Giving the tilt a whirl
Review of Siren’s Curse tilt coaster at Ohio’s Cedar Point
With the debut late last week of Siren’s Curse at Cedar Point, folks making the trek to the Ohio amusement park can now brave what is perhaps the craziest concept in all of parkdom, the tilt coaster. What in tarnation is that you ask? I wasn’t able to make it to the media event at which the ride was introduced, but my buddy, park aficionado, talented writer, and all around great guy, Jonathan “Cincinnati Jon” Lepolt was able to attend in my stead. I’ll let him fill you in. Take it away CJ.
In Greek mythology, a siren is notorious for its beautiful voice, singing an enchanting tune that often leads sailors to danger. With Siren’s Curse, the impressive, twisted red track and massive shipping crane tower invites guests to a unique roller coaster experience, minus the danger–or at least real danger. The apparent peril this contraption places riders in is a whole ‘nother story.
Siren’s Curse is Cedar Point’s 18th coaster, adding to its portfolio of record-breaking attractions and helping maintain its self-proclaimed title of “Roller Coaster Capital of the World.” While its stats might not seem impressive compared to nearby gargantuan coasters like Millennium Force and Top Thrill 2, it is North America’s first ride of its kind (and only the second in the world) and captures records for the continent’s tallest (160 feet), longest (2,966 feet) and fastest (58 mph) tilt coaster.
As guests approach a newly renovated area in the park sandwiched between the Cedar Point Marina and another nautically themed ride, Iron Dragon, the first thing they will undoubtedly notice is that there is a flat section of track at the end of the lift hill that does not lead to a first drop. Instead, in what seems ridiculous and impossible, the track comes to a sudden end. Yes, you read that correctly: The track ends, much like a cartoon that bends reality or a poorly designed ride in Roller Coaster Tycoon. This must be the danger that the siren has lured us to, and where riders will surely meet their demise.
From here, with the train at rest and safely parked, the section of track tilts a complete 90 degrees (imagine a seesaw suspended in midair and flipped vertically) and connects to the remaining circuit. After a short but agonizing pause, with riders facing straight toward the ground (similar to the dive coaster around the corner, Valravn), safety mechanisms release the train, allowing it to travel through a twisted jumble of red track.
Once entering the ride queue, guests will notice elements indicating the attraction’s theme. Clayton Lawrence, Six Flags’ corporate creative producer, explains that The Erie Freight Company is located in an “abandoned shipping yard that’s been closed up. We kinda broke our way in, and when you’re in the queue, we wanted you to feel like it’s been abandoned, and that you’re the only ones.”
The creative team has gone to great lengths to make props and buildings that are brand new look old and rusted from the damp lake atmosphere. It’s not quite to the level of Disney or Universal, but for a regional Six Flags park creating a new story, it’s enough to elevate the guest experience while waiting in line. Splotches of paint, toppled barrels, shipping containers, and an old, abandoned gatehouse are scattered throughout the queue, giving soon-to-be-riders something to look at and talk about. Speakers feature a custom audio track.
“While you’re waiting in the line, be sure to listen to the background music because it helps reinforce our story,” Lawrence adds.
As the anticipation builds inside the queue, guests will also notice that they are in the middle of the ride’s footprint and can see most of its 2,966 feet of red track and trains moving in every direction.
After zig-zagging through the line, riders must empty their pockets of everything, including phones, keys, and other loose articles that could fall out and become a safety issue, before they can climb the stairs leading to the station platform. This is not uncommon to see at Cedar Point, as guests are already required to pass through metal detectors on Top Thrill 2 and Steel Vengeance. Small lockers inside the queue for Siren’s Curse are available at no charge. For larger items such as purses or backpacks, guests are required to rent a locker outside the ride’s entrance.
The coaster trains for Siren’s Curse are sharp and sleek, featuring a black body with bright neon accents on the over-the-shoulder restraints. Embedded into the side of each of the six cars on the train are dynamic LED light strips, which pulse front to back in various colors and make for a spectacular show at night. This type of coaster light package is new to Cedar Point, and unique to Siren’s Curse. Watching roller coasters from the midway is always fun, but the lights add a new level of intrigue, especially at night when the trains are harder to follow as they fly around the track. Additionally, the Vekoma cars have speakers built into the headrests, providing passengers with a custom on-board audio track that supports the ride’s theme and layout.
