May 16, 2004: One cold Sunday

I woke up Sunday morning getting ready to meet my friends for the Toledo Area Humane Society. It started my day at 11 and ended at 2. During the walk, it was decided that maybe we should drive up to Cedar Point to finally redeem our Cedar Point Season Pass certificates. So four of us were set to go though do to unforseen circumstances, it ended up to only two.

We got our season passes by 4:51 PM where the lines were long and strenuous, it took me about 20 minutes to fill out the renewal paper, redeem my certificate, purchase Joe's Cool Club and Parking Pass and return my parking ticket. I think that they need someone who can project their voice better to pass out the Season Passes, people were getting annoyed because they couldn't hear the names the man was calling. But of course I never mind anything, but it was sad how obnoxious some people could be.

The park was sunny, but it was cold. I went straight from the walk and had shorts on, like many other park guests. I was too excited to go home and change, it was a big mistake, lake winds are not forgiving. But I started my day with Raptor, the sign said 45 minutes and I was on within 25. The ride was amazing, my winter break made me forget the feeling of floating down the first hill, flung over the loop, and twisting upside down right afterwards. The cobra roll whipped me pretty good, it was a smooth ride, it made me forget how cold it actually was.

After that I was waiting for fifteen minutes in the Wicked Twister line, the park had half a parking lot full of cars, but it certainly didn't seem like anyone was there. The games were empty. But in what seemed like notime, I was on the ride and I remembered why I always rode this ride over and over last year, I sometimes think this ride is underrated. Some people I know don't even consider it a roller coaster just because it's not a full-circuit, but it rolls in my book.

We could only spend three hours there because the park closed at eight, so we rode Magnum, which people were complaining were rough (though it hasn't changed any for me). The guy promised to his friend that Cedar Point neglected the ride since Millenium was introduced, I beg to differ. It is still a world-class rollercoaster nevertheless the introduction of many rollercoasters that have overshadowed it's height. It still makes up with airtime and experience.

Gemini had no line just like Magnum, nor did Mean streak, you basically walked right onto the platform and could find some open slot that you could walk right onto a train. Mean Streak is a great adventure, through all the times that I have ridden it, I can never remember the layout because I am always laughing. There is always that moment where I think "I don't remember this here, it's a great view."

We were only there for two hours and already ran out of things to do, my riding partner refused to ride Millenium and I never favored Mantis. So we walked back towards Gemini midway after riding the wave swinger, cadillac cars, and mine ride that was only running two cars out of the train. (Word to riders, you can only seat two per seat, not three, like three teenagers tried to do infront of me). It was a really personal ride with the rest of the riders who were bashing it. I don't know why they even got on it if they were going to bag it so much.

By then it was fifteen minutes before closing and we raced over to Dragster. People turned right around after the sign said 2 1/2 hours. My partner almost did and I promised her that we weren't going to wait more than a hour. So we got in line at 7:52. A group of teenagers/early twenties were right behind is from Medina, Ohio. The guys were cursing that they weren't going to wait 2 hours for the few seconds on the ride. One girl in the group was on the verge of tears because she still hasn't gotten to ride it since last year, but her friends convinced her that it wasn't going to be worth it and that they would just try next year. Why come to Cedar Point when you aren't going to ride their pride of the past year? Though I tried to convince them ( I think the guys were to scared to ride), the girl had to leave with the rest of her group of friends.

Nevertheless, I was at the end of the line on the other side of the pop machines, as I walked passed them, I saw that the queu was completely empty, it just went right up the right side and onto the ramp and into the station. I was in line for the second row by 8:28, about five minutes later, I was launching, by 8:42 I was calling my parents telling them that I was on my way home. Nothing stayed open after hours, so we just walked straight to the front, the parking lot was empty by then and it was all history by 10:30 when I had a shower and went to bed.

Even though it was cold, I did everything that I wanted to do and had great fun. I miss the crowds and the people who come from far away. But I did more there that day then I did on July 4th last year. We actually would of had time left over if we didn't ride the small rides like tilt-a-whirl in Camp Snoopy.

Your pretty precise on times!

Sorry, I just type whatever comes to mind without proofreading it, so I am always too specific whether I'm typing a trip report or telling somebody about something like I am doing now.

The older gentleman that calls out names for the season passes has been with the park for a long time. He does not seem like he is ever happy and I do not know how people can go through life like that. But if you do not here your name the first time he usually gets upset. and This year he told me to go wait outside, but the door was blocked because of the crowd, so I could not move, I called him a A$$. Most CP employees are very good at there jobs but there are a few that the park could do without.

Yeah, he wasn't very polite to me neither, last year I just went into the doors and stood their seeing if somebody would talk to me, I wasn't being very observant and passed up the season pass queu because I associated that line with "group tickets". He didn't pardon me for my mistake and told me to go out the doors and around the building. I guess we are just going to let the man be. I wanted to call him an a$$ because it was a bit humiliating the way he made seem completely clueless, but I figure you have done that for me already.