Ohio: Cedar Point

Cedar Point, Ohio

22 and 23 May 2023

I was a little nervous about Cedar Point, because when I was last there in 2011 it became my favourite amusement park in the world. Since that time, I had been to dozens more parks, so I was worried that the park may not live up to its excellent reputation stored in my memory. I needn’t have worried though, as Cedar Point is still right up there for me with Europa Park in Germany. The other bonus is that James, a roller coaster enthusiast from my hometown, was joining me at Cedar Point. It would be excellent having another Aussie to compare coaster notes with!

After a long bus ride and short Uber ride, I arrived at Cedar Point’s Hotel Express. Although I knew this in advance, it was still super annoying that they have no shuttle to the park, there are no public buses, and you can’t even do the 10-minute walk because no pedestrians are allowed on the causeway. The only options are private cars or Ubers/taxis. For some unknown reason, Ubers are VERY hard to come by in Sandusky. I had waited about half an hour for one to get me to the hotel, but fortunately for me the driver was a great guy named William. William became my “run around” guy for the next few days, getting me to and from the park. It became very expensive, because the hotel and park were cash free, making it impossible to get any change (therefore overpaying with unbroken notes outside of the app).

After a crappy sleep and a room change (thanks to industrial trains flying past at all hours with their waste/fuel stench seeping into the room, my day bag was packed, and I was bursting with excitement to get to the park. Sadly, the park no longer provided physical maps of the park (which as I would discover became the norm). I loved to keep copies for souvenirs, but also found them very useful to tick rides off and get my bearings. While I had downloaded apps for every park which included maps and ride wait times etc, I found they drained my phone battery rather quickly. Note to self: bring a portable charging pack next trip! 

The one perk of Hotel Express was the early entry, so I arrived just before 9am planning on visiting Wild Mouse, Gatekeeper and my old love, Millennium Force. Wouldn’t you know it, all three were closed with mechanical issues for the entire hour (and then some!)

James had not yet arrived and would later experience flight delays meaning I didn’t catch up with him until early evening. So at 10am I lined up at Valravn solo, hoping for some giggles and single rider advantages on this brilliant looking B&M dive coaster which is the tallest in the world. Sure the inclusion of Danish theming felt a little out of place, but let’s be honest, Cedar Point is not known for wonderful theming, just epic rides! There were 20 minutes of delays, and when I finally got to the staff member at the front of the queue, they told me I had to leave the line to put my bag in a paid locker ($3US for 2 hours) then line up again. There were also no single rider queues operating. This used to be one of the greatest things about American parks, and now they had gone. This was not a great start! The new queue was around 40 minutes, and I had already decided not to get a fast pass until the following day to make the most of the only full day that James was here too.

Valravn was a worthy first coaster at Cedar Point, and one that did not exist when I last visited in 2011. I really enjoyed both dives on the track and loved that the park continued to install high quality new rides. I was very sad to see Wicked Twister and Disaster Transport had both gone though and knew in advance that Top Thrill Dragster was out of action. The closure of Top Thrill left a big hole in the park’s heart, especially as it is still such a prominent feature on the peninsula. Rumour has it that this epic strata coaster (over 400 feet) will be reimagined and reopened in 2024, so I will have to come back.

I soon realised that not all rides required lockers, but some did not accept storage of backpacks (Valravn, Millennium Force, and Steel Vengeance) and would only store small items like phones and bum bags. Magnum had no storage area at all. I ended up spending about $24US on locker rentals throughout the day and became daggy like everyone else and bought a bum bag (I still can’t bring myself to call them fanny packs!) On most rides you could just wear the bum bag, which meant I could keep my credit card, lip balm, sun cream and phone with me.

I came to expect that some rides would be closed as it was not yet school holidays, but I was very disappointed to see one on that list was Rougarou. I had last ridden this when it was a stand-up coaster called Mantis, but since then it had been converted to a seated floorless coaster. Sadly, this did not open on either day I was at the park. The line for Raptor was ridiculously long, so I planned to go on that ride early the following day.

