jcookeusa

Hi All, We're planning to head to CP today (after a long trip from Baltimore for Kings Island on Tuesday!) and wondering if you all think the weather will kill any good chance for coaster riding. Up until last night, I was most worried about rain and storms, but that has fizzled, with thunderstorms and rain ending this morning by ~10am. Now, the wind may be an issue: they're expecting winds from the SW at ~23mph, shifting to the W at ~20mph by 3pm and fading to WNW at ~13mph by 8pm. I expect that at minimum, TTD will be down. What do any of you think for the rest? Is it likely most coasters will still be open? Thanks! Justin

Hi Everyone, I'm hoping for some crowd-avoidance advice for a trip to Kings Island (and Cedar Point) in late May. My family will be getting the Coaster Combo deal for one day at CP and one day at KI (a great deal we used last year for $65!) and we're coming from Baltimore. We'll try to go to KI on a Tuesday and then CP on a Thursday (need a day break between to help calm the stomach for maximum coaster riding ). Anyway, ideally we'd go the last week in May, just after Memorial Day (KI on Tuesday, 5/28, and CP on Thursday, 5/30). I noticed that CP still has the earlier 8pm close then (indicating they're less crowded?), but KI closes at 10pm. I also checked the area schools and Cincinnati and Cleveland's last day is 5/23, while Columbus is 5/30. That worries me a bit and I'm wondering what you all think about how bad the crowds might be. In year's past, we've always made sure to go on weekdays before those school systems have let out. We won't do the FastLane stuff, so are hoping for decently short lines because of light crowds. If it's likely to be much better, we can shift to the earlier week (5/21 - 5/23). Please let me know what you think. Thanks! Justin

I think the $40 ticket on Cedar Point's website is about the lowest you are going to find tickets. Meijer sells Cedar Point tickets, but they are $49.99 each, so no real savings there. If you are thinking about visiting both parks I would suggest doing the $65 ticket to Cedar Point, and Kings Island. Both parks are awesome parks, and $65 for both parks is a good deal. If you're visiting early season before school gets out and you don't need Fast Lane then you could easily do all of Cedar Point in one day, and then do Kings Island the next day. Also, it's just wishful thinking on your part. . . You can't use the CP/KI ticket for one park twice. It's for each park once. Good luck on your trip! Hope you have fun! I just wanted to say a belated thanks for this information. By the way, I was able to get the $30 ticket deal they had back at the end of April, so that worked out great. I'm now planning to be at the park either this Thursday (5/19) or next Tuesday (5/24). Does anyone have a sense about which might have the lowest crowds? I figure this Thursday has the week-long science thing, but cooler weather, and next Tuesday doesn't appear to have any big events, but warmer weather. I always thought these May weekdays would be less crowded, but some of the recent posts about school kids are making me nervous. Also, I really like Mean Streak, so if what bluestreak heard is right, maybe there's a small chance it'll open closer to Memorial Day (5/24) -- one can always hope. Thanks! Justin

Hi All, I'm planning to go to Cedar Point this May (after our first ever visit last year -- such a great park!) and wondering if anyone knows of upcoming ticket deals. I can buy single day tickets online for $40 (and that's how I got them last year). I also realize I missed the President's Day buy-one-get-one-free deal back in February. We'll be going during the week before schools let out, so don't want any of the FastLane stuff. Does Cedar Point ever offer any two day deals or another day for cheap online purchase? I know there aren't any guarantees -- just wondering if any of you remember anything better than $40/day being offered between now and mid-May in past years. I'm considering the Coaster Combo deal for $65 that includes admission to Cedar Point on one day and King's Island on another, although I'd rather just get two days at Cedar Point! (Maybe the wording on that ticket is off and you can actually choose which of the two parks to attend on each of the two days? -- probably just wishful thinking on my part. ) Thanks for any tips! Justin

