Cedar Point (CP) Discussion Thread

[AmyUD06]

I reiterate my earlier stated notion of buying a Platinum season Pass along with the All-Season, All-Park Fast Lane, through one of the Cedar Fair sites that is offering it.  You do not need to go to that park for it to be valid at Cedar Point.  This way, you'll have Fast Lane Plus for your CP trip, and can do things at your leisure.  It's Labor Day Weekend. The park is going to be slammed.

You also get Early Entry with a Platinum Pass, so you don't need to stay at one of the Cedar Point Hotels.

[bert425]

2 hours ago, Alex Sutcliff said:

Hmm I didn't factor in labor Day. I haven't booked the internal flights yet so could do the weekend prior if it would make a massive difference. I haven't booked accommodation yet but will checkout the early access options

you're coming from overseas.

spend the $$ and book at Hotel Breakers (which is on property, and easy walk to/from the park - so much so that you can go back to the room to put the leftovers from Melt! into the fridge).

It's expensive, but oh so worth it, and the only way I'll do a multi-day trip to the park.

(on property also gets you the best early entry perks, and you won't have to worry about parking)


https://www.cedarpoint.com/resorts/hotel-breakers?gclid=Cj0KCQjw38-DBhDpARIsADJ3kjm8sOUGuYA1idwd3eqRO3rBLygPDgAmA8HtfwwHJCen7ZJvUar2THUaAh8HEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds

[JJLehto]

Yeah while I always advocate for express as its cheaper, to be fair I've been a ton of times. I hate to say "spend more $" but for the first time, staying on site is an experience

[californiarollercoasters]

7 hours ago, Alex Sutcliff said:

Hmm I didn't factor in labor Day. I haven't booked the internal flights yet so could do the weekend prior if it would make a massive difference. I haven't booked accommodation yet but will checkout the early access options

I would DEF do the weekend prior to avoid the Labor Day crowds. 

But either way, you're in for a treat. It's a magical park.

[JJLehto]

Agreed, cliche and I'd not say it if I didn't mean it but nothing quite like the first trip to the point. There for 3 days, you will certainly enjoy it. I still get a twinge of excitement when I go and a good feel driving up on the peninsula, seeing the coaster skyline, and I've been prob 10 times. After kind of taking it (and parks in general) for granted I'm feeling excited again this year! 

[prozach626]

8 hours ago, bert425 said:

spend the $$ and book at Hotel Breakers

This. This. This. Second best advice I've seen so far. The only better advice was to postpone the trip, but... 

[Alex Sutcliff]

Ok we are staying on park hotel.

Looking at the options we can get ride and refresh which I assume includes park entry and drinks refill. Just comparing that against room only and a platinum season pass also for KD. We might go for the disabled room to save some extra $.

Also interested to know if the express hotel gives free parking at the park.

[ytterbiumanalyst]

Yeah, that's a park tickets plus drink cup deal. If you have a Platinum Pass, you get a bit of a discount on the hotel room, so that's a better deal if you're going to multiple Cedar Fair parks like you're planning to do.

 

And yes, Breakers Express does give free parking at the park. It's offsite, so you don't get that ability to walk back to your room in the middle of the day. If you're planning on staying all day at the park, it can be a good way to save some money. I'd still recommend Breakers onsite if it's possible for you, as it's a far better experience.

[AmyUD06]

Look, I get it...staying at Breakers or Express can be awesome for a trip, especially the first one, but if getting on as much as possible is your priority, the Platinum Pass + All-Season, All-Park Fast Lane is the better option.  You get the same Early Entry perks from the Platinum Pass as you do from staying at Breakers/Express, and you also get the ability to bypass lines all day for all three days.  Even if your wait with the FL+ is 30-45 minutes, that's still a hell of a lot better than the 2-3 hours waits you'll encounter without it.

Now if money is no object, absolutely combine the two (stay at Breakers and go for the PP+FL option), but if my choice is one or the other, I know which one I'd go for.

 

[tndank]

2 hours ago, ytterbiumanalyst said:

And yes, Breakers Express does give free parking at the park. It's offsite, so you don't get that ability to walk back to your room in the middle of the day. If you're planning on staying all day at the park, it can be a good way to save some money. I'd still recommend Breakers onsite if it's possible for you, as it's a far better experience.

