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Waldameer or Kings Island


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If you had to pick one of these parks to go to which would you pick, Waldameer or Kings Island? Were going to Cedar Point for two days but I want to add in another day the plan was to go to Kings Island but now I'm thinking of Waldameer. I have been to KI once but it was years ago and I didn't ride everything. I have never been to Waldameer.

 

If we do Waldameer which sounds better. IT's a 9 hour drive from home were going on memorial weekend, drive early friday morning get to Waldameer around lunch time, when were done drive to Sandusky for the night. Then have Saturday and Sunday at Cedar Point.

or

Go right to Cedar Point get there around Lunch on Friday and spend the rest of Friday at the park and all Day Saturday leave Sunday morning to drive to Waldameer and spend Sunday there.

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It depends on what you're looking for. Both parks are vastly different. Do you want to ride a lot of coasters in a big, corporate park, or do you want to go for a smaller, "traditional" park feel?

 

Tell us more about what you are personally interested in to help us give you advice.

 

The last thing I want to do is steer someone towards a park where the only major attraction they have is a big wooden coaster and it turns out that person prefers steel.

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Well I like coasters and more coasters I do perfer steel over wood, but I'm taking my 4 year old son with me and my mother as a babysitter and my boyfriend so I will have to give some on this trip it's not all about me this time, we must take time to do the kid stuff. I have never been to a smaller park like Waldameer so I'm not so sure what to expect. I do have Raven on my coaster list as a must do. Another reason I was thinking of doing Waldameer is we can hit it first so after two days of Cedar Point we can head home I'm not sure how my mother or son will handle this big trip. We have only done day trips with my son to parks. We will be staying at the Great Wolf at Cedar Point so my mom and son can just chill at the hotel when they are tired.

 

thanks for your help

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^ Well Kings Island has one of the greatest selection of kiddy rides you'll find anywhere, but I like the atmosphere at Waldameer much better. Ravine Flyer II is better than any coaster at Kings Island, but Kings Island definitely has a lot more rides. I'd say Waldameer is a half-day at best, where KI definitely will take a day to do especially including the kids' stuff. KI will also be vastly more expensive for everything: admission, food, drinks, parking, etc. Again, as Robb said, it depends on what you're looking for.

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I just can't make my mind up on this. LOL My boyfriend is no help he says he will do whatever I pick. I will also hit my 100th coaster on this trip which will be Maverick at CP I have been on everything else but the kid coasters there. I feel like Waldmeer will not be as rushed for us which will be better for my son. We also have Plantium Passes for cedar fair so KI will not cost anything but food. I need someone to just make my mind up for me LOL

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I haven't been to either park but after doing Cedar Point for a couple of days a change of pace might be nice so I'd choose Waldameer. You won't be rushing around trying to fit so many things in as you would at KI. Just my 2 cents.

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^Not trying to be mean or anything, but if you haven't been to either park, you're probably not very qualified to give advice here. Just a thought.

 

No rushing around at KI. The lines can be worse than CP depending on the day. You'll be hurrying just to stand in line. After more thought, I think Waldameer might be the better choice, also. Unless you want to go a few hours out of your way... then I'd definitely hit Indiana Beach. But that aside, Waldameer is a great park without all the corporate gloss-over.

Edited by jamesdillaman
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I would check the height restrictions for rides at Waldameer against how tall the 4 year old is. If you're more into steel coasters than woodies, and you like a park with a lot of coasters, then Kings Island might be a better fit for you.

 

Ravine Flyer II is really good...but perhaps a park with Diamondback might be more your thing? I'm not sure.

 

I do know that the kids area of Kings Island has a lot of rides for kids, and if your 4 year old is 40" then he can at least ride the jr. woodie and several flats a Kings Island. Here is their height guide: http://www.visitkingsisland.com/public/park/rides/height_guide.cfm

 

Compared to the height guide at Waldameer:

http://www.waldameer.com/attractions_restrictions.asp

 

Both parks have a fair amount of flats and one or two small coasters that a 36" - 40" child can do.

 

--Robb

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Considering the magnitude in difference between the 2 parks I think I'm smart enough to make an educated guess on the situation and still solicit advice. Cedar Point and Kings Island are similar types of parks and I was suggesting that after being at one for 2 days she might want to go to a totally different type of park for a change of pace. Judging by your suggestion I wasn't too far off.

 

^Not trying to be mean or anything, but if you haven't been to either park, you're probably not very qualified to give advice here. Just a thought.

 

No rushing around at KI. The lines can be worse than CP depending on the day. You'll be hurrying just to stand in line. After more thought, I think Waldameer might be the better choice, also. Unless you want to go a few hours out of your way... then I'd definitely hit Indiana Beach. But that aside, Waldameer is a great park without all the corporate gloss-over.

