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Since you only have one day it might be a good idea, but if you're going to do it don't buy Fastlane, buy Fastlane Plus. It includes Valravn, Maverick, Dragster and Gatekeeper and isn't that much more expensive (since either way you're dropping a huge chunk of cash). Don't buy it until you get to the park. If you're okay with missing some credits (like Mine Ride or Corkscrew or something) then you can get by without Fastlane and hit all of the major rides.

 

Honestly though, it may not be 100% necessary. Just start at the back of the park and work your way forward. Don't ride Gatekeeper, Valravn or Raptor early in the day. The lines die way down later on.

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So I'm heading to CP for the first time ever May 14 (Sunday) or 15 (Monday). I'm in South Carolina so not too far away and have always wanted to go, just never made it. So, couple of questions...

 

So I cant comment on how crowds will be because they seem unpredictable in may. But if this is your first trip to Cedar Point ever and you want to get a ton of rides in, FL+ is the way to go. As for hotels, I always stay at Breakers Express because it allows you to get in the park an hour early, which is worth it in my book. These things add up... but it's Cedar Point and I find myself shouting TREAT YO'SELF when I go.

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I say go Sunday, and as others have said, skip FL+ until you get to the park. Not only that, but with the money you saved by skipping FL+, you may feel inclined to do a full or half day visit on Monday. The first time my wife and I went to the park we only planned on a two day visit, but we had such a good time we stayed an extra day.

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No brainer here, but don't just buy the FL+ passes instantly. Walk around and get a feel for the crowds and lines before making that decision. Also keep in mind that on some rides (MF), Fast Lane only gets you part way through. You still have to wait about 20 mins from where the FL end is. (Which is almost always with MF)

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Since you only have one day it might be a good idea, but if you're going to do it don't buy Fastlane, buy Fastlane Plus. It includes Valravn, Maverick, Dragster and Gatekeeper and isn't that much more expensive (since either way you're dropping a huge chunk of cash). Don't buy it until you get to the park. If you're okay with missing some credits (like Mine Ride or Corkscrew or something) then you can get by without Fastlane and hit all of the major rides.

 

Honestly though, it may not be 100% necessary. Just start at the back of the park and work your way forward. Don't ride Gatekeeper, Valravn or Raptor early in the day. The lines die way down later on.

Something I didn't consider until now that is actually way cheaper than 1-day with FL+ is getting the two day any day ticket ($69.99 pre-season) and spreading it out over both that Sunday and Monday. $70 is still dirt cheap for 2 days and would give me more time to enjoy things, account for weather issues, hit things up that may have longer lines, etc. Think that is actually what I may end up doing.

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So I'm heading to CP for the first time ever May 14 (Sunday) or 15 (Monday). I'm in South Carolina so not too far away and have always wanted to go, just never made it. So, couple of questions...

 

So I cant comment on how crowds will be because they seem unpredictable in may. But if this is your first trip to Cedar Point ever and you want to get a ton of rides in, FL+ is the way to go. As for hotels, I always stay at Breakers Express because it allows you to get in the park an hour early, which is worth it in my book. These things add up... but it's Cedar Point and I find myself shouting TREAT YO'SELF when I go.

 

I would agree with staying at Breakers Express for early entry. It's a little more than some other hotels in the immediate area, but assuming Maverick is running during early entry (this can sometimes be a wildcard if it actually opens early, especially in May), you can go in the marina gate, book it to MF and ride once or twice (if the line is still short enough they'll let you skip walking all the way out and around and go right back to the ramp into the station), take a few laps on Maverick, and get to Dragster near opening for a couple rides. By 11:00 you already have multiple rides on each of three Intamins, including the two that can get longer lines. This pattern has worked out extremely well for me the last couple of years. I did go on a number of weekdays in early June and late August, but I would assume that doing the same or something similar would work out well for you. At that point, there's a good chance you won't feel like you need FL+ unless you care about every single credit plus a bunch of flat rides. Speaking of flat rides, Maxair and Sky Hawk are fantastic and definitely worth a ride. I've never been interested in any of the other flats at CP.

