"Is This Ride Scary?"
This is one of the most cliché statement from newbies at Cedar Point, especially when it comes to roller coasters. With these helpful tips, you can be prepared for every drop and turn in each coaster!
- Use a progressive method when riding roller coasters. If you're a new coaster rider, ride them step-by-step. You can't just jump right on Millennium Force and Top Thrill Dragster first thing. Start small, on roller coasters like Blue Streak, Cedar Creek Mine Ride, and Iron Dragon. If you feel confident after those roller coasters, go even bigger: Corkscrew, Gemini, and Mean Streak could easily be in your path. Now there is a bit of a jump, from Gemini to Magnum XL-200 and Maverick. Again, there is another jump to Millennium Force, and one final major height difference to Top Thrill Dragster. If you can use this progressive process, those bigger coasters won't be nearly as scary as they could be if you had just hopped right on them first thing.
- Before getting in line, judge the ride from the midway to make sure you really want to ride it. If you are having any sort of doubt about your desire to ride the attraction at hand, don't get in line. If you do get in line and then change your mind and get out of line, you're going to get a lot of embarrassing looks and sarcastic comments. To save yourself some of this embarrassment, stand on the midway, and watch the ride's cycle a few times. Notice the ride's speed, height, inversions, and intensity. From there, it is your decision whether or not to ride it.
- Never force those with disabilities to ride. Visitors with physical handicaps or illnesses, such as those with cardiac problems, chronic back pain or who may be missing arms or legs may not be able to ride safely or may get injured while riding. People with physical injuries or disabilities should know their own limits when riding a roller coaster, and if they do not believe they can ride the attraction safely, never try to force them onto it.
- While waiting in line, do not focus on what you're about to ride. If you have agreed to ride the roller coaster, but your heart is beating out of your chest in line, just calm down. Pretend that you're in line for a ride that you've already ridden before, or one that you enjoy a lot. Talk to your friends in line with you, or play a game on your cell phone.
- Ride in the middle of the train. You are able to choose your own seat on each roller coaster, and you must choose wisely. If you're still terrified, don't ride in the front of the train. The last thing you want to see when you're nervous is your slow climb up a monstrous hill, and then how far you are from ground when you finally reach the top of the hill. And the back of the train is also not wise: the back of the train reaches top speeds quicker than the front of the train, and holds that top speed for the longest time. The back of the train is by no means faster than the front of the train: in fact, that's not even physically possible, but the back of the train definitely reaches speeds rapidly and keeps that speed longer. The middle of the train is that happy medium; scared riders will be most comfortable there.
- Don't panic on the ride. Once that train leaves the station, it's too late to turn back. Don't panic, though. You're safely strapped in, usually with both a seat belt and a study lap bar or an over the shoulder harness: you're not going to die, just sit back and stay calm. Cedar Point has one of the best track records in terms of safe attractions. You'll be fine.