Opening Day 05/05/2018

Goliath, Storm Chaser, and Lightning Rod here. The only "negative" I would say is that Storm Chaser really pushes my intensity limits. It's super fun, but I can only handle a few rides on that thing. Otherwise RMC delivers the goods. All of them are amazing ride experiences.

What time do I plan to be there? Well, I only live a half hour away from the park. So for 9:00 early entry, I have to get up at 8:00 and leave at 8:30 or sometimes earlier if I wake up fast enough. I plan on going for the front entrance and hitting up gatekeeper. Then I get my @*s straight to Millennium Force, then Steel Vengeance and Skyhawk.

Lol 2 rides on Steel Vengeance on opening day. Yeah right!

ValCP has it right,

It's been a Loooooong off season and winter, I plan on enjoying the virtual walk-ons (excepting probably Maverick) on every other ride in the park whilst most people wait on SV. Then at the end of the night I'll mosey on back to SV and enjoy the line out of the sun on an amazing nighttime ride.

I typically wait for the day after Opening Day. That second day of operation is usually fairly quiet and the Opening Day kinks are still there, but a little better. In fact, I have never actually been to an Opening Day at CP in 20 years of going to the park. I am debating doing it this year just to see the insanity unfold.

I’ve never experienced anything even close to a walk-on on opening day.

Don’t know if I will be going on Opening Day or the day after but I’m planning on getting to the park at 7:30 am (hopefully there will be very few/no people at the gate) because usually people start lining up around 8-8:30 but it’s unpredictable what time people will be lining up at the gate.

This year I think it will be pretty predictable. They'll be lining up early.

Haha good luck getting 2 rides in

That line is gonna get really long really fast

If you are there for early entry, and one of the first to get in through the magnum gate, run back to Steel Vengeance. Get on for a quick ride, you can get back in line pretty quickly with only a 20-30 minute wait at that point.

After that, time to hit everything else!

There was a day during Halloweekends last year where Maverick had a 2 hour line 20 minutes after early entry started

It's going to be like that unless the weather is atrocious like opening day last year

Just Coasting said:

If you are there for early entry, and one of the first to get in through the magnum gate, run back to Steel Vengeance. Get on for a quick ride, you can get back in line pretty quickly with only a 20-30 minute wait at that point.

After that, time to hit everything else!

Do you honestly believe that is how this is going to work? This is potentially the most talked and most anticipated about new ride at the park since Dragster.

You can get two rides in. But that’s all you’re doing that day.

Lines will probably exceed an hour before early entry ends. Then go up to 3+ after that.

Hard for me to decide. It's really early this year, the weather will prob be crappy and rainy. Ohio and May do not mix if you want nice weather, with the occasional memorial day weekend being nice. Most the rides will be down for rain/wind. For my friend and I it will be a last minute decision most likely.

The weather can be beautiful in early May though. I've had many more opening days with good weather than an all day rain with wind.

My first visit every year comes in early June for the 5k/10k. We are thinking of going early this year for Steel Vengeance. Going to look into first rider stuff once Tony gives more info as well (unless I missed something).

I keep thinking about fastlane this year. Obviously SV will be plus only unless they do something new, but i bet that line will usually be huge as well. Thinking Maverick, Dragster, SV for plus, maybe a 4th?

My first year at CP was 1992 when I was 7, and I remember waiting in an insane line for MeanStreak. It was so long ago that I could be off on the time, but I know it was over 3 hours. Gonna bring back some memories if the queue is all in the infield like it was for MeanStreak, especially with how long it will be this year.

I plan to have a few rides under my belt prior to the ride being open to the public. HW will provide any marathon opportunities to fill in the gaps if I somehow haven't had enough. Still, it's not going to be too difficult for regular ambulatory folks to get regular ERT rides in on a daily basis if they want?

MaverickLaunch said:

I plan to have a few rides under my belt prior to the ride being open to the public.

Still, it's not going to be too difficult for regular ambulatory folks to get regular ERT rides in on a daily basis if they want?

How? And huh?

It will all depend how long the line is for early entry. I may just skip the first season and ride in 2019. if the line is too long I will marathon Maverick or Millennium.