Cedar Point (CP) Discussion Thread

[bluestreak]

Sooo... I have not said anything about this whole "STR IS GOING BYE BYE. . ." thing yet. But it's time I break my silence.

 

While I was not the biggest fan of STR. . . I also didn't hate it. We rode it once during our last visit. It wasn't super awesome but it was fun!! However, it was only fun that once. I feel like if we would have rode it again it would have just been boring.

 

Hopefully whatever Cedar Point puts in STR's place will be amazing!! I vote for a 790ft polar coaster. (Obviously it's 790ft so shortly there after Six Flags can build a 800ft polar coaster that is a few feet taller and steal anither world record from Cedar Fair.)

 

I don't honestly think a Polar Coaster will ever go into CP but is that enough land for one?

[ALT2870]

Gotcha, I still have to catch on to the filters here.

 

BTW, does anyone know how the Skyride works in operation? I have always wondered how and it interests me.

 

That's not something that can really be explained in words. It's a pretty broad question. I will say this though, it's definitely the "token" ride to work. Tons and tons of fun. It definitely worked my upper body strength but also my legs and glutes significantly. Fantastic ride!

I actually found a video about it on Youtube

 

Interestingly, a motor runs the cable all around the course and their are guide wheels to support the cable at each support structure. No matter how much weight/vehicles there is on the course, there are counter weights that give the cable the right amount of tension + slack.

 

I just freestyled that based off memory I got from watching the video once, so take it with a grain of salt. However, its interesting to say the least.

 

I do run a Poma Lietner pulse gondola, so I can give you some basics on a how a lift works. Not sure how much would apply to a sky ride though. (Not to mention CP probably has their own procedures, but at least you could go in knowing some.) Let me know via PM.

[CP Maverick]

Sooo... I have not said anything about this whole "STR IS GOING BYE BYE. . ." thing yet. But it's time I break my silence.

 

While I was not the biggest fan of STR. . . I also didn't hate it. We rode it once during our last visit. It wasn't super awesome but it was fun!! However, it was only fun that once. I feel like if we would have rode it again it would have just been boring.

 

Hopefully whatever Cedar Point puts in STR's place will be amazing!! I vote for a 790ft polar coaster. (Obviously it's 790ft so shortly there after Six Flags can build a 800ft polar coaster that is a few feet taller and steal anither world record from Cedar Fair.)

STR didn't operate correctly from day 1. It was supposed to complete the course nearly twice as fast as it ended up being. The boats were weighted poorly. And the slow meander had basically nothing going for it.

 

While Cedar Point doesn't have the elevation changes, the basic flume rides at Hershey and Dorney leave a lot to be expected from a park like CP. Heck, I'd take the flume from Waldameer over Shoot the Rapids. It's just so slow and boring.

[njcoasterguy34]

All this talk about what's going to be put in Shoot the Rapids' location and we're not even sure it's actually going to be removed.

[ImNotOneOfYou]

All this talk about what's going to be put in Shoot the Rapids' location and we're not even sure it's actually going to be removed.

 

I think Shoot the Rapids is closer to leaving than staying, but something in the back of my head thinks this is just a renovation

[coasterbill]

Ahem... less about Shoot the Rapids, more about Sky Ride.

 

Gotcha, I still have to catch on to the filters here.

 

BTW, does anyone know how the Skyride works in operation? I have always wondered how and it interests me.

 

Sky Ride is a Von Roll type 101 and it's the oldest Von Roll type 101 currently operating in America. The others are at the Minnesota State Fair, Tulsa State Fairgrounds, SeaWorld San Diego, Six Flags Over Georgia, San Diego Zoo, Busch Gardens Tampa, California's Great America, Busch Gardens Williamsburg and Six Flags Great Adventure (this is the only American double chairlift but despite this, Cedar Point beats it's ridership numbers handily each year thanks to their incredible efficiency). Basically any good Skyway with a detachable Gondola in the U.S. is a Von Roll Type 101. The ones that require you to load while they're moving are usually Hopkins rides (I believe) or actual lifts from Ski Resorts (Knoebels).

 

The best piece I've found online about Sky Ride operation and how they work is from Great Adventure history and it's worth a read. Cedar Point's ride operates exactly the same way.

