Sunday, June 26, 2005

More Cedar Point Rides

Today was our third visit to Cedar Point this season. Hot day, long lines... :( The babies got cranky after 3 hours (2 hours past their nap time), so we had to leave. We realized that, in the future, we'll probably just have one of us take the twins out to the van for a nap, and likely to relocate the vehicle to a closer parking spot at the same time. This way, the whole day isn't cut short after only a few hours, and my 7-year old and the other adult can still stay in the park.

But, we didn't leave before I got to ride a couple of things, so I'll add to my mini-reviews:

maXair: When you see this thing, you think, "There's no way in hell that I'm going on that!" But, let me tell you, it's not nearly as sickening as you think. This thing is an 80-foot high pendulum (think boat swing) that has a rotating seating platform (think carousel). The effect, while looks absolutely sickening from the ground, is surprisingly more like a roller coaster in feel than you would ever imagine. At the top of the pendulum swing, you can be 140 feet off of the ground and inverted upside down! Because of that, the seating is a conforming shell with shoulder restraints. I had no trouble fitting the seat, but heavier guests will likely need to skip this ride (there is a chair at the ride entrance that you can test-fit yourself, if you're on the large size).

Raptor: I LOVE THIS RIDE! It's got to be just about the most thrilling inverted coaster ever. By inverted, I mean that the track is above the train, and you sit on a seat so that your feet dangle, like a ski-lift. The ride does all kinds of wicked loops and twists, so the seat is again conforming with shoulder restraints. Larger guests beware, and trial-fit at the entrance.