Episode 26: Cedar Point 2.0 (Greatest Thrill Rides Ever)

The southbound run on my summer road trip began with two full days at Cedar Point, home to many of the greatest thrill rides ever, and that's even with their new for 2024 Top Thrill 2 being closed!  I was joined by my dad, an Ohio native, who hadn't been to America's Rockin' Roller Coast since 1999 when he brought my family and I for the first time.  Join me for two full days at A Place Like No Other riding top tier rides like Millennium Force, Steel Vengeance, Maverick, and more!  We also take a ferry ride to Put-in-Bay on South Bass Island, just offshore on Lake Erie.

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Transcript

Welcome Episode 26 of Coaster Redux.  My name is Erik, and this is the story of my revived roller coaster fandom.  For years, I’d all but forgotten my coaster obsession from high school and college.  Then during the pandemic, I started following the amusement world again, and for the last two years, I’ve been on a mission to ride as many new coasters as I can, and share my experiences through this podcast.

It all started with a week-long road trip back in 2022, and I’m now underway on my third road trip, this time for two full weeks.  I’ve got four parks remaining and I’ll go in-depth on my experiences riding new roller coasters as well as some old favorites.

I spent yesterday visiting Six Flags Great America for the first time.  While the park was slammed on this Saturday in June, I enjoyed my rides on their headlining coasters like Raging Bull, Maxx Force and Goliath.  While I feel I missed out on some of the supporting line-up, it’s very much a top tier Six Flags park with plenty to see and do, and I’m sure I’ll be back at some point in the future.

My next stop would be my return to Cedar Point for the first time since my first road trip two years ago.  I really wanted to take my time and enjoy one of the world’s finest collections of thrill rides.  While it’s no longer the park with the most coasters in the world, Cedar Point has a long history of setting records building the tallest, longest, fastest, and wildest rides out there. I’ll be spending two full days here joined by my father who hasn’t been to Sandusky since 1999 when he brought my family here for the first time.  He’ll get his first rides on elite roller coasters like Steel Vengeance, Maverick, Millennium Force, and more.  As for me, the only new rides I had to look forward to were Wild Mouse, and of course Top Thrill 2.  By the way, if you haven’t already done so, I’d recommend listening to Episode 5, which covers my last visit to Cedar Point before listening to this one.               

Anyway, I know as a roller coaster fan that one of my favorite parts of the hobby is getting the reaction of somebody coming off of a ride they’ve never ridden before.  That’s what I want to share with you.

And with that, join my dad and I for two days at America’s Rockin’ Roller Coast, and truly a place like no other as we return to Cedar Point on Coaster Redux.

So let’s just get to the elephant in the room right now.  I’d been planning this road trip since last fall, and getting back to Cedar Point for Top Thrill 2 was one of the cornerstones of the trip.  I never rode the original Top Thrill Dragster, the world’s first coaster to top 400 feet, as it had closed the year before my last visit.  I rode Kingda Ka at Six Flags Great Adventure last year and absolutely loved it, and seriously, what kind of coaster enthusiast would I be if I didn’t ride Top Thrill 2 during opening year?  The hype surrounding Dragster has captivated the internet since it closed in August of 2021, after a piece fell off a moving train seriously injuring a guest waiting in line.  The saga that followed is wilder than any of us could have imagined.  Fans came up with all kinds of theories ranging from Intamin simply refurbishing the original coaster to an extended layout doing multiple laps, to a complete removal of the ride to make way for an RMC T-rex.  Everything was on the table, and the rampant speculation spawned the creation of many-a-successful YouTube channel.  

Then on September 6, 2022, Cedar Point announced that Dragster would not re-open in its current form, but would be “reimagined” into a new experience.  Then, the speculation got more focused.  Renderings of new layouts with added loops, turns, and bunny hills were proposed and animated, and most agreed the launch system would be replaced and the iconic 420-foot top hat would remain. You see, the original hydraulic launch system was capable of absurd acceleration, 0-120 is 4 seconds, but was notoriously unreliable.  Logic suggested that it would be replaced by an LSM launch, a much more robust system that isn’t capable of the same acceleration as the original.  To make the required speed in the existing space, a swing launch would need to be used, similar to Pantheon at Busch Gardens Williamsburg in which the train passes the magnetic staters multiple times forwards and backwards.

So which manufacturer would Cedar Fair tap to reimagine one of the tallest and fastest roller coasters in the world?  Intamin, the original builder seemed an obvious choice, as their reliability has dramatically improved since 2003 opening stalwart attractions like VelociCoaster and Hagrid’s at Universal which operate year-round with minimal downtime.  But the parent company hasn’t worked with them in years following reliability issues with numerous other installations, including Maverick.  Then there’s Mack Rides who built the awesome Copperhead Strike at Carowinds, and Vekoma who’s exploded back onto the scene with some awesome looking launched coasters in Europe, and the Big Bear Mountain family coaster at Dollywood.

