All the info needed for the best trip!!!

I am going to Cedar Point in June, July or August and would like it to be the best trip to CP that I have ever had. I plan on riding all the rides that I usually skip and getting some great photos and footage for not only my memories but also for videos to put on Youtube. These are the things I want to know:

*When to go*
-What days should I go that are the least busiest and what time should I go to fit in the most rides?

*Where to stay*
-What place to stay at is the cheapest but is not crappy and is at CP?

*What to ride*
-What rides should I go on first?When are the best waits and the worst waits?

*What to bring*
-I need to bring my video camera which is relatively small and my digital camera which I can keep in my pocket, but I also need to bring in water, food, and extra clothes for after the water rides. Is this to much stuff and how should I carry it all to the best of my convenience?

*Other*
-When is the best time to eat and take a break, and where are the best places to eat for good food but not to break the bank?

Any other tips would be appreciated

-Ashley

1 - In the Summer it is going to be busy. It will be less busy during the week than it is on the weekend. If the hours are shorter, that usually means it is a less busy day. Tuesday's and Wednesday's are usually the least busy.

2 - Depends on how many people you have. Since you've already narrowed it down to one of the resorts, you've got 3 options. Breakers, Lighthouse Point and Sandcastle. If you've got 4-6 people, go with Lighthouse. They are cabins/cottages so you've got a little privacy. If its just 2-4 of you, stay at Breakers. I'd recommend a tower room.

3 - Most of the crowds enter from the front of the park, so the park gets busy from the front back. As such, start at the resort gate and work your way around the back of the park while all the guests are crowding up the front. Then later in the day, when they've moved on to the back, head to the front. Also, if you are staying multiple days, you can use the resort early entry to get in some quick rides.

4 - You're staying on point. Leave what you can in the hotel room and go get it when you need it. I would recommend going into the park, riding a bunch of stuff and then when it gets busiest in that mid-afternoon (about 2-6) go get your cameras then. Then when done with your photography, go put it back in your room. If you ride any water rides, dry clothes are just a short walk to the hotel away.

5 - Anytime but usual mealtimes. Remember, everyone else will want to eat at those times too, so you're better off eating a little early or a little later and saving the long waits for everyone else. Mealtimes (particularly dinner time) can make for some shorter ride waits. Famous Dave's is always good, and Friday's isn't half-bad. Just avoid Midway Ripoff Market like the plague.

Hope this helps.

Thank you! That does help quite a bit!
It would only be my mom, myself and maybe a friend so I guess I'm staying at Breakers!

Thanks again!

-Ashley

As a resort guest, you also get ERT in the morning for one hour. The key thing to realize about CP is that there are four rides that come mid June will have >1.5 hour waits for most of the day (if not the whole day) and very likely may be >2 hours the whole day they are:
-Maverick
-Top Thrill Dragster
-Millennium Force
-Raptor

All of them are included in ERT except TTD. Your goal should be to attempt to do at least one, if not two during ERT and then be in line at TTD when the main opening happens. Since you are staying on the Point, you will be entering via the Magnum enterance, which happens to be the closest gate to Maverick. Get there at least 15 min before the ERT opening, and if you can 30 min to line up. Then proceed directly to Maverick and ride if it is open, if it is not, this is important: skip it for now from my experience if Maverick is not up at ERT opening, it will not open for at least 20 min, and usually its more then 30 min.

Whether its open, or if you have to skip it, your next stop should be Millennium Force. Ride it as many times as possible until you either see Dragster running with people (it sometimes opens early) or its 15 min prior to 10, and get in line. Ideally at the end of this you will have managed to hit 3 of the 4 "big waits" in a little over an hour, this gives you the rest of the day to enjoy all the other rides. As for Raptor, ride it sometime between 2-6, thats when it traditionally has its shortest waits of the day (because everyone is in the back of the park then.)

Thank you Touchdown! I might skip Raptor this year. The past few rides on it have made me very sick for some reason. It's probably not the going upside down part of the ride but something else that I do not know of.

Thanks again!

-Ashley

Thanks again Touchdown. You replied in my thread with that same strategy and that's the one I'm going to use. The ERT is key to my happiness and I'm going to use it wisely.

How do you know if a ride is closed? Do they post a sign or people out front?

How do you know if a ride is closed? Do they post a sign or people out front?

They have a sign out near the front of the park and you can check on their website before you go to the park.

You wont be able to get in the queue. There will be an attendant at the beginning telling you the ride is closed.