After being in the coaster community for over ten years and riding 150+ coasters, there was one park —the park– that somehow slipped through my fingers every year: Cedar Point. This summer, I decided it was finally time to take that coveted pilgrimage to the roller coaster capital of the world. Although the sudden closure of Top Thrill 2 put a brief damper on my decade-long anticipation, as soon as I stepped onto that peninsula of serene sand and twisted steel, I knew I was still in for three days of pure coaster bliss. I almost have too many thoughts to put into words, but here are my scattered thoughts about my trip.
Cedar Point Trip Overview
I visited the park Sunday, May 19th to Tuesday, May 21st. Sunday and Monday were incredibly crowded, and partnered with the frequent ride downtimes, I couldn’t have been happier that I had Fast Lane Plus for both days. While it is pricey (one day of FL+ was more than the entire Summer Pass I bought), I can’t recommend it enough if you have limited time at the park or if it’s your first time like me. At the end of the day, we talked to another enthusiast who told us he only got on four coasters the entire day because of the combination of downtimes, weather delays, and long lines.
Although the Fast Lane lines could be upwards of 30 minutes, mostly at Steel Vengeance thanks to an early merge point, it was still a lifesaver. We managed 16 coasters per day on Sunday and Monday with FastLane. The price difference between Fast Lane and Fast Lane Plus is only $25, and Fast Lane Plus includes Steel Vengeance, Maverick, Millennium Force and Valravn which are by far the most popular rides. Because of this, I can’t think of a situation where it would be remotely worth it to get Fast Lane instead of Fast Lane Plus.
On Tuesday, we did not have Fast Lane, but we actually did 18 total coasters because the park was significantly less crowded. We could’ve done more, but we were stuck in line for Steel Vengeance for around 2 hours because of recurring mechanical issues. Monday seemed to be the main day that large school groups visited, which accounted for a majority of the crowds.
Hotel Breakers at Cedar Point
During our visit, we decided to stay at Hotel Breakers. It is not an exaggeration to say that staying at Hotel Breakers was probably the most pivotal decision we made for the trip. Having the ability to be less than 5 minutes from your own private entrance to the park is a luxury that can’t be undersold. Especially with the extreme heat on the days we visited, taking a short recess in the air conditioned seats inside the room was a make-or-break moment.
On the first night, we also used Doordash to stock up on groceries for the stay, and that was another critical decision that made the trip a success. Not having to buy overpriced in-park food while waiting in long lines on a hot day was a convenience that I’ll now be using on every multi-day park trip going forward. Hotel Breakers has a fridge with a freezer and a microwave, which was a very nice convenience.
To save money, I had considered staying off the peninsula and taking an Uber or a Lyft to the park, but in hindsight that would’ve been a massive headache and probably would’ve cost the same or more than Breakers. It is by far worth the price to stay at Hotel Breakers, in fact I would not return to Cedar Point without staying there. Getting access to the Cedar Point beach is an added bonus, and sitting on the beach to unwind from a day of nonstop coasters was a beautiful feeling.
If you are visiting Cedar Point for the first time like I did, you should factor in Hotel Breakers and at least one day of Fast Lane Plus as part of the cost of the trip. Going to the park for the first time without either one would result in a significantly hindered experience, which brings us to the operations.
Park Operations
The operations at the park were hit or miss. At a park with 17 coasters, it is imperative that every major coaster’s operations be in tip top shape. It is early in the season, so maybe the ride crews just haven’t gotten used to the coasters yet, but some rides like Millennium Force and Valravn had 3-5 minute dispatches every time, which made queues significantly longer. This wouldn’t be as much of an issue if the queues were in any way shaded, but they aren’t, which is probably my biggest critique with the park. This is honestly unacceptable with as hot as the summers get, standing in direct sunlight for an hour or more was miserable with the weather above 90 degrees each day we were there.
Even with the Fast Lane, we waited 45 minutes for Valravn in the sun. We saw multiple people faint in several lines, and ambulances were frequently in the midways responding to heat stroke situations. Since most of the queues are cattle pen switchbacks, it would be incredibly easy for the park to put up roofs or canopies over these areas. Some queues have umbrellas, but they are either ineffective or over an extended area of the queue that is unused.
