Cedar Point - Fast Lane - worth the $$?

[eliza61]

Okay so I went yesterday (Wednesday, August 15th) and the Fast Lane bracelets were worth every penny. They were only worth the $ because of the following reasons, however:

1. We did not stay on site and have early entry

2. We had not been to Cedar Point for 2 or 3 years mainly because we were sick of the lines there

3. In our experience, August tends to be crowded because of people getting their last minute trips in before school starts

4. The park was indeed - very crowded. 10 minutes after park opening (when we got to Maverick) the standby line was 1 3/4 hours. When we rode again about half an hour later, the line was 2 hours. We walked on both times.

5. We love the big roller coasters and wanted to ride as many as possible.

6. We only paid $25 for our actual tickets because of the "unlock the gate" online special. This made the $50 cost of the Fast Lane bracelets easier to swallow.

7. It takes us about 1.5 hours to get to CP so we don't usually stay late into the afternoon. With the Fast Lane we were able to do everything we wanted to do, and leave before 4 PM.

Because of these 7 things, Fast Lane was great for us, but we are not all people. If you want to ride a lot of the big name coasters and don't want to wait in hour plus lines all day then it's definitely worth the money.


That's all...I hope it helps some of you! We had a great day and Fast Lane was definitely a part of the greatness.

I don't go to Cedar Point but I read this with interest because many dissers are worried that Disney is going to eventually have some type of similar system and the overwhelming concensus is that this would be a horrible idea.

How does it differ at Cedar Point?

 

[Hannathy]

Okay so I went yesterday (Wednesday, August 15th) and the Fast Lane bracelets were worth every penny. They were only worth the $ because of the following reasons, however:

1. We did not stay on site and have early entry

2. We had not been to Cedar Point for 2 or 3 years mainly because we were sick of the lines there

3. In our experience, August tends to be crowded because of people getting their last minute trips in before school starts

4. The park was indeed - very crowded. 10 minutes after park opening (when we got to Maverick) the standby line was 1 3/4 hours. When we rode again about half an hour later, the line was 2 hours. We walked on both times.

5. We love the big roller coasters and wanted to ride as many as possible.

6. We only paid $25 for our actual tickets because of the "unlock the gate" online special. This made the $50 cost of the Fast Lane bracelets easier to swallow.

7. It takes us about 1.5 hours to get to CP so we don't usually stay late into the afternoon. With the Fast Lane we were able to do everything we wanted to do, and leave before 4 PM.

Because of these 7 things, Fast Lane was great for us, but we are not all people. If you want to ride a lot of the big name coasters and don't want to wait in hour plus lines all day then it's definitely worth the money.

One caveat - the Fast Lane doesn't eliminate the need to ride the biggest names early on - we rode Dragster, Millennium Force, and Maverick before lunch and walked on all three without any sort of wait. After lunch we noticed that even with Fast Lane, some of these had 30 minute posted Fast Lane waits. So for these three, even with Fast Lane, do them early in the day.

That's all...I hope it helps some of you! We had a great day and Fast Lane was definitely a part of the greatness.

That is great info!

I'm sending this to my DD. She is going with her BF and friends on Sunday and wants to get this and he is balking. She said we are driving a long way (7hrs) and won't be going again soon, I want to be able to do things not stand in line. Everyone else agrees. This should help him be glad they are getting it.

He owes her anyway since thanks to Mom and her Dis'ing I was able to tell them about the $25 tickets!

 

[DizneyLizzy]

I don't go to Cedar Point but I read this with interest because many dissers are worried that Disney is going to eventually have some type of similar system and the overwhelming concensus is that this would be a horrible idea.

How does it differ at Cedar Point?

I imagine if Disney goes to some sort of a reduced fast pass system or a paid fast pass system, I will have to wait and see what that does to the crowds, and then possibly go less often if the crowds/costs are prohibitive - like I have done with Cedar Point. I used to go every year, and now it's more like every 2 or 3.

There are a few important differences between Disney and a place like Cedar Point that make me think the fast pass programs will always be different.

1. Cedar Point is only open about 3 months of the year, so they will never handle/disperse crowds as well as Disney does, which is a much larger enterprise and open 365 days a year. There are very few days of the year at Disney that are so busy that all of the headliners reach 2 hour plus waits and all of the minor attractions have waits of 30 minutes plus.

2. Cedar Point's admission is much lower than Disney's, and does not increase every year. I only paid $25 for a day's admission. That was a major contributor to why it didn't hurt as much to pay the extra for fast lane.

