Cedar Point Trip Advice

[BeastForever]

Could anybody tell me which coasters have on-ride photo cameras? Just Curious...

[PhantomTheater]

Raptor, Dragster, MF, Mantis, Magnum, Woodstock, Maverick, and MS

[Browntggrr]

Be sure to have a plan of attack for rides as you don't want to walk back and forth across CP all day.

Not only will you spend countless hours walking in circles, you will be dead tired come 8:00pm.

I suggest using the resort shuttles as well. For instance, you can request a shuttle to go from HB to the front gate which will save a ton of time & energy.

[flightoffear1996]

Was this a weekday or weekend day?

It was a weekday.

[PhantomTheater]

Be sure to have a plan of attack for rides as you don't want to walk back and forth across CP all day.

Not only will you spend countless hours walking in circles, you will be dead tired come 8:00pm.

I suggest using the resort shuttles as well. For instance, you can request a shuttle to go from HB to the front gate which will save a ton of time & energy.

From main gate to Mean Streak, is just over a mile (that is just one way!). Use the CPLERR and Skyride at times get a rest and to cut off foot steps.

[The Interpreter]

(Then there are those of us who quite intentionally spend countless hours happily walking in circles...but: a. we need the exercise, b. we've been to the park many, many times, c. we enjoy the aimless wandering and people watching, and d. we don't really know what we want to do next nor have a plan of attack...enough of that at work...sometimes the best plan is no plan at all, but I can assure you that is NOT the case for first time or seldom visitors to Cedar Point...not at all...)

[CoastersRZ]

Yes, it is good to have a plan for your first visit to America`s Roller Coast. However, one must be careful if you have visited it many times and have no plan at all. To quote Yogi Berra: "You've got to be very careful if you don't know where you are going, because you might not get there."

[The Interpreter]

I prefer the more modern maxim:

If you don't know where you are going, any road will take you there.

[PhantomTheater]

Terpy, you sound like me at the park. I have lapped CP many of times between rides, sometimes up to an hour of walking.

[The Interpreter]

Sometimes I only do it to see if the nice gentlepeople following me keep following me!

Terpy, who enjoys the company...(and who sometimes instead follows certain other...uh...interesting people)

[Mr. Coastermania]

So many great rides,so many spread to far apart.but worth the walk.It will be busy so just try to enjoy yourself.

[BeastForever]

We've actually decided that instead of going on a Monday and Tuesday we might go on a Sunday and Monday. Does anybody know how crowded it could be on a Sunday?

[Guest Millennium]

Did you not see the other thread on this? I will answer anyway because I love CP soo much.

Must ride: Millennium Force (make your first ride at night), Magnum XL-200 (ride it first! if you park in the Soak City lot that's what you'll see first ) Blue Streak (awesome woodie, lines aren't bad), Raptor (fun B&M Invert), Maverick (Ride during ERT, or you will see a 1+ hour wait), Skyscraper (awesome if you are willing to pay a fee), Skyhawk (fav. flat there, right during evening), Top Thrill Dragster (lines are shorter than Maverick but longer than Magnum. I say any wait for this is worth it.), CP&LERR, Wildcat.

Fun, but not fantastic: Iron Dragon (a nice ride to take a break), Corkscrew (a little headbanging), Wicked Twister (fun launch), Disaster Transport (surprisingly long lines, I could say skip it, but I think the inside area is neat), Mean Streak (imo, but most hate this), Power Tower.

For the credit: Mantis, Cedar Creek Mine Ride, Gemini, Woodstock Express, and others I can't remember.

We've actually decided that instead of going on a Monday and Tuesday we might go on a Sunday and Monday. Does anybody know how crowded it could be on a Sunday?

Good. Sunday was deserted two weeks ago.

[Jasper]

Since it is your first time to the point make sure you take in all the sights as well. Cedar Point can be a very beautiful park, especially from Millennium to Maverick, in that little wooded area. Get all the rides in, but by all means do not rush yourself.

[Cormaster]

Hey this is a great thread! I have some questions myself since i will be visiting the park towards the end of July:

1. What is the best method of getting tickets? Should I buy discount tickets or as a Kings Island Gold Pass member should I just upgrade my pass? How much does it cost to upgrade from Gold To Platinum? BTW I'm looking to go to the park 2 days.

