Tell me about Cedar Point Amusement Park in Ohio

In My Humble Opinion
1

We leave for Ohio a week from Sunday and we’re starting to get excited. We are roller coaster freaks, but love amusement parks in general. This is our first trip to CP and I’d love some information from fellow Dopers. We are staying in the Hotel Breakers. We are going to Ohio for seven days, but we’ll be at the park four of those days. How are crowds this time of year? What shouldn’t be missed? What about restaurants in the area? Tell me everything there is to know! :smiley:

PS - my husband and I don’t do waterparks

2

Crowds are pretty bad, but 4 days is plenty of time. I’ve only ever done day trips or occasionally a day and a half.

There are so many roller coasters there that you can ride the older ones without too much wait. There are tons of good ones, my favorites are the Raptor (a hang down from under the track type ride) and the Magnum, and of course the newer Millenium Force, this one is tops if you love the big hills. Now they have a system where you can get a ticket or something to schedule you for a time block for the bigger and most popular rides, so if you know you want to ride one it makes sense to do it that way. You still have to wait but not as long, you get to bypass part of the line.

The newest rides can have insane waits in the summer peak days. I remember waiting almost 4 hours to ride Millennium Force the year it was new. But with all your time there you will be able to pick the best times of day to ride the ‘big’ rides and to take advantage of the tickets. Does your hotel give you a deal where you can get in the park an hour early? If so that’s a good time to get in line for a new big ride.

The older coasters like Gemini and Iron Dragon are still lots of fun and have usually under 30 minute waits even during peak times.

It’s a blast, we used to go every year and I’ve been itching to go back, I really think it is one of the best amusement parks in the U.S.

3

As roller coaster freaks, you’ve definitely made a good decision in CP. Personally, I wouldn’t be able to handle two days at the park, let alone four. Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE Cedar Point, but a single day there leaves me so beat, I don’t need to return for a full year. Anyway, I’ll try to break it down for you:

Can’t Miss 'Em:

Magnum - If you enter the park when it opens in the morning, hit this one first. It should be right by your entrance if you just walk over from Breakers. It used to be the tallest, meanest coaster at the park about a decade ago, but it’s since been overshadowed by newer coasters. As a result, it’s nearly ignored by the crowds. I’d call it a shame, but it’s still so much fun to ride, so screw 'em if they don’t wanna ride. You can probably ride this about six times in the amount of time you’ll be waiting in line for the Millenium Force. Which brings us to…

Millenium Force - VERY tall, VERY smooth, and the first drop is VERY steep. An amazing coaster. Definitely worth waiting for the front seat. Just don’t ride in the front when it gets dark. The gnats that don’t get in your mouth will wind up pasted onto the front of your shirt.
**
Top Thrill Dragster** - The best of the best. Do NOT miss this one. Just look at the faces of the people that are just finishing their rides as you stand in line. I’d suggest you save this one for a little bit, as it tends to make everything else seem lame. But don’t put it off too long, as it is often under maintenance.

Definitely Worth the Wait:

Raptor - My used-to-be favorite. Your legs are free to dangle. This one isn’t as tall or fast as some of the others, but it’s a very enjoyable ride with several loops and twists. Avoid this line early in the day. It’s right by the main entrance to the park, so a lot of people get in line for it early. I think you’ll find the wait much shorter after dinner.

Mantis - I think this was the world’s tallest stand-up coaster when it debuted or something. It’s pretty fun. They’ve definitely been playing the same music for the people in line for 8 years or however long it’s been running.
**
Gemini** - The trains race each other. You can reach out and grab Mr. Schmeese if you ride on opposite sides. This is my favorite wooden coaster at the park. It’s not very tall or fast, but it is nice and smooth. There’s a part where it’s hard to keep your hands up because it looks like they’re going to be ripped off by a wooden beam. I always challenge myself to keep my hands in the air while going under it.

Doing That Hand Motion That Indicates Something is Only So-so:

Mean Streak - Huge, hulking mass of wood. It looks very impressive. The ride is ruined, however, by a violent shaking that doesn’t relent until the train has stopped.

Blue Streak - Ride it for history’s sake. It was the first coaster at the park.

Iron Dragon - It’s kind of fun if you don’t mind getting misty Lake Erie water on you.

The Rest:

Cork Screw - Used to be a big deal because of the twists. It’s just shaky and unfun now, IMHO.

