Michigan's Adventure. 6/8/2013

I'll try to keep this short.

I had planned to go to Michigan's Adventure on Friday, which would have included a visit with my friend Paul who purchased my Cedar Fair Platinum pass. But, it turned out that I had to go to a hearing over my recent traffic ticket at 9:30 in the morning friday, so that got nixed. At any rate, my friday hearing went great! The police officer did not show up, and all of the fines were dropped. So, as soon as the hearing was over, I went over to Pauls, and stayed over night. We watched "Oz. The Great And Powerful" If you have not seen it, I highly recommend it! Great Movie!

So, Saturday Morning, I had a quick breakfast and checked the park schedule, and the weather for today.(Saturday 6/8/2013) Saw that the park would only be open until 7 p.m, so decided to make a bee-line for the park at 11:00 am, as I figured it would be very busy. Though according to local radar, it was raining in Muskegon. Though they said it would not rain at all.

Did not arrive at the park until almost 1:00. As, there was some slow traffic in a construction zone on the highway. I also stopped at rest area to spray on sunscreen, and the stopped at a Meijer store to get ice and pop for my cooler. Then I went straight to the park, where I flashed my Cedar Fair Platnum pass voucher, and did not have to pay for parking. I went to the group sales office, and maybe waited 20 minutes in line to get processed, and the whole thing probably took about 5 minutes, and I was on my way into the park. I should say that the parking lot was surprisingly empty, I think the least cars I have ever seen there. Though there were quite a few busses in the lot.

Went into the park, and noticed that there seemed to be a lot of people, compared to the cars in the lot. But, quickly noticed what an awesome job the park has done at cleaning it up. Lot's of flowering gardens and mowed lawns, looked really nice. They already have the beer garden open, and the area around the gliders, is already landscaped.

On to the rides!

I hit Lakeslide Gliders first, and even though the line did not look too bad, I probably waited 20 minutes, and 5 ride cycles before my ride. I have been on a couple of these before, but this one moves along at a nice clip, and if you know how to work it, it can give a pretty good ride, but not something I would wait more that 20 minutes for again. The loading, and unloading process is very slow. As the ride operator has to let you out of your seat at the end of the ride.

Next I went and checked out Loggers Run, and Wolverine Wildcat, but they both had full queues, so I skipped them, and went to Shivering Timbers, only having to wait 2 trains for a ride. They retracked the final helix, and various parts of the coaster, but still found it a bit rough. Went back after my ride, with a one train wait for second seat from the front, and it was just full of great air time! After, my ride on Timbers, I hopped on the Timbertown Railway, and went over to Thunderhawk, for 2 rides, with only a one train wait, and did one in the back seat, which kinda hurt, but was still great fun. Only running one train, and still no line. The Ride op was calling it Thunder Chicken, and on the return trip, he said thanks for riding the beefy burrito..Someone's bored.

After 2 rides on Thunderhawk, I went back to the railroad, and went back for two more no wait rides on Shivering Timbers. By now, it's almost 2:30, and it has started to warm up greatly, and the skys cleared, and people started heading over to the empty water park. So, the ride lines went down greatly. I went and checked out The wildcat, and the long line was gone. So, I decided to head in for a ride. It was still 20 minutes, but, it was sure better than what it looked like earlier. I rode in the front seat, and there was some nice pops of air, but, seemed very tame, compared to it's years of brutality as bad of shape as it was once in. It has also had new track work.

After the Wildcat, I found that loggers Run had a shorter line, so I went on that as well, and only waited 5 minutes. It was very refreshing. Then I went over for a 15 minute wait for Mad Mouse, and I was the only one in my car! I didn't think it was going to make it back to the station! Had one of the RCT momments, of cars crashing into each other and exploding! LOL. But, it made it back, slow an jerky, but it made it.

Hopped back on the train again, and went back for 2 more no wait rides on Thunderhawk. And, it was starting to get very hot, so I got in Line for Grand Rapids. The line did not look bad at all, but, it ended up being a 45 minute wait, as the ride crew was sending out rafts with very few people in them. Lots of rafts with just 2 riders, with a long line. Lots of guests were complaining. Saw one raft go out with just 1 lady on it..WHAT?!! People were not happy, also felt kind of jipped as the falls toward the end of the ride were turned off, so barely got wet. Though two of the people that I rode with got drenched. It was fun, but wouldn't wait again.

By now I was getting hungry, it was 4:30, with only 2 and half hours left til the park closed. So, I went to check out the Family Grill. I was very glad to have my platinum pass perk, and ate a nice meal there for only $8.95, all you can eat. Had a double cheeseburger, and few helpings of their awesome chicken nuggets, and probably drank 5 pops.

