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 Review of Maverick @ Cedar Point
2 Rating Posted by: psu_dude on 1/30/2008 1:02:00 PM
2007 saw me making a return trip out to Cedar Point to hop aboard their new coaster, Maverick. I will admit that I was absolutely ecstatic about this coaster when it was announced, and I figured I simply had to get out there again to ride it. And well, the truth is that I was disappointed with my 1 ride on Maverick. I hope people will actually read this review and see why I am rating this coaster with a 7 (and truthfully, I put it at a 7.5, but there aren't any .5's here) and don't just flame it with criticism. I can see why some people might love this coaster, and I am by no means saying that the ride is bad. It's just that for me, it didn't really deliver the quality ride that I was eager to get from it. I commend CP for going in a different direction with this, and aiming for just a fun ride with Maverick. And for the most part, Maverick is quite fun. The wait on this was enormous, so I only got 1 ride on it. We were assigned a seat in Row 4, which was a bummer cause I was hoping to go for the back. Once I pulled down the restraints I started to get a bad feeling in my mind, as they were not very comfortable. But, I was hoping it was nothing as the train headed toward the lift hill. The lift was really quick and the first drop was actually very good, with some decent airtime. I assume at the ends of the train it's even better. After that the train snaked through a series of curves that were very quick and thrilling, but also very rough on me, as my neck was jabbed several times by the awkward restraints. And before everyone jumps on me as being "weak" or whatever, I will say that I've been on some rough coasters before and usually can overcome that sort of thing without much issue. Next up was the highlight of the ride for me, the massive airtime hill. That thing was amazing, with some wonderful and strong ejector airtime! Then came the 2 smooth and thrilling inversions, with some good forces and hangtime, and things were looking up as we coasted into the tunnel. The launch is very powerful, and it felt really great having it enclosed. As the train picked up some great speed, we exited the tunnel and I let out a premature "wahoo!", just as the train swung quickly and abruptly to the left to head up over the lake. That turn there was brutal, and I got another massive jolt to the neck that was not at all pleasant. My girlfriend later added that that same turn would make her possibly not really want to ride Maverick again, as she spent the rest of the day with a massive headache. My neck was sore for a good while as well. Anyway, the dive down from there was also very good, and the water bombs were a nice touch! The S-curve through the canyon was cool, and the dive under the lift hill was great. The Stengel dive was also excellent and unique. The ride wraps up with a little bunny hill that produced some great airtime, then it hits the brakes. I really wanted to love this ride and rave to no end about it. And for the most part, I will say that I liked my ride on Maverick and thought it was bordering on great. But during those several instances of roughness, the ride was painful and took away from the overall experience. Seeing and reading some of the reviews below, perhaps there are ways to avoid the banging. And now having known the layout in more detail and seeing how the ride behaves, I could be better prepared for some of the sharper and more abrupt transitions. Look, like I said, I'm not saying that Maverick is bad or terrible. I'm just saying that for now, this is all the higher I can rate it based on our one ride. Perhaps rerides are a must to truly gain an appreciation for all this bronco can do, and I'm hoping that is the case. I'm eager to ride again, and if the rides are better, the rating will be adjusted accordingly. For now though, for me, Maverick is a very good coaster that just falls short of the mighty praises that have been heaped upon it. It has
 

