Opening Day/Weekend 2023 reports

Let's hear some, both bad and good, food, lines ?

I went for about an hour just to walk the park. The Boardwalk area is nice, but was very crowded today to be able to actually enjoy it and just walk around. The aesthetic is nice! I watched another evac on Wild Mouse (from the transfer track area). Also, the old Johnny Rockets area is still being worked on - maybe by Memorial Day the arcade will be open.

Food lines were long, decided against the wait!

Many rides were running! Only ones I noticed not running were Gemini - for maintenance; Windseeker - not sure why, the wind wasn't bad; and of course Iron Dragon

Probably will go again Monday to try some food.

We have skipped opening day for the last 3-4 years, just due to the staffing levels, closed places, and just general early season disorganization. That said, we decided to make the trip today. We waited until early afternoon to go, so traffic was light. But that turned out to be the highlight of the trip. Preferred parking was crowded but not full. We parked about 10 spaces deep. Hopefully they will expand the Preferred Parking area, the Beach parking was a much larger area and nearly empty.

We have Prestige passes, so the first stop was to the redemption center to get our single use Fastlane+ pass. No problem with the transaction, but the pass printed out like a CVS recipt, and did not say Fastlane plus. The lady at the counter assured us that it was indeed a Plus pass, so we went on our way.

First stop was the Boadwalk. Very nice area, the Grand Pavilion is a stunning building. Troika really stands out with the trees removed around the perimeter. Wild Mouse was running while we walked through, with the line well outside the queue and wrapped around the back fence. Watched for a bit and saw the ride stop running. Two cars stopped in the final brake run and one car stopped at the beginning of the hairpins. Saw some workers strapping on the evac gear, so assume the riders stuck at the hairpin were evac'd out. Didn't stay to watch.

Started our lap around the park, first ride was Magnum. Posted wait time of 35 minutes was right on point. When in line we saw the line for Back Beat Que, the line was out the door.

After our ride we started looking for a place to eat (it was already 4:30 by this time). BBQ line never got any shorter, Happy Friar lines were across the midway, Farmhouse line was well outside the door, didn't check Frontier Inn, and everything else in the area was closed. Very disappointed in the lack of availability for any kind of meal in a reasonable length of time. Around half of Coke Freestyle locations were open, all with fairly long lines.

At this point we started our outbound lap. Hopped on the train, with one train running. Waited for the train to make the entire lap, around 25 minutes. Got off the train at the Main Midway and headed to Valraven to use our Fastlane+. Got to the line and the person at the entrance insisted that our passes were Fastlane, not plus. Argued the point, since we were told they were in fact plus. He finally relented and let us in the line. The person at the top of the stairs never really looked close at them, just waved us through.

At this point it really started turning colder. Walked past Hugo's and of course the line was out the door. Coke Freestyle near Raptor had a line out to the Midway. So wandered around a bit and headed out before traffic got too bad.

So all in all it was about what was expected. Disorganized chaos, limited food and drink options, understaffed, and crowded. We knew what we signed up for, but to only get 3 rides and no food was just a confirmation of why we don't do opening weekend anymore.

Pretty similar experience here. Arrived about 10:30, tollbooths were fine, but the front gate lines were nearly back to the metal detectors. Got a couple rides on Bluestreak & Valravn. Noticed they moved all the legacy bricks to the center circle. Didn't look like they have a locator yet. Gave up trying to find mine.

Pavillion a little before noon, lines were long, but at least they were inside the building. Got the pork and rice, was good enough to get me back in to try the other options. Wild mouse was closed when I walked past. Checked out the empty spots left by scrambler, matterhorn, dive in. New stage design looks interesting. Petting zoo and glassblowing both up and running. Steel vengeance & Magnum had average lines.

Wild turnip had some new signs, looked like emu egg jokes. I'm sure there are pics somewhere already. Wasn't impressed with the Frontier inn, line was out the door, bratwurst burger was pre-built and I'm not a big mustard fan. Pizza looked like it had been there a while. Pleasantly surprised with the wild mouse. No nausea with the spinning. I'll try it again if the line calms down. Got in line around 6:30. They closed the line early. Got off with just enough time to get a final ride on Gatekeeper, 1 last drink, and out of the parking lot before that got too bad.

