Question about first Cedar Point Trip

[Mustangman55]

Hey there all! Apologize if this is posted in the wrong area of the forum but I saw another thread asking for trip advice and wanted to shoot my shot to the experts. 
 

Looks like health permitting I will finally be going to cedar point this summer! Yay! And to top it off I will get 3 full days at the park and a stay at the breakers(which I’m told is an awesome and very convenient experience). There is one factor I just can’t decide on and that’s what week I should go. Person I’m going with says first week of June would be good because the crowds will be lower. But there’s a caveat. The park closes at 8 that week and it isn’t until later in the month that it stays open until 11pm. I have also been told Ride Ops will be slower/worse the earlier you go. A local told me you run the risk of more stuff having downtime. 
 

The cons of going later in June(18-20)will certainly mean it is more crowded but by how much? Like would the crowds offset the increased hours because that means longer lines? Another local told me it would be way hotter and to definitely go early JUNE to skip the heat and people. I don’t do well in heat.  So that’s two different opinions from locals haha! It also doesn’t help that I’m very indecisive because of my OCD and this is a dream trip for me. I want to “get it right” so to speak. 
 

A few things to note I know fast lane will be expensive but I have prepared to buy it either dates so that is a non issue. Unless the park was a ghost town I have read enough good things about FL here and other places. I am the kind of person who wants to ride every coaster in the park and ride multiple times based on how much I like the ride. If I wanna ride Maverick 20 times I will do it lol. And night rides might be really neat. 
 

But if early June is really less crowded and much cooler I think I would probably prefer that. As long as the ops aren’t bad (I know nobody can guarantee me anything here). But those elusive night rides sound fun! 
 

 

Anyway I would really appreciate any thoughts you all can add to this discussion. Carowinds is my home park but I’ve never ventured out further because of health issues. I’m really hoping this will work out. 
 

 

[prozach626]

I've always had luck going the first week of full operations. Meaning Mon-Sun 10am-10pm.

[thepoint4life23]

From what I understand A lot of out of states schools are still in the beginning of June. You might get lucky and have less crowds, but must of Ohio schools will be out by the end of May. I would always go around my birthday on 10th of June and it was never crazy busy but the closer you get to July the busier it will get. 

The Ride ops issue shouldn't be as bad by June. A lot of it is just over all staffing and they should have more staff and getting reps in. They have a few weekends  and more staff starting after the first week. 

The temp in Ohio can be between 40 and 100 degrees. Its Ohio. June can be mid 80 to 90 depending. Pushing it out a few weeks wont change that much. The weather today in Ohio was a high of 60 and yesterday was almost 90. 

Fast lane i would budget for one day do all your riding that day then the other two just enjoy the parks and if you want to get it the rest of the trip you always can. I would just try to plan for weekdays if you can. 

 

Just depends on one if you want night rides and two just what works best for you. If your warried about your health might be bust just to go as soon as you can why your feeling great. 

 

[prozach626]

Just looking at the schedule, I'd go Sunday 06/16, Monday 06/17, and Tuesday 06/18. All 10am-10pm operations. If you can swing it, just do FL for all. How often do you get to go to the park? We don't even ride a ton, but when we go to the parks we always buy FL+. We can walk around end enjoy the park instead of waiting in line. If I had to do without it for one day, I'd pick the middle day. Just chill by the pool or something. Beer/cocktails included.

FL or bust. Life is too short. (if you can responsibly afford it)

[Mustangman55]

5 hours ago, prozach626 said:

Just looking at the schedule, I'd go Sunday 06/16, Monday 06/17, and Tuesday 06/18. All 10am-10pm operations. If you can swing it, just do FL for all. How often do you get to go to the park? We don't even ride a ton, but when we go to the parks we always buy FL+. We can walk around end enjoy the park instead of waiting in line. If I had to do without it for one day, I'd pick the middle day. Just chill by the pool or something. Beer/cocktails included.

FL or bust. Life is too short. (if you can responsibly afford it)

That is an extremely compelling argument. And I do agree about FL. It would be nice not to pay but like you said I may not be back for quite some time. In fact that’s quite likely. 
 

