OT - Cedar Point Fast Pass
Since it's Cedar Point season for most mgobloggers, I thought I'd share my experience from yesterday when my friends and I bought the Fast Pass at Cedar Point. The pass allows you to head to the front of the line on 20 of the top rides, which is great when the park is slamming busy or extremely hot outside. It cost us $40 per pass on top of the admission price.
The average wait time was about fifteen minutes for the top coasters, such as Millenium Force, Top Thrill Dragster and Maverick. . Had we not bought the passes we would have waited in line for 2+ hours on each of the rides. Many of the other rides such as Gemeni, Raptor and Magnum had no wait. You literally skip the 1+ hour wait and jump right on the ride. The pass basically paid for itself after the first ride and allowed us to hit all of the rides plus a few extras throughout the day.
The passes are defintely worth it if you have the extra cash. From what I saw yesterday, I think that the park limits the amount of passes to 10% of guests in the park on that day. Just be aware that people without the passes and even some staff members will scoff at you when you cut to the front of the line. Absolutely worth seeing their faces when you get priority on the best rides in the park.
This is literally the only way I will ever go to Cedar Point ever again. Waiting 2 hours for a ride, several times a day, is just not worth it.
You just have to go at the right time. I went last month and my longest wait was around 25 minutes. We got to go on every ride in the park, and went on the dragster and millenium twice in only a 7 hour span.
I'm here today and decided to get the passes, and they are easily worth the extra money.
Sundays in October are the only way to do Cedar Point in my opinion. You don' t lose 20 lbs in sweat and there are never any waits at all.
I've only been for Halloweekends once and it was alot of fun. Good suggestion.
Same goes for Fridays on Halloweekends. However, Saturdays during October should be avoided at all cost.
Not a problem. I'm usually busy with something else on Saturdays in October. And September and November too, for that matter.
It's probably worth it if you go around a holiday or a weekend. I've been to Cedar Point multiple times a year my entire life and my cousins and my sisters and I usually pick a Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday in June and the lines aren't nearly as bad. I know it's not possible for everyone that has a family and a 9-5 job unless you take a vacation day in the middle of the week, but I've rarely been to CP and had to wait more than 45 minutes for a ride. That said, I've been Cedar Pointed out the last few years and I usually spend half the day just chillin on the beach.
That's the way to do it. I tried to go in May or early June, when even the longest waits were rarely more than 20 minutes. I've always avoided big days like July 4th, and even the rest of the month is less appealing.
Plus, in the fall, I was always saving my money for football tickets.
Haven't been in 3 years, though; I live too far away, and it's not the priority it used to be. What Cedar Point has done is sap the fun from other, lesser parks. When you're attached to the incomparable setting, size (I used to think Cedar Point was small, but it is far larger than any competitor), rides, and experience of Cedar Point, paying good money for second-class just isn't worthwhile.
The only other parks worth going to are places like Disney and Universal Studios, which are theme parks rather than amusement parks and offer a different sort of product.
That's very true. I've been to a couple other parks and they're pathetic. They Usually have like one or two real good coasters and the rest are terrible.
Does it work for all rides multiple times?
Yes. They are more expensive on Saturdays but prices get discounted if you buy multiple fast passes (for example if you purchase them in groups). Also, they now allow people to pretty much booze anywhere in the park (in lines for the rides) rather than just in the beer gardens. It might sound awesome but when I was there it was well into the 90's and I saw multiple people pass out in line and/or receiving medical attention. Beer isn't cheap there, but what is.
Thanks.
The more people that know what a great deal it is the more that will buy it. The more that buy it the longer it will make the fast line...
That's why it's capped at a certain percentage of capacity.
In other Cedar Point news, keep an eye out for the arrival of parts for the new coaster they're getting next year.
http://www.sanduskyregister.com/sandusky/news/cedar-fair/memo-cedar-poi…
As a season pass holder I tend to scoff at the fast pass, but mostly because I attend the park most on week days early (May/early June) and late (August, Fridays in September) when grade school is in session and average waits for the biggest coasters are 10-15 minutes anyway.
On these peak days in mid-summer though, I could totally see it being worth the upcharge. Especially since standing around in crowded lines on hot summer days isn't exactly comfortable... I hightly recommend going in the spring or fall just for the weather. Though Holloweekends Saturday's are generally P A C K E D and worth avoiding; or buying fast passes! :)
tell the health aid offices that you have diabetes and they'll give you the same pass for you and your party. Have done it multiple times.
Someone in your party better have diabetes. There's a special place in hell waiting for people who pull that crap when it's not the case.
they will get diabetes latter in life. karma is a bitch!
...who talk in movie theaters
It's all about knowing WHEN to go.
Bottom line: Summer months are the worst because kids are out of school and families are planning their vacations. Weekends, speciflcally Saturdays, over the summer are the ABSOLUTE WORST time to go. Holidays are a toss up because sometimes people go to CP and jam the park, sometimes they go elsewhere and CP is fairly quiet.
The absolute best times to go are May/June, before kids are out of school, or else September/October, when kids are back in school. If I was going this weekend or something ya, I would definitely get a Fast Pass. If I was going on a Sunday in the fall I would be absolutely fine without it. Most rides are 15 minute waits, if that.
The hierarchy is:
Weekdays in spring or fall.
Weekends over the spring or fall.
Weekdays over the summer.
Sundays over the summer.
Death.
Saturdays over the summer.
I went the Friday before fathers day with the fast pass and my longest wait was 10 minutes . Without it the waits would have been probably 30-45 so not bad... That's a great time to go and The fast pass just made it better
Michigan arrogance, unbelievable
I am very believable, thankyouverymuch
Off topic
For anyone going to Disney. Go in late Oct to early Nov. We went for our honey moon 4 years ago in late Oct and we didn't wait for anything. I think the longest we waited was 30 mins for Space mountain. We road everything in all four parks. People working there said its the calm before the holiday storm.
Was your fiance 12 years old?
Given the nature of your response, you would never believe how many people go there for their honeymoon or for a day or two as part of their honeymoon.
Loved it as a kid hate it as an adult. 1 hr wait times per good ride means i rode no more then 9 the entire day. Not worth a vacay day either. And who goes when its 100 degrees? Boggles the mind
I haven't been able to go to Cedar Point since going middle of the week in May back when we got out early as seniors in high school.
You're not allowed to stay on a ride, but the only wait was the time it took you to walk back around the line.
So how can I justify standing in line for 2 hours for Dragster, when I was once able to ride it 5 times, along with Millennium 3 times, and Magnum 4, within the same amount if time?
$40 seems kind of expensive to me. The "fastpass" thing at Disneyland is free.