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Cedar Point (CP) Discussion Thread

P. 2037: Siren’s Curse tilt coaster announced for 2025!

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^ I am in your age group. Did you guys want to have kids? When you start going to parks with your little kids you will get so much enjoyment out of it. Seeing them smile and laugh

We don't have any kids, but actually we're going to start trying for our one-and-done child next month. There's no better time to start than while we're in Hawaii! We talk about how fun it will be to take our kid to parks and watch the transition from kiddie rides to riding a first big coaster. We're ready to move on to the next chapter. It will also feel a little less awkward in parks when we have a child with us...

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^ I always find it odd when people tell the world when they are going to have sex. That said, good luck. Is it appropriate to say "have fun?"

 

Being early 30's people ask me and my wife if we want to have kids, i always tell them we just practice a lot.

 

I guess going on what Prozach says. I think i have started to hit the same point. I still want to try new parks, and love going to cedar point, but at the same point the two trips i have made to Cedar point this year, i have not stayed past 5. The first trip after riding everything in the park that had been open, i wanted to get one last ride on Raptor, but some teen was laying on the Ground new the entry saying trying to get the picture for Instagram. I knew it was time to leave.

 

The 2nd trip we had a play to stay in port Clinton, and once we left cedar point to let our dog out, I found no reason to go back for the day. I could go have a few drinks and sit and look at the lake and that sounded much nicer then walking around Cedar point.

 

I also understand the friends part. My friends are more willing to say go to a away city for a Hockey game then they will be to go to a city for a Amusement park

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^ I am in your age group. Did you guys want to have kids? When you start going to parks with your little kids you will get so much enjoyment out of it. Seeing them smile and laugh

We don't have any kids, but actually we're going to start trying for our one-and-done child next month. There's no better time to start than while we're in Hawaii! We talk about how fun it will be to take our kid to parks and watch the transition from kiddie rides to riding a first big coaster. We're ready to move on to the next chapter. It will also feel a little less awkward in parks when we have a child with us...

 

Can you hurry up so I can send you these balloons?

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^ I always find it odd when people tell the world when they are going to have sex. That said, good luck. Is it appropriate to say "have fun?"

 

Being early 30's people ask me and my wife if we want to have kids, i always tell them we just practice a lot.

 

I guess going on what Prozach says. I think i have started to hit the same point. I still want to try new parks, and love going to cedar point, but at the same point the two trips i have made to Cedar point this year, i have not stayed past 5. The first trip after riding everything in the park that had been open, i wanted to get one last ride on Raptor, but some teen was laying on the Ground new the entry saying trying to get the picture for Instagram. I knew it was time to leave.

 

The 2nd trip we had a play to stay in port Clinton, and once we left cedar point to let our dog out, I found no reason to go back for the day. I could go have a few drinks and sit and look at the lake and that sounded much nicer then walking around Cedar point.

 

I also understand the friends part. My friends are more willing to say go to a away city for a Hockey game then they will be to go to a city for a Amusement park

 

I haven't reached that part in my life of not wanting to go to parks as much. I have been to Cedar Point quite a few times this year and stayed til the end of the day every time. Now with a baby on the way I am sure I will be going to parks a lot for many years to come.

 

I do understand the friends part too. I am glad my wife likes to go to parks with me cause a lot of my friends are the same. They much prefer going out for a drink on a patio then going to a theme park. Even some of my friends with kids rarely go to parks.

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The funny thing is I feel the complete opposite.

 

I'm in my mid 30s and I've now just starting going to parks alone. I just enjoy it. lol I don't do it for all my trips. But usually 1 or 2 a year I just say F* it and go alone.

 

Same thing with dining out and going to movies alone. I prefer to hang w friends or family but I won't stop people being flakey or people not wanting to go to ruin my enjoyment.

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The funny thing is I feel the complete opposite.

 

I'm in my mid 30s and I've now just starting going to parks alone. I just enjoy it. lol I don't do it for all my trips. But usually 1 or 2 a year I just say F* it and go alone.

 

Same thing with dining out and going to movies alone. I prefer to hang w friends or family but I won't stop people being flakey or people not wanting to go to ruin my enjoyment.

I'm with you on this. If I only went to parks with friends or family, I'd only ride coasters a fraction of the time I typically do. It wouldn't be nearly enough to feed my addiction (my wife says that the song

is my theme song). I really don't care what other people think, or the demographic make-up of others in the park.

I go to my home park (SFDK) on my own multiple times a year. I go to CGA once a year with a Fast Lane and marathon RailBlazer and Gold Striker. I used my Six Flags season pass and Southwest Airlines miles to take a trip to the two Six Flags parks in Texas some years back. I did all of it on my own and had a blast.

