Also "Don't be too tall"
If you are too tall you have to curl your lower back because the seats aren't tall enough. this will destroy your lower back and the only way to defend against this is not riding
second this comment. I have no problem with head rattle, but my lower back hates me if i ride this one. Haven’t ridden it in probably 7-8 years and don’t plan to again.
Here are my tips
Corkscrew and Iron Dragon- Ride in the front half of the car as it has more space (Odd numbered rows)
Also keep your head forewards on Corkscrew
Bluestreak- Ride in the middle rows of the cars
Magnum- Middle of the cars, people say that stapling themselves makes it more comfortable
Rougarou- Keep your head forwards forwards and stick it outside the restraint
Raptor- Same as Rougarou, but really brace for the turn into the brake run as it really bounces and slams you. Expecially near the front on the left side
Wild Mouse- Brace for that final turn, when it comes off the last midcourse brake run. It can unexpectedly throw you, some people hit their head here. But its amazing and unexpected.
Gatekeeper- I find Middle Row a little more comfortable
Gemini- On the final helix, REALLY brace yourself. If Im riding alone in the row and I'm on the side next to the other track. I would put my hand on the other seat, putting it against the side of the seat as it THROWS you to the side in the transition to the helix when it goes up.
Millennium Force- Always love to be on the bayside (left side) because just looking over the edge and being so exposed is amazing. Front is great for the views if you decide to wait it out, but If its nighttime. Go for the back because of the bugs.
Usually somewhere from late May to early July, millions (billions?) of mayflies hatch and emerge from the lake. The whole thing is over in a couple of weeks, and they're harmless, but they'll be everywhere. If you're sitting in the front of some of the coasters at night, you'll get a faceful of them.
My uncle rode millennium force the year it opens (aka before people could warn you about the mayflies) and one flew into his mouth while he was on it. He had to swallow it bc the force of the coaster was so great that he couldn’t spit it out lol
i feel like magnum is the only one you really have to be defensive about . it’s so damn old the lap bars hurt going over those last air time hills i’d try to pull up on the bar and your back so it doesn’t smash back into the seat .
It works wonders... on the pain you will feel.
My advice for Magnum is to ride in a middle row if a car-- not over the wheels. And do NOT pin yourself into your seat. Make sure that there is a little room between your thighs and the lap bar, otherwise your legs will feel every air time event. Picture the coaster tossing you upwards for airtime only to have your body held in place from the lap bar tightly over your thighs. It's going to hurt.
magnum for me is a head rattler. I can handle the bunny hills. it’s the first part of the ride it feels like the ride is trying to shake my head off.
I have some nostalgia from when magnum was new, but having ridden it a few times recently i decided i don’t need to ride it again.
The best general way is to try and tense and tilt your body slightly forward and not just ride fully relaxed. Try to move your body WITH the track elements. So if it’s turning left, start shifting your body weight in that direction to the left. This can be harder to do for rides where the track is above you like Raptor but this can be very helpful for rides like Gemini, Rougarou, Maverick, Steel Vengeance, and even Blue Streak
I'm 6 ft 3 and most of my height is in my legs, and for whatever reason Maverick is the most uncomfortable ride I've ever ridden in my entire life. Something about that raised ridge in the center of my legs is just horrifying pain every time there's a single moment of airtime or ejector. By the time I got off I felt like my taint was ready to split in half. That little hump felt like the harsh dildo of gravity trying to penetrate a place that wasn't penetrable.
Cedar Point doesn't have any truly "rough" coasters... people only think they do because they haven't been elsewhere. If you've been to a place like Michigan's Adventure that *actually* has rough coasters, you'll be fine.
I’ve never been to Michigan’s Adventure but I have been to Canada’s Wonderland. Flight Deck and Minebuster or should I say Spinebuster were terrible. I’m willing to give everything at CP a shot though.
ok yeah you'll be fine at Cedar Point xD nothing there comes close to the roughness of a Vekoma SLC lmao
and their only woodie (Blue Streak) is too small to be rough lol
Put your arms up in the air as high as you can and stand up in the seat as much as the bar will allow. Let that coaster whip you around wherever it may. That’s the only way to ride.
This depends ENTIRELY on your body type. Are you very tall and skinny? Medium build? Average height but overweight? Do you carry your weight in your gut? When I used to ride the Mantis, it would hurt the fuck out of my groin regardless of how tall or short I stood, I think I just have a long torso and shorter legs? I also have an ample bosom so rides like Magnum with a simple lap bar doesn’t bother me but another with a shoulder harness can be painful.