That must have been new in 2020.  In 2019 you only got free parking if it was included in your package, which was more than just a room.

 

[bert425]

#1 argument to stay at Hotel Breakers (for me):  PARKING

 

yes, you get free parking at Breakers Express. . but Hotel Breakers is *on property*  
you do not have to move your car, you can get up and walk to the park entrance.   you park your car the day you arrive - in Hotel Breakers lot. . and there. you're parked at Cedar Point (unless you make a trip to the CVS in town to stock up the mini fridge in the room).
 

you do not have to get up early/early/early every day, get in your car, sit in traffic to get across the peninsula roadway, go thru the parking booths, find a spot (in the massive lot), and then walk to the front gate (remembering where you parked for later and dreading staying until close and getting stuck in the mass exodus across the causeway OUT of the park).

 

you also have the benefit of being able to walk to your room, at any point during the day - literally a 5-15 minute walk (depending where in CP you start walking from) if you want to change your shoes, drop off something you bought, get a headache and want to get an aspirin from your luggage,  soak your aching legs in a hot tub for 20 minutes. . etc.

WORTH. EVERY. PENNY. to stay there.  (even if the rooms are basically glorified Holiday Inn.. you're paying for the location, not the quality of the hotel)

[Alex Sutcliff]

@mike24sx yeah I would love to do the all season pass but the combined cost of the two passes would be double the cost of the whole trip which makes it out of reach for us. 

I do plan on doing another CP trip starting from carowinds at some point so I think we will have to make the best of a bad situation knowing it's not the only time we visit.

I have settled on hotel breakers as like people have mentioned, going back to the hotel in the afternoon is appealing. I don't know how much the place thins out in the evening but I assume it's easier to get on stuff at 8-9pm? When do the lines close?

 

 

[coasterbill]

Normally they close 5-10 minutes after the park closes but last year and this year they've announced that lines will close early at random for budget if the lines are long.

[AmyUD06]

38 minutes ago, Alex Sutcliff said:

@mike24sx yeah I would love to do the all season pass but the combined cost of the two passes would be double the cost of the whole trip which makes it out of reach for us. 

I do plan on doing another CP trip starting from carowinds at some point so I think we will have to make the best of a bad situation knowing it's not the only time we visit.

 

Fair enough.  Hopefully for you by that point they'll be selling daily Fast Lane.

[tndank]

Breakers is great and all, location wise.  I get the pros.  But for plenty of people like myself, driving over in the morning and driving back after close is worth the $200/night savings.  Just thought someone should defend the money savings side. 

And last year they gave bracelets at Express.  You were able to drive over before anyone else, walk down the boardwalk and enter next to Magnum.  They also said this wouldn't be possible last year and it was.  Guess we'll see this year.

 

 

[JJLehto]

1 minute ago, tndank said:

Breakers is great and all, location wise.  I get the pros.  But for plenty of people like myself, driving over in the morning and driving back after close is worth the $200/night savings.  Just thought someone should defend the money savings side. 

And last year they gave bracelets at Express.  You were able to drive over before anyone else, walk down the boardwalk and enter next to Magnum.  They also said this wouldn't be possible last year and it was.  Guess we'll see this year.

 

 

Yeah same, esp since express is not far. Like sure its not right there, and you dont get to look out your room and see the park and its pretty and all but its literally just a few minutes away. To each their own I suppose. 3 nights is $600 extra is that worth a few minutes convenience and (admittedly) pretty view? Some yes, me no. But also...I've done the whole stay on site for my first time thing (paid for by the parents btw as I was like 13 lol) so easy for me to say. 

EDIT: Oh I see on site hotel already booked. Well there ya go! Hope it's a great time, this may be funny from me who can sometimes over plan but just try to not go tooooo crazy w it and just enjoy. I do think 3 days is plenty, if FL opens by then great, if not well...we're all in the same boat lol the idea of being at CP without makes me want to pass out but....its our choice to do these things this year, things are still not normal, all we can do is roll with it

[dankeykang]

I believe the obvious solution is to just move to (boring) Ohio, where you can make 4-5 day trips to Sandusky every year without having to worry about airfare, lodging, or really any planning whatsoever 

[prozach626]

It's more than convenience. I'll share some of what's included in our typical days at Breakers. In bold is what you can't, or isn't really worth it when staying off site:

-Wake up and go for an early job around the peninsula/beach

-Grab a Starbucks Coffee and drink it by the beach or in our room overlooking the beach, prior to park opening

-Get cleaned up and lounge/relax for a short period, overlooking the beach

-Go to breakfast somewhere in the resort

-Get to the park an hour early

-Fast lane plus

-Ride everything at our complete leisure

-Go back to our room and eat whatever healthy lunch we packed in a cooler

-Ride leisurely again.

