Panning my first USA and CP trip!!!

Hey guys first time poster.
Im planning my first trip over to the USA. I went to the US when I was younger (around 6) but now planning to go when I can have some real fun with the missus as I just turned 21.
My plan is to hit a lot of the top theme parks, visit Vegas and if any pinball events are going on might want to check those out. Also probably catch a few sporting games whatever's going on at the time I'm heading over for most of October?

Theme parks iv got down so far are:
California - magic mountain, seaworld, and knotts
Florida - disneyworld, universal island of adventure
Ohio - cedar point (main one I want to go to)

The part of the trip I'm looking forward to the most is the cedar point part of the trip. As we are heading over in October and the park is only open on weekends for halloweekends I will only be able to stay in the park for a few days so definitely getting a fast lane band.

Planning on crashing at either the breakers or sandcastle..
Would grab a good suite overlooking the lake if possible which would you recommend to stay?

Also looking for a plan of attack for when we are there for the Friday and Saturday. Also there Sunday but want to get most rides in on the first 2 days if possible :-).

Anyway if you guys have any tips for places to stay at or around the parks or anywhere let me know.
Or any other things you guys reckon is a 'must'. Open to all suggestions, want to make It the best trip I can..

Cheers guys

Since you appear to have the cash buy fast pass plus or schedule a VIP tour for the saturday you will be there. If the weather is decent you could see one of the busiest days of the season. Friday evening and Sunday won't be as bad.

(also, if you haven't already, think about making your Disney dining reservations soon as the most popular restaurants can fill up early)

Check out this site:

www.lakeerieshoresandislands.com

They can send you everything we have to do in Cedar Point area. (Called Lake Erie Shores and Islands) If you like gambling. The Thirsty Pony (Quality Inn) has off track betting. (It’s located near the entrance to Cedar Point before Breakers Express) They are connected to a hotel but it's not as convenient as staying on the Cedar Point property. If you go on tripadvisor.com it gives unbiased reviews of hotels and attractions in the area. I would check there. Depending on the weather and how much time you want to spend away from CP. I would check out going to Put-in-Bay. It's a party island. Since you are 21. :)

Fridays in October HalloWeekends-you can get more rides in those 6 hours than compared to all day saturday-the park is relatively deserted compared to sat & sun. Bad weather is the only concern. Sometimes the October storms have a lot of the rides not operating due to wind.

If you're in Florida,don't forget about Busch Gardens Tampa, Gwazi-Kumba-Montu-Shiekra-Cheetah Chase. A good park in a bad neighborhood.

If you're gonna be on the east coast,Six Flags Great Adventure New Jersey,Kings Dominion Virginia,Carowinds North Carolina.

Yeah planning on having a good go of the rides on the Friday night :-) will be awesome during halloweekends as we don't celebrate Halloween in Australia so will be awesome to witness it over there..

Any other tips will be handy guys? Pret sure we are going to stay at sandcastle
Just because its a short walk to the park and the rooms seem a lot nicer then breakers..

As others have said, you very likely won't need a Fast Lane pass on Friday night, although if you've got the money to spend, there's no reason not to. If you're interested in checking out the haunted attractions (and I suggest you do) I'd get a "Fright Lane" pass for either Friday or Saturday so you can skip the lines for the haunts. I'd also suggest checking out the live Halloween theamed shows and the Halloweekends parade, since you should have more than enough time to do so over a three day weekend.

As for the hotels, both Breakers and Sandcastle have suites that overlook the beach/lake. Breakers has a TGIFridays restaurant and bar inside the hotel that is open late (1 or 2 AM if I recall) as well as a Perkins (breakfast and sandwiches) and a Hibachi grill. Sandcastle also has a restaurant inside, but I don't know anything about their offerings or hours.

Also, in case you haven't come across it in your research already, October weather can be very unpredictable in Ohio, particularly on the lake. It can be sunny and 80 degrees, or raining/snowing and 30 degrees or anything in between, often accompanied by a strong breeze off the lake. Make sure to pack accordingly.

Thanks for the responses.. I have heard that the weather can be pretty unpredictable.. Just hoping its not pouring rain over the three days I'm there :-)

Other then that I will most probably get a fright lane pass for one of the nights as well!

Does anyone recommend a strategy for attacking the park? And by that I mean I will get in early so does anyone know where the best place to start is? I heard working from the back to front is a good plan..

Thanks for the info about the hotels as well Ralph. Will have to have a bit more of a look into it to see which one would suit best.

Last Halloweekends season was the rainiest I've ever seen, so hopefully there won't be a repeat of that this year.

For early entry, I believe the major coasters available are Gatekeeper, Raptor, Millennium, and Maverick. I'd plan to hit at least two of those during early entry (you might have time to snag multiple rides on each depending on crowds) then head towards the back of the park right around opening time. Starting at Dragster and working counter-clockwise around the back half of the park is pretty good way to avoid the crowds for a while.

Cheers mate sounds like a good plan.. Hopefully it's not a repeat of last year then..
Can you still ride the rides if its weather like that??

https://www.cedarpoint.com/plan-a-visit/ride-policies-and-procedures

If you scroll down to "Weather Conditions that Affect Rides" you can see what will or will not be open in various weather conditions.

Thanks for that!!