Cedar Point (CP) Discussion Thread

[AndrewA86]

I visited the park today, which extended my streak of visiting Cedar Point at least once every year since 1988. While it was nice to be back in the park, it wasn't a great day because it was just too busy, plus I didn't care for the access pass system.

 

I went with my GF and her little cousin, and after entering through the main gate (can't remember the last time I did that) we hurried over to get in line for SV. After riding that we snagged access passes for SV and Maverick for the 12-1 time block. Maverick was down though at the beginning of the day so we went to Dragster which also did not open right at 11, so we got access passes for the 1-2 time block. Then went over to Millennium Force, but by that time it was noon, so we couldn't ride and had to settle for access passes for the 2-3 time block.

 

We went back to frontier town for our ride on Maverick. Now I was under the impression that we could ride as many times as possible within the time slot on the access pass, but no, once we entered the queue they made you rip up your pass and throw it away... Now why I was under the impression that the pass was good for as many rides as we could fit within that time slot is beyond me.. But when we got off Maverick at 12:50 there was literally nobody in the queue and it would have been a walk on.

 

So we made our way back to SV only to find out the wait was an hour and a half. If we got in line we would miss out time slot for Dragster and probably Millennium Force too. So we passed on a second SV ride.

 

On the way down to Dragster we checked out Gemini and Magnum but both waits were an hour.. no thanks..

 

we got to Dragster right at 1 and the wait was over an hour. So we thought that if we waited and did other things that maybe the line would die down at the end of the hour like Maverick's did and we wouldn't have to wait a long time. So we made our way to Wicked Twister and gatekeeper, walked on WT and waited about 20 minutes and ended up with a front row ride on Gatekeeper. Easily the worst ride I've ever had on gatekeeper. It has become rough... For years this was the smoothest coaster on the planet, but the past 3 years it has gotten less smooth and after today I have to put it in the rough category.

 

We made our way back to Dragster and the wait time had become longer than before. If we got in line we would miss our window for Millennium Force. So since I have ridden both over a million times I let my GF's cousin pick which one she wanted to ride and she picked Dragster. We waited close to 2 hours for it.

 

After Dragster we went back to Gemini and Magnum, those lines were now an hour and a half, and an hour and a quarter... what is this, July of 1990??? We looked at Rougarou and Iron Dragon on the app, an hour each.. And if those waits are long, Valravn and Raptor are going to be longer, which they were. I looked at Skyhawk and it was posting a 40 min wait... at this point reality set in that the wait times were just too long to enjoy the park. So at about 3pm we called it a day...

 

That really goes to show how important early entry is. On the busiest of summer days (or Halloweekends) with early entry and no fast lane I can ride every coaster by 3-4pm. Today we only rode 5. So BTW, speaking of fast lane, I wish the park would sell a very limited amount like Kings Island is doing. I would have easily dropped $400-$500 on FL+ for all 3 of us if it meant no waiting.

 

And what is the point of the access passes if you can't use them all because the wait times force you to choose one or the other? Why not just do what KI is doing and have people enter the queue whenever they want and social distance.. Maybe with more people in the queue they think it will be harder to enforce? They weren't doing that great of a job with it anyways..

 

I had to be "that guy" a few times and tell people to not be right on top of us. This one older couple I had to tell twice to give us more room. I actually got snippy and pointed to the markings on the floor and said "how hard is it to stand here" And I told them that I teach PE to 1st graders (which I actually haven't taught elementary in years...) and that they can follow similar directions better than you grown adults... I actually hope parks keep the social distancing in queues when and if the virus isn't a threat anymore. It was really nice not being boxed in for 2 hours while waiting in line.

 

Obviously I understand this is a special time, and I really am thankful that the park is doing their best to open. I realize I just picked a bad day to go...

 

On a positive note I thought the park was really well staffed. All the coasters were open and based on what I saw they were all running at full capacity. All the major flats were open as well as the sky ride. Gemini was running both sides but not racing. I wonder if that was done on purpose to avoid guests slapping hands?? Most of the refill stations were open. At Hugo's they now slice the personal pizza for you (they didn't last year). All the gift shops were open. Obviously some things were closed, but it wasn't nearly as bad as it can be within the first month of a normal operating season.

