A couple Questions...

Ok, so I just found out that i'm going to get to make a trip out to CP in a couple weeks. A GP friend invited me to go with him and his dad, and i'm not passing up any invite for a free trip to the point, but I've never gone this late in the season before, and i have a couple questions. We're going on Friday the 21st.

1. Is the back entrance still open with Cedar Point Shores open?

2. What can i expect crowds to be like for this day? (I usually go mid-may)

Thanks for the help,

-Graham

(Yes i am actually going to CP with 2 GP's please wish me luck)

Did I miss what a GP is?

From my experience, friday might start to get a bit busy later in the afternoon because everyone is starting their weekends at the park. Last time I went on a friday evening the midway looked like a concert had just gotten out. If you're there early the back may not be too bad yet, and yes its still open.

A GP stands for General Public, people who aren't coaster enthusiasts. They are usually uninformed about general roller coaster knowledge, and make stupid amusement park decisions, like riding the first ride they see no matter how long the lines are or what it is.

This entire GP BS is one of the pet peeves I have about people who consider themselves coaster enthusiasts, and part of the entitlement problem. You are all General Public people, I don't care if you know what a trim brake is and if you have ridden MF 1,287 times. You are not VIPs, special or in any way different, I hate the entire classification thing that make enthusiasts think they are any better than any other guests. And coaster enthusiasts make plenty of dumb decisions, like not showering before going to the park.

Well said Pete.

Now this has me wondering, how do you define GP vs. the cool kids? In order to be non-GP does one need a Platinum Pass or is a season pass good enough? What if I have a CF Platinum pass but go to Six Flags as a single ticket purchaser? Or is it way cooler than that such as a single rider shirt? Perhaps you have to be really important and need a single rider shirt and one of those necklaces with the clear pouch to display your coaster club card for all to see?

And of course not showering is a must!

Oh no, I don't go with any of that crap, I'm not one the the "entitled" enthusiasts. I play by the rules, I wait in line, I do what the ride ops tell me to do. I too am disgusted by those enthusiasts. When i say GP i just mean mean someone who doesn't know very much about how roller coasters work, not someone "lower than i am". I don't think that I am a VIP or anything like that. I don't use GP as a insult, just a term. Sorry if my definition came across that way.

Then you should take the opportunity to educate these underlings as you go through your day.
And then wait and see if you ever get invited again...
oh, and "good luck!"

Btw, in answer to one of your questions, throughout this season there have been lengthy discussions and info here in regard to CP Shores and the new entrance. In short, yes, it's still open and available to the GP.

^ Maverick360, thanks for the clarification. I was going to comment on the "holier than thou" tone, but I see what you meant. That is why written words on a screen can come across differently than face to face conversation.

I am not an "enthusiast", however I am "enthusiastic" each time I make an amusement park decision to ride one of the many excellent rides at CP. That said, some of those decisions turn out not so swift such as being in line behind a smelly, know-it-all enthusiast. I will say that some of the people who comment on these forums have some facts they spew that is very interesting, others make me glaze over (like I get when my wife is talking). I have especially enjoyed some of the insights on rides from RideMan on here.

Also, I always felt that GP stood for the neat Pontiac my buddy had in the late '70s.

RCMAC appreciate it man! And no, I don't plan on being a pain in the butt... :)

There are people out there who do indeed feel that way. Had the unfortunate chance to stand next to one for about 40 minutes on Friday while in line for TTD... At least he didn't try to push my son out of the way as happened last year at MF ride night so it wasn't all bad.

New developments... We aren't going until Saturday :( Any ideas what to expect as far as crowds go? Never gone on a Saturday before...

Crowd expectations are always a crapshoot, Like was posted yesterday the park was dead on Friday. could be the same on Saturday or Monday or whenever.

When we were there in June for 5 days the main park was pretty slow everyday (MF was up to the ramp, Val was 20-30 min) but CPS was beyond packed.

I call what Pete and others describe an "EnthusiASS".

Saturdays in July are always terrible. Expect long lines on the causeway and for everything from rides to food to even the restroom. Fast Lane will cost more and may be necessary. Too bad you can't used it for the restroom.

Yeah I'm thinking that with cps being new, it will be super busy as long as its hot. (Which I'm expecting.)

As always, here is a great read on trying to predict how busy the park will be on any given day. There are just too many variables to give any kind of accurate prediction.

In general weekends in July will be very crowded but there's always the exception. This past Friday was arguably the least crowded day I have seen so far this year out of roughly a dozen visits. There was rain in the early morning hours in Toledo/Detroit and also out towards Cleveland. Forecast had thunderstorms but they stayed south of CP all day. The weather in the larger cities around CP can have a dramatic impact on the crowds at CP.

Based upon how many employees were cleaning light fixtures, and scraping gum off of things that "guests" stick all over the place I'd say CP thought the crowd was going to be way bigger than it was.

Even with large crowds you can still have a great day at CP so don't worry about it too much.

Here I figured he was going with his Grand Parents... How supercilious can you be when you only go once per year in May?

jimmyburke said:

...Also, I always felt that GP stood for the neat Pontiac my buddy had in the late '70s.

My parents had a convertible one of those when I was little. My cousin tried to throw me over the side once when our dads weren't paying attention.