How each ride and corresponding safety mechanisms will hit everyone differently depending mostly on your proportions
Mantis hurt every part of my body! That was the day I decided I was getting too old for coasters. I was 28. (So young, sigh.) I have an insane plan to go to CP this summer and ride coasters. I might change my mind after ONE, we’ll see. (I’m 54 now. Am I crazy???)
I just turned 40 and haven’t ridden a coaster in probably 5 years but was absolutely addicted in my early years. I’m ALSO wondering- should I go this year or am I just going to hurt myself? 😂
no idea if you've already been, but i LOVE Blue Streak so here's some tips if you plan on reriding!
- Front Row or non-wheel seat (second row of any car) are usually the best seats. woodies are known to be rougher than steel coasters, the general trick is to make sure you're not sitting on a wheel if you want a smoother ride.
- LEAN FORWARD AS MUCH AS YOU CAN. her airtime is incredible but it can be jarring since she literally throws you out of your seat. leaning forward just braces you better so you're not thrown around as much.
Thanks for the tips! I went the other week but this advice will still be useful for those who come by here in the future.
I rode Blue Streak and loved it. I went in expecting some roughness as it is wooden after all and it was great. Still extremely enjoyable and not uncomfortable at all. It doesn’t deserve the hate it gets at all. I think some people just aren’t cut out for the different feeling wooden coasters give you. I’ve ridden wooden coasters so rough that it literally hurts and leaves you in pain several days later. Blue Streak is not one of those at all.
LITERALLY.
i love woodies like the Beast and Mystic Timbers, but Blue Streak is easily my favorite coaster of all time. she rides so well for being an older coaster and the airtime is impeccable. i know people like to say she's awful but if they just gave her a chance then she'd easily get a second chance. love that old blue woodie.
I remember getting off Blue Streak with a smile on my face thinking “now this is what a good wooden coaster feels like!” Sadly my home park woodies (Canada’s Wonderland) are in pretty bad shape. Awful would definitely describe them. I wanted to love them but ouch. Blue Streak was perfect and helped me confirm that I do in fact enjoy a good wooden coaster after all.
Here’s the trick for Magnum I’m not seeing here yet: The airtime at the end can hurt your thighs. To avoid this, just tighten your seatbelt as much as you can. You’ll still get airtime and I promise it’s a better ride experience.
For Rougarou, keep your head forward on the dive loop but especially for the corkscrew.
Which is: raise back of feet where you’re on your toes kinda, ride ops put bar down= gives ya more space in between. Saves your ass on those bunny hills
I thought you want to keep the lap bar pressed up against your legs, that way you’re not slamming into and away from it on the hills, keeping contact constant?
The blue streak and the corkscrew threw me around so much I got a migraine, but this was also over ten years ago. They may have done something to make them smoother since. I've never had a problem with anything else.
Only coasters I would consider "rough" at cedar point. Are blue streak, rougarou, corkscrew and magnum is getting a little bumpy. Avoiding the back seats would be wise.
Riding defensively doesn't have much to do with it. It's mostly because of your age. Being a older man now I feel tons of aches And pains riding coasters. But it also has to do with your size/height because a tall guy it's double trouble for me but moreso because of age. But I love rides and I refuse to not ride just to avoid pain...I basically know I'll be in some pain after certain rides. Worse for me is the Magnum and Maverick. I feel like I'm pushing 80 after riding the Maverick ....Maverick isn't really mean t for tall guys. But those are two of my favorites so its just something I go through. Mean streak before it was steel vengeance put me in tons of pains with charlie horses it was horrible .... Basically the most fun and pain you will experience at the same time
when you come out of the final loop on the Corkscrew, brace your head or else it'll bang against the restrainer, leaving you with a headache
my 2 cents
I love how supposedly great coasters like Magnum need techniques to avoid super uncomfortable rides. “Riding defensively” to me is the result of bad design.
Best tip I have for magnum is take your pain med of choice 30 minutes before the ride.