2. Guest of exceptional size. My wife's shrank quite a bit since last year, and she can ride literally everything now at Kings Island, though its kind of a tight fit on Diamondback and Drop Tower. How does this compare to Cedar Point? Will she be making the infamous "walk of shame" quite a bit?

[The Interpreter]

Call Kings Island or Cedar Point and find out how much it currently costs to upgrade...the upgrade price will be based on what you paid for the gold passes...

I regret to tell you that some of the rides at Cedar Point are much more difficult to fit in than at Kings Island...with Top Thrill Dragster and Millennium Force coming immediately to mind. It largely depends on body shape. Cedar Point is known for seat belts varying from seat to seat, so if she comes close to but doesn't fit one, ask a nice ride op if there she can try another, and perhaps, if so, even which one to try...

[UnrealNightmare]

If you payed 99 for your gold pass like I did it'll be 60 to upgrade and you must upgrade it at Kings Island. Got that info directly from Mr. Helbig himself.

[Browntggrr]

2. Guest of exceptional size. My wife's shrank quite a bit since last year, and she can ride literally everything now at Kings Island, though its kind of a tight fit on Diamondback and Drop Tower. How does this compare to Cedar Point? Will she be making the infamous "walk of shame" quite a bit?

CP will have test seats at MF, TTD, and Maverick. I don't see why there would be an issue with any of the other rides.

Now the kicker is, just because a person can fit in the test seat, does not necessarily mean they will still be able to ride. As Terp mentioned, the seatbelt lengths are known to vary, more on MF than any other ride. If the test seat is a struggle, I suggest to watch the people getting off the train at the exit station and look for others' that appear to be close to your wife's figure, and try to get that seat. I would also wait for your wife to get in the seat herself and get buckled up before you do- CP employees will not struggle to buckle a person in, but that does not mean you can't.

[BeastForever]

Hey this is a great thread! I have some questions myself since i will be visiting the park towards the end of July:

1. What is the best method of getting tickets? Should I buy discount tickets or as a Kings Island Gold Pass member should I just upgrade my pass? How much does it cost to upgrade from Gold To Platinum? BTW I'm looking to go to the park 2 days.

2. Guest of exceptional size. My wife's shrank quite a bit since last year, and she can ride literally everything now at Kings Island, though its kind of a tight fit on Diamondback and Drop Tower. How does this compare to Cedar Point? Will she be making the infamous "walk of shame" quite a bit?

I can answer the first question but not the second. I believe you can upgrade your pass for $59.99. A two day admission costs $75.99 so I suggest you upgrade your pass rather than buying a ticket.

[KIfan1980]

When evaluating upgrading vs buying tickets, you need to take several things into account:

- how much did you pay for your Gold Pass. You'll pay the difference between that and the current Platinum Pass price to upgrade (may be much more than $60)

- what price will you pay for tickets. Staying at some properties provides "free" parking and the chance to buy significantly reduced tickets

- will you spend full days, or could you use a starlight pass (5pm - close) the first day. These are again discounted

- what other PP benefits would you use - free fries with a burger at one restaurant for example

My family stayed at Breakers last Sunday night and did the park Sun/Mon and didn't upgrade.

[Jasper]

I upgraded my Gold to a Platinum Pass at Kings Island for 60 dollars even before the seasons started. So I am going to save roughly 20-30 dollars considering a two day ride and slide is 75 and parking is roughly 10 dollars.

[TopThrill]

This year I heard Mantis got a test seat to.

[Jasper]

I am a firm believer that every coaster should have a test seat, not only to give rider's a feel for the restraints and what not, but to see if they will actually fit before boarding the ride.

[PhantomTheater]

This year I heard Mantis got a test seat to.

Correct, also returning this season are test seats on Raptor, Maxair, Wicked Twister and SkyHawk. A coaster that needs a test seat is Mine Ride, a tight squeeze that on is.

[Cormaster]

Call Kings Island or Cedar Point and find out how much it currently costs to upgrade...the upgrade price will be based on what you paid for the gold passes...

I regret to tell you that some of the rides at Cedar Point are much more difficult to fit in than at Kings Island...with Top Thrill Dragster and Millennium Force coming immediately to mind. It largely depends on body shape. Cedar Point is known for seat belts varying from seat to seat, so if she comes close to but doesn't fit one, ask a nice ride op if there she can try another, and perhaps, if so, even which one to try...

