Budget trip to Castaway Bay and Cedar point?

[ashleyd725@hotmail.c]

Is it possible???
The rooms at castaway bay look expensive.
My stepdad put me in charge of planning a vacaton for when he get home from overseas. He will be on leave for a month so anytime mid may to mid june.
He said no Disney
Also said he would not like to do over a 10 hour drive and does not want to go to the beach, I guess he is around enough sand now.
It will be him, and his DS 14 and his DD 16.
Any ideas would be great!

 

[ashleyd725@hotmail.c]

We live about an hour south of Pittsburgh!

 

[jodifla]

Castaway Bay is getting some really horrible reviews these days...take a look on tripadvisor.com

 

[Deffenm]

Well I guess camping is out of the question as well.

We always camp at East Harbor State Park which is about 20 mins from Cedar Point. It is a cheap alternative to a hotle. How many days do you plan to be there? Are you just going to Cedar Point or are you visiting the islands?

 

[ashleyd725@hotmail.c]

I'm thinking that skipping castaway bay and just doing Cedar Point should be good.
I was thinking probably 3 or 4 nights.
What are the islands like?
Anyone know when Cedar Points opens for the season I looked at the events calendar and it was not available!

 

[Baloosgirl23]

what are 'the islands' near cedar point?? don't let the location fool you, we've only lived in OH for a few years -- originally from chicago so i'm not sure what you're talking about we're going to cp this summer too, so i'm curious as to what it is...tia!!!

 

[MickeyMomOfThree]

I grew up near CP and had season tickets my whole childhood. DH and I had our first date then Honeymoon there. We went every year on our anniversary through our 10th. We took a break because it got so terribly expensive. We went back this summer for our 16th anniversary and we were sick. The cost of everything is so out of control. DH kept saying "this is cheaper in Disney." About everything. My biggest suggestion would be to pack food in a cooler and go back to the car to eat. I know that isn't as much fun as eating there, but that is a huge way to save money. It was sad how expensive food was.

I never went to Castaway Bay, but we love the Great Wolf Lodge in Sanduski, it is only maybe 10 minutes from CP. They are always offering deals though it still can be pricey. Personally I would stay somewhere else on the days you go to CP then check in to the water hotel (whatever one you decide, there is also Kalahari which looks nice,) and just pay those prices for when you are going to use the resort.

 

[RachaelA]

Put in Bay- Perry's Monument, Perry's Cave, Crystal Cave
Kelly's Island
Catawba Island

all in Lake Erie

You can rent a cottage on Lake Erie near the Jet Ferry in Port Clinton for a couple hundred a week and then take day trips.

There is African Wildlife Safari in Port Clinton that is awesome. Sandusky (Cedar Point) is maybe 20 minutes away.

I'm not a fan of Cedar Point. Its too expensive.

My parents and relatives all have cottages/houses on the Lake that we spend every weekend May-September at in Port Clinton. So if you decide on that route PM me!

 

[mindyd]

Hi,

We went to Castaway Bay the weekend of January 24th. I would not recommend it, it was very run down and the staff was not very friendly or helpful. We choose there because of the kids activities and half of them were canceled and the others were very lame. The water was warm but the halls that you have to walk back too were freezing. I would recommend one of the other two indoor waterparks that are up there.

 

[Deffenm]

Everything Rachael A said...

The jet express is fun to take over to Put in Bay for the day. You can also tour the lighthouse in Marblehead for free. My kids like to do that, Cedar point is directly across the lake from there.

My family loves the Port Clinton, Catawba, Marble Head area. We go up there every summer and our dream is to buy a vacation home. Next to Disney it is our happy place.

Some of our favorite things to do are the lighthouse, the Great Lakes Popcorn company in Port Clinton, Cheese Haven, Lynds Fruit Stand (best peaches in the world), Tofts Ice Cream, and my boys love fishing. Now I am a sit on the beach kind of girl so that is what I do (I know you said no beach). There is also a small water park up in the area that also has putt putt and go carts.

I don't think we could do 3-4 days at Cedar point, maybe 2 at the max but we could spend a week in the area doing other things or nothing at our campsite.

 

[RachaelA]

Everything Rachael A said...

The jet express is fun to take over to Put in Bay for the day. You can also tour the lighthouse in Marblehead for free. My kids like to do that, Cedar point is directly across the lake from there.

My family loves the Port Clinton, Catawba, Marble Head area. We go up there every summer and our dream is to buy a vacation home. Next to Disney it is our happy place.

Some of our favorite things to do are the lighthouse, the Great Lakes Popcorn company in Port Clinton, Cheese Haven, Lynds Fruit Stand (best peaches in the world), Tofts Ice Cream, and my boys love fishing. Now I am a sit on the beach kind of girl so that is what I do (I know you said no beach). There is also a small water park up in the area that also has putt putt and go carts.

I don't think we could do 3-4 days at Cedar point, maybe 2 at the max but we could spend a week in the area doing other things or nothing at our campsite.

Mmm Cheese Haven!

We love Andy's Party Mart for ice cream. its about 3 streets from the street where my family's houses are. I grew up walking there. I can't wait for summer!!!

There are also places to rent wave runners/jet skis as well in Port Clinton. Its right by downtown Port Clinton.

 

[HardcoreTroubadour]

If you are on a tight budget, I suggest you stay at Quality Inn and Suites Rainwater Park (also known in some circles as the Thirsty Pony Hotel.) My husband and I live in Dayton, and go to Cedar Point every summer. We always stay at that hotel because it's such a great deal. It's located right outside the entrance to Cedar Point, and a room with two double beds will only set you back about 70 bucks a night. If you are a guest at the hotel they give you a wristband at check-in which will get you into the indoor water park. Also on site is a bowling alley that has activities going on all the time (last year they had a Big Lebowski party going on while we were staying there), an arcade, and Thirsty Pony which has great food (and tasty adult beverages.) Really, when we come back to the hotel at night we find no need to leave again- there's plenty to do right at the hotel.
Keep in mind this is not the Waldorf Astoria... it is a bit dated and the cost reflects that. But it's clean, and you're probably not going to spend a lot of time in the room anyway!

 

[bobcat]

We stayed at the Breakers Express and really liked it. It is owned by CP and right at the end of the causeway to the park so a 3 min drive, five if you have to stop at the light. There is a pizza place and McD's next door for quick eats. With one of their packages we got twilight tickets and visited the park after we checked in till close, got an hour of early entry the next day, discounts on food in the parks and breakfast at the hotel. I'm pretty frugal and I found it to be a good deal for a weekend trip.

CP is great for teenagers that like coasters. I'm a huge coaster lover, grew up going to CP every year, and remember those 3+ hour lines.