Millennium Force

Announcement and construction

Millennium Force was announced on July 22, 1999.[11] It would be the tallest roller coaster in the world, taking the record from Fujiyama at Fuji-Q Highland in Japan.[12][13] The ride cost $25 million to design and build.[14] Cedar Point, Intamin, and Werner Stengel designed the layout of the ride. After the ride was announced, several disputes about whether Millennium Force or Superman: The Escape was the tallest and fastest roller coaster in the world arose between Cedar Point and Six Flags Magic Mountain. Superman: The Escape is 415 ft high and its speed is 100 mph; however, it is a shuttle roller coaster, not a complete-circuit roller coaster.[15][16]

Construction started in August 1999 when the site was cleared.[17] Millennium Force was built in the Frontier Trail section of the park.[18][19] The ride involved the relocation of the Giant Wheel and the Cedar Point and Lake Erie Railroad.[11] The removal and relocation of the Giant Wheel began in October on closing day; the first of 226 supports was installed on October 11, starting at the brake run.[4][20] Two hundred twenty-six footers, each about 5 ft deep were dug; the largest ones were 56 by.[4] The concrete construction was done by Mosser Construction.[21] The lift hill was topped off in early January 2000.[22]

The ride's construction took seven months, and 120 construction workers and project managers participated. Testing took two months.[4] The park conducted a "pull-through" by pulling a train along the course to ensure proper clearance. The ride was inspected and tested with water-dummies on the trains.[17]

Opening and modifications

The first media event was held on May 11, 2000, and the ride opened to the public two days later on May 13. When it opened, it broke six world records. It was the first Giga Coaster and was the world's fastest complete-circuit roller coaster, but was later overtaken by other rides.[23] The ride was so popular that guests consistently waited three to four hours to board.[24] About a month after Millennium's debut, Cedar Point introduced a virtual queue system, "Ticket to Ride", which allowed visitors to buy a ticket then return later and wait in a shorter line.[25][26][24] In August, Cedar Point engaged John Hancock and Associates and Stalker Radar of Indianapolis to measure the height and speed of Millennium Force. The height was measured at 310 ft, and the speed was measured at 93 mph, slightly faster than what the park had been advertising (92 mph).[27]

Before the start of the 2004 season, Millennium Force's seat belts were modified because of an incident that occurred on Superman the Ride, a similar roller coaster at Six Flags New England. The new seat belts were shorter and some riders had difficulties with them.[28][29] Audio played during the ascent up the cable lift hill, but it is believed to have been removed sometime between 2004-2010.[30] While it is rumored that other audio may have been featured in the past, it is unknown. The roller coaster's layout was repainted over a three-year period, before the 2011, 2012 and 2013 seasons.[31] In 2012, the park added a new LED lighting system.

For the 2020 season, following the COVID-19 pandemic, timed boarding passes called "Access Passes" were used temporarily to comply with social distancing guidelines in effect at the time.[32]

To celebrate its 25th anniversary, Millennium Force received a refresh for 2025. This included a repaint of the coaster, with the colors remaining the same, as well as a new control system that was installed, featuring a new lift drive motor.[33]

Queue

Millennium Force's entrance is located behind the Cedar Point & Lake Erie Railroad's Millennium Midway station. The queue is situated between the ride's last overbanked turn and the station. A DJ booth was originally provided to entertain waiting visitors; the park's "Jamming DJ's" took requests for family friendly songs from people in the queue.[34] The concrete base of the booth can still be seen as of 2025. About a month after Millennium's debut, Cedar Point introduced a new queue system known as "Ticket to Ride" (later Fast Lane) to reduce the wait time. Visitors could buy tickets then return later and wait in a shorter line.[25][26] This system was discontinued in 2004 after several people complained it was unfair that others were going ahead of them in line.[35] In 2012, Cedar Point introduced its Fast Lane queue system on the ride; visitors can buy a wristband which enables them to wait in a shorter line.[36] The system was tested at Kings Island the previous year, where it received positive reviews.[35]

Layout

Millennium Force covers 13 acre; it runs parallel to the shoreline of Sandusky Bay, then travels to an island located inside the park. There are two tunnels, three overbanked turns and three hills. One cycle of the ride takes approximately 2 minutes and 20 seconds.

