Best time to travel to Cedar Point from Australia?

Hey all.

I have been wanting to get over to Magic Mountain for 28 years! (We couldn't get there when we were in LA when I was 5 years old!)

So i'm finally coming over next year, just for a theme park tour...but I want to go to Cedar Point too.

Can anyone give me advice when the best time to travel would be for Cedar Point? I can't find information on when Cedar Point opens...also I don't want to travel across the world and get to the park to find half the Coasters are down for maintenance....Should I wait for the July holidays and just get fast pass tickets?

Thanks all!

You do realize that Cedar Point is a 32 hour drive and three time zones away from Magic Mountain, right? Closer big US parks to SFMM include Universal Hollywood, Knott’s Berry Farm and Disneyland.

However if you are hell bent on doing both I suggest mid June or mid August, do a 3 day trip that straddles a weekend (Wed-Fri or Sun-Tues) so that you get one day of bigger crowds but a late night close with night rides but also get to experience lighter crowds on the week days.

We always tease the folks who recommend visiting parks that are far away from an intended destination, and now someone is actually doing that. I'm not sure where we go from here, haha.

In all seriousness, I'm sure he's aware of the distance between them. However, if you're already all the way over here from Australia, why not go for the gold?

I'd recommend dodging July, but if you want the full experience, June or August is the way to go. Budget for front-of-the-line passes for at least one day just to make sure you get everything and then decide when you get there if the crowds justify it or not. I agree with the recommendation to have at least one weekday.

First question is who is traveling? Alone, significant other, family? Also, how many days will you spend there?

I would agree with Touchdown with mid June - mid August. It might depend on if you want to take in the Live Entertainment or not. I do know that when the Good Times Theater was there, the ice show didn't start until late June. But now that it's gone, not sure if any other shows start late or not. Maybe someone else on here can chime in (I have not been there the past 4 summers). For those who have the time, I always recommend taking in the shows. Always top-notch and makes you forget you are at an amusement park!

Definitely include a Sunday as in my experiences over the years, Sundays can sometimes be the slowest days of the week. Also plan on getting Fastlane Plus as that will help you a lot on a busy day.

Here is link to their 2019 hours: https://www.cedarpoint.com/explore/cedar-point-calendar-and-hours.

If you are traveling this far for a once in a lifetime trip, get the Fastlane+ no matter what. It can only make your day better.

Come in June for ideal crowds and a fully operational park. July and August will give you the latter. Avoid May and anything after Labor Day. They can be great days at the park for locals, but the park is rarely operating at 100%.

Cedar Point 2019 Hours

https://www.cedarpoint.com/explore/cedar-point-calendar-and-hours

Touchdown said:

You do realize that Cedar Point is a 32 hour drive and three time zones away from Magic Mountain, right? Closer big US parks to SFMM include Universal Hollywood, Knott’s Berry Farm and Disneyland.

Lucky for that guy that both Los Angeles and Cleveland have airports.

If you want to avoid CP crowds, shoot for May or the last week in August.

Otherwise, budget for Fast Lane.

Oh, and make sure you go to Knoebels too....

In the first couple weeks of operation the rides experience more downtime than the do later in the season. The slowest part of the season is often earlier in the year. The best balance of smaller crowds with lower downtime on the rides is probably June. Unless there is something special happening on the 4th of July that you really want to do, I would avoid that holiday. I would make sure to plan more than one day at the park, on the chance that the weather is bad on one of the days. Top Thrill Dragster is especially temperamental with the weather, not running in moderate winds or any rain. Its not super-uncommon to see it down most of the day for winds or rain. I would also make sure to stay at one of the Cedar Point resorts to take advantage of Early Entry. Stay at Breakers if you have the money, or Cedar Point Express if you are on more of a budget.

Important to note that the weather for SFMM is unusually cool in the early part of June. High cloud cover ("June Gloom") often makes for cooler than anticipated temperatures, so it might not be "summer" as you might expect. Also, for many jurisdictions, school doesn't let out in SoCal until mid-late June (late teens on the calendar). That could have a HUGE impact on opening/closing times, and yet you could be impacted by school calendars from other states. The worst case scenario is cool temps, short hours, yet larger crowds because schools are out in other states and people are taking their "California vacation". I would look at 2018 calendars for Disneyland/Knott's as guides.

Also, SFMM rarely has their new attraction open before late June. While there's no guarantee that any ride will be open at any time, it's very common for SFMM not to have their new rides (even something as simple as Crazanity in 2018) open before late June. If "West Coast Racers" is important to you, best to keep that in mind.

and seriously, as others have stated, if you are coming all this way, budget for Flash Pass/Fast Lane FOTL access.

Touchdown for the advise! Straddling a weekend sounds like a good idea!

Yep, I know exactly where Cedar Point is...been wanting to do these two parks forever! Its just finding the best flights...I suppose i'll have to fly to Cleveland from the West coast and drive to Sandusky?

CoffinBoy, I'm travelling alone, none of my friends are coaster nuts and someone else would just slow me down! I'm not interested in any entertainment just the rides! :-)

Thanks Brett V will avoid May!

0g, Thanks I will look into those hotels...yeah I've seen top thrill dragster is down alot...I really want to ride that one!