Then there was this crazy idea that it might be Zamperla, an Italian manufacturer known for flat rides, family coasters, and a few unremarkable thrill coasters.  They seemed to be buddy buddy with Cedar Fair, having installed several flat ride packages throughout the chain last year, and the new Wild Mouse coaster at Cedar Point.  They were even working on refurbishing a small Intamin accelerator coaster relocated from Italy to Canada with new trains and a launch system.  

The rumor mill ran wild for nearly a year.  What would the new ride do?  Would it keep the racing theme, or change completely?  And who would build it?  The announcement was set for August 1, 2023.  Coaster nerds worldwide braced to have their collective minds blown by Cedar Point’s next major addition.  We’d finally get answers to these burning questions.  Tomorrow would be the day.

Then, unceremoniously, on the morning of July 31, 2023, an enthusiast found a link on Zamperla’s website, and all the details were leaked.  The name of the new coaster was Top Thrill 2.  Really?  What’s the best you could come up with? After all this time?  Top Thrill 2.  Then there were the launch statistics.  Forwards 0-72 mph, with a roll back down the top hat, then backwards up to 100 before a vertical climb up a new 420 foot vertical spike.  Then the final boost would bring the train up to 120 to clear the top hat before the finish line.

There’s no way.  That can’t be it.  Then the next morning, Cedar Point released all the same details.  Top Thrill 2 was real, the enthusiast community was underwhelmed, and Zamperla had spilled the beans prematurely.  It was a massive blunder.

We watched that spike grow over the off-season, noting that it would change the Cedar Point skyline forever.  Dragster’s red track and yellow supports were slowly repainted.  The new livery was gray supports and white track with red stripes on the vertical components.  It looked great!  Zamperla’s new Lightning trains debuted at the IAAPA Orlando Expo in November, and they looked amazing! High riding bullet shaped Formula-One bodies with massive wheels and open sides with a single simplistic lap bar.  Testing soon followed.  They cycled it all winter.  Confidence grew that if nothing else, Top Thrill 2 would debut on time, and it would be more reliable than Dragster.

As opening day approached, controversy surrounded Cedar Point again as many voices who had been critical of the park were not invited for first rides on Top Thrill 2, up to and including the Sandusky Register, the hometown newspaper.  The park held passholder previews, and enthusiasts lined up to ride the reborn stratacoaster on opening weekend.  Reviews were overwhelmingly positive, with some of Zamperla’s biggest critics waxing that they’d knocked it out of the park.  The trains were amazing.  Super open and comfortable.  And while the launches weren’t as punchy as the original, you spent more time at full speed which more than made up for it.  Top Thrill 2 was universally praised as being a better overall experience than the original.  And it operated with minimal downtime throughout the weekend.

Then, Top Thrill 2 did not open the following weekend, and on Sunday, May 12, Cedar Point announced that the coaster would be down for an extended period while Zamperla completed work on the trains.  The rumor mill went into overdrive as enthusiasts wondered how long these modifications would take.  During the next few weeks, I scoured the internet for information and updates.  As I departed for my trip, the ride was seen testing.  Some said the closure was due to premature wear on replaceable parts that could be changed more often to make the ride operational until a permanent solution was found.  I remained cautiously optimistic that Top Thrill 2 would open for my visit, yet as the days grew closer, I resigned myself to the inevitability.  The world’s tallest and fastest multi launch roller coaster would remain dormant during my time in Sandusky.

As I settled in for the five and a half hour drive, there was still plenty to be excited about.  Three of my top ten roller coasters reside at the Point, and I’d get to share those with my dad.  We also planned to take the ferry from Port Clinton to Put-in-Bay, a popular island destination located just offshore from mainland Ohio known for a Key West-style party vibe.  As I headed southbound, I did get to drive past downtown Chicago to see some of its famous architecture before the drive transitioned to farmland.

I arrived at my hotel around 5:00 pm and checked in.  I ended up staying at the Marriott Fairfield in Port Clinton as it was much less expensive than staying closer to the park.  In fact, when I planned this trip, I actually originally intended to make the loop in reverse order, traveling north from Dollywood to Holiday World and Kentucky Kingdom, then Kings Island and Cedar Point.  That would have put me here on a weekend, and the cheapest hotel I could find was over $400 per night.  I was here during this same timeframe two years ago and had no problem finding reasonably priced lodging.  In hindsight, I’m glad I did the trip in this order.  I’d be at Cedar Point on a Monday and Tuesday meaning crowds should be manageable, right?