I can see how people might feel awkward at a park on their own. I guess it's being a 5th grade teacher, but I'm numb to the age and behavior around me. Heck, I enjoy going to SFDK with my children. However, getting them on the roller coasters (even ones they've been on previously) can be hit or miss. My last visit, only one of my daughters went on Batman, while the other would only ride The Joker. We all had a great time. However, if I just want to scratch the coaster itch, I just head to SFDK on a quiet day and ride myself silly. And if the opportunity presented itself, I wouldn't hesitate to spend a couple of days at Cedar Point solo. Beats going to work!

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I honestly couldn't care less about going alone or what people think. There have been times I've been at parks alone, and times with big groups of friends. I do what I enjoy doing. In my opinion it's worse to look back and regret not doing something for being insecure and too wrapped up in what others thought. I mean, odds are you'll never see any of those people again anyway, so who cares?

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Jumping into the conversation, and going back to Prozach's original post, as a 40 year old, I agree with what he's saying about the passing of time can change perspective on coastering. However, as a parent of 4, 3 of which are now big coaster lovers themselves (15,12,10), I've been able to experience a renaissance of my coaster enthusiasm in my late 30's, and into my 40's! While I got into the hobby in my mid-20's (after going to Cedar Point every other year or so since the early 80's when I was 4), my then-wife and I went hard at it, going to a ton of parks in a few years, and racking up a ton of credits. My first child didn't slow us down too much, and that first year or two, we'd just take a sitter along with us to the park, and take turns watching the kid. When we got our second and third back to back though, that pretty much marked the temporary end of my coaster enthusiast days, at least as far as going anywhere other than CP was concerned. This happened just as I entered my 30's, and for about 5-6 years, I was mostly away from the hobby.

 

Once my kids started getting tall enough (and brave enough, in the case of my oldest, who was a late coaster bloomer) though, my second coaster enthusiast wind began, and let me tell you, I've never enjoyed going to parks as much as I am loving going with my three oldest kids now! They're totally into the parks, and the coasters, and are quickly accruing a nice collection of credits themselves, as they get to a couple of new parks a year, in addition to the CP (and MiA) trips that got them started down this path. I don't have a lot of money, so it's hard to go crazy with trips, but I try to do what I can, and we've been able to do alright getting around. We're likely going to Waldameer and Kennywood (their first time for both) in a couple weeks, and I am hoping that trips to Holiday World, Kentucky Kingdom, and Hersheypark come to fruition next year, and possibly BGW and SDC, if I somehow become wealthier before then!

 

At any rate, my point is that how I approach the hobby, the parks, the coasters, and pretty much everything, has matured and changed in my current iteration of enthusiasm, and I think a lot of that is a natural progression. I'm not sure that I'd still feel as passionate about amusement parks and roller coasters as I do now, if I'd have been childless and hitting parks constantly for the past 18 years either. But being able to go with my kids, and experience things anew with them, has really reinvigorated my passion for it, and I look forward to continuing in this vein for years, as my youngest is only 5, and has many years of coaster riding likely ahead of him!

 

I definitely don't do parks like I used to, and actually left SFGAdv hours before closing a couple of years ago when my sister and I had done the whole park to our hearts' content, and were ready to go, skipping night rides on El Toro even. That would have been unfathomable to me years ago! But times change, and sometimes, it just takes some time away, and a change in perspective and environment, to make a tired hobby, new again!

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13-14 years ago I'd have told you I was looking to slow down my park going, stop credit whoring, and I missed the camaraderie of the early days of the coaster scene. Last year I had one of the most prodigious years of coaster riding in my entire life. This year will probably beat that with me stepping foot in more than half the US states and traveling to Europe and Asia too. Most of it is with my wife and/or friends, but a good chunk is solo too. If I'm having fun with it, I'll do it. If it stops being fun, I'll do something else. There's no shortage of hobbies to participate in.

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I find that even at parks like Cedar Point, I'm perfectly happy with riding a couple coasters once each, and leaving after a 5 or 6 hour day. It's still a 4 hour drive there and 4 hours back and people think we are crazy for not staying longer or overnight or whatever, but we always leave happy. At smaller parks we will spend even less time. Still have a great time, but as I'm getting older* I just can't keep up with riding a million times over and over again, even if there are no lines. Though every once in awhile I will make a decision like riding i305 in the back seat 7 times in a row without getting up...

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my wife says that the song
is my theme song)

No offense, but that song and video of the childlike enthusiast supports my belief that maybe I'm starting to outgrow this...

