I finally got it ( story )

I finally got to ride Dragster. Not once, not twice, THREE TIMES. How? Freeway passes! 15 minute wait each time. Lets go back a bit.

Coastermania 2003. Dragster closed on wed. thur. and Fri. ( coastermania ) I got two passes total for dragster.

Second trip. July 29-July 30.

I arrive at 5:30 and rush in for dragster. Its closed but they often do test runs and some with people on it. They let 20 people go in every 30 minutes while everyone else outside the line queue watches waiting to get in. I am waiting. 7:30. We are very close the line queue entrance. Can't believe it!! Then... they get the call... They open the gates and I go in. W00t!!! So happy and yelling and cheering The line started where it splits the line into two section. Then... the breakdown! For 1 hour we wait. Then it sends out 4 more trains with people. Then break down again. It's 9:30 now. We finally get into the station and look for a place to get in line, we go for the shortest. It/s 10:00, surely we will ride it!

Then another break down. The train wouldn't launch. People in the train waited to be launch for 30 minutes. Then finally happened. People screamed and jumped for joy. But... NOPE! Broke down again. There were people behind that train waiting in the station for 45 minutes at the time. It's 10:45 things don't look so good. We only had to wait 5 more rides and we would have been on. Then they brought security. Many with guns. About 20 of them lined up then spread out to the line section then out side the line queues and in the station. Oh oh. Some CP employees had some small pieces of paper, they were handing them out to people. I knew what they were. Passes for dragster. Then the train with the people in it ( who have been waiting for OVER 1 hour ) were asked to leave. One guy had fallen asleep and had to be wakend up. I got a pass for dragster then a pass for any ride in the park. Sigh. I rushed in the next day. Dragster closed still. I head to millie and get a ride. I continued my day staring at dragster the whole time. And then while on mean streak. They continue testing it. So we after mean streak we sprint to dragster. Long line. VERY LONG. Then people on the side with TTD passes were patiently waiting to be let in. They got the call, the queue opened up. I rushed in and gave them my pass. Waited 15 minutes and was in the station. I strapped in and said I couldn't believe this was happening. I was next.

We are pushed towards the launch pad. I was scared as crap! I waited for abotu 30 seconds until we started moving back. And then. The counter began and then BOOM!!! You know those butterflies you get, kind of like a tickiling feeling, when going down the first hill of a ride. Well multiply that by 5. It was that extreme, plus, it lasted for 5 seconds!! It was too extreme. My eyes were dripping tears. Then UP I go. Then down I went. We get our pictures taken and look at them. That was great. We get back in line and ride it again, then once more again at night only waiting 15 minutes each time. Some people behind us that we cut said they've been waiting for 2 1/2 hours why do you get to cut us. I say well we've been waiting for oh... say about 6 1/2 hours, along with not being able to ride it. They said, " OMG You're crazy!"

Well I bought the pictures with a smile in my face in the picture. What a great ride. We left the park after that. But man that was extreme. Not to mention before that we rode millie with no wait ( because of the pass ) and waited for 2 minutes exactly and rode for 2 1/2. It was scary going up the hill since it was pitch black, I looked down the left side and could see only black, ( the lake) and looked up and saw many stars very gourgeous. Then. We dropped. That was a night I will never ever forget!
------------------
TTD Launches: 3 :) MF Plunges: 13 Wicked Twists: 11 Magnum Bullets: 24 Raptor Strikes: 18 Mantis Rolls: 6 Days at CP 03': 4 1/4
*** This post was edited by altec_tech 7/31/2003 8:12:58 PM ***

Nice report. However, I think it should be moved to the Trip Report section

------------------
Stop Still Dragster 3...2...1... No !! ;)

I thought they didn't have TTD Freeway passes. :o

------------------
Courage is not the absence of fear. It is over comming it.

They just started giving them out this past week, I think. I used one today myself.

yeah now that they are advertising TTD as "open" i guess they are issueing freeway passes now...

The one commercial says "Top Thrill Dragster, the worlds tallest and fastest coaster is now open!" so im taking it its open on a daily basis now with small down time

------------------
TTD: 2 (Rollbacks seen: 1)
MF: 18
WT: 8
Usually at CP: every mon, tuesday, thursday

It's been running smooth for quite some time now. It also opened at 9:45am today, the first time (I think) in a long time.

