Winter Chill Out 2018
There has never been any open rides (or open anything for that matter) for WCO.
And yes, it is still totally worth every last minute of it.
Agreed. I have only done one Winter Chill Out, but it was a more interesting and satisfying day at the park even with no rides than many regular summer days I have spent there. It's not at all the same as a typical day at the park, and I can see how even some pretty serious fans of the place could be bored by WCO. But for many of us, it's actually one of the most enjoyable days we have ever spent in the park, you just have to be into that sort of thing.
The date has been set for February 24th
Brian
Valravn Rides: 24| Steel Vengeance Rides: 27| Dragster Rollbacks: 1
Dang it! I've never been able to make it for a WCO. I was hoping to change that this year, but that weekend is already booked for my wife and daughter. Will be down the street at Sawmill Creek that Saturday if anyone wants to wave or beep the horn as they drive by on route 6!
Proud to have fathered a second generation coaster enthusiast destined to keep me young at heart and riding coasters with a willing partner into my golden years!
Nuts. Looks like I can't go this year; I'm probably going to be on the other end of the country that day.
--Dave Althoff, Jr.
/X\ *** Respect rides. They do not respect you. ***
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Tickets will go on sale January 23rd:
Brian
Valravn Rides: 24| Steel Vengeance Rides: 27| Dragster Rollbacks: 1
Couple quick questions, based on past years (obviously nobody knows what will happen this year)... How long is WCO, start to finish? What is the range of start times? Hoping to make it to my first WCO this year but we would get to Sandusky pretty late Friday night.
ROUNDABOUND.
Start times are every 30-minutes starting at 8:00, with the last start at 10:00 or 10:30. We usually go at 9:00 and it is over by 2 or 2:30.
Maverick44 said:
It is roughly 3 hours long.
Last year we were in the 10:30 group and didn't get out of there until about 4:30. There was a lot of downtime and waiting around between lunch and the presentation
Which then leads to me to ask, is there any advantage/disadvantage of being in one of the early groups compared to a later group? We are planning to go again this year, but the one thing last year was we felt that the 5ish hour event could have easily been 3 1/2 hours if the pace had been quicker and there hasn't been so much lag time after lunch. We would gladly get up early and sign up for the 8 or 8:30 if the pace was a little quicker since, in theory, you wouldn't be waiting around for previous groups to finish. Any thoughts or insight on this?
Oh wow. 3hrs vs 5-6hrs is quite the range. We were hoping to have some time to enjoy Castaway Bay, too...
ROUNDABOUND.
I've had 3 different scenarios play out. I've been in a group that asked lots of questions, and we controlled the pace for at least a couple groups behind us. Everything seemed well timed and just right for us.
One year where 2 groups merged for the presentation at P&D then went to lunch together, I was in the earlier of 2 groups, and spent at least 15 minutes standing outside P&D in some seriously cold weather waiting for the second group. We went straight from there to lunch, and I think the second group then spent an extra 15 minutes at lunch after we went out to re-establish that space between the groups.
I've also been in a group behind the group with lots of questions where my group did not take as long in each area. In that group, it always felt like the tour was dragging.
I liked the approach this year of having the groups alternate the direction they started. I think that helped prevent some of the delays. The lag time after lunch might have had as much to do with the prior group still being in the presentation as anything else.
At the end of the day, I haven't found an advantage based solely on the time slot unless it is being in the very first group. Even then, if they do the alternate direction thing and then have groups sync back up for lunch and presentations, one group will still be sitting around waiting on the other group. Just the nature of the beast.
With six start times and multiple groups within each start time, does anyone know how many total presentations or lunch groups they do? It was obvious last year we merged with other groups for the presentation and possibly lunch as well. Clearly they aren't doing six presentations or six lunch services, but they aren't doing just one either. I'd be very curious how the logistics work on that just from a curiosity perspective.
As a 10:30 group member last year, we did a majority of the tour, then lunch, then the presentation, then the merchandise tour stops. By the end of the presentation, it was probably between 2:30 and 3 and we were honestly ready to go. Then we got to the merchandise presentation while the previous group was just starting theirs, so we heard it twice, once for the other group and then once for our own. We had an incredible time, the pace just completely dropped after the morning stuff.
Sounds like we will try to get an early start time so we can set the pace. Gonna be rough through because I figure we won’t get to Sandusky till after 11pm Friday night.
Next question: How kid friendly is this? My kid is gung ho about coasters. I think (hope?) he would enjoy the tour.
ROUNDABOUND.
You know what now that I think about it may have been around the 4-5 hour mark. I must of been thinking about something else for 3 hours. I'd plan on about 5 hours. Yep sounds about right.
The year the event grew up, it did go from like 2-3 hours one year to the full event we know now. Tony included a mention in e-mails/blog posts to come prepared to be outside for long periods and the event could last up to 6 hours, but some didn't heed his warning. While we were standing outside P&D there were a handful of adults complaining they were cold and ready for the event to be over. This was well before lunch, so probably not even half-way thru.
I would say it has been reasonably kid friendly. The biggest concern is being properly dressed. WCO 2015 and 2016 for comparison.
It might have been the wind. I thought 2016 felt nicer than 2017, but either way it was outright balmy compared to some years. The closest historical temps I could find online for the area are the airports in Lorain and Port Clinton.
WCO Date - Lorain High/Low -------- Port Clinton High/Low
2/25/2012 - 34/28 -------- 37/21
3/16/2013 - 36/30 -------- 35/28
2/22/2014 - 43/37 -------- 39/34
2/21/2015 - 26/10 -------- 26/2
2/20/2016 - 66/39 -------- Missing data
2/18/2017 - 66/46 -------- 69/50
Which year is generally considered the official first WCO? I don't remember seeing the term until 2014, but have heard folks include 2013 when counting how many they have attended.
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