Fast Pass Plus--to buy or not to buy

Hi all. We are headed to the park this Saturday 9/15 and are staying at the Breakers. We when to Halloweekends last year on a Saturday and it was CRAZY busy so we know there will be crowds. We went last year in mid to late October so I'm hoping mid Sept. visit won't be as crowded. What do you all think?

With that said, I've already purchased the Fright Lane pass for our group but I'm wondering if we should consider Fast Lane or Fast Lane Plus??? We were at CP about a month ago and rode everything we wanted to ride but we'd still like to get some coaster riding in in the morning to mid afternoon. What would you all recommend?

Thanks for any advice.

9/15-great summer weather expected,the first Saturday of HalloWeekends,I'm anticipating a huge crowd,but I've been known to be wrong(many times). I'm going for Friday evening and Sunday late afternoon.

Good luck and enjoy !!!

Keep in mind that if it's exceptionally busy (and the smart money is on that being the case tomorrow), even FL/FLP lines will be exceptionally long. So the value diminishes significantly.

If it were me, and I'd gotten some riding done earlier in the year, I would take advantage of morning ERT to snag a couple rides on your favorites and put the FL/FLP money to better use. Like beer.

Beer! I like the way you think. We'll hit Steel Vengeance a few times with early entry, hit Maverick and then make our way over to MF. We can always go back to the hotel and chill at the pool if the weather is nice.

Unless you're the first ones in line at early entry, Even SV wait times will exceed an hour during early entry.

FWIW, I would endorse FP+ most of the calendar year. But yeah, last Saturday, FP+ was basically good until 1-2 ET, and then I was just constantly wondering if I really wanted to wait in a 45-90 minute line with FP+ (granted, the non-FP line would be 2-2.5 hours).

Were I to re-do my Halloweekends trip to the Point, which actually was a very good one so would just be more totally ideal scenario...

1. I'd go in October, preferably in a temperature/% rain stretch that scares off some crowds.

2. I'd have got to Breakers earlier so I could take advantage of early entry on Fri PM, and used early entry to hit SV + at least one of Maverick/MF (woulda been doable if I was there at 5!)

3. I'd have gotten a Fright Lane pass and had it ready to go at 8. I ended up not realizing I couldn't hit every house until 10, when I bought a FL pass because it was my only HalloWeekends trip this year and I was only there one night, so it was my one shot to see everything.

4. I'd have got a FL+ pass for Saturday, but ideally it would be a Saturday corresponding to item #1 instead of a gorgeous, t-shirt and shorts Saturday!

If you are a member of this site, why would you EVER go to CP during Halloweekends on a Saturday? You should know that they get record crowds on these Saturdays and to avoid going at all costs. If you do go while knowing this, you deserve to lose $125+ on FL passes.

I was there this past Sunday. The weather was perfect. The ONLY ride we would have benefitted with FL was SV. We still got 3 rides in on that. The first time we waited an hour, the other 2 times, we waited less than 30 minutes each. The total wait for the front seat on TTD, including the walk from the entrance to the queue was less than 15 minutes. Coaster nerds like us should never need to spend the extra cash on FL passes. I know which rides to ride and when...I can't believe some of you don't.

EDIT: For Saturdays this month, FL pass is $105, FL+ is $155....Give me the $155 and I'll let you in on a little secret....don't go on Saturdays during September or October.

Here is my recommended way to tackle HalloWeekends:

1. If it works for your schedule, make it a full three-day weekend. If you're a Platinum passholder, stay at a motel in town, else stay at a Cedar Point property to get Early Entry benefits (and discounted tickets if applicable).

2. Go any weekend in September. You'd be surprised at how much of a difference there is between September and October weekends. Even poor weather doesn't scare people away during HalloWeekends. Therefore, I'd just pick a weekend with good weather all around. The second weekend is my favorite.

3. Get there at around 4pm on Friday. Check in and prep for Early Entry.

4. As EE is about to come to a close, this is the time to get your free Fast Lane Plus if you are a renewing passholder. You could buy one if you're willing to spend the money, which if you are, a Friday night is the best time to do it. Yes, crowds will be minimal anyway, but this guarantees walk-ons on everything, including SV. I used mine on the first HalloWeekends Friday and I literally waited 0 minutes at SV every single time (total of 11 rides on it). By the time I walked into the queue, rode, and entered the queue again, an average of 8-10 minutes passed. Plus, this is the best time of the year to get night rides.

