kris182_2000 Posted May 28, 2008 Share Posted May 28, 2008 For anyone who knows everything and anything about Cedar Point, I need some answers. 1st of all, does anyone know about the campground at Bayshore Estates? We're thinking about camping there. No hotels/motels on this trip, we're roughing it, camping out of my van. 2nd, does anyone know the exact toll cost on the Cedar Point Causeway? I've read that it's $1 each way but just want to confirm this. Current gas prices? I know the prices will change between now and August, but I'm just trying to get rough trip costs. How about food out of the park? What are the average prices, say at a fast food joint or a grocery store? And what's in the area for such things like camping staples? We're trying to keep the cost as low as possible. Now, onto the real fun About the park itself. I'm not sure how long we'll be going, but it will be up to 6 days. How long does it take to actually do all the coasters in the park? I'm assuming we'd need a few days at least to do it all. Is it worth going to Soak City? We like waterparks, but not sure that we want to do this, or just spend half a day there. Also curious about what kind of program they have for people with disabilities regarding lines. I couldn't get a clear answer last year regarding this policy. At Wonderland it's a guidebook, and it saves people on waiting in line. I've had to use it before, and I may need something at CP due to my ongoing knee problems. Any and all info, advice and suggestions are welcome. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedB Posted May 29, 2008 Share Posted May 29, 2008 I'll try to answer as best i can. 1) Never stayed there so I can't comment. However you said you were camping out of your van. Is your van a class B motorhome or just a van. If it's a class B you could try staying at Camper Village. Then you could get into the park 1 hour early to ride before the GP. 2) There is no separate toll charge, just the $10 parking fee. 3) When I went last week it was sitting around the $4 per/gallon mark. Don't count on it being that cheap in August. 4) Fast food is your normal $4-5 a meal like everywhere else. There is a Meijer on US-250, the main way in from the turnpike, that should have camping supplies and groceries. They also have discounted CP tickets if you don't have passes. 5) Depends on if everything is running, what day of the week it is, and how fast you move through the park. On a weekday I've hit every coaster in the park in one day. It's a tight squeeze, but it's doable. If you want to take your time and re-ride your favorites 2 days should plenty. Maybe 3 if you want to hit up soak city too. 6) I've yet to go there so I can't comment yet. 7) I have not had to deal with there disability policies personally so I do not know. I found some info here though. Hopefully someone else could help you on that. Hope this answerers some of your questions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carnage Posted May 29, 2008 Share Posted May 29, 2008 1st of all, does anyone know about the campground at Bayshore Estates? We're thinking about camping there. No hotels/motels on this trip, we're roughing it, camping out of my van. I think I've stayed there a few times if that's the place I'm thinking of. Although I stayed in their trailers that they have for rent. (which were a pretty good deal). The campground itself looked decent enough. Not sketchy like the place we used to stay at on 250 by the turnpike. From the way you're talking it seems like you don't have a Wonderland platinum pass?? Because if you had platinum passes the cost of admision and parking would be nothing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kris182_2000 Posted May 29, 2008 Author Share Posted May 29, 2008 We're going to upgrade our passes, currently we have a regular season's pass. Bayshore Estates is on Shoreway Drive, south of Cedar Point. $4/gallon is about standard with our prices right now at $1.30/litre so I'm not worried about it now I guess, it's never going to be cheap again. I have a minivan, can't drive anything else. Ok, so maybe we wont need to go for 6 days then, maybe 3 or 4 days would be enough for us. But I have to worry about rain, I hear that August gets very rainy. We would be arriving on the 6th of August, or maybe the 5th, depending on how late the Behemoth bash goes on the 4th. I don't want to be driving early in the morning on the 5th if we're going to be late at Wonderland. