Visiting CP for the first time...

I read the Tips post before writing this...

Can anyone give me any tips? We're going May 15-18; do you think the crowds will be light?

I just want to get a general idea of what we should hit first, what we should leave till later, what we shouldn't bother with.

Thanks!

Let me refine my question a bit.

Assuming a small crowd, what ride should we hit first--should we do TTD right away (if it's open) or MF? Then what? Then what? :)

Another question--is it worth the extra $ to stay at Hotel Breakers to get in 1/2 hr early?

I honestly wouldnt hit either one. Go to Magnum first then make your way all the way around the park, going to the back first. You will get more done that way, if thats your goal.

Ask yourself your second question, you would know better than us. *** Edited 4/20/2005 6:39:18 PM UTC by eightdotthree***

When do you recommend doing MF?

I read on the CP website that Freeway is available between 11 and 2, and I got the impression that it was at a centralized location somewhere. But reading the TRs, sounds like it's something you get in line/getting off the ride? What's the deal?

Go to the Soak City entrance at the back of the park (you can buy tickets back there as well). It usually has the lowest crowds and head directly to TTD. It usually gets pretty crowded in mid-May, but it shouldn't be too bad if TTD is having a *good* day. At least that's what I do. lol.

You may also want to call the park and get a Getaway Guide. It's got a ton of coupons, but you can usually find those at the rest areas on I-80. Or PM me and I would be happy to send you one of the coupons. :-)

I have heard nothing but great things about Hotel Breakers, and yes it's nice to get in the half hour early, it would cut down on your wait time in the queue. You may also want to check out Breakers Express.

I can't really tell you WHAT to avoid if this is your first time. I would just get the the obvious (MF, TTD, Raptor, MF) out of the way first and move on from there. I assume you are spending more than one day there, so you shouldn't have any issues and will have plenty of time to relax and take it all in.

Have fun!

-Tina

PS. Avoid the muffleheads. ;-)

*** Edited 4/20/2005 7:08:46 PM UTC by coasterqueenTRN***

I love how we all talk about going to a park as a mission. wheres the fun in that? I say just go, and enjoy what the park has to offer at your own pace. Take it all in, enjoy it. don't rush to get everything done. thats like going to work, why would anyone want to do that? Enjoy yourself, you'll have plenty of time to enjoy the whole park.

I hear ya...plus, we're going for 2 1/2 days. I just don't want to spend more time in lines than I have to! :) But thanks for the reminder. It IS a vacation, after all, not a final exam.

yeah, and as far as concern over lines, the early season usually doens't see huge crowds, so I'm sure everything will be a 30 min or less wait.

Oh, 2.5 days. Nice.

Let me put it to you this way, in the morning the crowds flock to the big new rides, giving you a long line anyway. So why not ride the rides with no lines first?

Stay on point if your going to be there for 2 nights, it will make for an awesome trip.

We alway stay @ CP resorts so we always sprint (literally) to Dragster or Millie.

If not, the best thing to do is go to Magnum.
MF will have a long wait all day.

People say Raptor is least busy in the evening, but I've found right in the morning it's the shortest wait.

Wicked Twister usually doesn't have a bad wait either.

I don't know, just go and have fun and make sure that you hit all the good ones.

One tip, I don't know what the uptime on TTD is but if it is open, get in line. DON'T bother waiting for it to fixed if it's broken because it wastes time. But if it's open, get in line and at least ride it once. The first time is always insane.

Cedar Point is a big park. Make sure you have some comfortable shoes that are broken in. If you like a ride and the line is short, take two or more rides on it before moving on. It is easier to do that than walking back and forth through the park all day. Try to make a loop from wherever you start. Taking the train can give your feet a rest if you plan that into your day. You can get a map of the park from CP's web site ant that can help you plan your day.

If you stay at a CP resort, you will be able to enter the park early and beat some of the crowd. If TTD is testing when you get to the park, park in back in the Soak City lot and enter there. Make a left and you will see the entrance to TTD and get a lap or two in before the crowds arrive.

If you do not see TTD testing, park out front and walk down the road that leads to the back of the park and enter at the marina entrance. Make a left on the midway and head to MF for your first ride of the day. There is a little buss that runs around and can take you to any of the parks entrances. If you stay at Breakers and want to enter at the Marina for MF. Just look for the little bus and it will take you there.

Making TTD or MF your first rides of the day will get you on quick without lines, but make some of the other rides kinda boring. Some people like to start out on the smaller coasters and work their way up to MF and TTD. The lines also tend to die down for MF and TTD in the evening in the early season.

Don't waste a lot of time on TTD. Some people will sit in line for hours and hours after a breakdown. If it breaks down and isn't repaired relatively quickly, go ride something else and come back later.

TTD and MF are both worth waiting for a front seat ride. They can both be an extra half hour or more wait for the front, but well worth it. The back seat is also great on MF and only a two or three train wait. Magnum is best in seat three or the back. Raptor is best in the back right seat. Front seat is also good in the dark. Ride WT in the very back seat for the best ride.

The Midway Market located up by the Raptor is probably your best dining value in the park.

Don't forget to buy some of their fudge and salt water taffy before you leave. Hope this helps. Enjoy your trip. *** Edited 4/20/2005 8:32:55 PM UTC by CP ismyhome***

"I just don't want to spend more time in lines than I have to!"