Anyway, my room for the next three nights looked straight out over Lake Erie, and while I couldn’t see the park, the view was impressive.  I could even watch the Jet Express catamarans throttle up to their full speed of 30 knots en route to Put-in-Bay.  I dropped my belongings and headed off to meet my dad, as he was staying at a different hotel just a few miles down the road.  We decided to head to downtown Sandusky in search of dinner.  I’d heard of some outdoor lakeside dining options where we could eat and soak up the panorama of Cedar Point from across the bay.

We drove for about 20 minutes and parked along Sandusky’s Shoreline Drive, and walked down to the end of the Jackson Street Pier.  The view was spectacular as we looked northward towards the most impressive theme park skyline in existence.  It was then that I got my first view of Top Thrill 2’s new paint scheme and that new 420 foot spike.  The ever-present parabola of Millennium Force dominates the foreground, while the latticework of Steel Vengeance dwarfs Maverick to the left.  We’ve got a lot to look forward to in the morning, but for now, it’s time to eat.

We ended up a couple of blocks inland at the Shorehouse Tavern.  My dad and I both enjoy craft beer, and we got to sample some local brews along with tasty pub food. I got a fried perch sandwich that was really good and different from Florida seafood.  We finished dinner and resolved that I would pick my Dad up at 9:30 the next morning leaving plenty of time to drive to the park and make it to the gate at opening.

Monday morning brought mostly clear skies, light winds, and hot temperatures as I picked my father up and headed to the park.  He bought his day ticket from the car on the way, and that it only costs $50 to enter one of the world’s best amusement parks still blows my mind.  We cruised across the lake, and wound through streets of Sandusky before passing the Cedar Point sign, the employee dorms, and the Express hotel.  Then the road narrows as the causeway stretches northward with that amazing vista of the whole park off to the left.  You just can’t beat that view of twisted steel in every imaginable color rising above the azure lake.  It’s breathtaking.

I scanned into the parking lot, and we lubed up with sunscreen before making our way to the front gate.  The massive screen above the ticket booth flashed with a notification that indeed Top Thrill 2 would be closed today.  I knew this, and like the causeway we’d just driven over, I’d built a bridge and gotten over it.  This park is so stacked with top tier roller coasters, I was still amped up for the day to come.  My dad was impressed too.  No less than six major coasters had been added since he was last here, including Gatekeeper, the B&M wing coaster, which gracefully soared above.  This entry plaza is sheer perfection.

We headed for the back of the park, as I thought Maverick would be the best way to start the day.  This Intamin Blitz coaster is known for long lines and extended downtime, so I wanted to ride it early.  We passed Millennium Force and opted to walk the Frontier Trail.  While it may be a bit longer than the main northern midway, it’s well shaded by a canopy of trees meaning we’d be cooler on this steamy morning.   Cedar Point is long and narrow, and it’s almost a full mile from the front gate to Frontier Town.  When you come here, be sure to bring your walking shoes.

So Frontier Town is arguably the nicest area of Cedar Point, occupying the northern end of the peninsula.  It’s themed to the Wild West and is home to the classic Cedar Creek Mine Ride coaster, the Farmhouse Kitchen & Grill restaurant, abundant shady trees, and the park’s two headlining roller coasters.  Maverick opened in 2007, and proved that a roller coaster could be world class without any record breaking statistics.  This Intamin multi launch coaster plays up snappy transitions, ejector airtime, tight inversions, and a sense of low-to-the-ground speed speed over sheer height and length.  Then in 2018, RMC converted the colossal Mean Streak wood coaster into Steel Vengeance.  It took every superlative among hybrid coasters and still enjoys the number one spot on many enthusiasts’ rankings today.

Ever since then, there’s been a bit of a feud brewing between these two outlaws over who really rules Frontier Town.  Two years ago, I ranked Maverick above SteVe, but I’ve also ridden over 100 roller coasters since then, and I’ve gained a higher appreciation for what makes RMC’s so good.  It was time to ride these two spectacular coasters back to back in an epic duel for Cedar Point supremacy, and I was excited to get my dad’s first time reactions to both.

Despite being just after park opening, Maverick’s line extended right to the edge of the covered pavilion, meaning we would wait a minimum of 45 minutes.  While it operates six trains and has a dual load station, it’s still one of the lowest capacity coasters at Cedar Point, and despite being 17 years old and a paltry 105 feet tall it remains one of the park’s most popular.  Maverick trades sheer size for a completely unique ride experience that has a little bit of everything.