Looks like rain tomorrow that should be fun.

Got to Cedar Point about 1:15 p.m. on Saturday (after getting up at 5 a.m. to watch the coronation of King Charles). No line at all to park, yay!

The weather was sunny/cloudy and cool, about 57 degrees.

First stop was the Emporium to check out any new merch. There really wasn't a lot, besides a bunch of Wild Mouse merchandise. Side note to the people designing Cedar Point T-shirts: please consider using lighter colors for your T shirt material. Black is nice, but not in August when it's 95 degrees and sunny! Light blues, pinks and whites are the colors I'm going to buy. The only color the Wild Mouse T shirts come in is black. So, pass.

Then it was over to check out the Grand Pavilion. Very nice! That's going to be THE adult hangout from now on, with that second floor bar and awesome view.

The Wild Mouse wasn't loading riders, just testing cars. While I was there they opened up the line and there was a big cheer! It varied between open and closed all day, but it's a neat-looking ride.

Speaking of closed rides, the Sky Ride broke down at least twice when I was there, the second time when I was standing in line to board late in the day.

Cedar Downs was closed, and there were pieces of pulled-up boards around the horses so they're still working on some kind of refurb/repair. Wave Swinger was also all the way down; the crown was on the ground, no swings attached, and parts of the light arrays that are attached to the crown were scattered on the ground around the ride.

VERY bummed that Engine No. 5 no longer sells custard. Doesn't look like there's anywhere to grab a quick cold snack in that area anymore. No big deal when it's 57 degrees, but I hope they get an ice cream truck or something out there for the summer.

I ate at Frontier Inn. A little pricey at $22 w/discount and I had to go back to get the dipping sauce for my chicken fingers, but otherwise a good meal. Ate at the picnic tables next to Maverick, which broke down twice while I was eating. Most of the coasters were stop and start all day.

Took the train, which is always reliable old-fashioned fun. Bought a blind bag at the button stop which promised "5 buttons including a rare or ultra-rare button!" but contained, at least in my case, 5 common buttons I could have bought loose. This year they have individual buttons for each of the cars for Wild Mouse, but the only way to get the cheese car button is to buy a blind bag and hope, as it is not sold loose. Pretty clever!

By that time (about 6:45) it was getting windy and very cold so time to go home. I'll definitely be back when it's warmer.

Sunday: Really nice outside and warm. Food at the GP was pretty good. Pork was a bit dry but the potatoes were good (and the butter!!). Rode Raptor, Gatekeeper, and Steel Vengeance (all less than a half hour wait). Ended the day relaxing on top of the GP overlooking the lake.,

I did notice that Steel Vengeance was on 2-train operation, with the third train nowhere to be found. Perhaps it needs extra maintenance?

Monday/Today: Got a chance to ride Wild Mouse. They seemed to of had it running pretty good today. The ride is great; good pacing, and definitely more than I expected it would be. Tried the turkey and potatoes at GP, and it was really good.

The third train is somewhere to be found, and it’s in pieces in the area between Maverick and the train track.

Oh, interesting!

Jordan_Vanichek, I wouldn’t worry too much about it. If it’s the area where I am thinking about, that just means it is ready to get put back together on the track or needs a few adjustments once on the track; etc.

Hudson:

Noticed they moved all the legacy bricks to the center circle. Didn't look like they have a locator yet. Gave up trying to find mine.

They moved the legacy bricks?

I couldn’t find mine either, but mine was in the circle anyway and I always needed the key to find it. None of the information/ Courtesy Corp booths were open on Monday, including that one.
I’m not sure what the reason would be unless it was just to consolidate and condense it. If so it worked- there’s scarcely a space left. I also noticed bright, newish bricks that were clearly designed by the park. They all said CEDAR POINT then the name of a former ride or attraction or the name of a well-known employee. (I saw Richard Kinzel’s name on one). I don’t know it they were always there or if they made them to fill in, but they weren’t dark and worn like the originals. Maybe the things didn’t sell like they had hoped.
The perimeter areas were still all brick, just blank.

