It had been talked about for some time. Mean Streak was no longer what it used to be. A wooden coaster that was more rough than it needed to be, and riders were staying away more often than not. It was time for a change. In it's place? Steel Vengeance. A reworking on the frame of the old coaster, but with new twists and turns and a much smoother and more exciting ride. Does it live up to the hype? Put simply, yes. Do I still miss Mean Streak? Most definitely.
The most notable problem this year was the food service. A number of larger parks seem to be having food service problems. And I'm not talking about the food quality. When you buy food for a large park, the quality just isn't going to be as good because bulk food purchases typically don't have the same quality, so that part is somewhat expected. I'm talking about the service. At the front and back of the park, it wasn't too bad, but the food service locations in the middle of the park are frequently not open or well-staffed if they are open. That includes the Coasters restaurant, which at noon on a Saturday in July had only one register open and a line out the door. It would be better to remove a food service location than to staff it poorly and leave park guests frustrated.
The park could still use a dark ride, and maybe a polar coaster. Something to break that 500 foot mark. No one has done it yet, and Cedar Point has an anniversary coming up.
Kudos to the ride-ops of Millenium Force and to the groundskeeping crew who have done some great work again this year!
Make sure to stop by and visit "a place like no other" - it's Cedar Point - America's Roller Coast - Ride on!