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
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