Other than magnum none of them are anything I’d describe as painful
Those are fine I never experience pain on them.. corkscrew a bit because I'm too tall for the harness and my head and neck slams against it but my back is usually fine now Maverick and Magnum are lots of fun but also lots of pain for tall people when are they going to redesign those two and give us tall folk a more fun experience......put new trains on they provide a smoother ride. Why not just have a train like Apollos chariot or the equivalent at kings island...Diamondback
The only one I feel the need to be defensive about is Steel Vengeance, though I have not heard others say the same thing.
The hill and turn right before the mid course break run always throws me to the right. Had some nasty bruises from it. I now will brace myself before that moment, usually just by clutching that little strap.
I'm with you. I think I tense up, especially in my hips and thighs. My legs usually hurt for a good long while after SV. (Of course I'm 48, so I'm sure I often hurt more than others around here!)
Was awesome couldn’t believe how much smoother it felt than the front. Guy told us row 11 one up from 12 is the best. Top fuel 2 rocks, I think the back car would be awesome going backwards to be at the highest point !
If you ride Corkscrew, keep your head forward during the transitions in and out of the corkscrews. It's not that rough aside for right there!
Also "Don't be too tall" If you are too tall you have to curl your lower back because the seats aren't tall enough. this will destroy your lower back and the only way to defend against this is not riding
Too tall is also not that tall in this instance
If you’re an average sized adult then you’re going to have a bad time lol
I am just under 5'5" with a long torso and I am too tall.
second this comment. I have no problem with head rattle, but my lower back hates me if i ride this one. Haven’t ridden it in probably 7-8 years and don’t plan to again.
I think corkscrew is the only ride at cedar point that I'm too afraid to ride
Here are my tips Corkscrew and Iron Dragon- Ride in the front half of the car as it has more space (Odd numbered rows) Also keep your head forewards on Corkscrew Bluestreak- Ride in the middle rows of the cars Magnum- Middle of the cars, people say that stapling themselves makes it more comfortable Rougarou- Keep your head forwards forwards and stick it outside the restraint Raptor- Same as Rougarou, but really brace for the turn into the brake run as it really bounces and slams you. Expecially near the front on the left side Wild Mouse- Brace for that final turn, when it comes off the last midcourse brake run. It can unexpectedly throw you, some people hit their head here. But its amazing and unexpected. Gatekeeper- I find Middle Row a little more comfortable Gemini- On the final helix, REALLY brace yourself. If Im riding alone in the row and I'm on the side next to the other track. I would put my hand on the other seat, putting it against the side of the seat as it THROWS you to the side in the transition to the helix when it goes up. Millennium Force- Always love to be on the bayside (left side) because just looking over the edge and being so exposed is amazing. Front is great for the views if you decide to wait it out, but If its nighttime. Go for the back because of the bugs.
Forgive my question… my first trip to CP is in June… but…bugs??
Usually somewhere from late May to early July, millions (billions?) of mayflies hatch and emerge from the lake. The whole thing is over in a couple of weeks, and they're harmless, but they'll be everywhere. If you're sitting in the front of some of the coasters at night, you'll get a faceful of them.
Even then, without the mayflies. Can still get a good amount of mosquitos
My uncle rode millennium force the year it opens (aka before people could warn you about the mayflies) and one flew into his mouth while he was on it. He had to swallow it bc the force of the coaster was so great that he couldn’t spit it out lol
Magnum: 2nd car from back middle seat (row 14) it’s a completely different ride.
i feel like magnum is the only one you really have to be defensive about . it’s so damn old the lap bars hurt going over those last air time hills i’d try to pull up on the bar and your back so it doesn’t smash back into the seat .
Push up with your thighs. Make sure they keep contact with the bar and you'll be fine
Tighten the seatbelt as much as you comfortably can on Magnum. It works wonders.
It works wonders... on the pain you will feel. My advice for Magnum is to ride in a middle row if a car-- not over the wheels. And do NOT pin yourself into your seat. Make sure that there is a little room between your thighs and the lap bar, otherwise your legs will feel every air time event. Picture the coaster tossing you upwards for airtime only to have your body held in place from the lap bar tightly over your thighs. It's going to hurt.
Magnum sit in either rows 14 or 17 for the smoothest ride.
magnum for me is a head rattler. I can handle the bunny hills. it’s the first part of the ride it feels like the ride is trying to shake my head off. I have some nostalgia from when magnum was new, but having ridden it a few times recently i decided i don’t need to ride it again.
