Although this ride is short, it is still well worth at least one ride. Standing at the base of Dragster's hill is amazing, but you can't really grasp how big this is until you're about to be launched. You're struck with fear, as the size of the hill seems to have increased exponentially. The recordings of a revving engine only make you more nervous. You watch the lights of Dragster's christmas tree. Yellow, yellow, yellow, green. And green definately means GO! you get shot so fast, you can't take another breath until you're a good 200 feet up in the air. At the top, I was expecting to get some nice air time, but it was totally forceless. But being 420 feet in the air, you get an amazing view of Cedar Point. Every major structure in the entire area is shorter than this, so it is one great, but fleating view. On the way back down, the spiral is pretty fun, and the leveling off has some awesome positive g's. As you pass under the 'finish' sign, you feel both a sense of relief, and a sense of disappointment, both for the ride being over. And sliding down the brake run, you realize how big the last fifteen seconds of your life were. While Dragster isn't a record holder anymore, it still has an intimidating presence that very few rides have.

Delicious. You cannot go wrong with this coaster. It blew me away when I first jumped on it and still leaves me feeling good after. The launch is still powerful and amazing.. with a fantastic view.. and beats that lousy KK anyday.

Even though I waited in line for 2 hours, had to wait an extra 30 minutes for the front, and HAD to basically wait 5 years to ride this thing, because it had been closed every other time I&#39.d been to Cedar Point, I would have to say that this ride was probably just about the best I&#39.ve ever been on. The part of the (very short) ride I liked most was how you actually travel up the hill at a 90 degree angle for a few seconds, amazing.

Without getting into too much detail of the actual ride dynamics, because at this point I would just be pulling an Arthur Dent and stating the obvious (So this is it. We&#39..re gonna die.) I will comment on the four things that make me rate this a 10 as opposed to Kinga Ka, which pulled a 9. 1) Theming. Generally, I do not care for themed rides,but the Dragster theme worked for me. The station looks great, the colors are vibrant and exciting, and the christmas tree and sound effects make the coaster fun to watch and ride. 2) Ride placement. Being right in the midway, it is really an interactive experience, even if you choose not to ride it. The fact you could stand right along side the acceleration track or sit in the grandstands and wave to the riders made it fun either on or off the train. 3) The lap restraints. Just like on MF, only a seatbelt and T-bar kept you in your seat. Other than being stapled in your seat, I felt pretty out in the open and free. 4) The ride experience itself, mainly due to the lack of shoulder harnesses and a fantastic sensation of airtime on the tophat (I was fortunate enough to get the very front seat 4 out of 7 times over 2 days thanks to an unrestricted access pass and a very polite and generous ride crew.)My son and I had a great time at CP, and TTD played a huge part in that, especially after we completed our 3rd ride in the front seat and he had a bug smashed on his face from the take off.
I really thought I was going to like this less than Kingda Ka, but I liked it more. Much more. IF KK gets a 9, TTD deserves a 10.

Times Riden: 12 Dates Ridden: Summer of 2006, 2007, 2008. Are you ready for Top Thrill Dragster? While this ride has been often criticized for being too short (approximately 15 seconds), the simple fact of the matter is that it is currently the 2nd tallest and fastest coaster in the world. After riding it for the first time back in 2006, it immediately landed at # 2 in my overall rankings and stayed in my top 5 for a long while. Recently, after riding Kingda Ka and Xcelerator, the novelty of the launch and speed had worn off a little and this ride dropped a little in my view. However, this past summer we waited the extra time for a front row seat around 11:30 PM and the result was a great experience. The speed seems much faster when sitting in the front with nothing in front of you except the track. The visuals are better and you seem to hang over the top hat before plunging back down the 420 foot drop. This ride is constantly compared to the two coasters I listed above and I believe it is much better. The main advantage Dragster has is its simple restraint system consisting of a seat belt and lap bar. Your entire upper body is free giving one the impression that they are actually flying. Yes, the lines are long and the ride itself suffers more downtime than other coaster I am aware of, but riding TTD is an experience like no other. All things considered, it is not the complete experience that a B and M hyper coaster offers, but after my front seat ride I am placing it at # 10 in my list as well as bumping it back up to my 3rd favorite steel coaster.

Top Thrill Dragster is the first thing you see as you enter the cedar point parking lot, it looms in the distance staring you down, and from the moment you set your eyes on it you want to ride it. Once you get up close to Dragster you realized just how fast and tall it really is. As you stare at the train waiting to be launched you realized how nerve wracking it is you&#39.re waiting and waiting, you&#39.re trying to brace yourself for the inevitable thrill that awaits you but somehow one cannot prepare for the launch on dragster. Even the tallest and strongest men sit at the christmas tree launch breathing heavily scared as even the youngest child on the ride. Personally i suggest swallowing and looking straight forward at the christmas light and wait for the train to roll back a bit. The you know the launch is a few seconds away. Now..to the actual experience. You&#39.re hearts racing, palms sweaty and you&#39.re extremely nervous as the three orange light quickly light up then the green one follows and you&#39.re whole body is sucked back into you&#39.re seat, the &quot.butterflies&quot. in you&#39.re stomach are almost unbearable and the thrill is unlike any other. It feels like it lasts for ever but uts only 3.8 seconds. After the launch comes the top hat, you ascend it at literally 120 mph and are pushed back into you&#39.re seat even more. Then as you rush toward the sky you see nothing but blue sky and white clouds. By now you&#39.re having the time of your life and are screaming at the top of your lungs. Your whole body is then thrown to the side as you turn 90 degrees and reach the peak of Top Thrill Dragster at an astonishing 420 feet. You stare DOWN on Millenium Force and try to take in the absoluely gorgeous view that you&#39.re treated to at the top. But just about a second later you free fall from 420 feet and spiral out of control as your whole body is ripped to the side, this 90 degree drop is amazingly intense it feels like a free fall. Now the end of the fall comes and the you are pushed back into your seat with INCREDIBlE force. On my first ride my back wasnt up againts the seat because of my posture on the free fall so instead of being pushed back my back was pushed down, it wasn&#39.t at all painful but just watch out fot that. Over all top thrill dragster is unlike any thing i&#39.ve ever experienced, the launch was so intense that if it were longer it would almost be too intense. The coaster is just right, a mix of everything packed into a short 17 second ride. But overall I couldn&#39.t have cared less if it were a 5 second ride, that thrill is unlike any other!

Sitting there looking at the christmas tree countdown is TORTURE! waiting for the launch ecspecially if you know whats coming!

A very frightening coaster to behold... I fought with myself all day about whether I should ride it, and eventually did. The facts that it (1) has only lap bars, and (2) sometimes doesnt make it over the hill, definitely add to the horror. Yet when it launches you, you cant help but get a rush of excitement. The whole ride, although it flashes by in a few seconds, is exhilarating.

Though not as good as Kingda Ka, Dragster provided an incredible ride still. The launch filled me with anticipation and it didnt disappoint as it was fast and furious, while very smooth. Following that was the massive 420ft hill which gave some decent floater air at the top and I was completely out of my seat the whole way down. Only real negative is how short the ride is.

This ride ranks as one of my best "15 second" memories. The actual ride is a "10" once you get on. Although the wait is horrible, the exhileration of this brief throttle of excitment is mind-boggling.

Thoughts of this ride, along with Six Flags Magic Mountains (Los Angeles) "X" (10.0) and Millenium Force (9.9) still encourages me to keep riding.

Speed, intensity, excitement and originality "X" and "Top Thrill" get 10s...for now.