 

Like coasterbill said, save Raptor, GateKeeper, and Valravn until later in the day. Hour waits in the morning turn to 15 minute waits in the afternoon for those rides. I assume this will be true for Valravn again this year, but maybe not since it's no longer brand new. As with most parks, do the back half of the park first and work your way to the front. Also, I believe Iron Dragon is only doing VR after 6:00 so if you want to ride it and don't care about VR, hit this one up before then. And obviously later if you care about VR.

 

Above all, just enjoy the rides and have a great time. Which isn't all that hard to do at CP if you ask me.

 

 

One other thing, I love Chickie's & Pete's crabfries. And living in Utah, I don't have them anywhere close to me so I make sure to get them when I visit. Unfortunately Melt won't be open by the time you go so you won't be able to try that. It looks delicious.

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I would agree with staying at Breakers Express for early entry. It's a little more than some other hotels in the immediate area, but assuming Maverick is running during early entry (this can sometimes be a wildcard if it actually opens early, especially in May), you can go in the marina gate, book it to MF and ride once or twice (if the line is still short enough they'll let you skip walking all the way out and around and go right back to the ramp into the station), take a few laps on Maverick, and get to Dragster near opening for a couple rides. By 11:00 you already have multiple rides on each of three Intamins, including the two that can get longer lines. This pattern has worked out extremely well for me the last couple of years. I did go on a number of weekdays in early June and late August, but I would assume that doing the same or something similar would work out well for you. At that point, there's a good chance you won't feel like you need FL+ unless you care about every single credit plus a bunch of flat rides. Speaking of flat rides, Maxair and Sky Hawk are fantastic and definitely worth a ride. I've never been interested in any of the other flats at CP.

 

Like coasterbill said, save Raptor, GateKeeper, and Valravn until later in the day. Hour waits in the morning turn to 15 minute waits in the afternoon for those rides. I assume this will be true for Valravn again this year, but maybe not since it's no longer brand new. As with most parks, do the back half of the park first and work your way to the front. Also, I believe Iron Dragon is only doing VR after 6:00 so if you want to ride it and don't care about VR, hit this one up before then. And obviously later if you care about VR.

 

Above all, just enjoy the rides and have a great time. Which isn't all that hard to do at CP if you ask me.

 

One other thing, I love Chickie's & Pete's crabfries. And living in Utah, I don't have them anywhere close to me so I make sure to get them when I visit. Unfortunately Melt won't be open by the time you go so you won't be able to try that. It looks delicious.

Awesome info, thanks! There's a Chickie & Pete's at Carowinds (my hometown park) but I've never tried it. May have to give it a go while at CP.

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Since you only have one day it might be a good idea, but if you're going to do it don't buy Fastlane, buy Fastlane Plus. It includes Valravn, Maverick, Dragster and Gatekeeper and isn't that much more expensive (since either way you're dropping a huge chunk of cash). Don't buy it until you get to the park. If you're okay with missing some credits (like Mine Ride or Corkscrew or something) then you can get by without Fastlane and hit all of the major rides.

 

Honestly though, it may not be 100% necessary. Just start at the back of the park and work your way forward. Don't ride Gatekeeper, Valravn or Raptor early in the day. The lines die way down later on.

Something I didn't consider until now that is actually way cheaper than 1-day with FL+ is getting the two day any day ticket ($69.99 pre-season) and spreading it out over both that Sunday and Monday. $70 is still dirt cheap for 2 days and would give me more time to enjoy things, account for weather issues, hit things up that may have longer lines, etc. Think that is actually what I may end up doing.

 

This is an infinitely better option, I just didn't know you were open to it. The second day will give you the opportunity for tons of re-rides. Two days without Fastlane is absolutely the way to go. While these aren't major rides I have a few small suggestions... I'd suggest riding Gemini, Windseeker and Sky Ride on Sunday if you want to ride them. Since they're short staffed, they might send staffing for the last 2 rides elsewhere if there's even a moderate chance that wind will take them down at some point on Monday and as I said earlier, Gemini will probably race on Sunday but I'd bet the house that they'll be down to one side on Monday.

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dreynolds1982, I live in Uptown Charlotte and have a SP for Carowinds. I can attest that Chickie & Petes is AWESOME! I get the Philly Cheesesteak and crab fries on the dining plan. Interestingly enough, I will be at CP Friday May 19 the same week as you and I got the FL+ as well as the all day dining plan. Chickie & Petes along with Pinks is well worth $29.99 and you can just pick a snack all day long at various other locations.