I have a love/hate relationship with this type of system. I love it at Cedar Point because Cedar Point is a place I visit once a year or once every couple of years for one day only. When I go to Cedar Point, I'm there for the day, and I don't also have to pay for a hotel or for very much food (I'll eat one lunch there, maybe...and that lunch is usually just some of the famous french fries ).

I would HATE a system like this at Disney, admittedly because I'm accustomed to, and enjoy the current system, but also because I don't think it would work as well, or be as necessary.

Luckily, maybe with the exception of Christmas and Easter, Disney does not build lines like Cedar Point. Not even Toy Story Mania has a 1 hour and 45 minute wait within ten minutes of park opening - Maverick (a coaster at Cedar Point) does.

 

[lilpig]

A friend of mine did it this summer and she said it was worth every penny! I would probably do it if I had I was going on a weekend day!

 

[eliza61]

I imagine if Disney goes to some sort of a reduced fast pass system or a paid fast pass system, I will have to wait and see what that does to the crowds, and then possibly go less often if the crowds/costs are prohibitive - like I have done with Cedar Point. I used to go every year, and now it's more like every 2 or 3.

There are a few important differences between Disney and a place like Cedar Point that make me think the fast pass programs will always be different.

1. Cedar Point is only open about 3 months of the year, so they will never handle/disperse crowds as well as Disney does, which is a much larger enterprise and open 365 days a year. There are very few days of the year at Disney that are so busy that all of the headliners reach 2 hour plus waits and all of the minor attractions have waits of 30 minutes plus.

2. Cedar Point's admission is much lower than Disney's, and does not increase every year. I only paid $25 for a day's admission. That was a major contributor to why it didn't hurt as much to pay the extra for fast lane.

I have a love/hate relationship with this type of system. I love it at Cedar Point because Cedar Point is a place I visit once a year or once every couple of years for one day only. When I go to Cedar Point, I'm there for the day, and I don't also have to pay for a hotel or for very much food (I'll eat one lunch there, maybe...and that lunch is usually just some of the famous french fries ).

I would HATE a system like this at Disney, admittedly because I'm accustomed to, and enjoy the current system, but also because I don't think it would work as well, or be as necessary.

Luckily, maybe with the exception of Christmas and Easter, Disney does not build lines like Cedar Point. Not even Toy Story Mania has a 1 hour and 45 minute wait within ten minutes of park opening - Maverick (a coaster at Cedar Point) does.

Thanks DL. I've never been to CP but there is a huge "fear" for lack of a better word amongst disneyphiles that disney will eventually move toward this direction. I was just wondering why it would work at one place and not the other.

 

[Colleen27]

I imagine if Disney goes to some sort of a reduced fast pass system or a paid fast pass system, I will have to wait and see what that does to the crowds, and then possibly go less often if the crowds/costs are prohibitive - like I have done with Cedar Point. I used to go every year, and now it's more like every 2 or 3.

There are a few important differences between Disney and a place like Cedar Point that make me think the fast pass programs will always be different.

1. Cedar Point is only open about 3 months of the year, so they will never handle/disperse crowds as well as Disney does, which is a much larger enterprise and open 365 days a year. There are very few days of the year at Disney that are so busy that all of the headliners reach 2 hour plus waits and all of the minor attractions have waits of 30 minutes plus.

2. Cedar Point's admission is much lower than Disney's, and does not increase every year. I only paid $25 for a day's admission. That was a major contributor to why it didn't hurt as much to pay the extra for fast lane.

I have a love/hate relationship with this type of system. I love it at Cedar Point because Cedar Point is a place I visit once a year or once every couple of years for one day only. When I go to Cedar Point, I'm there for the day, and I don't also have to pay for a hotel or for very much food (I'll eat one lunch there, maybe...and that lunch is usually just some of the famous french fries ).

I would HATE a system like this at Disney, admittedly because I'm accustomed to, and enjoy the current system, but also because I don't think it would work as well, or be as necessary.

Luckily, maybe with the exception of Christmas and Easter, Disney does not build lines like Cedar Point. Not even Toy Story Mania has a 1 hour and 45 minute wait within ten minutes of park opening - Maverick (a coaster at Cedar Point) does.

I really don't love the concept anywhere - tacking on a large additional cost to tickets just to be able to ride your must-dos. But an add-on to $40 tickets is far more tolerable than an add on to tickets that already cost $200+.