I decided to attack the smaller coasters next, as I am a credit hunter and James is not. Therefore, I could save the thrill rides for when he arrived. I revisited Blue Streak after a short wait, which is still surprisingly fun and zippy despite opening in 1964! Built by Philadelphia Toboggan Company, this is one of the smoother coasters remaining from PTC’s collection. We got stuck on the lift hill for 15 minutes after some idiot wouldn’t put their phone away despite warnings from staff over the loudspeaker. Once we got going it was all smooth sailing. I enjoyed the phone guy looking very sheepish when security met him at the end of the ride.

I had an uneventful re-ride of Corkscrew, and it was just as bumpy and unenjoyable as I remembered. I can appreciate its historic status though and like to see some of the old Arrow clunkers still going.

Magnum XL-200 was next, and I had great memories of this coaster as it was the first one I ever rode at Cedar Point. There was nobody in the line which shocked me, as it was the world’s first hypercoaster with some excellent airtime hills. Magnum reminded me a bit of Disney’s California screamin, and I still enjoyed the experience from the front seat. It would be a different experience the following day however.

I had a turn on Pipescream which was along the way, similar to the old Shockwave at Dreamworld. It was then on to Woodstock Express to tick off this common family wooden coaster, which seemed much smaller than other Woodstock Express tracks I would experience at other Cedar Fair parks. I hadn’t been keeping track of my coaster tally, and when I checked it at the hotel that night, I discovered to my horror that this was my 250th coaster. What a let down! Things were about to get worse with Wilderness Run. For the first time in my life I felt discriminated against on a stupid kiddy roller coaster, because I wasn’t allowed to ride this one without a kid. This didn’t make sense to me at all. It couldn’t be a weight issue, because I would weigh more with a kid. As I was taller than 54 inches, the manufacturer’s instructions were that I had to have a child with me. No real harm done, as this was really a baby coaster that was nothing more than a coaster credit.

I headed towards the back of the park past numerous closed rides including all of the water rides, food outlets and shops, ending up at Gemini. I didn’t remember anything about these racing coasters, so it was like riding it again for the first time. I absolutely loved the steel track over the wooden structure, and this is one of the few Arrow coasters that I can honestly say is super enjoyable and not at all painful! There is some excellent airtime throughout the long track, and it is always a bit of fun when you can high five people sitting in a different train as you go round.

I did remember the Cedar Creek Mine ride however, for its general lack of hills and excitement. Thankfully I didn’t have to wait for it, as I boarded right after it reopened due to technical issues. I was surprised to see that Iron Dragon was still popular given that it is another headbanger from Arrow. I will admit the swinging carriages are a bit of fun, and the track is always beautiful to photograph over the water. I didn’t enjoy the high-pitched broken voice squeals from the teenage boys in my carriage though!

I was filling in time on flat rides including Skyhawk and the ferris wheel when James messaged to say he was further delayed. I decided it was time to head to some of the rides for big kids as I had no idea if he would make it before closing.

First stop was Gatekeeper, a spectacular looking wing coaster that flew over the park’s front gates. I do find that wing coasters often look cooler than they feel, with no stomach-churning sensations or big forces. They are 100% fun though, and suitable for people of all ages assuming they meet the height requirements. I’m not sure what was going on with Lake Erie, but the stench of rotting fish was strong in the Gatekeeper area, being helped along by a strong breeze.

Checking the Cedar Point app, I also noticed that Wild Mouse was finally opened. I had read online that queues for this brand new ride had been astronomical with regular breakdowns, so I was hoping I would get away without a long wait. This ended up being the longest wait of the day at about 45 minutes. Was it worth it? For thrill seekers no, but I can see how kids would really enjoy the ride. It was nice to see some variety with wild mouse coasters, as this one had spinning carriages that either looked like mice or cheese. I don’t know how the staff would cope with hearing those “sneaking” Tom and Jerry style sound effects for hours and hours, because I was ready to knock the speakers over in under an hour.  I found the ride quite jerky and didn’t go on it again. I wish they had just kept Wicked Twister along the boardwalk instead. 

