8/19/12 Maybe Fast Lane is a good deal?

(This is copied from a Disney site where I hang out so some of the terminology is geared towards that group)

Well, I survived my day at Cedar Point with my twins. Not having toured during peak times, I was surprised by the amount of people in the park. Of course with it being an amazingly beautiful day, it was a perfect opportunity for families to get one last trip in before school starts. Here's a mini trip report for those that would like to read it. (Good practice for me for next year when I do my Disney TR. :) )

The Cast: Me, Eric (43), DD (14) henceforth known as Nat, and DS (also 14) dubbed Alex.

Getting Started: The plan was to leave home at 6am, pick my daughter up at her friend's house, drive to Flint to pick up my son from his mom's house, and get to the park before 10am. Having DJ'd a wedding the night before and not getting to bed until 1am, it was slow moving for me when the alarm blasted at 5. Miraculously, I only hit the snooze once. Showered, sandwiches made, cooler filled, GPS programmed, iPod set with driving tunage, I picked the first kid up at 6:10. Not too far off schedule yet. This would change going into Flint to get Alex. In my defense, it wasn't my fault. I forgot to factor in my ex-wife and her love of talking which she graciously passed on to my children. After multiple, "No really, it's time to get on the road", we were finally off. It was now 7:30. Sigh Won't get to see the running of the bulls this trip.

Sidenote: If you ever get the chance to witness the mass stampede of people trying to be first in line, it is quite a sight. Young and old alike sprinting through the park in the hopes of getting the coveted first rides. Thanks, I'd rather walk and save myself the heart attack. Besides, the resort guests have already been in the park for an hour. It's not like you're going to get a prize for being first. All you'll get at worst is a torn ACL or at the least a really bad stitch in your side and your friends laughing at you as the pass you by.

Before lunch: I'm not going to lie to you Marge, the lines were long, but not totally unmanageable. Our longest wait was for Maverick at an hour which was our second ride of the day having started with Gemini. Alex and I took on Skyhawk, a massive swing set, to enjoy that special little tickle you get from swinging rides. Passed up the water rides because who really wants to get drenched at 11am? Apparently some folks do as there were lines forming at both Snake River Falls and Thunder Canyon. The kids took a spin on Mantis, the Point's stand-up coaster. I've ridden it twice, and both times hurt. The first caused discomfort in the manly areas, and the second time, a leg cramp started just after the first hill and carried all the way through the ride. Needless to say, I gimped off the ride, and haven't ridden since. We took in a leisurely turn on the Iron Dragon. You'd think with such a fierce name, the ride would be more intense, but it's a great family ride and a nice step up towards the big boys. I had to smile as we were walking down the exit, two boys in front of us, all of maybe 6 or 7, were rushing down the stairs so they could "ride this one again!" Ah, youth. Wait'll they ride Magnum. It'll blow their mind. It was now nearing 2pm, so we decided to head back out to the car for a "parking lot picnic". On the way out, we checked the times for Magnum and Top Thrill Dragster, but both were over an hour. So with hands stamped, we walked out into the Soak City parking lot for a nice lunch.

Ride count up to now: Gemini, Maverick, Skyhawk, Mantis, Iron Dragon. Time spent in line: (approx) 1 hour 40 minutes.

