Cedar Point

Cedar point in Sandusky, Ohio is the best amusement park (next to Universal Studios and Islands of Fun in Florida). Definitely the best roller coasters out there with 10 world record breaking roller coasters in one place. Bring Depends undergarments.

Rating:

5 beers out of a six-pack shared with friends around a campfire. This park is great and when you add the great RV park, it is a great destination.

This park has been reviewed more times than tornadoes have hit trailer parks, so just like our post about Universal Studios, we will just share some of the things that made this park special to us rather than a park review.

We stayed at the Lighthouse Point, the RV park on the Cedar Point island. This was the perfect place to stay and play.

The RV sites are wide and are great for being outside and enjoying the lake view. The RV Park guests also utilize the resort entrance to the park and there are never any lines at that gate. Get a reservation as early in the season as can.

Our favorite coasters were the Valravn and Millennium Force. Both unique to anything we have been on to date.

The Valravn was a very smooth coaster that starts by taking the riders to the edge of a 90 degree bend in the track (see the photo to the left) and pauses long enough for the rider to consider their decision to ride this ride. With a sudden movement, the riders are then plummeting head first to the ground. Although Barbra Jean Jo Barbara had her eyes tightly closed during the drop, she did notice that the wind rushing by caused the fiberglass padded seats, specifically the seat Randy Randerson was in, to make a sound remarkably like that of a 10 year old girl screaming. Odd, right?

The best coaster in the park has to be the Millennium Force. It is a smooth, very high, and very fast coaster. An absolute thrill. This ride will test your relationship. Only ride it with someone that has seen you ill or has seen you sporting your "first thing in the morning hair" because the speed is so great and the G-Force that you experience will change the shape and look of your face in ways not suitable for a first date to see. The speed was so great that Barbra Jean Jo Barbara and Randy Randerson were left with tears running down their faces and smiles that looked like they were posing for a Joker family portrait. If you only ride one ride in the park, make it this one.

The Gatekeeper is a winged coaster that we have ridden in several other parks (Dollywood and Holiday World have them), but this one seemed longer and faster than anywhere else we have ridden.

This is a steel winged coaster where the riders are out on the wings. The further out on the wing you go the better the ride is for loops and spins. It was fast and fun and wonderfully smooth.

We rode many other coasters throughout the day, but the ones above were special and unique to the park.

It is important to note that Barbra Jean Jo Barbara placed only one constraint on the day - no "spinny" rides. She is fine with rapid acceleration, sudden drops, loops, and even a virgin sacrifice would be acceptable, but no "spinny" rides.

Randy Randerson was in the Air Force and has been in jets that can spin and dance like a snake in jell-o, but nothing could have prepared him for the Raptor. This ride looked like the "Batman, the Ride" from Six Flags, but it certainly was not. We believe a better name for this ride would be the "Centrifuge of Death" or the "Vomit Rocket"as apparently this ride was made from just the "spinny" parts of the other rides. Barbra Jean Jo Barbara was not amused. The Raptor was smooth and fast but full of stomach-churning corkscrew turns. Randy Randerson is not allowed to talk about the specifics of the deal that Barbra Jean Jo Barbara made with the powers that be (both above and below) to get through this ride. If you have even the slightest problem with motion sickness, skip this one.

It was a great day at the park. We recommend that you get out there as early in the season as possible to avoid the crowds. If you are there in high season, you are in for a treat - the best people watching on the planet.

Tip:

Get something to eat at Johnny Rockets. There will be a wait and the service will be slow but the food is okay and the access to the bathrooms is priceless.