 

I've never been a Sky Ride operator (unfortunately) but from what I gather because I'm a huge dork they usually run with either 20, 26 or 38 cabins. They have 40 but one is used as a Halloweekends prop and with 38 cabin operation one is always kept as a spare. They generally run with 38 in the height of summer when they have the most staff, they're not able to do that in the first few weekends of the season or after Labor Day.

 

At peak operation each side has 4 ops, one at catch who's responsible for stopping the cabins as they come in, one at unload who swings the door open and unloads riders, then pushes it to the person at load who loads riders and locks the door and then trip, the person who pushes the cabins to the point where they'll be automatically dispatched onto the cable. At Six Flags park an op generally has to pull a rope but Cedar Point has a mechanism that does this automatically (it holds the car to space them out if it's before the dispatch time and if it's after it it just lets it go right out onto the cable but they're really efficient so this is rare). Sky Ride ops are so efficient that usually when viewing the ride from the Gatekeeper midway you'll see every single car passing eachother at the same time which means they're always hitting their target dispatch with every single cabin. I believe at peak operation the cabins need to be sent out between 9 and 10 seconds.

 

Sky Ride is a timeless attraction. It does more riders each season than every non-coaster ride in the park besides the train and it generally does more riders than many of the coasters including Wicked Twister, Top Thrill Dragster, Iron Dragon and Maverick. It also seems to be the most physically demanding to work so you'll get a good workout.

 

Okay, so now that I've lost all of my cool points and exposed my Sky Ride nerdiness, congrats on your new job and have a great summer (you'll be seeing us a ton lol).

[Mossed]

Suddenly, with the potential removal of STR and the challenge park, there's a lot of room to work with!

[John Peck]

Has Cedar Point ever removed a ride without saying anything in the past? It seems odd to me that they wouldn't say anything about it.

 

I don't think there was ever a formal announcement prior to the removal for the Turnpike cars or Sir Rub a Dub Tubs. Obviously, Wildcat, either. Not sure about Chaos. They also replaced two kiddie Kingdom rides with two from the junior Gemini area, and got rid of the kiddie bumper boats.

 

In the last decade or so....

 

There was one i think for Ocean Motion, but they decided to keep it, which I'm glad about. Demon Drop had an announcement (2008 or 2009) and so did Schwabinchen (2002).

[thrillrider]

I can't remember if they announced paddlewheel excursions leaving or not, but other rides that were removed without announcement were....

 

1. The second set of dodgem cars (now at Michigan's adventure )

2. Swan boats

3. Frontier carausel.

4. Pirat ride

[Coasterguy21]

I can't remember if they announced paddlewheel excursions leaving or not, but other rides that were removed without announcement were....

 

1. The second set of dodgem cars (now at Michigan's adventure )

2. Swan boats (Also now at Michigan's Adventure

3. Frontier carausel.

4. Pirat ride

 

^Swan Boats..also now at Michigan's Adventure.

 

Paddlewheel Excursion removal was announced shortly after Dinosaurs Alive was announced. Most major scale rides I'd expect an announcement with. Something fishy is going on with this one.

[WolfBobs]

Most likely the plan was to formally announce at WCO and they are still going with that regardless of any newspaper leak.

[TB305]

QUICK QUESTION! First time going to CP will be this summer, and I have a question about CP resorts and crowds.

 

Would it be better to go the June 20-21 (Monday & Tuesday), or would crowds be lighter in late August, say August 22-23, also on a Monday & Tuesday? Basically, late-ish June, or late-ish August?

 

Also, can someone tell me how their stay at Breakers Express was?

[Password121]

If you're budget-conscious and don't plan to take breaks midday at the hotel and want early entry (which you totally should) Breakers Express is the way to go. It's nothing special at all but it has everything you need (like a clean room). It's more expensive than other lower end hotels nearby but the location and early entry make it worth it if you don't have a platinum pass.

 

I can't speak for the crowds but I imagine neither will be dead but probably won't be mid-July type crowds.

Edited February 13, 2016 by Password121

[VF15]

Also, can someone tell me how their stay at Breakers Express was?