[AmyUD06]

Sorry to hear your day didn't work out all that well.

 

When you got the second and subsequent APs, did you show them the ones you already had so that they would give you a different time, as I had mentioned in my strategy?

 

I too encountered some groups that would continually encroach upon my distancing. My strategy was to ask them once, and when they'd inevitably do it again, just let them go ahead of me and crowd on someone else.

[AndrewA86]

Yes I had access passes for different times with the exception of Maverick and SV. We had already rode SV right when the park opened so that wasn't a big deal. I had Dragster from 1-2, and MF from 2-3.

 

The problem was that at 1 the Dragster wait was an hour. When I got off Maverick there was next to nobody in line so my thinking was that maybe that would be the case with Dragster if we waited and did some other things. Then we wouldn't have to wait long for Dragster, and we got in Wicked Twister and Gatekeeper. But the Dragster line was still long at 1:45ish.

 

Looking back we should have waited the hour for Dragster at 1 and then we could have got in line for MF around 2:30ish at the latest. Then we would have gotten on the big 4 and could have hit as many other coasters as possible. But that would have been a ton of waiting as everything was at least an hour+ wait by then.

 

It was like visiting on a Saturday in July without fast lane and I avoid those days like the plague. But I hadn't been to the park yet this year and I was reading/hearing positive things about the access pass system.

 

I didn't miss out on anything because I've been on everything in this park so many times. But I'm having trouble understanding the reasoning behind not selling fast lane and implementing the access pass system. Maybe it's a decent system for days that aren't so busy. IDK...

[grsupercity]

I still dont understand the access passes. Friends have sent me pics of super long lines of waiting for access passes. Defeats the purpose

[tndank]

I still dont understand the access passes. Friends have sent me pics of super long lines of waiting for access passes. Defeats the purpose

 

You stand in a long line for 20 minutes to get a pass instead of a 3 hour line to ride the attraction. Most times when you return with your pass, wait is less than a half hour. This doesn't always work out due to shutdowns, etc. but that's the idea.

 

It also encourages spending money since you don't have to stand in a 3 hour line.

[prozach626]

The new normal...

[coasterbill]

Other than Rise of the Resistance style boarding groups which they don't have the tech to do there's no good way to handle Dragster this year and I have no intention of attempting to ride it if we end up there unless we just happen to walk by and get a pass and it somehow works out for us.

 

I guess they're just doing this because it's the least bad option but you can't do return times for a ride that spends 50% of the day down mechanical and not expect 2 hour lines while it's actually operating.

[SharkTums]

^^Isn't that most of 2020?

 

"The Least Bad Option"

[coasterbill]

Pretty much.

 

I should also clarify that I'm glad that Dragster is open because if you really, really, really want to ride it you have that option but nobody should expect the process to be quick or work as intended when the ride breaks down once an hour.

[thepoint4life23]

Pretty much.

 

I should also clarify that I'm glad that Dragster is open because if you really, really, really want to ride it you have that option but nobody should expect the process to be quick or work as intended when the ride breaks down once an hour.

I must of got lucky. I had a 3 train wait and got front row 2 weeks ago.

Also has anyone told you or did you already buy the sky ride shirt that they sell?

[Haymaker]

You worried too much about missing your window. Those windows are pretty flexible, at least when we went.

[coasterbill]

So what's the best plan for the boarding pass thing if you don't care about Dragster? Get there at 10, get in line for a Vengeance boarding pass, then a Maverick one, then a Millennium one? Is there any chance of striking out on Millennium with that plan? If so then screw Vengeance.

 

Also, am I correct that they're still doing stand-by until noon and they don't care if you're late for your return time?

Edited August 31, 2020 by coasterbill

[tndank]

You can prob get a SV pass, then Mav, then walk over to MF, get a pass and hopefully jump in line at MF for a ride before noon.

