Halloweekend & Fast Lane Advice

Brand new to PB here... looking for some advice.

I'm from Detroit and used to do CP every summer, but now live in Atlanta, which makes it really tough to go. Just planned a trip for HalloWeekend on Sep 20-21 for a group of 5, and we'll be making a 10-hour drive to get there by opening on Friday night. We're staying at Castaway Bay and got the package deal including tix for a good rate.

Here's what I'm wondering...

1) If the weather is good, how will the crowds be on Friday and Saturday?

2) Is it worth it to get FL for Saturday? I've heard the "wait till you get there and decide" idea, but if it's super crowded, isn't there a risk they'll stop selling them at some point? Trying to decide if I would want to buy them in advance...

3) If you buy FL in advance for a specific date, and it rains, can you transfer it to another date? It would really suck to spend $230 and lose it all due to rain.

We're planning to watch the weather forecast and are using the following weekend as a backup date if it rains (CB allows that)... but it doesn't look like you can do that with FL.

As for FL, having been to CP on slow days and crazy-crowded days, I'd have to say it's a great idea, but it could be implemented better - time and number of ride restrictions might make it work more smoothly. For now, I'd get it in a heartbeat... makes zero sense to risk 2+ hour waits when spending 20 hours in the car round-trip.

Thanks-

Friday nights during Halloweekends is the best time to go. The park is open 6pm-midnight. You might think that it is a short period of time, but you will probably get on more attractions that day rather than Saturday without a FL pass.

As for getting a FL pass on Saturday... DO IT! If you do not, you will die... No, JK. But seriously, get the FL if you go on a HalloWeekends Saturday. The park is packed. I didn' go myself, but one of my friends went on a HW Saturday this past year and said the lines for Millenium and Dragster were each over 2 and 1/2 hours long.

As for the FL selling out, I have not seen the passes sell out yet this season. If I were you, I would watch the weather up until your visit. If the weather is looking clear, I would just go ahead and buy the FL passes in advance just to be safe. When I say see if the weather is looking clear, I mean if the chance of rain is 40% or below. That's just me though. If the weather is looking like it is going to be crappy, chances that the park won't even be crowded that Saturday are pretty high. If this is the case, you probably wouldn't really need to buy the FL passes anyway because it wouldn't be crowded.

I'm not sure about transfering FL dates, but I do not think you can do it.

Great answer, thanks!

Since we're traveling so far, we'll probably delay the trip a week if it looks like it's going to rain (heavily, anyway). Sounds like the FL doesn't sell out in advance, but I'll keep checking in with PB during the summer to see if that ever happens.

Just trying to make sure my friends - none of whom have ever been to CP - get the best experience possible.

This will also be my first-ever trip where I'm staying in a hotel near the park... which I'm hoping will make it even more fun.

One more thing... do the crowds thin out significantly after 9-10pm on these nights? I'm sure all the families with young kids will clear out, and with the cooler weather at night, that's what I figure would be the case.

Much appreciated!

The first real test for it selling out, in my opinion, will be on the 4th of July. I don't think it will ever sell out though.

I didn't notice a significant decrease in crowds toward the end of the night. If anything, there were less families with small kids but the vast majority of halloweekends visitors (groups of teenagers, families with teen kids) will stay until closing. At least that's what I've seen.

They also have Fright Lane for during HalloWeekends which is Fast Lane for all the Halloween attractions.

Historically the Friday night crowds have been fairly light. As for Fast Lane on Saturday, I'd wait until they announce all the details for Halloweekends and weigh your Fast Lane/Fright Lane options at that time.

If I was a betting man, I would bet that the price will increase for FP for halloweekends. And by a lot if they add the haunted events to it.

Does anyone know how many fast passes they will sell at any given day?