Breakers Express is a pretty basic hotel, nothing too special about it, but it worked for me and it's probably a lot better than most of the other cheap motels near the park. I'd recommend it since it's cheaper than the other Cedar Point hotels, but you'll still get the same benefits.

[DoinItForTheFame]

Would it be better to go the June 20-21 (Monday & Tuesday), or would crowds be lighter in late August, say August 22-23, also on a Monday & Tuesday? Basically, late-ish June, or late-ish August?

 

I'd go with late-ish August. At that point most schools will be back in session, so less vacations to Cedar Point at that time, and less locals making Monday/Tuesday day trips to the park, so overall the park should be less busy.

[blakelemay23]

Would it be better to go the June 20-21 (Monday & Tuesday), or would crowds be lighter in late August, say August 22-23, also on a Monday & Tuesday? Basically, late-ish June, or late-ish August?

 

I'd go with late-ish August. At that point most schools will be back in session, so less vacations to Cedar Point at that time, and less locals making Monday/Tuesday day trips to the park, so overall the park should be less busy.

Not only that, but less may flies, better weather, and i think less wind? Not sure about that one but if im right than that means rides wont close as much due to wind.

[bluestreak]

It's always windy there. Doesn't matter what time of year.

[Cj1990]

Would it be better to go the June 20-21 (Monday & Tuesday), or would crowds be lighter in late August, say August 22-23, also on a Monday & Tuesday? Basically, late-ish June, or late-ish August?

 

I'd go with late-ish August. At that point most schools will be back in session, so less vacations to Cedar Point at that time, and less locals making Monday/Tuesday day trips to the park, so overall the park should be less busy.

 

 

I would definitely agree. It's worth waiting the extra time to go to avoid the crowds. Most of the surrounding schools will be back in. If it is your first trip, and you are able to, even staying at Breakers, I am a huge fan of the Fast Lane Plus. I buy it almost every time I go. You can just cruise around all day and jump on any of the rides you want to hit. It just makes the experience that much better in my opinion. Then you can also get a bunch of repeat rides in on some of the more popular rides without any worry.

[TB305]

Follow up question! June seems more likely, as my brother wants to be in on the trip, and going in late August wouldn't allow for that.

 

So the questions is this: Would getting Fast Lane Plus on the dates in June (20 or 21, Monday or Tuesday) be the same as, worse than, or better than going without FL+ in late August?

 

Also, thank you guys for the numerous responses, and thank you in advance for the answers to this question!

[djcoastermark]

We went last year in late august for 4 days and stayed at the Breakers. It was the last week of full operations and full hours. Schools are in session and the park stays open until at least 10 pm. Our first day was a tuesday and the park much to our surprise was totally dead. No lines at all. In fact, the whole week was very uncrowded, so there was no need for fast pass whatsoever. (even though we budgeted for it) Many times later in the day the trains on Gemini, Magnum ,etc only had 2 to 4 other people on each train. With the money we saved on not having to buy the fast pass, we got to have a bonus day at Waldemeer, and an extra night in a nice hotel which we had not planned on. Just dont go on saturdays, it'll be awful.

[WolfBobs]

So the questions is this: Would getting Fast Lane Plus on the dates in June (20 or 21, Monday or Tuesday) be the same as, worse than, or better than going without FL+ in late August?

 

If you're going on a Monday and Tuesday in June I would hold off on a FL+ purchase until at the park and seeing crowd levels. Personally, I feel that FL+ is a waste of money except on Saturdays during Haunt. But I do avoid the park on Saturdays during July and August. The park is generally light during the week in June, most rides, except TTD and Maverick having less then 20 min waits, and rides like Raptor, Rougarou, Gatekeeper, MS, Magnum and a few others are almost always a walk on.

[appel]

Has anyone experienced that they sell out online weeks in advance?

 

We might preorder the passes for the 3rd or 2nd of July a few days before to check the weather, but now we are a little bit concerned about the availability...