Can I ask why you say Sun-Tuesday instead of the middle of the week? Also I take it you mean I should arrive at the park Saturday 6/15 and then enjoy those three full days. 
 

I guess for me it’s going to come down to heat and crowds. Just how much worse would the crowd & heat be on those dates vs the beginning? I know fast lane is awesome but I have seen people say that in the busy times FL can still be a decently long wait. I know you’re not a magic genie that can predict the future perfectly obvi(thinking out loud). And I’m guessing Top Thrill 2 isn’t going to help matters lol. 
 

I think I’d rather go earlier and balance out the crowds but I’m definitely taking your opinion into account. I also have some very recent health crap that could actually push me to go those days you recommend anyway. I’m hoping to ride my heart out.

 

Thanks for the response! 

[Mustangman55]

10 hours ago, thepoint4life23 said:

From what I understand A lot of out of states schools are still in the beginning of June. You might get lucky and have less crowds, but must of Ohio schools will be out by the end of May. I would always go around my birthday on 10th of June and it was never crazy busy but the closer you get to July the busier it will get. 

The Ride ops issue shouldn't be as bad by June. A lot of it is just over all staffing and they should have more staff and getting reps in. They have a few weekends  and more staff starting after the first week. 

The temp in Ohio can be between 40 and 100 degrees. Its Ohio. June can be mid 80 to 90 depending. Pushing it out a few weeks wont change that much. The weather today in Ohio was a high of 60 and yesterday was almost 90. 

Fast lane i would budget for one day do all your riding that day then the other two just enjoy the parks and if you want to get it the rest of the trip you always can. I would just try to plan for weekdays if you can. 

 

Just depends on one if you want night rides and two just what works best for you. If your warried about your health might be bust just to go as soon as you can why your feeling great. 

 

Thanks for another kind reply I appreciate both of your responses. I will look at Ohio weather over the next few days and see as I haven’t paid attention. Only heard second hand. Unfortunately middle of the week June 17-20 appears to be completely booked up besides the crazy expensive suite. I’ve thought about going the week after but then that’s probably more crowds and hotter. 
 

I will also think about going the dates Prozac suggested as that may fit the bill. 
 

 

If I knew crowds would be almost identical I’d definitely do the dates you guys are suggesting. You seem to be a local how different would first week be most likely?

Health also may get in the way so I really appreciate you understanding that. I really wish I could wave my magic wand and make Cedar point stay open until 10 that first week. Also apologies if I’m kind of asking the same things twice or wanting more details. I’m just that kind of OCD person that loves every little detail. I don’t mean to be daft

 

Thank you.  

[bill_s]

Closing at 8 also reflects the park's own forecast of the crowds, although part of that is self-fulfilling. If you're big into night rides, there is no substitute though. I went a Sun-Mon the Sunday was until 10. 

You can still do a lot without Fastlane between less popular rides and the start and end of each day, for example I got 2 rides on MF the first night in 30-40 min. Practically the first thing I did upon getting FL was ride Magnum which thankfully wasn't out to the merge point. The merge is highly variable depending on the ride.

[thepoint4life23]

Each week you wait will Get a little busier. If the hotel is fully booked means its going to be pretty booked. Like he said you can knocked alot out the last hour or so in the park, and first hour if you dont waste it waiting for something to open.

https://www.accuweather.com/en/us/sandusky/44870/june-weather/1167

This might help not a big change from start of June to the middle. Also its on a leak will always have some kind of breeze. 

[prozach626]

The last three times I went to Cedar Point, I went in mid-June. Just shoot for whatever is available first from Sun-Friday and go from there. I don't think you're going to get nightmare scenario (pun intended) Halloween event FL situation where you will wait over an hour. Will you maybe wait 30+ minutes for some rides? Yeah. It's Cedar Point.

But, with 3 days of FL, you can take your time and get everything in.

The alternative is to go earlier in June when the park isn't open as late, and just make the most of it. I'd personally rather ride less and have 10-10 to come and go from Breakers as I pleased, and not get to ride as much. The combination of Breakers, Cedar Point, and FL is a well rounded experience regardless. If less rides and 'a little' more wait during the day means I get to view the park lit up, so be it. I always take my chances on that.