How much of the line can you 'cut'? I read and he said fifteen minutes, is it really only 15?

------------------
Courage is not the absence of fear. It is over comming it.

On Tuesday the 29th TTD was open at 9:00 am for ERT. As far as freeway stamps, I don't think that they are giving them out yet. I was there the 29th and 30th and everytime I walked by the kiosk (sp?) it said that they weren't given them out.
------------------
TTD launches 2 (first launch in front row, second in fourth row)

that would be sweet if they did though. imagine how long that line would be! probably at least 30 minutes.

------------------
Guess what? I got a fever! And the only prescription... is more cowbell!

He's talking about the Freeway passes they give you when you are "inconvieninced" due to TTD going down. They do not yet do the stamps.

------------------
-Chris Woodard
"We got pop and Gatorade over here for $100 a bottle, so have your credit card ready. Seriously, the food here is so expensive, I just eat the condiments because I can't afford a meal." - MF que DJ 6/16/03

well I'm going to be there all day tommrow, and if they are giving them out I'll be sure to take a picture of them giving hand stamps.

------------------
Arms down.....Arms down.....Arms down.......Arms down.....Arms down....Arms down...(you think they would get it the first time?!)

TTD-8 Rollbacks-1

I'd be willing to bet that they don't plan on using Freeway for TTD any time soon (if at all this season)

In this year's Getaway Guide they mantion Freeway is available for 6 coasters (TTD, MF, WT, Magnum, Raptor, Mantis) but currently on the website they mention only 5 (not TTD)

I suppose they site could be updated easily enough, but as of right now they're not even saying Freeway is available for TTD.

------------------
Coasterimage.com

Ok, I am just a little confused about something. When I waited 4-1/2 hours to get on TTD and it broke down I got the passes. The one says present this pass at the entrance of TTD for Freeway privelages.....so I would go through the freeway entrance and I'm guessing Freeway for dragster takes you right to the station practically and on the ramp where you either go right or left? For cases like mine it should be an exit pass. The other one says present this pass at the special access entrance of_____for immediate boarding privelages. Where would I enter for this one? Is this an exit pass? I definitely will be using it for Millenium or can I use this one for Dragster too? It doesn't say any restrictions and its immediate boarding.

Just read the fine print--Nontransferable. Pass is void if copied or sold. Not valid for Top Thrill Dragster. Looks like that answered my question.
*** This post was edited by Djx210 8/2/2003 2:52:52 PM ***

Didn't see anything for freeway on TTD from thur-sun.

Sign always said passes will not be given out.

Does anyone know if TTD was open at all today? (Sunday). I saw it wasn't open earlier and it isn't open right now, but I didn't get a chance to check on it in the middle of the day. I have a friend at the point today and tomorrow and I'm really anxious for him to ride it for his first time.

------------------
Egg nog... how'd they think that up?
"I want to get a little drunk... but I also want some pankcakes."

It wasn't open at all today when I was there due to weather conditions. We left kind of early though.

------------------
CP2K3: Visits: 25 Drag races won: 5

They started testing around 7 but never opened it. The first few cars didn't come close to making it over. 3 or 4 barely made it over then a rollback and then they cleared the platform. When I left at around 9:30 it was still down.I'm not sure what the problem was. I noticed they were working on the brakes near the end of the launch around 5:30.

------------------
Stop Still Dragster 3...2...1... No !! ;)

When i was there last tuesday, a worker was on working on the brakes in a cherry picker almost every time it "temporarily" shut down. I didn;t mind, this made my hour q wait into a 10 minute q wait, if it wasn't for reading on this forum, i would have gotton out of line also, but i was glad i didn't i had the best ride, 1st time and all.

I was there today and it was running for a while but not to the public. They never got past the employee testing before it broke down again. I stood watching it for almost an hour. Around 2 PM or so they launched a train and it rolled back because of the water in the wheel assemblies, then they launched it again and it went over. They did this to all of the trains to dry them out, then launched then with two employees in the front. After that they let us into the line and we waited for them to test it with trains completely full of employees. Both two they sent made it over the first time and after that they said it was shut down for the day. Something must have gone wrong again.

------------------
GOCC member #671