Cedar Point in Ohio?

[puffkin]

Thinking about heading to Cedar Point for a long weekend in mid-May next year. I love amusement parks, and this seems like a must do. We live about 30 minutes from Dorney Park, so I could get a season pass there, and it would also be good at Cedar Point. We would probably go in Mid-May to avoid crowds and get lower rates at the hotels.

My questions are:
1. How long would we need there. I was figuring two full days at the park. We would probably have a little time on our arrival/departure days to do other area attractions.
2. What are the hotels near there like? Are there any advantages over one hotel or the other.
3. Are there other area attractions?
4. What are crowds like this time of year?
5. Is it really worth the trip? (We love rollercoasters, so that would be what we are looking for).
6. Is it more along the lines of a Six Flags or more family friendly and clean (like a Busch Gardens).

Thanks in advance. We are just kicking around this idea for a little weekend trip.

 

[spagheddie]

Sorry I can't help you out. As a coaster enthusiast, Cedar Point is the park I'm most looking forward to going. As far as it being worth it, you will have an awesome time. Have fun.

 

[snowball22]

Cedar Point is one of the best theme parks next to WDW! It has very scenic water views. The park is a very clean park. Two days would be fine to take in everything at the park. There are many hotels to choose from and a brand new indoor water park themed hotel is opening up this November. The roller coasters are the bomb!! You will not be dissapointed!!! Visit the web site:
www.cedarpoint.com Alot of your questions can also be answered there. Hope you enjoy your trip!!

 

[WDWHound]

Cedar Point has many onsite hotels that are reasonably priced. We stayed at Sandcastles a year ago and were very pleased. The advantages of staying at a Cedar Point resort are...
1) Early entry
2) Location
3) No Parking fee

And yes, if you like rollor coasters, you will LOVE Cedar Point. Millenium Force is the greatest coaster ever built.

 

[Bob Slydell]

My questions are:
1. How long would we need there. I was figuring two full days at the park. We would probably have a little time on our arrival/departure days to do other area attractions.

Two full days in mid-May should be enough, especially with the waterpark not open (I don't think it opens until after Memorial Day).

2. What are the hotels near there like? Are there any advantages over one hotel or the other.

There's a couple "onsite" which would give you the benefit of early entry (and convenience), and a number of other nice chain type hotels within a few minutes of CP. I live an hour away, so thus I've never stayed at any of them to give you a preference.

3. Are there other area attractions?

Depends on what you're looking for. You're within an hour of Cleveland, which has a number of options. There's also some nice areas closer to Sandusky, like Marblehead and Put-in-Bay.

4. What are crowds like this time of year?

It's a good time of the year. Crowds are generally lighter because school's still in. It gets more crowded in July and August.

5. Is it really worth the trip? (We love rollercoasters, so that would be what we are looking for).

If you love roller coasters, Cedar Point is your place. Simply put, it's one of the best roller coaster parks in the nation.

6. Is it more along the lines of a Six Flags or more family friendly and clean (like a Busch Gardens).

It's very well maintained and typically kept very clean. It's not Disney, but it's close. There's also a lot of family friendly things to do besides roller coasters in the park (shows, etc.).

 

[luckywife]

Cedar Point is a 'must-do' for anyone who loves coasters. It's a great family oriented park, we've been taking our DS there since he was 2. We just returned from Halloweekends a few weeks ago-one of the best times to visit. Answers to your questions........

1. Two full days at the park should be plenty. The time of year you're going isn't at all crowded and evening time is great because a lot of times (especially on a Sunday night) you pretty much have the park to yourself.

2. Cedar Point has some properties both on and off site. If you're traveling with children, you might want to stay at The Sandcastle, which is located within Cedar Point so you can walk to the park from the hotel. The Breakers Express is another great hotel to stay at but isn't within walking distance.

3. LOTS of other area attractions. If you have time, you might want to visit some of the nearby islands. Our favorite is Put-In-Bay. There is a cave with mini golf and Perry's monument. The boat ride over to the islands are a lot of fun too.

4. Crowds vary this time of year. I would avoid a Saturday if at all possible. Since a lot of schools are still in session, weekdays shouldn't be a problem. Like I said earlier, Sunday evenings seem to be the least crowded time from our experience.

5. Definitely worth the trip! We have been to many amusement parks and this one is our all time favorite. Plenty of great rides, plus excellent shows.

6. Cedar Point is a very clean, family friendly park. As stated before, we've been taking our oldest son there since he was 2 years old.

You can PM me if you want and I can tell you some other things like we like to do at the park and around the area.

 

[Towncrier]

The rooms at the Breakers Express are an extremely good bargain on the days before Memorial Day. The rates go after Memorial Day.

Two days should be plenty of time to enjoy the park. The weekends are busy, so if you can arrange your trip to include at least one weekday, you'll get a lot more done at the park.

If you decide to come on Memorial Day weekend, we usually try to have a DISmeet at CP on the Friday and Saturday of that weekend followed by a cookout at our home on Sunday. You are more than welcome to come join our party.

