Cedar Point - Fast Lane - worth the $$?

[johnsontrio]

Quick word to the wise: We got these last year and they were totally worth it in the aspect that you can turn 2 days in the park into 1 thus eliminating hotel stay, extra meals, etc..., but two of the girls were not feeling well by mid afternoon, not due to the heat either. The medical people there said they see this a lot with these passes because you are not getting much time to rest/recover between the rides and riding more times in a short period of time than you would normally. My plan is to allow more time between the extreme rides next time.

 

[penel3]

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

Lol, yes he was actually ecstatic....everyday up until we went I kept pulling up the ride wait times on an app and announcing them.....hehehe I was making sure he understood what it would be like without them....hmmmm now how can I get him to agree to the Disney VIP escort...lol!!!

 

[Funfire240]

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!!!!)

If you're talking about the African Safari in Port Clinton near Sandusky, it is interesting to say the least. Although the entertainment value can be fun. If you have a nice/newer car, think twice. You drive thru a mud area (which with all our rain lately may be a mud puddle - we put off going this year just for that reason) but the animals do come right up to the car - we had a buffalo stick his head in the window and also "kiss" DH (he didn't think it was too funny but the kids and I did). the animals are very aggressive and there are some with some very large horns that made us nervous when near our windows.

They do have other animals but the place to me, although it says it is accredited, seems really dirty IMO.

If you're in Sandusky and want to see animals, drive to the Toledo Zoo - it is really nice! (although I was recently at Columbus' and it's pretty cool there too)

 

[angierae]

Quick word to the wise: We got these last year and they were totally worth it in the aspect that you can turn 2 days in the park into 1 thus eliminating hotel stay, extra meals, etc..., but two of the girls were not feeling well by mid afternoon, not due to the heat either. The medical people there said they see this a lot with these passes because you are not getting much time to rest/recover between the rides and riding more times in a short period of time than you would normally. My plan is to allow more time between the extreme rides next time.

This is definitely an issue. I've never gotten sick on a coaster before but when I did Coasting For Kids I ended up getting really sick and they told me it was because I hadn't taken breaks between the rides like you normally would - walking to the next ride, waiting in line, etc. I didn't have a problem with the speed we were going with the FastLane passes but if you're more prone to motion sickness than I am (It literally took me riding Magnum 20 times without getting off the ride and then another 15-20 times on Gemini without getting off before I started feeling sick) this might be something to keep in mind.

 

[khaoskat]

I have never had a FL pass...I think it all depends upon when you are wanting to go to the Park.

1) June through Father's Day weekend is not usually very busy. That said your worst day of the week is generally Saturday and it is from 1-5 pm. And I would also say Friday nights. We generally avoid the park in the afternoon on Saturdays, you know it is about time to leave, when the kids rides start getting lines.

2) If you go during the week totally a not needed thing...especially on a Tues or Wed.

3) The following rides will always have HUGE lines - Gatekeeper, Milenium, and one other cannot remember right now. Last time we were there (Father's Day), we had walk ups for everything except first car on blue streak; Gemini; Mine Ride, Magnum (maybe a 5-10 min wait); Corkscrew; Iron Dragon. I am hoping to go back in a few weeks (Season Passholder for Cedar Fair) and have my eldest try the stand up coaster and Mean Streak.

 

[Aurora in blue]

I agree about lack of food choices . There is shaded picnic area that you can leave a cooler and picnic basket right outside the gates, we use it every year. I wouldnt leave any valuables on your table but your snacks, sandwiches and drinks should be safe. We always bring a tablecloth too, like others have said CP is not Disney clean. It is fun but it is a roller coaster park,no extra themeing in lines to help pass the time.

 

[JakeJenna]

I have never had a FL pass...I think it all depends upon when you are wanting to go to the Park.