After Lunch: I debated staying at the car to take a nap (only 4 hours of sleep last night, remember) and let the kids hit a couple of rides, but I was having too much fun to be honest. So after lunch, back in we went. Magnum was still cued up to at least an hour as was Dragster. It wasn't going to break my heart if I missed Magnum. It's a good coaster, but not a favorite as it's just a little rough for me and the kids got multiple rides last year when they went so they opted to ride Dragster. While they're in line, let me fill you in on a little secret: I'm Pooh sized, so I have a hard time fitting on many of the rides at amusement parks. At Cedar Point, I can't ride Millennium , Dragster, Raptor, or Wicked Twister. Every time I visit, I talk big about working the weight off so I can ride them again, but it never seems to carry over after we get home. *Sigh* Anyway, the kids are off the ride, loved it as always, and we headed up towards the front of the park. I took them into the Colosseum which is a huge arcade. Countless hours and way more money than should be has been spent in here. I wanted to see if any of the classic machines were still there, and many were! It was fun showing the kids original Pac-Man, Ms. Pac-Man, Donkey Kong, and other game cabinets. We spent about a half hour looking around and playing a few games before heading up to Raptor. I tested the seat at the entrance just to see, but there was still about 3 inches before it would latch. Oh well, maybe some other time. The kids opted to not wait as the line was 45 minutes, so we walked over toward the Giant Wheel area. We passed on Max-Air as it was warm and the swinging/spinning motion didn't appeal to any of us. The kids rode Wicked Twister, and then we did something, I don't normally do. We took in a show. All-Wheels Extreme has been appearing on America's Got Talent, and they were finishing up their run of shows at Cedar Point that day! We watched the 5:00 show and enjoyed it so much, we decided to watch their final show at 7. I can't wait to see them again on 9/4 on America's Got Talent, Tuesdays on NBC (vote for them!!) Anyway, after the 5pm show, the kids did ride Raptor, and while they enjoyed it, it's hard to top Dragster, Maverick, and Millennium Force for the thrills. Personally, I would have been in heaven as it's my favorite Inverted Coaster. We walked around looking at the carnival games while we waited for the 7pm show to start following which we had dinner at Midway Market. I must admit for a buffet at an amusement park not known for gourmet dinners, the food was really good. It's no Wolfgang Pucks, but I wouldn't want to eat there anyway, to fancy for my tastes. :)

Sidenote: Cedar Point had an online Meal Deal which got you a 32oz refillable mug and lunch or dinner at either Midway Market or one of the CS spots for $10.35. The mug alone would have cost $10!! Talk about an amazing deal that saved a ton.

Continuing on: The lights were now coming on around the park, we were getting wore out, and we still had a 3 1/2 hour drive ahead of us. Time to figure out what would be our last ride. After a relaxing trip over the midway on the Sky Ride, we touched down and headed towards the back of the park. We started our day with Gemini followed by Maverick, and that's how we would end it. Gemini was running both the red and blue trains, so the kids took red and I jumped on blue. I am happy to report that we reached the station first after holding the lead most of the ride. Maverick was still an hour posted wait, but the line looked like it was moving along nicely. Nope, it was an hour. The ride itself is amazing at night, it felt a lot more intense than our morning run, and was a great way to end our day.

After lunch ride count: Top Thrill Dragster, Wicked Twister, Raptor, Ocean Motion, Gemini, Maverick. Time spent in line: 2hrs 55min

Total rides ridden: 11 rides and 2 shows
Total time spent in line: 4hrs 35mins.

Holy cow! That's a long freaking time. It doesn't feel that long spread out over the day, but damn! Cedar Point's Fast Lane would have cost us $165 for the three of us, and I just couldn't justify paying that. Now that I see how much time was wasted standing around, I will budget it for any trip during the summer months. Even if I won't be able to ride some of the rides, I can ride Maverick, and that's a ride I would do over and over again.

The end of it all: Well, that was our day. If you haven't been to Cedar Point and enjoy thrill rides, it should be a must for every family. You can't beat the collection of rides. I still recommend a trip in May or early June before the crowds really thicken up or just bite the bullet and pay for Fast Lane. This trip really hit home the importance of having at least a basic touring plan and utilizing Fast Pass once we get to Disney.

I hope you enjoyed reading, and I didn't bore anyone too much. It was a great day spent with two of my amazing kids. Thank you for allowing me to share.

-Eric

Nice trip report. Thanks for sharing.

Nice trip report. Thanks for taking the time. Unfortunately not many people do this, and even fewer take the time to say thanks, so I don't waste my time anymore. Which is too bad, because if everyone did it we'd have a terrific archive of useful data by which to plan visits based on crowd levels, etc going forward.