Wildcat - Never rode this one actually, I just think it looks lame.

Mine Ride - For kids.

Disaster Transport - Only if you need to escape the heat for a bit. There’s AC inside.

Jr. Gemini - Kids.

Wicked Twister - It’s actually kind of fun, in a nauseating sort of way. It just reminds me of a carnival ride, so I put it down here.

I usually try to make it to the park in May or June, before both my allergies and the big crowds. I haven’t been there in mid-summer for years, but I remember the crowds being pretty large.

As far as restaurants, I can’t really help you. Sandusky might have some good ones outside of the park, but I usually just eat some greasy stuff from the park vendors.

4

I agree with Team of Scientists assessment and ride rundown. Cedar Point is a blast, my BF and I used to go every year on 4th of july, was a great day for it as the crowd was minimal.

Millenium Force is a MUST RIDE for roller coaster fanatics, it’s totally and completely awesome. I didn’t get to do Top Thrill Dragster, it was closed for maintanance last time I was there, but it does look great. Make sure and drink lots of water and get indoors regularly, the heat and humidity can be really nasty up there this time of year.

5

The nice thing about staying at the Breakers is that you get to enter the park early. Take advantage of that! The hotel rooms (when we stayed there) were nothing special, but the lakefront views are nice, and the international staff is interesting.

I also think they have a drink-refill deal that works both in the park and out of the park. You know, you buy one overpriced cup but then get cheap refills at the hotel snack bar, at the go-cart park, in the park itself… if they still have that, this can work out to a GREAT deal over the course of a day or two.

6

Sandusky is not exactly a food mecca, but you can find decent stuff if you know where to look.

If you want a nice dinner, go to the Bay Harbor in the Cedar Point Marina. It’s a seafood and steak place. It’s a bit pricier than other options, but if it’s just you and the SO, it can be a nice break and the food is good. If you want to go on a weekend evening, you should make reservations. Actually, I think I’d make reservations for any evening.

http://www.cedarpoint.com/public/park/food/full_out/bay_harbor.cfm

I’ve heard Famous Dave’s is good. It’s a chain BBQ place. I’ve never eaten at one myself though. You will see lots of other chains there that are familiar to you too.

If you care to venture a little farther, Port Clinton has more nice restaurants, like Mon Ami Restaurant and Winery. Just don’t drink any of the Catawba wines unless you like your wine really, really sweet (personally, I think Catawba wine is gross, but obviously others do not share my opinion. I like dry wine much better).

You can get local seafood, like perch and walleye, at Nate’s in Port Clinton.

7

I grew up near Cedar Point, and used to go a lot. If you like coasters, it’s the mecca, as far as I’m concerned. It’s still not a fashion mecca or anything, but they have in recent years gotten rid of the horrid little jumpsuits that made the employees look like tall, oversexed three year olds. Blech.

I warn you: Cedar Point may ruin you for amusement parks forever. I’ve never been to another amusement park, ever, without thinking, “Meh. These folks need to get themselves to Sandusky.” Anyway … I haven’t ridden some of the newer rides, but I’ll give you the scoop on the ones I know about.

Magnum - All-time favorite, even after newer, supposedly better rides were built. The front car is worth the extra wait. The track dips in a little bit right at the top, so in the front car, it really looks as if you might be dropping into space. Wonderful stuff.

Millenium Force - Okay. It actually went a little too fast for me and my friend. The force was so great that I couldn’t move my head at all, and I ended up not enjoying it very much. Lest you think I am a fogey, I was, I think, 25 at the time.

Mean Streak - Don’t like it. It’s off by itself, and not worth the walk. It’s wooden and, as has been said, incredibly bumpy. I get a headache every time. Not worth it.

Raptor - Very nice. I like the ones where your feet hang down, so I’m biased.

Mantis - Stand-up ride. It’s okay, but my nether regions felt a little abused by the “seat.” Not so nice.

Gemini - I love this ride. Sure, it’s old, and you don’t ever think you’re going to die, but for pure enjoyment, it’s right up there. Plus, as someone said, you almost never have to wait for this ride at all anymore. A little bit of jockeying in the lanes will get you across from a friend or significant other, which is quite fun.

Iron Dragon - We usually go on this after an intense ride, because it’s very relaxing.

Wildcat - The poor Wildcat has a bad reputation that it does not deserve, IMO. Again, it’s not the most intense ride there, but it’s a hoot. My friend and I laughed the whole time we were on it a few weeks ago.

