Going to the park alone

This. Take full advantage of the drinking fountains and free ice water!

And my season drink plan, but I'm not trying to load up on sodee pop. It might be tasty but not good for me. Maybe there's a flavored water option, I'll check it out.

There is! At the Freestyle, you can get different flavors of Dasani.

Is there an upcharge to use the Freestyle machines with the drink plan?

No

The Freestyle machines also have Powerade Zero for electrolytes but I find it still a bit to sweet for more than occasional use. Prefer to pack my own magnesium, sodium and potassium to snack on throughout the day.

If you do feel dehydrated go to First Aid they have Gatorade on hand and will take care of you. First Aid at CF parks are First Class.

Count me in as one of the folks that enjoy doing parks solo. I enjoy spending time with friends in parks, but there's a special pleasure in doing what I want, when I want, and if that means spending an hour repeatedly riding Cedar Downs again and again, so be it.

RCMAC said:

And my season drink plan, but I'm not trying to load up on sodee pop. It might be tasty but not good for me. Maybe there's a flavored water option, I'll check it out.

I agree with RCMAC on the "too much pop on a hot day is not a good thing" sentiment and I'll second the tip [sort of] offered by Cargo Shorts... I only just discovered the freestyle Powerade option last week - I never noticed it before! The flavored water is nice, but I always end up with a yucky aftertaste when I drink that - so I often found myself using the water to dilute the pop or Hi-C. But on extra hot & sweaty days, Powerade is my new go to beverage on the drink plan.

I'm usually at the parks with my (adult) daughter and to be honest, we don't spend a lot of time in line talking unless there's something specific. We're spending the entire day together, and eventually you run out of things to talk about. Or at least we do, but we aren't the "constantly chatting in public" type to begin with.

Phones are a good thing to have in line. When going solo, I've been known to read a book on my phone in line.

^ On Sunday as we approached the Maverick queue, I heard a lot of yelling and cheering - almost like it was a sporting event with extended action plays going on. Then as we turned the corner, I saw the beachball that was being volleyed back and forth. I thought that waiting in line pass-time activity had died out LONG ago with everyone now tied to cell phones in line. It was almost nostalgic to see it! It took me back to the early days of Magnum in the summer of '89.

Sounds like fun. Until the ball goes over a fence into a restricted ride zone. :)

That's okay, though. As per the new loose object policy, the whole ride will stop while the ride ops go fetch the ball out of the low zone and toss it back. XP

I've never went alone, but I think I would enjoy it. My son is often amused when I strike up a conversation with someone in line. It is usually when they have a certain shirt or cap with a logo to comment on. Or, when I overhear someone sharing their extensive knowledge of this coaster or that coaster and amusement park design and management, they are usually wearing a t-shirt with some coaster logo. I find it easy to get them started, they are eager to rattle off all the facts.

I often notice people who are alone and wonder if they are some of you who post on here, but how do you approach that conversation? Some people just want to be left alone which reminds me of that song by George Thorogood: When I go to CP alone, I prefer to be by myself.