A little bit of boring history. We have been going to Halloweekends for the last 11 years. It consists of myself and my wife - 50 years +- (I'm -, she's +), daughters and their significant others around 30 years old, son that is 20, and a grandson 16 years, so 8 total. We started out doing a combination of travel trailer and cabin, they were always good about putting us near each other. One year of just the travel trailer, probably won't do that again! And the last several years has been a deluxe cabin.
We always arrive early Friday, as we know we will get in quite a few rides due to the low crowds. Saturday can be decent or downright awful if the weather is nice, and then we leave Sunday morning. We're all fine with the Saturday crowds, as we enjoy the Halloween theme and other activities.
This year was a bust. Got there Friday, went in at 5:00 and got several rides in (love Steel Vengeance). About 7:00 it started raining. Not a real heavy rain, but it was only about 50 degrees. "Kids" stayed in for one more ride, but I bailed. Went in again for Early Entry Saturday. Still cool, but sunny. By about 2:00 the park was packed. We went back to the cabin for food and beer and then headed back in. Got in line for Valravn and it shut down. Went over to Millenium and it stated a 2 hour wait. We were in line for about 35-40 minutes and hadn't nearly gone a 1/4 of the way - again I bailed. They ended up being in line for over 3 hours before they rode.
I think that for the weekend I got in maybe 8-10 rides. I asked them all what they thought about going a different time of year, but they all do like the Halloweekends. So we're thinking about staying through Sunday in the future. We're self employed, so it doesn't matter to me when we go. Actually we'll probably end up taking Friday and Monday off, but for those in the group that have to use vacation time, they may just take Monday off, instead of Friday. They would still be able to make it Friday, just not as early.
Our plan is to just find a local hotel for Sunday nights stay. I have a question regarding the campsites and/or the cabins at lighthouse point. Do they enforce the 11:00 AM checkout time? We we're thinking that Sunday we would go into the park until mid-afternoon, then go back and pack everything up, check into the hotel, and head back to the park until close. The main reason that we would like to keep the cabin for a few hours is that it is always convenient if someone wants a break, and my wife is not a fair weather person (or a rider). She didn't even go into the park this year, which is fine with her, as she enjoys the time spent with family.
Thanks for any info on the checkout times.
Tim
If you aren’t tied down to Halloweekends Saturdays, give mid June a try. Weather is nice but mild, crowds are low, the park is in full swing, and CP Shores is open. Camp for a few nights and take the days at the pace you like. If all you know is Halloweekends, you’ll be amazed at the relaxed feel of the park and the short lines you’ll enjoy.
If it is Halloweekends that is your draw, go in September. The crowds are lower.
The 11am checkout may be strict for cabins & hotels but there was a sign in the Lighthouse Point office when we went for HalloWeekends in September that RVs can stay on their site, plugged in, until 9pm. You said you had a camper, so that may be your angle. Split between your camper and a cabin for the overnights but be able to use the camper as home base for Sunday. We packed up and left our site at 9pm after an 8pm closing time. Then we rolled into Cleveland, crashed at LaQuinta, and finished our drive home the next day.
Oh and yes, it was night and day difference in crowd going in mid-September vs Columbus Day weekend previous years.
ROUNDABOUND.
I'm going next weekend. Last year I was allowed on our site for the evening. Think we left at 6. It's so crowded. I think we rode 10 rides over 3 days, maybe 4 haunts. I watched a lot of the Browns game Sunday.
I am stoked to have just been able to reserve a site for the camper this morning. They been booked since August. Someone must have canceled because there wasn't an available one the night before. Taking our grandson. He's 7 and hopefully 52 inches. I didn't want to travel back and forth from East Harbor each day. And I know he's not going to want to stand in line really long so we're close. Can camp during the day.
When we were there in the spring I met a guy in the hot tub. Him and his wife. They set up in the waiting lot the night before and then stay in the waiting lot the night after. But that is during 7 day operations. You'll have to be off Point by the end of the night.
That is good information to know. I know for the cabins, it was 11am or bust on a Closing Day checkout years ago.
Thank you all for the replies! Looks like next year we may go back to the trailer and cabin combination. Not gonna lie, I don't miss hauling the trailer for 3.5 hours, but it is what it is. My son in law works 4 days on and 4 days off and he has Friday - Monday off starting Sept. 13 next year, so maybe the earlier date will work out better for us.
The second and third weekends of Halloweekends, historically, have been the least crowded. The novelty of the first weekend is done and the October "holy crap, the offseason is right around the corner" panic hasn't set in yet. Saturday will be busy but tolerable - Friday & Sunday will be good.
The biggest thing to note is checking to make sure there are no Ohio school holidays over the weekend you choose.
We roll the camper 5-6 hours each way to Cedar Point, several times per year. At least it isn’t uphill both ways, in the snow, on unpaved roads. That would be no bueno.
ROUNDABOUND.
We've kept our camper on the site well past 9pm (especially a couple years ago when the park closed at 9pm on Sundays) literally dozens of times over the year. We used to close the park down, then go back to the site and take care of all the camper stuff (packing up, flushing waste tanks, hitching up, etc) and then drive down to the abandoned movie theater next to the walmart and stay the night there. Super quiet and nice and dark. We usually would walk across the street to BWW for dinner and drinks, too.
The cabins and hotels are strict about their checkout times.
I *may* be canceling a campsite I have reserved for closing weekend. PM me if anyone wants it.
You must be logged in to post