Fiance and I are taking our first trip to Cedar Point! Help?

Hello! My fiancé and I are planning a trip to Cedar Point in the last week of May, probably on the 28th and 29th. I had a few questions and was wondering if any of you experts could be of assistance. Sorry if this is a bit lengthy! I just had a ton of questions! We are near Cedar Fair’s Worlds of Fun, but I have a feeling this will be a whole new experience!

1. We will be coming from Chicago (plane tickets were much cheaper there and we rented a car), so we will be road tripping a little bit. Any ideas on where to stop? We are open to also traveling to Cleveland for a day or anywhere in the area. Where should we go?
2. Are there any good places to go fishing in the area? As in big tours on the Lakes? We won’t have our own fishing poles or anything but the fiancé has wanted to go deep sea fishing for a while, and this is the closest opportunity to mimic that that we will have for a while. lol!

3. Are there any known discounts to the hotels on the Cedar Point property? Are the hotels worth staying in for our two day adventure? What are the benefits of staying on property versus going off property? I’m trying to save as much money as possible because we do have a wedding to pay for as well!

4. Is fast pass necessary for a Tues/Wed trip? Can we purchase it at the park if we decide we should get one?

5. Is King’s Island worth taking a day to go to?

6. If we stay at the Hotels, should we still go through the Soak City Parking lot? Also, will we have to pay for parking if we stay at the hotels?

7. What is the weather like in Sandusky in late May?

8. What should we bring? What should we bring IN the park with us?

9. Any suggestions for hotels?

10. Any other tips?

I really appreciate any help!! We are looking forward to our last trip together before our honeymoon!

You two will have lots of fun whatever you decide to do. Here are some ideas to get you started and that answer some of your questions.

1. Cleveland really is a nice city despite what a lot of people think who are from out of the area. As long as you know what to do and where to go (or where not to go) it's great. I'd definitely recommend the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Also if you're into music or theater you might want to see if you could get tickets to a Cleveland Orchestra concert at Severance Hall or go see a performance at Playhouse Square. The Art museum is cool if you like art. Some other attractions to think about are the USS Cod Submarine (tour of the ship), William G. Mather Steamship (tour of the ship), a Goodtime Cruise, The Museum of Natural History, or even an Indians game if you or your fiance likes baseball. Other cool things I'd recommend are the Christmas Story House and the West Side Market. And Ohio City is a nice place to spend a little time in.

3. I can answer your questions about the benefits. You get reduced priced tickets and you also get early entrance to the park (1 hour before the park opens to the general public on select rides). The rides that are open for early entry are GateKeeper, Ocean Motion, Midway Carousel, Raptor, Millennium Force, Iron Dragon, Maverick and Planet Snoopy.

4. Don't buy Fast Lane before you go. Since you're going in the middle of the week in May, I don't think the park will be too busy. Wait until you get to the park and check out the lines to the rides before deciding whether or not to buy it. You can get FL all throughout the park at various marked locations.

5. Don't expect it to be just like Cedar Point, but it's a nice park.

7. There's really no way to say for sure what it will be like. Toward the end of May, and really any time of year, you can never really expect what the weather will be at a given time at the park. Often rain or storms can roll in suddenly, sometimes lasting for a few hours, other times only lasting 15 minutes. Also in this time of year most likely the afternoon will be decent, maybe in the 70s, but the mornings and nights can be chilly. So be prepared with all types of weather, whether it's rain, sun, hot, or cold. You can always bring changes of clothes and keep them in your car.

8. Cargo shorts are a must have. As long as you have these, you'll be good to go. All you'll need are your keys, wallet, phone, a travel size container of sunscreen, sunglasses, and maybe a water bottle if one can fit. If not, go up to any food stand and you'll get a free cup of water. There's really nothing else you need to bring into the park, and if you keep what little things you do bring in cargo shorts, then you don't have to worry about buying lockers or using bins for certain rides unless you go on any water rides.

10. Start at the back of the park and work your way around. Maybe wait to do this until after early entry and the park opens to the public depending on what you want to ride in this time. Also, don't eat at normal meal times. But this may not really be too big an issue since it shouldn't be too busy when you go. And if you want any souvenirs, wait until the end of the day when you're leaving the park so you don't have to carry it around all day (that's the purpose of the cargo shorts, to have minimal stuff!). Don't miss out on some great classic rides at the park, too, that some people skip over for the bigger stuff. Be sure to go on Dragster, Millennium Force, Maverick, Magnum, GateKeeper, and Raptor but Wicket Twister is way underrated and forgotten about sometimes. Also Cedar Downs Racing Derby carousel and the Blue Streak roller coaster are fun classic rides.

You'll love Cedar Point and will have an awesome time no matter what! As always, Cedar Point's website is a great place to go for more information.

Thank you for the response! The cargo shorts are a great idea! Also, I really liked that you mentioned the classic rides. I was focusing so much on riding the big coasters, that I did overlook the classic rides. Sometimes those can be the best!

We will definitely have to hit up the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. We are both big music fans...

Thank you so much for taking the time to answer some of my questions! :)

I have another question that I'm not sure if someone can answer. If I buy platinum passes (at Worlds of Fun since it is my home park) and book a hotel off site, would that be more economical/better benefits than 2 nights at a on site hotel and their discounted tickets? I would still get early entrance, right?

1) Cleveland is fun and you will find lots to do, but if you don't have a lot of time, I would pass and save it for another trip by itself. While in the area of Cedar Point, I would highly recommend a trip to the Lake Erie Islands (Put-in-Bay and / or Kelley's Island). Put-in-Bay has been described as Key West - North. Lots of restaurants / bars with live bands and good food (night life can be crazy). It also can be quite relaxing if you rent a golf cart or a bike and explore the island.