After eating, I decided to do a round of mini golf. It cost only $3.00 extra, and some of the holes are very challenging. The couple ahead of me were not doing very well, so, while I was waiting to advance, I would go back and replay previous holes, and still caught up with them every time. I actually spent an hour playing golf, and really enjoyed it.

Next I took a spin on Corkscrew in the very last seat. Then I did a few of the flats, Flying Trapeze, and Trabant, and thought about doing scrambler, but it had a line, so I skipped it, and did 3 more rides on Shivering Timbers, saying to myself, that my last ride of the day would be on ST, in the very last seat. And, all I have to say is HOLY CRAP!! I did not think Shivering Timbers could out do itself. But the train flew through the course with relentless speed, and I spent more time off my seat, than on it!! One of the best coaster rides ever!

I decided that it was time to head home, and left the park around 6:45. So, I did quite a bit in 5 hours and 45 minutes. And, considering it was a Saturday, I was very pleased with my visit. The park employees were very friendly, and I got some very nice perks with my platinum pass, like 2 on ride photos of Shivering Timbers for $12.00. They also had t-shirts for $5.00 but only had them in large or xtra large. Bummer.

Also notice that the trees the park has planted are really filling in nicely. Now there are several places where you can actually sit in full shade. Though with the addition of Beach Party, at the Water Park, there is very little shade there.

Hope this wasn't too long.
As an extra note, I learned that you can refill your Souvinir mugs at MA now. I asked a worker at the Family Grill about that, and they said, if you buy one you can refill it if you want. He said the reason that it was not allowed before, was because of a Pepsi rule, not a Cedar Fair rule. One of the reasons apparently that the park no longer sells pepsi products. Though $5.00 for a 20 oz. bottle of coke is insane. You can almost get a 24 pack at Meijer for that much!!

Timber-Rider said:

I'll try to keep this short.

FAIL.

Sorry Jeff. I tried. But, just had too much to say. It was a very nice trip, I think one of the best visits I have had to the park in years. Was dying to go to the water park, but, will save that for warmer weather. With my platinum pass, I certainly plan to go back again. Also took a lot of pictures, and was going to do a photo TR, but, a lot of them did not turn out. I think I must have did something to screw up the shutter speed, and they all came out ghostly.
Also want to comment on the beer gardens. It appears that they sell bottled beer, and give you a wristband. I'm guessing so that proves you are over 21 incase someone is looking for under aged drinkers. It wasn't busy, but there were quite a few beer drinkers throughout the day.

Who are you and what have you done with the Timber-Rider?

Great trip report. Makes me want to visit the park someday, which is something I have never wanted to do.

Timber-Rider said:

Though $5.00 for a 20 oz. bottle of coke is insane. You can almost get a 24 pack at Meijer for that much!!

But you can't ride Shivering Timbers at Meijer.

Did any of those beer drinkers try to kill you on the way home?

I'm glad for a few things here. One is that you got out of your traffic ticket. See? All that worry and complaining for nothing. Two, is that your season pass processing was succesful with minimum hassle and without having to bother Paul. See? All that worrying and complaining for nothing. Three, is that you had a good time at the park, the place was in good enough shape to meet your criteria, and you recognized some good values there. See? All that worrying and complaining FOR NOTHING! :-)

You seem like a happy camper for a change and that's nice to hear.

Timber-rider, now that you have a platinum pass, you aren't preassured into riding everything in one day. I liked you "short" trip report. The "short"er it is the better. With all seriousness, I love long trip reports. Details are never bad.

Lord Gonchar said:

Timber-Rider said:

Though $5.00 for a 20 oz. bottle of coke is insane. You can almost get a 24 pack at Meijer for that much!!

But you can't ride Shivering Timbers at Meijer.

Seriously, though... are they really charging 5 bucks for a bottle of Coke? Wasn't it $3 or $3.50 last year?

Hey RCMAC. I think not having to pay a $500.00 traffic ticket, (Which it turned out to be with court costs) that, may have something to do with my happy joy joy day. That, combined with the lack of typical Saturday masses, made for a very surprising, and uneventful day.

As for the beer gardens. I guess I was expecting a more grand Cedar Pointish beer garden. You woud have to see it for yourself, looks more like someone's back yard picnic on a cement slab, then a garden. But, I'm sure they are still working on it. I don't know if you have ever been to MA's Family Grill, but, that is more along the lines of what I was expecting. I'm sure they could probably serve over 100 people at the Grill or more. But, it was fairly empty.