 

 

 

Quote from themeparkinsider.com on June, 26th, 2015:

" .... Anyhow, I didn't understand the difference between FL and FL plus (which is already SOLD OUT online for every weekend in July) but now it's starting to make sense......"

http://www.themeparkinsider.com/discussion/thread.cfm?page=562

[BeansproutMidget]

We went to Cedar Point June 22, a Monday, last year. The Fast Passes weren't sold out for us; in fact, we saw people buying them in the park throughout the morning. Ahead of time, we would check to see if our date was sold out (we were still debating on getting Fast Passes, which we never got). Only two days (weekends at the beginning of the month) were actually sold out. The weekdays were fine.

 

Course, that was one year ago.

[Nitro1118]

So, I am currently doing preliminary planning for my first trip to the Point in 13 years (when TTD was brand new). I plan on staying at Breakers Express, to get the benefits of staying on property while saving some money. I will also be leaving money aside for at least one day of FP and one day of FP+, as my only trip to CP was brutally crowded and was at a time where FP was not available. I want multiple rides on all the top 10 rides in the park, with at least 3-5 rides on the top 5 coasters in 2.5 days.

 

Currently, I am looking at one of the final weeks of May or the 2nd week of June, which will be the first week where the park stays open until 10pm. I will be arriving in the evening on Monday, and leaving Thursday morning. Now, the upside of the May visit would be less crowds, whereas the upside of the June visit would be 6 extra hours plus opportunity for night rides on MF. As of right now, I'm leaning towards the June visit as FP + early entry should give me enough chances to get on as many rides as I want.

 

Anyway, would like to hear some opinions to the following questions:

 

1) Would you pick May or June to visit the park?

 

2) Are there any eateries of remotely decent value at the park? And if we do decide to go off property to eat lunch/dinner, is the parking pass good all-day or would we have to pay for re-entry?

 

3) Should I purchase the flash passes ahead of time, or risk buying them on the spot? I am leaning towards waiting until I go since I will be going early in the season on weekdays, so I feel I should have no issue?

 

4) Do the flash pass lines merge in the station or in the queue? And what are the flash pass line lengths vs. The regular lines on a moderately busy day?

 

5) Are there any must-see shows at the park?

[VF15]

So, I am currently doing preliminary planning for my first trip to the Point in 13 years (when TTD was brand new). I plan on staying at Breakers Express, to get the benefits of staying on property while saving some money. I will also be leaving money aside for at least one day of FP and one day of FP+, as my only trip to CP was brutally crowded and was at a time where FP was not available. I want multiple rides on all the top 10 rides in the park, with at least 3-5 rides on the top 5 coasters in 2.5 days.

 

Currently, I am looking at one of the final weeks of May or the 2nd week of June, which will be the first week where the park stays open until 10pm. I will be arriving in the evening on Monday, and leaving Thursday morning. Now, the upside of the May visit would be less crowds, whereas the upside of the June visit would be 6 extra hours plus opportunity for night rides on MF. As of right now, I'm leaning towards the June visit as FP + early entry should give me enough chances to get on as many rides as I want.

 

Anyway, would like to hear some opinions to the following questions:

 

1) Would you pick May or June to visit the park?

 

2) Are there any eateries of remotely decent value at the park? And if we do decide to go off property to eat lunch/dinner, is the parking pass good all-day or would we have to pay for re-entry?

 

3) Should I purchase the flash passes ahead of time, or risk buying them on the spot? I am leaning towards waiting until I go since I will be going early in the season on weekdays, so I feel I should have no issue?

 

4) Do the flash pass lines merge in the station or in the queue? And what are the flash pass line lengths vs. The regular lines on a moderately busy day?

 

5) Are there any must-see shows at the park?

I was at the park during the second week of June last year. Most of the A-list coasters (Millennium, Maverick, Dragster, and a few others) usually had a 30 to 60-minute wait, while most of the other coasters/rides were normally station waits (no longer than 15 minutes).

 

You should be okay if you wait until you get to the park to buy Fast Lane/Fast Lane Plus since I bought mine 30 minutes after park opening with no problem.

 

The Fast Lane merge point depends on the ride. Some rides merge with the regular line before the station and you'll still have to wait 10-15 minutes (includes Millennium, Dragster, Gatekeeper, Wicked Twister, Rougarou), while some merge directly at the station (Raptor, Maverick, Mean Streak).