At the top of the stairs, we’re assigned row 4, basically right in the middle of the train.  Restraints are Intamin’s combination overhead lap bar with shoulder guards, though fortunately these have been upgraded with padded soft shoulder straps that have some give versus the original hard plastic design.  As we prepared to dispatch this steel horse, this ride-op was clearly an enthusiast giving a mash-up announcement that only we would appreciate.

We rolled out of the station, and within seconds, those LSM’s kicked in to send us up the lift hill at a medium pace.  That’s the only medium thing about Maverick as the speedy ascent sets up the first drop.   The train tries to do a somersault as you plummet at 95 degrees.  It’s an insane ejector moment.  You bank hard right and snap through two ridiculous S-bends with transitions so quick you seem to get an airtime pop accompanied by the laterals.  Then you soar into the first airtime hill giving a great ejector moment stretching those shoulder straps to their max.  You bank right and smoothly transition into the first of two opposing corkscrews called the Twisted Horseshoe roll, then turn right to re-align with the station and slow. 

We pause for a second at a railroad crossing before entering launch number two.  In no time, we’re up to Maverick’s top speed of 70 mph, break left out of the tunnel, and smash into daylight and a lightly braked upward hill.  Maverick then charges down and to the right over water and snaps back left before entering the finale.  The direction changes on this coaster really are something else.  Next up is a Stengel dive to the right, then another one to the left, and a quick airtime pop before a turn into the brakes.

Small but mighty.  It’s the only way I can describe Maverick.  It throws so much at you rapid fire.  The turns are so close to the ground as you twist through rockwork, trees, and water features, making it completely disorienting.  It has great airtime, and launches, but it’s the whip through those lateral laden transitions that make this coaster truly special.  I’ve never ridden another roller coaster that feels like Maverick, and I left my first ride of the day loving this experience even more than I did two years ago.  My dad liked it too.  He didn’t know about the second launch, so that element of surprise caught him off guard.

So, with our first ride of the day under our belts, we headed next door to check out Steel Vengeance.  Upon approaching, the scale of this structure is awe-inspiring.  There’s wood everywhere with those oversized mine carts flipping and banking in every direction.  The posted wait was only 30 minutes as we entered the queue.  We were able to walk straight to where the line abuts the ride’s final bunny hops before a recorded announcement came over the PA.  

Steel Vengeance would experience a temporary delay in operations so that another train could be added.  Fair enough, but adding the train and completing its test cycles left us in the blazing hot infield of the ride unshaded for about 15 extra minutes.  Fortunately, the line moved quickly once operations resumed.  We emptied our pockets into the free double sided lockers and were climbing the stairs into the station after another 20 minutes.  

So my last rides on Steel Vengeance were hampered by anticipointment.  When I first rode in 2022, I’d heard that it was nothing short of the greatest thrill ride ever from the bulk of the coaster community.  And what’s not to love?  It’s by far the longest roller coaster built by Rocky Mountain Construction, considered to be the hottest new ride manufacturer in the world.   The problem was that I rode Iron Gwazi at Busch Gardens Tampa first.  It’s one foot taller and one degree steeper than SteVe, but 1700 feet shorter.  After my last visit, I felt the jerky airtime moments at the end of the ride didn’t make up for the extra track length, so Gwazi remained atop my RMC list, which at the time was only three.  Now I’ve ridden 17 of their coasters, and I’ve really come to appreciate the magic and the nuances of Alan Shilke and Joe Draves’ designs.  Would Steel Vengeance redeem itself?

It was time to find out as my dad and I climbed into row 10.  The Vengeance crew was hustling, and we were out the door in seconds heading up the obnoxiously loud lift hill with the entire peninsula extending off to the right.  We approached the top, put our hands up, and prepared for 1 minute and 22 seconds of RMC bliss.

The 200 foot first drop at 90 degrees gets the airtime party started, then the mine cart rockets over a tiny speed hill before rising up into two massive turning airtime hills.  The first almost unbanked with a sweet combination of laterals and sustained ejector.  It’s awesome, but it pales in comparison to the next outerbanked hill which leaves you pinned to the lap bar for an eternity.  Then SteVe enters the structure above the station for a pair of snappy inversions, a zero-G roll and a zero-G stall.  The direction changes are impressive, and the view of the support beams all around create complete disorientation.  It’s sublime!

You hurdle back into the sunlight and perform a sort of double down and double up filled with airtime and laterals before entering the mid-course. It’s some of the most intense airtime on the ride, but we’re only halfway through.  The brakes don’t touch the train, and we’re flying into the final lap around the course.  There are bunny hops, an outerbank, two zero-G rolls, a wave turn performed completely within the structure, and that airtime bazooka finale before you plow into the brakes.