My phone was just about dead, so I found a power outlet in one of the restaurants near the boardwalk and sat on the floor charging it for 20 minutes. I needed my phone to arrange where to meet James. He arrived around 4.30pm, just as I was halfway through the Millennium Force queue. At this point, Millie was my favourite coaster in the world, and the one that I was most excited about riding again. That lift hill still made my palms sweat, with no rail making it feel like you would just tip off the edge into Lake Erie. As soon as that drop started though, the coaster was just as great as I had remembered. Such a smooth ride with great speed and fun whippy turns. Locals were telling me that they felt the coaster had become a bit rough and unenjoyable over the years, but I did not feel that way at all. I think they are just so fortunate to have a continually evolving roster of amazing attractions, that they take rides like Millie for granted. We would kill to have a giga coaster in Australia!

Still on a high, I met James at Steel Vengeance, another coaster that I was itching to get on! I last rode this when it was a pure wooden roller coaster called Mean Streak. It had now been reimagined by Rocky Mountains Construction (RMC) with a steel topper track, meaning it could include many more intense elements. We put our bags in lockers and waited about 30 minutes to get to the metal detector section. Security then told us our bum bags had to go away too, so we were redirected to smaller (free) lockers nearby. We then rejoined the queue and waited another 20 minutes or so to get to the loading section. Steel Vengeance was absolutely worth the wait!

The twisting, inverting, racing track was unbelievable. You would expect the coaster to do something, but then it would throw something totally unexpected at you. Sudden direction changes, great air, and a stunningly beautiful track crisscrossing so often that it felt like your head was going to hit various wooden booms. I felt a little sad for Millennium Force, because this was now my new favourite ride!

James was hanging out for Maverick, so we did that one next. It was a fairly slow queue due to the number of fast pass people getting in front of the general public. Plus, the trains only seated 12 people. This ride was so much better than I remembered. I didn’t really rate it on my last trip and was not sure why, because I loved it. Despite the first “fast launch” being a bit of a fizzer, everything else after that was stellar. Additional launches, incredibly sharp turns, and a super soft harness to ensure you remained headache free were all valued.

We revisited Steel Vengeance and planned to finish a very long day with Maverick. Just as we were nearing load after a 30-minute wait, the ride experienced issues and shut down. We were debating whether or not to leave the queue, as we would have just had time to jump into one final line before closing. After waiting 15 minutes, we decided (like most other people) to leave the queue. 15 seconds later the message came across that the ride was re-opened. DAMN IT! James and I hopped straight back into the queue, losing our spot at the front. Thankfully it was only another 10 minutes before we got on again. We also finished the ride quickly enough for a third turn on Steel Vengeance. I really do enjoy the last hour of park time. I love a little pressure to cram in as much as possible, helped along by thinning crowds trying to avoid car park chaos.

I had only eaten a few crackers during the day but did enjoy unlimited drinks thanks to a perk of the hotel stay. You can redeem this once every 15 minutes. Who the heck can drink that much liquid though? I would be spending all my time in the bathroom! I used it three times during the day. Needless to say, I was pretty hungry. We asked William to drop us off at Maccas for a cheap dinner, which was across the road from the hotel. He had no idea what we were talking about. Oh yeah – Americans don’t shorten McDonalds to Maccas, they use Micky Ds!

I had a wonderful day with a step count of just over 24,000 and couldn’t wait to do it all again the next day with a fast pass in hand! 

Day 2

With our $174AUD platinum fast pass in hand, we had excellent access to all most rides including the big four that you didn’t get with a lower-level pass. For early entry, we felt a bit jibbed again because Millennium Force and Wild Mouse were both down again. Wild Mouse didn’t open the entire day, so James never got to ride it. I don’t think he cared too much though; his interest was with the big toys! Gatekeeper was open before hours, so we smashed out a few turns on that one. 

At 10am, James and I went to Raptor because I didn’t get on that one yesterday. The suspended coaster was fun, but in my opinion didn’t have as much speed, force, or thrill factor compared to similar models like Batman the ride. 