You can see all of the options at CPFoodBlog but I do not believe that the 2017 list is available just yet. You can scan thru last years however and get a good idea of what they might offer.

Hope this helps.

 

http://cpfoodblog.com/park-food-guides/cedar-point-food/

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If Carowinds is your home park, might as well just get a platinum pass and then it makes sense to go both days, you get free parking and early entry while staying at a cheaper hotel, and you get to ride Fury all summer long.

 

This is an excellent point.

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4th of July is the only time they really ever sell out isn't it?

 

 

It's been a few years since the 4Th of July has been obnoxiously busy. Busier? Yeah. But it doesn't compare to Saturday's in July/August and Halloweekends. It sells out every now and then during the summer season, especially after the $30 ticket special CP runs in the middle of summer.

4th of July won't be insanely busy until 2020, which is the next time it falls on a Saturday

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So I'm heading to CP for the first time ever May 14 (Sunday) or 15 (Monday). I'm in South Carolina so not too far away and have always wanted to go, just never made it. So, couple of questions...

 

So I cant comment on how crowds will be because they seem unpredictable in may. But if this is your first trip to Cedar Point ever and you want to get a ton of rides in, FL+ is the way to go. As for hotels, I always stay at Breakers Express because it allows you to get in the park an hour early, which is worth it in my book. These things add up... but it's Cedar Point and I find myself shouting TREAT YO'SELF when I go.

 

I would agree with staying at Breakers Express for early entry. It's a little more than some other hotels in the immediate area, but assuming Maverick is running during early entry (this can sometimes be a wildcard if it actually opens early, especially in May), you can go in the marina gate, book it to MF and ride once or twice (if the line is still short enough they'll let you skip walking all the way out and around and go right back to the ramp into the station), take a few laps on Maverick, and get to Dragster near opening for a couple rides. By 11:00 you already have multiple rides on each of three Intamins, including the two that can get longer lines. This pattern has worked out extremely well for me the last couple of years. I did go on a number of weekdays in early June and late August, but I would assume that doing the same or something similar would work out well for you. At that point, there's a good chance you won't feel like you need FL+ unless you care about every single credit plus a bunch of flat rides. Speaking of flat rides, Maxair and Sky Hawk are fantastic and definitely worth a ride. I've never been interested in any of the other flats at CP.

 

Like coasterbill said, save Raptor, GateKeeper, and Valravn until later in the day. Hour waits in the morning turn to 15 minute waits in the afternoon for those rides. I assume this will be true for Valravn again this year, but maybe not since it's no longer brand new. As with most parks, do the back half of the park first and work your way to the front. Also, I believe Iron Dragon is only doing VR after 6:00 so if you want to ride it and don't care about VR, hit this one up before then. And obviously later if you care about VR.

 

Above all, just enjoy the rides and have a great time. Which isn't all that hard to do at CP if you ask me.

 

 

One other thing, I love Chickie's & Pete's crabfries. And living in Utah, I don't have them anywhere close to me so I make sure to get them when I visit. Unfortunately Melt won't be open by the time you go so you won't be able to try that. It looks delicious.

Last year I stayed at the Breakers and I was able to get in GateKeeper, Millennium Force (twice), and Maverick all before 10am on a Sunday in June (as everyone and their brother went to Valravn). Also, the talk about Chickie's and Pete's crab fries is making me hungry!

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I would agree with staying at Breakers Express for early entry. It's a little more than some other hotels in the immediate area, but assuming Maverick is running during early entry (this can sometimes be a wildcard if it actually opens early, especially in May), you can go in the marina gate, book it to MF and ride once or twice (if the line is still short enough they'll let you skip walking all the way out and around and go right back to the ramp into the station), take a few laps on Maverick, and get to Dragster near opening for a couple rides. By 11:00 you already have multiple rides on each of three Intamins, including the two that can get longer lines. This pattern has worked out extremely well for me the last couple of years. I did go on a number of weekdays in early June and late August, but I would assume that doing the same or something similar would work out well for you. At that point, there's a good chance you won't feel like you need FL+ unless you care about every single credit plus a bunch of flat rides. Speaking of flat rides, Maxair and Sky Hawk are fantastic and definitely worth a ride. I've never been interested in any of the other flats at CP.