I have to agree with coasterbill about Mean Streak. I had read everyone saying it was terribly painful, but I loved it. I think I did heed the warnings to not ride in the back and keep my back off of the seat, but I really never noticed any pain. I was somewhere in the middle of the train and definitely anticipated the turns, but it was a great ride -- and wonderfully long! I felt that Magnum was a much worse ride (maybe that's everyone's experience? ) -- especially those jerky bumps at the end. Honestly, Blue Streak was rougher than Mean Streak for me. I guess it all comes down to body size/mass and how we individually handle the bump/turn anticipation. For reference, I'm ~200lbs and 6'1". Oh, and I enjoyed those barely-there lines for Mean Streak!

We were also just at the park yesterday and had a great time! As others have mentioned, Wicked Twister has been running. We happened to be walking by when it first got going yesterday and waited only 5 or 10 minutes, but they stopped it just as we were getting strapped in. The funny thing is they said they had no idea how long it would take (after having us wait ~5 mins before an announcement), so we walked off, only to watch it get going again probably only 5 minutes later. So be it -- Gatekeeper was a wonderful ride. I like the smooth ones. We really lucked out with our chosen day, as I'd heard Wednesday was pretty crowded with ARC of Ohio day (and then also power outages!?). The weather on Thursday was pretty gray and cool (almost cold), even with some dark clouds, but no rain. And just as my wife was beginning to be too cold to keep riding, the sun came out for a beautiful late afternoon and evening. This was our first time at CP, but from what I understand, the crowds were light. We bypassed any rides with more than a 10 or 15 minute wait, but still got on a bunch. The longest we waited was ~45' for Millennium Force in the afternoon, just because we needed to ride it and I wasn't sure the line would ever go away. All the other waits were short. We also lucked out in a few ways (I think). First, we rode Top Thrill Dragster twice, and each time, decided to get in line while it was not operating -- a small line just outside the entry gate. Sure enough, it opened up and we nearly walked right on. Both times, under 15 minutes total wait! Second, I got on MF for the 2nd time with my wife at ~7:50pm, assuming that would be our last ride, since we had to then walk over to Maverick to get my boys (that was their last ride). As luck would have it, when I got to Maverick at ~8:10pm, the guy let me in (and just a few others) before closing it! My boys were still waiting And then, to really rub it in that they had missed the last MF ride I got, my Maverick train got a "One more time" extra ride! Oh, they were just a bit jealous. Anyway, CP is an amazing park. We'll definitely be going back next year and I hope I can be so lucky again with picking a good day. By the way, I had been worried about Mean Streak, after hearing it was so painful, but I rode it twice and thought it was a great ride. One of the operators mentioned they've been doing track work over the past couple years, so I guess that's really helping. A great, long, beautiful wooden coaster -- and with no lines.

Hi All, I'm new here and have some questions about a trip to Cedar Point. I'm in Baltimore and normally visit Hershey Park, but figured this year I'd finally get out to Cedar Point and bring the whole family (that's 5 of us -- me, my wife, and three kids (17, 14, 9)). I'm looking for any advice about visiting CP for the first time for a family almost entirely interested in the coasters. Our biggest concern is crowds (of course ), so we're planning to come next week on either Wednesday (5/20) or Thursday (5/21). From what I gather, weekdays in May are good and that's just before OH schools let out, so probably our best chance for light crowds. Does that sound right? Do you think Wednesday would be better than Thursday or are they both far enough from the weekend? Easiest for us is to go Thursday, but we will go Wednesday if that's likely to make a real difference. The weather is looking decent for both days. We won't be buying any special line-jumping passes (just can't afford that for our group of 5) and we will be staying offsite, so no early admission. Can anyone offer any other tips about our visit? (I will be scouring this thread for all I can find, as well.) I've heard it's good to head to the rear of the park first, but also to ride Top Thrill Dragster early, since it may breakdown. Is any entry gate better than the others for getting in and to the ideal spot in the park first? Thanks so much! Justin