 

[NMAmy]

We love to stay at the Breakers (not the Breakers Express) when we go to Cedar Point. We also usually go over a weekend in May because it's less busy and the weather is usually really nice (but bring a sweatshirt and jacket--that wind can get cold on the Point!).

The Breakers is expensive but worth it in our opinion. You can get some good deals in May. We love being able to walk out of the hotel and over to the park. It's a very pretty hotel. We had a suite last time with a lake view and a balcony which was wonderful. We did stay one time with a parking lot view but dd and her friend loved it because you could watch the a couple of rollercoasters from our room. They pulled chairs up to the window and watched it like it was TV!

You should really go--the rides are great and Cedar Point has the best french fries I've ever had. Hope you enjoy yourself!

 

[jkovick]

I worked there one summer while in college-----What a nightmare! It was the worst job I have EVER had. (but that's another topic altogether)

That being said, if you like the big coasters then it is definately the place to be! It is a definately a coaster driven park. They keep the park pretty clean. Two days should be enough at that time of year.

 

[Pkaroch]

Cedar Point is such an awesome park! It's very clean and family friendly, I've never had a problem there. Two days should be plenty of time to see everything and go one the best things more than once...and the roller coaster line-up cannot be beat.
It will probably be chilly at night, definitely bring a sweater, especially for those very tall coasters, the wind gets cold up there!
Enjoy your trip!

 

[Beth76]

We went for our psuedo-honeymoon in early June (1999) but we went I think on a Tuesday and Wednesday. The first day was TOO HOT??? for the area. It was 85, which was great for us, but the rest of Ohio stayed home during the "heat wave". So, we were able to do everything in one day. We went back the next day and did our favorites over again.

If you love coasters, this is THE place to go. You will love it. I'm hoping to go next summer too. Haven't been since '99 and I'm dying to go back. Not sure if we will take the kids or not. Our older one would enjoy the children's section of the park and the beach, but the little one won't get anything out of it. Plus, it would make riding the coasters very difficult.

Have fun!!!!

 

[puffkin]

Thanks for all the info! I think we are definitely going to go. Our finances are extremely tight (we are building a new house ) and our next WDW trip isn't until August 2005 and I am itching to go somewhere. Plus, since we are into coasters, we should probably go before we have kids to drag around!

Keep the opinions coming about the resorts! I would like to stay within walking distance to the park, so are my only options the Breakers and the Sandcastle? Since we do have to be extremely budget conscious, would we be able to find something under $100 a night onsite at that time of year?

Thanks for all the help!

 

[luckywife]

Towncrier If you do a DISmeet next Memorial Day weekend, please let me know. We'll have season passes for CP then and plan on going for most of the long weekends. I'd be interested in meeting some of you.

 

[Cindy B]

1. How long would we need there. I was figuring two full days at the park. We would probably have a little time on our arrival/departure days to do other area attractions.


Two/three days works out well.
2. What are the hotels near there like? Are there any advantages over one hotel or the other.

Of course, you want to stay on site. It may not seem like a big deal, but that 1/2 is one, maybe two rides before the long lines of the general public get in. I've done Breakers Express, and it was fine.
3. Are there other area attractions?

What do you mean by attractions? Cedar Point is a big park. Of course there is the coasters, but there are many other rides as well.
4. What are crowds like this time of year?

Mid May, not too bad. Remember, its cold, so bring heavy coats.
5. Is it really worth the trip? (We love rollercoasters, so that would be what we are looking for).

YES


6. Is it more along the lines of a Six Flags or more family friendly and clean (like a Busch Gardens).

It is family friendly.

 

[PooohBear]

Cedar Point is MOST DEFINATELY worth going to !! best roller coaster theme park IMO !

 

[Anne34]

We've gone twice and really enjoyed it. We stayed once at the Breakers Express - it's less than 5 min to park, but a nightmare getting out of the parking lot to go back to at night -- only one way to go!! If you have the money - stay onsite. We also stayed a few blocks away at a Howard Johnson (NEVER AGAIN!!) a lot of the offsite hotels that were close to the park looked really run down.
We also requested their coupon book from their website. It had great coupons for buy1 get 1 free entry for different times/dates. It worked out really well for our family. It is a great park and definately MUCH nicer than six flags (at least the one in Chicago area).

There isn't a lot to do in Sandusky other than the park. We had one rainy day and walked around their mall and went to a movie. There wasn't much else to do.

 

[Tinkbell]

What are crowds like this time of year?

The only types of crowds you will get during this time of year is the school groups. You may see groups of High Schoolers out for their Senior Day or after Prom day. It should be considerably less crowded than a day in June/July though.

 

[Laura]

You've gotten great advice; you're picking a great time of year to go and two days will let you see and do what you want without rushing and stressing.

It's definitely family-friendly with lots of rides for kids. It has a very old-fashioned feel to it; Cedar Point's been an amusement park since 1870. (See http://www.cedarpoint.com/public/news/history/a.cfm.) And the coasters are among the best in the world. My personal favorite is the Raptor.

 

[deborrah]

after reading everyones post.. I AM EXCITED! wasnt before, i leave in 12 hours for CP.. got a great rate off site room.