SANDUSKY: A visit to Cedar Point is a summer ritual for roller coaster fans from across the country. But with the distances many people travel to get there and the cost for admission, parking and food, getting the most out of the experience can require a strategy.
Some recent park guests and a Cedar Point spokesman offered some common strategies.
Arriving at the park early is key to getting onto the most popular rides, said Cedar Point public relations manager Bryan Edwards. He recommended a season pass for serious roller coaster fans because it gives cardholders access to the park at 9 a.m., an hour before the park opens at 10.
“Whether you have a season pass or you just arrive a few minutes before we open at 10, early is the best time to get on the marquee rides like Millennium Force and GateKeeper,” he said. “And wear comfortable shoes. The park is a mile long.”
Edwards said that lunchtime — between 11:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. — provides an opportunity to take advantage of shorter lines for major rides, as does dinnertime between 5 and 6:30 p.m.
Jake Nye of Richfield arrived early. “A lot of people get here at 11 or noon. At 10, you can get on all the rides — GateKeeper, the Raptor — but if you don’t [arrive early], you’ll wait forever,” he said.
Nye offered another tip: “If a ride breaks down, stay there. They usually fix it fast, and then everybody leaves and you’re first on.”
Edwards said another trick to maximize ride time is to enter the park through one of the back entrances rather than the main entrance. The beach entrance is generally the fastest way to get into the park and also lets you in closer to many of the most popular rides located at the back of the park, he said.
Using Cedar Point’s free GPS-enabled smartphone app can help to quickly locate rides, as well as friends and family, he added.
Joseph Concannon drove in from Indiana with a thorough strategy. “I make sure I’m here at quarter to 9. That way, I can relax and get my feet loose and get ready. Then I’m first in line when 10 o’clock comes. I go straight to Millennium Force,” he said.
“Then I jump over to Maverick. Then I’ll swoop around and hit Mean Streak — it’s a classic, so I have to hit it — then I come back around, hit Magnum and then I go [to] the Dragster. Then I grab food and a milkshake at Johnny Rockets, then right back to it. Can’t waste any time.”
Craig Balnis of Akron agreed. “When you first start out, don’t do the rides in the front of the park. Do the major rides first. Stay until 9 or 10 [at night]. At the end, you can get on any ride you want five times.”
Some guests had a less precise approach. Evelyn of Garden City, Mich., said: “I just follow the teenagers around. That’s my strategy.”
“We just go with the flow,” agreed Lindsay of Waterford, Mich.
The two were among several park guests who declined to share their last names because they had called in sick to work in order to make the trek to the park.
Others liked the alternative entrance approach.
Melinda Kushner of Canton said: “We start in the back and work our way forward. Stop for lunch, then keep going. And we try to leave with the same number of kids we started with.”
“The masses come in the front. So we come in the back,” said Gerard of Akron. “We do Maverick twice. You don’t want to lose time moving around, so twice in a row is essential.”
Steve and Krista from Sandusky have a platinum pass. “We park in the back because it’s closer and you can find your way easier. Then you go straight to Magnum. Then Dragster, Millennium, Maverick.”
Matt of Syracuse offered his strategy. “We just go in a big circle counter clockwise and then come back to the entrance. We try to hit the big thrill rides first.”
Nighttime
Several others felt that nighttime was the best time in the park because the crowds are thinner and the park has an appealing look when the lights come on.
“Maverick is a lot better at night because it gets darker when you’re going up the hill. You can look out and see all the lights and stuff on the lake and in the park. It’s a really neat experience at night,” Nye said.
Concannon of Indiana planned to stay until closing time. “During the last hour, I hit Dragster. At night when they put the lights on, it looks real cool, but I make sure I don’t sit in the front so the bugs aren’t hitting my face or anything.”
Meal strategies
The park has many restaurant options as well as a picnic area just outside of the park, where families can drop off coolers with food and return later for lunch. Park spokesman Edwards said that for guests on a budget, the park offers pre-paid meal plans that provide a discounted price as well as the ability to plan ahead for the full cost of visiting the park.
Vivian from Cleveland prefers the picnic area. “We bring lunch meats and bread. It can be super expensive here,” she said.
Katey from Cuyahoga Falls said she saves money by nibbling all day rather than getting a full meal. “A pretzel here, maybe some french fries.”
Best days to visit
Edwards recommends planning to visit the park on weekdays in July and August if possible. “Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday are best to avoid the three-day weekend crowd,” he said.
The park also will be less crowded after Aug. 19 when a lot of schoolchildren return to classes.
Beyond the summer, Cedar Point is open in September and October for Hallo Weekends, when the park has half a dozen haunted houses to visit in addition to the regular attractions and many fewer visitors than during the summer.
For more information including ticket prices and hours visit www.cedarpoint.com.
Contact Beacon Journal Cleveland correspondent Daryl V. Rowland at darylvrowland@gmail.com.