Mean Streak 2012

^ The space the old queue took up is going to be used as a haunt for Halloweekends this year.

What do u mean it's history? Also the idea of a haunt in there is just something that started on here.

There is going to be a haunt in there. An employee at the park confirmed it for me.

Check out this thread ;)

http://pointbuzz.com/Forums/Thread/28090.aspx

I know most of them are clueless, but this guy has been a life long friend and was right about DT closing July 29th before CP even announced it at CoasterMania!

Haha I'm not saying your wrong, I'm actually interested in what might go in there. Does anyone of pictures of the reconfigured queue?

I'm uploading a video to my computer from my day at the park today. I have a video of Mean Streak and you can see what they are doing in the infield pretty clearly. It's not much so far, just a lot of cleared land, removed queues, and some green stakes.

I'll post the link to the video on the Halloweekends 2012 page when it's finished.

I just wanted to update with my experience. I rode Mean Streak on 7/19 in the front seat (same as I had ridden in May).

I didn't notice any deterioration from May; I still thought the ride was very smooth for a wooden coaster.

This particular ride only changed for the better, as it was clearly faster than it was in May. The trims seemed to grab very lightly on the first drop, and it felt like I blazed over the first turn rather than the feeling of barely making it over in May (it probably helped that it was warm and sunny with a nearly-full train).

I was even impressed with a smooth and comparatively fast second half. I felt like MS never let up until the final brake run, while you could hear the wheels still spinning freely.

With an 80% chance of storms and rain, the peninsula was not very crowded, and I got to experience pretty much everything Soak City and Cedar Point had to offer. Yet, Mean Streak still stood out as one of my favorite memories of the day.

Made an account, just to share my experience. Like Ffej, I went to the park on the 19th, and had an amazing time (it was the third time I'd ever been to the Point, the second being two days earlier and the first time being six years ago when I was too chicken to ride anything big). But there was only one thing I really did not enjoy, and to be completely honest, that was Mean Streak.

I went on it twice in my time at the park this week, and both times compete for worst experience I've had on a coaster. Now maybe it was where I was sitting - both times I'd sat in a middle row, and both times were in the back row of a car. I saw someone mention that sitting in the back row lessens the experience, but I had no clue of this at the time.

I don't feel like going into extreme detail, but basically the car/s I was in was bouncing up and down so much my back was actually in pain, to the point where I couldn't focus on the ride because I was trying to find a way to stop the pain. I kid you not, it was that unenjoyable to me. The second time was slightly less rough than the first, but it still wasn't fun at all.

Maybe I just got unlucky or maybe it's because of my tiny frame. Is the ride usually that rough?

Otherwise, my day was awesome other than an Iron Dragon crew member telling me I had to hold everything I had on me, which included one of those souvenir cups which was full of pink lemonade :<

On a lighter note, the community here looks nice and I hope I can actively be a part of it. I don't make annual trips to the Point like a lot of you seem to, but I am a big fan of the park!

On a lighter note, the community here looks nice and I hope I can actively be a part of it. I don't make annual trips to the Point like a lot of you seem to, but I am a big fan of the park!

Sure we all 'look' nice, but that doesn't mean we are nice :)

You will be very accepted here, just don't take it personally when someone yells at you for repeating a post or if someone starts arguing with you because your idea/opinion is the dumbest thing in the world. I happens all the time. As annoying as it is, we're kind of all used to it.

Welcome GryndStone!

One thing is very clear over the years. People's opinion on Mean Streak varies greatly, but it's definitely tilted toward the negative side, so you're not alone.

I'm convinced it's mostly to do with where one is sitting, how defensively they're riding, and a little tolerance/expectation for a wooden coaster to deliver a rougher or different ride than a steel coaster.

The advice I've seen over the years for MS has definitely given me the best ride experience possible. Wait for the front of the train, don't ever touch the back rest (lean forward - this is most important), and grab onto the bar in front of you or the front of the train to brace yourself through the turns.

If you still don't like the ride after this seat and style (especially this comparatively smooth year), it's simply not for you and should be skipped.

