ride methodology at the point...

so i'm sure everyone has their own theory on how to get the most rides in during your visit, so let's hear them.

i'm always torn on whether to ride TTD and MF first, or save them for later in the day. usually i start at power tower, work my way around the back of the park to MF. then move over to WT, up to the front to pick up raptor, and then do repeats if there is time.

how about everyone else? what's the best way to get the most rides in??

I like the circle method. If you time it right, you can catch short lines all the way around.

Simple: hit the back of the park first, save the front for later at night, and use FreeWay for the lines that don't move very fast (MF and Mantis are what I always get it for).

Yeah, going to the back first is great because pretty much everything is a walk-on in the morning. Start at the back and slowly make your way to the front. But I usually get in line for MF right before the park closes. The line is usually shorter then, and its awesome at night.

I'm a firm believer in hitting MF first thing. Whether you're early entry(9:00) or general public(9:30), the MF line should be fairly short, and the ride will almost certainly be open, unlike TTD. Plus, you can walk a few feet across the midway afterwards and walk on to Mantis which will have a line later in the day.

After that, my strategy is usually to head to the back, walking onto Mean Streak and Cedar Creek Mine Ride, along with any other rides I wanna hit back there. Then keep circling. Gemini and Magnum should be walk-ons depending on how long you take to get there.

Freeway is best used for TTD and either Raptor or Wicked Twister. I can usually ride everything I want to in a single day.

Of course, the overall plan may vary, but trust me, MF should be your first ride!

don't you think magnum just seems like a boring ride if you ride MF before it? that's why i usually start with magnum and work my way towards millennium.

No. Millennium Force, on the other hand, seems like a boring ride when you've been riding Magnum all day. :)

--Dave Althoff, Jr.

I couldn't have said it better Dave.

Hm, so maybe that's what I've been doing wrong.

It's become habit to start with WT or DT which are generally empty in the mornings. At this point either get a MF freeway or hit Magnum and work around the back, filling in the rest of the day with whatever I feel like doing. Ride raptor around 4 or 5. Mantis can be ridden repeatedly once night hits. And get in a TTD ride before I head home.

I start my day with Millennium Force and skip out on TTD altogether because, personally I don't think it's worth more than a half an hour wait. After Millennium I head back to Mean Streak and work my way up to the front. The only thing that I don't like about hitting MF first is that it is done right away and I want more by the end of the day and usually don't have time to ride it again if I'm only there for the day.

Ditto on the Magnum comments. If you'd really like to compare MF and Magnum, ride them with your eyes closed. Take away the visuals from MF, and there's not much left. It's a great ride, but no Magnum.

The title of this thread reads like an undergraduate class at some college. The posts read like people's final essays for the class. Okay, your final exam will be to write the order that you will go to the rides at Cedar Point in order to get the most possible rides. Explain your order in terms of preference and traffic patterns. Make sure that you consider the use of Freeway and how that will effect your strategy. Your essay must include an estimation of how many miles you will be walking during the day and an explanation of why you decided to skip the rides which you do not plan to go on. Also don't forget to plan in food and bathroom breaks and how you will get rid of the loose items that you are carrying before riding these rides. Paper must be 15 to 20 pages long, typed with 12 inch font, and be double spaced. You may recieve extra credit if you write about a two day stay including lodging at one of Cedar Point's resorts and how Soak City and Challenge park would play into those plans.

i made the title to read like a class assignment on purpose. i was talking to my friend the other night on the phone about our trip this weekend and we talked about 20 minutes on which order we were going to ride things in. and, at the end of the conversation, we were both like, "ya know, its cool that we just had a 20 minute conversation on ride theory all the while keeping a straight face." LOL!! and, i realized that there really was a "science" to riding rides at the point. you all do the same thing. :)

Ok, I have posted on this site for a long time but I've never delved into this topic. Frankly, some secrets should be withheld but since we have become such good friends over the years I think it is high time I let you all in on my system.

Are you ready?

Seriously, don't tell anyone where you got this information. You'll spoil it for everyone.

I see a ride I want to get on:

Wait for it.......

I get in line.

That should read:

"I get in line... Wait for it."

:)

MrScott

Here is my theory,

walk around

find a short line

get in it

ride it

find another short line

repeat

Yea actually before my last visit, I wrote everything down that I wanted to go on and tried to number them... yes I am a nerd. Turns out it wasn't necessary as there weren't lines for anything, so we just went with the flow (and rode the train a lot cause our feet hurt!)

^^^ yup that's what I do, with some general rules of thumb. Rules like Raptor is long in the morning, back rides are short in the morning, if Mantis/WT/Raptor are over half hour come back later cuz it'll be short some other time.

Oh and Power Tower is great anytime. Hardly ever over 15 mins and a great ride.

And by ^^^ I mean by Grady's post :) *** Edited 6/17/2005 10:56:03 PM UTC by GeeForce***