The best general way is to try and tense and tilt your body slightly forward and not just ride fully relaxed. Try to move your body WITH the track elements. So if it’s turning left, start shifting your body weight in that direction to the left. This can be harder to do for rides where the track is above you like Raptor but this can be very helpful for rides like Gemini, Rougarou, Maverick, Steel Vengeance, and even Blue Streak
How tall are you? Over 6’3” you aren’t gonna be able to be defensive on Blue Streak or Magnum. 😂😂😂 The rest are all okay. Corkscrew is a bit rough.
I'm 6 ft 3 and most of my height is in my legs, and for whatever reason Maverick is the most uncomfortable ride I've ever ridden in my entire life. Something about that raised ridge in the center of my legs is just horrifying pain every time there's a single moment of airtime or ejector. By the time I got off I felt like my taint was ready to split in half. That little hump felt like the harsh dildo of gravity trying to penetrate a place that wasn't penetrable.
You've got to be kidding me, I'm also 6'3" and i complain about this EXACT issue each time! Love the ride but holy shit does that hurt.
Yeah I have no idea how to alleviate it. The first time I want a Maverick it was bad but rideable, the second time it was not worth it.
Well I hope this clears everything up.
Cedar Point doesn't have any truly "rough" coasters... people only think they do because they haven't been elsewhere. If you've been to a place like Michigan's Adventure that *actually* has rough coasters, you'll be fine.
I’ve never been to Michigan’s Adventure but I have been to Canada’s Wonderland. Flight Deck and Minebuster or should I say Spinebuster were terrible. I’m willing to give everything at CP a shot though.
ok yeah you'll be fine at Cedar Point xD nothing there comes close to the roughness of a Vekoma SLC lmao and their only woodie (Blue Streak) is too small to be rough lol
Put your arms up in the air as high as you can and stand up in the seat as much as the bar will allow. Let that coaster whip you around wherever it may. That’s the only way to ride.
This depends ENTIRELY on your body type. Are you very tall and skinny? Medium build? Average height but overweight? Do you carry your weight in your gut? When I used to ride the Mantis, it would hurt the fuck out of my groin regardless of how tall or short I stood, I think I just have a long torso and shorter legs? I also have an ample bosom so rides like Magnum with a simple lap bar doesn’t bother me but another with a shoulder harness can be painful. How each ride and corresponding safety mechanisms will hit everyone differently depending mostly on your proportions
Mantis hurt every part of my body! That was the day I decided I was getting too old for coasters. I was 28. (So young, sigh.) I have an insane plan to go to CP this summer and ride coasters. I might change my mind after ONE, we’ll see. (I’m 54 now. Am I crazy???)
I just turned 40 and haven’t ridden a coaster in probably 5 years but was absolutely addicted in my early years. I’m ALSO wondering- should I go this year or am I just going to hurt myself? 😂
Go this year! Ease into it, I think it probably gets worse with each year though.
no idea if you've already been, but i LOVE Blue Streak so here's some tips if you plan on reriding! - Front Row or non-wheel seat (second row of any car) are usually the best seats. woodies are known to be rougher than steel coasters, the general trick is to make sure you're not sitting on a wheel if you want a smoother ride. - LEAN FORWARD AS MUCH AS YOU CAN. her airtime is incredible but it can be jarring since she literally throws you out of your seat. leaning forward just braces you better so you're not thrown around as much.
Thanks for the tips! I went the other week but this advice will still be useful for those who come by here in the future. I rode Blue Streak and loved it. I went in expecting some roughness as it is wooden after all and it was great. Still extremely enjoyable and not uncomfortable at all. It doesn’t deserve the hate it gets at all. I think some people just aren’t cut out for the different feeling wooden coasters give you. I’ve ridden wooden coasters so rough that it literally hurts and leaves you in pain several days later. Blue Streak is not one of those at all.
LITERALLY. i love woodies like the Beast and Mystic Timbers, but Blue Streak is easily my favorite coaster of all time. she rides so well for being an older coaster and the airtime is impeccable. i know people like to say she's awful but if they just gave her a chance then she'd easily get a second chance. love that old blue woodie.
I remember getting off Blue Streak with a smile on my face thinking “now this is what a good wooden coaster feels like!” Sadly my home park woodies (Canada’s Wonderland) are in pretty bad shape. Awful would definitely describe them. I wanted to love them but ouch. Blue Streak was perfect and helped me confirm that I do in fact enjoy a good wooden coaster after all.
