Help me plan a budget trip to Cedar Point

[Vickibean]

Help!!!!!

We have been planning a trip to Cedar Point over Memorial Day weekend for some time, now. It is DH and I, our 13-year old stepson, DS7 and DS2. Well, DH has just lost his job so we're trying to cut back. We're not in a financial position that this trip will kill us, I'm just trying to cut back on unnecessary spending. The major expenses are:

1. Transportation - we're taking our minivan. I've thought about putting the miles on a rental car - it may save some gas, too, but I don't think it would be worth it. It's about 6 hours each way and I also think the kids need a little breathing room.

2. Park tickets - Any advice here would be most appreciated. I called our AAA and they said the only discount tickets are at the AAA office in Sandusky. I've heard about discounts on Pepsi cans. Anyone know about this?

3. Hotel - We're at a Comfort Suites for 3 nights with Continental Breakfast, a refrigerator and microwave. Total cost = $400

4. Food - We'll probably pack a cooler, but can someone tell me how strict they are on bringing in outside food? I've also thought about getting a local Entertainment book (down to $15) or visiting Restaurant.com. Any locals with advice?

 

[Joel110]

2. Park tickets - Any advice here would be most appreciated. I called our AAA and they said the only discount tickets are at the AAA office in Sandusky. I've heard about discounts on Pepsi cans. Anyone know about this?

Discount tickets are sold at Meijer's stores and Discount Drug Marts. Savings is about $6 per ticket on a 1 day ticket and $3 off a 2 day ticket. Here are Drug Mart's prices:

http://www.discount-drugmart.com/cedarpointprices.asp

You can also call Cedar Point directly closer to your travel date to see if they have any other discount or promotional offers going on.

3. Hotel - We're at a Comfort Suites for 3 nights with Continental Breakfast, a refrigerator and microwave. Total cost = $400

Did you check Cedar Point for a package? They have various levels of rooms. For example, I plugged into check-in Friday, May 23 and checkout on Monday, May 26 and something like this came up:

Package Non-smoking Room
Breakers Express package and accommodations. Accommodations include a non-smoking room with two queen beds. Breakers Express offers an outdoor pool with whirlpool and game room. Room can accommodate up to 5 guests, rollaway beds are available for $10 per night. Breakers Express is just a short drive to Cedar Point; shuttle service is not available.

Package includes: 2 one-day Cedar Point tickets, 2 Starlight Cedar Point tickets, 8 Express breakfast coupons, 2 Soak City coupons(buy one ticket get one free/valid after May 23). and a Cedar Point parking voucher.
Please note: Cedar Point parking toll is non-refundable at the front desk.
Room Type: XN2Q
Non Smoking Room, 2 Queen Beds
Total: $384.00

I haven't stayed at "Breaker's Express", but looks decent and Trip Advisor reviews are pretty good for a value hotel. 1 hour early admission + parking vouchers and other tickets.

http://resorts.cedarpoint.com/public/resorts/index.cfm?resort_id=1

4. Food - We'll probably pack a cooler, but can someone tell me how strict they are on bringing in outside food?

From Cedar Point:

Do you have picnic areas?
Yes. Public picnic pavilions are located outside the park near the main entrance to Cedar Point. A limited number of electrical outlets and public grills are available in the public picnic shelters. Cedar Point has approximately 450 picnic tables located in the four public shelters which are for public use on a first-come, first served basis. You may bring your own charcoal grill (table-top charcoal grills should NOT be placed on top of the picnic tables). You may also bring George Foreman-type grills. Propane grills are not permitted.

http://www.cedarpoint.com/public/news/faq.cfm

 

[TinkOhio]

We buy season passes to CP because we live less than one hour away. A year's season passes doesn't cost much more than a two-day pass! If there is a chance that you will be able to come back over for "Halloweekends", buy the pass. Halloweekends are great fun and an almost totally different experience.