5. On Saturday, you'll understandably be tired, so take it at your own pace. Crowds will be relatively light until 1-2pm, but don't expect to ride much of anything in the afternoon. Instead, tour the park, enjoy the daytime entertainment, take a nap, and ride some smaller rides.

6. For Saturday night, if you are willing, buy a Fright Lane pass. Start using it at 6pm, do all the mazes, and finish with Cornstalkers at around 8pm. Then, for the rest of the night, while half the park is stuck in the maze lines, you can get additional night rides with lesser waits.

7. If you're still willing to go another round, hang around the park and do whatever you want on Sunday before leaving.

The 'Fast Pass Plus' will do you no good, on any day. However, if a Fast Lane Plus was your purchase option of choice, you might have some luck. If you don't know the difference, don't purchase said item! Being a platinum pass holder will add valuable time to your visit with early entry. Also staying at one of CP resorts will also add the same benefit. That hour of early entry can make or break your day, depending on personal agenda. I've purchased FAST LANE, being upgraded tp FL+ twice this season. The first time was a wash due to weather and mechanical issues with rides. The second time was amazing because of presumed poor weather that never made it'self present, and crowds were thankfully 'scared away'. With all that being said, just go & have fun. Any day making a memory there is awesome!

Zoug68 said:

If you are a member of this site, why would you EVER go to CP during Halloweekends on a Saturday?

Because there are things to do other than riding coasters? Some of my favorite visits have been on the busiest HW Saturdays, where we just sort of hung out and enjoyed the atmosphere.

Coaster nerds like us should never need to spend the extra cash on FL passes. I know which rides to ride and when...I can't believe some of you don't.

Have you considered that FLP provides different value to different people? I don't purchase FLP to power ride. I purchase it so that when I'm with my family I can have assurance that I can quickly ride a nearby coaster. Even if I'm only saving a few minutes for each ride, that has significant value to me.

djDaemon said:

Zoug68 said:

If you are a member of this site, why would you EVER go to CP during Halloweekends on a Saturday?

Because there are things to do other than riding coasters? Some of my favorite visits have been on the busiest HW Saturdays, where we just sort of hung out and enjoyed the atmosphere.

Coaster nerds like us should never need to spend the extra cash on FL passes. I know which rides to ride and when...I can't believe some of you don't.

Have you considered that FLP provides different value to different people? I don't purchase FLP to power ride. I purchase it so that when I'm with my family I can have assurance that I can quickly ride a nearby coaster. Even if I'm only saving a few minutes for each ride, that has significant value to me.

Yeah, that was an extremely obnoxious post. There is no one way to experience a park. And some of us are really restricted on when we can make the trip to visit, especially if it requires at least one overnight stay (as it does for my distance to Cedar Point).

I find that Fast Lane provides a lot of value when the park isn't packed. Much more fun to have walk-ons or five minute waits as opposed to even a 30 minute wait.

Pete said:

I find that Fast Lane provides a lot of value when the park isn't packed. Much more fun to have walk-ons or five minute waits as opposed to even a 30 minute wait.

Definitely agree with this! Last year, I got FLP on some random Tuesday in July and could walk on ANYTHING. Maybe wait 5-10 minutes for front seat from there depending on the ride. I actually learned I'm getting soft in my old age; I was getting in so many rides so quickly that my stomach couldn't keep up and I felt queasy for the first time in my park-going history.

I know It’s only half on topic, but we did fright land and fast lane plus last Friday at KI. Didn’t really need fastlane but really enjoyed having it. Fright lane was a must for enjoying every haunt. It’s amazing how quick you get stuff done without waiting.

We are going to CP tonight and won’t do any passes, but we will also skip several haunts if it’s busy we’ve seen them all over the years.
So it’s worth buying the fl+ in my opinion even if it’s not super busy it will save you all that line time.

Whatever happened to patience and wait your turn?

It has nothing to do with that. It has to do with purchasing an experience that many of us feel adds value to the park experience