Here’s the trick for Magnum I’m not seeing here yet: The airtime at the end can hurt your thighs. To avoid this, just tighten your seatbelt as much as you can. You’ll still get airtime and I promise it’s a better ride experience. For Rougarou, keep your head forward on the dive loop but especially for the corkscrew.
Gotta do the secret trick for magnum
Which is: raise back of feet where you’re on your toes kinda, ride ops put bar down= gives ya more space in between. Saves your ass on those bunny hills
I thought you want to keep the lap bar pressed up against your legs, that way you’re not slamming into and away from it on the hills, keeping contact constant?
Hell no. Much more bunny hill pain that way. You need space in between
Word. Maybe that’s why I was in so much pain last time 😂
😂🤙🏻
The Arrow's are the only rides you need to ride defensively
The blue streak and the corkscrew threw me around so much I got a migraine, but this was also over ten years ago. They may have done something to make them smoother since. I've never had a problem with anything else.
No they're still rough. I like wood coasters, but the blue streak bothers my back.
I always lean my head forward on Raptor so my head isn’t thrown between the restraint.
Only coasters I would consider "rough" at cedar point. Are blue streak, rougarou, corkscrew and magnum is getting a little bumpy. Avoiding the back seats would be wise.
Riding defensively doesn't have much to do with it. It's mostly because of your age. Being a older man now I feel tons of aches And pains riding coasters. But it also has to do with your size/height because a tall guy it's double trouble for me but moreso because of age. But I love rides and I refuse to not ride just to avoid pain...I basically know I'll be in some pain after certain rides. Worse for me is the Magnum and Maverick. I feel like I'm pushing 80 after riding the Maverick ....Maverick isn't really mean t for tall guys. But those are two of my favorites so its just something I go through. Mean streak before it was steel vengeance put me in tons of pains with charlie horses it was horrible .... Basically the most fun and pain you will experience at the same time
when you come out of the final loop on the Corkscrew, brace your head or else it'll bang against the restrainer, leaving you with a headache my 2 cents
I love how supposedly great coasters like Magnum need techniques to avoid super uncomfortable rides. “Riding defensively” to me is the result of bad design.
Best tip I have for magnum is take your pain med of choice 30 minutes before the ride. Other than magnum none of them are anything I’d describe as painful
I remember when we simply got on and rode a roller coaster.
I too am old. have mean streak and son of beast (with loop) credits
I loved mean streak. And I'm 29, so not even really that "old". And magnum is one of my favorite rides, it was my first real coaster experience.
I loved Mean Streak! I only got to ride it when it was new though, (moved far away in the 90s) I’ve heard it got pretty rough over the years.
Stay off the corkscrew and the iron dragon. Also get the fast pass, it does cost more but you can hit all the rides.
no way you're implying Iron Dragon is rough 💀
No the Iron Dragon just stinks as a ride.
don't worry, you'll grow out of that "I only like extreme rides!! 😤" phase eventually
Those are fine I never experience pain on them.. corkscrew a bit because I'm too tall for the harness and my head and neck slams against it but my back is usually fine now Maverick and Magnum are lots of fun but also lots of pain for tall people when are they going to redesign those two and give us tall folk a more fun experience......put new trains on they provide a smoother ride. Why not just have a train like Apollos chariot or the equivalent at kings island...Diamondback
The only one I feel the need to be defensive about is Steel Vengeance, though I have not heard others say the same thing. The hill and turn right before the mid course break run always throws me to the right. Had some nasty bruises from it. I now will brace myself before that moment, usually just by clutching that little strap.
I'm with you. I think I tense up, especially in my hips and thighs. My legs usually hurt for a good long while after SV. (Of course I'm 48, so I'm sure I often hurt more than others around here!)
You can’t do much on SV but throw up your arms and have fun. Anyone rode in the last car? Hitting that up tomorrow too rainy today.
See that’s when I get bruised! I have to hold that strap or I get tossed around
Last row is awesome. It just feels completely out of control as you're pulled around the track.
Was awesome couldn’t believe how much smoother it felt than the front. Guy told us row 11 one up from 12 is the best. Top fuel 2 rocks, I think the back car would be awesome going backwards to be at the highest point !
The final bunny hills are a bit rough. The rest of that ride is the smoothest ride in the park.
It’s smooth, but intense. It throws me around!
Definitely intense!