Cedar Point 5/30-5/31

It's been three years since I'd had a chance to visit CP, and this time several friends from Chicago, Minneapolis, and Milwaukee all drove down to Sandusky to join in the fun.

A note on Hotel Breakers Express: We opted to stay here as the package deal was awesome. I've never actually stayed ON CP property, and I have to tell you that early entry makes it WELL worth it. We only paid about $120 a person for a room for 2 nights and a 2 day ride & slide into the park, with 1 hour early entry into the park, and a parking pass was included in this. GREAT deal! Hotel wasn't anything special but the hot tub felt great after a long day at the park, the beds were comfy enough, and being able to get onto Dragster, Raptor, and Maverick with a three to ten minute wait was the best. I'd spend my money to stay on property any time after this. Though BE CAREFUL if you book online! The website timed out and double charged me for the deposit, and though I called two minutes after the snafu, they didn't refund me until over a week later. The lady behind the desk said the reservationists were 'stupid' and didn't know what they were doing, as apparently they could have just transfered the extra charge over to finish paying off my room instead of making me wait for it. But whatever. It was dealt with. But if you are working on a tight budget, just call and book on the phone if you can.

Stuff that was new to me:

Maverick: I was really excited to be able to finally get a shot at this coaster, and we rode it twice. Once Saturday morning when we first got there at 9, and once today early in the morning just after open. Love that first drop, though I do wish it was a wee bit taller. I'll give Maverick this: It's a thrilling ride that packs quite a punch in a very fun way. It's a fast, fun, twisty-turney ride that puts a smile on your face. The biggest downside to the ride is the restraints. You do get shaken around a bit, and while there are parts of the restraint system I really like, many people were getting battered around a bit and whacking their neck or jaw pretty hard on the tops of the things, and complaining about it after the ride. I dig Maverick though, and it was probably one of the most enjoyable parts of the trip for my group. They aren't big coaster junkies or thrill seekers (many of them found Dragster too daunting to try) but they really loved Maverick.

Skyhawk: Yeah, we do everything we can in the park, including flat rides and what my husband has dubbed 'spinny-pukey rides'. This one actually gave me the willies, stupid as that probably sounds to some of you. The lack of restraints over anything but your lap give an illusion of scariness that really works. Fun ride. Give it a shot if you've never bothered. You might be surprised.

Other stuff:

Force was still down, sadly, not that we expected it to be up and running. I did see them doing some work on the lift yesterday in the afternoon. They had a cart that went about halfway up and then down, and there were a few maintenance guys working at the bottom of the hill. But that was it. I'll keep my fingers crossed for those of you heading next weekend.

Dragster was about what I remembered. Fun, fast, and thrilling even if it's a one trick pony. I think I have more fun watching my friends on this than anything else at this point. I sprung the money for an on ride pic for my one buddy. She was terrified of the damn thing and still got on it with me. She looks so triumphant in her pic. =) That was the best part of my day was sharing things like this with friends who have never experienced it before.

Iron Dragon was down for a good chunk of the day today for some reason, and they tested it for probably a good twenty minutes to a half hour. We happened to be on Wildcat when they had some ride ops get on to test it out, and I think we were in the second car to go after all the tests. No clue what was up with it, and frankly I could have skipped it, but my buddies were eager to ride everything they could.

Might just be me, also, but Wildcat seems to be running more smoothly. Maybe I'm on crack.

Everything else was pretty much par for the course. Great weekend to go. The weather was lovely, not too hot, not to cold. Things did get a little crowded yesterday mid afternoon, but every other time, and all day today, the crowds were pretty minimal! We walked on many rides today and took our leisurely time wandering about the park. My friends did some shopping, and I think we left about 2:30 ish.

One thing I've noticed on the negative side was the attitude of many park employees. Usually when we go to CP, the staff is very friendly all the way around, jokes around, has fun with their jobs, etc. It stands out and really, to me, adds to the reasons of why I love to visit CP. This weekend, most were just very lacklustre and bored, even rude. The staff running Maverick were almost barking orders at people...nothing detrimental, but it just took something away from the experience for a couple people. I suppose in the big picture it's not a huge deal, and it's pretty early in the season. Maybe this will get better as things go along.

Lots of trash lying around today too for some reason in the back areas. They really need to clean out the lagoon by Maverick. It was pretty gross.

All in all it was a great trip. Great weekend to go to the park; not too busy, not too warm, no huge waits at restaurants in the area and a great opportunity to ride just about everything in the park. We missed five flat rides and two coasters, one because it was broken. Not bad. =)

I think my hubby and I are finally going to get to Holiday World next month. We shall see. =) I'll post if we do!