It was another big day with four turns on Valravn, three on Millennium Force, three on Steel Vengeance, three on Gatekeeper, three on Maverick, two on Gemini, two on Magnum, and 1 Iron Dragon and Bluestreak.

We found that the fast pass was most effective on Maverick, as it took you right up to the load section bypassing a 60-minute queue. That didn’t help us much when we had a delay due to a spewer. After a hose out, the train was sent on a few empty runs. We kept an eye on the trains as they had names, and sure enough we were destined to sit in the spew row. We let a couple of unknowing people in front of us to get a different train. Does this make us bad people??

The fast pass allowed for a roughly 50% reduction in wait time with Millennium Force and Steel Vengeance, as the fast pass and regular queues merged halfway. There were staff stationed at these points though which was a huge improvement over Six Flags Great America, as it meant there were no awkward conversations with other guests. 

We got a bit annoyed with the queue system on Steel Vengeance. It was great that we could automatically skip the first half of the queue, joining the regular line just before the free lockers. Knowing that needing to use the free lockers slowed people down as they had to leave the line, we decided to dump everything in the paid lockers first. The line therefore splits into two just beyond the fast pass merge – those who used the free lockers, and those who didn’t need them. The staff member at the top was trying to ensure the locker people didn’t lose their place in the queue, by prioritising that line. We felt he was overcompensating and letting too many people through from the locker line, as we had a very long wait where our line was not moving for ages. So on our next turn we tested this theory by pretending to use the lockers, then jumping back into the locker queue. Sure enough, this enabled us to cut in front of a large number of people who were waiting in the regular queue. Gotta learn how to work the system I guess! 

I had been talking up Magnum to James in an attempt to alleviate his concerns that online reviews had described it as being rough as heck. I will admit, our experiences of this ride on day two were not great. I found that the lap bar was super painful on my thighs, leaving me with a few small bruises. I suspected it felt rougher because my legs were already a bit tenderised from yesterday, and we were generally sitting in the back of the train. Our staged on-ride photo was great. We agreed to do “agony poses” to memorialise our experiences.

I also loved one of our photos from Valravn. Without talking about it, James and I both pulled out the “falling asleep” shot. This photo was also the last known sighting of James’ sunglasses, which went flying off right after the flash went off. Gotta get a safety strap next time!

We were both starving midafternoon, so we caved in and bought fun park food. We opted for Panda Express – a whopping $19US for some orange chicken and noodles. The servings were huge, but we couldn’t eat that amount of food and so much of it went to waste. Wouldn’t it make more sense to reduce the cost and serving size? Nah, that would be lessening the contribution to the obesity crisis in western countries, a problem that someone is financially benefiting from right??! We were able to share the free drink refills band though which saved us a tonne of money and kept us hydrated on a warm day.

One thing I hadn’t experienced the day before that was a little problematic on day two, were the bugs! How could I forget? My last trip in 2011 ended up with an eye infection due to the bugs flying into my eyes on high-speed rides at dusk. They were really bad today. We removed them from our clothes and faces but could not take back the ones we had ingested. Many on-ride photos we saw had people swatting bugs away.

James caught up on some rides while I went shopping for my traditional shot glass. I was exhausted and didn’t want to head all the way up to the back of the park again, so settled on Valravn as my last ride with five minutes until closing. I am not ashamed to say I sprinted to the lockers and then to the queue system, just making it before the chain closed. I probably needed that cardio after my Panda Express lunch. The bonus of getting on the last ride of the day, was that the staff asked if we wanted to go again. Everyone shouted yes, so we got to go around again without unloading. Woo hoo!

Another big day with 28,000 steps and 23 coasters. I felt like my love for Cedar Point had not lessened any, and I would go back in a heartbeat (well, after spending the next decade saving up again!) I had a few minor grey outs on Millennium Force and Gatekeeper over both days, resulting in temporary blurry vision, always in my left eye. I wasn’t worried about permanent damage, but I was worried that maybe my age was contributing to this condition? I want to be that 90-year-old woman that ends up on the news because she is still riding crazy roller coasters. Please let it be so!