Cedar Point 9/1/23

The first time back since fall 2021, was just me and my mum, both born in Sandusky, and my Mum lives in Ottawa county.

Got to park just after 12 ish, and parked in semi full Shores parking lot.

Walked to SV line was prob at 35 min, que lockers were down so had to pay for a locker all day, The ride went down for 10-15 still got on under 45 min. Best ops of any ride all day but more on this later. They really need to get the lockers 100% reliable or add universal-style zip bags to the trains. That being said the lack of BS on the platform means they hit intervals like nobody's business.

Maverick's continued popularity with the GP still surprises me as it just passed 15 years old, the longest line of the day, 40 min or so, one brief stacking situation, not the quickest I've seen Maverick run, but still better than anything at Dorney or Hershey last year.

Farmhouse Kitchen and Grill, looks as great as the pictures, also The rest of the paint and signage upgrades to the rest of Frontier Town and Mine Ride are truly great, the portions here are still better than PAvillion and have better options, also surprised to see CP carrying Body Armour instead of Powerade. Little to much oil on the Brussel Sprouts, and I still think the food can look bad when sitting out, but the turnaround and quality way better then before.

Stopped at Petting Zoo, was sad to see no turtles this year, but a good mix.

Millenium just half of the first que full, 3 train operation, but def was feeling the late summer fatigue here more than anywhere else, not SF slow, but nothing like SV crew.

Wildmouse and Boardwalk, pathways maybe a bit too small but the landscaping, signage and new lights, and new trash cans, all really the best cohesive CP has done so far. Wildmouse 15 min or so wait and this crew and ride have really seemed to turn the corner from the beginning of the year.

Gatekeeper, nearly walk on, yet probably the 2nd best crew of the day, front row definitely has the best push and force. Moved up slightly in my feelings on it.

Maxair, walk on, Since numbers are back to normal could really use its longer cycle back with 3-4 full swings.

Raptor, walk up to stairs, also a really good crew, and was hitting intervals well.

Blue Streak, was running pretty fast, not really a line.

Valravn, 15-20 min line, still not great, also now has some pretty good shake.

Magic Hour on Skyride got a roundtrip ride, and the most talkative crew, Since most Von Rolls are gone glad its here, especially with the views.

Pagoda stop for Homage shirt shopping and was surprised to see most of the cheaper souvenirs gone, a new laminate wood floor, and an even better presentation of clothing than last time here. Obviously they realized their margins.

Magnum def the most fun crew, didn't realize they added music to the station, The LEDs in the last tunnel are nice also possibly the sound, would like more in the Shores tunnels, but I would also put blue LEDs in the station lights.

Was going to ride Gemini, but headed to SV.

Got there and the line was at the bottom of the stairs, the crew was absolutely flying often at ready with 3-5 sec left on the counter. I ended up lapping 3 times and was on 2nd to last train. At the end of the day and in the dark SV absolutely cooks, also came to realize the right side of the train throws you more.

Quite a few food stand down completely, the whole section near Gatekeeper, the egg place near Snake River, still nothing in the Mack Shack, everything to the right of the Engine House, and C&Ps. But I will say with the new restaurants, the strategic closing is much more balanced. And obviously, the margins and reaction are better at Pavillion, Farmhouse, and BackbeattBBQ. I still would have put something else where Johnny Rockets was.

Also, the lost of the vintage arcade games when vintage arcade games is a thing perplexes me, I would also put a bar in there, and a dance club.

I was there for a few hours that day, stopped by on the way to work. Lines were pretty short in the mid afternoon, but when I left around 5, the line to get in the front gate stretched all the way to the parking lot. I assume this is the Labor Day weekend crowd showing up in full force. There appeared to only be 2 scanners open though, so a pretty big fail there. I hope they realized this and sent more people out.

Sharpel007:

the egg place near Snake River

There's an egg place now? I'm intrigued.

I think the "egg place" is sort of a joke - a facade just like the "bank" that the former Round Up turned into. Or did/does it actually open?

Although if you want eggs, they do serve breakfast in the Grand Pavilion now, and yes, it's on the meal plan.

Hens gotta lay

I love eggs, but they are about the last thing I think of when it comes to park food.

Except I remember getting Green Eggs and Ham at Suess Landing decades ago. I feel like that's something you just gotta do. Do they still sell that?

This is a slightly different scenario, but my job as a grill cook for Ohio Poultry at the state fair involved making breakfast, which we served 8-11. I’d roll in about 7:00a and crack maaaaany dozens of eggs for scrambled and over medium-well. I was pleasantly surprised at the number of people that ordered and enjoyed our delicious eggs sandwiches early in the day.
Cedar Point starts a little later, but in my experience when guests drove from Cleveland or Detroit they’d arrive ready to eat and their choice was chili dogs. Back then park didn’t even have donuts. So, especially this year with early-entry attractions at the Boardwalk, a Pavilion breakfast makes sense in a couple ways.

Labor Day weekend crowd

It's always a pretty light weekend, with lots of Northern Ohio people and Canadians. Though this Friday before or actual Labor Day.

If the weather holds for Halloweekends which it's looking too, it will be insane, I have a feeling the Causeway redo won't happen till next off-season or the year after when they start Route 6.

I’m also always surprised about Maverick’s popularity after all these years. Don’t get me wrong, it’s one of my favorite coasters, but you’re right, it’s constantly the longest line in the park. A somewhat similar coaster, Copperhead Strike, didn’t command that kind of line when I was down at Carowinds and it was the only launch in the park and is newer.

Is it a capacity issue? (That’s a little bit tongue in cheek, but also a real question. Our wild mouse is always the longest line in the park, but it’s not because it’s good.)

I know it still suffers from daily, oftentimes lengthy downtimes because #intamin. Adding Steel Vengeance as its next door neighbor undoubtedly adds significant foot traffic to the back of Frontier Town, and Steel Vengeance still suffers from its own share of downtime, which likely leads to at least some "well we're already back here, let's do this one" riders. Add in the new Frontier Festival and Farmhouse Restaurant and you definitely have a larger portion of the daily guest count going back there. And unlike the first few years when folks couldn't figure out Maverick because it wasn't super tall or the visual gasp that rides like Millennium Force and Dragster were/are, at this point even many the casual park goers have ridden and realized what a great ride it is.

The smaller trains and loading process with cycle times, even without the current state of Cedar Point operations, definitely contribute to a lower capacity than rides like Magnum and the B&Ms. I know they load and dispatch two at a time, but since you essentially have to wait for the first train to clear the hill after the tunnel before launching the second, and then that one has to clear the same area (I believe) for the block to clear to allow the next two trains to roll out to the holding area, you are looking at a 3-4 minute dispatch interval for two trains that only seat 24 between both of them. Dispatching 24 riders every 3-4 minutes -vs- 32 riders on a B&M running three trains that can dispatch every 90-120 seconds when combined with all of the other reasons that make the ride one of the most popular and I don't think that ride will ever be an easy one to ride with a short wait.