True, but lines are hard to predict. Many factors affect lines. Weather, day of the week, time of the year, special events happeing at the park, and even other rides being closed all affect line size. Its impossible to predict. Just because someone had short lines on May 15-18 in 2004 is not a good indicator that lines will be the same this year or next year.

You'll be there for two & 1/2 days...I doubt you'll have any trouble experiencing everything ;)

The #2 seat is just about as good as #1 on MF IMO. And plan to ride MF after dark.

Ok. I have a few more things to add.

First, don't be afraid to sit down and relax for a half hour.

I have this habit that when I go to an amusement park, I feel like this is a very precious day because I only go to parks about 7-8 days out of the entire year. So I always seem to run around like a maniac riding as much as possible. But I've learned it always tires me out and become grumpy and tired at the same time. Just relax and have fun. That's what it's all about. So what if you have to wait in line? Listen to music on your ipod if you have one or talk to someone. I actually find the ride lines relaxing because theres not much exercise involved and I know that I have a great ride ahead of me.

If you want to wait for the front seat Dragster is the ride to do it. Personally I think the back seat on MF is the best seat. FAR better than the front and it has a shorter wait.

If you want to try the front seat of TTD, the second train usually has a shorter line for the front seat (they load two trains at a time). Take the queue line to the right when you get to the station to wait for the second train.

Re: Freeway

Freeway is the poor man's FASTPASS or Universal Express--rather than get a ticket with a time to return, you get a big, ugly, hard-to-wash-off colored ink stamp on your hand with a one-hour block of time to return. During that one-hour block, you can come back to a special entrance and bypass all but 10-20 minutes of the line. You cannot ride earlier or later than your block---unlike some other parks with similar systems, if you are late for any reason, you lose. If you have a big group, tell the stamper how many before the first person gets a stamp, because the hour blocks do not overlap, and you probably don't want to have to split your group.

You have two hands, so you only get two stamps in a day. Additionally, you can't double up on Millennium or Dragster--you get at most one of each. You obtain the stamps from a little kiosk near the entrance to each applicable ride. Per the cedar point web site, Raptor, Mantis, and Millennium stamps are handed out starting at 11AM, the other three at 2PM. However, on really light attendance days, neither group will be used---they only use the regular lines. On light-to-moderate days, only the 11AM group will be used. On moderate-plus days, both groups will be used. Millennium stamps will run out first in the first group, and Dragster will run out first in the second group.

My preference is to get stamps for Millennium and Mantis as close to 11 as possible. Millennium, along with Dragster, has one of the consistently longest lines in the park. Mantis is one of the slowest loading coasters in the park. Both tend to generate significant waits. Because they are right next to one another, and offered at the same time, it's easy to get both stamps without going far out of your way or interrupting your touring.

The other strategy is to get a Millennium stamp at 11, and a Dragster stamp at two. I don't do this because, in my experience, Dragster doesn't run reliably enough to make Freeway that useful, but others will disagree.

While you are over there getting stamps, you probably also want to hit Wildcat early in the day---it is easily the lowest-capacity coaster in the park, and can generate a pretty significant wait by mid-day. Fit Dragster in whenever it is convenient, and save the front third of the park for mid-afternoon. That should keep most of your waits tolerable unless you are there on a really peak day (and if you are there in May, you won't be.)

(Edited to add: the biggest problem with Freeway is that, if I take a day off of work to go play in the park, everyone knows where I was when I return.)

*** Edited 4/21/2005 1:24:38 PM UTC by Brian Noble***

It's interesting to see the different strategies here. Here's my take based on several trips in the shoulder season (before Memorial Day and after Labour Day).

If you arrive at the gate within an hour of the official gate opening, ride TTD first, then MF. Expect lines of up to 1 hour for each coaster (depending on how early you arrive). Throughout the day, the line for TTD will likely peak at 2.5 hours and MF for 1.5 hours. When I was there last fall (during Frightfest), the lines for TTD and MF were actually longer after dark than during the day - I'm not sure if it will be the same in the spring. I skipped Freeway because the line for hand-stamps was at least 3/4 of an hour long for both TTD and MF. Others may think it's worth it, but not me.

This is the off-season and CP does a great job at running other coasters at nearly full capacity. There shouldn't be waits of more than 5 trains for any other coaster unless you fluke into some 80-degree weather. Take it easy during the day and try to avoid lines that are posted at 3/4 hour or longer. These lines totally disappear after dark. (During Frightfest, Raptor was a 3/4 hour wait most of the day, but only a 4-train wait during the last 2 hours of the day. Mantis was at least 1/2 hour most of the day, but I waited 3 trains for a front-row seat after dark.)

The only additional advice I can offer is to wear lots of layers. During the shoulder season, the sun is very hot and the wind very cold. The weather can quickly change from shorts-and-T-shirt weather to sweatshirt-and-jacket weather. I keep a locker with jackets, sweaters, and a change of clothes (for water rides).

I'm looking forward to your trip report. We're going to CP for a day or two a week after your trip.

3/4 of an hour? I've never waited even close to that for a Millennium stamp, and never more than a few minutes for a Mantis one.

I also get a stamp for MF and Mantis. The longest I have waited to get a stamp for MF was maybe 15 minutes and that was in July. Mantis no more than a 5 minute wait ever. The one and only time I got a stamp for Dragster was last year in June, and that was the day the cable frayed, and the ride was closed the rest of the day. Just my luck.

I think staying in one of the resort on-site is a great idea. I love getting into the park 30 minutes before the general public.

Thanks for all the great advice!

I don't know how I'm going to get through the next 24 days...