While the train is being loaded with passengers, the catch car for the cable lift descends the lift hill and latches onto the middle car underneath the train. Once the train is cleared, the cable lift immediately pulls the train up the 45-degree lift hill at 15 mph to a height of 310 ft. The train then drops 300 ft at an 80-degree angle and reaches a maximum speed of 93 mph at the bottom of the hill. This is followed by a climb of 169 ft through a right overbanked turn at 122 degrees from the horizontal axis, of which the train then travels through a tunnel as it passes over the Frontier Trail. The train proceeds over a 182 ft parabolic hill, which provides a moment of zero gravity as it passes over a lagoon and down onto Adventure Island.

It completes an 87 ft, 360-degree right-handed helix, followed by a 100 ft 122-degree left overbanked turn.[37] This is followed by a small right-hand turn and another hill that leaves the island. The train then travels left through a second tunnel where the on-ride photo is taken, followed by a left turn and a small hill, passing by the queue. Finally, the train travels 68 ft high through another right overbanked turn over the queue and is stopped by magnetic brakes. Passengers disembark the ride at an unloading station and the train moves to a second station where it is reloaded with passengers.[38][39]

Manufacturer

Millennium Force is a Giga Coaster model designed by Werner Stengel and built by Swiss manufacturer Intamin. It was the first of a series of roller coasters, including Top Thrill Dragster—the tallest and fastest roller coaster in the world in 2003—that Intamin built at Cedar Point.[40] As of 2024, Millennium Force is one of two Giga Coasters built by Intamin, the other being Pantherian at Kings Dominion.[41]

Trains

Millennium Force operates with three fiberglass, stadium-style seating trains colored red, yellow, and blue.[42] Each train has nine cars that seat four passengers, allowing a maximum capacity of 36 people per train and 1,300 riders an hour. Each seat has an individual, hydraulic, T-shaped lap bar and seat belt which rests across the rider's lap.[43] Each train weighs 19 tons.[4]

Station

The station has two separate platforms, one for unloading and another for loading. Two trains are loaded and unloaded while the third train is running the course. There is also a separate line in the station where riders can wait for the first seat. The loading platform has red overhead lights, which are located above the train.[44] Millennium Force's theme song is played in the station while riders are boarding.[45] In 2024, 4 confirmed sets of dispatch audio were added for when a train exits the station.[46][47][48] It is also unknown whether these audio sets had previously been featured before its current installment. Two projectors in the station were deactivated sometime in the 2000s, before being reintroduced in a new but limited fashion in 2024.[49]

Track

The steel tubular track is 6595 ft long and the lift is approximately 310 ft high.[43] The track is blue and the supports are silver. The track consists of 229 pieces, each weighing between 11000 and 17000 lb.[4] Intamin supplied the track with hollow structural sections (HSS), which is used in all the track pieces, supports and towers. Millennium Force uses three different track shapes. The simplest sections are two-pipe track, made with two running rails connected by 6 inch square HSS cross-members. The ride also uses three-pipe track, which has two running rails with a backbone of round HSS, which forms a triangle. The third type of track forms a square and is considered the strongest. It has two running rails with two backbone tubes.[50] As both a high altitude and high velocity ride, Millennium Force is affected by unfavorable weather conditions such as rain, lightning or strong winds; under these conditions the ride is closed, but in light rain it can remain open.[51]

Roller coaster records

Millennium Force held the following records at the time of its debut:[13][42]

• First ever complete-circuit roller coaster to top 300 ft
• Tallest complete-circuit roller coaster (310 ft)
• Longest drop on a complete-circuit roller coaster (300 ft)
• Fastest complete-circuit roller coaster (93 mi/h)
• Steepest non-inversion banked turn on a roller coaster (122°) (Half Corkscrew)

Park records

At the time of Millennium Force's debut, Cedar Point held records for the following:[13][42]

• Most rides at an amusement park (68)
• Most roller coasters at an amusement park (14)
• Most steel roller coasters at an amusement park (12)
• Most feet of roller coaster track at an amusement park (44,013 ft)

Rankings

Millennium Force has consistently ranked high in various polls and has won numerous awards. Millennium Force and Superman the Ride (formerly Bizarro) at Six Flags New England held the top two places in the Golden Ticket Awards from 2001 to 2015, and Millennium has continued to rank among the top six steel roller coasters since then. In the Travel Channel's Insane Coaster Wars, Millennium Force was voted the "fan favorite" in the Extreme Heights and The Top 10 categories.[64][65] In 2013, Time ranked Millennium Force as the top roller coaster in the United States.[66]