Not Coasters But Worth It
MaXair - Hard to explain; it’s like a pendulum. I think I experience zero gravity for a second.

Power Tower - Shoots you straight up or straight down; your choice. I like up.
I can’t really help with food. I’m cheap, and we always take a cooler and picnic. Hope you guys have a wonderful time!

8

You are so freaking right about that. Since moving to SoCal I’ve been to…knotts berry farm, universal studios and six flags and we’re heading to disney in a few weeks. So far I keep thinking, Cedar Point is sooooo much better.

9

Actually my favorite ride was the Witch’s Wheel. I have not been to the park in about five years I hope it is still in service.

10

Hm. Cedar Point. I went there back in the summer of 2001. Most of my memories of that place remind me of my ex, since our families went there at the same time. Of what I remember that doesn’t involve my ex (much):

I personally liked Magnum better than Millenium Force. This might be due to the dehydration experience while standing in line forever, unwilling to shell out for a soda. Both of them were freakin’ awesome, though.

The Corkscrew kind of sucked.

I remember the park being really, really big. I mean, bigger than Great America. I could be misremembering, though.

Don’t step in Lake Erie (or let your dumbass SO push you in there for kicks). The bottom isn’t really sandy. It’s mud. You’ll get wet up to your ankles, and your shoes will be ruined. ::sighs:: I still miss those Vans. . .

11

This site has some pretty good reviews. Cedar Point is a great park for coasters. Absolutely do NOT miss the Raptor. It is one of my all time favorite coasters of any type. The only ride I would advise against is the Mantis. Yeah, it is big and long but damn is it painful. You will experience a lot of painful pressure on your knees and ankles and your head will get thrown around. If you do ride make sure to remove any earrings. No one told me that and I had to find a bathroom to wipe off the blood then I had to find some asprin for the ungodly headache I got from the ride.

12

I grew up two hours away, and we used to hit Cedar Point once a year or so. I haven’t been back since the Mean Streak was the newest deal, but I agree that the Magnum and Gemini are a lot of fun. Once the Mean Streak opened, the wait for the Magnum was rarely an hour (probably less now). And then after that, we’d wander over to the Gemini and ride it 5 times in 20 minutes.

The Blue Streak and the Wildcat are worth at least one or two trips – nothing bone-shaking, but fun. I don’t like the Corkscrew – boxes your ears.

–Cliffy

13

The Cedar Point website at http://www.cedarpoint.com/ is pretty comprehensive.

14

I live two hours away and have spent many an enjoyable time there. I’ll let the others reviews of the rides guide you. They sound pretty good.

I just want to vote that you take an evening, if you can tear yourself away, over to Port Clinton and find yourself a mess of Lake Erie fried Perch. If you like a fish fry, this will be a good as it gets.

15

Sorry to be picky, but this is NOT a wooden coaster. The frame is wood, but the track is steel. Also, it was tallest coaster in the world when it opened, hard to imagine.

Again, being picky. This was NOT the first coaster in the park, it is just oldest. A very simple coaster, but fun. You fly off your seat on a couple of hills. I lost my favorite hat on that ride, but I don’t hold it anything against it :wink:

Millenium Force- Awesome ride, the first drop is 80 degrees, nearly straight down. I nearly black out from the first and second drops, but once it gets to the top of the second hill, my vision comes back, and its all fun from there.

Top Thrill Dragster- Hella long line, very short ride, always under matineance, but totally worth the wait :slight_smile:

Magnum- I remember when this thing opened, lines forever. Now like a max 10 min wait, and a very good coaster.

Raptor- Kick the Sky!™ Fun coaster, usually a long line, especially when the park opens.

Disaster Transport- Avoid like the plague. Crappiest coaster in the world. Long line simply because it is indoors. If you need to get out of the heat, go see a show, but do NOT ride this ride.

Corkscrew- go upside down a couple times and back at the station, guranteed to give you a head-ache

Mean Streak- Very shakey wooden coaster. If you hold your head out from the head rest (defeating its purpose), you might enjoy it without a head-ache

Non-coaster rides that are also fun:

Witches wheel- sit there and spin round and round, very relaxing, and enjoyable.

Power Tower- Upside only! The line for the down side is always longer, and on the upside you still get to fall down, just not shot down. Sitting in the chair, waiting, in anticipation to get shot 200ft up in the air, never knowing when you will go, awesome.

