Need Advice From the Pro's

Hello All- I have been going to CP for about 20 years now but I only make it once, maybe twice, a year so I need some advise from the regulars.
My wife and are are going to stay at the Breakers from Friday August 28th-Sunday August 30th. We have two day Ride/Slide tickets. I would like to take full advantage of my time there and my biggest concern is TTD and Maverick. Maverick because my wife was pregnant last year so we were unable to attend. Anyways, I was wondering if anyone could tell me if it gets any less busy that late in the season and when the best times are to ride TTD and Maverick are. *We will have early access on Friday and Saturday" I was thinking of running in @ 9:00 and riding one coaster and then getting in line for TTD. Anyone think that would be a good idea or not? Any other trip tips would be helpful as well. thanks in advance!!!

If you go to Maverick right at opening from the Resort gate, your wait should be shorter then 5 mins (and thats walking) so no problem there. After that, walk on down the Frontier Trail and ride MF, you'll have plenty of time, maybe even to ride twice. Then get in line for TTD and you should be done with Maverick, MF and TTD by 10:30.

^^The advice doesn't get better than that...except...since Maverick's line is usually the longest throughout the day, another option is to ride Maverick as much as you can from 9:00 am until ???...the line starts getting past the bridge. I can usually get 5 or 6 Maverick rides from 9 to 11:30, which makes me good until the evening...then it's sweet Skyhawk goodness until 12:15, followed by TTD if the line is not much past the first queue section. But that's just my personal preference.

Also, IIRC from last year, the Sunday before Labor Day weekend was slow as was the week before...but with Labor Day weekend so damn late this year, it's sort of tough to guess, but I think there's good potential, and Sunday and Friday should be good. I know I'm going this weekend! ;)

Thanks for the input. I really appreciate it. Looks like I have a plan. I might just ride Maverick a couple times each morning since I will have early access both days but you never know, I may ride it once and get addicted?

I was also thinking that I would try and hit Soak City around 2:00pm assuming that this is when CP will be at its peak time. I am not really wanting to spend a lot of time there and would eventually go back to CP later in the afternoon. Any opinions on this?

If youve been to other water parks, you will realize that most of Soak City's slides are old and not nearly as fun and even at 2pm are going to have a long line (provided its good weather.) However, they have the Rampaging River (not the Lazy River you first see when you enter the park, its further in by the wave pool and you can defiantly see it from Magnum.) Its longer, has some waterfalls and other "pitfalls" but it also has a wave section that if fantastic. You can always find a tube for in there, and you dont ever have to get off. My trips to Soak City generally consist of me riding only that for numerous laps in the middle of the day followed by a shower and putting on new clothes (ie not the clothes I wore in the park that morning.) All this lasts about 2-4 hours depending on how long I stay in the river.

It keeps you cool, makes you feel refreshed and ready to go for the night time riding, and as you mentioned its the middle of the day so you dont end up sacrificing much riding time.

On a long CP weekend, instead of Soak City, I'd rather spend 3 Saturday afternoon hours getting a big lunch outside CP, followed by a 90 minute nap and a cool shower in my Breakers Express hotel room...that really re-charges the batteries!! But at a creaky 27 and a half years-old, I'm sort of past my ride warrior prime as well!!

Thanks again guys. Good advice. I was wondering how nice soak city was because I never wanted to spend an extra $30 on a ticket in addition to my CP ticket. I always get my water park fix when I head down to Kings Island because it is included. Thought I would give it a try this year but most likely just use it a cool down as mentioned before.

Dont complain about being 27...I am border line 30 at the ripe age of 29! Now that is scary.

We're gonna do the ride n slide this Tues and Thurs. We won't have ERT because we stay offsite during our summer visit. I love SC. On day one, we usually are in CP from 10-2ish, SC from 2-5ish (in the wavepool and the "crazy" river (and a visit to Bubbles Bar, of course)--lines at the slides are too long for me to wait at that time of day), then back to CP till closing. Day 2, we go to SC as soon as it opens, do all the slides, then go into CP for Thunder Canyon and Snake River Falls about 2-3 rides each (while still in our suits---along with shorts), then back to SC for about an hour or so, then to CP until closing. I love Day 2 at SC first thing in the morning---it is so quiet---till around noon, that is!

Good advice Sandee, thanks! Since I do have ERT I will definitely start both days at CP but I will probably hit SC early because you make a good point.

Hey everyone, I have read in some other forums that the Dragster never opens until around 11:00am but that the line always starts at 9:00am. Is this true. I only ask because I would hate to jump in line after riding Maverick & MF at about 9:30 or so just to wait 1.5hr for the ride to open and then another 0.5hrs-1.0hrs in the line once it does. Any input?

^Honestly, as a self-proclaimed pro (at least starting as of last year), I don't quite get TTD either as I often hear people riding it even during Early Entry time?? Since I strictly ride Maverick in the morning (or MF or Skyhawk if it's down), it's not really an issue for me, but I admit there is some TTD morning strategy that I haven't quite gotten pegged down that other older experts are more clued-in on.

Dragster opens typically right at opening, sometimes it opens early, sometimes it opens late but most of the time it opens at 10.

A lot (myself included) typically do a ride on Maverick, Ride on MF (another ride on MF if time allows,) and then get in line for TTD 5-10 min before opening.

Can anyone tell me if this is where you enter the line for Maverick?

http://i434.photobucket.com/albums/qq68/dbrincefield/MaverickQ.jpg

I looks like the only place but just want to make sure. Thanks!

Yes

Thanks. It seems like the resort entrance would definatley be the closest to Maverick. It looks like I might get some good early rides on the only coaster I havent rode yet.

tigellinus said:
But at a creaky 27 and a half years-old, I'm sort of past my ride warrior prime as well!!

Awww c'mon :) I'm 41 and still in ride warrior mode. My bid is 42 and can't really keep up with me. Amusement parks keep us young ;) Refuse to grow up LOL!

I went yesterday and got to the resort gate about 10 minutes before 9 and waited till 9:15 to get in. The line went through the Challenge Park canopy and about 1/2 way past the mini golf course. And this was with all the lines open.

At the start of the season they were opening the resort gate early and held up people right by Magnum's midway cross. Its unfortunate they are now no longer opening that gate early.

If you really want to get your money's worth as far as the water parks, get a season pass and go to Michigan's Adventure, King's Island, and Geauga Lake, (and, of course, CP,) if they're all (fairly) centrally located for you. Michigan's adventure has a GREAT water park and is well worth the drive. I have not been to KI in over 25 years, but I do remember the water park was included in the price. Same goes for MI Adv if it's not too far a drive for you.

If you went to KI's waterpark over 25 years ago, it was in another dimension of the spacetime continuum. Water Works, Kings Island's first waterpark (which was later expanded and became Boomerang Bay), was opened in 1989.