 

Once my kids started getting tall enough (and brave enough, in the case of my oldest, who was a late coaster bloomer) though, my second coaster enthusiast wind began, and let me tell you, I've never enjoyed going to parks as much as I am loving going with my three oldest kids now!

That's exactly the next step in our lives that we're looking for. We talk about it when we're at parks.

 

I honestly couldn't care less about going alone or what people think. There have been times I've been at parks alone, and times with big groups of friends. I do what I enjoy doing. In my opinion it's worse to look back and regret not doing something for being insecure and too wrapped up in what others thought. I mean, odds are you'll never see any of those people again anyway, so who cares?

I don't think the issue with most adults is the insecurity of what other people will think when visiting alone. I'd bet that for most it's the fact that not being with someone at a park would be boring. For that personal reason, I wouldn't consider it. The biggest thrill I have left is experiencing parks with my wife. In that aspect, the atmosphere of a park becomes just as important, if not more so, than the rides. Hence why Six Flags parks don't really cater to us, anymore.

 

My wife and I were fascinated by Coney Island. There was an equal amount of adults as there were kids. I wish we'd had more than a couple hours so that we could hang out on the beach, eat a dog or slice of pizza, grab a beer on the boardwalk, and ride just a few rides. A place like that has a wide range of things to offer that can be experienced in small doses. Our desires of multiple re-rides on an intense ride themed to faded images of comic book characters are quickly going away. It actually kind of sucks losing interest in something you remember enjoying for so many years. It comes and goes, but I've increasingly felt it for the past few seasons. Interests change, I guess. You can't force it.

 

These are just our personal experiences and we're hoping to eventually have the same experience that DILinator has.

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I just needed to "chime in" here. I'm past my mid 60's, and ride all I can. That means thousands of rides a year. I don't mind riding alone either. My job takes me all over the US, so I've got a season pass for Cedar Fair and a membership for 6 Flags, and use them extensively. I have friends I ride with, but that doesn't dictate when and where I go. I just can't get enough! Obviously I'm the exception to the rule.

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I’m going for the first time ever tomorrow. Opening to closing with Fast Lane Plus. Is it possible to park in water park lot and get in the Magnum entrance? I forget the tips and if they stop allowing you to park there after a certain time.

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I’m going for the first time ever tomorrow. Opening to closing with Fast Lane Plus. Is it possible to park in water park lot and get in the Magnum entrance? I forget the tips and if they stop allowing you to park there after a certain time.

 

You can get there from the front lot now that the "boardwalk" has been built, so nah, they won't let you back there if you aren't going to the water park.

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I just needed to "chime in" here. I'm past my mid 60's, and ride all I can. That means thousands of rides a year. I don't mind riding alone either....... I have friends I ride with, but that doesn't dictate when and where I go. I just can't get enough! :

 

Thanks for sharing, everyone is different. Since I don't see my inner child growing up anytime soon I hope the enjoyment of visiting parks and riding coasters lasts for me as long as it has for you. And hope the body can keep up with my inner child.

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my wife says that the song
is my theme song)

No offense, but that song and video of the childlike enthusiast supports my belief that maybe I'm starting to outgrow this...

None taken. It's an annoying song. However, when my wife heard it the first time, she turned to me and said "Yep, that's you". I hope that you and your wife can experience your own "coaster renaissance". Riding Batman (SFDK) while holding my 8-year-old daughter's hand as she hooted and hollered through her first ride was better than most rides I've had on any other roller coaster.

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^ I am in your age group. Did you guys want to have kids? When you start going to parks with your little kids you will get so much enjoyment out of it. Seeing them smile and laugh

We don't have any kids, but actually we're going to start trying for our one-and-done child next month. There's no better time to start than while we're in Hawaii! We talk about how fun it will be to take our kid to parks and watch the transition from kiddie rides to riding a first big coaster. We're ready to move on to the next chapter. It will also feel a little less awkward in parks when we have a child with us...

 

Hey Zach, there is great joy in spending time with your kid in a theme park and if it helps you feel more comfortable indulging that's even better. I'll share with you that I always loved theme parks as a kid, didn't really get to go to too many outside SFSTl (other than once in a while on vacation) When I got to my early 20's and was married and started a career, yada, yada, yada.......I didn't visit much. Fast forward to my late 30's when my son became a toddler and I started taking him to SF. He began a real love affair with coasters and parks and I kind of rediscovered my enjoyment of it. We then discovered organizations like ACE and TPR that I never knew existed. So now here we are, I'm 51 and he's 16 and we go to lots of events and little side coaster trips and have spent so many fun summers together! My husband comes and hangs with us once in a while but isn't quite as into it as us.....no problem we still do regular family vacations, or combine the two.

