We decided to take my mom for mother's day with my kids (1 and 3) to check out Planet Snoopy and everything else. We stayed at a cabin and headed to check out Maverick first with the early entry.
First Time on Maverick: This was my wife and I's first time on the ride and I have to say, I was pretty impressed with all the elements that were packed into such a little coaster. If anyone ever wants to expience what it's like to be thrown off a cliff, that first drop is the answer. While I don't think Maverick is an intense coaster, it's definately on my list as a 'Don't Miss" coaster. One thing I thought was interesting was the inversions. I didn't get that traditional upside-down feeling you normally get when flying through the inversions. Some of the overbanked elements felt more upside down than the actual inversions themselves. I was also surprised with the amount of airtime. Finally, a twisty, upside-downy coaster with AIRTIME!
Planet Snoopy Thoughts: We all dashed to Planet Snoopy after Maverick for the opening ceremonies and enjoyed spending time with the boys. My only complaint with Planet Snoopy is the lack of a signature attraction for the kid area. Camp Snoopy has Woodstock Express, Kiddie Kingdom has the Carousel and the Gemini Kid's Area has the Jr. Gemini. Other than that, it appeared to bring some more life to this part of the park, although I definately think Camp Snoopy has more character (no pun intended).
The rest of the day was spent in the kids areas, jumping on the big rides when we could. To anyone who says Cedar Point is not family friendly, think again. I can't believe how much there is to do for a 3-year old! My son had a blast. He rode his very first roller coaster (Jr. Gemini) and loved it, although his favorite ride was the Peanut's Speedway (Kiddie Whip). He named all the cars after characters in from the movie "Cars".
Biggest Disappointment: The amount of rides that were having mechanical difficulties. Everytime we wanted to ride something, it was down. The rides I observed not operating when we wanted were Wicked Twister and Skyhawk. Maverick went down mid-day and never re-opened for some reason and MaXair was never open. Many of the roller coasters were experiencing restraint problems, with alot of seats roped off. (Unless they do this when staffing is low or to evenly distribute the weight.) With the entire off-season behind them, I didn't think there was any excuse for the rides that were down. Other rides down during the day were the Monster Trucks in the brand new Planet Snoopy, Demon Drop, which later opened and Raptor. Another small observation was the fact that an entire section of lights were not working on the Giant Wheel. Doesn't this stuff get checked before opening day?
Biggest Surprise: Wicked Twister. I couldn't believe how much thrill I got out of this coaster. It seemed to be traveling faster today. It pleasantly cought me off guard.
Best Ride: Magnum XL200. Maggie was running great today. While my wife likes the famous ejector seat, I enjoy the sensation in the back better. She decided to go with my choice today and we had the smoothest 3 rides we've had on this in along time and great airtime as always. On a side note, Gemini was running smoother than it has in years past as well.
For the Tree-huggers: I am amazed at how fast trees grow here at the Point. It's probably due to the sandy soil, but even the little saplings they planted by MaXair in '05 looked quite a bit larger this year. The trees around MF are growing in nicely and Camp Snoopy looks more camp-like than ever. As for CP's future policy on trees, as long as they replace the ones they take out, I have no problems, although I wish they could have saved a few more around Maverick.
Overall Experience: This park is a great place for the kids and us coaster junkies still had fun as well. The park looked great, but was not operating the way it should. I know it was opening day and staffing-wise, everything is expected to be slower, but the amount of rides having mechanical problems is in-excusable.
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