Thursday, 4th August 2005
Trip to Cedar Point
Yesterday we went to Cedar Point- The Roller Coaster Capital of the World. We (Subba, Sudheer, Venky, Nandan, Harshini, Ashok, Nature, Me and Yashvanth) had a blast. Belive me this amusement park is not for the faint of heart. Some of the roller coasters are indeed mean. Millennium Force is ranked number 3 in the world's best theme park Roller Coasters.
Raptor, at Cedar Point amusement park/resort, is one of the tallest, fastest and steepest inverted roller coasters on the planet. This popular thrill ride was recently voted No. 8 in the "Best Steel Roller Coaster in the World" category in a survey conducted by Amusement Today, an international publication that covers amusement and water park news and trends. Cedar Point's own Millennium Force and Magnum XL-200 were voted No. 1 and No. 3.
One thing to crib about was the long wait for each of the ride. This is in contrast to Geaugalake Park which doesnt have the same rides, but not the same lengthy lines either. Added to this was the sizzling hot day (which baked us to a crisp). Because of this, we weren't able to go on as many rides as we would have liked to. This inspite of the fact that we spent majority of the day (over 12 hours) at the park. Some of the rides we went to were
Demon Drop
The Demon Drop simulates a free-fall from the top of a 10-story-tall building. Passengers board four-person cars that move horizontally to the base of the 131-foot-tall tower. The car then ascends to the top of the tower in only six seconds! Once at the top, the car slowly inches forward into the drop area. Riders are suspended there for what seems like an eternity. Then without warning, they plummet 60 feet in less than two seconds before entering a pull-out curve where a computerized braking system slowly stops the car.
maXair
Riders on the super-sized maXair sit in outward-facing suspended seats that form a giant circle of 50 passengers; their legs dangle freely, and each seat has an individual shoulder restraint and restraining belt. maXair swings riders back and forth in a seemingly out-of-control pendulum motion while rotating counter-clockwise. At the peak of the pendulum movement that reaches a maximum speed of 70 mph, riders are upside down 140 feet high above the ground and experience "airtime" - that coveted feeling of weightlessness that is popular for thrill-seekers on roller coasters. The dynamic return drop generates a variety of sensations on riders depending on their specific position through the rotation, creating a different ride experience each time.
Raptor
This 'Raptor' .. menacing bird of prey takes riders on a 2-minute, 16-second-long journey along 3,790 feet of bright green track. Raptor features a "cobra roll," a thrilling design element that flips passengers over, spirals them upside down into a 180-degree roll and repeats the twisting movement in the reverse order.heir specific position through the rotation, creating a different ride experience each time.
Magnum
A traditional out-and-back "hyper-coaster," Magnum's 5,106 feet of red steel tubular track runs through Soak City water park and along the Lake Erie shoreline, giving riders spectacular views to go along with magnificent hills and blazing speeds.
Wicked Twister
Using the revolutionary linear induction motor (LIM) propulsion system, Wicked Twister blasts riders out of its station reaching a top speed of 72 mph in a mere 2.5 seconds - propelling forward and backward and up and down a U-shaped track with spiraling 450-degree corkscrews atop each vertical 215-foot-tall tower. This twisted coaster is launched out of the station five times - three forward and two backward ! Named Wicked Twister, this steel scream machine is 215 feet tall and travels 72-mph.
Disaster Transport
Passengers aboard the Disaster Transport roller coaster are treated to a unique ride experience - complete darkness! This enclosed scream machine is unlike any of the other 15 roller coasters at Cedar Point amusement park/resort in that it is completely enclosed and it does not run on a track! Instead, Disaster Transport runs on a 1,932-foot-long steel trough. Riders board transports that rely on gravity and pure speed to complete the dark journey.
Top Thrill Dragster
Riders begin their epic journey aboard this whopping 42-story screamer by securing themselves into ultra-cool trains that resemble top fuel dragsters. The train then moves into a "starting line" position, where it launches forward, reaching speeds of 120 mph in approximately four seconds. But hold on ... this isn't your father's roller coaster. The train then zooms straight up the 420-foot-tall hill on track that rotates 90 degrees, crests the coaster's apex and then free-falls back to Earth, reaching a speed of 120 mph for the second time. As the train races more than 400 feet to the ground, the track twists an unbelievable 270 degrees - what a rush! Riders then return to the station to begin regaling their friends with stories of the greatest ride of their lives.
Besides this we went Go-Karting and got tattooes and body art
It was a bit of a bummer that we didnt get to go on any Water Rides. But me and subba did go to Soak City. By this time, we had got seperated. Keeping a group of 9 together is harder than one can imagine, especially with conflicting appealing thrills and rides. Here at Soak City we went for these rides ...
Eerie FallsBreakers BaySlidesInner tube riversAdventure Cove
All in all, i had a great time. I dont know if i would be brave enough to come back. But i definitly would love to. The experience was not a non-pricy one and doesnt make up for the dissapointment of not being on all rides. Parasailing and other water sports were way too expensive to give a shot at. Well maybe one day in the not too distant future !!
Posted by Nikhil on Thursday, 4th August 2005 in Life in General | Fun | Events