2) Fishing - The western Lake Erie basin is known as the Walleye capital of the world. Catches have declined in recent years but it is still pretty good. Visiting in May you will catch the tail end of the best time of the year to catch Walleye. I would recommend a charter head boat. I know Sassy Sal Charters operates one out of Port Clinton (about 20 minutes from CP). They rent fishing equipment and everything you need (still check their website, reservations are recommended). You go out on the lake with about 15 other people for usually about 1/2 a day. It is a fun trip even if you don't catch anything.

Mon Ami Winery in Catawba is a must stop if you enjoy wine.

With the Platinum Passes you get the same early entry that the resort guests get. You also get discounts on food and merchandise at certain in park locations and free parking and access to soak city. You lose out on having a hotel room within walking distance from the park. Whether it is a better deal or not depends on how many of the added perks you would take advantage of and how many times you were planning on going to your home park.

You can often stay at Breakers for not a lot more than some of the more respectable local hotels. If you are looking for the cheapest price possible, it's not at CP though.

Remember you can get a discount on your room rate with a platinum pass. I think it's 10%.

You can book a return rate at Hotel Breakers using the promotional code "RETURN" for not a whole lot more than you would pay for a local hotel on the days you are going ($119 for a room in either towers or breakers east (not the old, scary rooms). It's supposed to be for return guests, but I don't think they have a way of checking that. I love the convenience of having a room within walking distance.

Use promotion code: MOVIE in all caps to get a 10% discount on CP hotels on certain dates this summer. Also, keep in mind that there is no $15 parking fee at hotel Breakers. You get to park back in near the Magnum so you aren't in a huge parking lot trying to find your car at night. For me it's the whole ambiance of the hotel since its so old and interesting to look at. I like to go back to the room and relax in the afternoon on the beach. Nonstop walking around the park and waiting in lines gets tiring if it's hot out, and this hotel is situated where you can walk right in near the Magnum and not have to drive anywhere.

While in Cleveland, Great Lakes Brewery is a fantastic place to get a meal and a beer. As for the fishing charter, you can schedule one directly from the CP Marina, with a 10% discount for resort guests and platinum pass holders. Here's the info:
https://www.cedarpoint.com/rides/Fun-on-the-Water/Fishing-Charters

Can anyone recommend any good fishing charters that cater to tourists? Such as all equipment provided, fishing licenses sold, help and guidance to fishing first-timers, fun, entertaining atmosphere, etc? We are looking for a fishing charter but haven’t found any with many reviews, and those that we did find, didn’t have great reviews. We did check out the CP charters, but they are catch and release and fiance wants to take some fish home with him... not sure why/how since we are flying, but I'll let that one go...

Also, can anyone recommend a nice place to stay after our CP stay? Should we stay on the islands or stay in Sandusky? We’re looking for a nicer place to stay after our stay in Hotel Breakers. Maybe a little more romantic/upscale. My fiancé travels all the time for his job but has to stay in cheap motels all the time, so he wants something a little more posh and romantic, so he actually feels like he’s on vacation. We will have a rental car, so I was a little nervous about leaving the car in Sandusky if we do decide to stay on the islands… We will have about a day and a half to play around Lake Erie before we trek back to Chicago for our flight home.

In case anyone wants to know what we'd like to do to help us plan a little better:

The Mon Ami Winery and maybe a brewery
Fishing
Maybe some kayaking and biking
Eat yummy food

Also, how do I get to the "back of the park entrance" if we are staying at Hotel Breakers and still get early entry?

Thanks so much for all the replies. We booked Hotel Breakers and have taken quite a few of the suggestions! Thanks especially for the discount codes!

As for the fishing charter, it sounds to me you would be better off with a head boat than a charter. Shore-Nuf is another company in Port Clinton that does head boats. The only problems I have had with the head boats is that they seem to have a number of regular local customers. The staff seems complacent and focus on them and can ignore or be rude to new comers. I have also seen them be very nice to beginning fishermen, it just depends on the day with both companies I mentioned. They also will clean and filet any fish you may catch for you for a fee. Charter boats are the best way to go, but they can be expensive for just 2 people. About any charter captain will get you anything you need if you make your reservation far enough in advance, but most of them only do full day trips. Jolly Roger restaurant in Port Clinton specializes in Lake Erie Perch and Walleye. They will take your fresh caught fish and cook it for you on the spot.

Where to stay while not at Cedar Point. I would recommend a bed and breakfast place for you guys. Other than the resorts, Cedar Point and Kalahari the only thing around are cheap cookie cutter hotels. A bed and breakfast would meet the romance requirement at least; some of the nicer ones can almost be posh. Your best bet is this website: http://www.shoresandislands.com/

I've heard one of the bed & breakfast on Kelley's Island has a world class chef cooking meals and the house is right on the lake over looking Cedar Point. Kelley's Island is better for hiking than Put-In-Bay. Put-In-Bay is better for the food and partying. Put-In-Bay has its own micro-brewery (Put-In-Bay Brewing Company). Don't worry about the car if you stay on one of the islands, you can take it with you to either of the islands and it may come in handy if you get a place that is to far from town.

While at Cedar Point, you will want to eat at the Thirst Pony at the end of the causeway across from Castaway Bay. In my opinion, (I am a self proclaimed foodie) the best casual dining and microbrew beer selection in Northern Ohio (Cleveland included). As an added bonus they have simulcast horse racing so you can gamble as well, plus it is attached to a bowling alley. Downtown Sandusky has finally opened a couple of actual fine dining restaurants, Crush Wine Bar and J Bistro. I have not tried either yet but I have heard very good things and they look nice. My advice is do not eat anything at CP unless you have to; terrible food at outrageous prices.