Oh and I will be getting the Fastpass tickets everyday!

I also want to visit Kings Island because I really want to ride The Beast!

AndyG said:

I also want to visit Kings Island because I really want to ride Banshee and Mystic Timbers!

Fixed that for you. ;)

AndyG said:

Its just finding the best flights...I suppose i'll have to fly to Cleveland from the West coast and drive to Sandusky?

Yeah. That's probably your best bet. I just looked and there are some direct flights from LA to Cleveland. PS: I think June is a great time to go to Cedar Point.

I've done Fourth of July week at Cedar Point twice recently, in 2014 and this year, and the experience was actually pretty great both times. The crowds were surprisingly light, with Millennium and Dragster being near walk-ons for long periods on multiple days this year. Of course, if you had your choice between mid-June weekdays and Fourth of July week, I'm sure June, on average, has lighter crowds. I just wouldn't be too scared of Fourth of July week if it happened to be more convenient for you for other reasons.

As far as Kings Island, if you're serious about that then you must get a night ride on The Beast. Failure to do so will render your entire trip an utter failure, your only recourse being to expunge the whole experience from memory. ;)

With that said, pay attention to KI's closing time and its fireworks show. The park closes The Beast during the show, then reopens the ride and cycles the rest of the line through. However, if the show is put on at park closing, then you won't be able to get in line after the show ends. Just a few things to know.

Bakeman31092 said:

With that said, pay attention to KI's closing time and its fireworks show. The park closes The Beast during the show, then reopens the ride and cycles the rest of the line through. However, if the show is put on at park closing, then you won't be able to get in line after the show ends. Just a few things to know.

This is sage advice. If the fireworks are at park closing, get IN LINE before the fireworks show, if you haven't ridden by the time the ride gets shut down for the show, then you can watch from the station, then wait for clearance, and the ride will re-open to finish off those guests in line. There is NO "run to the beast after the fireworks and get in line" option. Let me just add, Night Ride on the Beast > Cedar Fair fireworks show. (Although, the fireworks are pretty good for a nightly event at a regional theme park).

Driving to Sandusky from Cleveland Hopkins is actually a pretty straight shot and Kings Island will be about a 6 hour drive from the general area also pretty simple but is well worth it as long as you've come this far or I imagine it wouldn't cost too much to fly to Cincinnati from Cleveland. I just made it there for the first time this year and The Beast and Mystic Timbers are both must rides.

CreditWh0re said:

Important to note that the weather for SFMM is unusually cool in the early part of June. High cloud cover ("June Gloom") often makes for cooler than anticipated temperatures, so it might not be "summer" as you might expect.

Average temp for Santa Clarita in June is 88 degrees. He'll be fine. June gloom is more of a thing at the beach than up in the valley(s), where the temp is regularly 10-15 degrees higher than down at the shore.

Spirit Airlines has a nonstop LAX-Cleveland which is often on sale for less than $100 RT (plus bags)

AndyG let me know when you have your date for SFMM and I'll try and meet you there.

If you are going to be visiting Cedar Point on multiple days, and going to Kings Island as well, I would look at getting a Platinum (season) pass. The platinum pass will get you into all Cedar Fair parks: Cedar Point, Kings Island etc... At Cedar Point, the platinum pass gets you the same early entry perks as the hotel guests, as well as discounted food and souvenirs (typically 10% off). The Platinum Pass has early entry benefits at Kings Island as well. As long as you are going to be around LA to visit Magic Mountain, the platinum pass will also get you into Knotts. That being said, I don't know what your budget allows for, but the best benefit to hotel Breakers is being able to roll out of bed and walk to the gate in 5-10 minutes.

ThemeDesigner thanks for the tip with the airlines! Would be great to catch up at the park...you have facebook?

Paisly...I will look into those flights...but wouldn't mind the drive experience...even though you all drive on the other side of the road! :-P

Bakeman thank you, I was thinking the weekend after July 4 but if I got a fastpass for the rides it wouldn't matter how busy it was...Would be cool to see a July 4 celebration.

AndyG said:
I was thinking the weekend after July 4 but if I got a fastpass for the rides it wouldn't matter how busy it was...Would be cool to see a July 4 celebration.

Oh it does still matter...

FastLane at Cedar Fair parks does not equal front of the line. It’s a line that fewer people have access to. There have been reports at Cedar Point of 60-90 minute FL+ waits on extra busy days, when standby lines are 2-3+ hours. It is designed to REDUCE your wait, not necessarily eliminate it.

FlashPass at Six Flags isn’t always a front of the line pass, either. It’s a virtual queuing system. If the line is 45 minutes, you make a reservation and go do whatever for 45 minutes then come back and get on the ride. It eliminates waiting IN LINE, but you still have to wait. There are different levels of FlashPass that change the wait time vs standby line, but you still have to wait. Oh and certain levels don’t include certain rides, or limits those rides to one reservation.

Just want to make sure you know what to expect... All they guarantee is less waiting in line than the peasants in the standby line. They don’t promise walk-on rides or marathon riding all day.

If you want true front of the line experience, you’re looking into a VIP tour $$$$$$$.