Cedar Point Shores

We just put our stuff in the car. It was hard to justify $15 for a locker when we were only in the waterpark for about 3 hours. They should allow an hourly option like they do in the park. At CPS you can only rent all-day lockers.

We went yesterday. Got there just after the rain ended so pretty much no lines for anything. Hubby and I did a few times around the not so lazy river whatever they named it now and then hung around the wave pool while the kids did their thing. Everything looked good, I think someone who had never been at the park would not notice right away what was new and what wasn't. The new chairs by the wave pool were comfy. The countdown to next waves timer was a nice addition but a clock here and there would have been nice.

I cruised through for a look-see on Tuesday then I went again on Wednesday for a while. I kept swimming to a minimum as I hadn't planned for the right swim or footwear. Plus I was there alone and there was that pesky fear of leaving my stuff unattended. The place was jammed and lines for the slides were long, so it was pretty much a pass.

Here's some things that I noticed. It was ghastly hot both days and the park seemed like a huge, hot, concrete slab. The buildings were nice but I didn't eat there and there was little place for a shady rest. In spite of ropes, people had trampled the newly planted sod and it was an ugly, soggy mess. There's been discussion about the removal of trees in the back and I don't see the advantage. Views of the lake were minimal anyway, if that's what they were going for, and for me it just added to the lack of natural atmosphere. New trees are planted here and there, but I'm gonna be really old before they have a chance to mature.
I'm not a small guy, but I was instantly reminded of some of the unfortunate sights one is treated to when visiting a water park. I'm not a proponent of body shaming in any way, but good lord. Some of these guys and gals in their swimsuits...

Kids love to swim and it looked like they're were having a blast. There's cute activities for them, too, and the staff seemed good at and eager to entertain.

The place was clean and bug-free for the most part. (The high heat must've spelled the end of bug season). There was sand in the river, but you'll have that with a beach/volleyball area right there. Otherwise, clean and no grossness. The new slides look cool, but I tried really hard to observe the drop capsules and it's hard to see. Capacity on those slides looks to be very low and slow.

Restrooms and changing rooms rate a c+ from me. The men's was awkward with a few shower stalls and really nowhere to go but there. After a long ride to the park the first thing I usually need is a restroom and the parking lot/camper village building has been absorbed into the park as well as the one on the way to the hotel. So I'm in agreement with those that said it needs a re-think.

If I return I'd hope for a cooler but sunny day, lower crowds, and someone to go with would be helpful, too. And as the season progresses, good luck with that, right? I'm probably done with CP Shores myself, but it seems to be a hit and was much needed.

I was disappointed that there is no restroom outside of the park by the beach anymore too. We have used that on hot days when we've brought our kids' friends to CP and they all decided to go into the water. I'm also not happy about the trees being taken out. You can't really see the beach even with them gone and when our kids have been on the beach my hubby's favorite place was to plop down in the line of trees and nap in the shade. I'm not one for body shaming either but lots of people need to realize that just because they were able to squeeze their body into something does not mean it fits...The park itself had no lines yesterday too but unfortunately as soon as we were leaving CP Shores the sun came out full force and we were all too hot to really enjoy it like we would otherwise.You could have marathoned any large coaster with waits less than 10 minutes but the heat was just killing me and my husband who is normally not bothered by it was even giving in to it so we left by 8.

How hot was it? I have been watching the forecast up there and I don't think it has broken 90 yet, has it? I know the humidy makes a big difference. Been trying to find a 80+ weekday with a relatively low storm chance for a CPS morning dry park afternoon visit and haven't found it yet. Today would be perfect but we spent a long day Wednesday at KI and the boys just want to chill.

Tuesday was 89 and felt like 99. A little lower on Wednesday, but still.

WTF. We specifically went to KI Wednesday because NOAA had the high listed as 76 in Sandusky. I know the weather can be different out on the peninsula but are the temps that different? I may need to find a different forecast, what do you all use?

My IPhone. Probably not the most accurate but I also have the weather channel app for radar and scary weather stories from around the planet.

In the shade it was tolerable, but the buildings with ac seemed to be running at about half.
The coldest spot at CP used to be the old Beaches and Cream ice cream parlor at the Breakers. On super hot days I'd go in there for a break if I was anywhere near. It was downright chilly in there and it felt good.

I'm not sure what it hit on Thursday for sure, my van said 88 in the parking lot when we ate around 5pm but the humidity was awful. It didn't feel so bad when it was still cloudy but when the sun came out it got rough. I don't use an app for the weather I just look online for the channel 5 or watch the Weather Channel. I remember seeing that 76 forecast and thinking fat chance. No way was it going to be15 degrees colder at the point than my house 1 hour away this time of year. Early spring or in the fall maybe but not this far into summer. We were gambling with the storm chances and it worked out for us but if I lived farther away I probably would have been hesitant to go.

