I planned a CP trip two weeks ahead of time for Friday, 6/6. At first, I didn't realize this was the scheduled date for CP's annual #CoasterMania event. Once I realized this after seeing a post from Tony Clark on Twitter, I scrambled last-minute to buy my girlfriend and I approved coaster club memberships. I struck out on a handful of clubs before I finally found one who was able to provide us proof of membership before the event.
Packed up the cooler with snacks/drinks and packed a suitcase with a change of clothes, swimsuits, etc. on Thursday night. Woke up my girlfriend and the oldest two kids (ages 12 and 10) at 5:30am with the intention of arriving at CP by 7am for #CoasterMania registration. Left the house at 5:58am, stopped for breakfast ,and got to CP around 7:15. We usually park in the back lot by Soak City, but since registration for #CoasterMania was accepted at the front gate only, it only made sense for us to park up front.. There was a pretty decent line forming when we arrived, but it looked a lot longer than it actually was. We stood in line for about 15 minutes, showed proof of our coaster club membership with our IDs, before we were given a lanyard with the day's itinerary and our tickets for lunch for 1-2pm (group 2) in the Point Pavilion. We missed out on tickets for the cruise around the Point on the Jet Express, but we didn't plan on doing that anyway.
From 7:30am - 9am, there was ERT on Millennium Force, GateKeeper, Raptor and Iron Dragon. We had planned to head straight for MF, but walking by Raptor we noticed it was a walk-on and stopped there first. Great ride, as always! It's one of my favorite "big" rides from when I was a kid. Next we went to MF and rode it twice with a total wait time of 25-30 minutes. The kids took a quick ride on Iron Dragon while my gf and I took a bathroom break. Then we headed back towards the front of the park for 9am ERT on Blue Streak, WindSeeker, Wicked Twister and maXair. We didn't make it over to Blue Streak, but we did ride WindSeeker, WT and maXair -- all walk-ons. It was my first time on maXair and I don't think I'll be riding it again anytime soon. I could feel my breakfast churning around in my stomach afterwards...
After maXair, the park was just about ready to open to the public, so we decided to catch a ride on GateKeeper before lines started getting long. We walked right up the steps for what looked like a walk-on, but we just missed it as they were shutting down for maintenance. Couldn't complain though since by this point, we had already rode Raptor, MF x2, Iron Dragon, WindSeeker, Wicked Twister and maXair all before 10am! Kudos to CP for being diligent with #CoasterMania ERT, making sure everyone who entered the line was wearing the lanyards.
Since GateKeeper shut down, we went back to car to grab our bag (we didn't take it in initially to avoid having to get a locker) and to grab a snack/drink. We also drove around to park at the Soak City lot since we planned on going there later in the day. Back inside the park, the kids rode Magnum while my gf and I took a breather. Magnum has gotten painful for me in recent years (my legs!) so I was happy to sit this one out. Afterwards, the 10 y/o lamented the fact that Top Thrill Dragster was down. She's been desperate to ride it for two years now, and every time we try, either the line is too long (over an hour) or the ride is down altogether. Hopefully we catch at least one ride on TTD for her this season! Next we walked over to Maverick, and the gf and 10 y/o decided to skip it while I took the 12 y/o. We waited 20 minutes, which is nothing for that ride, and had a blast.