1) June through Father's Day weekend is not usually very busy. That said your worst day of the week is generally Saturday and it is from 1-5 pm. And I would also say Friday nights. We generally avoid the park in the afternoon on Saturdays, you know it is about time to leave, when the kids rides start getting lines.

2) If you go during the week totally a not needed thing...especially on a Tues or Wed.

3) The following rides will always have HUGE lines - Gatekeeper, Milenium, and one other cannot remember right now. Last time we were there (Father's Day), we had walk ups for everything except first car on blue streak; Gemini; Mine Ride, Magnum (maybe a 5-10 min wait); Corkscrew; Iron Dragon. I am hoping to go back in a few weeks (Season Passholder for Cedar Fair) and have my eldest try the stand up coaster and Mean Streak.

Add Maverick to that list as well as Dragster. We have passes I personally would never pay it, however if I only had one day and loved coasters I wouldn't think twice I would buy them. Why do people try to compare disney with CP they are two different things with different purposes. Disney is great but to compare prices and CP is much better bang for your buck especially for adults and teens.

 

[khaoskat]

Sorry, forgot about TDD, never been to Maverick (trying to figure out where the entrance is while trying to keep up with my husband running marathon speed and 4 kids to prevent them from getting lost), have always wanted to try it.

My list of coasters to try include Mean Streak and Maverick, the Stand up, and Reptar (I think). Unless lines are short for Gatekeepers, I don't feel a need/compelled to ride it. I waited a year to ride Diamondback at KI because I didn't feel like waiting in lines, but just cannot see spending the money, as most everything else is walk on.

As for the food -- We love some of the Platinum Pass deals -- especially the chili cheese fries purchase (get free regular fries and 2 20 oz soft drinks). 2 of those deals for our family of 6 is a great snack in the park. I have not found a regular meal place to eat a meal at. We used to do the buffet...but right now it is $20/adult, and the food is not that great, there are no characters, and sometimes it is difficult to get refills on drinks, etc.

 

[quadaunt]

I purchased my Fast Lane passes online. I received the "receipt" with bar code which needs to be exchanged at the park for the Fast Lane wrist band. Can this be done only at the main ticket windows at the front of the park, or are the wristbands available at the back entrance (near Soak City) as well?

 

[kathy884]

We've found the first week in June to be great for low crowds in Cedar Point. Lots of schools aren't out yet or no one is thinking about a trip yet. The one disadvantage is not all shows will be running. The short lines though make this out time to go. // Just mentioning this as a great option if your kids get out of school early enough. The earlier in the season, the lighter the crowds for sure there.

Also, FYI -- Saturdays in October are horrible. Worst crowds I've ever experienced. I'm talking worse than the MK on Christmas day. Unreal. It took an hour to mark. Walk on lower tier roller coasters had 45 minute waits. Food lines for fries and a burger were at least 20 minutes long. Now Sunday that same weekend wasn't bad at all.

 

[gracer9977]

I purchased my Fast Lane passes online. I received the "receipt" with bar code which needs to be exchanged at the park for the Fast Lane wrist band. Can this be done only at the main ticket windows at the front of the park, or are the wristbands available at the back entrance (near Soak City) as well?

We go to CP every year in July. We go on a Sunday/Monday and get Fast Lane for Sunday only. We stay at Hotel Breakers so we get in to the parks an hour early. Usually make a break for Millennium or Raptor to be the first ride of the day. We tend to make sure to hit all the big coasters on Sunday while we have Fast Lane and then depending on the crowds on Monday we can just avoid the big lines or decide to wait. Usually we have no problems with the crowds on Monday, this last year most of the rides were walk on's.

You pick up your Fast Lane bands at the ticket windows and as far as I know you can get them at any entrance in the park. We always go in the back near Windseeker and Wicked Twister.

Make sure you don't wait in the line to enter the parks. Go to the ticket window directly. Most of the time there are 2 lines and I see people get in the wrong one all the time and have to back track to wait at the ticket window to get the Fast Lane bands.

