Other Amusement Parks

[Jrb1979]

From reading many posts on this board and a lot of questions about how intense certain rides are, I started to wonder how many even go to other parks like Cedar Point?

 

[RF536]

Cedar Point is a great park if you like rollercoasters. It is a totally different experience than Disney.

 

[DuskKodesh]

I used to go to King's Island but really I'd not ride much. I'd get to go cheap because of local deals they run and days that employers of family members would rent out the entire park.

Bumper cars, funnel cake, and a day off work is still a fun time even if it's not Disney.

 

[Jrb1979]

Cedar Point is a great park if you like rollercoasters. It is a totally different experience than Disney.

I know it's different then Disney. It seems like many on this board never go to any other park but Disney.

 

[Kittyblue]

We have passes to Magic Mountain, but it's mainly for the kids. So many of the coasters just make me sick now.

 

[Lumpy1106]

I used to - then I had kids. Surprisingly the kids aren't big fans. I love Cedar Point in OH and Busch Gardens Williamsburg in VA - those are my two favorites outside of Disney. I've always loved Magic Mountain and that is within driving distance but MAN is that a long day, especially if it is hot and crowded. I have a 1-1.5 hour drive home depending on traffic and that's really rough.

 

[Jrb1979]

I used to - then I had kids. Surprisingly the kids aren't big fans. I love Cedar Point in OH and Busch Gardens Williamsburg in VA - those are my two favorites outside of Disney. I've always loved Magic Mountain and that is within driving distance but MAN is that a long day, especially if it is hot and crowded. I have a 1-1.5 hour drive home depending on traffic and that's really rough.

My nieces are 9 and 10, they love Cedar Point more then Disney. Its cause they love roller coasters. I live 4 hours from Cedar Point in Canada and I go to the park 4 to 5 times a year.

 

[soccerdad72]

Recent estimates I’ve seen said that Cedar Point had somewhere in the ballpark of 4 million visitors last year, so yeah, people go to CP

 

[kdonnel]

We go to Six Flags of Georgia every other year or so. It is definitely not the same experience as WDW.

 

[Jrb1979]

I never said people don't go to Cedar Point. On this board I always get the feeling most don't go to parks like that and only really go to Disney or Universal.

 

[hereyago]

I live about 20 minutes from Busch Gardens Williamsburg, so we usually have an annual pass. Thanks to my procrastination, I only got dgd a Pre K pass before the pandemic so no money spent.

I also got dgd a pass for Kings Dominion and procrastinated on the adult passes when I first heard of the pandemic in China.

I wanted to go to WDW this year, but dd wanted to wait til next year for the 50th anniversary so we will see.....

 

[Jrb1979]

I'm more into the big intense coasters over a high themed dark ride.

 

[justafigment27]

I grew up going to Cedar Point in Ohio every few years or so and absolutely loved it as a kid. We camped there a couple times. On the years we went, it was definitely a highlight of the summer. As an adult, I can’t handle most of their rides. We have taken our kids twice. It seems like such a teenager park to me and I really don’t enjoy it very much - kind of grimy in a lot of places and expensive and not tasty food. We stayed at Kalahari one time and Great Wolf Lodge the other time. I don’t even like to watch some of the rides - they look horrifying! It’s definitely a park for thrill seekers (which I was as a kid, but not so much now). We were planning a weekend trip there this summer though ... we didn’t think we were going to be able to get away for a normal summer vacation with the kids’ work and extracurricular schedules, so we told them we would take them to Cedar Point. We were planning to stay at Hotel Breakers so the kids could come and go (they are 18 & 16) - or, more likely, so DH & I could leave them in the park when we got tired of it.

We live about 90 minutes away from Michigan’s Adventure. It’s owned by the same company as Cedar Point, but it’s much smaller and a manageable day trip. We have taken a carload of kids there on more than one occasion - it’s the perfect size for one day and was great with junior high kids. I think the food is gross & expensive there too, so we pack a big cooler and have the kids come out to the car for a parking lot picnic. That park is fun and nothing looks too terrifying ... it’s a water park and a small amusement park. We rent a cabana and relax there while the kids do whatever.

 

[mom22belles]

Go to on a regular /semi regular basis : Disney World and Canada’s Wonderland .
Have been to : Universal Studios, Busch Gardens ,Cedar Point , Darien Lake,Fantasy Island , Centre Island ( small Toronto park ) Chessington World of Adventures ( England )

So yes my family visits other parks

 

[BlueStarryHat]

We go to Knoebel's every few years. They have a fabulous collection of vintage amusement rides taken from other parks and given a new home there. They have a whip ride from 1915, for example. They also have many great wooden roller coasters. It's free to get in and walk around, you just get a wristband if you want to ride stuff.

https://www.knoebels.com/

Maybe it seems like people here only go to Disney because it's a Disney-themed board? Just thinking out loud.

 

[luv2sewtjr]

I love Knoebels! My son has worked at cedar point and we enjoy our trips out there. Busch gardens in Williamsburg is my favorite. Also like Hershey and really used to love Kenny wood, but I haven’t been there in a while.

I don’t care for delgrossos because there are too many spinning rides for me! I’ve been to kings dominion, Dorney Park, and idlewild, too. None of those are ones I would visit again.

My kids have never been to Disney. I don’t know if it will happen for us or not. We don’t really do big vacations, just short trips when all our schedules work out. I’m a single mom and they all (used to) have jobs.

 

[Yoshi]

Last year I went to Dorney Park, Hersheypark and Great Adventure multiple times, Knoebels, Fun Spot and Kings Dominion once.

In some ways I prefer regular amusement parks to Disney. Besides the ridiculously inexpensive prices (for under $150 a year, I get admission to all Six Flags parks with parking, 2 meals and a snack per visit and unlimited soft drinks), I try to go when they are not crowded and can enjoy going on ride after ride with hardly lines compared to Disney where even on a low crowd day, the more popular rides can still have 45+ minute waits. It's also less stressful not having to worry about scheduling FP+ reservations or having to get to a ride before the FP+ expires.

I also prefer really thrilling coasters to what Disney has. I can ride a coaster like Millennium Force or Maverick at Cedar Point, Nitro or El Toro at Great Adventure, Twisted Timbers at Kings Dominion and think "wow, that was an awesome coaster." Space Mountain and Rock N Rollercoaster are fun but don't compare to what is found at other parks.

During the summer I go to Dorney Park almost every week since they have a great water park and really enjoy spending a lot of time in the water parks, water rides on the amusement side and then go on each coaster.

 

[Kathryn Merteuil]

I end up at Holiday World in Santa Claus, IN at least once a year.

 

[Hikergirl]

I go because somebody needs to hold all the stuff

 

[Jrb1979]

We go to Knoebel's every few years. They have a fabulous collection of vintage amusement rides taken from other parks and given a new home there. They have a whip ride from 1915, for example. They also have many great wooden roller coasters. It's free to get in and walk around, you just get a wristband if you want to ride stuff.

https://www.knoebels.com/

Maybe it seems like people here only go to Disney because it's a Disney-themed board? Just thinking out loud.

I have wanted to go Knoebels for awhile just haven't had to chance to get there. I know it's a Disney themed board, why I question if people go to other parks is that I see quite a few people ask how big a drop is on a Disney coaster as if they don't do other parks.