The element of surprise

I have been a season pass holder for the past 5 years. I pretty much have every roller coaster memorized. The one thing I miss the most about these rides is the element of surprise. Now don't get me wrong, I love all of these rides and do not think they are boring at all, but I do miss not knowing what is going to happen next on the ride. That is why I enjoy going to different parks and riding rides that I have never ridden before.

Does anyone else feel the same way?

I will there was some way I could be surprised everytime I go on a ride I have already gone on before.

Close your eyes

And cock your head to side for the whole ride.

Closing your eyes makes it exciting again, at least for me.

I'd ridden Maverick so many times that it got to be just another coaster. One day my buddy convinced me to drink in the Red Garter. It broke the bank, but I did get a bit tipsy. The sun went down and we realized we had time to make it on one ride before closing. So we decided to ride Maverick drunk in the dark. BEST experience ever. Totally rejuvenated the ride for me. I'm not saying everyone should get drunk and start riding rides because that's just playing with fire, but it gave me a new outlook on the ride.

What makes the ride "New" for me, is ridng with people who haven't ridden them before..or people who are just scared to ride them.

I enjoy watching other people's expressions during the ride. Trying to figure out if they have been on it before or its the first time.

Yeah... on my last trip to KI I closed my eyes on both Diamondback and Beast, and still knew exactly what was going to happen... I actually called out each hill and turn to a buddy of mine. It blew his mind.

Sometimes so every year I hit a new park, also i like closing my eyes or looking in a different direction then forward. Also ride with your feet up like on millennium forces air hills raise your feet and you get airtime thats a little different (at least for me)

Millennium Force has airitme? ;)

No, not 'airitme'. Airtime. If you're gonna spoof someone, you owe it to yourself and your audience to get it right.

Sheesh.

;)

Edit: ah, sweet irony.

Sit in the back of MF and turn as best as you can so you are able to look behind the train the entire ride.... thats interesting to say the least.

I'll have to try this stuff out.

Ride Drunk

That wouldn't work for me... I'm 17

Funny enough, when I want to change up my perception of a coaster, I ride it sober. ;)

If you are under 21, then ride with a drunk. You might be in for a surprise then as well.

Great Role Models LOL. Don't go to Cedar Point for a year. Or maybe just once. Power Tower, Maxair,Skyhawk always get my heart racing and give me drop sensation.

It doesn't bother me that I know when everything is going to happen. I ride coasters more for relaxation now, rather than thrills.

Yes, becoming absolutely familiar with rides can make trips less memorable over time. I'll never forget my first ride on Maverick, which happened to be at about 1AM on a very busy Halloweekend. The crazy pace of that ride through darkness and not knowing anything about the ride led to an awesome experience -- I think I laughed through the whole ride.

As others have said though...there are plenty of ways to bring new life to these rides. Bringing new fun friends to the park can make the rides seem new again. But in general, just break your routine.

For so long, I would do Cedar Point the exact same way each time, trying to maximize the experience from all the knowledge I had gained over the years. Get there right at opening on virtually no sleep...park in the Magnum lot, start with Maverick for bonus time...then to Millenium Force...then back through Frontier town to move against the crowd of the park, taking advantage of walk-ons...etc. But, after many visits like this, my experience almost felt like a chore...a checklist to mark off, as I dragged through the park exhausted.

A few years ago I thought to myself, "I've been on all these rides countless times. Why does it even matter if I optimize ride time and get on everything in a visit?" So, my friends and I switched things up. We slept in until noon and took our time eating breakfast, not rushing. We parked in the front and hit Blue Streak first. It seemed so much better than when it was the 10th thing to do on the checklist day. We hit up a handful more rides, watched a show, and then tried the Thirsty Pony out of the park for the first time. We had some beers, relaxed, and then went back to the park until close. This visit to CP made the rides feel so much better...I wasn't exhausted from no sleep, and it was just all about having fun. Ever since that visit, I try to make every trip to CP different in some way to bring new life to the rides and experience.

On the other hand, sometimes I want to experience the rides in a very nostalgic way, with as little change as possible. With this thought, I think I'll make a new thread to discuss.

I feel the need to go flask shopping before my trip this season.....

SSL488 - ride Witches' Wheel while trying to look backwards. My stomach would turn so much and I'd break out into laughter!