cedar point

[Order66]

The Fairfield is rated well, but I can't personally say as I have never stayed there. But know that during CP season, most of the places on 250 charge upwards of $200 a night. If you are looking for something less expensive, Norwalk is a nice little town and less than 20 minutes away.

I'd also be happy to give you info on your stay in Cleveland. There are some areas you do NOT want to spend the night in. Even some of the "safe suburban" areas have not so nice activities at hotel areas.

regards

 

[Mom_Rides]

The Fairfield is nice. I have stayed there, but it was 10+ years ago. We also stayed at the Clarion which was fine but breakfast was chaotic so we left. I have heard nothing but great things about the cabins. Enjoy!!!

 

[ltl engine]

We stayed at a cabin a few years ago. (the cabin is the one without the loft, right?). This was a great option since it had a fridge, grill, kitchenette, etc. You would definitely need 1 cabin for each family, in my opinion. The bathroom was REALLY small. The cabin was clean and newly done. (read the description of beds--1 futon, 2 bunks & Full size bed) The bunk bed and full size bed shared a room, at least in our cabin. We have stayed at Sandcastle Suites before...yes it could be updated but it was clean (except the balcony/screen porch which had tons of dead bugs--YUCK!). The room had a fridge and 2 queens in one room & a pull out sofa in the sitting area w/ a fridge. I really preferred the cabin but we would stay at Sandcastle Suites again too.

 

[dpratt68]

The Fairfield is rated well, but I can't personally say as I have never stayed there. But know that during CP season, most of the places on 250 charge upwards of $200 a night. If you are looking for something less expensive, Norwalk is a nice little town and less than 20 minutes away.

I'd also be happy to give you info on your stay in Cleveland. There are some areas you do NOT want to spend the night in. Even some of the "safe suburban" areas have not so nice activities at hotel areas.

regards

We booked the Embassy Suites downtown. Is that a "safe" place to be? We want to do Rock n Roll Hall of Fame...

 

[Aristomommy]

Does anyone know if cedar point has a refillable mug you can purchase? Thanks.

Yes, we used one last year. It was expensive to purchase, in the $10 range, but then refills were $1 after that. It was a long skinny bottle which is a little cumbersome to carry and I don't care for soda in the summer heat.

 

[Aristomommy]

Cedar Point has had declining attendance the past few years. Its not like growing up, when you did have the 2-3 hour wait in lines. The biggest coasters, Raptor, Millenium, Maverick, you can expect an hour + wait. Most everything else 15 minutes maybe 30. You can cover the entire park in a day. If we bring the camper up for a long weekend. We like to do CP the first day. Then enjoy Soak City the second day. Give me an inner tube and the wave pool...I'm good for the day! CP can be exhausting. Especially if your in the dead of summer. SC is a good way to wind up your vacation. Lots of slides, and plenty of comfy lounge chairs too. Enjoy your trip!! Lisa

The comment about attendance is absolutely true! We went last year in July on a Wednesday they were predicting storms. We knew that by the lake the storms usually blow over quickly and still decided to go. Cedar Point was a ghost town compared to previous trips. Attendance on that day was 30% of previous years according to an employee. The only place we waited (and what we went to do first) was the Top Thrill Dragster. It was kind of sad to see that attendance was down, but it made our day certainly easier.

 

[Aristomommy]

Also, a tip about food: for dinner, we decided to go to the Sports Bar type restaurant (game day grill or something like that) and the food there was much better and our dinner cost less than our lunch at the outdoor snack type places. We split chicken fingers, burgers and chili and the prices were like regular restaurant prices. Plus we could have water to drink, air conditioning and didn't have to worry about smoking around us. I made a mental note about this for our next trip.

 

[MickeyCrazedMom]

Yes, we used one last year. It was expensive to purchase, in the $10 range, but then refills were $1 after that. It was a long skinny bottle which is a little cumbersome to carry and I don't care for soda in the summer heat.

What is really nice about the refillable bottles is that you can bring them back for the next visit, and year after year. We are season pass holders that live 2 hours away. We went about 7-8 times last year. We have 3 bottles that we bring with us that we bought 3 summers ago and fill each one for $1. Pop for dad and lemonade for mom and the kids. Of course, we have a stroller which makes it much easy to carry them!

I highly recommend Kalahari for it's own trip. It is great!!! The best around.