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RCFreak Posted May 29, 2008 Share Posted May 29, 2008 Couple of things, the toll for the Causeway is already added to the $10 parking fee, so you don't have to worry about it, as already mentioned. In addition to the Meijer already mentioned, there's also an ALDI in the area that has really cheap food, and they have a Super Walmart and a regular Target in the area. Depending on if you literally do everything the park offers, I'd say 3 days will be enough for the park itself (and even Soak City) if you don't rush at all. When I was still working there, I had a friend who literally tried to ride every ride an adult could ride in one Saturday. The great thing is he actually succeeded a couple of times on a few different Saturdays, a couple of times he was only off by a few rides. Soak City is decent, it's not amazing and you can find better slides elsewhere, but if you have an extra half day I think it's worth to go if you don't go to Castaway bay or Kalahari (both of which are indoor water parks that offer day passes). It sounds like they changed the Special Access Pass from when I worked there, but it won't save you any time on waiting. If you have more then two in your party, you and another person can wait outside of the ride while the rest of your party must go through the regular line and you and that other person can meet up with them when it's time for all of you to board. (This may have changed as well but) If there are only two of you, you have to visit the attractions entrance to gain a boarding time based on the queues current wait time. When the boarding time comes up, you may then enter the rides Special Access point (usually the exit of the ride) and get on the ride. Again, the policy has changed since I worked there and what I wrote above is based on the Policy from when I worked there and what is written in the Rider Safety Guide for 2008, which you can download the PDF from the link RedB gave in his post. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kris182_2000 Posted May 29, 2008 Author Share Posted May 29, 2008 I read the info in the link which is pretty much standard with our park up here. Not all of our rides have wait times, some you can just go right on with the guidebook which is nice. There will only be 2 of us. I'm looking forward to a fun trip, I just need to make sure we save up enough for it. It's something I've wanted to do for a while, and this will be our honeymoon trip that we didn't get to take last summer when we got married. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shesaidboom Posted May 30, 2008 Share Posted May 30, 2008 Is it worth going to Soak City? We like waterparks, but not sure that we want to do this, or just spend half a day there. I'm not a big waterpark person, so maybe my opinion is invalid, but checking out the layout/slides, Soak City doesn't look like it's anything special... probably not anything you should fret about missing. How long does it take to actually do all the coasters in the park? I'm assuming we'd need a few days at least to do it all. The first time we went [for two days], we were quite worried about getting everything in in that amount of time. It turned out that we managed to get everything but TTD on the first day... and only because TTD was broken. Second day ended up being exclusively for re-rides, basically. Subsequent times we've gone, we've planned two or three days at the park, and have gotten quite bored on the third or so day. My suggestion is that you should probably take three days for the park. First day for getting all the credits, second and third for re-riding what you really like/hitting flats/checking everything else out. I always condone credit-runs on the first day, just so you can figure out what's good/what sucks. If you're hitting the water park, maybe schedule a fourth day, and hit the water park in the morning. Depending on where you live, you should be able to do that for the morning/afternoon, leave around 5 or 6 and make it home just after midnight. If you're really looking to cut costs, you could probably do two days for the park, with the third day half for water park/half for driving home. Also curious about what kind of program they have for people with disabilities regarding lines. I couldn't get a clear answer last year regarding this policy. At Wonderland it's a guidebook, and it saves people on waiting in line. I've had to use it before, and I may need something at CP due to my ongoing knee problems. I'm assuming it's similar at CP, with the guidebook where you check off the rides. I can't verify that one way or the other, though. If you need any other advice or suggestions, ask away! We're not the most experienced CP-goers there are, but we've been quite a few times in the past couple of years, and always travel on shoestring budgets. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coolhandluke Posted May 30, 2008 Share Posted May 30, 2008 I also think 3 days should be plenty. I went a couple weeks ago on a Friday evening/Saturday, using the Starlight thing on Friday. We got 14 rides on 11 coasters and 2 flats in 4-1/2 hours on Friday, including back-to-back rides on MF at the end. Saturday was just finishing the coaster count, then re-rides. Granted, we booked it on Friday more than necessary, but I think you'll be fine for everything in 2 to 3 full days. Rt 250 has pretty much everything you'll need, as mentioned above. And for being so close to a tourist spot, they aren't bad price-wise. Many huge retail stores, and plenty of restaurants and specialty stores. Have fun! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kris182_2000 Posted May 31, 2008 Author Share Posted May 31, 2008 Thanks for all the great advice, you're all awesome. A few more things popped into my mind today while on the road. 1st, I need to know the local radio station so I can tune in on the way down. I'm really interested more in traffic and weather reports more than music, as we have CD's stockpiled for this. Second, I'm not one for wild spiny flat rides like Chaos, what would you recommend for flat rides should we do some? And what about Skyhawk or Power Tower? I don't really like swing rides or drop rides either, I actually got hurt on our Drop Zone a couple of summers ago. I sat in the car this morning working out a schedule of what to do for the first 3 days, and I've figured this: Day 1 Woodstock Express Jr. Gemini Wildcat Cedar Creek Mine ride Disaster Transport Corkscrew Day 2 Iron Dragon Blue Streak Mean Streak Gemini Magnum XL 200 Day 3 Maverick Raptor Mantis Millennium Force Wicked Twister Top Thrill Dragster Day 4 Whatever we want I hesitate on Wicked Twister and Top Thrill Dragster as I've never done anything like them, so I'll see how I feel. But I feel now that I've done Behemoth, I should be able to tackle these coasters easily. I guess with TTD you really don't have any time to freak out huh? I really hope the weather holds up, I don't want to be screwed out of going on rides if they're all going to be shut down because of a little rain. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carnage Posted May 31, 2008 Share Posted May 31, 2008 Day 1 Woodstock Express Jr. Gemini Wildcat Cedar Creek Mine ride Disaster Transport Corkscrew Day 2 Iron Dragon Blue Streak Mean Streak Gemini Magnum XL 200 Day 3 Maverick Raptor Mantis Millennium Force Wicked Twister Top Thrill Dragster Day 4 Whatever we want You should probably reverse your plan. Hit the better rides first, and then the less popular rides. Your lineup on days 1 and 2 would be a very generous half day. Those lineups might take you 2-3 hours unless the park is crazy busy. You can't ride Jr. Gemini unless you plan on stealing a kid. As far as radio, you'll probably just be able to search the local stations to find something. But really, if you're going the Buffalo route with the exception of Buffalo and Cleveland there won't be any traffic. Those are really the only two metro areas on the whole drive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kris182_2000 Posted May 31, 2008 Author Share Posted May 31, 2008 Our reasoning on starting with the easier rides is to build up to the good rides so we know we can do them. Well, this looks like it's going to be a great little trip. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carnage Posted May 31, 2008 Share Posted May 31, 2008 Personally I prefer going big right away. Then it just gets easier. But whatever works for you. You should easily be able to get all the less popular rides done in a single day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kris182_2000 Posted May 31, 2008 Author Share Posted May 31, 2008 Awesome. I'm looking forward to it. I still don't know though when we're going to go. I'm planning it so that we leave home at 1pm, and reach the campground around 7:30pm. Possibly go and explore the park for a few hours upon arrival, but I'm not sure. I guess it depends on how I feel since I'm the only one who will be driving. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
307 Posted May 31, 2008 Share Posted May 31, 2008 Keep in mind that you're likely to face rain on at least one of the three days you're there, and you're also likely to facebreakdowns on at least one of the Big Three coasters. I understand your reasoning for hitting smaller coasters first - the first coaster roadtrip Nikki and I ever went on, I insisted that we pass up ... uh, the flying coaster at Geauga Lake, to go on Double Loop, because I hadn't been on a coaster in years. But, at CP, where TTD is about as reliable as something that isn't very reliable, you'd probably want to get on it as quick as possible, just in case an unforseen breakdown occurs and shuts it down for your stay. Not sure how it's been running this year, in accordance to breakdowns and the like, but we've been to the park a couple times where it hasn't opened for our entire multi-day stay. Rte 250/Milan Rd is basically your haven for everything, as others have said. If you do a Google Maps business search in the area for restaurants or grocery stores or department stores, you're going to be chock full of options. All of this talk about CP has made me want to go again, even though last time we were there we vowed to take a few-year break from it. Damn you! