Bucket list. Check.

Alright friends, I suffered in the unforgiving heat of the Ohio sun, battled the epically long lines of sweat-drenched coaster riders (who do not respect the rules of the personal space bubble) and braved the highest metal coasters, so you don’t have to. Just to get you guys the perfect idea of some beast coasters, I headed to none other than Cedar Point Amusement Park, Sandusky, Ohio, self-proclaimed as the “Roller Coaster Capital of the World” and “Best Amusement Park” by Amusement Today's Golden Ticket Awards for multiple years. The park holds 17 thrilling rollers coasters to make the heart of an adrenaline junkie sing.

“Welcome to Cedar Point, America’s Rockin’ Roller Coast. Ride on!” If this fun, catchy slogan isn’t permanently drilling in the back of your mind when you finally close your eyes after an exhausting day of coaster riding at Cedar Point Amusement Park, you did not fully embrace the art of surviving a trip to an amusement park.

Before we dive right into which coasters are worth the lines, let me just paint a picture of how our lively adventure from hell began. It all stems from Ohio where you either experience every season in one day or, in my family's case, the just the scorching heat of death warmed up.

After applying enough spray sunscreen that even the palest person would be invincible to the sun's rays we grabbed our backpacks and headed into the park to the serenades of screams from the parks riders. Of course we forgot something in the car and sent a person running back, someone needed to find a bathroom, and someone was already whining about the heat. In our desperate attempt to get beyond the gates of the park, our drawstring bag springs a hole and we have bottles of water rolling across the sidewalks of the park. Quickly we patched the hole, picked a coaster and waited in line, only for it to shut down. WHY, SATAN!? Break for water and pick another ride… Keep in mind… I did this for you. Now for what you actually want to know. Which rides are worth the time standing in the heat and having a small child behind you kicking your heels, and which get your heart pumping. Here we go: the rankings of the coasters in order of laid back to full adrenaline rush.

17. &16. The Woodstock Express and the Wilderness Run (please don’t wait in line)

Both rides can be found in Snoopy Land for children. I have not confirmed this rule because I’m still short enough that the ride assistants wouldn’t bat an eye as they let me pass the gates, but I believe there maybe a height cut off because these tiny thrills are made for the future coaster chasers.

15. The Creek Mine Ride (you could go get ice cream instead of wasting time in line)

Let’s cut to the chase. If you came for this ride, go home. I bet you’ll get more of a rush driving on the highway then strapping into this box car to drop 48 feet.

14. The Pipe Scream (this shouldn’t be with the coasters, so you shouldn’t wait in line)

This giant spinning teeter-totter ranks lower on the scale only because I’m not truly convinced this is a roller coaster. The Cedar Point website describes the ride as “The one that dreams are made of.” I don’t know about you, but if that’s what you’ve been dreaming about stop eating before bed and dream bigger.

13. The Corkscrew (you could be doing worse)

Although, this ride may have held the title for first in the world to have three inversions, the past is still the past and this coaster is showing its age. Since the little blue coaster only reaches 48 mph. I’m pretty sure my Grandma reaches these speeds to arrive to prayer group early.

12. The Iron Dragon (maybe wait the line if you can wear the virtual headset)

This ride is even slower than the last, but wins the higher spot because the suspended bucket seating. The Iron Dragon suspends riders above an ominous lagoon and whips victims around the track at odd angles. The park has even upped the allure by adding special virtual reality features after dark with help from some snazzy headsets… wonder how many of those we’ll find at the bottom of the pond after the coaster season.

11. The Blue Streak (if you’re in need of a walk down memory lane wait the line)

So this coaster is wooden, old and slow. It may have been built in 1964, and makes some questionable creaking noises, but it’s still worth the hype because the last 5 seconds of hills at the end will have most riders flying out of their seats.