When I was on a disney bus a few years ago a few people were talking about Everest being the scariest roller coaster ever made. I was thinking "You've obviously never been to Cedar Point!!" You haven't been on a scary roller coaster until you have been on Top Thrill Dragster!

 

[Order66]

We booked the Embassy Suites downtown. Is that a "safe" place to be? We want to do Rock n Roll Hall of Fame...

Downtown Cleveland is as "safe" as any major metro downtown area. It's not bad, but it's not like Chicago or New York where you will see the streets bustling with people after 5pm. Unless there is an event.....people here don't really live "downtown". That is somewhat close to the theater district and depending on the night there may be some crowds about.

The Embassy isn't really walking distance to the Rock Hall, you'll still need to drive. And while the Rock Hall is nice to visit, it's certainly not an all day event. So if the place is just a sleeping spot for the night before you head back, it's fine. If you're adults traveling you'll find the area fine with plenty of options to eat or obtain adult beverages. If you are an Iron Chef fan, I'd recommend trying Michael Symon's bistro Lola on 4th st. (Or for more upscale Lolita on literary- 5 minutes outside of downtown). He's a great chef and a real nice guy.

Now if you are traveling with kids, they may find the area boring. Not a lot of family friendly things to do in downtown Cleveland outside of the museums or sporting events. The Embassy in Independence (same chain, different city) is a nice area and less than 15min south of downtown on I 77. That is a more suburban area with access to more family friendly dining and stuff.

regards

 

[mafibisha]

.

In the end Cedar Point is about the rides. I had a friend from out of town visit one summer, many years ago. He was all about the coasters... at least until we got there. He took one look at them and chickened out. It is in a class by itself. In all honesty, they wouldn't even let any of the Disney coasters into the park. They tried a Disney like coaster "Disaster Transport" a retooled bobsled ride, that tries very hard to be a Space Mountain type ride, and they failed miserably. Its only redeeming value is that it can be ridden in the rain, and is calm enough to be ridden over and over again until it stops raining.

I am certain that you know what you are getting yourself into. Its a great park, with many, many beyond great rides. Add fast passes to it, and it might even be better than Disney.... but in reality they are so different that they cannot be compared.

Truer words were never spoken! Those coasters are seriously scary and in a class wayyy beyond anything anywhere in the world. I'm a huge fan of coasters but I almost needed a sedative every time I'd see the newest coaster!
But I ride them all Mind blowing fun. Once you've been, you'll see why they're called the greatest coasters in the world.

 

[jenseib]

What is really nice about the refillable bottles is that you can bring them back for the next visit, and year after year. We are season pass holders that live 2 hours away. We went about 7-8 times last year. We have 3 bottles that we bring with us that we bought 3 summers ago and fill each one for $1. Pop for dad and lemonade for mom and the kids. Of course, we have a stroller which makes it much easy to carry them!

I highly recommend Kalahari for it's own trip. It is great!!! The best around.

When I was on a disney bus a few years ago a few people were talking about Everest being the scariest roller coaster ever made. I was thinking "You've obviously never been to Cedar Point!!" You haven't been on a scary roller coaster until you have been on Top Thrill Dragster!

That is so true. I would say the biggest one I have rode at Cedar Point is the Magnum, and EE is NOTHING compared to that. Almost like a baby ride.

 

[NeverlandClub23]

When I was on a disney bus a few years ago a few people were talking about Everest being the scariest roller coaster ever made. I was thinking "You've obviously never been to Cedar Point!!" You haven't been on a scary roller coaster until you have been on Top Thrill Dragster!

I agree! Between Top Thrill Dragster and Maverick I needed a good hour break after those (I loved Millenium Force though, I could've ridden that over and over!). There's no rollercoasters in the country like the ones in Cedar Point (and I've been to a lot of amusement parks). Everything (rides I mean) at WDW is nothing compared to Cedar Point (but I wouldn't really want them to be, I go to WDW for themeing not thrills).

 

[bucket o' butter]

We went to Cedar Point way back in 1999 and loved it. My boys are much older now but they want to get back there someday.
We stayed at a campground about 10 minutes down the road from the point, about a 15 min. drive total.
We had a cabin with a full kitchen, living room with couch that converted to queen bed, a bedroom with a king bed, and two bedrooms with twin bunks. I think it was in the $60 range then. I looked last year when we were thinking of going and it was about $120 a night.
We did bfst there, then to the parks and had snacks and a late lunch. then had dinner at the cabin when the park closed at about 8 pm.
I remember that trip. The day was grey but didn't rain much. About 3 pm there were rain spouts all around the lake, we saw 4 at once. People were scared and they made us get inside the cement game booth.My boys got some great pictures of the "tornados". when they broke up over us they dropped lake water all over the park and some dead fish that they had picked up. Park smelled like fish all the rest of the day. Good times.....