 

Like coasterbill said, save Raptor, GateKeeper, and Valravn until later in the day. Hour waits in the morning turn to 15 minute waits in the afternoon for those rides. I assume this will be true for Valravn again this year, but maybe not since it's no longer brand new. As with most parks, do the back half of the park first and work your way to the front. Also, I believe Iron Dragon is only doing VR after 6:00 so if you want to ride it and don't care about VR, hit this one up before then. And obviously later if you care about VR.

 

Above all, just enjoy the rides and have a great time. Which isn't all that hard to do at CP if you ask me.

 

 

One other thing, I love Chickie's & Pete's crabfries. And living in Utah, I don't have them anywhere close to me so I make sure to get them when I visit. Unfortunately Melt won't be open by the time you go so you won't be able to try that. It looks delicious.

Yep, my pattern is a bit different though, we just ride Maverick non-stop until 10 and sprint over to Top Thrill Dragster, and then wait because its down... Last time we went the day was pretty busy but in the morning we got to just sit down on the very back row of maverick and not get off until our 8th ride. My thighs and shoulders hurt after that...

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Yep, my pattern is a bit different though, we just ride Maverick non-stop until 10 and sprint over to Top Thrill Dragster, and then wait because its down... Last time we went the day was pretty busy but in the morning we got to just sit down on the very back row of maverick and not get off until our 8th ride. My thighs and shoulders hurt after that...

 

Definitely don't blame you on going straight to Maverick! It's amazing and usually has one of the longer lines and MF has such great capacity. I usually hit MF first because if you get lucky you can get 2-3 rides in 10-15 minutes and it's right on the way to Maverick.

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If Carowinds is your home park, might as well just get a platinum pass and then it makes sense to go both days, you get free parking and early entry while staying at a cheaper hotel, and you get to ride Fury all summer long.

Well I still consider Rock Hill my hometown, just 25 minutes south of Carowinds, and used to go to CW constantly and even worked there for 6 years when I was in high school/college, but for the past several years I've lived in Charleston and with my work schedule I'm lucky if I get to make it to CW once-a-year. So I still consider it my hometown park (and really it's only 2.5 hrs away and my family still lives up that way so I should get there more than I do) but don't have a SP or anything unfortunately. I do LOVE Fury.

 

dreynolds1982, I live in Uptown Charlotte and have a SP for Carowinds. I can attest that Chickie & Petes is AWESOME! I get the Philly Cheesesteak and crab fries on the dining plan. Interestingly enough, I will be at CP Friday May 19 the same week as you and I got the FL+ as well as the all day dining plan. Chickie & Petes along with Pinks is well worth $29.99 and you can just pick a snack all day long at various other locations.

Yeah I'll have to look into that food pass, might very well be worth it. I do love philly cheesesteaks though so I'll definitely check out Chickie and Petes!

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Big thanks to everyone for all of the great advice so far! I think I'm definitely going to do two days instead of one (Sunday and Monday) and probably just stay at the Breaker's Express so I can get the early entry. It's only $109/nt which, being that I live in Charleston and am used to $250/nt being a cheap rate for a hotel, that's wonderful! Is it a fairly decent place? Seems like it gets pretty good reviews.

 

Any info on the drive from Cleveland to Sandusky? I'm going to fly into CLE, rent a car and drive. Seems like it's a fairly simple drive.

 

Any other tips/suggestions you all have are welcome too. May can't get here soon enough!

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Big thanks to everyone for all of the great advice so far! I think I'm definitely going to do two days instead of one (Sunday and Monday) and probably just stay at the Breaker's Express so I can get the early entry. It's only $109/nt which, being that I live in Charleston and am used to $250/nt being a cheap rate for a hotel, that's wonderful! Is it a fairly decent place? Seems like it gets pretty good reviews.

 

Any info on the drive from Cleveland to Sandusky? I'm going to fly into CLE, rent a car and drive. Seems like it's a fairly simple drive.

 

Any other tips/suggestions you all have are welcome too. May can't get here soon enough!

 

I stayed at the old Breakers Express multiple times (including last August) and it was dated but fine. It's being renovated this offseason so it should be pretty nice when you go in May. I'm staying there myself the first week of June this year. I'll have a platinum pass because I'm also visiting Kings Island and Carowinds but someone I'm going with won't and we all want to take advantage of early entry. There are cheaper hotels in the area but it's your cheapest option for early entry. They also offer discounted park tickets so you might want to look into that.

