how their thighs hurt at the end of the ride. This will happen no matter what seat you are in unless you know the simple secret of pulling your seatbelt very, very tight so you don't bounce up against the bar during the final dips. This has served me well the last couple of years.

Oh, and though I agree the Corkscrew crossing the walkway is a sort of trademark or symbolic, I think it's the most unpleasant coaster in the park, even beating out Mean Streak. It destroys my back with the terrible over the shoulder brace and the bizarre small, central back support. It needs a definite overhaul to be worth riding. I rode it twice this season and regretted it both times, but almost feel a duty to at least take it in a couple of times. That being said, I wouldn't miss it if it were gone. Same goes for Blue Streak. Everyone thinks it's such a classic, yet it's often the shortest line in the park. I gave it a pass on closing day.

Blue Streak's short line is partially attributable to its location on a dead end. And that coaster is eons more ride-able than MS or CS. I think BS is even far more ride-able than Magnum. I love Magnum, but it packs almost too much punch.

The problem with MS and CS is that even if they were smooth as glass and had comfy trains, their layouts just aren't very good, especially by modern standards.

Thabto said:
Arrow coasters haven't aged well, except Gemini. I know not to sit in certain seats on Magnum to avoid bruised legs.

I disagree. I've ridden all of the Arrows at CP often throughout the years ever since each was new. They ride exactly the same. People who like ultra smooth rides are spoiled by the Intamin and B&M coasters and think that is the norm. Not so, and some people actually like a little rough and tumble action on their coasters. To me, Magnum is my favorite coaster at CP and still, for me, one of the best in the world.

Seeing as though the buildings behind corkscrew are said to be a costume room (for luminosity, halloweekends, etc), and a laundry facility, I'm not sure why that can't be relocated elsewhere. With that being out of the picture, there's a ton of land for something new plus there's still enough room for a maintenance building or two. I don't want to be that annoying person already speculating a new coaster, but this would have to be a site to look into in the next few years...

As for magnum, I'm sure we won't see that going any time soon. It's still a decent coaster. Possibly new trains in the future to make it more comfortable... but that's about it.

What I would like to see is Vekoma give Corkscrew some new trains to get rid of head banging (see Carolina Cobra) or give it the "Hulk Treatment" and retrack it, but with Vekoma. And I could see Magnum taking the SD2000 route in the next few years, and get some B&M trains.

I would have to say my best memories from the 2015 season actually don't involve Point at all. This summer was my single greatest coaster-ing season to date. I was able to visit 7 new to me parks and add over 60 credits to my track record. That said, I think my first trip to Busch Gardens Williamsburg would be my single greatest memory from 2015. That park blew me away, from the atmosphere to the food to the rides, everything about it was just perfect to me.

Second greatest memory was the first ride on Fury 325. Currently my favorite steel coaster. This ride has changed my opinion on things. I know longer see why parks can't have two giga coasters in the same park. It offered such a different experience then MF that I believe both rides could peacefully co-exist. Here's to the dream of a B&M giga in the parks near future! And trust me, if you haven't given it a ride don't knock it!

Worst memory, CF opening days. I attended 3 this summer. Carowinds, Kings Dominion and Cedar Point. Never again will I attend a CF opening day. Just personal reasons along with poor operations, poor training and ridiculous crowds. I will, going forward be patient and give the park a week or two to get its feet wet and to get employees better trained before going.