So my dad loved it.  His reaction was similar last summer when he rode his first RMC with me, Wicked Cyclone at Six Flags New England.  Of course, Steel Vengeance is Wicked Cyclone to the tenth power, and as we walked down the exit, he placed himself firmly on Team SteVe.  Fair enough.  As for me, I’m still Team Maverick, but I liked Steel Vengeance better this time around.  I wasn’t expecting it to be my favorite roller coaster of all time.  I think the internet hype machine failed this ride the last time around placing my expectations impossibly high.  I love the length, the intensity, the non-stop pacing, and the visuals.  I’m quite sure SteVe will be moving up in my rankings this year.

With the Frontier Town duel being a draw between us, we headed back down the Frontier Trail.  Our third ride of the day would be Millennium Force.  Growing up in Boston, the year 2000 marked the first time I rode an Intamin mega coaster, Superman: Ride of Steel at Six Flags New England.  That ride blew my mind with the absolute best ejector airtime I’d experienced in my teenage life.  Of course, Millie opened that same year as the world’s first giga coaster, and after my life-changing first rides on Superman, I really wanted to ride this blue behemoth.  My family had visited Cedar Point in 1999, so I missed riding it by only one year, and it took me until 2022 to get back to Sandusky to ride the Force.

I’d dragged my dad to Six Flags New England numerous times to ride Superman, so I was psyched to share its larger cousin with him.  We stepped into the queue with a posted 45 minute wait.  While three trains were on the track, ops were super slow and there was a lengthy double stack on the brake run almost every cycle.  They probably would have achieved the same throughput with two train ops.  Heat in the lightly shaded queue was almost unbearable, and it became worse as we stood in direct sunlight walking up the exposed ramp to the station.

This is one of my favorite photo ops in the park.  If you turn around and look towards Millie’s final overbank, you get a view of that turn along with Valravn’s drop, Rougarou’s drop, Iron Dragon, and Power Tower.  I’d taken this shot during my last visit, but it’s now even better with Top Thrill 2’s vertical spike dwarfing the other rides.  Just as before, I love the interaction between those in line, and those on the train.  Millennium Force blazes through its finale with wicked speed, and all the riders put on a show for those of us below.  It’s amazing for building anticipation.

We finally entered the station, and were placed in row 6.  The iconic techno beat repeats over the PA transporting me directly back to the year 2000.  You can’t not love this soundtrack.  Then as we sat down and lowered Intamin’s perfect T-bars and prepared for dispatch, there was something new.  It’s a clip from the ride’s original promo video, and it gave me goosebumps.

With that, the train charges up the 310 foot lift hill under the command of the elevator cable system.  Once again, the view is stunning with the waters of Sandusky Bay lapping the shoreline directly below.  We’re going way up, and the open feeling of these trains cannot be beat.

At the top, you disengage the catch car, and begin that sensational drop at 80 degrees.  The float is phenomenal, then the positives on the pull-out continue through the first 169 foot overbanked turn.  The speed is surreal as you blast through the first tunnel banked left before soaring into the first major airtime hill.  It’s delightful sustained floater, and every time I ride, I have my hands straight up and my face to the sky as if to say hallelujah!  It’s that kind of moment.  Next comes a figure eight turnaround with two more overbanked turns while the train stays low on Millennium Island.  This coaster is all about speed, and it feels like you haven’t lost much if any.  

You then cruise over a smaller airtime hill for more of that heavenly float, bank left into a second tunnel, and exit to put on a show over a quick bunny hop before a fourth and final overbanked turn into the brakes.  

I absolutely love Millennium Force, and my dad did too.  I could point to so many roller coasters that are objectively better.  More forceful, greater variety of elements, stronger airtime.  None of that matters.  This ride has a certain mystique and nostalgia, a perfect setting, delightfully minimalistic restraints on those little go kart trains, an awesome first drop, a smooth ride, and it’s just so much dang fun!  At the ripe old age of 24, Millennium Force remains an elite roller coaster, and I wouldn’t change a thing.

Drenched in sweat, yet high off riding three of the best coasters in the world, my dad and I were hungry.  Unfortunately, the go-to Melt grilled cheese restaurant is no more, so we decided to head for last year’s new addition, the Grand Pavilion.  It’s located lakefront on the east side of the park in the new Boardwalk section.  Two levels of air conditioned comfort with beautiful water views and non-traditional theme park food were calling our names.