NOAA has Monday as a high of 73. Everything else seems to indicate at least 80. Guess I need stop relying on NOAA.

I don't have a problem risking the storms if they are isolated or scattered, otherwise there is rarely a "good" day to go. Cell phones to keep the boys entertained and big cases and zippered pockets to keep them protetected.

When I was a kid we loved to go outside in the rain. Not kids these days.

Slightly off topic, but what IS the most reliable weather source? Accuweather, the weather channel, and weatherbug are all telling me different things regarding the chance of rain next week. :/

I don't remember the days but in the last 7 we've had highs of 91 and 96.

I seem to remember Samosuband saying he checked forecasts for Marblehead, not Sandusky in order to be prepared for the day.

Chris

I experienced CPS on Memorial Day weekend. Overall it is a big improvement from SC. Why they lowered the bathroom/changing room capacity is a head scratcher.

As for weather apps, I use weatherunderground.com I also use Marblehead as the city I check the forecast for. It has been pretty accurate for me. When on any of the taller coasters near the peninsula tip, you can see the Marblehead light house just on the other side of that mess of 'deconstruction' of Mean Streak. By water Marblehead is something like 6 miles away from CP.

Had a great day at CPS today. We primarily hung out in the new kid area (Lenny's Lagoon) and it was a huge hit with my kids.

We also spent time in the older kiddie areas.

Waterin' Hole was nicely painted and all the features were working.

Splash H2O was a big disappointment. Many of the slides were closed. Saturday in June. Park packed and 3 or 4 slides were closed off with nets.

Great Lakes Cove was fun,too.

The kids loved the wave pool and both rivers. Unfortunately, there was a significant lack of inner tubes.

The beach band was performing and added a lot of atmosphere. The park looked great.

Plenty of food and drink stations.
We grabbed a meal from Crystal Rock Cafe. Brat, waffle fries, Chicken Tenders, Mac n Cheese, BLT chicken salad .... food was good and served up quick. Trouble was at the checkout. There were two food lines but each line only had 1 cashier. They place is setup with 4 registers on each side. Saturday in June. 2pm. Why weren't they staffed better?
I complained to a manager. He apologized and said a cashier was on break.

A few other comments.... lots of tables at the bar by the wave pool. (Schooner's?), but nearly every table was occupied with beach towels and beach bags. Not many people. Seemed that people were dumping stuff there instead of getting a locker. It would be nice if CP management could try and police that so those tables were being used by people drinking or eating at the bar.

The family changing rooms up front are a nice idea but 2 is too few. Seems like there is space for 1 or 2 more. The souvenir stand across the way takes up more space and seemed to mostly empty of customers.

Also would be nice if family changing rooms were used by families. We tried using them and I was surprised how many single visitors were going in (one at a time) and taking forever to change. We waited about 10 minutes and ended up at the other bath house to change.

bgiese said:

. Why weren't they staffed better?
.

I have heard that CP (and others) are having a hard time hiring staff. As a result they are under staffed.

The law of supply & demand provides a solution for that.

My review:

First, has anyone seen the 2017 cedar point commercial? near the end, it shows a what seems to be a waterslide with LED circular lights inside a dark slide. I assumed there were installed in Eerie falls (now lake erie nor'easter). we went down this slide complex and NO LED lights were there. I would like to know what slide is shown in the commercial. if this is NOT at CP shores, then that's false advertising.

They CAN DO SO MUCH BETTER at Crystal rock café. The cedar fair style food is plain and nasty. Don't ever order the pulled pork sandwich. Soggy mess. pizza was ok. mac 'n cheese was not the greatest.

Also.....too many tube slides! Once again......Cedar fair, please install more unique slides at this park. All the tube slides were the same. Too many.

Only good review: the drop slides were fun.

Kalahari kicks this park's BUTT!

I don't think they're LED lights, instead they look like those brighter, translucent stripes that encircle the tube, like rings. So when sliding down the darkened tube there's occasional bursts of light shining brightly through the slide.
I seem to remember seeing the effect on a commercial, but passed it off as those translucent rings. And it's likely the effect might've been enhanced for tv- maybe bright lights were shined on the exterior of the slide to allow them to look extra bright from inside.
I haven't been down any of the slides to know how they look from the inside, but in touring the grounds I noticed those rings seem to be on a few slides here and there including the kids' tube slide. It seems like a newer trend in slide construction and I like it.

I got nothing in it personally, but I guess I'd like to say that I'm sorry you were so extremely unhappy. It's a seasonal outdoor waterpark where, for the time being anyway, they've tried to make the best use of space.
Kalahari is an awesome place, but off hand I'd call it a lot larger, with indoor year-round operation as well. Waterpark/hotel resort/conference is the main focus of their business, whereas the CP experience includes one of the best amusement parks on the planet as the main draw.

I know, given a choice, which one I'd take.