This is a difficult review to write, because my score would be different depending on whether I rated TTD in the broad category of "thrill rides" or reviewed it as a roller coaster. Rather than get into that argument, and for the sake of simplicity, Ill take my cue from Cedar Points own marketing strategy and rate it as a roller coaster.
Even for a seasoned, slightly jaded coaster enthusiast, TTD is intimidating. The way I felt standing in line for TTD was similar to the way I felt standing in line for SFOGs GASM at age 8. It kind of puts you in that place where you think that nothing in your experience can quite prepare you for what youre about to do. Recapturing that feeling is priceless and what I hope for year after year when new rides are built.
TTDs lines are long, but the day I went (18.09.04), several trains were running, and the line moved at a reasonable pace. I waited about 90 minutes for a seat in the front, but I didnt mind. I enjoyed watching the ride, seeing the reactions of people as they returned to the station, listening to the Elvis music, and talking to other TTD newcomers. The anticipation TTD evokes makes for an unsual amount of friendly, communal, and nervous banter in the queue. Although Im not big on themeing, my hats off to Cedar Point for the drag racing concept, which is very appropriate and adds to the atmosphere of speed and excitement.
So far so good. Really, I cant say anything negative about any single aspect of the ride. Weve all been on launched coasters by now, but never like this, and that long straightaway lets you feel like Evel Kneviel on his Skycycle. The transition to the tower is absolutely seamless, and the ascent is incredibly fast, yet the immense size of the ride lets you experience the varying sensations of each section. Time-consuming rollbacks nothwithstanding, the short pause (or at least deceleration) at the apex of the hill provides a moment to take in the view, throw up your hands, or utter a prayer. Then youre into a vertical, 400, corkscrew dive, followed by another seamless transition into the brake run, by which time youre singing, "I am / I am Superman / And I can do anything" or something similar. Its the most intense 18 or so seconds to be had in the park, and an indispensible experience for thrill-seekers of all persuasions.
Yet having done it, I was content to move on. This is difficult to explain, but the classic coasters foster a relationship and keep you coming back again and again. They have sublety, variety, and personality, and each ride on them is a different and rewarding experience. TDD is a conquest, a trophy coaster, but you dont settle down with it. This is the coaster you ride to tell your friends you rode it, and its charms, while considerable, are also somewhat superficial. If height and speed were all that coasters were about, then wed all be writing to each other on a skydiving website. Lets face it, when engineering science gives us the 500-foot, 175 mph launch coaster, TTD will go the way of the Laser Loop, but people will still be lining up for the Coney Island Cyclone, just as they have since 1927. Thats the difference between the latest technology and enduring design genius. TTD has plenty of the former but not much of the latter, so I cant rate it as a classic.
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