Get to the Point!

We just returned from Cedar Point, in Sandusky, Ohio, where we had four incredible days of coaster riding and amusement park fun. Friends who joined us included Joni & Megan and Karen & Will. None of them had ever been to Cedar Point before, but we made believers out of them all! The hit of the weekend was (without question) Millennium Force. At 310 feet, and traveling 93 mph, it doesn’t get much better than this. A close second was Maverick, which was new in 2007. This close-to-ground coaster drops only 110 feet, but at a 95 degree angle, then twists and turns through the remainder of the layout at high speed. Top Thrill Dragster did not disappoint us; it was up and running all weekend, and the wait times were not bad (1 hour or less).

Tim had two great achievements: He rode Top Thrill Dragster, even though it has only lap restraints (unlike Kingda Ka, which has over-the-shoulder restraints and feels more secure). He also managed the first hill of Millennium Force with much less trepidation and eyes fully open. And we managed to wear our Fourth of July spectacles on Millennium Force — not easy to do at 93 mph!

We also rode the Cedar Point steam train for the first time. We tried to ride the riverboats, but it was closed when we tried to board and we never made it back.
Curt conquered his fear of the front row of Wicked Twister (where it looks like you will simply run out of track and fly into the air), and also rode Maxair for the first time. This spinning disc on a pendulum flies higher than 90 degrees on each side and is not for the faint-hearted (but it does look worse from the ground than it does during the ride!). We also rode Disaster Transport when most of the other coasters closed for rain. The long wait (45+ minutes) did not equal the thrills of this all-too-short and all-too-tame dark indoor coaster.

We also discovered Elephant Ears, and it’s our new favorite park food. Small rolls of donut dough is flattened into a 16” disc, deep fried, then covered with cinnamon sugar. Wowee!

We highly recommend the Lighthouse Point cabins; this is our second stay there. Situated at the edge of the point, right on Lake Erie, you have an unobstructed view of the beautiful lake, and you’re only a 10-minute walk to the park entrance. The new Tomo Japanese Steakhouse, inside the Breakers Hotel, was surprising. Our food was delicious, the service was timely, and the prices were not unreasonable. If our Hibachi chef could just have had better aim . . .

There’s already talk about next year. Those attending in 2009 just need to remember: we go to ride, so be ready!