 

If you want Dragster and can be one of the first few to get a pass when they start, you can probably start there. Then wrap around and get Steel Vengeance, etc.

[VF15]

If you head straight to Vengeance after the gates open, you should be able to get passes for all three rides. If you happen to miss out on a Millennium pass, they distribute more passes at 3:30. They do allow walk-ups until noon, and they may allow them for the last hour (7 to 8) if the line isn’t too long. Don’t know for sure if they accept late passes during normal ops but they will take it later if there’s any downtime during your time slot.

[BitterOldHag]

I was there on Saturday and got there at 11. I went straight to Millennium Force and waited 20 minutes as the line was socially distanced down the ramp and through one or two switchbacks. When I got off, I got back in line and again waited 20 minutes... so you may be able to get your SV and Maverick passes and then just ride MF without a pass. Just a thought. Also note that they are assigning seats (you can ask for front or back though I think).

 

I was really only at the park to buy some of the cool "vintage" t-shirts they had and ride Cedar Downs (which also has a t-shirt!. Mission accomplished as Sky Ride was down due to winds. Ended up riding Cadillac Cars instead. But I will say that the park handled everything very well. Entry was a breeze, MOST people were standing on the social distance markers in the line areas, and while mask use was pretty lousy (lots of chin straps), park employees were trying their best to yell at those folks to put them on right.

 

Enjoy your trip!

[coasterbill]

I'm assuming Sky Ride and a bunch of other stuff will be down for staffing but if not, awesome. We're going out there for Kings Island but stopping by Cedar Point because it breaks up the drive a little and if I get to ride Millennium Force even once I'll take it in this disaster of a year.

Edited August 31, 2020 by coasterbill

[xVicesAndVirtues]

So, I'll definitely write more about my experience later, but I visited the park over the weekend and I could not possibly recommend anyone go there right now. Like, seriously, if I had another flight scheduled there, I'd take advantage of the low cost or zero change fees most airlines are offering and go somewhere else.

 

They absolutely do not let riders in until noon. I'm not sure if this is a recent development but the operators told us yesterday that Millennium Force has a max of 350 riders they'll let into the queue before access passes are mandatory. I'm not sure if this is the same for every ride. On Sunday (yesterday), that 350 limit was reached at 11:20 AM, but luckily we got one ride on it beforehand. Access passes for the 11AM hand-out time were gone by the time we got off our first ride at 11:20 AM. On Saturday we tried getting to Maverick at about 11:30 AM and were denied there, too, but snagged literally the last 3 access passes for the morning.

 

As far as Steel Vengeance goes, we rode once the entire weekend. People towards the back of both the morning and afternoon access pass lines missed out on passes. Everywhere we went was allowing a maximum of 15 minute window after your hour, then denying you. For example, if you didn't get in by 4:15 for a 3pm-4pm access pass, you were SOL. Some things at the end of the night were very arbitrary and inconsistent. Steel Vengeance let riders stand aside the entrance after 7PM to "maybe" get in. Maverick wouldn't even let riders with access passes in at 7:15 PM from the 6pm-7pm hour and had the line closed at 7:15 PM when the park closed at 8pm. Some random rides like Mangnum were letting people in as late as 7:45 PM when we gave up and left.

 

The B&Ms all had 2-3 hour lines. The parking lot was about 7-8 rows deep. Not super busy but not dead either.

[coasterbill]

Yikes, thanks for the write up.

 

Alright so then I’m just going to Maverick immediately, then Millennium (and I’ll hop in the queue if I can once I get the pass) and then if we get Vengeance later for the afternoon drop great, if not... whatever. I assume if you get to Vengeance elite an hour before they drop the afternoon passes you’re probably fine, right?

 

Again, I’m not expecting to ride much. If I get on Millennium, Maverick and Raptor and have a few beers whatever... I expect a total disaster.

 

Is the front of the park still dead at the end of the night?

Edited August 31, 2020 by coasterbill

[tndank]

You have proper expectations.

 

That Raptor line was always the longest in the park every day I've visited this year. Hit it early if you can, obv. Get over there after your early MF ride.

