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Post by whopea on Jun 30, 2015 17:21:40 GMT
We are trying to plan a trip to Cedar Point sometime this summer. I was there as a kid but that was oh so long ago!  We will have two 13 year old kids with us who are not wild and crazy ride everything kids but will try a few things. So, I'm looking for tips on if there's a day of the week that's better to go, what time is best to arrive, rides to try and places to eat and whether anyone sells discounted tickets. |
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johnnysmom
Drama Llama
Posts: 5,682
Jun 25, 2014 21:16:33 GMT
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Post by johnnysmom on Jun 30, 2015 17:26:08 GMT
Go during the week. I think most Ohio schools go back around August 20th (give or take a bit) so if you can go mid-later August that'd be even better. We went Tuesday or Wednesday, mid-August last year and almost everything was a walk on, even the biggest rides were only a short wait.
Meijer stores in Ohio and SE Michigan have discount tickets. We always plan to spend all day there so we go early and leave when we've done everything (usually late). Food? It's overpriced theme park food IMO, hopefully someone else will have specific tips here.
Depending on where you're coming from and how long you're staying maybe check out Soak City waterpark. We've only been there once but it was fun.
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Post by momstime on Jun 30, 2015 18:55:33 GMT
Cedar Point is not really a park for kids or adults who are not adventurous. Well, I guess there are other things to do, but the draw to the park are the coasters. CP has some doozies. Be risk takers. You will love it!!
Buy your tickets online and print. Much cheaper than at the gate, and I believe they are cheaper (or as cheap) as Meijer.
You can bring your own food. Keep it in your car, or put it in a locker. Food is EXPENSIVE! All the food places will give you free cups of water...just ask. That little tip will save you tons of money on bottled water.
If you stay in one the the CP resorts, you can enter the park an hour early. Either way, head to the back of the park right away. Crowds are less back there. Also, ride the bigger rides during meal times...or even during the fireworks.
Leave your cell phones at home (or in the car). I have witnessed many guests drop their cell phones from rides, or into the water while waiting on line.
Wear sunscreen. There is minimal shade while waiting on line.
You cannot purchase gum in the park. Bring your own, if you need it.
Consider a fanny pack. As touristy as they are, it is one less thing to carry...one less thing to lose...one less thing to have fly off your lap on a coaster (because you and your kids WILL be riding the coasters lol).
Coaster advice....Conquer the baddest coaster first. Everything after that will be easy. I might suggest Millennium Force or Top Thrill Dragster. These two are arguably the baddest of the bad. I love them both! When my youngest was around 7-8 and finally able to ride coasters, we took him on Millennium Force first. Best thing we ever did. The kid is a coaster freak now. Sooooo much more fun than riding on a slow boat around Frontier town.
Have a BLAST!
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Post by happymom on Jun 30, 2015 20:23:11 GMT
I will second the pck a cooler in the car and leave for one meal to eat it. You can eat park food the other meal. I also like to make sure I have snacks and frozen water bottles for when we leave at the end of the night. We are all so thirsty and drive 2 hours home. A dry shirt or socks might feel good also if you are doing water rides.
The fosters are amazing. I just back from universal and they are half the adrenaline Rush. Cedar point is one of a kind
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linda
Shy Member
Posts: 29 
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Post by linda on Jun 30, 2015 21:05:54 GMT
But your tickets online- they are cheaper than at the gate.
If you carry a bag with you in the park, you cannot bring it on the big coasters (Millennium, Magnum, Top Thrill Dragster for sure, and possibly Gatekeeper and Rougarou). There are lockers to store your things in but it costs $2 for 2 hours. The other rides have bins to store your stuff in while you ride (free).
We also pack lunch in a cooler and eat at our car.
We went on a Wednesday this year and the lines were not bad.
Have fun!
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linda
Shy Member
Posts: 29
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Post by linda on Jun 30, 2015 21:20:47 GMT
Oh and as far as rides to try...
My teens love the big rides but not all of their friends do. Their friends that don't like the big coasters will ride a few. Iron Dragon is very tame and has short lines. (It was down last week, though). Most kids will ride The Gemini. It is not bad.
Avoid the Mean Streak- it's pretty rough. The Magnum is also a little rough.
Also, with any rollercoaster, you get the a smoother ride if you sit in the front to middle of the car, as opposed to the back.
There are a ton of things to ride besides coasters. I'm not a huge fan of spinning rides but there are plenty to pick from!
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Post by Yubon Peatlejuice on Jun 30, 2015 22:11:00 GMT
We were just at Cedar Point today. I'd say go on a Tuesday. There was no one there! We didn't wait in any lines all day.
I was disappointed that we got to the park at 9:30am but it didn't open until 10am (which is fine, we knew that) but then none of the coasters opened until 11am. Also all of the carnival games were still setting up and none of the restaurants were open. I was like......what the hell? I was glad we didn't stay at one of the park hotels because they can get in at 9am but there's nothing to do and so you're bored for 2 hours instead of just 1.
My niece went on every coaster. No lines.
My son (8) wanted to try just one and it had to be an easy one. We were looking forward to the Iron Dragon, but of course it was broken down for the last week. So we went on Blue Streak instead. That seemed to be "easy" but it's old and rough.
We did a lot of "junior" rides near the giant ferris wheel, Cedar Downs, and a few of the midway carnival games.
As someone mentioned, it's all just overpriced theme park food. We did eat at Chick-Fil-A though and that was good. They are closed on Sundays.
We were in the park for 5 hours and we had done everything we wanted to, so we left. I think you could only make a full day of it if you went on every coaster and had to wait in line a bit for each one. That's the only way I could imagine staying there a full day.
Bottom line - don't overthink it. Just go. It's not exactly a highlight of your life.
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Jili
Pearl Clutcher
SLPea
Posts: 4,363
Jun 26, 2014 1:26:48 GMT
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Post by Jili on Jun 30, 2015 22:34:01 GMT
I've been to Cedar Point many times (I grew up in Cleveland and my sister currently lives in Sandusky). Here's my take on the different rides:
The easiest coasters if you're not a coaster person would definitely be the Iron Dragon, followed by the Cedar Creek Mine Ride and possibly the Wildcat (a pretty common coaster at most amusement parks, even the smaller ones). The Gemini is also a pretty decent beginner coaster. Even Corkscrew is a pretty tame ride (and really, really short). It looks worse than it is.
The Blue Streak doesn't look bad, but it's a rough ride. I totally agree with a previous poster-- the Mean Streak is a killer. It's a cool experience, visually, but it is very rough.
My favorites are the Millennium Force (a very smooth ride), the Top Thrill Dragster (not as bad as it looks) and the Raptor. I also enjoyed the Magnum XL-200. These are coasters that are more on the adventurous side than the ones I listed earlier. I have not ridden Maverick, but it looks like one I would definitely try.
One piece of advice-- the last time I went I was in my early 40s. I rode everything, all day long, into the evening. We didn't eat or drink as much as we should him. We left the park early in the evening and went out to dinner. By this point I was weak and dizzy. Eating and relaxing that evening definitely helped, but when I went to bed I couldn't sleep because I was spinning like I had had too much to drink (which I hadn't).
So my point is-- be sure to pace yourself, eat and drink regularly, and know when it's time to stop.
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Refupea #402