At this point, it was 11:45am -- 1hr & 15 minutes from our scheduled lunch at Point Pavilion. After a quick pit stop and a refill of our Pipe Scream collectible cup ($0.95 if you show your Platinum Pass), we hopped the CP&LE RR and took it to MF. From there we walked to the front of the park towards Point Pavilion, stopping near Blue Streak so the 10 y/o could ride the Turnpike Cars. Between the queue and ride itself, at least 30 minutes had gone by, so it was time for lunch. We were expecting the line to be huge, and it was, wrapping all the way around the front of the park by Ocean Motion! Fortunately, the line moved quickly -- maybe a 6-8 minute wait -- before we entered Point Pavilion shortly after 1pm. CP's buffet style lunch included BBQ ribs, citrus mussels, honey mustard glazed chicken breast, brats, kielbasa w/sauerkraut and several different pasta salads to choose from. The one pasta salad I had was so good that I went back for seconds after everyone went through the line. They also had Coke beverages and Blue Streak 50th Anniversary cookies. I was blown away by the lunch itself, but everyone who attended also received a box labeled "CoasterMania Survival Kit" that included a CP t-shirt, CoasterMania fleece jacket, "Coaster Crazy" sunglasses (which the kids LOVED), a CP glasses strap and a glass cup! I can't THANK Cedar Point enough for the giveaways and for serving a quality lunch!
Also during lunch, it was announced that Millenium Force would replace Top Thrill Dragster for the exclusive 10:30pm-12:30am ERT. The announcement drew loud applause. :)
At 2:30pm, we met our neighbors who had planned on meeting us that day at the front of the park by the Carousel. They have a 16 y/o (who brought a friend), 11 y/o and a 22 month old. We took the 11 y/o with us to Soak City, taking a shuttle bus from the front of the park to the back lot. We spent a good 2.5 hours at Soak City, riding the Zoom Flume, Eerie Falls x3, Dragster H20 x4, and all the other slides before capping off the afternoon with a not-so-lazy ride on Renegade River and 20 minutes at Breakers Bay. Admittedly, I was pooped after trying to keep up with three kids, climbing up all those steps to the water slides! At least it was a decent work out...
Around 6pm, we changed into dry clothes and entered the Resort gate. The kids rode Magnum again and we all took a race on Gemini (the kids won on the red train) before we headed towards Frontier Trail. The kids rode Mine Ride and I took them on Skyhawk x2. I debated taking a trip down Snake River Falls since there was no wait, but nobody would go with me, so I skipped it. I was unsuccessful in getting someone to ride Thunder Canyon and Shoot the Rapids with me as well. A BBQ Turkey Leg from the place next to Snake River Falls was not a bad consolation prize, however, and I couldn't believe how HUGE it was. I don't often buy food inside the park, but I have to say, it wasn't a bad deal for $8 (price w/Platinum Pass).
As the evening hours approached, we met up with our neighbor near the CP&LE Railraod. She doesn't ride much, but she took the kids on Corkscrew and Matterhorn while my gf and I took her little one to Kiddie Kingdom. He had a blast, and by the time we all reconnected, it was time to grab a late dinner around 9pm. We all planned on dinner at the Thirsty Pony, but there were 9 of us in our party and they told us it would be at least a 35 minute wait. We went to DQ Grill & Chill instead, which was a serious let-down. I think we all just got our hopes up for the Thirsty Pony (we've been there several times) that anything else was going to disappoint.
After dinner, our neighbors headed home while our original party (me, my girlfriend, the 10 y/o and 12 y/o) drove back to the Point for exclusive ERT for CoasterMania participants. From 10:30-11:30pm, there was ERT on Gemini, Skyhawk, Pipe Scream and Lake Erie Eagles. We only rode Pipe Scream out of the four, and I was VERY impressed by the ride! It goes a lot faster than it looks and is quite thrilling. From 10:30pm - 12:30am, they had ERT on Maverick, Magnum and Millennium Force (subbing for TTD). Maverick was a walk-on and was exhilarating as usual. We then rode MF x2 -- also a walk-on -- before we collectively pooped out after an 18 hour day!
#CoasterMania 2014 was, BY FAR, the best trip to Cedar Point that I've ever had. I've been going to the park for 20+ years and I've never had as much fun as I did that day. This was our first #CoasterMania and CP went above and beyond to exceed our expectations. Not only that, but the weather was PERFECT and the lines were MINIMAL throughout the entire day. I think the longest line we stood in was for lunch! LOL
Overall, we couldn't have asked for a better day at Cedar Point! #CoasterMania will now become a yearly tradition for my family and I.
@RyanRufe
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