As for the rides. Tyler Boes, there were quite a few rides that I did not partake in, and I did not go on any of the water rides. The hydro-blaster slide was closed most of the day, and I wasn't about to get soaked on Adventure falls. I also skipped several other rides, as there was no lines for them, and the ride operators were holding back on giving rides, until there more riders, and didn't feel like waiting.

There was even talk on Shivering Timbers among the ride ops of going down to one train, as trains were going out of the station with only 6 to 8 riders at one point, as most people were waiting for the front. Was also grinning at the people who bought the fast lane. What a waste of money!! Though those people were able to re-enter the trains on the coasters, without having to leave the station. I also thought it was very funny that the tilt-a-whirl has a large fast lane queue, but the ride itself doesn't have one at all. If it were me, I would switch them.

Did notice a few lazy employees at the rides. There was one girl, I swear if she moved any slower, they would start showing a video of the sun setting, babies yawning, and a youtube video of a turtle flying past her, going so long sucker!! With a caption under it, saying now watch this again in slow mo, so you can actually see the turtle.

That and the people at Grand Rapids, need to be re-educated on how a rapids ride should be ran correctly. No need to make people wait close to an hour, by sending rafts with people actually in them. LOL!!

Lord Gonchar said:

Timber-Rider said:

Though $5.00 for a 20 oz. bottle of coke is insane. You can almost get a 24 pack at Meijer for that much!!

But you can't ride Shivering Timbers at Meijer.

But, you can buy Michigan's Adsventure tickets at Meijer, which eventually will lead to a ride on Shivering Timbers. So, you kind of can. There is also a Meijer store about 10 minutes from the park, if you take the highway.

Seriously, though... are they really charging 5 bucks for a bottle of Coke? Wasn't it $3 or $3.50 last year?

It depends on what you are getting. I think the bottled water was $3.00. You are better off springing the extra bucks for a Souvinir cup. It has a lid, and can hold more than 20 oz.of pop, you can also get it refilled, at one of the drink stations. Another thing they have a lot more of is food and drink stands.

While it seems like they have scaled way back on park Merchandise. They had a much better selection when I went there in 2010. Now, there is more stuff in the Snoopy Botique, and a lot more face painters, and sketch artists in the park. Saw a little boy with his face painted like a cat, and it made me think of Stewie Griffen. "Aparently this guy never heard of Darth Maul"!!

kpjb said:

Seriously, though... are they really charging 5 bucks for a bottle of Coke?

Of course not. Consider the source.

Tyler Boes said:

With all seriousness, I love long trip reports. Details are never bad.

No Herman Melville in school yet I assume?

Lord Gonchar said:

kpjb said:

Seriously, though... are they really charging 5 bucks for a bottle of Coke?

Of course not. Consider the source.

They certainly are charging $5.00 for 20 oz. bottles of coke at the machines. But, like I said, it depends on what you are getting. Not all of them are the same price. Bottled water was either $3.00 or $3.75, depending on which one you baught. But, coke and diet coke was $5.00. Not sure what the other's were, as they had few other coke products, and a machine that sold those energy drinks. Not sure how much those were, because I just wanted a coke. I just got my hand stamped and went out to my car, and drank the pop in my cooler. But, that was before I went to family grill to eat.

Ok, then.

Is that the rate at all the Cedar Fair parks? I was just at Cedar Point and I couldn't tell you...I don't even look twice at the pop machines.

I don't know what Cedar Point is charging for Coke from the machines, but a 20 oz. cup from the food stands is $3.99.

Kings Dominion is also $3.99, though I got one for $1.58. I'm not sure what happened, but I'm inclined to believe it was because I'm so good-looking.

They probably knew you drive a Challenger R/T.

Sarge27 said:

I don't know what Cedar Point is charging for Coke from the machines...

Then anything after this doesn't help. ;)

I'll be going back to the park again I'm sure, and I will jot down a few prices of various things, in case anyone wants some figures. I did notice that prices on some of the food items did come down. While others went up. I guess it depends on what is popular.

The Miadventure website used to have menus and prices of it's various food offerings, but has since removed them. But the site does offer a special diet planner, and also lists what foods they sell that might contain ingrediants for people with allergies. Which is a good thing.

Still surprising how many places in the park are actually run by other companies. But, I was looking at the Cedar Point website as well, and wish MA had some of the food offerings they have. Like Panda express and Subway. Though I have been at the subway at Cedar Point. YIKES!! A foot long sub, chips and a pop is over $20.00!!!