Kiddie ride lines

I am thinking about taking a bus trip to CP this year with my 3-year-old. She loved the 2.5 days we spent there last week and I would like to do a day of kiddie rides only with just the two of us. I usually go early in the year during the week and the lines are very short. If we went on a Saturday during the busy season how are the lines for the kiddie rides usually? I've never paid attention because I've never had someone to put on them before. I know when we went last week a lot of the kiddie rides were giving two rides without even getting back in line. Just wondering if it would be worth it to go on a Saturday or if I would be better off taking a day off work to go.

Woodstock Express might have a line, but shouldn't be to bad.

Guess I should add that her favorites were Jr Gemini, Ocean Motion and Monster. Though near the end of the ride she gained quite an affinity for Woodstock Express. She loved Frog Hopper and all the little spin and puke rides too. I was bummed when they took out the playground for Planet Snoopy, but now that she's big enough for rides she wouldn't look twice at a playground. I wonder what the parents with the little tots do now though....

The lines for kiddie rides are never much more than 10 minutes, except for Woodstock Express and Junior Gemini. Those coasters could be a half hour or so at times. A busy Saturday usually doesn't make too much difference for kiddie rides.

It can be kind of hit or miss. Some of the rides have very long load/unload times.

True ,Walt that what takes most of the time as the ride host has to use a key to unlock each seatbelt.

The 4 x 4s seem to have a mind-numbing ride interval. Lines can easily back up to 15 - 20 minutes, even on an off day.

Because the seat belts require a special key to unlock.

I just use a car key to unlock my daughters belt instead of waiting for the ride op to make there way around.

Those key locks are the most stupid things ever invented. It takes the ride host 2minutes to unload woodstock express. Why would they need them on that ride? I think it would br impossable to get out of the ride with the lapbar down. It is really bad when there is only one ride host operating Woodstock Express!

*edit* 3:04pm- i should say it takes 2 min. when there is only 1 operater rinning the ride!

Having worked both Kiddy Kingdom and Planet Snoopy, I think I can be of some help. :)

My advice for Kiddy Kingdom is to wait until later in the evening to go there (8 or later is the best time, though around 7 isn't usually too bad either), if the kid(s) can be convinced to wait until then. By then most kids are getting tired, and there are less of them really wanting to ride, which means it doesn't take ride ops as long to load/unload. The only thing about going to the Kingdom at that time is that more than likely operators will have doubled (or tripled) up on rides. If a ride is unattended, just find the closest operator at the next ride and see if they are running both.

For Planet Snoopy, I never had more than a one cycle line at any ride there (spent roughly under a month there total). Despite its popularity the spread of people seems to be better than Kiddy Kingdom, and several of the rides are easier to load/unload for the ride ops (loved the connected lap bars on the sub, though it was also a PITA when it stuck). If you want another best time, I would say between 10-12, and then 5 or later. Though there may not necessarily be less bodies in the area, the ops are generally a little happier and moving faster (because when you can feel its getting closer to closing, you just tend to move faster. Don't know why, but that's how it was for my two years at the park, every night).

Oh, and one more bit of advice, for the sanity of the ride ops please try to trust them with your kid(s). There is nothing more stressful and actually problematic than a parent who interferes with the ride op. Of course, if it is obvious that they don't know what they're doing, make sure your kid is safe. But for the most part the ride ops are more than capable of ensuring your child's safety on the ride(s) and parent interference can actually create possible safety problems that otherwise would not arise.

As for the general hate on the modified seat belts, the ride ops universally hate them as well, but trust me, they are a very necessary evil. Kids are actually very intelligent, and if they want out of a restraint, they will find a way. If you still doubt that, then you either haven't worked with kids or don't have any. ;)

I do not agree that it takes two minutes for the ride op to unlock the belts on Woodstock. I will have to time it. I do not mind them. They are kid proof.

I would rather wait a few minutes to have my daughter unlocked than to have her jump out of a ride and get hurt! Little kids are great escape artists. Thanks for all the tips guys, I am looking forward to a kiddie ride day with my little one, I will probably cry a little at not being able to ride my favorites, but soon she will be big enough to ride them with me ;)

Like I said, thats why I just use a car key to unlock it myself. That only takes a sec.

I too have done the car key but got hollered at by the operator.

Crazy horse, that is perfectly acceptable if you are on the ride with your kid and the operator is already working on unloading children, but I would hope you don't enter the ride area if you aren't on the ride already. While you may be in a hurry, it is much better for everyone to have a bit of patience.

Once again, the ride operators are (more times than not) there for a reason, and they know all the safety aspects of the ride, the guest (even an enthusiast) does not. Be patient and wait that extra minute or two while they unload your children.

Edit: wanted to emphasize that if you are on the ride and can't be bothered with being patient, then as long as the ride is completely stopped/finished and the ride op is already unloading, being impatient and unlocking it yourself is ok. In fact, some days I appreciated it because it made things slightly easier for me. However DO NOT do that unless unloading is already taking place.

Now I can sord of see from a parents POV on why they would rather wait he extra min. or two to unlock those belts. If Cedar Point could make the seat belt locked when the ride is in motion or make the seat belts harder to open it could make some people happier and improve ridership.

One day last year, we waited a solid 20 minutes for one cycle on Snoopy's Space Race.