My Second Pilgrimage to Cedar Point

Sandusky is filled with chain restaurants: Chili’s, Applebee’s, McDonald’s, Burger King, yada yada yada. You name it, they've got it. However, on my recent trip to Sandusky, there was a local place sticking out among the big national chain restaurants: Dianna’s Deli & Restaurant.

The restaurant is rather large in size and decorated as if it were someone’s country home living room. It seemed very typical of Middle America. On a busy Saturday morning, the wait can be long. It took nearly 30 minutes for our food to arrive after ordering. The waitress was friendly, though the hostess looked as if she’d rather be home sleeping.

The food itself is not bad--not great, but not inedible. With a huge menu, consisting of many sandwiches, some breakfast options, seafood, and Italian dishes, there is something for everyone. On my visit, the following three meals were ordered:

1. Tuna Sandwich: Though it tasted good and came with fries and soup, the sandwich was way too overstuffed with tuna. More than half the tuna was left on the plate after eating.
2. Rigotta Trio: This is an Italian dish consisting of stuffed shells, manicotti, and ravoli, all covered with ricotta cheese. I was expecting shredded ricotta cheese nicely melted with the sauce. But instead, the dish has two slices of ricotta on it that look as if they were just taken out of the refrigerator (they were barely melted). The dish came with a salad, soup, and "rolls" (a.k.a. sliced white bread with butter).
3. French toast and eggs: Quite simply, the breakfast food seemed to be the most edible. No real complaints here.

The one great thing about Dianna’s is that the prices are very low. Each of the meals mentioned above were all approximately US$7.

Cedar Point is in Sandusky, OH, approximately 60 minutes west of Cleveland. Lodging in Sandusky tends to be highly priced because of Cedar Point. On my trips there, I have found it best to stay in the western suburbs of Cleveland, near the airport, and then drive 45 minutes to Cedar Point.

The cost to get into Cedar Point is US$45. Buying tickets from their website, however, will save you approximately US$5. If you are a member of AAA, tickets can be purchased through them at a discounted rate of approximately US$30. If you have the time, spending two days at the park can save you money. A US$68 two-day pass is good for both Cedar Point and the water park next door: Soak City. If you plan on visiting the park more than 2 times in a season, your best bet is to buy a season pass. Starting at only US$89, you only need to use it three times to get your money's worth.

Like any amusement park, food inside the park is very expensive and makes dining in New York City seem cheap. For instance, vending machines sell bottled water for a ridiculous US$3. The city of Sandusky is filled with many chain restaurants and a few local eateries. Eating before you enter the park will definitely help reduce the amount of money you will spend in the park on food.

Parking at Cedar Point costs US$9 daily. Season passes are available for US$45.

There are lockers to store belongings inside the park. The cost is US$1 for each time you open the locker.

There are dozens of rides at Cedar Point. below are two rides I rode.


Power Tower
My Vote: Best Ride in the Park

The large, 4-column tower in the center of Cedar Point is not only useful for navigating your way through the park but also provides one of the best thrills you can experience at any amusement park. The ride seems innocent, with two columns blasting people to the top and two columns dropping people to the bottom. It doesn’t look fast, nor scary.

Once strapped in, the adrenaline begins to wake up. If you opt to be dropped, the ride then pulls you to the top, feet dangling, with nothing but a great view. After pausing at the top (240 feet high) for several seconds, the ride blasts you to the bottom in a mere 3 seconds. Your stomach nearly pops out of your mouth, and then the ride reverses directions and you blast back towards the top. After that, it slowly returns to the bottom and you realize you want to ride again--this time being blasted to the top.

If you only have time to go either up or down, my choice would be to go down. You won’t regret it. Lines for the ride are relatively short for Cedar Point.


White Water Landing
My Vote: Funniest Ride

On a warm day, sometimes you just want a ride to cool you off. On a cool day, sometimes you want a ride with no line. Not really giving the whole "wetness factor" a thought, I jumped on White Water Landing on a cool October day because I was seeking a quick thrill without a wait. Just before stepping on the ride, my friend commented, "We won’t get that wet." Then, riders who had just gone down the slide came by, soaked to the bone. Still, we thought we wouldn’t get that wet. After all, we are experienced thrill seekers, and those people were mere amateurs, right?

The ride is rather short. From the loading area, you immediately head uphill, then follow a short, curved track of water to the massive hill you plunge down. Going down the steep, fast hill, you remain dry, and then, as you hit the water, you feel some misty water hit you on all sides. So, I thought to myself, "See, I didn’t get that wet." Within 0.05 seconds after that, it feels like you are at the bottom of Niagara Falls. The water hits you hard, then doesn’t relent for a good 3+ seconds.

Needless to say, I laughed pretty hard after that. I had totally misjudged the ride, and I felt like a total idiot for believing I would not get too wet.

Below are several of the coasters I rode at Cedar Point. Please see all my reviews for the remaining coasters not here.


Millenium Force
My Vote: Best Roller Coaster

I like roller coasters. Most give me the excitement and thrill I expect, but the thrill decreases greatly with each subsequent ride. The Millenium Force is different. No matter how many times you ride it, the drops, speed, and g-forces are never enough.