“Because we wrote a story, it allowed our sound designer to really go in and create sound effects and help reinforce our story with the audio,” says Lawrence.
Immediately after getting the “all clear” from the ride operators, the train inches forward and the onboard audio begins. Riders hear waves crashing as the train exits the station and quickly reaches the base of the 160-foot lift hill. The audio is crisp, and adds a complex layer of immersion to Cedar Point’s newest headliner. As the train ascends to the top of the hill, passengers begin to hear the beautiful voices of the sirens, whispering in their ears, “Come to us!” with playful, inviting laughter. At the crest of the hill, the train takes an immediate left turn, as the sirens taunt, “Your fate rests with us!” amid more giggling. Riders have the terrifying visual of the track coming to an abrupt end. This is when my anxiety began to rise precipitously. As the train is locked into place on the tilt track, there is more laughter from the sirens. “You have been lured by the siren’s call!” the voices sing out.
At this point there is no turning back, only tilting forward. My stomach clenched as I heard the safety systems clicking into place.
Dave Evans, director of construction and capital installation for Six Flags explains how the independent section of track, disconnected from the ride circuit on both ends, is able to tilt. “There is a claw on the back of the train that clamps onto the train itself, and there are redundant measures to hold that claw in place.” Sure, I think, but what if the claw fails? “On the front side there is a stop,” Evans continues, “That stop is not touching the train at all. It is a safety redundant stop.”
My brain knew I should trust the engineering, but it was terrifying and nail-biting nonetheless. The track rotates forward 90 degrees, providing riders in the front, middle and rear of the train a different feeling of either being lowered, twisted, or raised into position. It’s a hard sensation to describe, but it’s different from other vertical drops like those found on Steel Vengeance or Valravn. Once the tilt track has see-sawed into its final position, the train and the 24 souls on board are left facing straight down. My heart was pounding through my chest, and it seemed like we were hanging there forever. Suddenly, I noticed the tone of the sirens had changed. Their plan to lure us to danger had succeeded. “Prepare to meet your doom!” they shouted, an instant before the train dropped.
From here, most of my first ride experience was a blur. The audio switched to fast-paced, heavy metal music which seemed to fit perfectly with how I felt twisting and turning through numerous and sudden changes of direction, including two inversions. Siren’s Curse maintains a terrific cadence and does not let up until it hits the final stretch of track before returning to the station.
That’s really what you want from a coaster: not good pacing but relentless pacing. With no mid-course brake run and no pause for passengers to catch their breath, “relentless” is an accurate description. With a comparatively small footprint and tight ride elements, Siren’s Curse feels faster than its 58-mph speed might suggest. It’s also more than just a wacky tilt concept.
“It’s a pretty cool drop, pretty cool tilt element, but with a very complete layout full of new-gen coaster elements, airtime, inversions, and big transitions,” says Ricardo Tonding Etges, Vekoma’s VP of sales and marketing for the Americas. “It’s a whole package here.”
On the two-minute journey, riders are exposed to two barrel roll inversions, banked turns, airtime hills, and a “triple-down,” an element where the ride track drops three consecutive times. After the triple-down, riders plunge into an underground, fog-filled tunnel, which is one of the few moments on the ride that actually has a straight piece of track. The smoothness of the ride, despite all the crazy maneuvers and relentless speed, really stood out to me.
Hitting the brake run, I finally had the chance to breathe. The on-board audio switched back to gentle waves crashing, and the sirens reverted to their happy chants, imploring, “Come back to us!”
With its anxiety-provoking tilt moment, Siren’s Curse begs the question: “Would you ride this?” Well, would you?
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Nice article, Cincinnati Jon! I am hoping to get to Cedar Point sometime next month and (hopefully) get my first rides on Siren's Curse and TT2.