Cedar Point (CP) Discussion Thread

[Nrthwnd]

Question to coasterbill, and others who've been there:

 

He didn't ask or mention it on the previous page, but I'm curious, as to

what are some/few really good food spots in the park, you'd recommend?

 

For Future Touring: 2017, thanks.

Edited May 19, 2016 by Nrthwnd

[anonymouscactus]

When I did early entry on Saturday they had the marina gate closed.

 

Seriously? That must be brand new. Okay, then enter either the main gate or the resort gate to be safe. I'd enter the main gate personally.

I forgot to chime in before, they weren't allowing people to use the Marina gate for early entry on Preview Sunday either. There was a guard stopping people that were not actually coming from the Marina. Those that did get through to the gate didn't get through until after the front gaters got to the ride anyways, and they seemed pissed. FYI! Not sure how things have been since, though.

[bluestreak]

Question to coasterbill, and others who've been there:

 

He didn't ask or mention it on the previous page, but I'm curious, as to

what are some/few really good food spots in the park, you'd recommend?

 

For Future Touring: 2017, thanks.

 

The famous Cedar Point fresh cut french fries are pretty good and the chicken at the all-new Frontier Inn next to Maverick's exit is pretty damn good as well.

[Nrthwnd]

^ Great, thanks! It was also suggested, that Famous Daves is a good BBQ place,

located by the Marina Entry. So I've already listed that one.

[coasterbill]

I never bother with table service restaurants at parks but if you're there multiple days then I strongly recommend Famous Dave's. Go out the resort gate and it's a 2 minute walk right in the Marina. You can sit outside right on the water and watch the boats and the coasters go by and enjoy a few drinks and some pretty good BBQ. I can't recommend it enough. The food is good but more importantly it's a great place to sit (again... sit outside).

 

In the park the food offerings are pretty mediocre. Someone will be here soon to tell you to go to Midway Market. In advance of that I think it's important to let you know that Midway Market sucks and that person deserves to be smacked. If you have to eat in the park just go to a chain like Panda Express because anything Cedar Point makes is terrible.

 

Edit: Beat me to it.

[Nrthwnd]

^ Just looked at Dave's menu

 

Feast For One!

[Fidelity]

The gate across from the marina was open on Monday morning. I am not sure why it may not have been open other days, but it was a life saver as it turned what would have been a 2+ hour wait (with 35 minutes to finish testing and empty the water dummies) into a 40 minute wait. Valravn is a diggable ride, but, if you are like me, invest in Fast Lane Plus or go on a drizzly Tuesday later in the month. If you don't mind the wait, they did well. Unfortunately, while I was there it didn't siphon off Maverick riders as lines were consistently over an hour because of those meddling Physics kids.

 

I had never been to Cedar Point, but is Gatekeeper always a walk on? In four days, I only saw it once get well beyond the right side/left side fork in the queue.

[DoinItForTheFame]

. . . You can sit outside right on the water and watch the boats. . .

 

THE boat?!?!?

 

...I had never been to Cedar Point, but is Gatekeeper always a walk on? In four days, I only saw it once get well beyond the right side/left side fork in the queue.

 

Last time we were at the park Gatekeepers wait was around 2 hours, so yes it does get pretty long!!

[bluestreak]

The gate across from the marina was open on Monday morning. I am not sure why it may not have been open other days, but it was a life saver as it turned what would have been a 2+ hour wait (with 35 minutes to finish testing and empty the water dummies) into a 40 minute wait. Valravn is a diggable ride, but, if you are like me, invest in Fast Lane Plus or go on a drizzly Tuesday later in the month. If you don't mind the wait, they did well. Unfortunately, while I was there it didn't siphon off Maverick riders as lines were consistently over an hour because of those meddling Physics kids.

 

I had never been to Cedar Point, but is Gatekeeper always a walk on? In four days, I only saw it once get well beyond the right side/left side fork in the queue.

 

I never see it over 40 minutes and that's on those days in July/August when the park is just constantly packed.

[mmkaycomputer]

Hi, CP regulars. Forgive me for the umpteenth "I'm a newbie, but you're not, can I come on DATE and ride everything???" inquiry, but for those of you not totally sick of them...

