Installed in 2000 (and thus, the name), Millennium Force takes riders up 300-foot lift hill for an awesome view all of Cedar Point, as well as much of the Ohio coast. Look quickly, though, because you're about to fall down those 300 feet, just yards from the edge of Lake Erie. Barely missing the lake, you then bank into a sweeping right turn that leaves you with a breathtaking feeling of flying over the treetops.
From there, it's all about speed and airtime, as Millennium Force swoops and dips up and down the Lake Erie shore. Come ride with us:
Millennium Force was Intamin's first coaster to be dubbed a "Giga." A second Giga, Intimidator 305, will open at Kings Dominion this spring. (Interesting to note that Cedar Fair's other "Intimidator"-themed coaster for this year, at Carowinds, will be a Bolliger & Mabillard Mega - the second seed in this year's Best Roller Coaster tournament bracket.) Intamin Megas - essentially the same design as the Giga but with smaller (gee, only 200-foot) drops) - include Bizarro at Six Flags New England and Superman - Ride Of Steel at Six Flags America.
So far, you've ranked Millennium Force as the best roller coaster at the nation's top theme parks. Can it survive head-to-head match-ups in the tournament to claim the title of the Best Roller Coaster in America? Tournament voting starts Thursday. You've seen the bracket now, so let's hear your thoughts in the comments.
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Still, its greatest strength is its greatest flaw: it's too smooth. The first drop is a whopper, but I find that I get very little thrill after the first crest. Don't get me wrong - it's an excellent ride, with a great integration of research and development - but I find Magnum-XL to be a superior coaster with far more airtime. I'd still give it a 9-Outstanding, but I don't consider it the best coaster in this tournament, nor in the Point.
Interesting note about the inversions. I suppose that I prefer speed and height to inversions, but still, coasters like Raptor, Batman: The Ride, and Montu are still great!
That said, I hope The Voyage goes far in this bracket. A Voyage/MF semi would have been a pretty strong final, IMHO, but the brackets didn't work out that way.
I think that the smooth and sleek nature of this ride is it's allure. Some people say that it's too smooth, but I say that it's so smooth that it makes the train disappear and truly accomplishes the feeling of flight. Nowhere on the ride do you really feel the restraint of the train, yet you are going 90 miles an hour and are hundreds of feet in the air. If you ride in the front, it's almost as if the train isn't even there as you go through the course. Taking absolutely nothing from the rest of the coasters in the tournament, I have to go with this one as the heavy favorite to represent the coaster bracket, and if the Cedar Point fans show up, an odds on favorite to win the tournament.
My predictions for this bracket are below. For the record, this is easily the toughest bracket to call. Last year, Maverick blew away Beast, and they are paired up once again, but I think that because Maverick is no longer a new ride, Beast will win by a fraction. I think long-time TPI favorite Kraken will succumb to Apollo's wrath, namely because people have been complaining about Kraken losing its smoothness. That, and SeaWorld's newest coaster addition takes some of the novelty away of having one really fantastic coaster at their park. Speaking of Manta, I think it will bury the ever-popular (and successful opponent of tournaments past) Griffon, namely because it's still very hyped.
Regardless, it all comes down to fanboy presence... unfortunately.
Round 1
1. Cedar Point's Millennium Force [Intamin Giga/Mega]16. Cedar Point's Raptor [Bolliger & Mabillard Inverted]
8. Kings Island's The Beast [Charlie Dinn Wooden]9. Cedar Point's Maverick [Intamin AG Custom]
4. Dollywood's Thunderhead [Great Coasters International]13. Dollywood's Mystery Mine [Gerstlauer Euro-Fighter]
5. Holiday World's The Voyage [The Gravity Group]12. Cedar Point's Top Thrill Dragster [Intamin AG Accelerator]
2. Busch Gardens Williamsburg's Apollo's Chariot [Bolliger & Mabillard Mega Coaster]15. SeaWorld Orlando's Kraken [Bolliger & Mabillard Floorless]
7. Incredible Hulk Coaster at Universal's Islands of Adventure [Bolliger & Mabillard Sitting (Launch)]10. Six Flags Magic Mountain's X2 [Arrow 4D]
3. Six Flags Great Adventure's El Toro [Intamin Wooden]14. Six Flags Magic Mountain's Goliath [Giovanola Mega]
6. Busch Gardens Williamsburg's Griffon [Bolliger & Mabillard Dive]
11. SeaWorld Orlando's Manta [Bolliger & Mabillard Flying]
Quarterfinals
1. Cedar Point's Millennium Force [Intamin Giga/Mega]8. Kings Island's The Beast [Charlie Dinn Wooden]
4. Dollywood's Thunderhead [Great Coasters International]
5. Holiday World's The Voyage [The Gravity Group]
2. Busch Gardens Williamsburg's Apollo's Chariot [Bolliger & Mabillard Mega Coaster]7. Incredible Hulk Coaster at Universal's Islands of Adventure [Bolliger & Mabillard Sitting (Launch)]
3. Six Flags Great Adventure's El Toro [Intamin Wooden]
11. SeaWorld Orlando's Manta [Bolliger & Mabillard Flying]
Semifinals
1. Cedar Point's Millennium Force [Intamin Giga/Mega]5. Holiday World's The Voyage [The Gravity Group]
2. Busch Gardens Williamsburg's Apollo's Chariot [Bolliger & Mabillard Mega Coaster]11. SeaWorld Orlando's Manta [Bolliger & Mabillard Flying]
Finals
1. Cedar Point's Millennium Force [Intamin Giga/Mega]2. Busch Gardens Williamsburg's Apollo's Chariot [Bolliger & Mabillard Mega Coaster]
Winner: 1. Cedar Point's Millennium Force [Intamin Giga/Mega]
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