I was at CP 7/19 & 7/20. Crowds were very light, sot\so that was a huge plus. After a quick bite for dinner, we headed to the MS. I love all coasters, but wooden ones are a special favorite of mine, so I was excited to share it with my girls for the first time (I'd een to CP a few times before, but this was their first visit). After buckling in and lowering the lap bar, we ascended the first hill. I felt something hit my leg and glanced down to see that my seatbelt had come undone! I tried to reach down for it, but couldn't because of the lap bar and I started to panic. Yes, I knew that I was probably safe, but it didn't stop my body's fight or flight response and I found myself screaming for my husband that I wasn't buckled (he was in front of my 15 year old and me) but of course, he couldn't help me. I was so proud of my daughter for keeping a level head and getting my seatbelt rebuckled. It did not allow me to enjoy the ride, though, and I held on for dear life. Halfway through, I felt it come undone again and really freaked out. By the time we pulled into the station, I was crying hysterically and shaking badly. My husband and daughters had to help me out of the seat. I know I should've spoken up right then and there, but I was too shaken to do so. Not a single worker asked me if I was OK - they just all stared at me as I shakily alked to the exit with my husband's arm around me for support. I sat for a few minutes at the bottom before calming myself enough to speak with the woman working the photo area. She apologized profusely and advised me to stop in at guest services. It was approximately 6:30 and I couldn't bring myself to ride anything else that evening and my oldest daughter couldn't either. I am NEVER afraid on roller coasters and couldn't believe how shaken up I was. Guest services gave me 2 free "exit passes" for the next day for any rides that we'd like. It was nice, but seeing that the crowds were light, it really didn't feel like any kind of compensation. But, I wanted to prove that I was still a fun mom and would still ride the next day. As my daughter and I rode the Iron Dragon, our ride came to a complete and dead stop just as it was supposed to begin the slow climb up the second largish hill. Unbelievable! We sat for about 10 minutes or so before the issue was solved and the ride continued. I've sent an e-mail to CP customer service to let them know that although I knew I wasn't in true danger, I was terribly frightened and that my children were no longer as brave as they were before these incidents. I hope they've repaired the seatbelt on the Mean Streak and fixed any other issues that may have come up. I also wish they'd tell us what was going on when a ride comes to a dead stop like that.

I hope all who read this post have a much better time than we did! Overall, things were wonderful and these were the only bad moments in 2 fun-filled days with my family! I'll certainly go back, but I don't think I'll ever ride the MS again....

A few weeks back I had a similar experience at Mt Olympus park on a much more dangerous ride called Cyclops. I was sitting in the back row (which you have t be 18 to ride because of higher forces that want to throw you from the ride) and I noticed the seatbelt was ripped halfway through. I didnt think much of it because of the buzzbar. Well during the ride on some of the airtime elements the buzzbar in front of me flew up. Now obviously that means nothing but if that would have happened in my row coupled with the ripped seatbelt and extreme forces something very bad could have happened. Nothing did thankfully but it is an eye opening experience that things you think are safe sometimes are not. Also I did email the park detailing this experience and have yet to hear a response...

@momto3girls, that is awful about your seatbelt on Mean Streak! Do you remember what color train and seat you sat in?

As for Iron Dragon stopping before going up the 2nd lift hill, the 2nd lift hill acts as a block. Iron Dragon runs 3 trains. In your case (for example), train 1 was in the station, train 2 was on the breaks right outside of the station, and train 3 was running the course (your train). Had train 3 (your train) cleared the 2nd lift without train 1 and 2 clearing the station and breaks, there would have been worse problems such as collisions since there aren't anymore blocks between the 2nd lift and the final break run. More than likely, there was a complication with a guest on the platform holding up train 1 from being dispatched. As for the crew not telling you, they simply just don't have time to stand there and explain the details while checking a train and trying to dispatch it before the same issue occurs again. Hopefully next time you guys have a better experience!

@The HSBR, that sounds scary, too. Nothing worse than expecting to have a great time on a ride and instead walking away feeling that "what if" feeling.

@Twisted, it was the yellow train and I think 3rd or 4th row back. I was on the right. I went over all of that with the rides manager at the park that evening. I couldn't remember the color of the train, but my daughter did (my superstitious daughter wh will prbably never ride a yellow train on a roller coastewr again - lol!). As far as the Iron Dragon, it didn't seem like that normal stop that they have. I heard some very odd noises before it stopped. We satthere for a good 10 minutes, too - longer than an unloading issue would explain. I didn't expect the ride operators to tell us all personally, but an announcement as we came back in.... Instead of saying "Welome back riders! How was your ride?" They could have said, "Sorry about that delay. We had a malfunction that did not put you in danger but needed to be addressed. Would you like to go again?" That would instantly shut up the grumblers (I wasn't grumbling, just another mini freak-out moment for me - lol!) and not have people wondering all day. I've worked customer service all of my life and I typically do problem-solving like this. Apologize, inform, and offer a solution is the best way to stop something from becoming a big issue. NOT that this was a big issue, I'm just saying that CP could improve some of their customer service a bit.

