Cedar Point
Situated on a peninsular jutting out from the northern Ohio shoreline, Cedar Point boasts the world’s second largest collection of roller coasters (after Six Flags Magic Mountain). It is a theme park which is unashamedly focused on big thrills, with lots of fast and high coasters. The sheer number of coasters means that there is lots of variety and most people will find something they enjoy.
Last visited June 2017
INVESTMENT
9
THRILL FACTOR
8
FUN &
LAUGHTER
6
STAFF &
FACILITIES
8
UNIQUNESS
6
VALUE
5
THEMEING &
IMMERSION
4
THOMPSONS'
RATING
7
Park entrance, with Gatekeeper in the background
BEST BITS
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There are some great rides at Cedar Point. Gatekeeper, Top Thrill Dragster and Millennium Force stand out. These are well supported by other good rides like Maverick, Valravyn and Wicked Twister.
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Near to the entrance to Gatekeeper, there is a make-your-own sundae bar which has unlimited cookie dough!
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Cedar Point are good at investing in their park. New rides are added regularly, and they tend to be bigger and faster than most other parks.
DOWN-SIDES
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With the exception of the area around Maverick, there is pretty much no theming in the park.
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For those visiting from Europe it is a pain to get to. Expect connecting flights and a fair amount of driving.
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We found self-catering accommodation in the local area to be a problem. Not that there is a lack of places; but most are very old fashioned. However, there are a few nicer places in the local town of Sandusky.
TOP TIPS
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The park is laid out in an area which is long and thin, and you enter at the bottom. We strongly recommend heading right to the back of the park to begin. It’s a long walk, but worth it to avoid the queues.
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You will be required to leave bags in a locker on some rides. Whilst in some parks it makes sense to use the same locker for multiple rides, that makes less sense here as the park is so big. There is a lot of walking between rides.
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You can get water for free by asking for a cup of water at any area where they sell soda on tap.
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Cedar Point is so big and has so many rides you will need more than one day to fully experience it.
Millenium Force
Thompsons' overall rating 8
Thrill
Fun
Themeing
Immersion
Smoothness
9
7
2
8
8
Top Thrill Dragster
Thompsons' overall rating 9
Thrill
Fun
Themeing
Immersion
Smoothness
10
8
6
6
7
Magnum XL-200
Thompsons' overall rating 2
Thrill
Fun
Themeing
Immersion
Smoothness
7
2
2
4
2
Gatekeeper
Thompsons' overall rating 9
Thrill
Fun
Themeing
Immersion
Smoothness
8
9
3
8
9
Rougarou
Thompsons' overall rating 5
Thrill
Fun
Themeing
Immersion
Smoothness
8
6
1
6
5
Witch's Wheel
Thompsons' overall rating 3
Thrill
Fun
Themeing
Immersion
Smoothness
4
5
1
4
N/A
Wicked Twister
Thompsons' overall rating 7
Thrill
Fun
Themeing
Immersion
Smoothness
7
7
2
7
7
Maverick
Thompsons' overall rating 7
Thrill
Fun
Themeing
Immersion
Smoothness
8
8
6
6
6
MaxAir
Thompsons' overall rating 5
Thrill
Fun
Themeing
Immersion
Smoothness
6
6
1
6
N/A
Raptor
Thompsons' overall rating 5
Thrill
Fun
Themeing
Immersion
Smoothness
6
6
2
6
6
Valravn
Thompsons' overall rating 8
Thrill
Fun
Themeing
Immersion
Smoothness
9
7
3
6
9
Top Thrill Dragster
This is the world’s second highest rollercoaster, which starts with a launch taking riders to around 120 mph. When it was first built it was the highest and fastest coaster in the world. Although now exceeded on both counts by Kingda-Ka, it remains the third fastest. Unlike most launch coasters of such height and speed, Top Thrill Dragster has seats with a lap-bar and no overhead harnesses. It is the highest and fastest to feature coaster to do so.
The ride involves a launch, themed on dragster racing cars, which propels riders initially on a flat track and then up an ‘n-shaped’ hill with a vertical descent. The whole ride lasts around 17 seconds
Our view: This launch coaster is very thrilling because it is quick and high. We found that having only a lap bar made the descent a little more scary, but it is so quick there is not much time to think about it. It is a short ride, but very enjoyable. The theming works well, with music in the station and sound effects of cars revving, which make the ride more exciting.
Tips:
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It doesn’t matter where you sit on this ride, all seats are good.
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As with most launch coasters, it does close when there is any rain. Be aware of this if the weather is not good.
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Although we did not witness it, it is possible that the ride will not quite make it to the top of the hill and roll backwards towards the start. The ride operators reassure people that this is perfectly normal and safe as the ride is designed around this, but be aware that this is a possibility.
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This ride tends to break down a lot so it is worth going on early.
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You need to put bags in a locker for this ride as there are no places to put bags in the station.
Valravn
The world’s highest dive coaster which features two vertical drops as well as several inversions. It has B&M’s modern harnesses - a lap-bar and thick but flexible shoulder straps rather than a hard frame across the upper body. As with a lot of other dive coasters, the ride cars stop at the top of the first drop, leaving riders hanging for a few seconds.
Our view: In our view, this is the best dive coaster around. There is a good combination of different ride elements which deliver a lot of airtime. It is very smooth, and the harnesses compliment the ride perfectly.
Tips:
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If you are in any way afraid of the first drop, sit in the back row so that you are not hanging over the edge.
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You will need to put your bag in a locker for this ride.
Valravn
Witch's Wheel
A flat ride the same as Enterprise at Alton Towers, with cars attached to a large wheel. As the wheel turns it also goes from horizontal to almost perpendicular, meaning that the cars go upside down. Although the cars have bars around them, the riders have no restraints on them – they are held in place by the centrifugal force created by the ride.