The food costs at CP are outrageous...at least as expensive as WDW, and not nearly as good. We bring picnics every time. They will not let you bring any type of food or beverage unless it's for a baby/toddler. They will even make you dump out any beverage that you try to bring in. Pack snacks and meals and plan on eating at the picnic pavilions. They are clean and usually pretty empty. A good trick is to bring those koolaid single-pack mixes into the park and ask for a cup of icewater. There is a huge variety of restaurants just outside the park if you want to eat out that cost much less and have much better food.

Another thing to remember is that you can have your hands stamped and hang out at the resort beaches for free. We have so many fond memories of taking park breaks at the beach with our kids. Bring sand toys and pull up a few lounge chairs and enjoy. Also hit the dollar store for glow sticks to add to the fun.

Have a great trip!

 

[Kellydelly]

I would stay at Breakers Express, it would be cheaper and you get the benefit of early entry into the park. We stayed there last May and were pleased with our room .

 

[minniebeth]

I agree with what TinkOhio says, but I really do think that the food prices are WAY higher than WDW. We are used to WDW priced food and really found it to be much higher in price, and as previously stated, not as good.
Definately build in time to leave for a picnic meal or try one of the restaurants right outside for a treat.
They weren't as strict with food for me...it might be hit or miss. I had a few bottles of water, some Goldfish and other small snacks, but not much.
Unless you are willing to drive some away from the park, I'm not sure how much use you would get out of an Entertainment book. (Not sure what is local in the local Ent. book for that area, maybe someone else can comment...)
I would stick with packing/bringing your own food and stopping at a grocery for perishables to pack in a cooler.
You will really enjoy CP! It has a much more "amusement park" feel, but there is SO much to do! Have a blast!

 

[Anne34]

Another thing -- you can get a "twilight ticket". They are usually from 5pm - 10pm for half price. If you get there mid-afternoon on Saturday, just wait till 5pm to enter -- we have found that the evenings are usually not very busy and my kids have gotten to ride a bunch of things. You can then get a full day ticket for Sunday and should be all set.

Also, if you request their brochure online -- there are coupons in the back for many discounts -- usually B1G1 tickets.

 

[sneadae]

We took a group of 30 dancers last summer to Cedar Point. We stayed at the Comfort Suites...YUCK. Don't waste your money. The rooms are old and dated and have a musty smell. The continental breakfast is not worth the hassle. The only thing nice about the place is their pool and tiki bar. Spend a little more money on a room and save money elsewhere. What about the Kalahari? They have discount codes.

 

[JayhawkMomma]

You might check into other theme parks that are owned by the same company. Worlds of Fun in Kansas City is and they used to honor season tickets from any one of their family of theme parks. When we went (6 years ago so it's been a while) we bought our season tickets for Worlds of Fun and used them for 3 days at Cedar Point. Our season tickets were around $30 cheaper then theirs so we saved a ton of money that way. Then we used them for our theme park a couple of times that summer too. They might have changed that little rule though.

We stayed at Breakers Express when we went. It was really nice for the price. Two thumbs up and pretty close to the park.

 

[jlovesee]

Keep in mind a Platinum Season Pass from ANY Cedar Fair park will get you admission to Cedar Point for Free. This includes Michigan's Adventure (Muskogee, MI) and ValleyFair (Shakopee, MN). I figured you might be driving close to one of those parks, plus of course you get free admission to ALL Cedar Fair parks as well (Cedar Point, Knott's Berry Farm, Kings Island, Kings Dominion, Canada's Wonderland, Great America in California, ValleyFair, Worlds of Fun, Dorney Park, Michigan's Adventure).

Platinum Passes also get you free parking and free admission to all Cedar Fair water parks.

Cedar Fair's main website is www.CedarFair.com

Jennifer

 

[JayhawkMomma]

Yup, they changed the rule. It's $150 for the Platinum pass per adult. Still probably worth it if you can get to another theme park at some point during the summer. If we ever go again we're going to do that.

 

[OlinFroid]

when are you going? My workplace has 2 weekends, i think fri--monday on july that are discounted to like 22 per adult ticket...a SUPER discount! all you would need is a copy of the "certificate" that everyone uses, you dont have to use an ID or anything...PM me if you want more info

definitly take your own food and snacks....much easier to eat at the tables in front there...

