Expect the unexpected with Valravn

SANDUSKY — Imagine boarding a new record-breaking dive coaster, which drops 214 feet, zips by at 75 mph and inverts three times.Excited? Nervous? Nauseous?Before Valravn debuts to the public on Saturday, many people have already formed some sort of opinion on Cedar Point's freshest ride.To further flesh out notions or completely change concepts, the Register asked five Cedar Point experts for their expectations on Valravn.Among those responding to a request, along with their Twitter handles, for information:• Brad Kilgore, representing CPfansite (@CP_fansite)• Matthew Lyons, representing Cedar Point Fan Page (@Freeziebuddy)• Travis Myers, representing Cedar Point FanClub (@CedarpointFC)• Walt Schmidt, representing Point Buzz (@pointbuzz)• Zak Zevchik, representing Theme Parks! (@ThemeParkUnited) and CedarPointNow (@CedarPointNow) Each person works independently from and is unaffiliated with Cedar Point. Q: What should people expect when riding Valravn? Kilgore: Imagine traveling 20 stories into the air on a lift hill and hanging at the edge for four seconds before being dropped at a 90-degree angle at 75 mph going upside down through an Immelmann loop, traveling in the opposite direction, dropping again at 90 degrees a second time and then going upside down two more times through a dive loop and then a 270-degree roll.All of this can now be possible on Cedar Point's 18th roller coaster, Valravn. Lyons: Guests are going to be thrilled this year on Valravn. As guests reach the top of the lift hill, they will turn and start to go over the edge but suddenly stop, staring down at the world's longest drop on a dive coaster, looking straight at the ground and then suddenly letting you drop.After the drop, you fly into the world's highest inversion. Then, after the inversion, sore into yet another dive. After that, you'll encounter another inversion, then a barrel roll before turning around and flying over an air-time hill. Myers: Valravn is not just another roller coaster: It is something Cedar Point has never seen. You go 90 degrees straight down into a lot of unique inversions. You wait on top of the lift hill staring down into a 100-plus-foot fall. It also has one of the biggest ride capacities in the park.People should also expect it to be surprisingly smooth. Bolliger & Mabillard (a roller coaster design company) is known for having really fun and smooth roller coaster, such as GateKeeper. I would expect nothing less from B&M.Valravn isn't a speed demon. It has a lot of twists and turns and crazy inversions. So instead of thinking, "This thing isn't really fast," think, "Holy cow, I was just upside down 80 feet in the air." Schmidt: Look for three things:1. A new view: As the train rounds the lift hill and heads for the holding brake, riders will have a view of the park they've never had before. Taking in the park's beauty from that height will definitely be part of the experience.2. A different kind of anticipation: Those few seconds where riders are facing straight down will bring an additional level of anticipation that hasn't been available on other Cedar Point coasters.For riders who are afraid of heights, it's going to be a new level of fear. On other coasters, you're up then down before you know it. Not here, where you'll hang for a few seconds to make sure you know just how high you really are.3. Surprising elements: The premiere feature on this ride is the dive, but I think riders will be in for a surprise with the amount of airtime they're going to experience. Zevchik: When riding Valravn, people should expect a record-breaking coaster, which is exactly what it is.The experience will be like nothing else at Cedar Point. Valravn will be a unique, thrilling attraction and a great addition to the already impressive Cedar Point coaster lineup. Q: What should people expect in terms of a wait time to ride Valravn? Kilgore: A dive coaster is a very exciting experience and will be well worth the wait, no matter how long.If you want to experience Valravn before the general public and possibly have a much shorter wait, you have a few options:• Thursday is the Valravn First Rider Benefit, and tickets are still available for purchase on Cedar Point's website. All proceeds go to the LeBron James Family Foundation.• Friday is Ohio State Day. Tickets are available from the university.• Friday evening, season pass holders are invited for a preview night from 7-11 p.m. All rides, including Valravn, will be open to all season pass holders during this event. Lyons: I think the wait times will go pretty fast being each train holds 24 people. Myers: It will be busy. Got your heart set on riding it opening day? It is going to be a long wait. All new rides are. For opening day, I'm estimating around a four-plus-hour wait. Any other Saturday or Sunday will probably be around two-hour wait.Personally, I always try to go on either a Wednesday or Thursday. Avoid any holidays at all costs. I made the mistake of going on Columbus Day weekend. Let's just say I rode about five rides that day. Schmidt: Valravn will be the go-to attraction for most guests coming into the park for the day. With its location near the front of the park, the wait times will grow quickly in the morning.As far as time, I wouldn't be surprised to see a wait of two hours on opening day. But in reality, wait times are hard to pinpoint because there are so many variables.As the season wears on, I suspect typical wait times will settle somewhere less than Millennium Force but higher than GateKeeper. It's definitely going to attract a crowd. Zevchik: Wait times will be long. It should be expected of any new coaster or attraction.It is expected to send through 1,200 people per hour. That is what the Maverick sends through also. So, on a busy summer day, it should be expected to post similar wait times to Maverick. Reach reporter Andy Ouriel at ouriel@sanduskyregister.com and follow him on Twitter @AndyOurielValravn, Cedar Point's newest roller coaster, debuts on Saturday to the public.