Are they worse than Diamondback in your experience? Diamondback's harness seems to be the most unforgiving I've seen, for women anyway since uh well dunno how to say this but women tend to gain weight in their rear end while guys just gain it in their stomach, and the seats wrap around pushing a female forward and then the restraint has to come down and get 3 clicks. Hard to complain about it since Diamondback has a way of making you feel your not strapped in at all. But its still not as rough as Drop Tower. The good news is since she had bariatric surgery she's still loosing weight and with a month away she'll be even lighter. For example her first trip out on opening day she could barely get the second click on Diamondback and wasn't able to ride, now she can get the 3rd click easy but its a bit tight.

I'll have to call about the passes. Trying to make this trip as cheap as possible. I can't tell you guys how excited I am. I've been gawking at Millenium force, TTD, and Maverick for quite some time, and last time I went the Raptor was the newest ride!

BTW hows just starting at the front of the park and working our way around in a circle to attack all the coasters? Good idea or bad idea? In general it works for Kings Island, though CP is quite a bit bigger

[Pillsberry123]

BTW hows just starting at the front of the park and working our way around in a circle to attack all the coasters? Good idea or bad idea? In general it works for Kings Island, though CP is quite a bit bigger

I would recommend doing just the opposite.

If you do upgrade your passes, then you can get in an hour early for ERT. Ride the ERT rides. Right before the park opens, run to Top Thrill Dragster if it is running. After Dragster, hit the back of the park and work your way to the front.

When the gates open to the GP, the guest will stay at the front of the park and ride Raptor, Wicked Twister, MaXair, Millennium Force, and Top Thrill Dragster. Meanwhile the back of the park will remain empty. Work your way towards the front of the park. As you do this, the GP will work its way to the back.

[gigacoaster2k]

Starting from the front of the park isn't the best idea.. that's where all the GPers are.

Drive to the left around Perimeter Road and park in the Soak City lot by Magnum/Gemini. This drive around the peninsula will also give you a jaw-dropping view of Millennium Force, a sweet view of Maverick, and a nice view of Mean Streak.

You want to hit Maverick first. That coaster has a huge line all day. After that, head to Millennium Force and then Iron Dragon, then go to the front to Raptor. If you jog or walk quickly, this CAN BE done in ERT's 1 hour before the GP rolls in at 10 am. Maverick, Millie, and Raptor are worth the burning lungs and sore legs.. trust me!

Mantis and Dragster usually have pretty long lines throughout the day. I'd save them for toward the end of the day.

Disaster Transport is highly underrated. Give it a go. Wildcat is fun too.

I don't ride Gemini anymore after the helix re-aggravated a neck injury I got in a car accident several years ago. Let someone else tell you about that one.. I was in so much pain when I got off that I barely remember the ride.

If you're a no holds barred thrillseeker, go to Challenge Park and ride Skyscraper (it has an upcharge). I've been on 89 coasters at 13 different parks, and countless other rides, and this thing made me cuss with fear.. those of you who know me know this is quite hard to do!

Corkscrew, Cedar Creek Mine Ride, Mantis, and Mean Streak are terribly painful. Ride them in the front seat so you don't get beat up as much.

Magnum is a great coaster with incredible ejector air. It's the best of a steel coaster with the roughness of a woodie.. it's the ONLY rough steel coaster I willingly ride. DO NOT sit on a wheel seat.. you will be in a lot of pain. Sit in 1:2.

Blue Streak is a classic John Allen with loads of airtime. Sit in 1:3 for the best effect.

On Wicked Twister, sit in row 15.. it's incredible.

Make your visit worth it and do Millie or Maverick as your last ride. Night rides on these coasters are downright amazing.

Oh and definitely try their frozen custard.. it makes ice cream look weak.

(not that I make the 3 hour drive to CP several times a year or anything)

[Guest Millennium]

^ You think Corkscrew is painful but not Magnum? lol

[Cormaster]

Well the first day I will be working the night before. When I get off work, I'll be in the car sleeping on the way up. We should leave Indianapolis around 7 I imagine. I should get there sometime in the afternoon. Second day I should get there at open or before open depending whether or not I get a platinum pass or not.

Thanks for all the advice, I really appreciate it!

[Jasper]

Ok Now I have a question as well. Say I want to ride Skyscraper, do I have to pay separate admission to get into Challenge Park? Once I get in there how much does the charge for Skyscraper usually run?