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Cedar Point (CP) Discussion Thread

p. 2030 - Top Thrill 2 announced!

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Got back last night from a few days at CP & Hotel Breakers. Not going to take the time to do detailed trip review but a few notes and observations on things that have been discussed lately:

 

Rides - everything was running very well Sat night, Sun, and Monday. Any shutdowns I observed were minimal and there was nothing down for an extended period of time that I know of. Other than Gemini which went down twice while we were in line, it seemed to be our cursed ride of the trip and was frequently only running one train. Valravn ran the whole time with two trains. TTD had a brief shutdown on Monday evening but we are talking maybe 30-45 min. And SV had a few very brief shutdowns due to "guest illness" in fact lots of protein spills on SV while we were there, including two rows behind us while on the break run waiting to come in....and that was the first train of the day on Sunday morning! Yuk.

 

Lines - about as crowded as I've ever seen it on Sat when we got in about 4:30. So we took our time checking in and then had some dinner and since it was a midnight close caught some rides late night. Sun we had FL+ and worth every penny, seriously. Monday was lighter, not quiet by any means but lighter and manageable.

 

Food - after all the discussion here and my extreme anticipation of Melt I was a little disappointed by my meal there BUT upon retrospect, I really ordered the wrong thing. Got a sandwich that was fried (I was thinking in a pan, like a panini) but it had been coated with funnel cake batter and deep fried, so rich I could only eat about a quarter of it and I'm no slouch eater. My bad, should have read the menu more carefully. However, my son and dad both got much simpler grilled cheese sandwiches and they were delicious (yes I tasted them) and fries and salad were tasty. Will go again and be much more careful about what I order. We also had a meal at Famous Dave's and despite my usual "meh" reaction to bbq it was admittedly pretty tasty. Did not get a chance to try the new Backbeat bbq, Johnny Rockets and Pinks were exactly what we expected.

 

Water park - since we had a little extra time this visit we spent a few hours Mon afternoon at the water park. Not the most unique or exciting water park I've ever been to but certainly respectable considering the minimal number of days it is actually warm enough to use it! It was a relaxing break and a nice way to cool off. There is also a nice little 21+ pool that is fenced off from the rest of the park. If I had to pay a large amount extra for a ticket I don't think it would have been worth it but we were able to add on the water park to our 3 day tickets for a very minimal amount.

 

Forbidden Frontier - hmmmmm, well, ummmm....how to say this. I like the concept but frankly it was kind of boring. The entry with the bouncy walkway or raft was cute, but not sure it's something most people would be interested in more than once. The kids playground is nice and that whole area is well shaded with lots of comfy chairs and hammocks. A good place for a break if you have little kids for sure. But overall I just didn't feel they explained the interactive concept clearly enough. I saw some people walking around but not really participating in the find the treasure map thing because I'm just not sure they got that there was something to find. Seems they needed to advertise/explain the idea a bit better. We did see some "characters" but there was minimal interaction. Now we were there late afternoon and maybe being between shows for back there it was just a quiet time, but there just wasn't much going on. Curious to see if they do the same interactive activity next season or if they change it from year to year. I agree with whomever said it would benefit from a ride, particularly a log flume, back there. Although I realize they just took a log flume out of that area. It just needs "something".

 

Hotel Breakers - I know it's expensive and I know if you are just looking at the room, it doesn't seem worth the price....BUT if you can swing it is so super damned convenient to be right there, particularly if you have people in your group that might need a break in the afternoon. Will never stay off property. Also, as hotel guests I was able to get a 3 day park to park ticket for $86, I did not see this option on line, they had a two day for $80 but that's it so worth asking about.

 

Weather - while I realize this is completely out of everyone's control. I must say that this is the first time it has ever been what I consider warm at CP. I was there once in June with highs in the 70's (nice but not warm) and once in May where it was in the 40's and raining; I had so many layers on I almost had to take the walk of shame. So despite the forecast I did not trust the wind from Canada and still threw hoodies and raincoats in the car. We did not need them, it was all summer this time around.

 

Overall a fun trip, my Dad tagged along and was flabbergasted by the size of the whole complex, he really had no idea having only experienced our local park, SFSTl, he particularly enjoyed the "running of the Steel Vengeance bulls" as I call the early entry horde that races to SV. One funny note, now that he is a ride ops himself, my son was suddenly noticing things he never noticed before about the differences between operations at SF and CP. He was most affronted when he realized that every attendant at a line entrance got a stool AND a phone, lol.

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Does anyone know why Corkscrew is closed? It’s been closed all day (at least every time I’ve checked) and when we went of Windseeker it was stuck at the base of the lift.

Also the park is pretty dead for any day in July, maybe the tropical system scared everyone off because I’ve never seen it like this on a weekday in July. All rides have had sub 60 minutes wait times with most not running all trains, and Raptor and Rougarou only had one.

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Does anyone know why Corkscrew is closed? It’s been closed all day (at least every time I’ve checked) and when we went of Windseeker it was stuck at the base of the lift.