-Possibly take a dip in the pool later afternoon.

-Take a short nap to recharge

-Drink a cold beer in the room from our cooler

    -OR even better: go to the bar and start the evening with a cocktail on the beach patio

-Ride rides and eventually get melt.

    -Take any leftovers back to our room via short walk

-Ride until close

-Walk around the dead very quiet closed park before heading back (don't skip this)

-Grab a drink at the bar (optional)

-Enjoy it in our room, on the beach, in the hot tub, on our balcony, etc.

-Possibly substitute or add ice cream sold at the Breakers Ice Cream shop

 

It's not just convenience. It's an experience. It's not a strain on our budget, so we get the most out of our experience. If you want to save money, that's your prerogative, and there's nothing wrong with that. But, don't pretend there's very little difference between staying at Breakers Express and Breakers. You're not going to sell me. If anyone hasn't stayed at Breakers, they don't really have a basis for argument.

Our several day trips to CP wouldn't be special, without Breakers. For us, it's what separates it from other parks. It's hard to find that kind of package elsewhere. With a couple nights at Breakers and FL+, it takes all of the urgency out of the trip. 

Of note, we choose to stay in rooms overlooking the beach, since we see the park most of the day. It's turns it into somewhat of two different experiences in one.

[bert425]

the Japanese Grill at Hotel Breakers (and the Perkins for Breakfast) are pluses for me too.

I can take or leave the TGI Fridays, tho the patio overlooking the beach/pool at that location is nice.

as you noted, Zach, the bar (indoors and outdoors by the firepits, where they have waitress service) is wonderful.

[teacherkim]

And since you are staying at Breakers add to everything Zach and Bert said the chance to leave the park at close by the front gate (or the gate by Windseeker depending on if your feet have died or not) and walk back to Breakers down the beach boardwalk enjoying the lovely and quiet  end of the beach in the moonlight before you get back to the noisy end by the hotel. If you are doing multiple parks on the trip, the whole experience of the beach and resort will be a nice break and give it a more vacation type feel versus just a mad rush from park to park.

[JJLehto]

That is fair, the ability to take a break and just walk to the hotel is quite nice. That is one downside to not staying on site for Coastermania, I always take a break (I need to) and of course gotta not just walk to the car but lose the sweet spot right near the park. Its true it IS an experience, it's one that I skip on now but having done so in the past it is quite wonderful. 

 

Gah all this makes me excited, can't wait for June 4 to be here!

[Coaster19]

Good evening everyone, 

I don't know if this will be possible, but here is the story:

I got a coaster mania ticket! Was super excited to be able to finally go this year. however, my work has just planned a work conference that weekend that I can't miss. If it is possible to switch the ticket to a different name, would any of you be able to use an extra ticket? Send me a DM and we can talk about it there. I would still need to call the park to see if this is possible.

Thank you.

[anonymouscactus]

Acesso Store Protip: when it asks you to register your tickets to a name after you purchase them and before you print them, just put in generic thing like "person 1" / Voucher 2" etc. I think they still print all the buyer details on the tickets now, but just an added safeguard if you need to give the tickets to someone else in your party later, etc. Not that they ever really check the name, but for things like coaster events sometimes they prepare a packet ahead of time for the purchaser of the group so it might be best to call. I don't know how Coastermania works, it's been awhile.

[coasternut]

^The ticket packet has your name on it. Not sure if this would work. You definitely should call to check.

[Alex Sutcliff]

Thanks for all the help so far in planning my trip tp CP on 2nd September. I have booked Breakers hotel for 4 nights 3 days and feeling good about it. I know about the main headline coasters but I don't know much about the other non coaster stuff that might be worth experiencing. I would like to try Windseeker because I have never been on this ride type before but if there are some other 'must do' attractions then I would be interested to know about them. They will be second to the main coaster line up but I'm not totally going by my coaster count and would happily trade a ride on something like cedar creek mine train for something else if time becomes tight.