This past Monday, me and a few friends from my trip to Italy spent the day at Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio. In case some people haven’t heard of it, it’s a amusement park that holds many record-breaking roller coasters including the Top Thrill Dragster (the second tallest in the world), Millennium Force (the first giga coaster ever), Valravn (the tallest dive coaster in the world), and many more. That’s why Sandusky is referred to as the Roller Coaster Capital of the World! It’s one of the most famous parks in America and most certainly one of the many hot spots in all of Ohio.
I visited Cedar Point once every summer while I was in high school with my friends, and they were some of my favorite memories during that time of my life. I haven’t been back since September of 2016, almost three years. I had been there visiting Cedar Point three times before then, so not going there for three years straight felt like a long time! When my friends reached out saying they wanted to plan a day there, I, of course, was the one of first ones to say yes!
We got there at about 11 am, which was around the same time everyone else was coming in. We picked a good day to visit since a lot of people are working on Monday, so waiting in line for rides was fairly decent. Millennium Force was only a forty-five minute wait, which normally it would be a two or even three hour wait! We also rode the Raptor and Maverick (both hour long waits), as well as a fifteen to thirty minute wait for Magnum XL-200, which is currently celebrating it’s 30th anniversary. It’s funny because while I love roller coasters, I actually have my eyes closed most of the time while riding it. I have a slight fear of heights, so I always close them on my way way up because I hate looking down. They’re open for the most part for the rest of the ride, but sometimes I still close them and either because it’s still high or if it’s super windy. If you do the same thing, please let me know in the comment section!
The biggest moment for me that day and now one of the greatest milestones in my entire existence was riding the Top Thrill Dragster for the first time ever. If you don’t believe that I was terrified of riding it, you best be wrong! I would always tell myself that I would ride the Top Thrill Dragster just to say I've done it, but I’ve denied riding it every time I visited Cedar Point because it’s literally the scariest roller coaster there. Also, the line is usually three hours long and is only seventeen seconds because it’s so fast, so I was never sure if it was worth it. But finally, my friends convinced me to ride it to get it over with and that I would feel so confident afterwards. Hesitant at first, I finally and nervously agreed to finally ride it and get it out of the way!
It was an hour or less wait, but I was so nervous that I didn’t care how long it took. The anticipation is the worst part! Thankfully, my friend Jill had never rode it either, so I wasn’t the only nervous one. Our friends were good about distracting us from the anticipation and having random conversations with us while waiting, so that helped. My friend Chris actually joked that we had to fill out a waiver before we get on the ride 😂 Honestly, I wouldn’t have been surprised if that were the case, but thankfully it wasn’t! We finally got to hop in the coasters and strap ourselves in, which is when I start having a minor panic attack. One of the employees working the ride took the time to give me a positive pep talk before taking off, saying that it’s normal for people to panic before riding the Dragster and that I was going to be smiling afterwards. And guess what? … he was right! It was so quick, and I actually really enjoyed the adrenaline! Jill loved it too, and we were high-fiving each other as soon as it was over. Now I can finally say I rode it, and I’m gonna ride it again next time I go back because it was so much fun!
At around 7, we started getting a little tired. The weather went from warm and sunny to chilly and windy, which actually prevented us from riding some the rides. We also didn’t want to wait in line for two hours for some roller coasters as it would waste the rest of our time there. So after exploring Lake Erie Shores beach for a few minutes, we made our way to the parking lot and made our way back home (along with a quick dinner at McDonald’s).
The day flew by, but it was so well worth it! I love Cedar Point and spending the whole day there with my friends. I’m even more happy now that I can finally say that I’ve rode the Top Thrill Dragster! It took me a long time to finally actually do it, but better later than never! I hope this post encourages you to conquer your fears, no matter what you’re afraid of. I also want to say it’s absolutely okay to be scared, it’s a normal human thing. Even when it comes to roller coasters, it’s normal. Roller coasters can be scary, especially something like the Dragster! It’s actually kind of good to be afraid because it means you’re aware and just care about your own safety. But don’t let fear back from doing something because it doesn’t define you. Just remind the fear that it has no control over you, and then conquer it! Trust me, your confidence will boost when you get it done and over with, whether it’s riding a roller coaster or some other kind of fear. I already can’t wait to ride the Dragster again! And next time I’m actually going to open my eyes for the whole thing … or maybe keep them closer just so I don’t get too freaked out by the fact that I can see Canada from the top.
What’s your favorite ride at Cedar Point? Comment below and share! 🎢