 

One other tip on the park that hasn't come up yet is to ride the sky ride if it's open - it closes if there's wind. I don't say this about any other park. But at CP, I've never waited more than a few people to get on, it moves faster than most people walk, and it gives you some great views, especially of GateKeeper. Plus there's really nothing you're skipping by riding it and it's nice to give your feet a little break.

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^^Cool. Breakers Express (Now Cedar Point's Express Hotel) is undergoing a major renovation this year so there's a chance you'll be staying in a brand new or newly renovated room.

 

As for the drive it's super simple and mostly traffic free. Most of it's on a toll road so bring some cash (I never think of this since I use a card for everything) or if you have an EZ Pass bring it on the plane and hold it up to the windshield when you go through the gates if you want.

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I would agree with staying at Breakers Express for early entry. It's a little more than some other hotels in the immediate area, but assuming Maverick is running during early entry (this can sometimes be a wildcard if it actually opens early, especially in May), you can go in the marina gate, book it to MF and ride once or twice (if the line is still short enough they'll let you skip walking all the way out and around and go right back to the ramp into the station), take a few laps on Maverick, and get to Dragster near opening for a couple rides. By 11:00 you already have multiple rides on each of three Intamins, including the two that can get longer lines. This pattern has worked out extremely well for me the last couple of years. I did go on a number of weekdays in early June and late August, but I would assume that doing the same or something similar would work out well for you. At that point, there's a good chance you won't feel like you need FL+ unless you care about every single credit plus a bunch of flat rides. Speaking of flat rides, Maxair and Sky Hawk are fantastic and definitely worth a ride. I've never been interested in any of the other flats at CP.

 

Like coasterbill said, save Raptor, GateKeeper, and Valravn until later in the day. Hour waits in the morning turn to 15 minute waits in the afternoon for those rides. I assume this will be true for Valravn again this year, but maybe not since it's no longer brand new. As with most parks, do the back half of the park first and work your way to the front. Also, I believe Iron Dragon is only doing VR after 6:00 so if you want to ride it and don't care about VR, hit this one up before then. And obviously later if you care about VR.

 

Above all, just enjoy the rides and have a great time. Which isn't all that hard to do at CP if you ask me.

 

 

One other thing, I love Chickie's & Pete's crabfries. And living in Utah, I don't have them anywhere close to me so I make sure to get them when I visit. Unfortunately Melt won't be open by the time you go so you won't be able to try that. It looks delicious.

Yep, my pattern is a bit different though, we just ride Maverick non-stop until 10 and sprint over to Top Thrill Dragster, and then wait because its down... Last time we went the day was pretty busy but in the morning we got to just sit down on the very back row of maverick and not get off until our 8th ride. My thighs and shoulders hurt after that...

 

Try 22 straight...

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As for the drive it's super simple and mostly traffic free. Most of it's on a toll road so bring some cash (I never think of this since I use a card for everything) or if you have an EZ Pass bring it on the plane and hold it up to the windshield when you go through the gates if you want.

 

The other option is to take 90W to route 2 West and get off at Rye Beach road. No tolls and very minimal traffic.

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Yep, my pattern is a bit different though, we just ride Maverick non-stop until 10 and sprint over to Top Thrill Dragster, and then wait because its down... Last time we went the day was pretty busy but in the morning we got to just sit down on the very back row of maverick and not get off until our 8th ride. My thighs and shoulders hurt after that...

 

Your pattern is the correct pattern.

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Is the pre-season single or 2-day ticket special going to be going on until the first day of the season or is it only for the next week or two? A family member and I are trying to get a quick trip planned for June but we don't have it on the books, and it would be a waste if it didn't work out as Boyfriend and I have Platinum Passes.

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^^Cool. Breakers Express (Now Cedar Point's Express Hotel) is undergoing a major renovation this year so there's a chance you'll be staying in a brand new or newly renovated room.

 

As for the drive it's super simple and mostly traffic free. Most of it's on a toll road so bring some cash (I never think of this since I use a card for everything) or if you have an EZ Pass bring it on the plane and hold it up to the windshield when you go through the gates if you want.

 

Aw man. Just missed the renovation by a year.

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