Also the park is pretty dead for any day in July, maybe the tropical system scared everyone off because I’ve never seen it like this on a weekday in July. All rides have had sub 60 minutes wait times with most not running all trains, and Raptor and Rougarou only had one.

 

CP coasters running one train? I’ve never heard of THAT happening before. Jeez

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CP coasters running one train? I’ve never heard of THAT happening before. Jeez

 

They never really do it unless it rains. It rained yesterday morning so a lot of rides probably went up with one train and since it wasn't crowded they probably took their time adding more since it was dead and it didn't really matter.

 

... just a guess, but that's a pretty typical scenario.

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I must say that I really envy those of you who get to visit several theme parks each year. I wished I knew how you do it. It seems that those with jobs don't have the time to travel, and those without jobs don't have the money to travel.

 

I grew up in a family who had no interest in traveling. That being said, I was 17 before I got to visit my first amusement park. That was 1994. I had to wait until 1998 and 2002 for my second and third visits to any amusement park. And subsequent visits were limited to single visits in 2004, 2006, 2010, 2011 & 2013. But from 2014 onward, I became very lucky and stumbled across 3 separate interested parties which resulted in 2-3 visits each year until last year.

 

The first party was the most coaster-crazy of the 3, and without this party, I would never have made it to Cedar Point, nor would I have ever made it back to King's Island. Unfortunately, they disbanded late in 2017 after the leader moved to South Dakota and the rest have all went their separate ways. I tried to regroup them last year for a trip to Adventureland, but was largely ignored. Though I'm the one who got this group into coasters, I can't duplicate the leader's charisma and motivate them like he could.

 

The head of the second group is naive and thinks there's no place better than SFGAM, and turned down a few invitations to go to CP/KI with the first group. But that didn't happen last year as he got a different job, and it doesn't appear like he will be available this year either. Also, he has a baby now, so things have certainly changed.

 

The head of the third group is almost 72 and was never too thrilled about amusement parks, but was willing to do an amusement park secondary to a road trip, hence the reason I was able to visit Mt. Olympus Theme Park in 2015, Lakeside near Denver in 2016 & Michigan's adventure last year. Hard financial times have strapped him for this summer, and probably even next year.

 

And out of all the other people I know, people are just not interested. I don't know if it is part of the downstate Illinois mentality or what. My step-mother berated me this spring and flat out said we were too old for roller coasters, which is funny because some of the people I have went with aren't even 30 yet. I've also heard others say we're too old. Maybe we are.

 

So for me, it looks like the beginning of another amusement park drought and I'm not getting any younger. It sucks, but it is what it is. And for those who were wondering, I ended up not going to Cedar Point last fall. I just wasn't about to chance the train, especially on that short of notice.

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My experience is close to the same as yours except for the last few years. I decided it's not worth trying to find some one to go parks with so I usually end up traveling to multiple parks on my own. Yes it gets pricey but I do mostly go to Cedar Fair parks as I have a platinum pass. It helps that the company I work for I get 4 weeks vacation a year.

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^^Leader? Party? Group?

 

I mostly travel to amusement parks with my daughter. Last summer and this summer she has had to back out of our second big coaster trip of the summer. I am bummed she won't be making the second trip. But I am going to do what I did last year, which is to go by myself. I enjoy parks a certain way that a lot of others don't, so I find that going solo or just with my like-minded daughter is the best way to travel.

 

So you are over 40 and your stepmother is berating you for liking roller coasters? Did you get sent to your room without dinner?

 

I am 46 and having the time of my life riding coasters. I really couldn't care less what anybody else thinks of that.

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My two cents:

 

54 years old here. Full time WDW employee but I have bought a Cedar Fair Platinum Pass the last few years and have been able to use it at Cedar Point (usually early June), Knotts (sometimes 2-3X depending on travel to the West Coast) and other Cedar Fair parks depending on my schedule. Just last week I did a 12 hour trip to Carowinds, flying up in the morning and back home in the evening.

 

I usually go alone or with my husband, and I just make it a priority to visit as many parks as I can. I also grew up going to CP every summer and then working there for five years from 1986-1990. If you want to go to a park, GO! Find a way and just do it!

 

My biggest regret is NOT visiting Astroworld when I knew it would be closing. I should have just charged a trip and made an effort to go.

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My experience is close to the same as yours except for the last few years. I decided it's not worth trying to find some one to go parks with so I usually end up traveling to multiple parks on my own. Yes it gets pricey but I do mostly go to Cedar Fair parks as I have a platinum pass. It helps that the company I work for I get 4 weeks vacation a year.

 

I hear you there. Unfortunately, I can't drive, so that makes me almost entirely on others or alternative transportation such as trains.

 

Yeah, I used to make a public post to my 800 Facebook friends to see if anybody wanted to go, and I tried to sweeten the deal by saying I'd pay all the gas expense, but I wouldn't get a single response year after year. So I finally wised up and won't even bother to do that anymore. And when I sent an event invite to the remainder of the one said group to go to Adventureland last fall, I received the similar silent treatment. I won't even bother to mess with them again.

