I had the opportunity to be one of the the first 1,500 people to ride the new rollercoaster at Cedar Point, the Valravn, in May 2016. It was a great experience-took my breath away. The coaster is the tallest, fastest, longest dive coaster in the world.
I recently returned to Cedar Point for Bloggy Con 2016 the weekend of September 16-18. We stayed at Hotel Breakers and had passes for the park all three days. I decided that it would be a great way to end the summer, like I started, with a ride on Valravn. Only this time I was going to ride in the front.
I have always enjoyed rollercoasters, but never been a diehard ride-in-the-front type of girl. First, because I think you can enjoy yourself no matter where you sit on a coaster. Secondly, because I hate waiting in line longer than I absolutely have to. But Bobby, my husband, was disappointed that I hadn’t ridden in the front row in May, so I bit the bullet and waited for the front row.
I was on the far right side of the row. In fact, I had ridden in the same seat, just a row back in May. So I figured it really wouldn’t be much different. Or at least I kept telling myself that. The truth of the matter is that the closer I got to actually riding, the more nervous I was getting.
As I got loaded into my seat, I watched the computer screen on the wall as it lit up to show the seats that were fastened in tight. It also showed how long we took to load the tram. I am sure that Cedar Point uses this information for safety and quality improvement. I was using it to count down for the ride that was sure to raise my blood pressure. (I think I understand now why they don’t want people with heart conditions to ride roller coasters.)
We were underway within 90 seconds. I spent the next 2 minutes and 23 seconds in an extreme state of consciousness. As we rode to the top of the first hill, I thought to myself there actually might be a difference riding in the front row. As we dangled over the edge with nothing directly in front of me except open air and (hopefully) rollercoaster tracks, I became more convinced. However, after the agonizingly long wait (4 whole seconds) until we plunged downward at breakneck speed, I was sure. There is definitely a difference!
It was a great ride. I am ever so glad that they bring you back with a little bit of a rest before unloading you. (The coaster tram stops before the building to allow the cars in front of you to load, for their 143 seconds of fun.) I am pretty sure I would have collapsed into a puddle if I had to get off immediately.
Needless to say, the Valravn is an awesome ride. Cedar Point is definitely living up to it’s name as “The Roller Coaster Capital of the World.” I am glad to have been able to bookend my summer with my rides. I might need a few months to recover!
