Cedar Point (CP) Discussion Thread

[Peeps28]

Thats just crazy. Trip is already costing around 500 for the 2 days and thats without gas and food. We both work decent jobs but an extra 300 to get on rides sooner. No way.

[JonnyRCT3]

$139 could get you multiple, arguably better, local haunted houses. And that's with food & travel costs.

[VF15]

The park website says the $99/$139 FL/FLP is only for Saturdays, but I agree, even if the park is insanely crowded, those prices are a bit excessive.

[FeelTheFORCE]

They charge that much because people are willing to pay it. If you don't like it, then don't pay it and wait in line with everyone else.

[JonnyRCT3]

Or just visit on a Sunday. Problem solved.

[Peeps28]

Had some good conversations and made some new friends waiting in long lines in the past. Ill stick with that.

[CoasterGypsy]

While I am NOT a fan of the overpriced nature of some of these fast pass systems, I would have to say that I hate long lines even more. Granted, I tend to try and use all the enthusiast gimmicks to my advantage by- using a mindful ride order strategy and picking days to attend that are usually less busy (small chances of rain in the forecast is also a huge crowd deterrent). Sometimes though, it gets exhausting and your trip can turn into a big rat race. That's where fast lane is a blessing. You can enjoy the day of riding at your leisure and not have to stress over everything else.

 

With all that said. I refuse to wait in long lines. Plain and simple, nothing over 45 min. Just not going to happen. If I show up to a park and the place is packed, I happily dish out the extra cash and move on with my day. The choice is simple really, either wait in line, or pay to not wait in line. Less waiting = more riding

[Peeps28]

Its a good idea if you have the money to dish out. But for a family its really rough.

[coasterbill]

Even with Fastlane you wait quite a bit for certain rides at Cedar Point due to the high demand (cough Maverick). It's worth it because the alternative is much worse but I think this price increase is probably necessary to keep wait times manageable for the people that buy it and prevent Maverick's Fastlane line from pushing an hour which would be extremely likely on October Saturdays.

[thrillrider]

Its a good idea if you have the money to dish out. But for a family its really rough.

 

This!

 

They are really starting to alienate families. Not only by removing several family attractions, but by making the park going experience too expensive.

 

I have a family of 5. So this would have cost us an additional $700 on top of the admission price.

 

To put it in prospective, we could have spent the day at Disney world(a park with free fast pass), paid for a hotel, and still walk away with more money in our pocket than a day at cedarpoint.

 

And they also have a separate fast lane pass for the haunted attractions as well that costs an additional $60 if you want. This is one I really don't understand. With the exception of corn stalkers, we were able to do all the haunted houses with a full or near full q line with a half hour wait at each. The only thing stopping the line for being less than 30 min was the fast lane groups.

 

I am not ripping the fast lane system in general, just the outrageous price they are asking.

[FeelTheFORCE]

I'm sorry, but I find it hard to believe a family of five from Michigan would pay more for a trip to Cedar Point than to Disney World. Just going on their site, 4-day hopper tickets alone for a family of five is roughly $2000.

 

Also, am I missing something? Didn't Cedar Point just add two new family rides in 2014, and revamp an entire kids area? So they removed one of the three car rides that they have...just go ride one of the other two.

Edited September 29, 2015 by FeelTheFORCE

[coasterbill]

Not only by removing several family attractions

 

Out of curiosity what family rides? They removed one of their 3 car rides which still leaves them with one more car ride than 95% of major parks, a redundant observation tower and Paddle wheel excursions. In that same time they added Lake Erie Eagles, Pipe Scream and Dinosaurs Alive so in my mind it's kind of a wash. Even if you don't count Dinosaurs Alive it still doesn't seem like a huge deal.

[DirkFunk]

Cedar Point during Halloweekends is a zoo on Saturdays. I believe Columbus Day Saturday two years ago is the known all time attendance record over 65K and cars filling the grass space on the causeway. Honestly, if that's the price point at which people break before buying a Fastpass, I'm fine with that. Otherwise, they'll sell a billion of them and it'll mean nothing.