Did your cabin have a bathroom in it? I know dh will never stay somewhere where he has to walk to the bathroom. I would love to stay in a cabin where we can cook some meals, but unless there is a bathroom, it will be a no deal!

 

[NeverlandClub23]

Did your cabin have a bathroom in it? I know dh will never stay somewhere where he has to walk to the bathroom. I would love to stay in a cabin where we can cook some meals, but unless there is a bathroom, it will be a no deal!

It looks like it does. Here's a link to pics of the cabins (I don't where it starts but if you click the arrow to the left you can go back to pics that show the inside of the cabin):

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Location...-Lighthouse_Point-Sandusky_Ohio.html#16938141

 

[lovin diz]

Just curious:

Which rides do you consider "rough" coasters and which ones are "smoothe"? We went last year to dis / u.s. / Busch gardens (i had a headache) and realized how rough gwazi, and the hulk were.... everyother coaster was smoothe to me....

I would love to talk dh to going to cp for a day this year...But it will take a lot of begging

 

[dawson5]

The wooden ones jerk you around more. The Mine Ride does this and I want to say the Gemini. Iron Dragon is more smooth.

 

[jenseib]

The mean streak is really bad. It's the worst coaster I have ever been on for jerking. I swear it feels like it's going to fall off the tracks and I get a really bad headach and back ache everytime I have ridden it, so I no longer do

 

[Parksfamily5]

You have definitely already got some good information from the previous posters. I will add a few things.
This will be our 4th season having season passes. We usually go to CP about 4 trips per year. We live 3.5 hrs away and drive our Motorhome there.
We always stay at Lighthouse point (CP campground). I think you will be happy with it. It is one of the cleanest campgrounds we have stayed at. There is a pool with a hot tub. They have a lifeguard on duty. There is a pier you can walk out on to get a nice look at the lake. There is a walking path that you can walk that will take you all around the point.

On this path you will pass hotel breakers and Sandcastle suites. There is a Pizza hut located at one of the hotels and the breakwater cafe ( that had a nice breakfast buffet) there is also a TGI fridays at the Breakers. As you walk around the point you can walk on the beach and watch the boats.

Located straight across the parking lot from the campground is Soak city. The go carts and bungee thing is also located there. There is an entrance to the park there also.
There is another entrance located by Famous Daves. I recommend eating there. It is a Barbque place located on CP property but right outside the gate. It is located at the CP Marina. You can look at all the nice Yachts. You can eat inside or out on the patio. The food is good and large portions so you might want to share. We eat most of our meals in the motorhome but go to Famous Daves at least once per trip.

There is a buffet, pizza place , subway, counter service and Johnny Rockets in the park. Like most have said the food is very expensive. For example, the 5$ normal footlong deal at subway cost 13.00 in the park.

There are phones located outside the entrances and also the hotels, restaurants and a couple in the campground. You just pick them up and tell them where you are and where you want to go and the shuttle will pick you up. It runs through the campground frequently. (The shuttle is free, the driver will have a little bucket or something up front on the floor for tips)

I have to agree with Kalahari being a trip in itself. Definitely worth trying out sometime.
Hope I could help out.

 

[jpeppers]

We stayed at the cabins (maybe cottages, can't remember) last May and it was great. It was so nice to have a deck on the lake.....right on the water. Bugs were a bit of a problem but it was one of the most relaxing vacations I've ever taken. We definitely had to take advantage of the early entry because the crowds were huge. The TGI Firdays was also great. The prices were very compable to TGIF anywhere else and it was a gret place to have a drink after leaving the parks and very good staff. I love the Orlando parks but Cedar Point was a very unique experience and I am so glad I did it.

 

[Pembo]

The mean streak is really bad. It's the worst coaster I have ever been on for jerking. I swear it feels like it's going to fall off the tracks and I get a really bad headach and back ache everytime I have ridden it, so I no longer do

The secret to the Mean Streak is not to sit back in the seat. I've found that if I lean up a bit my body tolerates the jerks better. Even though it's rough, the Mean Streak is awesome...it's such a long ride and very little line.