 

[Nascia]

Last year we stayed at Breakers Express and Castaway Bay and found both to be decent values. Our room at Breakers Express was clean and fairly well maintained. I think we paid something like $90 or so a night. Of course we spent most of our time at the park, so I really can't comment on the rest of the hotel. I will agree that the food at the parks is not really good and way overpriced.

 

[Vickibean]

Thanks for all the replies. When we started planning this trip, the cost to stay onsite was higher, and there were no packages. I think the packages seem like a great deal, and with a microwave and refrigerator and the location, we can eat in our room a lot. (and go back for nap breaks for DS2)Can't beat the location, or their version of EMH. Now, just to pick one. The trip advisor reviews are so terrible that I'm afraid.

 

[chanda7]

We stayed using the Breakers Express package about 4 years ago. It was just the two of us, but we felt it was a great deal. We had a wonderful time

 

[minniebeth]

Thanks for all the replies. When we started planning this trip, the cost to stay onsite was higher, and there were no packages. I think the packages seem like a great deal, and with a microwave and refrigerator and the location, we can eat in our room a lot. (and go back for nap breaks for DS2)Can't beat the location, or their version of EMH. Now, just to pick one. The trip advisor reviews are so terrible that I'm afraid.

I love Trip Advisor and use it to help plan a lot of stays in hotels, etc. but I do notice that all the places we've stayed that had negative reviews we were pleasantly surprised with. I think people who post reviews on Trip Advisory tend to be a little harsh (or REALLY high expectations). It is good to get an idea of what people's experiences are like at certain places, but then take it with a grain of salt and try for yourself.
I would take the review of people on these boards over Trip Advisor any day.
We go to CP but don't stay over, since we are within driving distance.
I'm sure others would be happy to review the places you are interested in!
The Early Entry would be really great to have....CP obviously has no "Fast Pass" or the like system, and lines for some rides can get really long. (Especially the big roller coasters.)
Have a great trip~!

 

[laurafergie]

Well, DH has just lost his job so we're trying to cut back. We're not in a financial position that this trip will kill us, I'm just trying to cut back on unnecessary spending.

uhhh, I'm not trying to be a big meanie here, and I'm glad your financial position is stable, but - if my DH lost his job, we wouldn't be taking any trips.

JMHO

 

[DisneyaholicRaquel]

We're going the same weekend 5/23-5/25. I booked the Breakers Express for $240 which includes 2 one day tix, 2 starlight tix, parking voucher, 8 meal vouchers & early entry into the park. I think it's a pretty good deal considering the park tix are valued atleast $100. I booked in Feb. so, I'm not sure if the rates are the same. My past experiences with hotels near Cedar Point are pretty much crappy anyway. At least this one is not too expensive. Usually we stay at the Holiday Inn down the road but, they wanted over $200 each night. Come on I will NOT pay that much for a Holiday Inn. We checked in to the travel lodge one year & checked out within 10 minutes. Also, tried I think it was LaQuinta maybe (pink building). O how I was ready to go before we got to the room. Luckily, you will be at the park the majority of the time. I make sure to take my own sheets & a can of Lysol. I hope this is not to harsh but, I have not had great experiences with CP hotels. I wanted to try one of the on site CP hotels but, this is a cheap trip since we are leaving for Disney 6/28 or 10 nights and then again 8/1 for 5 nights.

Also, I found this website that has some info on the park: http://www.pointbuzz.com/Forums/Default.aspx


One last thing go to the CP website and sign up to receive there coupon book.

 

[Deffenm]

I am not sure if your family would like this but we always camp when we go to CP. You can't beat a room for $30/night plus you sleep on your own stuff and my kids love it just as much as going to CP. Our favorite campground is East Harbor State Park. It is not located in Sandusky but is about 20 min away. We can see CP while sitting on the beach of the campground. If you would like more info. please send me a PM. Have a great trip.

 

[TrolleyGirl]

I have several discount vouchers for $8 off per ticket. PM me if you want one. Each voucher is good up to 6 tickets.

Also have voucher for 2 parks, 2 days at $71.95

 

[becky7953]

Cedar Point is awesome!!!! Have fun!