Something else that makes it work for me at Cedar Point is that you don't need it for everyone. It isn't really needed for the little kid/all ages rides, mainly just for the coasters. So we'll upgrade just one parent and the two kids who are big enough to ride the scary stuff, but not our preschooler's or the parent who will spend most of the day with her. At WDW, you'd need it for everyone because so many of the rides that build huge lines have no or a very low height requirement.

And that leads to another reason it has been a successful model for CP... A LOT of their business is teens/young adults on their own, and doing the math on just one ticket is very different from considering it for a family.

 

[Hannathy]

My DD is there right now (Sunday) and I have got 3 texts so far, telling me how great the fast lane is!! They got on Millenium in 12 minutes and walked on a few others. Whatever ride she is on now (just said the "ride we are on now") had a 90 minute wait and they were on in 10.


Had to laugh that she said her boyfriend got scared on dragster and bruised HER hand! Isn't it supposed to be the other way around?

 

[penel3]

Not sure if any previous posters are still checking out this thread but we are going for our first and probably only time on July 20,2013. That is a Saturday which I hear is one of the busiest. I looked at the cost of FastLane....it is now $75 per ticket and Fastlane Plus is $90. I also downloaded a ride watching app and saw that many of the coasters today had 2+ hour waits.....I swallowed real hard, bit the bullet and ordered FastLane Plus for my DH and DS and regular Fastlane for me. This is definitely a big price increase from what you all posted for last year, UGH! I hope it doesn"t rain and leave me to feel I wasted my money, LOL! I will let you know if this new cost is really still worth it

too many WDW trips to mention, 2007 Wonder Concierge, January 2013 Wonder Concierge, WDW AKL Concierge Nov 2013, March 2014 Walter E. Disney Suite (finally!!!!)

 

[Shelly F - Ohio]

Yikes with all the rain we have been getting lately and the future cast on Accuweather shows more rain through out the month of July for us, you might want to pack a poncho and be prepared for ride closures and down pours to occur.

For those who want the lastest cost for the Fast Lane pass here is the current pricing.

On a weekday the price for the reg. Fast lane is

Pricing for this day:
1 @ $70.00
2 @ $65.00
3 @ $60.00
4 @ $55.00

On a weekend the price for the reg. Fast Lane is

Pricing for this day:
1 @ $80.00
2 @ $75.00
3 @ $70.00
4 @ $65.00

 

[penel3]

Yikes with all the rain we have been getting lately and the future cast on Accuweather shows more rain through out the month of July for us, you might want to pack a poncho and be prepared for ride closures and down pours to occur.

For those who want the lastest cost for the Fast Lane pass here is the current pricing.

On a weekday the price for the reg. Fast lane is

Pricing for this day:
1 @ $70.00
2 @ $65.00
3 @ $60.00
4 @ $55.00

On a weekend the price for the reg. Fast Lane is

Pricing for this day:
1 @ $80.00
2 @ $75.00
3 @ $70.00
4 @ $65.00

Lol, I know!! I just looked at extended and the 20th says sunny....we'll see. Regardless, I needed to ensure as close to a Disney experience as possible! We have NEVER waited in a Disney line longer than 30 minutes thanks to these boards! We are excited to visit Ohio! We will be doing Cleveland and Columbus also, BTW how is the African Safari? Worth it? TIA

too many WDW trips to mention, 2007 Wonder Concierge, January 2013 Wonder Concierge, WDW AKL Concierge Nov 2013, March 2014 Walter E. Disney Suite (finally!!!!)

 

[twinnersmama]

We have gone to CP the past 2 years. However, we go the first weekend in June, so the crowds are much lower. For us, the fast lane would have been a total waste. The only lines we waited in were for Milennium, Gatekeeper, and Maverick (45min each)... all other lines were so low - even top thrill dragster. other coasters such as mean streak, magnum were Walk on. we even rode the Mantis at night as the ONLY ones on the whole train ?!?!

We do the get there first thing in the morning and leave as they are kicking everyone out at night ... 2 days.

That being said ... I am sure the crowds are much higher during mid-summer ...

If you are only going for 1 day -- I would say yes to the fast lane.

Note: if it rains, most of the coasters shut down. not like Disney where most everything can keep running. even in the high winds, some of the things close to the water shut down.

IF I was going at this time of year, I would probably spring for the fast lane. tough call because it's more than your admission price !

 

[penel3]

We have gone to CP the past 2 years. However, we go the first weekend in June, so the crowds are much lower. For us, the fast lane would have been a total waste. The only lines we waited in were for Milennium, Gatekeeper, and Maverick (45min each)... all other lines were so low - even top thrill dragster. other coasters such as mean streak, magnum were Walk on. we even rode the Mantis at night as the ONLY ones on the whole train ?!?!