 

I would never personally pay that; why? I've been to the park a million times. Like someone else said, that same amount of money can go to local haunts and I can go buck wild with it. If I want to still go to Cedar Point, get there for early entry, crush the usual rides in that hour, then bust out the secondary attractions that will tend to not have queues before splitting early and doing something more practical with your time.

[Coaster Hero]

I'd say just wait it out, unless the lines get ridiculous. Depending on the coaster if it's 2+ hours I skip it, and if all the coasters have lines that long I just give up and pay the extra cash for the FL (I've only had to do this once by the way)

[Koasterking48]

My group dropped around $115-120 each for FL+ on a Saturday in July. Yes, it is a lot but it was honestly worth it after seeing 2.5+ hour lines. The problem with Fast Lane is that they are not very limited. I can't even think of the last time I've seen or read about Fast Lane ever selling out. Anyways, Maverick and TTD were still gaining 45-1 hour waits with FL+. The easy solution to this problem is by making the passes more limited/exclusive. However that's telling a business to make less money, which is not going to happen. So the next best (term used lightly here) is to make a price hike.

 

Is $140 too much for Fast Lane only? Probably. But as long as there's people willing to pay it, it'll stay that high. I do miss when Fast Lane was under one tier and was around $60-70 at most.

[Peeps28]

Im basically worried about Friday nights crowd. Last i remember it wasn't to bad on halloweekends. I know Saturday will be tough. Just want to get my daughter on dragster, milennium and maverick that night.

[DirkFunk]

Anyways, Maverick and TTD were still gaining 45-1 hour waits with FL+.

 

Yup. I would rather they charge $150-200 for the bands and you're guaranteed no lines than pay $70-100 and just see half the wait (maybe).

[CP Maverick]

Im basically worried about Friday nights crowd. Last i remember it wasn't to bad on halloweekends. I know Saturday will be tough. Just want to get my daughter on dragster, milennium and maverick that night.

Friday night isn't too terrible for rides, especially after the haunts open. Plus this is the start of Homecoming season, so quite a few teens will be busy with that.

[phillies2]

I do miss when Fast Lane was under one tier and was around $60-70 at most.

I miss when they didn't sell fast Lanes. I felt like everyone was in the same boat, rich and poor, everyone waited the same amount of time. I admired that about CP. Now am I a hypocrite for buying fast lane on the 2nd day of a trip when i only had 4 hrs in park before a drive back to NJ, yes, but it was worth it

[Password121]

I do miss when Fast Lane was under one tier and was around $60-70 at most.

I miss when they didn't sell fast Lanes... but it was worth it

Well... Okay. That's exactly the point of the entire system, so obviously you don't miss when they didn't sell them or you wouldn't have used the system.

 

In my opinion there' a time and place when Fast Lane/Flash Pass is a lifesaver and is a fantastic optional tool the park provides. When parks are used as family vacations or a destination for a trip, it's a great option.

 

What people fail to understand is that Fast Lane isn't meant to separate or discriminate against the poor. It's meant to make sure people can have the best day of their summer and make a memorable, enjoyable day out of something that otherwise might not be. These are the parameters I use to determine when to shell out the cash for a virtual queuing system, and as it should be, it's very infrequent.

[dippindotsguy8]

I miss when they didn't sell fast Lanes. I felt like everyone was in the same boat, rich and poor, everyone waited the same amount of time. I admired that about CP.

 

Except the people who are too poor to go to CP at all.

[blk_mamba]

For me with fast pass at Cedar Points it is either pay for two days or get the fast pass b/c the lines are always intense.

[Peeps28]

^^ There ya go. Thats has always been our plan every year we've went here. Driving the 9 hours and getting there Friday around 5. Riding the top 3 coasters that night and hoping for the best on Saturday. But have not been there since fast lane started.

[coasterbill]

[Diamondbacker27]

What happened to $45 Fastlane passes..?