TR 6/29

First of all, I would like to thank all of you CP employees on this site for your hospitality Thursday. I am the percussion instructor for Watkins Memorial HS, the last band to play yesterday morning (I think we were the only high school group there). Even though there wern't too many people in the park, it was nice to get smiles and waves from those working in the shops along the way. The performance was very encouraging for the group (they've only had 3 practices so far - this is the 2nd week of our season). Our hosts were also delightful, so thanks everybody!

My wife and I, along with 2 friends, made the drive from Columbus on our own: the thought of 3.5 hours on a school bus wasn't exactly thrilling. I decided the $30 in gas to drive up was worth it. We arrived before the kids, and nearly walked on to MF around 10. We hopped onto WildCat and the Blue Streak on our way back to the front of the park to meet the kids. They performed, and then we ventured back into the park.

We made our way towards the back of the park and walked onto Magnum. We then rode the Gemini. At this point in the morning only the blue train was running, and one of the red trains was sitting empty half-way up the lift. This wasn't a big deal though because of the low attendence. After a ride on Mean Streak we decided it was time to eat.

We went to one of the eateries in Frontier Town, in fact, the one with an attached eating pavilion that borders the old WWL site and the antique cars. I thought this would be the perfect place to scope out the Project 2007 site. This was where we had the only negative experience of the day: the staff at that concession was rude to us that it didn't seem real. The kid who served us barely seemed old enough to be working, and his attitude was rediculous. There were 3 or 4 other kids standing behind the counter talking to eachother while guests returned to the stand to complain (wrong orders, straws not given with drinks, overcharging). Well, we eventually got our food and sat down to eat.

After some peeking at P-2007, we made our way around to CCMR and Skyhawk. Let me tell you all how much we all LOVED Skyhawk. We then did the water rides a few times to cool off, and after sufficient drying time in the sun, made a return trip to Mean Streak. I would like to mention how different our 2 rides on MS were. The first time we were on the green train and the ride was the smoothest I have ever felt it. I was impressed, and even my wife commented on how much better it rode. The second time, however, we were on the gold train, and it was the same old painful MS. I just thought that was worth mentioning.

We got on the train and went up to the main midway to get on Iron Dragon. After that, we waited 25 minutes for the Dragster. Here I would like to say how impressed I was by ALL of the ride crews we had experienced at this point. Everything was loading quickly and, more important, everyone was fun and friendly.

Next we went down the Wicked Twister midway, bu WT was closed. We got on maXair fairly quick and then made our way over to Disaster Transport. I am always hot or cold with this ride, but yesterday I was able to look past the poorly designed theming and enjoy the short, but fun ride.

Now it was time for some $0.25 Cotton Candy. We bought it at the Confection Connection next to Raptor. What a great idea! Since it was convenient, we got on Raptor in about 10 minutes, and decided to grab another ride on Iron Dragon and Magnum. I certainly hope CP is planning something for the site of the old Pirate ride. I LOVED that ride and miss a good dark one at the Park. Well, it wasn't long before dinner was sounding good, so we went to Macaroni's. Here I was somewhat let down with the more limited menu. I didn't make it to The Point last year, but I remember the restaurant having a lot more selections. The food and service was good, just not what I was expecting.

A post-dinner skyride was the perfect way to see the beautiful new lighting and games package along the main midway. They did an amazing job on this, and I hope to see more of this design quality in the future. We went back for a few more swings on Skyhawk, where were stuck on Skyhawk for a little white becuase of restraint problems, but it wasn't long before they got in figured out. We then went back around for yet another turn on Magnum. We then did another spin on Raptor and another quick wait onto MF. Yet another turn on Iron Dragon followed (my friend loves this ride). We did Mantis for the first time of the day (no wait), then finished out the night with 4 turns on Magnum.

I have always been impressed with the way Cedar Point presents itself. Everything is ALWAYS clean and bright, hardly ever does something look to be in disrepair or in need of paint. The sunny skies and small crowd made yesterday made for an excellent day. Even though I wish there would have been a few more people to listen to the kids, it was still a mostly awesome experience. I wish the snaffu hadn't happened with lunch, but those things happen everywhere!