Forbidden Frontier on Adventure Island

We had the chance to explore Forbidden Frontier on Adventure Island yesterday. I've got lots of photos and video that I'll be putting up over the next couple of days.

Check out our content here: http://pointbuzz.com/content/forbidden-frontier

First, here are some quick thoughts.

Tony said he's still not sure how to really describe it. After spending a couple of hours on the island, I'm not sure I can help him, but I know we had a lot of fun. The phrase that keeps coming to mind is, "choose your own adventure."

The story progresses throughout the day, so you could have a different experience if you come back later.

The island residents are very talented and fully embrace their role. I wouldn't be surprised if they stayed in character at the grocery store on their day off.

One of the most prominent complaints guests have had over the years is there are attractions for grown-ups and attractions for kids, but nothing that everyone can enjoy together. Forbidden Frontier does a great job at filling that gap. I think it will appeal to a wide range of guests, but especially to families.

What are the hours going to be? Same as park hours?

I have spent some time looking at the various pictures and media reports, and I definitely think this is exactly what the park needed. I know we've been screaming for a Dark Ride, but this is something that could take several hours to explore, and is fully immersive, rather than a 4 minute dark ride. The playground looks awesome- and honestly my kids (10, 4, and 2) will love that thing far more than the spinny balloon rides found throughout the kid's areas.

Very cool to see how Cedar Point has evolved over the last few years.

Master D said:

What are the hours going to be? Same as park hours?

May 25 – September 2 from 11 a.m. – 7 p.m.

As I was looking through some of the footage from yesterday, another thought occurred to me. There are a lot of similarities here to an open-world video game like Red Dead Redemption or Assassin's Creed. You're inside a world where you are free to walk around and interact with characters and how you interact with those characters can change your experience.

I know it's brand new...after a sneak peak of the videos that are showing up, at least we have an idea of what to expect... I imagine that CP will gauge how things/interactions work out when planning/updating the Forbidden Frontier.

I think that they will have tons of options to fit this into Halloweekends. Going from Kid Friendly VS Crazy Scary -imagine being chased while you're on the ropes or crossing the water. "Petrified Point' could be pretty scary if you were trapped on an island, with limited exits.

^ I am very curious as to how they adapt this for Halloweekends. Certainly a more mysterious & dark, yet family friendly adventure during the day, and then perhaps a more intense/scary overlay at night. Either way- I hope it's open during Halloweekends.

I guess we’ll see, but if the dates are any indication we can probably count out anything after Sep 2.
It seems to me that this attraction is very Live E-heavy in terms of the type of employees needed. In other words, a bit of talent is involved. This schedule also goes hand in hand with what is a typical Live E calendar for other shows.

This is just the type of job I’d love to have. I’m a part time character actor and would be good at the scripted part as well as any improv/interaction that would be required. If I wasn’t 2.5 hours away it’s definitely something I would audition for. (And maybe I’d finally land that entertainment job I longed for as a college kid- it wasn’t for lack of trying)

More content to come, but here's what is available so far:

http://pointbuzz.com/content/forbidden-frontier

This experience brings back fond memories of what Frontier Trail and Frontier Town used to be like back in the 70’s. This was well needed and will be well received!

My 'almost' 20yr old daughter & I thought the area was very nicely done. I felt very relaxed in the area, even though that may change as crowds & temperatures rise. We are there to ride attractions, so this isn't something we'd typically enjoy. But it as interesting enough, we might make a point to visit the attraction again, during down time. The playground area was the most impressive in our opinion! The joy I'd of felt in my childhood, to have a play structure like that! I just see A LOT of guests fighting over the hammocks! The talented professionals working did a wonderful job. We even had to deliver an Emu egg lol, not what we expected, but still funny. The floating dock & bridges really threw me for a loop! I do see a few areas where water & slip hazards could be an issue, but that will be up to CP to handle. I'm impressed, VERY well put together attraction! And if it get utilized for a haunt attraction, even better for those that dabble in it lol!

