Tuesday, August 7th: An Extra Dose of Charm

Famed poster Ensign Smith (Mike) and I had discussed meeting up at the park some time to ride some rides, and it finally went down on this day. We had a great time, and this visit to CP felt unique, fresh, and loaded with charm. ;)

I'll admit that July through most of August is usually my CP black out period. Not meaning that I get unconsciously drunk there, but rather I avoid the park because of excessive crowds. ;) So, I was hesitant how this trip would turn out. But with an Ensign present, I guess there'd never be a bad day.

The parking lot was nearly full, but somehow the crowds never felt overwhelming without Fast Lane. We both had a similar stance that anything longer than a 30 minute wait was too much, yet we rode plenty of great rides. When there was a wait, the lines just breezed by with Mike's ample supply of jokes and interesting conversation.

I actually enjoyed seeing lots of people in the park for a change. It made the park feel healthy to me, and it slowed down the pacing to make the visit a bit more enjoyable with less ride-marathon motion sickness.

Rather than a long, rambling report of everything we did, I'm going to post highlights or things worth commenting on.

--We both braved Mean Streak after some reports on the forums that it was its rough, jack-hammering self. We both felt no jack hammering and that it was comfortably smooth. Maybe a slight deterioration from May, but not worth mentioning. Unfortunately, the trims on the first drop grabbed hard, sucking plenty of life out of the ride. It wasn't as slow as my first ride of the year, but no where near as good as my last nearly trim-less ride.

--I rode the charming Calypso for my first time ever. Surprisingly, it didn't get me sick, and I really enjoyed it. I'll be adding it to the ride list on future trips.

--I rode Scrambler for the first time in a couple decades. It didn't make me sick either, and I enjoyed it. But I found Calypso comparable, yet a little more intense and fun.

--I rode Troika Troika Troika for the very first time. It was enjoyable, but it got me feeling a little sick like Witches Wheel does. Either it's those swinging cars or just it being later in the day, after many other rides.

--I ate at Johny Rockets for the first time; I had never been in that building since Fascination was removed. It was a classic, charming environment, and we didn't have to wait long for a table. I just got the smokehouse burger, and the patty was much better than the one I experienced at Coasters earlier in the season. However, maybe I was just a bit dehydrated, but the bun seemed pretty dry and stale. Sorry CP, if I want a good burger, I'm still going to hit up Thirsty Pony, which is a few minutes from the park. I have yet to be disappointed by that delicious Baby Chubby Hubby.

--We saw Happiness is Snoopy. Mike and I found the show pleasant, with a good mix of music and some unique versions of songs. Mike pointed out that some of the Peanuts' character costumes appeared to be made of leftover Cedar Fair VIP jackets. lol! Props to the Harley Snoopy -- he was pretty hardcore!

--We saw the Rockin' the Point show near Raptor. I wasn't expecting much, but I came away really impressed! The show was thoroughly entertaining with a great mix of music, through a good sound system, with nice lighting and effects. There was some great choreography and tributes to Queen, etc. that were fun to watch. The audience seemed into it, clapping rhythmically. I even found some of the singers to be very good. Shockingly, I recognized some of these good singers from Luminosity, where they slaughtered songs there. Maybe a bigger part of Luminosity's problem is in fact the mixing and music arrangements not working with the singers, making them sound so off.

--We stopped in to see the old Cedar Point Coliseum Ballroom. I never knew you were allowed in there, but it was definitely a sight to see. It was a frozen time capsule of an earlier generation of Cedar Point. It's such a shame that CP isn't doing something with it. That place is huge and could be a great air-conditioned place to dance, relax, or enjoy a meal.

--Mike and I got our final goodbye ride on Space Spiral. It had been closed in the afternoon hours for being too hot in the cabin, but it opened just as we were ready to leave the park. Boy, was it in a sad state. The plastic windows were so yellowed and fogged up that you could barely see anything with the sun shining through. When turning away from the sun, you could get a foggy view of Disaster Transport's removal, which made me a bit sad. But, it's exciting to see change at the same time.

In the end, this was a great trip to CP that felt so different than my last several year's worth. Thanks for the new experience, Mike! :)

"Famed"...*snicker* ;)

Nice TR. I think you played me up a little bit more than I paid you to, but I'm not gonna complain about it...

What an absolute blast of a day. For me the highlight has to be seeing the Ballroom for the first time. What a jewel. I've wondered since Tuesday why it is exactly that it's not put to some kind of public use. I speculate that, much like the dilemma of the International Street restaurant at KI, the second floor can't be opened because of ADA compliance issues. Plus, being a historic structure perhaps limits modifications that can be made to it? (Maybe somebody with more inside info on the topic can speak to that.) And not that I am in any way suggesting I'd like to see any changes made to the building--it's beautiful and perfect as is.

It was great to have a park companion who is as little in a rush as I am, and enjoys a wide variety of amusement park experiences. Jeff (Ffej) is as good a coaster buddy as they come.

I hear he also does bar mitzvahs...

;)

Hold it right there; you are allowed to go into the ballroom? How?

Well you see, there are these amazing things called "steps." What's a "step" you might ask? Some say it was brought here by mysterious space creatures to allow humans to move to a higher level on which one can stand. But in this case, it just leads to an old ball room. :)

When I go, I just walk right up there.

Or you could just beam up like we did...

Sir, you cannot beam here; this is a restricted area.

If anyone is wanting to take a peek at the ballroom, try all the doors. Only select ones will grant you access.

Also, it might be best to behave as if you're in an art museum. If you start tap dancing on the floor, you may be visited by Dwight.

I wanna go back just to mess with Dwight some more.

Worth noting- the ballroom is off limits to guests after Labor Day, when it becomes Haunt Central for the park's Screamsters.