Chaos- Round and Round, see how many times you can flip yourself over, very challenging. I love that ride, probably more than other people.

As other people have stated, yes it is crowded during the summer, best to go at the end or beginning of the season, but even if it is crowded, it is still worth it. No other amusement park will ever stand up to Cedar Point once you’ve been there.

16

Cedar Point goes wayback. It was easily reachable by train as a small Coney Island beach resort at the turn of last century. People from Toledo and Cleveland could spend a couple of dollars and arrive on the electric railroad to great beaches and summer holiday. It is awesome. I am not using that as hyperbole… this is the destination for serious thrill seekers. It is an awesome sight from distance and an awesome accomplishment. Nowhere else in the world will you find adrenal apparatii in quantity and quality as THE POINT.

Gemini (

17

There always has to be one person to throw a wet blanket on the fun times, and this time it’s me.

Without question, Cedar Point was not only the biggest disappointment of my traveling life, it was, far and away, the greatest source of frustration I’ve ever encountered while traveling…and this from someone who was in the travel business for 25+ years.

The Breakers hotel was dismal. Old, desperately in need of refurbishing, moldy bathroom, threadbare worn carpet, loud and unreliable air conditioner, morons running through the halls all night, doors slamming constantly, and overpriced.

Oh, they say you get to get into the park an hour before the crowds? Big deal. The rides didn’t open up during that hour anyway. You just got to wait an extra hour.

And let’s talk about the rides… Millenium Force, Top Thrill Dragster and Mantis were out of service when we arrived. That means every remaining ride had a line that was absofreakinglutley unbelievably long. Millenium Force announced that it was fixed, and the wait for that was 2 and a half goddamned hours–in 90 degree heat. A couple of people keeled over. Top Thrill Dragster was supposedly fixed while we were there, and I watched it while eating lunch. It misfired on an average of 1 out of each three times it blasted off–so instead of going up and over, it went up and back down. That meant that, after the brakes stopped it wayyyy down the track, it had to inch back real slowly to get back to the starting position to be reshot.

While waiting in the interminable lines, I had the chance to ask other people their opinions of the place. None were positive. There was one couple with some kids that said they’ve been going there for many, many years, but this was their last time. They said that it had become more and more crowded each year, and it just wasn’t worth it anymore. I understood completely.

All told, in one full day, we got on four, count 'em, FOUR rides.

We had actually paid for two nights, but we checked out anyway (they kept the extra money–nonrefundable dontcha know), and I paid another charge to change my plane reservations so we could get out of that hellhole early.

Now, I’m sure that other folks have had better experiences than I did. They’d have to. Nobody that experienced what I did would ever consider going back there.

18

I’m sorry to hear that your experience was less than thrill-tastic. :frowning:

I don’t know when you stayed at Hotel Breakers, but I believe it was remodeled in 2004, which may have improved matters somewhat. I’ve never stayed there, though, so I can’t vouch for it personally.

19

I was at Cedar Point just a few weeks ago. The must-rides are Magnum, Millenium Force, Raptor, and Top Thrill Dragster. Both the Raptor and Top Thrill Dragster are pretty new (I think this is the Dragster’s first year) and correspondingly they both have formidable wait times. Both are worth the wait, however. I’ll stand up for the Corkscrew; I’ve always liked it. With one loop and two full twists, it makes no attempt to spare your lunch. Corkscrew, Gemini, Mantis, and Iron Dragon are all good fun rides. (Although I think Raptor beats Iron Dragon on all counts.) The Mean Streak is very rough and jerky, but still decent. The Blue Streak isn’t much of a coaster by today’s standards, but is has nostalgia value. Disaster Transport sucks, don’t ride it.

I’ll take a shot at explaining the MaXair. There are photos of it here. It’s a big pendulum, about 80 feet tall. At the bottom is a ring of seats facing outwards (away from the pendulum). The pendulum swings back and forth while the seats rotate around the pendulum’s axis. It swings quite high – the highest swings are beyond 90 degrees. The rotating seats mean that sometimes you’ll be facing the ground, and sometimes you’ll be facing the sky. It’s quite a thrill.

20

Ah yes, that’s correct. And I didn’t know that it was the tallest when it opened. Wow.

Anyway, to the OP, they do a laser light show at the end of each night. This is prime time for jumping on rides. The lines get pretty short, so you can usually just pick one and ride it several times in a row before they shut it down.