 

We are thinking kicking off our Midwestern park hop at Cedar Point two days after the Fourth of July (Wednesday the 6th), which I have read is one of the park's busiest days of the season. Are the days immediately following the Fourth famously busy, too, or just standard for July/summer? We are likely going to buy a Fast Lane+ to ensure we get to ride all the coasters at least once, and are even considering a hotel room on site to nab that extra morning hour (depending on how high rates are for that week). If not, we may wait until the last week of July.

 

Thanks in advance.

[Invertalon]

The thing with CP is it's impossible to predict crowds, honestly. Last year, we went probably 20 times before August and never really encountered a really busy day. Rode more last year than the past few years by far, it was great. For reference I typically don’t wait more than about 15mins for anything there (spoiled!).

 

Come late July / Early August it finally really picked up. But almost any visit in May/June and most of July was really nice crowd wise. A mix of weekdays, weekends, etc… I have encountered busier days during the week vs. weekends, so there is no real “trend” in my experience. Weather of course is a huge part of it as well.

 

July 4th is really, really bad though. I won’t go the park anymore those days (the firework nights). If you are there on the 6th, you should be fine though. Especially if you have FL+, you won’t really have anything to worry about. Even on normal days I could easily ride all the big rides in a day no problem. With FL+ you can hit up all the rides multiple times if you are there all day, no question.

 

Some tips for those without FL… Hit Maverick first thing during early entry followed by MF and then get over to Dragster to get in line prior to opening. That is an easy trio to hit in that first hour. Following Dragster, make your way over to Magnum -> Gemini -> Mean Streak. Those should all be near walk-on in the morning. So within the first two hours you should hit 6 of the coasters already. If everything is running on time and no unexpected breakdowns, of course.

 

Later in the evening is when you want to hit up the front of the park… Raptor, Gatekeeper, Blue Streak, Wicked Twister, Rougarou, etc… In the last 2-3 hours of the night have very short waits, even on busy nights at the park. The bus groups leave around 7ish and stuff, so the park clears out a bit which helps.

 

CP is very doable without FL, as long as you understand the “flow” of the crowds. But as far as all the crowd predictions, good luck with that… It is completely random in my experience at the park. Days you would expect to be busy are not, and the days you expect to be less busy can be jam packed. It’s worthless to predict anything outside of July 4th (insane) and Saturday’s during Halloweekends in October (insane).

[Cavs Fan]

I hit the park yesterday from 9:15-1:30.

 

Crowds were not bad at all during the day. The physics week crowd picked up just a little bit before we left (Noon).

 

Valravn (25 min), Millennium x2 (5 min), Pipe Scream (0 min), Lake Erie Eagles (0 min), Monster (0 min), Magnum (0 min), Wicked Twister (0 min), Gatekeeper (15 min).

 

I also hit up Sweet Spot for some fudge and a caramel apple. You can get a discount at a lot of places with a Platinum Pass, so always be sure to check. We played mini-golf at noon as well. Only course is open...still. However, 5 bucks using the BOGO for mini golf is almost always a must on the crowded day at CP. I'll be bummed if that gets removed...and I don't think the future is looking too bright. Right before we left I bought some merchandise at the main store. They have a full wall of new merchandise that is really nice. I ended up buying two awesome shirts. Simple, retro style with "Cedar Point" across the chest. The short sleeve I bought also has Ohio on it. Very nice looking shirts.

 

I'm still up in the air if I want to get Funpix. I love photos so I think I will do it. The On-ride photo TVs now are pretty brutal given that not all the photos show up and the Funpix watermark covers everybody's face. If anybody has Funpix, I'd like to know what you think of it.

 

Finally, this thing.

[CoasterLine]

^ In terms of FunPix, I definitely think it's worth it. In the past 15 years, I have maybe purchased a photo three times? In my first visit with FunPix, I got 9 on-ride photos. Already paid itself off. And you get to have some fun with the cameras knowing that you get the photo to keep afterwards. Once you get it linked up with your Platinum Pass, it's a breeze.

Example: Stonewalling MF

[aLFREd_25]

Some tips for those without FL… Hit Maverick first thing during early entry followed by MF and then get over to Dragster to get in line prior to opening. That is an easy trio to hit in that first hour. Following Dragster, make your way over to Magnum -> Gemini -> Mean Streak. Those should all be near walk-on in the morning. So within the first two hours you should hit 6 of the coasters already. If everything is running on time and no unexpected breakdowns, of course.