We do the get there first thing in the morning and leave as they are kicking everyone out at night ... 2 days.

That being said ... I am sure the crowds are much higher during mid-summer ...

If you are only going for 1 day -- I would say yes to the fast lane.

Note: if it rains, most of the coasters shut down. not like Disney where most everything can keep running. even in the high winds, some of the things close to the water shut down.

IF I was going at this time of year, I would probably spring for the fast lane. tough call because it's more than your admission price !

Yes, definitely way more than the admission price (scared).....I didn't even tell DH, I am just hoping we get there, lines are awful and it was worth it.....then he"ll be so proud of me...

too many WDW trips to mention, 2007 Wonder Concierge, January 2013 Wonder Concierge, WDW AKL Concierge Nov 2013, March 2014 Walter E. Disney Suite (finally!!!!)

 

[mjlewis23]

Lol, I know!! I just looked at extended and the 20th says sunny....we'll see. Regardless, I needed to ensure as close to a Disney experience as possible! We have NEVER waited in a Disney line longer than 30 minutes thanks to these boards

Fast lane plus is definitely worth it! Without the "plus" you can't ride the top two rides "walk on", the Gate Keeper and Top Thrill Dragster. We went a few weeks ago, got in line at 10:20 (20 min after park opening), and did not get on the Gatekeeper until 12:30. I've heard lines for that ride have topped 4 hours. This doesn't surprise me because the year Millenium Force opened, (before the option of Fast Lane), I waited in line 4 1/2 hours for that ride!

One word to the wise though, you will not have anything close to a Disney experience at Cedar Point. It's a totally different environment.

First, let me say I LOVE Cedar Point, and there is no place on the face of this earth better than that park for an absolute thrill ride experience. They call themselves "America's Roller Coast" for a reason. However, I've noticed over the years (since I've been going to Disney) that they lack in very key areas. 1) Keep your food expectations LOW....I mean lower than low...fair food low. Johnny Rockets is decent if you want to eat in park, but the rest is really junk food.
2) Expect a lot of rude, obnoxious behavior. The last visit, 2 weeks ago, we witnessed a lot of line cutting and almost fist fights. (however, we did not get the fast lane, so there is a lot to pick apart in a two hour wait for the rides!)
3) There is a definite lack of clothing going on. It's hot in Ohio in the summer, and the lines are long, with little to no comfort. I get that....but I have seen wayyyyyy more of some people's bodies than I'm comfortable seeing there.
4) The park is not by any means "Disney clean". There are fast food cups and wrappers thrown in the ponds that you are looking at while you wait in line and cigarette butts thrown in places they shouldn't be (yes CP has designated areas, but see #2)

Other than that, go into it with the expectation that you are going to have the most fun you have ever had on a roller coaster, because you truly will, and try to ignore the other stuff, and you will be just fine.

 

[mistysue]

Lol, I know!! I just looked at extended and the 20th says sunny....we'll see. Regardless, I needed to ensure as close to a Disney experience as possible! We have NEVER waited in a Disney line longer than 30 minutes thanks to these boards! We are excited to visit Ohio! We will be doing Cleveland and Columbus also, BTW how is the African Safari? Worth it? TIA

Do you mean the safari drive through right by cedar point? That one sometimes has a $5groupon... But IMO it is just a messy place that makes you need a car wash. The animals reach their heads into your car and its creepy and hard to drive away. They are pushy.
If you mean the wilds, that place is awesome but we thought it was difficult to find.

 

[angierae]

we paid for Fast lane passes once this summer ( we have season passes) and if you can't go at a low crowd time, they are a lifesaver. Yes, they are expensive but if you are a coaster nut like me, they are totally worth it.

 

[Brownsfan317]

I don't think I could stomach paying that extra price to avoid the lines. We have passes to Cedar Point and live about 45 minutes away, so we have that advantage. I never go on a day that I think will be ridiculously busy.

We were just there on June 30th. The lines were low. We only waited 30 minutes for Gate Keeper. All of the lines were 30 minutes or less. The only exception is Maverick. That was an hour and a half. Maverick will always have longer lines due to the capacity of the trains. Max is 12 person per train. I believe they run up to 3 trains max. As a comparison, Gate Keeper has a capacity of 36 per train running 3 trains at a time.

We actually had an opposite experience than a PP. We came across quite a few pleasant guests. I met a family from New York and a family from Chicago and shared with them some tips/tricks in the park. I even commented to my sister how much nicer people are than at Disney!