The Cedar Point Grand Pavilion was designed as a tribute to a similar entertainment space that graced the shores of Lake Erie long before the park became synonymous with roller coasters.  This new building is the anchor attraction of the new Boardwalk area, and we stepped inside to find a massive food stand with plenty of interesting eats.  The bummer?  No air conditioning.  At least on the first floor.  I grabbed a roast beef sandwich with steak fries, and my dad opted for some kind of Asian style meatballs with a side of pineapple rice.  As we checked out, the cashier assured us that the A/C was working on the second floor, so we headed up the beautiful white staircase to find a table.

The place was packed, and it took us a few minutes to find a place to take a seat.  We were right next to the main bar with a really cool brass roller coaster shaped backdrop.  The atmosphere was awesome, and while there was some A/C up here, it was obvious that it wasn’t at full strength.  The food was great though, and we strolled outside on the balconies after we ate to soak in the view of the beach.  This place is definitely a win for Cedar Point as it provides an escape from the bustling midway to get a sense of the park experience in its infancy.

We left Grand Pavilion, and headed over to Wild Mouse, the new for 2023 Zamperla spinning family coaster.  It was down for maintenance at the time, so we reversed course and headed for Gatekeeper.  I had been underwhelmed by this massive B&M wing coaster on my last visit due to its rattle.  But then again, I had the same feeling towards Fury 325 at Carowinds which I rode only a few days before.  Later rides on Fury brought glossy smooth experiences, and I hoped the same would be true here.

We only waited ten minutes to board row seven left, and we left the station for some keyholing through that awesome front entrance.  I was in the inner seat, giving my dad the chance to ride the outside seat for his first wing coaster.  We twisted over the top of the 164 foot first drop and soared through the Immelman.  It was definitely smoother.  The rattle was much less noticeable than before, and I think the train ran faster.  I got some nice float over the camelback that was completely absent before.  Gatekeeper then performs its near miss inversions above the entrance, and they’re flowy and graceful.  Wing coasters are more about the visuals than the G-forces, and this one definitely wins in that area.  Unfortunately, it suffers from that inherent bounce from having the seats cantilevered so far from the track.  While I enjoyed my inside seat ride, my dad proclaimed it rough.  I get that.  Maybe I should have given him the inside seat.

Overall, Gatekeeper remains a fun roller coaster, but I’ll stand by my original opinion that it’s more fun to watch than it is to ride.  The presentation of the park’s entry plaza is world class, but my hot take?  I still prefer Dollywood’s Wild Eagle.

Staying in the front of the park, we walked across the midway to ride Raptor.  It’s a classic among B&M inverts, and it impressed me in both of my last visits for being intense and whippy.  We endured a 30 minute wait in the heat before climbing into row six right.  I thought Raptor was running great.  I love the mostly straight first drop, and the whip and positive G’s through the ride’s corkscrews and final helix.  One thing that stood out is how sharply you level out into the final brakes.  It was a brutal snap that left the entire structure shaking.  I loved Raptor, but my dad again declared it rough.  I guess that means I won’t be taking him on Rougarou!

Next, we wanted to ride Valravn, the massive B&M dive coaster, but it was closed, so we opted to take a spin on Blue Streak.  My dad grew up in Ohio and remembered a high school trip to Cedar Point, with this being the only roller coaster that would have been here at that time.  We rode in the middle of the train.  There’s plenty of floater airtime here, and it’s smooth enough.  We both enjoyed this wood coaster, my dad calling it a great classic.

With Valravn still closed, we started heading back to Frontier Town.  This time, we took the main midway and took a moment to pause at Top Thrill 2.  This was my second time at Cedar Point staring up 420 feet knowing I wouldn’t be riding.  The spike is so huge, and well placed right along the pathway.  They did a great job refreshing this area with the CP Racing theme.  I’d been planning my Instagram reel for when I rode it, and decided to film the empty track as though a train were running, and post it the next day for Trainless Tuesday, set to Kygo’s remix of Higher Love by Whitney Houston.  Hopefully someday soon, I’ll get to re-make this reel after riding the real thing.

We continued back to find Magnum was also down for maintenance.  My dad and I both loved this ride back in 1999, but unfortunately, we had to move on.  We entered Frontier Town to find Maverick also closed for maintenance, so we hopped in line for Steel Vengeance.  It was about 4:30 pm.  The skies grew darker, then it started raining.  I pulled up my radar app and saw thunderstorms all around.  We were hot, and pretty darn exhausted.  The thought of waiting out the weather for an undetermined amount of time was not appealing, so we decided to call it a day.  When I originally booked this trip, I planned two days because I figured I’d endure ridiculous lines just to get a handful of rides on Top Thrill 2, while still wanting to get my fill of the rest of the park.  With the strata being closed, I thought we might not need the second day, but as we left the park, we didn’t feel like we’d gotten to do everything we wanted to.   

