Cedar Point - 8/25 & 8/26

[Maddog]

First of all, the weather was AMAZING for August--can't remember the last time I've done this trip when it has been so nice.  Small rain shower late afternoon that just skimmed the park only stopped ride operations briefly.  

Just a regular GP, no Fast Passes for our group.  We take two days at a relaxed pace and enjoy all of the park.  This is typically an annual trip with friends, and I've to the park many, many times.  New rides for me on this visit: Siren's Curse and TT2.  

Siren's Curse: Was able to ride 3 times total, back seat is by far the best (highest point on tilt lift).  What an incredibly smooth ride, and quiet while waiting in the queue!  The restrains while firm, do have some type of stretch mechanism over the shoulders, so you feel secure while vertical, but they don't hurt.  Vekoma engineered this well.  Theming was really nice, and the on-ride audio amped up the experience.  This has become one of my favorite rides in the park.

TT2: Enjoyed the replacement--but miss the original.  I had the chance to ride front and back seats.  Consensus from the group was it was surprisingly rough the further back in the train you go.  I think the new trains being higher off the track enhances some of the vibrations.  I feel like you whip over the top and through the spiral faster, my arms almost gave my friend a black eye .  Overall, still a fun ride, but I just miss the initial launch.

We were able to hit most of our favorites on this trip--but had to work around numerous ride downtimes to make it happen.  Steel Vengeance delivering unrelenting forces, Maverick whipping you back and forth, GateKeeper flying through the uprights are some nice highlights.  Unfortunately, Millennium Force was down both days .  We used to hit this up many times during our trip, so it put a damper on our visit, and we never saw it moving.  

Some notable concerns... Knowing this is the last week of full operations we typically experience some minor staffing issues.  But it was very much apparent this year on our trip throughout various points of operations.  Hotel Breakers had only one agent in the lobby checking in guests, which if you're familiar with this front desk know that it can make some long lines!  Breakfast at Perkins (inside Breakers Hotel) was only seating half of the dining room, as they were short waitstaff (server was nice, but obviously very stressed and mentioned it many times).  Early entry into the park only had one security line open at the resort gate, with two gate staff for tickets, and we waited 26 minutes before getting into the park after rope-drop (typically, this had been fully staffed during early entry).  Food locations were running okay, but most were down to one cashier for checkout--this seemed acceptable and matched park attendance.  Ride ops appeared a little lean, with only one scanner at the metal detectors in TT2 and SteVe.  The usual locker assistants in these queues were non-existent.  Many of the flats were single attendant run--which we've been seeing occur over the past few years, but it adds to the wait getting on/off these rides.  Park seemed cleanish.  But where I typically remembered seeing non-stop mid-way sweepers and bathrooms attendants working, I barely noticed any this visit.  A few bathrooms could have used some more frequent attention, while not disgusting, just not spotless clean either.  Maybe it was just me, but I noted more mid-way gum spots than ever before.  The evening Bar at the Hotel didn't have any bar-backs, so with only one bartender when product ran out it was out for the night (bartender also mentioned this multiple times while there).  

I kept my word and did not renew my season pass this year.  This Cedar Point trip was my only park visit to the chain (just got a 2-day pass with the hotel reservation, wanted to still go with the group for this trip).  Some friends in the group already renewed their passes for 2026, but two others are now considering taking a year off as well.  On the drive home we were talking about making a trek elsewhere next summer.  For what we spend, our magical place has lost some of its shine, maybe one day it will return.

I get it, Six Flags has to deal with some debt and cut spending, but for me it is starting to impact the park experience.

[johnjniehaus]

If you are looking for somewhere else to spend your money in the amusement park industry, I'd encourage you to do Kentucky Kingdom, Holiday World, or Dollywood. I think all 3 are well run and within driving distance of Ohio. Indiana Beach and Stricker's Grove are not immaculate but they are decent. If you really want to make a longer trip, Knoebels in Elysburg PA and Enchanted Forest in Turner, OR are the two best run parks I've been to over the past 5 years. Both are super clean, fully staffed, family owned, and have good food for fair prices. Both of those parks put six flags to shame! They might not be large parks but Knoebels has two great woodies and a pile of classic flats that all kick butt. Enchanted Forest while a bit light on the rides has one of the most funky log Flumes, a really cool coaster that seems like a backyard Matterhorn, and one of my favorite dark rides! 

[DoomPlague]

I was there yesterday (8/27) and had a similar experience. Pleasant weather, mild crowds, a lot of down rides and limited staff.

When we got there, it seemed like half of the coasters were down. Millie was open for only a tiny bit during the day and I didn't get a ride. GateKeeper and Valravn both had a noticeable shakiness to them that I hadn't experienced in the past. TBF, I was on an outside seat on Valravn but I was on the inside, near the front, on GK. A number of rides were running with at least one train taken off including TT2. Skyhawk was only running one side.  

At least the park was clean, as you said. Its almost like CP sacrifices operations in favor of cleanliness while KI does the opposite.

TT2 had the same shake that it had when it was open last year. I personally prefer it over the original, though, in spite of the launch. The backwards launch up the spike and getting yeeted over the top hat more than make up for it imo. I still can't believe, though, that they had an entire year to be put free lockers in the queue and failed to do so.

Siren's Curse shocked me. From what everyone has been saying, I expected a decent, smooth ride with a neat gimmick but instead it might be my favorite ride in the park. The onboard audio makes the ride a little more fun. The theming and scenery work well enough and grape-soda-looking water makes for nice atmosphere. The layout is fantastic with great airtime moments and snappy turns. It even has a sideways bunny hop similar to the one I like on Toutatis. The restraints are just a tad tight on my shoulders but way better than B&M vests and Maverick vests. Previously, I disagreed with people who said this should have gone to KI but after riding it I've changed my mind. Not only does it have a similar gimmick to Valravn but the rest of the ride is a lot like Maverick. It would have made more sense at KI and I think it would be getting more fanfare there.