My opinion on ride

I am 43 years old and have been going to Cedar Point for many years. I am a huge coaster fan and could pretty much ride the Millennium all day and be happy.

I was at Cedar point on July 23 & 24 and got back late last night. We stayed at the Breakers hotel and we were able to get in to the park an hour early. When we went in yesterday morning we got stamped for a Freeway entry to Dragster later in the day. I had never ridden it before and was hoping to get on it that day. It rained all morning and I had my doubts it would open but after 1 or 2:00 it stopped raining and I was able to ride it at about 3:30.

There is no doubt the ride is fun but I can honestly say I would never wait in line to ride it. The ride is way too short to justify waiting in any line other then with a Freeway stamp. Plus add in the fact that the ride is constantly being shut down and it is just not worth wasting so much of your time hoping to ride it when you could be riding many other rides. The magnum wait was always like 10-20 minutes long all day for instance.

I am glad I rode it but if anything I think I was a little disappointed in the ride. It just wasnt as exciting as I expected it to be. I am interested in hearing other peoples opinions.

Well, I'll respect your opinion but will disagree with you on certain terms. For instance, you said the ride is constantly being shut-down. Was this on the day you went because Dragster has been running really well this year compared to last year? It could have been down because of the rain, although I can't tell you exactly how. A long rain (like all morning) can affect how it performs.

It's you choice rather or not to ride it and everybody takes a risk when deciding to get in line. The bottom line is we don’t know how well it will perform on any given day.
It's all up to you

Wow, talk about a long-time lurker! :)

I'm with you on this. It's a neat ride, but not even in the top five that I try to ride on each visit, for the same reasons you mention. I can't explain why, but it doesn't even have the gee-whiz factor that Millennium Force had (perhaps due to the lack of a huge lift structure).

But hey, it gives the park a reason to have a grandstand. That's worth something!

Just depends on your preferences....

I love being launched on TTD and WT while many others just prefer going down the big hill of a coaster. It is a pretty quick ride but worth it to me because I love the launch aspect.

I do agree that Dragster is just not worth the wait. I try to get it first thing in the morning. If I cannot due to a long wait of 45 min or more I am out to ride something else.

Sometimes at the end of a day and I do not feel like leaving right at close, I try to make it to the line before they close it off. I dont mind waiting at night when it is much cooler out and being one of the last people to ride (for the day) is always exciting.

But it is a 1-2 hour ride home. So it is rare for a last ride

I rode it last October and haven't done it again. I agree that it does give a cool rush but I wouldn't wait more than 45 minutes. I'd rather ride Mean Streak or Magnum. It's a decent ride, but not one of my top 5.

I love the launch aspect also, and I think the ride is great. I've done Dragster many times in a row on Friday night's after Labor Day, that is the time to ride it. I also wouldn't wait over about 45 - 60 min. for it, but I wouldn't wait longer than that for any ride.

I would wait longer than an hour for MF, but that's about it. Dragster is one of the best rides in the parks, IMO. It's short, but its also sweet. It's definiitely one that I try to ride every time I'm there.

I'll only wait over an hour for X right now.

I think my first ride on Top Thrill was way worth the two hour wait and delay. Then, after a few rides I started getting picky about line lengths, since the HUGE thrill wasn't there anymore. However, MF is a different matter. I could ride that ride again and again. I think it has to do with the lift hill, being high up and being able to look back behind you at the people behind you and at the ground below you. Then, of course, MF actually has a ride after the first hill, which is a giganormous plus.

-S. Eagle

I totally disagree. TTD is my favorite coaster in the world next to X at SFMM. I think that if you're waiting for a ride for over a half hour, the length of the ride is irrelevant, unless its more than like 5 minutes. If I wait an hour for MF and TTD, I don't think a couple minutes of ride time really makes an hour wait more worth it. Plus I have ridden TTD 10 times now, and it still hasn't lost any greatness.

BTW, if you didn't, ride in the front, it makes it twice as good.

The first time I rode Top Thrill Dragster was on June 29 of this year. Me, being the smart person that I am, decided to get a Freeway stamp so I wouldn't have to wait in the said line. Turns out that the line was just past the ramp, not even getting into the first set of queues. Anyway, even at the bottom of the ramp, it is still about 20 minutes. Blah.

I decided to suck it up and wait for the front seat, since I knew that I would only ride this once. The extra wait was about 15 more minutes, but this was helped by a guy about 12 or so people in front of me looking for a single rider. I asked nicely to the people in front of me if they minded if I went in front of them, and they had no problem (Thanks guys!)

Anyway, the ride. The ride was... woo. As I said in my TR, it felt like a gorilla sitting on your chest during that launch. Gah... that launch is awesome. Never before have I felt so exhilarated. Never. But once that catch car lets go... you are alone. It was like my hearing left me. Silence. That was, of course, until we got to the top hat.

I gotta say, the view is something I will never forget. Seeing Millennium Force wayyyy down there... it looked small. Tiny. Minuscule. It was just... wow.