Just as an FYI - the longest line rides are for Millennium, Dragster and Maverick. IMO these 3 always have the longest wait times no matter when you go to the park. So if you can head to those rides first and get on them with under an hour wait times. Mantis, Magnum, Mean Streak, Mine Ride, Iron Dragon and Gemini are usually walk on rides or with minimal wait times.

 

[Firedog]

We went on a Sunday a couple of weeks ago. Walked through the gates around 10:30 (park opened at 10:00), we went directly to Millennium Force and rode twice with 5 minute waits both times.

Headed over to Top Thrill Dragster and had about a 15 minute wait, and less than 10 on Magnum. Longest was Maverick which was 45 minutes.

 

[Mickeyluver37]

We went to Cedar Point June 30-July 2, with only July 1-2 being park days. That was a Tues/Weds, but I was still a little worried with it being a holiday week. The day after we left is when the longer hours started for the weekend. We did not buy Fast Lane passes, and definitely did not need them. We used early entry both days, and the kids rode all the early entry rides that first morning (no roller coasters for this pregnant mama), and then were able to walk on others. On the first day, we also took a break and went to the water park. They were still able to ride every roller coaster in the 2 days, and some twice. Even after the park is open to the public, the lines for the back roller coasters (near the resort entrance) are walk ons because everyone else is coming in the front.

We liked the convenience of staying onsite, and you do get your tickets cheaper, but those hotels are WAY overpriced for basic hotels, so while we didn't pay for Fast Lane, we still "paid" for that early entry.

 

[Kevin_W]

We had our first visit to CP a few weeks ago since they put in FastLane. As someone who didn't have it, I really, really hated the system.

I don't like they concept of "you are better than me and get to ride more because you paid more money". We waited in line for Millenium Force for 1.5 hours with what should have been a 45-60 minute line by it's length. The wait time was inflated by all the people using FastLane. I saw one guy and his son ride 4 times while we waited to ride once.

 

[mousefanmichelle]

We were there 2 weeks ago on a Sunday and the longest line was 90 minutes for Gatekeeper. The park didn't seem super busy in the early part of the day but got busier as the day went on for sure. I got discount tickets on their website and I don't think I would pay for the fastlane option. You go there knowing there are going to be lines and it's just the way it is. I don't compare it to Disney as there is no comparison.

 

[megster1123]

Yes this is an old thread - but anyone use this lately? Headed there with my sister on the 7th and considering forking out the extra cash for the FastLanePlus.

 

[Srbright]

Yes... very old thread. But IMO it is worth it. We are in Michigan and went in May. Please watch out though for the people who are rude and even at times intimidating against those that have the Fast Lane bracelets. There are a tremendous amount of people that see it as "cutting in line". We saw people being shouted at and getting downright threatened for having that band.



Stacy

 

[zoo2tycoon]

Yes this is an old thread - but anyone use this lately? Headed there with my sister on the 7th and considering forking out the extra cash for the FastLanePlus.

We went right before Memorial Day this year on a weekday. My husband and sons lined up for the new roller coaster. We arrived right when park opened and they waited 1.25 hours. While they were in line we decided to but the fast lane, we did the less expensive of the two. Park was packed for some reason that day and they were well worth the money! We had no issues of feeling threatened but you did get looks. Enjoy!!

 

[lisagyo]

We are huge CP fans, we're there all of the time. Valravn is the new coaster this year and there is a new marina entrance for the park, I would park there and start with Valravn and work your way around the park after that. You can buy FL once you're there, I would check the crowds before buying it advance. Also, if you follow Tony Clark from the park on Twitter he does daily tweet-up contests in the park and you can win FL or front of the line passes from him.

 

[megster1123]

Great feedback thank you! Yes, Valravn is her one must do so thanks for the tip on the new entrance tip! They have a ticket/fast lane plus combo for $120something right now so I think we're gonna go for it.