My other advice is when (not if) you see Maverick's FL spilling out into the midway, just pass by and check it again later when you're in the area. That FL queue is either feast or famine.

Good luck with your health problems. I hope they don't get in the way to the point where you can have an awesome time.

I'm not a fan of long narcissistic TR's anymore, but I'd definitely like to see yours when it's all over.

[Mustangman55]

On 5/11/2024 at 12:11 AM, prozach626 said:

The last three times I went to Cedar Point, I went in mid-June. Just shoot for whatever is available first from Sun-Friday and go from there. I don't think you're going to get nightmare scenario (pun intended) Halloween event FL situation where you will wait over an hour. Will you maybe wait 30+ minutes for some rides? Yeah. It's Cedar Point.

But, with 3 days of FL, you can take your time and get everything in.

The alternative is to go earlier in June when the park isn't open as late, and just make the most of it. I'd personally rather ride less and have 10-10 to come and go from Breakers as I pleased, and not get to ride as much. The combination of Breakers, Cedar Point, and FL is a well rounded experience regardless. If less rides and 'a little' more wait during the day means I get to view the park lit up, so be it. I always take my chances on that.

My other advice is when (not if) you see Maverick's FL spilling out into the midway, just pass by and check it again later when you're in the area. That FL queue is either feast or famine.

Good luck with your health problems. I hope they don't get in the way to the point where you can have an awesome time.

I'm not a fan of long narcissistic TR's anymore, but I'd definitely like to see yours when it's all over.

I have got my rooms locked in!!!!! After doing some soul searching I just could not disagree with your logic of buying FL every day and going longer hours. It’s simply not worth it to risk maybe having a disappointment over a few more dollars or a few more hours(I got to thinking about how 10pm will let me rest around 5-6pm and provide less hurry like you say). 
 

I will arrive June 16 and have the next 3 full days after that. So three and a half days. Personally I’m not a great photographer so if I do a report it will be fairly light. Thanks so much for all your patience 
 

 

Crossing my fingers on Top thrill 2.  Thanks everyone. 

[bert425]

22 hours ago, Mustangman55 said:

I will arrive June 16 and have the next 3 full days after that. So three and a half days. Personally I’m not a great photographer so if I do a report it will be fairly light. Thanks so much for all your patience 

 

 

 

don't let jealous, judgy, assholes stop you from doing a trip report.

I'd love to see your first impression of a park that's been on your bucket-list.  

[BobloLives]

I'd love to see a long trip report from someone with a fresh perspective -- Cedar Point does have some hidden corners and gems to explore. The Frontier Trail was always nice and is still a bit of a respite from the madness; I've never been in their waterpark and have been going to CP since 1975; the beach is nice with rentals if you're into that ... take pix of anything that catches your eye! We're all enthusiasts here

[Mustangman55]

Thanks for the support everyone!  Unfortunately as I’m sure you’re aware Top Thrill 2 has remained closed so far. It’s actually pretty important for me in terms of what I’m wanting to experience. So I’ll probably reschedule to august to have a better shot at riding it.

Looking at August 12 to 16 or 14-16 as that’s the last week it’s open till 10. But folks have told me waiting until even later in August can yield some incredibly low crowds.

 

Anyone have any August CP experience? Thanks

 

[tndank]

thrill-data.net, queue-times, and other similar sites have historical data you can view.  Just go see what those weeks were like the last couple years.

 

 

[Mustangman55]

On 5/25/2024 at 9:55 PM, tndank said:

thrill-data.net, queue-times, and other similar sites have historical data you can view.  Just go see what those weeks were like the last couple years.

 

 

Hey is that the same as https://www.thrill-data.com

 

?

[Mustangman55]

On 5/13/2024 at 6:07 PM, bert425 said:

don't let jealous, judgy, assholes stop you from doing a trip report.

I'd love to see your first impression of a park that's been on your bucket-list.  

Dang I feel all special that someone cares about my Cedar Point thoughts lol.