Review Comments

PhantomNik on 2/5/2008 1:18:45 PM said:
This is a good review, and no criticism should come your way for it at all. I happened to give old Maverick a higher rating, but after just my first ride I was in the 8 range myself, so I could see where this might not have been the best for you with just the 1 spin on it. I would highly recommend some rerides on it though, as my one reride was infinitely better than my first ride. Youll be surprised how youll remember the quick curves and move with them a bit, which should eliminate any first half discomfort. As for right after the launch, I experienced the same thing that you did, but it ended up being so minor with all the amazing things this coaster does. Theres no denying that it has a killer first drop, a blitzing first half, some amazing airtime, and just a tremendous layout!
ginzo on 2/5/2008 6:01:31 PM said:
Ive only had 2 cycles on Maverick and its my #1 steel and #2 overall. Shorter people seem to get hit the worst on Maverick. The first half of Maverick is SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO insane. The elements come at you so rapidly that its hard to grasp whats happening exactly. Its a blur of twisting, extreme bunny hopping, and inverting.
psu_dude on 2/7/2008 12:12:26 PM said:
Well, like I said, Im hoping for some rerides at some point and that will hopefully lead to a better experience. The layout was cool and all, and maybe that rapid-fire first half just took me off guard. If thats true that shorter people get the worst of it, then that would explain the relatively miserable time my girlfriend had on it, being that she is shorter. But Im 61", so I wouldnt put that into a "shorter" class, and I still got smacked around pretty good. I really did want to like it more than I did, but I feel its pretty hard to judge with just the 1 ride, so Ill give it another go.
shag9004 on 2/7/2008 5:05:52 PM said:
i can 100 percent agree with this review. If you check out my review below, you will see that after the 1st ride, my buddy and myself did not want to even come back for ERT later that night. We did though and I am very pleased. The more you ride this coster, the more you get used to the aggressiveness and can "roll" with it a little better. Check out my riding tips also below. At least they helped for me.

I now have 6 laps on Maverick and am enjoying it more and more each time. It offers a unique experience which many copcat coasters today do not. Kudos to Cedar Point for trying something new and ending up with a "New Ride of the Year" award.

fergusonat on 2/8/2008 9:24:07 AM said:
You got shafted with row 4 --- front row is phenomenal with the back being a close second. I will not lie, I bore battle scars from Maverick for about 2 weeks after my visit with bruises on my arms as a result of stubbornly keeping my arms up the entire ride on each of my 7 spins on this monstrosity. So I can understand where some coaster riders wouldnt appreciate this. I for one was enamored by this little rides fierce brutality and I accepted my wounds as homage paid to the pure intense brilliance of Intamin AG. But yeah, good review, although I think you owe it to yourself to get in a few more rides, try to roll with the punches, and most importantly snag a better seat before you completely turn yourself off from Maverick.
psu_dude on 2/12/2008 1:32:32 PM said:
Ok, Im definitely feeling better after hearing you guys say that the ride gets better with rerides. Im confident that I should be able to roll with the punches better when I hop aboard again. And thanks shag, I read your tips in your great review, and they were helpful and seemed to make sense. I certainly am not "completely turned off" from Maverick yet, I just happened to have a sub-par ride on it. It still did have many positives. I will definitely take fergs advice and try for a front/back seat. Will they let you wait for it? When I was there they just barked out row numbers and thats where we went.
Hercules on 2/12/2008 1:59:14 PM said:
I have had a lot of experiences where I didnt really get a chance to appreciate a ride because of the frantic first half or so of the ride. You can do all of the research and look at the ride all you want, and think that you have an understanding of what it is going to do or be like, but once you get on some rides they just take you by surprise and you dont even know what happened. I havent been on Maverick, but I would give it a couple more chances now that you have been on it once. Im sure if will slow down for you and you will be able to appreciate it for what it is. And if it turns out that you dont really like it and it isnt your kind of ride after all, so be it. I usually take about 3 rides or something before I really make a good determination of what the ride actually is.
fergusonat on 2/15/2008 10:58:25 AM said:
psu_dude: I just politely asked the ride attendant if I could wait for the front row, and they let me almost every time. Theyre usually more agreeable if you are sporting a coaster t-shirt --- just a tip ;-P
Mr. Oscar on 3/21/2008 2:06:26 PM said:
Personally, i thought this was a very very good review. This gave me more info than the people who give it a 10 and just say i really liked it, it was fun. Im planning on going this summer and this is one of my must-rides.
ginzo on 3/21/2008 2:46:10 PM said:
^Absolute best thing at the Point if you like aggressive rides.
psu_dude on 6/27/2008 12:56:22 PM said:
Freshly updated my review after 6 incredible rerides on this bad boy. Got to experience both the front and back seats, and overall was just blown away by my experiences with it this year. What you all said was true, and I'm glad I got the chance to give it another go this summer!
fergusonat on 6/27/2008 2:22:07 PM said:
Schw33t glad to see you enjoyed it so much more than last year! Maverick certainly isn't for everyone with how brutal it is, so I'm glad you gave it the chance it needs to really leave a lasting impression
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