10. Gemini (there are two coasters racing, if the line isn’t moving fast, don’t wait)

Thanks to these classic wooden coasters, family bets can finally be settled. The rush of competition to see whose coaster will zoom into the gate first gives the rider a little extra adrenaline. Because nothing is better than victory.

9. Rougarou (don’t wait in the line unless you want to see the fish in the nearby pond)

Another close competition between the Rougarou and the Raptor has this newly introduced floorless roller coaster lagging behind. Unfortunately, with a floorless ride, my feet are dangling and all I can think about is “did I tie my shoes tight enough?” Standing only 145 feet, this coaster may have been more interesting if I did lose a shoe.

8. Raptor (better than waiting in line at the Rougarou)

Basically, a close relative of the Rougarou, showcasing the same floorless feature to keep the riders on the edge. Fortunately, to keep the riders interested enough to climb the stairs to the platform, the ride includes six inversions.

7. Maverick (not worth the wait, unless you want to listen to country music for the next 2 hours)

This is one of my personal favorite roller coasters because of how it shoots the riders out of the loading station and straight up the first hill. If the drop wasn’t worth the hype the there’s plenty of twists and turns swinging riders over a man-made pond.

6. Wicked Twister (if you’re close enough to see the beach line wait in line)

This ride had the possibility of ranking higher because of its creative U-shaped track, but after getting stuck in with my feet dangling wondering if the ride would rocket forward or shoot back, I had to keep it at 6. You do get the opportunity after being thrust 217 feet forward to enjoy the feeling of free falling back while you stare at the bright Ohio sky wondering what possessed you to strap into this metal contraption.

5. Magnum XL-200 (Don’t wait if the line is further than four rows of turnstiles)

A great classic metal roller coaster. If you aren’t too preoccupied with the over 200-foot drop while you spiral around the sandy beaches of Lake Erie, keep your eyes open because you might be getting proposed to. Nothing like being locked into a speeding cart of doom with your partner and seeing “will you marry me?” scrawled in the sand. Can I say that marriage has already had so many up and downs?

4. Gatekeeper (almost worth the wait, sometimes they play James Blunt as you wait in line)

A newer ride introduced to the park a few years ago gets the riders thinking about which is worse: standing in the sun facing the park or standing in the sun staring at the burnt beach-goers as the line splits left and right up the sides of the loading gate to fill the left and right sides of the roller coaster cart. If you can’t decide, the ride is the same once you hit the top of the first drop and you navigate through narrow obstacles.

3. Valravn (bring a deck of cards, worth the line)

This ride is a tester. OK, the line for the ride is the actual the devil himself because the televisions play the same mind-numbing food commercial and the line is at best a mile long. The Valravn has no connection with the "Game of Thrones" television show, but let’s be real, they're subtle — or not so subtle - hints of battling kingdoms and I MEAN THEY HAVE A THRONE YOU CAN TAKE PICTURES ON. Whatever, the ride speaks for itself with its 90-degree angle drop and wicked 270-degree roll.

2. Top Thrill Dragster (if the line is beyond the bleacher seats don’t wait. It’s 17 seconds, but that doesn’t make the line move faster)

I did just rank the Dragster second. Whether the ride shoots you off at speeds topping 120 mph and you meet the sky at 420 feet, the ride is 17 seconds. I could blink and miss what happened. Don’t worry I didn’t, because rumor has it that you can see Canada from that top.

1. Millennium Force

WAIT IN LINE. HECK, camp out. This ride will have even seasoned riders shaking with nerves before ascending the 320-foot hill just to hit speeds of 93 mph and have the torture last 2 minutes. This is coaster is the top on the list and has topped many other lists for one of the best steel coasters. The line can get a little long at times, but if you can find the perfect time of day to avoid melting in the sun, wait in the line to ride this beast.

OK coaster enthusiasts or bucket list hunters, you have heard the coaster gods speak; NOW GO RIDE. I think after a long day in an amusement park we all learn very important lessons, if the coaster is epic enough wait the line, drink lots of water and ride on....