 

But seriously thank you. You guys have all been so nice to me

 

 

im still having trouble deciding middle august (night rides) vs last week of August in terms of crowd levels. If fast pass evens it out I’d prefer to go earlier. But If rides are literally a walk on late in August because the kiddos are in school…. Tough choice. Any personal experience?

[coasterbill]

I would go earlier but either is fine. The tradeoff is crowds vs staffing. Late August is dead, but smaller rides may not open or may open late, Gemini probably won't race if it opens at all, food lines might be extremely long with many places closed, etc.

 

[Mustangman55]

3 hours ago, coasterbill said:

I would go earlier but either is fine. The tradeoff is crowds vs staffing. Late August is dead, but smaller rides may not open or may open late, Gemini probably won't race if it opens at all, food lines might be extremely long with many places closed, etc.

 

Oh wow what are some other rides that may not open? Like flat rides? I definitely wanna ride max air and every coaster that isn’t literally for small kids. Also will less staff affect rides that are open with slower ops potentially?

 

Personally I’m not too bothered about food being closed. But if the lines are practically the same with FL I would choose middle for sure. I know you can’t say for sure but I’m wondering just how big the difference is. Like are we potentially talking about Maverick having a 20 minute regular line vs a 90 minute line kinda thing. Thanks coasterbill  

 

also those darn crowd counters and calendars keep showing it’ll be packed in mid August or at the least very. busy. But I don’t know how much stock to put into that. Thanks for your patience having ocd and second thoughts isn’t fun lol

[prozach626]

  

On 5/13/2024 at 5:07 PM, bert425 said:

don't let jealous, judgy, assholes stop you from doing a trip report.

????????

 

On 6/7/2024 at 12:01 PM, Mustangman55 said:

I definitely wanna ride max air and every coaster that isn’t literally for small kids.

Thank you for not clogging the queues for kids, while maintaining your dignity.

 

I hope you have a great trip. You're definitely doing your homework.

[thepoint4life23]

Did you figure out when your going? 

[Mustangman55]

4 hours ago, thepoint4life23 said:

Did you figure out when your going? 

I don’t know if I’m going now. I might go to a different park this year if TT2 stays down. I am scheduled for middle August at the moment 

 

I know it sounds a little harsh not to go over one ride being down but I have literally put off going because of the original top thrill being down. So it’s a big deal for me. I’m thinking of Busch Gardens Tampa

[prozach626]

I vote Busch Gardens Williamsburg or Hershey Park. Both are two day parks. Lines are usually more manageable at BGW during the week, especially when it's hot.

We just stayed at Kings Mill Resort close to BGW. It's a beautiful higher end resort, which is surprisingly way cheaper than Hershey Lodge for what you get. We got a waterfront king room. You can do some local history when you're in the area. BGW is a beautiful park, and is one of our favorites. It feels much more well put together to us than BGT.

You could also do a day at Knoebels and a couple days at Hershey.

[Mustangman55]

On 7/24/2024 at 8:24 PM, prozach626 said:

I vote Busch Gardens Williamsburg or Hershey Park. Both are two day parks. Lines are usually more manageable at BGW during the week, especially when it's hot.

We just stayed at Kings Mill Resort close to BGW. It's a beautiful higher end resort, which is surprisingly way cheaper than Hershey Lodge for what you get. We got a waterfront king room. You can do some local history when you're in the area. BGW is a beautiful park, and is one of our favorites. It feels much more well put together to us than BGT.

You could also do a day at Knoebels and a couple days at Hershey.

Thanks. I will definitely think about that. Do you know anything about best times to go to BGT? Like August vs September? Weekday vs weekend at those months.
 

The reason I’m leaning towards that park is I really want to experience Gwazi and Montu. If I could find someway to work island of adventure in there I’d be very happy. I think that I could actually make the drive to BGW pretty easy so I don’t wanna use plane tickets(already purchased) on that lol 

I actually don’t know anything about Knoebels. I’ll definitely look that up 

[Doppel Looping]

Don't rule out Michigans adventure!

[prozach626]

Any time is a good time for BGW. Montu is great, and I'm sure IG is too. Overall, I feel like BGW is a lot more beautiful and has more to offer as far as the atmosphere goes. It's an incredible place.