I’m still a little uncertain. Is there a “puzzle” to solve? Will it take a couple hours to complete the experience/puzzle? With a tight schedule already, trying to get on roller coasters and waiting in line, will this not be feasible for most? If my family just strolled in there for 30-60 minutes would that be worth it?

I think it's a question of priorities. Years ago, I remember carefully planning my day to maximise the number of coasters. Add in french fries and visiting my mother at her home from home, Fascination, I had a great day.

These days? I'll make a point of riding the newest coaster, but Blue Streak? Gemini? Corkscrew? I love them all but I've ridden them each countless times. I'd rather enjoy the many opportunities the park offers beyond coasters.

(I do fondly recall riding Corkscrew with family friend Wanda. The ride op suggested she remove her glasses; she wanted to know if she should tahe her false teeth, too.)

Some folks are perfectly happy to wander the park, take in Forbidden Frontier, see a show or two and never ride anything more adventuresome that CP&LE railroad.

^^ You can pretty much experience it however you want, which is nice. My friends and I walked through it today for about an hour. We only interacted with a few of the characters, one of whom asked us to deliver a message to another one, which we didn't do because we just wanted to see everything. The line for food was long-ish, but all the options sounded tasty. It's kind of amazing how extensive it is and how much they've built there. Considering how busy the park was today, FF was a nice relaxing break. When I was a kid I would've gotten a kick out of something like this, especially since I didn't start riding coasters till I was a teenager.

So to answer your question, it kind of depends how much you feel like doing. There's a puzzle/mystery element to it if you interact with the characters, but you can quit any time. There are little contests and skits you can watch/participate in at certain times. It's something you could just pop in for a while and leave when you need to. Or if you're really short on time, just take the kids to the treehouse area and plop yourself in a hammock!

My 9 year old seemed to want to play on that playground for hours and went around and tried to "solve the mystery" for a good hour too. Around 3PM, they arrested Chess for stealing the map and then they said at 4PM was going to be her trial and he kept saying he wanted to go back to see what happened. If people get into this, it could be one of those little things that drives up the length of stay because you can spend so much time on it. I just relaxed by the stage/playground for a while. To be honest, if it weren't for MF ripping overhead every two minutes and seeing Dragster, etc off in the distance, it almost didn't feel like Cedar Point to me and I think that's a good thing - it's something totally new and different. The one disappointment was the food stand out there did not have anything on the meal plan. The offerings sounded appealing to me and I'd definitely have tried if it was available on the meal plan. When I was there (mostly Sunday), it did not seem busy at all as far as food sales, but there were a good number of people doing drink refills.

MDOmnis said:

The one disappointment was the food stand out there did not have anything on the meal plan.

I'm sure its safe to say this is not on accident or a simple oversight, kids will play until they are very hungry and it'll be easier/ more convenient for many parents to just actually pay for something instead of utilizing a meal plan elsewhere.

Yea I do realize this. I'm too cheap to fall for that though. :) If I was at the park every single day with my pass, I might, but being a 5 or so tripper a year, I try to use the meal plan.

Checked out this seasons new attraction and honestly thought it was fantastic. This really is something the park needed. Sure the star of the attraction is a playground, but it is just so well done. I was in Forbidden Frontier for about 2-3 hours today checking everything out. Saw tons of families enjoying themselves. Kids in the play structure, parents relaxing on the rockers or hammocks. It honestly was great. Had a few interactions with the characters and thought they were doing a great job. Otis cracked me up.

Best part is adults are encouraged to use the play structure to its fullest, including the slides! Plus those complaining about shade, it'll be hard to find a nice shady place to relax here, Honestly I almost fell asleep on the chairs.

Encouraged, eh? :D The overgrown kid in me is pleased at this and shall partake. Man, I wish I could fast-forward past this week to next week so I could be there already.