The trip down, the only part I was really scared about, was the most fun. That head chopper, along with the twist and the final rush of speed before the breaks is better than the launch. By far. And then having all the people in line look at you... it is great.

The unloading platform is weird, because in my daze of, "OmigodIjustdidthat" into the fact that you have to unload somewhat quickly led to me stumbling and almost falling. Luckly, I grabbed the rail to support myself.

The on-ride photo is classic (check my profile), although expensive, it is worth it.

But for me does this make TTD a re ride? Yes and no. Yes, because as of right now I cannot fit into MF, but the only way I'll ride it again is with a Freeway Stamp or the line is under 30 minutes. If not, I would rather spend my time on Raptor (just because going upside down kicks ass) or maXair (because I feel like... well, that's another story for another day.)

TTD 120mph said:
Well, I'll respect your opinion but will disagree with you on certain terms. For instance, you said the ride is constantly being shut-down. Was this on the day you went because Dragster has been running really well this year compared to last year? It could have been down because of the rain, although I can't tell you exactly how. A long rain (like all morning) can affect how it performs.

It's you choice rather or not to ride it and everybody takes a risk when deciding to get in line. The bottom line is we don’t know how well it will perform on any given day.
It's all up to you

Hi

I am not saying anybody who chooses to wait is stupid. Of course everybody has the right to do what they want. I wish everybody would wait in the dragster line so the lines for Millennium and Magnum would be shorter :)

On Sunday it rained until about 12 or 1:00 or so I think. The dragster was open and the line was huge at around 3:00 when I went to use my Freeway stamp. I got on the ride around 3:30. The ride ran about 2 more times after I was on it and then it was down for hours after that. It was hot and sunny the rest of the day. Maybe it was too windy or something but I have no idea.

I agree everybody takes a risk when they get in the line but what I am saying is that its not worth that risk to me. If I was one of the people who got in that line at 2:30 and then at 3:30 the ride shut down for the day and it was sunny out I would be pretty pissed. I realize that they have to close the ride for safety reasons at certain times but that wouldnt make me any happier when I realized I just wasted an hour or more of my time.

nesdude, your unloading platform experience sounds exactly like mine... except, I actually did fall. I faceplanted on the concrete, which must have set me straight, because I felt fine after my injury.
Who needs a bench to calm down on when you can smack your face into the ground?... :)

TTD 120mph said:
Well, I'll respect your opinion but will disagree with you on certain terms.

I guess me and you are the ones who agree TTD is worth the wait.

Every aspect of the ride is just awesome and aww strucked by it. The entire feel of the area, the trains flying by while standing in line, the happy riders passing by while waiting on the ramp, the anticipation while loading and moving up into staging area, the moment of silence as the christmas tree lights up, the constant acceleration of the launch, the quick, smooth, and quiet accent up the tower, the slow crawl over the top, the awesome view coming back down, the head chopper down the drop, the rush into the finishline, the feeling of being weak in the knees the moment you get off, the amazing rush you have as you go see your picture, etc.

If you read all that, all I can say is wow. :)

I guess part of my problem is i have been riding these things for so long that the thrill from just the drop doesnt really satisfy me anymore. Thats why I love the Millenium. After the giant hill you still have a long ride ahead of you. I will have to give dragster another try though.

Dragster IS worth the wait...once.

I waited an hour and a half yesterday for my first ride. The experience is amazing, but it's not worth the very long wait.

TTD needs a DJ booth to help pass the time a little better. I also wish that they had windows or something in the wall that blocks the launch from the queue. It would be fun to watch the launches more.

When I was in line, they had no problems at all. However, they kept re-checking all lap bars on each train. It that something they always do for extra precaution?

After the ride, my train and the one ahead of me just sat in the blocks before the unload station. They kept reversing one train back into unload several times. I sat there for about ten minutes. Not sure what was wrong. I didn't check to see if there was a rollback or anything.
*** Edited 7/29/2005 6:37:06 PM UTC by rathofdoom***

Steve1984 said:
I guess part of my problem is i have been riding these things for so long that the thrill from just the drop doesnt really satisfy me anymore.

To me the best part of Dragster isn't the drop, its the launch. You're up and down the tophat so fast it doesn't even seem like 420 feet. I think MF and Magnum have more thrilling drops. But the rush of going from 0 to 120 mph in under 4 seconds is amazing. I agree that Millennium Force is better, but Dragster is a close 2nd on my list.

I totally agree. Going that fast out in the open is an amazing experience. Then, I think going up the hill is fun, when you turn it feels unique. After that it's just okay. And yes, the drop on MF or even Magnum is more thrilling, since you have time to look around and anticipation builds up.

-S. Eagle

You don't think about it, but when you realize that Top Thrill Dragster is the fastest that you've gone in YEARS (maybe ever if you've never flown) you realize how fantastic that ride is. I loved it and am looking forward to riding it next Sunday, or else Blake will die....