Back to the MS, I do recall hearing the guy who was checking seatbelts/lap bars say "I don't know how to do this!" to a coworker. Now, he could have been talking about asking out a girl for all I know or was he talking about how to double-check for safety? And, I think that if I was a worker and saw someone bawling after a ride, I'd make sure someone (if I were too busy doing my job) asked them if they needed assistance.

I feel badly complaining about this so much, but it really does come down to how they handled it. I appreciate that I was indeed safe, but that sort of poo-pooed my response to the event. I love CP - it's our favorite park for coasters and I am an avid coaster fan, but this has given me pause.

I understand how scary a seat belt coming unfastened could be for some, but realize that Mean Streak and most of the rides in the park didn't even have seat belts years ago. They were really just a redundant safety measure added. So, maybe just let your daughter know that she doesn't need to be scared of MS or roller coasters; you were not in danger. Without the lap bar and the seat belt, gravity should have still held you in.

Of course you did the right thing by reporting this, and I'm sure maintenance fixed the potentially broken clasp. Maybe the Mean Streak crew thought you were just scared of the roller coaster, and they didn't want to embarrass you, bringing your crying to everyone's attention.

As for Iron Dragon stopping on the second lift, as was mentioned, this is pretty common, as it serves as a block. Many things could have happened, like the crew cleaning up someone's puke (which they probably wouldn't want to announce lol). These types of things become so routine for the ride crews that they probably forget how scary it might be for some. At least CP customer service did something for you, and I'm sure they'll let the crews know that you were not happy with the way things were handled.

For the stop on Iron Dragon, the noises you heard were probably the anti rollbacks engaging, and then you probably felt a good jolt as the train stopped.....that or the brakes just grabbing hard at the base of the lift just as the train was grabbing onto the chain, making an unusual sound.

I have been stopped on the 2nd hill as well, about the same amount of time, I just figured someone threw up on one of the other trains. Sure enough, as I exited, the train that caused the stop was sent out with nobody on it.

Years ago, I had the restraint on Mantis open by a click, not all the way, but the seatbelts were on the train already, but I did whatever I could to make sure it didn't open any more.

I missed being stuck on Millenniums hill for 45minutes, by one train. Everyone pretty much left the line, except us diehards in the station. After awhile, they took our names and told us we could come up the exit ramp later on and get right on the train in the unload station, even though we were standing in the station. I thought that was awesome! I sent my wife for the exit ramp ride, and she took someone's wife, that has never been on it and wasn't to sure about riding it, with her! She loved the ride!

Next time, definitely report it to a ride host so they can block off that row you were sitting in. I'm sure that was a very scary feeling, especially since Mean Streak is such a long ride. Some of my family members are the same way and wouldn't ride in the yellow one again either.

There's no such thing as too much complaining in this case. You're just giving a review of some of the things that happened on your trip and we're making a discussion out of it so we can further help you understand or sympathize. I do agree that Iron Dragon's crew could have apologized for the delay, but good luck having a crew at Cedar Point allow you to go back around a second time :)

Somebody definitely should have made sure you were okay on Mean Streak, or atleast asked your husband if there was anything they needed.

The seat belts are not the primary restraints, they are not needed to keep you safe. I doubt any modern ride would have rider controlled restraints as the primary restraint. As long as the lap bar was down, you were fine, no worries. When I was a kid, Blue Streak had no seat belts, and that ride has more air time than Mean Streak. Later, when they put seat belts on the trains, usage was optional and this was even announced by the ride ops. The seat belts are there mainly as a backup in the highly unlikely event that the latch on the lap bar fails.

Roller coaster track is divided into blocks, and each block is guarded by either a lift hill or a brake. On Iron Dragon, stopping on the lift simply means that the track ahead is occupied by a train. The lift will start when the track is clear. If for some reason the lift stops because of a mechanical issue, the ride ops would certainly come out to the lift and tell you about the problem.

JW Addington said:
Years ago, I had the restraint on Mantis open by a click, not all the way, but the seatbelts were on the train already, but I did whatever I could to make sure it didn't open any more.

I've had that happen to me to on various B&M rides. From what I understand, it is possible for the latch on a B&M restraint to be at the point of just latching in a position but not quite. Sort of being on the brink. Through vibration or tugging on the restraint, the restraint will move to the next highest position and securely lock like it is supposed to. Nothing to worry about, its not an indication that there is anything wrong with the locking mechanism.