Also--Cedar Point has a line jumping policy:

Our line jumping policy states that if you cut into a line of waiting guests, no matter what the reason, you are inviting dismissal from the park without refund of admission. This rule is strictly enforced. LINE JUMPING IS: “CUTTING IN FRONT OF OTHER WAITING GUESTS. LEAVING THE LINE, THEN ATTEMPTING TO REENTER. THIS INCLUDES USING THE REST ROOM FACILITIES OR TO PURCHASE FOOD OR DRINKS.” Once you leave your place in line, you have forfeited it, no matter what the reason. Saving a place in line is simply not permitted.

 

[Beachbound]

The safari thing does have a deal on groupon right now.

It might be too late for the OP but for other people reading the thread, if it was me I would assess the park crowds after arrival and then decide if you want to buy the fast lane passes. I see places to buy them all over the park, and especially if you get there early it's doubtful they will be sold out. I also see people frequently kind of milling about the fast lane purchase areas asking people if they were thinking of buying (to see if they want to go in on a purchase, because you get a cheaper rate to buy 4+ at a time.) So that may work out for you.

Cedar Point does not have bag check- yeah, that surprises and worries me, too. Bonus is that you can take in whatever food and snacks into the park that you want, because I do agree with a pp that the food selection is lousy. If you upgrade to a platinum pass ($180 per person) you do get food deals, free parking, and unlimited visits for the rest of the season, so if you want to go back a few times- as well as Hallowscream- it may be worth it. Plus Soak City, the waterpark, is super fun and that would be covered under the platinum pass, too. Otherwise you are looking at paying $82 per person to go to both parks for two days. I know Meijer on 250 sells tickets, it seems to be a small savings off gate price. Also Cedar Point/Soak City patrons are welcome to use the beach, which is heavily lifeguarded and there are first come/first serve lounge chairs on the beach for no cost to use, as well.

As for food, we love the Dairy Queen right outside the park. There's a McDonald's across the street from Dairy Queen too but we've never been there. Wendy's is on 250 (about 10 minutes away) and they have 1.99 kids meals after 4pm right now. Sams Club is just down the road (if you are a member there)- we get a pizza made for $8.99 with whatever toppings we want and eat that after a long day in the parks (Soak City and Cedar Point). Back to Meijer..I LOVE the produce section, I bought today a berry pecan salad for lunch another day, and they have cut fruit for about $3 a lb too. Plus you'll find a good mix of the chains on 250 too, if you want to leave for food and come back later.

As for the weather..yeah, we've been in a period of rain nearly every afternoon it seems. There are storm shelters everywhere though so you should be able to duck into a shop pretty easily if you get caught in one. In the last few weeks, I can't remember a day it rained ALL day, just quick downpours here and there. Most shops sell the mandatory Disney style ponchos with Cedar Point logo for $5, though.

Boy..this is getting long, any other questions, just ask!

 

[penel3]

Ok all who are still following this thread here's my update....we went to Cedarpoint yesterday (Saturday, July 20, 2013). Arrived at opening (9:30 and they were letting us in) with FastLane plus in hand (on wrist actually, lol). Crowds were already gathering, we made our way to Gatekeeper, the standby line was already an hour but we jumped in FL and were on in about 9-10 minutes. We also pre-ordered the refillable soda mug for 9.99 and definitely got our money's worth, I think I filled it 10+ times easily. We made our way around the park and rode at least 12 of the coasters and a few other rides by 2:30, also ate a quick lunch at chick-fil-a. Several of the coasters had 2hour waits, but FL got us on within 15 minutes. We left park around 5:00 to go offsite for dinner, drive around in the AC for a bit and then headed back for 7:00. We rode 5 more coasters, 3 we literally walked on via FL, the final one we got on was Mantis which hadn't been open earlier in the day due to weather. That was a 30 minute wait with FL.
Now even though I said "we" I wasn't much of a rider...I held our stuff while my DH and DS rode....I only rode four of the coasters. All in all I really think the FastLane cost was totally worth it for us...it was our only day at the park...probably last time ever, so that's my $.02, lol

too many WDW trips to mention, 2007 Wonder Concierge, January 2013 Wonder Concierge, WDW AKL Concierge Nov 2013, March 2014 Walter E. Disney Suite (finally!!!!)

 

[yeahdisney]

Well, did DH think it was totally worth the fast passes?

 

[Chelley00]

DS17 is there today. Everything is at least a 45 minute wait, and for some of the bigger rides it's up to 2 hours.