How was your ride?

Just looked at the webcams, a GK train just entering the block on the return trip, and another train about halfway up the lift hill! Good job GK crew!

I had my first ride yesterday on Gatekeeper. I had 4 rides total and all were less than a 20 minute wait. My first ride was on the left side last train. I do not know if it was because it was early in the morning but it felt a little slow. We really enjoyed the ride until the end when we realized how tight the shoulder harnesses had gotten.

I heard the the right front was the best seat for close calls, so we tried to get that for our next ride. Unfortunately when he got to the turnstile the ride operator said we can not go to the front line because the queue was full, and when we asked if we can let people go in front of us and wait there she said that was against policy. So our second ride was on the right side 3rd car. We were surprised how the ride experience changed. It was still a great ride but it was still slow and the harnesses at the end felt even worse.

Our third ride was later in the day, and we were finally able to get the right front seat. The trains felt much faster, maybe because of the high temperatures outside or we were on a faster train. We really loved Gatekeeper after this ride, you really feel like you're flying even more than Raptor. We also held the restraints a couple inches off ourselves during the ride. Though we both chickened out at the top dip and grabbed the bar. I put my hands back on the restraint after the loop and it still seem to help but my wimp move did allow them to tighten a bit.

Our last ride was the Best and again was on the right side front seat. This time I held the restraints a couple inches off my shoulders the whole time. They ended up never hurting me, and it also help me feel the airtime a bit more. All in all I love the ride, I just wish knowing a trick while riding was not critical to my enjoyment.

I thought the previous posts had been a bit exaggerated about the harness but they are all true. I rode it 4 times today each more painfull. My whole upper torso is like swollen and red. One of my rides my arm got caught in a awkward position and by the end of the ride I could feel it going numb. Also the whole no bags on the platform was a ripoff, I snuck mine on the first time but everytime after I was told to get a locker. It didn't help that the locker attendee wasn't very helpful and rather rude. Aside from that it is a good ride...

Agree on the RH front providing an excellent ride experience.

I was happy with the restraint system and found it to be very comfortable without being too tight or confining. None of the head-banging I get on Mantis. YMMV I guess.

Yesterday was my 1st time. I rode it in the afternoon on the left side and the right side at night. Both were great. The only bad thing it was COLD; with the WIND Blowing East off of the Lake but I can take that.

As others have said, it's a great ride, but the only thing that takes away from it is the restraints. I personally didn't experience any pain during my rides on media day, but rather the feeling of suffocation. It wasn't so serious that I wouldn't ride it again though...

I'm not convinced that this is an issue of size or the restraint. Someone convince me it isn't because people are doing something to fight the restraint.

I'm 5'6" and on the slim athletic side. My friend that was with me is 6'1" and has some weight on him. They hurt me a bit but he really complained each time the ride was over. He is a bigger baby than me though.

I loved GateKeeper. Check out my Trip Report if you want to see all my thoughts about it.

I can't complain about the restraints because during the ride they were very comfortable. But I felt like I was suffocating during the lift hill. Luckily that chain moves almost as fast as Millennium's cable.

Oh, and for the first ride I picked the left and was assigned the second to last row. Getting dragged over that Wing Over is amazing.

I personally don't understand the restraint complaints at all. I'm not at all saying anyone here is lying or making something up, I just did not experience a shred of discomfort on this or Wild Eagle...in fact, I found it to be one of the more comfortable restraints (OTS).

Just odd.

What I find interesting are people's different interpretations of "smooth."

It seems that some view smooth as in very gradual transitions and a gentle layout, which describes GateKeeper.

Now myself, when I think of "smooth," I'm thinking about how smoothly the wheels are riding on the track, the lack of any vibration, jolting, or bouncing.

So, I think Maverick is the smoothest ride at CP, which some don't understand and think I'm crazy. But think of my definition. By their definition, Maverick is one of the rougher rides in the park with its intense snappy elements.

I don't consider GateKeeper smooth by my definition. I was very surprised by its bouncing / vibration, which I found to be worse in the back and outer seats (but maybe it had more to do with how balanced the loads were on each side of the train).

I've ridden GK about 20 times now, and the amount of that bouncing / vibration has varied, but it's usually very noticeable. It's not a big deal now, but I wonder if it's going to get rougher (more vibration / bouncing) as it ages?

Otherwise, GK is a very good new coaster at CP and an excellent addition to the park. I was slightly disappointed that it wasn't my new favorite coaster at CP, but I guess that was going to be very tough to do with CP already having a world-class collection. It's probably my 6th favorite coaster at the park and will be an extra coaster to ride each visit though. :)

I don't understand all of these reports of a packed park all week. I was there Wednesday, and it was not packed, or even particularly busy.

I went on GateKeeper this morning. I absolutely loved it. It's better than millennium in my opinion. It's a great coaster and probably comes in as my second favorite. Sat in the second row right side and I felt no vibrations. The restraints do get tight but it's only tight on my hips. Not my chest. The more you struggle, the tighter it gets. Only have been on it once but I'm gonna go on it later to try the left side. My dads friend had issues but the rest of us were fine. Love it.

I completely agree with everything Rcoaster10 said. Even the better than Millennium park. (Which is usually considered blaspheme at Cedar Point forums.)

Was at the park all day Sat. and the 1st half today. Only rode Gatekeeper twice, both during early ride time. 1st time was left rear. 2nd time right 2nd row. Both rides were amazing. There is a slight difference between sides. But both sides are great. I love the views you get waiting in line and from the platform while waiting. The restraint bothered me only after the ride stopped and wasn't something that will stop me from riding again. The keyhole towers are awesome! I got to ride all the rides in 2 days and like them all so I can't say it's #4 or #6, but it sure is better that disaster transport.

Jeff said:
I'm not convinced that this is an issue of size or the restraint. Someone convince me it isn't because people are doing something to fight the restraint.

That's exactly what I've been thinking. I felt they were very comfy, as did the rest of my group I was with on media day.

We went Saturday night and part of Sunday, and got 4 rides in total. We rode all 4 corners and our favorite was definitely right front, but it is an amazing coaster. The restraints were a little uncomfortable at the end, but the only time I really had an issue with it was our first ride on Sunday. We had sprinted from the beach entrance, and I hadn't gotten my breath back by the time we got back to the brake run. When the restraint tightened down at the end, I was having a little trouble breathing, but that wasn't the restraint's fault.

The thing I was very impressed with his how fast the line moves. Our two non-early entry rides we waited less than an hour, and the line hardly ever stopped moving the entire time. Great cycling and capacity. The only "negative" would be the ride ops at the station gate are less than enthusiastic about you asking to wait for the front. We did it twice, and still were able to get on the front, but they weren't real friendly about it.

I got in line on Thursday 5-16 evening at about 7:55 and waited 5 minutes in line. I thought it was a very smooth ride and only had issues with the restraints pressing on my collar bone at the very end while waiting to be let off the ride. GateKeeper is a very nice addition to the park.

I went yesterday and got on it in an hour. The line wasn't bad at all and it moves quickly and take it from me, you don't have to rent a locker for shoes or tiny bags, they have bins to put your stuff in up on the platform.

The ride was smooth and fun. I was on the end seat and it felt like I was just kind of floating out there, which was awesome and fun. It's not as good as Millennium, but I doubt anything will ever top that.

I'm a plus sized girl and can fit on every other ride, so this one wasn't a problem. It did squish my chest lady parts a little, but it wasn't bad. Overall, it's worth an hour wait.