Cedar Point? One day or two

[java]

We are on the college tour plan this summer- one we are checking out is Purdue- I was thinking of stopping on the way at Cedar Point for either one or two nights. What do you think? We have 4 kids ages 17,13.8 and 6. Is there enough for the little ones?
Any tips?

 

[Kae]

Two days. They have a water park too.

Kae

 

[prettyblueskies]

Two if you're doing the water park, one if you're not

 

[java]

Is the water park a good place for my litte guys? I have to look into it - it's Soak City? right
Thanks for the info.

 

[kwitcherkicken99]

Sandusky is way out of the way of West Lafayette! (but totally worth it)

My vote is for 2 days as well, but I'm a coaster junky, so that would allow more time for rides!

 

[Squirlz]

We go every year for three nights and two full days in the park. We go late in the season on weekdays so crowds are low. Two days is great because you don't feel rushed at all. All we want to do is ride the thrill rides and we'll often ride four times in a row. Maybe go back to the resort for a swim or a nap in the middle of the day. There's plenty to keep you busy for that time.

 

[minniebeth]

I'd say two also if you have the time and budget for it. Depending when you go, the lines get really long and no Fastpass~ You can spend a lot of the day waiting in lines, especially for the bigger coasters.

Everyone complains about the high cost of food at Disney, but I personally think it's more expensive at CP for what you get. Be prepared for that~ some of the rides you can't carry bags on, so you need to either have someone hold your things or get one of the little lockers by the rides' entrances. Depending on the weather, it can get chilly, especially at night since you are right off the lake, so have a light jacket or sweatshirt handy.

Have fun!

 

[FireDancer]

I don't do the water park but you can do the amusement park in 1. I'd still go for 2 days if you have the time though because depending on when you go you may find long lines and while you can get all the roller coasters in once (if that is what you are going for) you may want to repeat the ones you like the second day.

 

[elainesj]

We just bought Platinum Passes so we can spend all summer at any Cedar Fair park

If your kids like thrill rides, I would say 2 days. And try to go on weekdays. Cedar Point's lineups in the summer can be really nuts for thrill rides and there's no FastPasses. In the summer, for the major rides, expect to wait 1-2 hours for each on average. Some rides i've heard of up to 3 hr lineups.

That said, Cedar Point is your thrill ride mecca and has the absolute best collection of rollercoasters in the world.

My dd9 is just getting into thrill rides so we've been going on some big ones - but not the top 4-5 big huge ones yet. My ds8 does not like thrill rides and finds enough to do with the carnival type rides, smaller coasters, and tame stuff like antique cars. I really like that there are kid rides scattered throughout the whole park. It really helps families not get split up too far.

If you do the waterpark, there's a separate admission fee. They do sell a 2 day ride and slide ticket.

You can do all the big rides in one day - but if your crew really like thrill rides, then they'll want to re-ride lots and the 2nd day is good for that. If you like shows, they have a good ice skating show as well as a few other shows. They also have Starlight Experience which is a lighted walkway (maybe a tiny bit like Osborne lights?) and fireworks on some nights.

Have fun! It's no WDW - but for thrill seekers, there really is no better park.

 

[java]

We love thrill rides! Well half of us do. So I think 2 days it is! We are not doing a big vacation this year so I am trying to make the lame trips we have to take bit more fun.
Thanks for the advice and keep it coming

 

[linnylu]

I also vote for 2 days. Why not visit a Cleveland college while you are here like Case Western Reserve?

 

[VAN]

If you have the time, definitely 2 nights. Check-out their website and, if you can, stay on property. Saves the hassle of trying to park ... also if the little one needs to leave early (for bed), the older ones can just stay because you are only a "stroll" away from your room.

 

[java]

Sandusky is way out of the way of West Lafayette! (but totally worth it)

My vote is for 2 days as well, but I'm a coaster junky, so that would allow more time for rides!

We are thinking of it as a stop along the way kind of place. About how far is it?

 

[smitch425]

and is over 5 hours away from Cedar Point. Where are you traveling from???

 

[bas71873]

We go every year for three nights and two full days in the park. We go late in the season on weekdays so crowds are low. Two days is great because you don't feel rushed at all. All we want to do is ride the thrill rides and we'll often ride four times in a row. Maybe go back to the resort for a swim or a nap in the middle of the day. There's plenty to keep you busy for that time.

Where do you stay? Do you stay at one of the hotels on-site? We all LOVE coasters and I saw an article about Cedar Point online recently and now I wanna go . Is late August a good time to go?

 

[RachaelA]

Where do you stay? Do you stay at one of the hotels on-site? We all LOVE coasters and I saw an article about Cedar Point online recently and now I wanna go . Is late August a good time to go?

Yes if you can go during the week since Ohio schools are back in session the last week of August.

 

[java]

and is over 5 hours away from Cedar Point. Where are you traveling from???

Yes that's what I thought- we are in very western NJ, I can walk to PA. It's about 8 hours to get to Cedar Point from here. I thought it would make a good stopping point.
We were going to go last year but never got around to it.

 

[dizneenut]

You can do the park in a day, but if you can swing 2 days, go for it.

August would be a good time to go, and you'll probably have shorter wait times for the big coasters.

 

[BKMETV]

For those of you that have stayed on-site which is the best hotel?

 

[libraryfreak]

While you're in the area, you might want to check out Oberlin College. It's about a half hour from CP.