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kris182_2000 Posted May 31, 2008 Author Share Posted May 31, 2008 Haha, I'm bad aren't I If we miss TTD, it's not the end of the world, there's always another time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kris182_2000 Posted July 7, 2008 Author Share Posted July 7, 2008 It's official, this trip is on. Now, before I confirm any plans, I just want to follow up on a few things. 1. According to something I read recently(it I think was a Google directions map), the Cedar Point Causeway does indeed have a toll. Can someone who goes there frequently please confirm if this is the case? And if we have platinum passes are the toll fees waived? 2. Anyone know about the construction around the Detroit/Windsor border? Is this still going on? I read about it recently. I'll be looking into the campground and what I need to do to book a site there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carnage Posted July 7, 2008 Share Posted July 7, 2008 1. The toll is included in the cost of parking. So if you have a platinum pass you pay nothing. 2. I'm not exactly sure, as I went via Buffalo back in May. Considering you're from Toronto, the Buffalo route might be quicker construction or not. Personally I found the drive a bit easier going through Buffalo. You can book a site at camper village from Cedar Point's resort page. Although camper village is campers only, no tents. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kris182_2000 Posted July 7, 2008 Author Share Posted July 7, 2008 We don't have a camper, so we've decided on Bayshore Estates, it's a KOA campground. We want the shortest route to Ohio, so which one is that, Buffalo or Detroit? I've done CAA trip tix and it's come up with Detroit/Windsor as being the shortest at just under 600KM's, I think 361 miles. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carnage Posted July 7, 2008 Share Posted July 7, 2008 Well, as far as google maps is concerned it's about an extra 15km from Toronto via Buffalo then it is via Detroit. However, 15km is nothing. And going through Detroit means going through more cities, and more chances for slow down. (and not even taking into account construction). I'd say going through Buffalo is going to be quicker. Plus you could stop at Waldameer if you wanted on the way down. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kris182_2000 Posted July 7, 2008 Author Share Posted July 7, 2008 We weren't planning on stopping anywhere else, we have time constraints and a tight budget. I'm budgeting for mileage too, so I really don't want to go off course if I can help it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carnage Posted July 7, 2008 Share Posted July 7, 2008 Well Waldameer is just a bit off the interstate if you're going through Buffalo. Would probably take you an hour or two if you took your time, less if you just stopped in for a couple rides and then left. Cost wise would be less then $20. Probably not more then $5 or $6 if you just rode the coasters and then continued on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kris182_2000 Posted July 7, 2008 Author Share Posted July 7, 2008 Well, the KOA site confirms that the quickest route is through Detroit/Windsor. I'll have to get more accurate construction info closer to the time of our trip. We'll be leaving pretty early in the morning. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dandaman Posted July 8, 2008 Share Posted July 8, 2008 I can tell you construction info right now: Crap. It's easily the worst construction project I've ever driven through. (Got my full license as of Friday... "Hey, let's have you drive through Detroit and its wonderful roads!") Combine that disadvantage with the prospect of Waldameer, and you're likely better off to go the Buffalo route. EDIT: According to Google Maps, your quickest route is through NY/PA anyway... a whopping two minutes shorter, but whatever. http://maps.google.ca/maps?f=d&hl=en&geocode=&saddr=toronto+ON&daddr=1+cedar+point+drive,+sandusky,+OH&mra=cc&sll=42.524748,-80.853882&sspn=2.930978,4.812012&ie=UTF8&t=h&z=8 ...Versus venturing through/close to my hometown... http://maps.google.ca/maps?f=d&hl=en&geocode=&saddr=toronto+ON&daddr=42.447781,-81.974487+to:1+cedar+point+drive,+sandusky,+OH&mra=dpe&mrcr=0&mrsp=1&sz=8&via=1&sll=42.524748,-80.853882&sspn=2.930978,4.812012&ie=UTF8&t=h&z=8 I still recommend travelling through NY/PA, if not solely for the horrid construction in Southern Ontario/Detroit. EDIT-EDIT: Apologies for the long links. I'm the idiot who hasn't figured out how to hyperlink in this type of forum. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Groteslurf Posted July 8, 2008 Share Posted July 8, 2008 In case you didn't know, you have access to the morning ERT with you platinum pass. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Little Coaster Girl Posted July 9, 2008 Share Posted July 9, 2008 If we miss TTD, it's not the end of the world, there's always another time. NOOO!! you cant miss dragster. Its so worth waiting in line for. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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