We hoofed the mile back to the parking lot, and drove back to our hotels, the plan being to shower and change before dinner.  We ended up eating at Dock’s Beach House Bar & Grill in Port Clinton.  This awesome beachfront spot felt just like being home in South Florida with Island style outdoor dining, and a view of the sunset over the lake.  I’d been craving steak, and my ribeye with garlic butter was  beautifully seasoned and cooked to perfection.  Combined with a couple of cold beers, and my dad’s company, it was a great ending to the day.

We left Dock’s and headed to our respective hotels planning to return to Cedar Point first thing tomorrow, then head to Put-in-Bay for dinner.  I just hoped the weather and ride operations would cooperate.

Tuesday morning was a bit more gray than the day before as I hopped into my car to pick up my dad and head for the park.  We hoped to only spend a couple of hours here leaving ample time for a ferry trip to the island.  Like yesterday, we went straight back to Frontier Town to start the day.  Maverick’s opening was delayed, as is common, but we got on Steel Vengeance in only 20 minutes.  That’s more like it!  This time we were closer to the front which was a nice change from row ten yesterday.  It’s such a phenomenal roller coaster.  The more I ride, the more I appreciate just how much this coaster has to offer.

With Maverick still closed, we returned to Millie hoping to get on within the 30 minute posted wait.  Today, only two trains were running, but like I said yesterday, ops were so slow, I didn’t think the third train made a difference.  We were on the ramp leading to the station right next to the transfer track, and a train crested the lift hill making a much louder noise than usual.  Like the anti rollback was catching or something.  That train returned to the station, and the ride went down.  They took that train off the track and replaced it with the other train that wasn’t running, which required quite a bit of shuffling the three trains around.  The cool thing was we were right by the transfer track and got to watch the whole process.  They were having problems getting the transfer track to move, so the maintenance tech had to walk over and give it a push to get it started.  I get that these are complex machines, but our 30 minute wait turned into an hour.  This was where day two at Cedar Point took a turn for the worse.

Next, we headed to Valravn.  I found this dive coaster to be underwhelming on my last visit.  I don’t know if it’s the vest restraints, or just the way it was designed.  It’s taller and features way more elements than the pair of big dive coasters at the Busch Gardens parks, but it just didn’t pack the same punch.  I really wanted to ride again since I only did it once to see if I just caught it on a bad day.

To give credit, this is one of the most visually stunning rides I’ve ever seen.  It’s placed right along the midway with endless opportunities to walk beneath it, and the copper track with blue supports absolutely pops.  The wait was posted at 30 minutes, but yet again, questionable operations hampered the experience.  As we approached the station, a guest had a protein spill causing a delay for cleaning.  Of course this happens on all roller coasters, but the crew had zero sense of urgency on the cleaning.  We were within view of the station, and watched them slowly rinse and wipe that train, then send it around empty no less than six times before anybody could board it.  They did board guests on the other two trains, but the time taken to clean the vomit car seemed excessive.  After almost an hour in line, we boarded the middle row left wing.  I really hoped for some whip this time like I always get on Griffon and ShieKra.  

The view from the top of Valravn is one of my favorites at Cedar Point as you hang over that 214 foot vertical drop before taking the plunge.  The subsequent ride was just bland.  Forces aren’t that strong.  There’s no whip, and there’s a noticeable rattle.  Once again, this coaster did absolutely nothing for me.  ShieKra and Griffon were built ten or more years earlier and remain some of the smoothest steel coasters out there.  Plus they’re much more forceful.  What’s going on with these more recent B&M’s?  They just don’t seem to be built as well as the older ones, and it’s a shame.

While in the front of the park, I wanted to grab a ride on the new Wild Mouse.  As we made our way onto the Boardwalk, it was open this time; brightly colored cars spinning their way around the orange track.  Each one is named for a different mouse, Ziggy, Zaggy, Dizzy, Mazey, Chase, and Larry.  The line was only about 15 minutes, and my dad and I were soon paired with a couple and we were off.

The ride is cute.  It’s got a great cartoonish soundtrack portraying a chase between a cat and mouse.  It’s really smooth and quiet, and you get some great spins.  I’d say overall the ride feels very high quality.  Hopefully the same is true for Top Thrill 2 once they get it running.

It was getting on lunch time, and we wanted to eat at Miss Keat’s Smokehouse in Frontier Town to sample their burrito bowls.  If you know me, you know I could eat Chipotle every day of the week and be perfectly happy.  We stopped by Magnum on the way to find it was closed again.  I really wanted to take a ride in the row three magic seat that everybody talks about, but unfortunately, that would not happen today.  

