Cedar Point (CP) Discussion Thread

[VegasBaby]

2 minutes ago, toughmudder said:

Hey all, I love out West and it looks like we will be able to swing a Cedar Point visit in mid-June.  I haven't been there since 2001, so things have obviously changed significantly.  I am seeking out just a few recommendations for our visit as I would potentially like to book a package at Hotel Breakers.  Here are the specifics:

• we may only be there one day (Thursday, June 16th), but there is an outside chance it could be 2 days
• given the fact that we are only there one day, and it is open from 10am - 8pm (Thurs), do you recommend one of the Fast Lane options?
• If the answer above is "yes", could we pull off regular Fast Lane and stand in longer standby lines for the Big 5 (or however many are in FL+) or are standby lines outrageously long for them (no matter the day/month, etc)
• If we stay at Hotel Breakers and get "early entry" privileges, what rides does that entail, and is it worth it, esp. if we are only there one day?

Thanks in advance.  I know the pricing for FL hasn't solidified, but I may try and get a rez at the Hotel soon.  I'm assuming I could add that in later if necessary.

I did a trip to Cedar Point last June and here are my thoughts:

• Definitely buy Fast Lane Plus for the day you are there.  We were able to ride SteVe 4 times in just over an hour with FL+, where it would've taken us the same time to ride it once in the regular line.
• I would stay at Cedar Point Express, it's cheaper than Breakers and you still get the 1 hour early entry.  We rode Valravn, MF, and Maverick during the early entry, so it was definitely worth it.  (Note that the FL lines don't open until regular park hours).  By the time we got off Maverick, the FL line was open and we jumped back in line for about a 10 minute wait.
• If they are doing a food festival when you are there, take advantage of that.  We were there during the Frontier Festival and there were hardly any lines at the food festival booths.  We bought 2 tasting cards and just grabbed something quick at the booths whenever we were hungry.

[tndank]

You can buy FL any time. Most likely even after you get to the park. However, I would suggest getting them as soon as they go on sale. They will not get cheaper. Highly likely they will go up in price between initial on sale and the day you are there. Season FL jumped at many parks over the winter in response to sales..

[teacherkim]

5 hours ago, toughmudder said:

Hey all, I live out West and it looks like we will be able to swing a Cedar Point visit in mid-June.  I haven't been there since 2001, so things have obviously changed significantly.  I am seeking out just a few recommendations for our visit as I would potentially like to book a package at Hotel Breakers.  Here are the specifics:

• we may only be there one day (Thursday, June 16th), but there is an outside chance it could be 2 days
• given the fact that we are only there one day, and it is open from 10am - 8pm (Thurs), do you recommend one of the Fast Lane options?
• If the answer above is "yes", could we pull off regular Fast Lane and stand in longer standby lines for the Big 5 (or however many are in FL+) or are standby lines outrageously long for them (no matter the day/month, etc)
• If we stay at Hotel Breakers and get "early entry" privileges, what rides does that entail, and is it worth it, esp. if we are only there one day?

Thanks in advance.  I know the pricing for FL hasn't solidified, but I may try and get a rez at the Hotel soon.  I'm assuming I could add that in later if necessary.

Without a doubt do the FL+, it is worth every penny. Also, imho for such a short stay I would stay at the Breakers, there is nothing like that experience and you will still waste time and have to get going extra early if staying at Express versus walking 5 min to the resort entry. However, the caveats to that are 1) If staying at the Breakers you better book now, it is already filling up for June 2) If you can only afford FL+ or Breakers then do FL+.

Early entry rides vary some, kind of two strategies to that.......Gatekeeper and usually Valravn are almost always on early entry. That's because they are at entry points and it's cool optics to have riders on them whooping it up as people enter the park. They are also rides that the GP hits early since they are near afore mentioned entry points. So either do those and then as many of the open rides as you can to get them in before long lines OR use a lot of that time to line up at  SV, TTD, MF or Mav and be first in line when they open. I will point out if you get the FL+ then you really don't have to worry about strategy or rushing in or doing the running of the coaster bulls. In that case you just use early entry to do (or line up for) anything that is not on FL+ or is one time use only.

[toughmudder]

Thanks for the advice everybody!  I'm sure I'll inquire more as we get closer to June.  

One more question - I know some parks/chains have different rules when it comes to this... but for CP can you get in line just prior to posted closing and remain in line to ride post-closing? (as long as they haven't shut the line down?)  For example - posted closing is 8pm, as long as SV is running, we could get in line at 7:55pm, and if it's posted as an hour wait and it doesn't break down we should be able to ride? 

[coasterbill]

Cedar Point is basically the only park in America without a consistent policy on this. If you're in line when they close the line, you can ride but they close the line whenever they feel like closing it. Some days they'll run it right until closing like they always did pre-Covid, other times they cut the Steel Vengeance line off 4 hours before the park closes. They will not advertise this or post in the app if the ride is closed even though the app claims that it will tell you this, you'll just have to walk all the way to the back of the park and figure it out.

I wish I was kidding.

[toughmudder]

4 hours ago, coasterbill said:

Cedar Point is basically the only park in America without a consistent policy on this. If you're in line when they close the line, you can ride but they close the line whenever they feel like closing it. Some days they'll run it right until closing like they always did pre-Covid, other times they cut the Steel Vengeance line off 4 hours before the park closes. They will not advertise this or post in the app if the ride is closed even though the app claims that it will tell you this, you'll just have to walk all the way to the back of the park and figure it out.

