Is Top Thrill Dragster really that scary?

This question is all based on someones opinion, so you can't really get a firm answer. You'll just have to ride it for yourself and judge whether or not it's scary.
In my opinion, its not scary. Your first time, and most likely any other time, that you wait in line, you get nervous. It's not so much fear that you feel, but adrenaline. It'll make your heart beat faster and faster with every bit further you get in line. By the time they lock you in the train, you are ready to pee your pants, because your heart is racing so fast.
As the train slowly moves forward into the launch track, you rethink your decision to even ride this mammoth. You hear the engine rev and you are ready to scream "STOP THE RIDE!! I WANT OFF!!" but you can't scream that, because it's too late, and your heart is telling you that you really want to do this, no matter what your mind...and your bladder is telling you.
The brake fins drop and you roll backwards. You quickly run over multiple options in your head, "do I leave my eyes open or do I close them, do I scream, or do I laugh, do I grip on for dear life or do I throw my hands up in the air" Suddenly, you run out of time to think, the countdown begins. Yellow, yellow, yellow.....GREEN! You rocket down the launch track with a burst of a scream followed by shear laughter. Before you know it, you are 420 feet in the air looking down on little, tiny Millennium Force. You plunge straight down and twist to what seems like your death. You pull out and cross the finish line and slow to a stop.
"What just happened?" you think to yourself. You have no idea. You can't even remember what the past 16 seconds of your life felt like. You just laugh and say, "that was incredible!"
You hurry to the photo booth to see your rediculously funny pictures, and you share a laugh with your friends or family, and decided whether or not you ruch back into that line to do it all over again.

No matter what you are feeling before you get on the ride, by the time you get off, you will have had the greatest time of your life. Fear before a roller coaster is not fear at all. Its a battle between your mind and your heart using adrenaline as their weapons. Follow your heart, and get on that roller coaster. You will not regret it.

The scariest part is watching the tower "tremble." It's designed to do that of course, but when my husband pointed out that it was moving, I about flipped out. (By then I'd rode it a good 4-5 times already, though!) There's just something about a giant structure like that swaying oh-so-slightly that is unsettling to me, but then if it wasn't flexible, it would snap.

My advice: Just ride it. Scary or not, it is one of the most sensational rides in the world and you will probably be hooked, too!

Just wait till you get a rollback!

Top Thrill Dragster scared the hell out of me the first time. When I got off, I ran right back in line. It's such an amazing ride. RIDE IT! :]

Total Dragster Rides- 26

I definitly agree with steve. Its a huge mistake to leave a line like that. All these people end up trying to contimplate whether or not to ride it by watching launch after launch and then get intimidated.. not really a good idea. thats why those people sitting on the bleachers are people you never see in line with you. Yet again I have no problem with it making the line that much shorter for myself. If what youre looking for however is conquering this fear the easiest way to overcome it, well at least for me anyways, is to bring an ipod or small mp3 player with you to the park and just put in whatever music gets you the most pumped up before the gates open.. Meteora is what did it for me.

what r the odds of a rollback lol.. ill prolly never get one

What I heard rollbacks are more common in the mornings.

That is true. Riding the first train of the day is what caused my double rollback. The other rollback i had was very random in the afternoon. Sometimes I think it is just luck.
*** Edited 6/15/2007 10:31:53 PM UTC by BongKong***

both of mine were in the mornings

OMG ya!!!!!!!!!!!

wow you write really good stories Bodes.. =]

Well if want my honest opinion, the launch is intense might scare u the first time.

I remember the first time I rode, it was with my brother in the second row on the blue train. My brother had sat in the train 5 times before but it broke down everytime he was on, so i wasn't sure if i really wanted to ride with him or not, lol.

As we pulled up to the launch position I remember looking at the tower and thinking" WHAT THE HELL AM I DOING?!!!!!", and then we launched and it was over, LOL! It was so amazing, I had so much adrenaline pumping through me that i was literally shaking, HA!

I rode TTD for the first time in the front seat last year, and no other seat is better! It's so amazing having a completley unobstructed view of the tower, and the ground when your coming down. Also I love being able to see that red and white track fly underneath your bottom during the launch.

I would say that TTD isn't scary, just nerve wrecking. Everytime I'm in the launch position I rethink why im riding it, and then when I cross the finish line I remember why I did this again. Unfortunatley I have not experienced a rollback, I'm crossing my fingerrs for this year though!

CPxoLove said:
wow you write really good stories Bodes.. =]

Hey, thanks!

Does it look intimidating? Hell yeah.
Is it scary? No.

a couple years ago i was at CP with my brother and a couple of friends, we were the first 4 to get to TTD. so we took the front row of the first 2 rides.

my brother went with one friend and i went with the other one. we were second to get launched so we got to see my friend and brother go. the friend next to me was a pretty tough guy said that he wasnt scared of it at all. looked over at him after they got launched and he was just staring straight ahead with his jaw dropped.