Cedar Point, June 22nd... Not the best day at the park...

The day actually started out great, but after it went downhill. Started at Magnum, walk on... Next went to Maverick, short wait for Maverick as well, maybe like a half hour. After that we did Mine Ride in another short wait (walk on). Next we did Gemini and pretty much walked on. After we did lunch at Gameday and the food was great. Perch was very good. So at this point things were going great. Short lines for a Saturday and it wasn't feeling as hot as predicted.

After this is when things started to go downhill. After lunch it started getting very hot so we headed to the water rides. Waited probably an hour for Shoot the Rapids. The capacity and line of this ride is awful. The line moves unbearably slow and they still are leaving at least one empty row on each boat. Also waiting in that line is terrible when it's 90 and humid. Finally got on and got stuck on the second lift for 5 minutes. At least we got our ride in because the ride shut down immediately after that.

Next we did Thunder Canyon and waited maybe 15. This line goes by very quick. Millennium was next and waited probably an hour and a half. Had a great ride as usual. After this we did Iron Dragon and waited 15. Alright ride as usual. After this we wanted a second ride on Magnum so got in line, waited 30 and ride shuts down. So we move to Gemini for the second time, waited around 15 and got on. So this is around 5:30 and little do we know this is our last ride of the day...

Go to Friday's for dinner and had a great meal as usual. Right after dinner we head to Gatekeeper (we wanted to save this for after dinner for shorter lines). Get in line, wait a half hour and notice very dark clouds coming. Thunder, lightning, and downpours begin. Everyone left from the que, runs to the gift shop waiting for it to stop. Once the rain stops they let the people originally in the line get back in. Dealt with an obnoxious couple spazzing about their spot in line. It was so ridiculous and immature. So anyways rain stops, rides open up... Except GK which is shut down for mechanical reasons. We stand there until 9:30 being the final 2 standing and the ride never opens up. Sat there for around a total of 3 hours.

Decide to hit Raptor before we leave but it had a 45 minute wait and we were tired and ready to go so we left.

Overall lots of breakdowns in the day and crappy weather. Hope my next trip is better.

So to summarize, you're unhappy because:

1. A few rides had long lines.
2. You got stuck on Shoot the Rapids' lift hill for 5 minutes.
3. Shoot the Rapids broke down after you got off.
4. Gatekeeper broke down.
5. It was hot.
6. It rained.

Am I missing something?

I'm disappointed mainly because I waited 3 hours for GK to not even open up when I could have ridden at least 3 more rides. I know that's my fault so I'm disappointed in the decision making.

Disappointed? Personally I'd be embarrassed to say I sat for three hours hoping and praying a coaster would eventually open! Especially if I was the only one left standing after virtually everyone else with a shred of common sense had bailed a long time ago.

Unless I was from Mars or someplace where I was likely never ever to return to Cedar Point I'd have saved my Gatekeeper ride for another time. Maybe it was so all-that important to you, but a sensible alternative would have been to concentrate on front end rides, Windseeker, maXair, Raptor, Wicked Twister, Blue Streak, Cedar Downs, etc but keep your eye on Gatekeeper the whole time. If and when the ride finally opened you could sprint over in an effort to be first in line again. Even if you weren't, it would be better than wasting three hours at Cedar Point doing nothing.

Who was your riding partner? They ain't got no sense either, apparently. I would've left your butt behind and gone riding elsewhere.

Yikes, those are some rather harsh replies. Any day I'm at a park where it is overly hot and humid and/or rains for a while, is not a great day in my book. I didn't think Parker123 was being overly dramatic about it.

As for the whole "waited for 3 hours" for GateKeeper, he didn't specify how much of that time it was raining and everything was closed. Maybe it still wasn't the best decision to wait when it was down mechanical, but those are tricky decisions. I've definitely had times when I've left a line to go somewhere else and had the decision backfire. (one of the reasons I still can't get in line for Dragster with a clear conscious).

You're absolutely right, Pagoda Gift Shop, and I apologize. Perhaps I didn't include enough winkies.

But to me there's a humorous image there somewhere of a dedicted yet hapless park goer standing there waiting, waiting,...and waaaaiting.... while an entire evening of fun gets away from him. Hindsight's 20/20, right? And I'm sure he's not blaming the park entirely for a day that wasn't the best.

But for sure, if I had been the one waiting with him? It never would've happened.

:-)

In my experience, ride breakdowns tend to have a bathtub curve. It will either get fixed in 30 minutes max or many, many hours. Anytime a mechanical failure starts looking like it will be more than 30 minutes (i.e. 20 minutes elapsed and no testing), I'm out. (Exceptions include waiting for the brand new ride at my home park).

^^ Yes. I definitely know better than to just abandon a ride if it shuts down, but if I've been waiting for over 20 minutes and they're not running test trains, I'll leave the line and come back later to check on it. While I've gotten some great seats as a result of perseverance and hovering, sometimes you must shrug it off and keep moving

If it were me, and the ride broke down, I probably would have left the line too. I have been at the park where it was hot, and storms came in, and I am usually one of the first to want to get into a sturdy shelter. I don't mind the rain, being near a large metal structure during a lightning storm is not my thing. My experience with the Bat at Canadas wonderland cured me of that.

In any case, after the rain clears, people are obviously going to head to the most popular rides first. So, I usually do the opposite, and hope that the weather will clear, and lines will be shorter later. I would not wait for a broken down ride. If I did that every time I went to Cedar Point to ride Top Thrill dragster, and it was broken down. I never would have went on any rides. I went there 3 times one year, and every time I went it was closed.

The shortest lines are usually at night, just before the park closes. Usually a time when you can get on Raptor in 15 minutes. Though I talked with a friend who has been there recently, and he said that Gate keeper had over an hour wait, and held it all day long. But, he said some of the other rides were a lot worse.

Like I've said before, you can get on Gatekeeper on a non-Saturday in under 35 minutes after 3 pm, and under 25 after 8 pm. I've never waited 35+ for it except on opening day.

I think I am going to skip the park on Saturday, and do all the activities at the camp ground, maybe hang out at the pool. Or it might be the day that I do soak city for a few hours, and skip the park. Though I have been there on a Saturday, and it actually wasn't that bad. I think it is because everyone assumes it is going to be busy, so they don't go, and go on the weekdays, which seem to be just as crowded or worse. Went on a Tuesday once, and it was packed.

Though the lines start to thin out around 8 pm. Raptor usually starts out the day with a two hour plus line, and is down to just 20 minutes at 8. I rode in the front seat on Mantis once, when they used to have the nightly fireworks show. Man was that ever freaky. Those fireworks seemed aweful close going over the lift hill. I think the line at that point was a walk-on.

But, each day is going to depend on the weather.

Nobody goes on Saturday anymore, it's just too crowded.

I went 6 pm to close on a Saturday. The crowds weren't awful, but the major rides had long lines except for Gatekeeper.

Yep. Yogi's original witticism: "Nobody goes there any more. It's too crowded."

I was at Soak City 2 weeks ago on Saturday, and decided to completely skip even going in CP to look around. That was the morning of the Travel Channel Gatekeeper shoot, and during the 9:00 hour, as we were filming, the entry plaza packed like a sardine can. The parking lot was very, very full by the time we left Soak City and if not for the incoming storms, I suspect it would have continued.

Saturday is too busy.