LIVE preview: the new Cedar Point Boardwalk

I wouldn't have noticed the grey concrete under Scrambler had you not mentioned it. Now that you mention it, it looks...as unnoticeable as if it hadn't been mentioned. I'm not sure what there is to complain about, unless I'm overlooking the enthusiast rule that there absolutely must be something to complain about.

I have no idea why it caught my eye either. Maybe the overdose of blue everywhere made the gray stick out to me. I never noticed the gray in the original location, and I suspect if I had never seen the sky view from the webcam that I would never have noticed it here either.

I'll write up a proper trip report eventually, but let me just say this... I think Zamperla has perfected the Wild Mouse. It's so good, and the best of any mouse-style ride I've ever been on. If you get a particularly weird weight distribution especially, the spinning is insane. No joke, you've never experienced any spinny coaster like this.

That spinning though...

From what I’ve seen the weight should go to the right. If I get to ride on Monday I’ll be sure to mention that I should sit there…

Someone said the cheese car also has different weight distribution because it has an ADA door, which I did not really look closely enough to see. So that might be part of it.

The prices for the drinks are ridiculous at that bar. I used to drink with Pete at the surf lounge and I don't think he would pay that kind of money at the bar!!!!!!

Obviously you don't do a lot of drinking in Orlando. Or at sports venues. Or concerts.

It's not terribly shocking, but that does seem like a substantial hike compared to our visit last year. I don't have receipts to confirm, but recall beer prices hovering around the $12 range. So around $15 would represent a ~25% price hike, which while not totally out of line compared to sports venues, etc., is not a trivial increase.

That said, I'd still pony up. People gotta drink.

Yeah, I expect prices like that. I’m glad to see a nice beer selection from what I could see on tap. I wonder if some beers will be rotational as well. I did not get the chance to pause the video and see if they had Leinenkugel or Brew Dog’s Elvis Juice which are our go to beers in the summer.

Either way, I expect to spend quite a bit of time there today. If they had to get rid of Wicked Twister, I guess I’m okay with it being replaced by a place with great views, food, and drinks.

From Theme Park Archive (@TPArchive) on Twitter:

I love Zombie Dust. Just a stupid observation based on those prices and the complaints I've seen, at 420 calories for Zombie Dust, that puts the pour at over 24 oz. I don't know how accurate they are at CP, but I'm pretty sure 12 oz of Zombie Dust is below 200 cals. So yeah, it's more expensive than I'd like, but a pint of Zombie Dust at most bars would be around 7 bucks anyway. It's not crazy to think that a pint and a half would be 14.99 in 2023 at an amusement park.

Ah, good catch. Doing the math for a couple of those - Bumbleberry and Hazecraft - I get about 23.5 oz, which as you say isn't terrible.

Not sure I could justify buying one Yuengling for the price I typically pay for a 12 pack.

F1rePhant0m:

It's not crazy to think that a pint and a half would be 14.99 in 2023 at an amusement park.

Crazy to think I think I spent like $12 for a 0.5L of beer, a freshly made sub sandwhich and a coffee at Phantasialand. Gotta love European parks for being better at mostly everything relative to value (resorts, parking, food, beer, etc...). I really hate what they get away with at amusement parks here, cost wise. But hey, I won't be spending the money on it that's for sure.

I just checked the menu at Phantasialand and the cost for a 0.5L beer is 5.10 Euro... Why do we charge 3x here in the US? I recall Europa Park, Toverland, etc... All being equally as good price wise.

I don't know. All I can say is I get out a decent amount, and it's not an insane price like some other people are saying. Went to a concert two weeks ago, and a 16 oz draft craft beer was 12.00. And this was a small-ish venue. Went to a brewery downtown this past Sunday, and average pint cost was 7. That means 32 oz. was 14. It doesn't shock me that Cedar Point decided to charge 14.99 for 24+ oz. The whys and hows aren't in my wheelhouse, but mathematically speaking per ounce, the price is sort of on par for entertainment venues and attractions in 2023.

Oh absolutely it is, not saying CP in general is way too high or anything, it's the norm... Which is the unfortunate part. The issue is people actually pay the upcharge that these places ask. In Europe, beer is treated more like a typical beverage and less of a "specialty/upcharge". Water you may buy at a restaurant (bottled) is actually more expensive than beer throughout Bavaria, which is wild. I got yelled at in Cologne by the waiter when I had a bottle of water on the table I had in my backback... "Put that away! The water is in the bier!"

Beer is really cheap to make. I can pump out a 1/6 bbl (~50 12oz servings) for about $30 in total cost (grains, hops, water, energy, yeast, etc...) for a typical 5-6% beer. Of course, IPA/DIPA and adjunct stouts get a bit more expensive, but at the end of the day, it's still really cheap on a per-ounce basis. Of course, I absolutely do not have the economies of scale as a homebrewer of a big brewer which cut the per ounce cost down a bit further, as you can imagine. So even assuming a $50 total cost for 1/6 bbl, my 12oz beer costs me less than a dollar to produce, all-in.

So as someone who has brewed nearly 600 gallons of beer over the years, its hard for me personally to justify those levels of markups. Now I do still go to breweries, buy beer when out, etc... But not $15 for a Goose IPA or something that I can personally buy for <$2 a bottle/can at the store. I just can't do it personally, haha.

Invertalon:

I just checked the menu at Phantasialand and the cost for a 0.5L beer is 5.10 Euro... Why do we charge 3x here in the US? I recall Europa Park, Toverland, etc... All being equally as good price wise.

If only getting there was free and didn't take the better part of a day.

But at least you get some cheap beer once there!

They are definitely 22-24oz pours for the beer. Thinking the larger pours will mean less need to go up to the bar again and again and hopefully keep the lines down. A couple of beers with that view are well worth the money I think.

The frozen cocktails seem a bit steep for what they are given the small amount of booze in them. The booze only adds 100 calories which is about 1 standard 1.5 Oz shot for most 80 proof spirits. $24 is about Vegas pool/club prices for a mixed drink, but at least there they are semi generous pours there (if you tip your bartender well). CP is super metered with the pours from my experience.

There was plenty of people buying alcohol today with the bar continuously busy, but the bar was never overcrowded nor many people getting trashed. I think that price point and effect are exactly what they want.

If you put this pavilion with these incredible balconies on any island or lakeside location it would be a huge draw and worth a day trip for many in itself. Love how CP started out with a lakeside beer garden as a main attraction (albeit with slightly cheaper beers) and has come full circle back.