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Overview
Note: At the time this article was published, Top Thrill 2 is under an extended closure, please see Cedar Point’s Website for more information.
This year, Cedar Point will open its latest rollercoaster, Top Thrill 2. This is the world’s first triple launch Strata (over 400 feet tall) roller coaster! People might remember the Top Thrill Dragster that opened in 2003 as the world’s first strata coaster at Cedar Point, but it was closed at the end of 2021 season due to a ride accident. After being closed for two full seasons, Cedar Point worked with Zamperla to re-imaging the attraction into Top Thrill 2.
The Top hat portion of the original ride was kept, but the launch system was swapped out for a new more efficient LSM system, a new 420 feet spike was added to the ride, and new trains. This re-imagine greatly improves on the original attraction by adding length to the ride, now approximately 2 minutes, compared to the original shorter attraction.
What you Should Know Before Riding!
For Top Thrill 2, riders need to place all of their loose articles, including phones with a non-rider or inside a locker. There are no free lockers, but there are lockers available for rent outside the queue for a few bucks. Please see Cedar Point’s guidance before heading to the park. They also have a policy on footwear and the restraints. Make sure to wear shoes! I’m not sure my feet could handle a park day in flip flops, but I’m also no spry chicken either!
After leaving your loose articles with a non rider or in a locker, there is a test seat out front of the queue. If you have concerns about fitting in the seat, definitely try the seat and make sure you can get the green light!
After the test seat, there are two queues, a Fast Lane Plus queue (paid express line) and a standard queue. Single use fast lanes can be purchased outside the queue or prestige pass holders can use their included daily single lane fast lane plus on this attraction. One important thing to note for All Day Fast Lane Plus is that It only includes one single ride on Top Thrill 2 for the 2024 season. Those who bought the all season fast lane plus can experience Top Thrill 2 more than once per visit.
After selecting the queue, you will need to walk through metal detectors and proceed through the queue. The queue is covered and shaded, but you won’t have your phone in the queue, so be sure to bring a friend or make friends in the line!
Once you get to the station, operations is really smooth! They were running all three trains and they were getting people through the queue and onto the ride extremely fast!
Ride Review
Now onto the Ride itself! Overall, we give this attraction 9/10 Kerneys!
This new attraction is simply an amazing ride! So far, we have two rides on this coaster and the second was so much better! We were super nervous the first time, and I think the second was much better after we got a chance to experience it.
The first launch that sends you 74 MPH half way up the spike is really a momentum builder for the ride. This launch isn’t going to knock your socks off, but it’s going to psych you up for the second and third launches.
The second launch is really when this ride starts cooking with gas. The reverse launch at 101 MPH is unlike anything else out there. It’s actually the world’s fastest reverse launch in the world! After picking up some speed, riders are sent up the 420 foot spike and you really get up there and experience a feeling of weightlessness.
On the way down, you pass underneath station cover and it really feels like you’re really close to the roof! I actually pulled my hands down! And once you get into the third launch you are really moving and pickup speeds up to 120 MPH and your sent up the top hat.
At the top of the top hat, you get some really awesome air time and views of the park and Lake Erie. I always tell people to hang on the way down because you really get some lateral G forces through the 270 degree spin on the way down!
I can’t wait to get a few more rides on Top Thrill 2 this year!
Theming
We love a good theme at amusement and theme parks across the country. The theming is truly great for Top Thrill 2. Guests take on the CP Racing Team vibe as soon as they enter the TT2 midway as TT2 theming is very clearly present throughout the area.
The area is truly electric when Top Thrill 2 is running, and they have some great music and sound effects that pair well with the attraction. My favorite is when the bass drops right before the launch!
However, once in the queue, there isn’t any theming besides the color schemes. There is limited space in the queue, so we could understand the difficulty of adding additional theming in this area, but it’s one place that we felt was lacking the CP Racing Theme.
Merchandise
There is plenty of merchandise to choose from at the new CP Racing Store where the old Speed Zone was. They have everything from shirts, hats, and hoodies to gummy bears and blankets. The design team did a great job with the merchandise, and I expect it to sell out fast this year, so get it while you can!
Magnum Bathrooms
One small overlooked item is that the Magnum bathrooms were recently refreshed in this area. This is a huge improvement and it’s probably going to be one of my favorite “What’s new at Cedar Point” for 2024 this year. Those bathrooms were in need of an update, and Cedar Point did a great job delivering on that.