Our view: Hayley finds these rides can make her feel sick, so Joe went on it alone. This ride is exactly the same as others of its type. If you enjoy the feeling of force and weightlessness these rides create then it is worth going on. If you don’t, don’t bother.
Raptor
An hanging coaster that has multiple inversions and banked turns.
Our view: A fairly typical version of this type of ride, but a bit less intense than some in that there was some breathing space between features. We did not feel that this was worth more than a 5-10 minute queue – there are other, better rides to go on.
The lift hill and first drop on Millennium Force
Millennium Force
Millennium Force is a hyper-coaster with an initial drop measuring more than 90 meters, and there are many other smaller drops and banked turns. It is quicker than most other rides of its type. The theme park industry and coaster enthusiasts often vote this to be one of the best coasters in the world.
The ride features lap-bar harnesses. Unlike most other coasters of this style it was not built by B&M and so the seating and harnesses are different.
Our view: The biggest difference between this ride and B&M hyper-coasters (like Nitro and Shambala) is the speed. Millennium Force is much faster and more thrilling, but at the expense of the large amounts of airtime which B&M coasters deliver. Also, the seats are angled such that your feet are always firmly on the floor of the car rather than hanging, which reduces the feeling of weightlessness. For these reasons, although we enjoyed Millennium Force, we do not rate it as highly as B&M hyper-coasters. However, it is a smooth, fast and enjoyable ride.
Tips:
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You will need to use a locker for this ride; bags cannot be taken into the ride station.
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The ride experience is very similar no matter where you sit. However, there is more legroom in the even numbered rows. Taller people should aim to sit in one of these rows.
Magnum XL-200
This is a big-dipper coaster which goes through tunnels and features high drops and turns. Magnum XL-200 was one of the first high steel rollercoasters to be built.
Our view: This ride is jerky to the extreme. The ride really shows its age compared with other more modern coasters of this style and is very uncomfortable, even painful, to ride.
Tips:
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Don’t bother!
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If you do go on this ride despite our recommendations, ensure that the lap-bar is a little loose as otherwise it will hurt a lot when you go over the hills and dips on this ride. Hayley came off this ride with significant bruises!
Top Thrill Dragster
Gatekeeper
A winged coaster which features multiple drops and inversions. The ride travels around the front of the park; its track forming the backdrop to the park’s entrance. Gatekeeper features one of the highest loops of any coaster in the world. It has B&M’s modern harnesses - a lap-bar and thick but flexible shoulder straps rather than a hard frame across the upper body.
Our view: This is a great example of a modern, smooth coaster. The ride features a combination of elements which deliver airtime, excitement and thrill in equal measure. The harnesses are excellent and really enhance the enjoyment of the ride.
Tips:
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The ride is noticeably smoother sat on the seats closer to the track. This is particularly the case on windy days, where the outside seats get buffeted.
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We found the ride a bit more thrilling with more airtime sat towards the front of the car; but the difference is marginal.
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We also found that the ride is better sitting in the seats to the left of the track (although we are not quite sure why).
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You will need to put your bag in a locker for this ride.
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This ride is right at the front of the park and so it is very tempting to go on it first. However, you should resist this temptation as the queue is smaller in the afternoon.
Gatekeeper
Maverick
A rollercoaster with two launches (the first fairly slow, the second up to 70mph), a beyond 90 degree drop, multiple inversions and sharp twists and turns. The coaster is built within a ‘wild west’ themed area of the park and appears to be themed on a runaway coach ride. The ride has over-the-shoulder harnesses which have extra padding to protect riders’ shoulders.
Our view: We enjoyed this ride much more the second time we went on it. This is because there are a lot of sudden and sharp turns which, if you are not expecting them, can jolt riders. Once you know to expect them, you can lean into the turn which makes them quite fun. The ride is fast and intense, but quite smooth (other than where there are intentional sharp turns).
Tips:
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As we said above, it is a good idea to watch the track ahead so you can lean into the turns. Not only does this prevent an uncomfortable jolt but it actually makes the ride a lot more fun.
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Maverick is the only major ride in this part of the park, and it is right at the back. Both factors make it a good one to head to first.
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You can take your bag into the ride station and leave it there.
Wicked Twister
Rougarou
A floorless coaster which has a drop straight into a loop-the-loop, followed by other inversions and twists.
Our view: There is good airtime moments on the first drop. The ride tails off after that and becomes jerkier as it gets towards the end.
Tips:
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We found it helps to sit with your head forward otherwise you will bang it against the over-the-shoulder harness.
Raptor
MaxAir
A flat ride in which riders sit on the outside of a disc which swings in a pendulum-style motion. Riders go significantly beyond 90 degrees at the top of the swing. This ride has about 4 full swings, with several others on the build-up and build-down.
Our view: Joe really loves this type of ride because it provides a few seconds of pure weightlessness at the top of each swing. This is a good example of this type of ride, let down only by the fact that there only about 4 swings at full height.
Tips:
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There is a place to leave bags on this ride – no need to use a locker.
Wicked Twister
An inverted launch coaster in which riders are propelled at 90 degrees both forwards and backwards up two twisted tracks.
Our view: This ride has good launches and delivers some weightlessness at the top of each end of the track. Although having the twists in the track is fun, they can jerk riders around and cause some to bang their heads on the over-the-shoulder harnesses. Oher than that the ride is fairly smooth. However, we think it would probably be better if the track simply went straight up and down without the twists. This would be smoother and deliver more weightlessness.
Tips:
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Because there is only one ride car, the number of people who can ride it at any one time is limited. This means it can have quite long queues. As it is at the front of the park, we recommend leaving it until the afternoon.
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There is space to leave your bag in the ride station.
Rougarou