Like all coasters, the Millenium Force begins with a large drop. In this case, a 300-foot drop at 80 degrees (near vertical!). Unlike normal coasters, though, this coaster has a special lift system that gets you to the first drop rather fast. And, to make it even scarier, the lift accelerates you just before you get to the top (as if this insanely steep drop was not coming soon enough). From that point on, the coaster travels at 90mph+ and whips you through two tunnels while twisting though several sharp turns. Unlike the 16-second Top Thrill Dragster, this ride lasts over 2 minutes. Surprisingly, the ride has no over-the-shoulder harness and no upside-down loops.

The Millenium Force is definitely the best coaster at Cedar Point, if not the world. In my book, a close rival is "X" at Six Flags Magic Mountain in California. Lines for the ride tend to be long (1.5-2+ hours). Also, the size requirements for the ride are very strict. Within a span of 10 minutes, 3 people were asked to get off the coaster and unable to ride because of their weight.


Magnum XL-200
A little over 10 years ago, the Magnum XL-200 was one of the world’s most amazing roller coasters. It was high and fast. However, like everything, it was soon obsolete with higher and faster coasters. And, in a place like Cedar Point, it is not really considered to be anything spectacular. Regardless, it is a high, fast ride.

Like the newer Millenium Force, the Magnum requires no over-the-shoulder harness, and has no loops. Instead, you’re provided a 200-foot drop, followed by many more hills and turns at 70mph+. In comparison with the Millenium Force, the Magnum is much more bumpy, and you will feel jerked around a bit on the ride. But when compared to any wooden roller coaster, it is still very smooth.

In 2001, this ride was ranked number 3 in the world. The rank has lowered in recent years, but it will still leave you wanting a bit more. Unlike many rides at Cedar Point, the line for this ride moves very quickly. Expect waits of only 30 minutes.

Below are several of the coasters I rode at Cedar Point. Please see all my reviews for the remaining coasters not here.


Mantis
As if sitting in a coaster and going through twists, loops, and corkscrews was not enough, the Mantis does it all while you stand up. Starting with a 145-foot drop, this coaster will send you upside down four times at speeds of approximately 60mph. Many of the turns are very sharp, and you can feel the g-forces against your body. Of all the coasters at Cedar Point, this one is one of the longest--nearly 4,000 feet long and almost 2.5 minutes long.

One problem area with this ride is padding around your head. The specially designed shoulder harness sits next to your head on both sides. However, there is a 2+ inch gap between the padding and your head. So, on sharp turns, your head may slam into the padding--padding that is not soft.

Average wait for this ride is 1.5 hours.


Raptor
It’s not the highest. It’s not the fastest. It’s not the longest. But the Raptor is an inverted, outward-looping roller coaster that lets your legs and feet hang with no track below you.

With a sensation as if you’re hanging in mid-air, the coaster has some of the most amazing twists and loops you will see at Cedar Point. For starters, there are two inverted loops--the same thing as a traditional loop, but this time, your legs are on the outside of the loop, and the track is in the inside of the loop. Keeping with this style, there are two inverted corkscrews, as well. The really amazing stuff is a zero-gravity loop (it does just as it says) and a dul loop, nicknamed the "cobra roll." In total, you are upside down six times.

Lines are approximately 1.5 hours long. Being in the front of the park, it is often the first coaster people ride at Cedar Point, making the lines longer in the morning.


Mean Streak
I am not a fan of wooden coasters. But after seeing this monstrous wooden structure, I became curious and had to ride. Nearly a mile long, over 160 feet tall, and constructed from 1.7 million board feet, the Mean Streak is the biggest wooden coaster I have ever ridden.

Keeping with the tradition of wooden roller coasters, the Mean Streak rattles and shakes like you are in the middle of an earthquake. At times I thought the train was coming off the track, which was usually followed by a sensation of bleeding in my brain.

The Mean Streak is in the back of the park, along the lake. The train that circles the park can drop you off right near the entrance.

After riding this, though fast, thrilling, and long, I have vowed to stick to steel coasters and avoid the flammable ones (i.e. wooden roller coasters). As you may have guessed, lines for this ride are over an hour long.

Below is one of the coasters I rode at Cedar Point. Please see all my reviews for the remaining coasters not here.


Top Thrill Dragster
My Vote: Best Thrill Ride

When it opened in 2003, the Top Thrill Dragster was the tallest and fastest coaster in the world. Even though it has since lost the world title, it is still something to be ridden.

The ride is a half-mile long, but it takes a mere 16 seconds from start to finish. Themed after a drag car, you sit in the replica drag cars and hear sounds of cars revving-up to be raced. At this point you’re at the bottom of the coaster looking ahead at a long straightaway. At the end of the straightaway is a sharp 90-degree hill that brings you to a height of 420 feet. So, how do you get to the peak? At the moment the faux racing lights turn green, the train is accelerated from zero to 120mph in just 4 seconds. At this point you’ve reached the very end of the straightaway at the bottom of the hill, and then you shoot skywards. After breaching the peak a couple seconds later, the train then travels 90 degrees downwards, spiraling at the same time. This gives you the feeling that you’re spiraling to the ground. Once at the bottom, the ride stops, and it’s all over. But boy, is it worth it!

Not only is the Top Thrill Dragster the king when it comes to height of coasters at Cedar Point, but it is also king when it comes to the wait to ride it. A 2-hour wait is nothing unusual, and three hours are possible on busy days. In addition, please note that this coaster breaks down often and does not even run on some days.