 

I have no idea what the problem is with people in Central Illinois. I did a search of Galesburg, IL and the city has only been mentioned twice on this entire forum, and both times by me. Even Peoria has only been mentioned on here 10 times, and the majority of the references are for the one in Arizona. I run the pool hall of a bowling alley and it seems like 99% of people just want to blow their spare time, and every time, in bars, or they want to go to extravagant parties and smoke weed, and trash the places to the detriment of their landlords. Most people around here are of a cookie-cutter mentality and very cliquish at that. And the few who do go to these parks are also cliquish and would never consider inviting me along. I just don't fit in any of the local cliques. I guess I'm either too responsible or I know there's more to life than wild parties and bars.

 

Heck, the people in Galesburg can't even visit their last remaining bowling alley to save it from going under. And there are nights where my pool hall has 0 visitors. So I'm not rich by any means, but at least I can save some money only most of the people around me.

 

I may come off as ranting, but some people just don't know how lucky they are.

 

I probably will end up eventually taking trains and doing everything myself. But if there is anybody on here, especially if they live near me, who also wants to find people to go with, I'm certainly open to a new group. I know I can't blame the others for moving on to better places and I can't just sit around awaiting their return because life goes on.

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If you have not already, you might want to consider joining a recognized coaster club. Besides Club TPR there are several others. I kind of get the impression that when you say "group" you mean an informal group of friends that just went together. If you go to planned events you can often find others to drive with or at the very least have someone to meet up with when you get there.

 

I do realize how lucky I am. Being a teacher I have the summer to go on one or two coaster trips with my son! Just a perk of my job. Or if southern IL is dragging you down and denying you a lifestyle, why not consider a move. You could get a job in a big park and then get perks to go to other parks in the area or owned by the same chain. Several employees told me how hard a time CP was having staffing the park.

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My two cents:

 

54 years old here. Full time WDW employee but I have bought a Cedar Fair Platinum Pass the last few years and have been able to use it at Cedar Point (usually early June), Knotts (sometimes 2-3X depending on travel to the West Coast) and other Cedar Fair parks depending on my schedule. Just last week I did a 12 hour trip to Carowinds, flying up in the morning and back home in the evening.

 

I usually go alone or with my husband, and I just make it a priority to visit as many parks as I can. I also grew up going to CP every summer and then working there for five years from 1986-1990. If you want to go to a park, GO! Find a way and just do it!

 

My biggest regret is NOT visiting Astroworld when I knew it would be closing. I should have just charged a trip and made an effort to go.

 

I would have loved to see Astroworld. I remember being extremely shocked once I found out it was turned into a vacant lot. And I know I will have regrets if I end up pissing the rest of my 40's away without another visit, and that will happen if I just sit and do nothing, which is something I'm trying to avoid. LOL And other thing, I'm starting to get dizzy on some of the rides, which is probably because I didn't get to ride them enough prior to 2012. The longer I go without doing those g-forces, the dizzier they will make me as I get older. The body's inner ear adapts to inactive lifestyles. I don't have a husband or a wife, so it will have to be me, a group, or Amtrak.

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I hear you there. Unfortunately, I can't drive, so that makes me almost entirely on others or alternative transportation such as trains.

 

Well, that's a critical piece of information. And it blows. Sorry about that.

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Made my first visit this season on Sunday… Probably won’t break even on my Platinum Pass at this rate, haha, but what can you do. Thankfully my first visit of the year was absolutely beautiful.

 

My goal was simply to get a ride on Raptor and MF if nothing else. Weather was beautiful, so expected some hefty crowds. Arrived for early entry at 9am and the park was a ghost town practically until the time I left around 1pm. Hit up Maverick, Millennium Force, Valravn during early entry all walk-on and got to Raptor at 10am. Used to do early entry all the time and don’t even remember it so dead in the morning. So that was a pleasant surprise.

 

Raptor had the only wait all day (10min?) as the park just opened before we got there. Then Gatekeeper followed by Dragster, also both walk-on. Waited the 4 trains or so for front seat on Dragster, which is always a treat. Took a spin on Magnum and checked out Forbidden Frontier, Petting Zoo and some shops with a closing ride on the cable cars. By the time I left it was slightly more busy, but still wasn’t bad at all. Lot was maybe ½ full?

 

Steel Vengeance had about a 30 minute wait when I checked on it during early entry, but didn’t really care to ride it. Not sure how busy it got later on.

 

Park looked great though. Forbidden Frontier is nicely done but think the park needs some workers/actors to explain to those coming in what is going on, how to interact, etc… Also, wish it connected from the Gemini Midway to Frontier, versus being one way in/out of the area from Frontier Trail. Would be awesome to have that cut through the middle of the park.

 

One of those nice days though where you could have done every major coaster within a few hours if you so desired. Great visit.

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