 

A couple weeks ago when I went, lines did seem to start forming 45-60 min early for afternoon passes. You should be fine.

[coasterbill]

Why are the lines for the B&M's so ridiculous? Other parks don't have this problem if they're loading all rows and limiting park capacity. Wild Eagle is rolling half empty trains daily all season long despite being really popular for all of those reasons, meanwhile Gatekeeper... lol

[xVicesAndVirtues]

^I have no idea. We went to Hershey on Thursday and it seemed busier than Cedar Point in terms of total guests but the only thing with a long line was Candymonium. We didn’t even bother getting fast track. We waited 2-3 trains for Skyrush and Fahrenheit and that was it.

 

They also had pre-selected seats that were closed. So like parties of 3 (us) had to split up on B&Ms which is totally stupid. We didn’t ride Valravn due to 2-hour posted queue and we saw a train with literally 2 guests in the middle row while it was that full. We didn’t even check to see wtf was going on.

 

Yikes, thanks for the write up.

 

Alright so then I’m just going to Maverick immediately, then Millennium (and I’ll hop in the queue if I can once I get the pass) and then if we get Vengeance later for the afternoon drop great, if not... whatever. I assume if you get to Vengeance elite an hour before they drop the afternoon passes you’re probably fine, right?

 

Again, I’m not expecting to ride much. If I get on Millennium, Maverick and Raptor and have a few beers whatever... I expect a total disaster.

 

Is the front of the park still dead at the end of the night?

 

I’d recommend getting to the park an hour early and absolutely hauling ass to Maverick. Then do the same to get to Millennium Force and you might get lucky and get one of the last 3pm-4pm passes. Another thing that’s incredibly frustrating is that if a ride is experiencing technical issues, they’ll either not start pass distribution until it’s up or if it is up then goes down, they stop distribution until it’s open again. So like, say Steel Vengeance is down at opening and doesn’t start running until noon, pass distribution won’t begin until noon.

 

And yup, I’d absolutely get to Steel Vengeance with a few beers an hour before 3:30 distribution. On Saturday afternoon, the Steel Vengeance access pass line was backed up to Gemini. I promise I’m not exaggerating.

 

The front the park was insanely busy still at closing this past weekend. We were over it and left about 10-15 minutes before park closing. Raptor’s queue was posted at 2 hours and full, no longer letting guests in. Magnum was still letting people in when we walked by a few minutes prior. Gatekeeper was still letting guests into its 2-hour posted queue. The Sky Ride randomly started running right at closing.

[coasterbill]

They also had pre-selected seats that were closed.

 

Yeah, that explains everything (except Gatekeeper, nothing explains Gatekeeper).

 

So then if you have 3 not only is it split up and social distanced but the person sitting alone can't have anyone sit next to them either because they're not in your group? Great Adventure does that sh*t on their frisbee now. It's actually maddening to watch.

[xVicesAndVirtues]

^Exactly. And even high capacity rides like Millennium Force have rows blocked off, so the other person in your party will be 2 rows away and that pushes back the next party as well.

 

Hersheypark’s method was just “one party per row”. This makes the process go much faster.

[southpuddle]

^ YES! I wish the rule was just “one party per row” - maybe make an exception for Valravn. The set in stone blocked seats were adding insult to injury most of the time.

 

I was also told by a manager when I went earlier this month that the rides close every 30 minutes for cleaning, but I swear it was more like every 15-20 - just enough for each train to MAYBE get three cycles in before the line was standstill for the next 10-15 minutes. Maybe those 10-15 minutes count toward the signal of the next cleaning break But what others have said, don’t go expecting to ride much and try not to get super aggravated by the operations. Take some beer breaks and try to relax.

 

I also just kept reminding myself that I bought a Platinum pass this year solely because it was good for all of next year too. This year was really just a bonus for me, so whatever I was able to get in was all gravy.

[Haymaker]

I did the resort gate at 10am, SV, Maverick, MF pass loop and got all three without issue, plus a bonus standby ride on MF. Thats the best action plan IMO.