I wish I was kidding.

Thanks... not encouraging, but I appreciate the insight.  

[Zand]

I experienced the best and worst of Cedar Point's inconsistent policy in the same night last Memorial Day. I rode Steel Vengeance and it had NO line (well... except for in the clusterf*ck tunnels after the lockers but we won't mention that) but they closed off the line at 7:25 with an 8pm close. I got off at 7:45, had time to get on the train, ride through Boneville, get off and walk over to the still open Millennium Force line at 7:57. It was a walk on, and as we came around the last overbank I saw people STILL getting into the line at 8:05. Back in the station they had popped open the magic gate and I got two more rides on it. The night before, as far as I could tell, they closed every line in the park by 7:50. It's a total crapshoot.

Hopefully someday when staffing gets better (hahahahaha), Cedar Point will go back to their old policy of keeping almost every major ride's line open 5-10 minutes past park close. If the park is mobbed and you don't mind being there till 1am, you can get in line for something with a 3 hour line right at closing and no matter how long the line is, they'll get you on. I remember going to the park the year TTD opened and they were still running it at 4am one night. I'm sure we'll never see days like that again and it's understandable, but hopefully they'll at least get past the inconsistency of closing some lines 30+ minutes early while keeping other lines open 10+ minutes after closing and you pretty much have to cross your fingers that you're finishing your night at the correct ride.

[anonymouscactus]

Ah yes, brings me back to the 3am Top Thrill Dragster ride I had long ago. Breakdown after breakdown after breakdown, but they still let you wait in line and never kicked anyone out despite it being 5 hours after closing time. The good old days. lol.

[TopThrill182]

I also have to jump in and say how awesome CP’s closing policy was pre-COVID (at least as a guest, I realize many employees were less enthused). I have so many great memories of hopping in line for one last ride 5 to 10 minutes after park close, and as a night owl, I loved it when the line was long. 

Now, until the park proves otherwise, I definitely recommend people ride everything they want to as early in the day as possible, since ride lines close unpredictably in the evenings—especially when the park is busy.

[tndank]

Man, I wish I could have been a part of some of those 3 and 4 am Dragster waits. That's great. Riding it at 3am would be fun. 

[prozach626]

On 1/15/2022 at 7:54 AM, grsupercity said:

I love this trend of parks selling slices of the coaster track. 

And I'm sure they love selling you their trash.

[Haymaker]

[Nrthwnd]

On 2/3/2022 at 7:45 PM, prozach626 said:

And I'm sure they love selling you their trash.

Hey, we'll buy anything, right? Right?

[Honorarius]

^^^ They've got fanboys who have drunk enough koolaid that they go around yelling crap like "If vAlRaVn wAs aT aNy OtHeR pArK iT wOuLd bE tHe #1 rIdE aT tHaT pArK", so yes, I 100% believe that they will buy anything.

[ytterbiumanalyst]

^ Valravn at most other parks would be the pride of that park. That's just true and can be accepted as such by people who don't want to buy Cedar Point's trash.

[prozach626]

I had no idea this was even a controversy, but I can think of many other parks where Valravn would be a crowd favorite. Hell, think about Worlds of Fun. At this point they would gladly take Corkscrew, let alone Valravn.

[coasterbill]

I wouldn't plan any Tuesday or Wednesday trips in May or June if I were you. This year's plan to address their endless staffing shortages is to cut starting pay by 25%.

Cedar Point Cedar Point now hiring for 6,500 jobs ahead of 2022 season: Starting pay drops $5 an hour compared to last year

[ALT2870]

I saw that and was like, "Uhhhhh, you know the world we're living in right?"

Ya, it is going to be a nightmare to say the least.

[SharkTums]

Maybe they're putting all their eggs in the "we'll allow foreign workers back" basket?!!? That's insane!

[southpuddle]

When they announced $20/hr pay last year, I always assumed it was a one-season solution to what was a nationwide staffing shortage. Doesn’t make it any easier of a pill to swallow for those employees who worked at the park last year. 

[boldikus]

3 hours ago, coasterbill said:

I wouldn't plan any Tuesday or Wednesday trips in May or June if I were you. This year's plan to address their endless staffing shortages is to cut starting pay by 25%.

Cedar Point Cedar Point now hiring for 6,500 jobs ahead of 2022 season: Starting pay drops $5 an hour compared to last year

but

Quote

“On the surface, the benefits and wages are great; but on a deeper level, the connections with new friends from around the world, interactions with guests, experiences to last a lifetime and the park’s breathtaking setting make this the best place to work.” said Carrie Boldman, vice president and general manager of Cedar Point.

[boldikus]

I tried to edit that post to add "mimmicks jerking off" at the end of it but I'm drunk at work (annual team meeting, stfu yall, I'm wearing a tie) and I can't figure out how to add that at the end. Maybe I shouldn't be daytime drunk TPRing.

[coasterbill]

No, you absolutely should be.

[ajfelice]

 $5 reduction in starting pay? Cedar Fair must be getting lean and efficient, primed for acquisition. 

 

That's a bit of a bummer for someone looking for a pretty awesome summer job seeing what they paid last year.  I get not wanting to reduce an experienced employee's wage, but $5/hr is bit of a gap for most front-line positions who mostly perform similar tasks within their departments regardless of number of seasons employed. 

[boldikus]

Sorry about the pay-cut, enjoy the view and make some friends.