The 2024 season for Cedar Point was a downhill roller coaster. The previous year, it announced its newest attraction: Top Thrill 2. The ride, a redesign of the original Top Thrill Dragster, would open as the world’s tallest coaster with three launches. Thousands flocked to buy a 2024 season pass, hoping to ride the 420-feet-tall thrill machine. Unfortunately, for most, this would not become a reality. Top Thrill 2 only operated for eight days before being closed for the rest of the season. During those eight days, the ride experienced countless hours of downtime and maintenance issues. With thousands of unhappy customers, Cedar Point knew exactly what to do to please its parkgoers.
On Sept. 19, 2024, Cedar Point announced its new for 2025 addition: Siren’s Curse. The ride was originally scheduled to open at Six Flags Mexico, but after the building permits were denied, Six Flags decided to relocate it to Cedar Point instead. The ride would act as the park’s apology for the disappointment surrounding Top Thrill 2.
The main draw of the ride is something most people have never experienced: Siren’s Curse would open as North America’s first tilt coaster. Built by European ride designer, Vekoma Rides, it would be the first installation of their new “Cliffhanger” coaster model. Instead of a traditional drop, the ride would feature a piece of track that tilts downwards to 90 degrees, leaving riders staring 160 feet down. Riders’ hearts would pound as they are held at 90 degrees for what feels like an eternity. The coaster car is then released, giving an extreme free fall sensation and reaching speeds of 58 mph. Riders would also traverse two barrel roll inversions and 13 moments of airtime, the sensation of floating out of your seat. The ride features nearly 3,000 feet of track.
Siren’s Curse would open on June 28, 2025, a consequence of the late announcement. Despite this, the ride opened to rave reviews. Roller coaster enthusiasts and the general public alike praised the ride for its smoothness, strong moments of airtime, and the incomparable experience of the tilt track.
The ride experience begins as you walk up to the coaster’s main entrance. You see the dark maroon track slowly tilt the riders, hold them there, and eventually drop them. The ride is themed to the legend of the Lake Erie Siren, and that is reflected in the queue and overall ride experience. You are at the site of an abandoned boatyard of Lake Erie Freight Company, with shipping containers and lake ambiance surrounding you. The ride sits on a human-made pond, adding to its nautical theme. During the queue, you are put right next to the ride. You see the trains traversing the track, and you watch as the riders do a barrel roll within feet of you.
Once the all clear is given, your journey begins. As you climb the 130-foot lift hill, you hear the siren singing her song.
“Come to us,” the siren says.
Her song lures you to the most infamous part of the ride: the tilt track. You then hear creaking as you are slowly tilted 90 degrees, leaving you perpendicular to the ground. The back row reaches the maximum height of 160 feet.
After a few horrifying seconds, the siren says to “Prepare to meet your doom!”
Just like that, gravity takes over. You free-fall down the drop and suddenly twist to the left. The ride’s soundtrack switches from the siren’s song to a heavy metal score. You rise into the ride’s first airtime pop before sharply twisting rightwards down to the ground. You then experience the first barrel roll of the ride. You quickly rotate 360 degrees through the roll, which lifts you out of your seat. After a swooping right-hand turn, you experience a triple-down: three downward sloping hills back to back, all making you leave your seat. One is banked to the left, the second to the right, and the third drops you into an underwater tunnel.
You then rise into a twisted hill, which sharply changes your direction. You then bank right into another twisted hill, followed by the ride’s final barrel roll. You are mere feet above the ground, and you zip through the roll as those from the queue watch. The ride ends with four more hills barely above the ground, twisting you in multiple directions. This is also where the strongest airtime of the ride is, sending you flying out of your seat as you traverse each hill. Once you hit the final brakes, your little over two-minute ride experience concludes.
Overall, this ride is one of the most intense and thrilling roller coasters in the United States. The uniqueness of the tilt track and the strong layout that follows afterward make it a must ride for any thrill-seeker. In a theme park dominated by world-class roller coasters, Siren’s Curse has no problem fitting in.