Mine was in the circle as well, just off of the center "150" square. Is that gone and filled in with bricks too?

Tony mentioned on Twitter that they are working on a new guide to help everyone find their brick too.

Happy to report that the $15 cocktails at the Grand Pavilion bar are, in fact, cocktails worth asking $15 for.

The Old Fashioned is so good that I had 2 of them. I wish they were using a slightly “better” mixer bourbon like Woodford or Buffalo Trace, but Beam is perfectly acceptable in this situation. The Waldmeister was a surprise and very interestingly tasty and refreshing. The blueberry Bellini, also very refreshing. The pineapple chipotle margarita with salt foam was a sleeper hit, too. Super good.

They are hand made and not pre-mixed, so they take a bit of time to make, and the bartenders were also making off-menu cocktails for other guests, so it’s definitely a good, resort bar type of experience.

Edit: Important to note here - a Bulleit or Buffalo Trace Old Fashioned costs me $16 at our local bar, and I’m used to $13-18 margaritas at local Mexican restaurants, so it isn’t out of line at all.

What sort of higher-end bourbon did they have? I thought I saw a bottle of Bulleit behind the bar in some pictures, but wasn't sure if there was anything further up than that.

As for prices, yeah, one of my favorite drinks ever costs around $16, but that's made tableside, and involves smoking wood into a glass, into which a bourbon concoction is poured. I initially balked at the menu description, figuring smoking wood into a glass was sort of gimmicky. But my goodness, it is outstanding, and now a must-get every time we eat there. And I recently acquired a smoker box to make it at home.

I'm hoping they can make a good bloody mary.

djDaemon:

What sort of higher-end bourbon did they have? I thought I saw a bottle of Bulleit behind the bar in some pictures, but wasn't sure if there was anything further up than that.

I seen a bottle of Basil-Hayden as well the Bulleit. I Seen quite a few Top Shell spirits. The bartenders did hustle and we found out they take - and prefer cash tips! so we will bring the cash for when we plan on visiting the GP.

RCMAC:
I’m not sure what the reason would be unless it was just to consolidate and condense it. If so it worked- there’s scarcely a space left. I also noticed bright, newish bricks that were clearly designed by the park. They all said CEDAR POINT then the name of a former ride or attraction or the name of a well-known employee. (I saw Richard Kinzel’s name on one). I don’t know it they were always there or if they made them to fill in, but they weren’t dark and worn like the originals. Maybe the things didn’t sell like they had hoped.
The perimeter areas were still all brick, just blank.

I feel there were two reasons to consolidate the bricks:

1. the didn't sell as many as they hoped and consolidation made everyone pretty much have a smaller area to search.

2. the center is higher in elevation - our original brick was an outlier right on the edge of kiddy Kingdom and was worse for wear due to the low elevation and water / ice cracking the brick and having the edges chip away.

We did find our brick in the new spot - it was a brand new brick to replace the worn old one. I did notice no sand between the new bricks, maybe later. Way to go CP! Made us smile!

imadj:

I seen a bottle of Basil-Hayden...

That'll do. Thanks!

They also have Woodford, and a couple of mid-range Speyside single malt scotches like Glenlivet 12.

The well liquor is mostly all name branded stuff. It’s stuff that would be called “top shelf” at most dive bars, so I really can’t complain.

Also, for Draft beers, they have more than what is on the menu, and they offer short and tall. The tall is the $15 menu price, and the beer cans are all 24-25 Oz tall boys.

When you take into account the sunshine, lake/park and beach views, the whole package makes much more sense. I could drink whiskey and listen to the waves crash while basking in the sun for endless amounts of time, and be perfectly content.

SarahB1863 - everywhere I looked they not only had Wild Mouse merch in black but also blue. It’s a brighter, maybe royal blue, but they had tees, hats, and hoodies.