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That's a tough decision. As others have said, it's up to your preference, but both are great choices. Waldameer shouldn't be underestimated either, it's not the biggest park, but it still has a decent selection of rides besides Ravine Flyer II. Even so, Waldameer still has it's limits and one definite downside is that you will probably be able to do everything you want to do in a small amount of time, and perhaps get bored after a while. That's less likely to happen with a park like KI. As I said, you'd be happy at either, but if you're leaning towards Waldameer then I'd say go for it. RFII is a great, world-class coaster that defeinitely deserves it's ranking as one of the best in the world.

Edited by FeelTheFORCE
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I've been to both parks many times. They both have their ups and downs. Waldameer has a couple classic cooky walkthrough attractions as well, along with a nice kiddie coaster for your 4 year old. The park is a quaint little place that's got some nice attractions. The downsides are that you may not be able to spend an entire day there easily as there aren't a whole ton of attractions like Kings Island. While all the attractions at Waldameer are quite nice, there's just not all that many of them. Another plus is a waterpark at Waldameer which I believe has seen expansion in the past few years. For a family atmosphere, you'd definitely want to go here. And their star attraction is really worth the trip if you want to head on to Ravine Flyer II. It's my top wood coaster as of typing this.

 

Kings Island, while not my favorite park ever, I visited two years in a row as I liked it quite a lot. They have plenty of world class thrills, coasters, and attractions. You aren't going to be spared any type of thrill if you go to Kings Island. They also have a nice kiddieland which I believe was ranked as one of the best in the country. There's at least two 'family friendly' coasters, one being wooden, one steel. Also, there is a mine train and a swinging inverted coaster which you may put in whatever category you like. If you are a thrill seeker, you aren't going to be jipped there either, as they've got the Beast, Vortex, Diamondback, Firehawk, a huge drop tower, Flight Of Fear, all of which are some of my favorite attractions ever. There's also a waterpark. Downsides here are a lack of shade, so if you get stuck on a sweltering day, you may need somewhere to cool off. Also, lines can get quite long (hours) on weekends at Kings Island, but they've been near non-existent when I've went during the week, at walk on status for things like the Beast. Overall, this park is much more coorporate, and you may find yourself paying large amounts for small amounts of food, which may or may not be up to quality. It's run as a big thrill park, much like Cedar Point, and the atmosphere certainly reflects that.

 

So overall, it depends on what you're looking for. You may want something quieter and smaller, or you may want lots of rides and things to do to stay entertained for a full day. I won't encourage one over the other, as I really enjoyed both parks, but it's up to you to decide.

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Wow thanks for all the advice, my boy is 45 inches (he's tall for his age) so he can do just about all the kid coasters. I guess I should have said this before but Kings Dominion is my home park not that it matters but just wanted to throw that out there. I think right now my plan is to leave about 4am in the morning that puts us at Waldameer around lunch, spend a few hours there. Then drive to Sandusky check in at the Great Wolf and if we have time me and my boyfriend will hit Cedar Point leave my son at the hotel with mom, if we don't have time we will get a good night sleep and get to Cedar Point at 9am. This way we will have all day Saturday and Sunday in the park. This is what I think will work best for now I hope I don't change my mind again, only downside is I feel like I missed out on Diamonback but maybe another time. Kings Dominion had a good kids area for the most part so I don't feel to bad missing out on KI kid's area. I have never had such a hard time planning a trip before lol

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I'm very curious to ride Diamondback this summer as it opened to such rave Ohio Fan Boy reviews, but then quickly faded into oblivion. I'm not a B&M Hyper fan by any means but would say my current favorite is probably Behemoth (would have been Raging Bull if they would stop trimming it to death!)

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Diamondback is way overated anyway. Apollo's Chariot is a similair ride and is smoother.

 

It is quite alarming how much rattle was in Diamondback after only a season... Hope it doesn't keep getting worse.

Pun intended?

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I'm very curious to ride Diamondback this summer as it opened to such rave Ohio Fan Boy reviews, but then quickly faded into oblivion. I'm not a B&M Hyper fan by any means but would say my current favorite is probably Behemoth (would have been Raging Bull if they would stop trimming it to death!)

 

Yay! While we were at Great America it seemed to be an unwritten rule to not complain about Raging Bull's trims. Loved the layout, but as it is the ride was just a great first drop followed by some meandering around. Glad to see someone who agrees.

 

Don't expect too much from Diamondback, especially if B&M hypers aren't your cup of tea. I think it got the hype it did only because so many of the park's other rides are lackluster.

 

And OP, good choice picking Waldameer. It'll be a nice contrast to Cedar Point.

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