 

Later in the evening is when you want to hit up the front of the park… Raptor, Gatekeeper, Blue Streak, Wicked Twister, Rougarou, etc… In the last 2-3 hours of the night have very short waits, even on busy nights at the park. The bus groups leave around 7ish and stuff, so the park clears out a bit which helps.

 

I appreciate this tidbit of information. My wife and I will be at Cedar Point on the last day of July and first day in August. I figured two days should be good, so any tips are much appreciated! Thanks, again! Looking forward to my first time at The Point!

[4tide1]

Looking at the web cam right now looks like Mean Streak is running or at least testing again. I think I can make out train movement.

[coasterbill]

Looking at the web cam right now looks like Mean Streak is running or at least testing again. I think I can make out train movement.

 

Yup, it's been testing for days. Should be open soon. Get excited people. get excited...

[coasterbill]

And sorry for the double post but I'm hearing from multiple sources (and the fact that it's constantly running on webcam supports this) that Mean Streak is open for another fun filled season!

 

[coneyislandchris]

And sorry for the double post but I'm hearing from multiple sources (and the fact that it's constantly running on webcam supports this) that Mean Streak is open for another fun filled season!

 

awwww maaaaaaan. Only hating because I missed it by three days.

[Lareson]

Finally, this thing.

 

That would be a water tower. The township I live in built one a few years ago very similar to the one CP is getting. They build the top part on the ground, then raise it up to its final position at the top. I was very confused on it as well when ours was getting built.

 

Here's the final product (pending giant Cedar Point logo plastered on theirs.)

[boldikus]

And sorry for the double post but I'm hearing from multiple sources (and the fact that it's constantly running on webcam supports this) that Mean Streak is open for another fun filled season!

 

awwww maaaaaaan. Only hating because I missed it by three days.

 

You didn't miss a thing. Billy's on that good good sh!t when it comes to his beloved Mean Streak

[PhantomNick]

And sorry for the double post but I'm hearing from multiple sources (and the fact that it's constantly running on webcam supports this) that Mean Streak is open for another fun filled season!

 

 

Sweet!! And I'll enjoy another season of not riding that boring piece of rough garbage!!

 

Not to take away from your fun though, Bill! I'm sure you'll still have a blast riding up front as you lean forward, touch your knees together, close your left eye, flare your nostrils, stick your tongue out of the left side of your mouth, and flap your arms like a chicken! I hear that beast gives rides like it's '91 when you do those simple things!

 

(I kid cause I appreciate your always entertaining posts!)

[cedarpointguru]

Finally, this thing.

 

That would be a water tower. The township I live in built one a few years ago very similar to the one CP is getting. They build the top part on the ground, then raise it up to its final position at the top. I was very confused on it as well when ours was getting built.

 

Here's the final product (pending giant Cedar Point logo plastered on theirs.)

 

That's unfortunate, I thought we were getting something pretty cool, like this:

[boldikus]

I'm sure you'll still have a blast riding up front as you lean forward, touch your knees together, close your left eye, flare your nostrils, stick your tongue out of the left side of your mouth, and flap your arms like a chicken! I hear that beast gives rides like it's '91 when you do those simple things!

[coasterbill]

Don't worry I'll have a great time. Riding is more fun than hating.

 

In all seriousness I still think the complaints about Mean Streak are completely overblown simply because of the park that it's located in and the amount of room it takes up. It's standing in the way of enthusiast's RMC wet dream, I get that... but it's not nearly as bad as everyone says it is. It's a rough wood coaster unless you ride it in a really stupid way, and if you do that it still offers you no airtime or notable forces to speak of. I get that, but people love to proclaim that it's one of the worst wood coasters in the world and that's ridiculous. There are dozens of wood coasters I can think of that are far worse, many of them where regardless of how you ride it they still beat the hell out of you. I enjoy Mean Streak just because it's fun riding through it. Even people that hate it know it's one of the most visually appealing coasters in America and it's location by the lake makes it even better so I enjoy riding it, especially because if you don't have Fastlane it's a welcome break from long lines.

Edited May 19, 2016 by coasterbill

[PhantomNick]

Indeed it is, and I agree 100%! I just spend my time throwing my hands up and riding the coasters there that are actually......what's the right word?......

 

Oh yeah - GOOD.

 

I can get an extra lap on Maverick or Millennium instead of wasting time walking over and barely waiting for that thing. Heck, I'll just take the extra lap on Maverick and kill two birds with one stone, since the best part of Mean Streak is how it looks......from afar!