 

On the other hand do what you enjoy, kids in tow or not, life's too short!!

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^ That's really awesome, actually! I still make it a point to go to parks with my parents every so often, who are in their 60s, because we used to do the same when I was younger. Some of my best memories with my parents were at amusement parks.

 

I honestly couldn't care less about going alone or what people think. There have been times I've been at parks alone, and times with big groups of friends. I do what I enjoy doing. In my opinion it's worse to look back and regret not doing something for being insecure and too wrapped up in what others thought. I mean, odds are you'll never see any of those people again anyway, so who cares?

I don't think the issue with most adults is the insecurity of what other people will think when visiting alone. I'd bet that for most it's the fact that not being with someone at a park would be boring. For that personal reason, I wouldn't consider it. The biggest thrill I have left is experiencing parks with my wife. In that aspect, the atmosphere of a park becomes just as important, if not more so, than the rides. Hence why Six Flags parks don't really cater to us, anymore.

 

My wife and I were fascinated by Coney Island. There was an equal amount of adults as there were kids. I wish we'd had more than a couple hours so that we could hang out on the beach, eat a dog or slice of pizza, grab a beer on the boardwalk, and ride just a few rides. A place like that has a wide range of things to offer that can be experienced in small doses. Our desires of multiple re-rides on an intense ride themed to faded images of comic book characters are quickly going away. It actually kind of sucks losing interest in something you remember enjoying for so many years. It comes and goes, but I've increasingly felt it for the past few seasons. Interests change, I guess. You can't force it.

 

These are just our personal experiences and we're hoping to eventually have the same experience that DILinator has.

 

Ahh, gotcha. Coasters & Lamps' comment of being berated by their step mother for being too old to be at an amusement park gave me the impression this was about being judged at parks for one's age among a younger crowd.

 

Maybe I'm in the minority, but I consider myself to be an extremely independent person, so I'm completely fine with going to parks on my own if no one else wants to go. It can be just as fun or very boring, depending on your expectations and outlook. I've learned to adjust them accordingly, and I'll have a much better time. It's fun experiencing things with other people, but it's also fun doing the things that you want to do at your pace. Each with their own pros and cons. I can't marathon rides like I could 10 years ago either, but I attribute that to getting older and less tolerant of extreme forces. Regardless of your priorities, that's the great thing about this hobby, there's something out there for everyone.

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I’m going for the first time ever tomorrow. Opening to closing with Fast Lane Plus. Is it possible to park in water park lot and get in the Magnum entrance? I forget the tips and if they stop allowing you to park there after a certain time.

 

You can get there from the front lot now that the "boardwalk" has been built, so nah, they won't let you back there if you aren't going to the water park.

 

This seems to have changed back to allowing anyone to use that back lot. I have yet to be stopped or asked on my way back there. I haven't heard of anyone being turned away this season for not being a CPS guest. And I've parked there each time on my 6 visits and have yet to step foot inside the waterpark.

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I think normalcy is a game and weird as anyone, but I guess we need some of it. Plus, most people have their own interests and "thing". But its not just that. I expect many adults have little idea how much coasters have progressed. It was simply impossible to ride this stuff when I was a kid, by many decades. It's amazing how many people when I mention Kings Dominion immediately talk about the Time Shaft. The last time they went there it was still open! And even then it wasn't the most memorable ride in the park except for puking.

 

I expect the first thing most adults think of about amusement parks is hot, crowded and expensive, none of which it has to be. If they went with their kids and enjoyed it, it was because of them because it still was hot, crowded and expensive.

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^Hah! Dude, you're so right! My local park is SFSTL and the most technologically advanced roller coaster added was in 1998 when Mr. Freeze opened. That was around the time when parks would just randomly plop down expensive rides with little thought of the atmosphere, so that's the impression people have of parks in my area. Many haven't been in 10 years and they have stories about Screaming Eagle.

 

It's hard to explain to them why we visit. Everything they remember is about "thrills." People used to share sky diving crap and other extreme rides on my facebook wall saying, "Would you do this?" I think there's a misconception that we're thrill junkies, when really we like to relax and have a good time. I don't get a lot of adrenaline from rides.

 

I don't really talk about parks with co-workers or other friends. When people ask about our trips I mostly talk about the nearby cities we visited, since people can relate to that kind of exploration. If they ask about the parks I usually just tell them it was fun. When I try to explain anything I can tell they don't care or get it and when I explain further it just makes me sound like a dork. It's like talking about cars with someone who has little to no interest in cars. Don't torture people.

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