We grabbed lunch at Miss Keat’s and I really enjoyed my burrito bowl.  I got carnitas and it was fresh and smoky with great salsa, cheese, rice, and all the fixins.  Highly recommended!

By this time, Maverick had reopened and we waited through the full 45 minute queue for our final ride of the day, and it was a great way to end our time at Cedar Point.  But the problem was that it was almost 5pm by the time we left, and we only had five rides to show for it.  It seems like we spent so much time dodging breakdowns, and waiting out operational delays.  While in line for Millennium Force, I’d pulled up the app to find that Blue Streak, Cedar Creek Mine Ride, Corkscrew, Gemini, Magnum, Maverick, Rougarou, Steel Vengeance, and Valravn were all closed.  During the course of two days, we got a total of 11 rides in.  I got 16 in a single day in 2022 this exact same week, plus two more on Maverick when I went back for an hour the next morning.

In Episode 5, I referred to Cedar Point as the coaster enthusiasts’ Holy Grail.  It’s America’s Rockin’ Roller Coast.  A Place Like No Other.  And it is.  No other park has a roller coaster collection so stacked with superlatives.  The atmosphere and setting are unparalleled.  But over the last two years, it seems like management is resting on their laurels.  We’re Cedar Point and we’re the best.  Shortly before I recorded this, the park announced that Top Thrill 2 will remain closed through the remainder of the 2024 season.  They chose an unproven ride manufacturer to re-imagine one of the tallest and fastest roller coasters in the world, presumably because they were the lowest bidder.  Clearly, that gamble didn’t pay off.

I hope this serves as a wake-up call as Cedar Fair and Six Flags combine forces.  I absolutely love Cedar Point.  It’s home to three of the greatest thrill rides ever.  Probably four once Top Thrill 2 is operational.  I just hope they can improve their operations to provide that top tier experience they’ve been known for in the past.  I know I’m not the only enthusiast who’s had a lackluster visit to the Point this season.  Still, you can be sure I’ll be back in Sandusky next year for Top Thrill 2.

My dad and I left the park in our rearview, and headed back to Port Clinton to catch the Jet Express out to Put-in-Bay for dinner.  We parked across the street from the ferry terminal and bought our tickets.  We had just about enough time for a beer in their expansive terminal before our boat arrived.  We’d hoped to get here earlier as a trip to this island oasis is a must do when you’re in the area.    

Jet Express operates a fleet of four high-speed catamarans connecting Port Clinton and Put-in-Bay in only 25 minutes.  Having operated similar vessels as a Captain in Boston Harbor before I moved to Florida, this was a real treat.  Hearing the twin diesels spool up driving the waterjets up to 30 knots brought back memories for me.  My dad and I relaxed soaking up the lake views before we approached South Bass Island.  Its shores are home to expansive vacation homes looking similar to Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket back north.  The ferry rounds the bend into the protected harbor of Put-in-Bay where we disembarked in search of a cocktail and some dinner.

We didn’t have to look that hard.  The Keys stood right at the end of the ferry dock, and it’s a dead ringer for an outdoor bar you’d find in Key West.  Pastel colored out buildings are surrounded by plenty of seating with a live guitar player.  We ordered up some frozen rum runners from the bar and enjoyed the atmosphere and the music before wandering inland to the downtown area.  

Perry Park is a green space with gazebos and children’s play areas located right along the waterfront, and it’s surrounded by bars and restaurants. We happened upon the Boathouse where a piano player was setting up for his evening show.  We ordered beers and I got a blackened walleye sandwich that was light and refreshing.  I wish we had more time here, as this island town really could be taken for a mini Key West in northern Ohio, yet the ferry was waiting.  We hopped aboard for a gorgeous sunset cruise back to Port Clinton.  

I drove my dad back to his hotel and was thankful for two amazing days.  We’d had a blast on the rides at Cedar Point, and two great dinners just catching up.  It was so much fun.  Come morning, he had to drive back to Pittsburgh to return his rental car and catch an outbound flight, and I had a drive ahead of me as well.  My next home base was Louisville, KY for three nights from which I would visit Kentucky Kingdom and Holiday World for the first time, but I’m getting ahead of myself.

Join me for the next episode when I make a pitstop halfway between Sandusky and Louisville.  I’m going back to one of my favorite amusement parks of all time. A place that continually improves while always paying tribute to its past, that’s also home to an outstanding roller coaster collection.  I’m going back to Kings Island next time on Coaster Redux.