I was also surprised at the amount of downtimes for mechanical issues. Specifically with Steel Vengeance, which went down multiple times a day, sometimes for hours at a time. Our second day, Valravn got stuck at the top of the lift just before the drop, and riders were stuck there for a very long time, including during a parkwide weather shutdown for lightning when they decided to evacuate the riders. Valravn did not open for the rest of the day. Blue Streak was also closed for a lot of the trip, including the entire second day.
Millennium Force was the biggest casualty of the slow crews and spotty operations. I know that the capacity has been significantly reduced due to the slower lift cable and ineffective three train operations, and it really showed. Millennium Force is also one of the few rides open for early entry, but on our second day, it never opened for early entry, and neither did Iron Dragon, leaving nothing open in early entry except in the Boardwalk area on the other end of the park. We decided to use this time to queue up early for Steel Vengeance, which was a very smart call. I wish we could’ve gotten more rides on Millennium, but it was never worth it to wait for it because of how long it took to get the trains sent.
The most reliable seemed to be Raptor, shout out to the incredible crew there, absolutely hauling and sending trains every day of the trip. Same with Gatekeeper after the first day, and Steel Vengeance on the third day. The crews really seemed to be finding their groove, so I’m sure the operations will get better and better as the season goes on. This was the first full week of operations, so I can’t be too harsh here.
The Rides
The one reason that enthusiasts always return to Cedar Point year after year are the incredible rides. I won’t go into my coaster ranking here, that article will come later, but multiple rides made it into my top 5 coasters. The fact that this park has Steel Vengeance, Top Thrill 2 and Maverick in the same park makes this one of the strongest coaster lineups anywhere. We didn’t do any of the flat rides at the park, but if we were here for longer or if this was my local park, I would definitely have ridden them. They have a great combination of classic family flats and newer, more thrilling ones. As far as what I would add to Cedar Point, I think the park is most lacking in indoor attractions. A good shooting dark ride or indoor roller coaster would do wonders at the park, and give crowds somewhere to go during inclement weather. We did ride the sky ride, which was short but offered amazing views of the main midway.
The coasters at Cedar Point complement each other very well, even within their own categories. All four B&Ms offer completely different ride experiences, despite being made by the same manufacturer. Top Thrill 2 and Maverick are both launch coasters, but their launches serve completely different purposes. Steel Vengeance, Maverick, and Magnum are all airtime focused, and despite all 3 offering violent ejector, they all feel different. The two coasters that feel the most similar are probably Blue Streak and Gemini because they have a similar airtime sensation, but Blue Streak is of course a wood coaster and Gemini is dueling, so they are still vastly different ride experiences. Magnum and Millennium Force are both giant out and back steel layouts, but Millennium is all about the speed. Is that enough examples? The collection at this park is perfect.
The Food
Like I mentioned earlier, we had groceries stored at Hotel Breakers, so I only ate in the park a few times. My only in-park meal was at The Farmhouse Kitchen & Grill. This location definitely seemed to have the highest quality food at the park, with the meats being grilled and smoked fresh behind the counter. It was about $19 for the platter that included an entree and a side, which isn’t a bad deal because the food tastes good and is made well. I got the hand breaded chicken tenders with a side of fried potatoes, and each meal comes with a biscuit. It was definitely enough food to satisfy my mid-day craving, and got me through the rest of the park day. We also ate at the TGI Friday’s at Hotel Breakers, which was surprisingly good. I got the Whisky Glaze Burger which came with a side of mac and cheese. I also tried the garlic broccoli which was also very good. In total, the meal was about $25 with tip. The only other thing I had in the park was a frozen yogurt, which is exactly what you would expect it to be and ran me about $10.
Final Thoughts
Overall, my trip to Cedar Point was even better than I had hoped. While Cedar Point may not feel as charming or special as a park like Kings Island, there is no denying the sheer amount of coasters and their quality. Even after three days I didn’t feel tired of the park, and could’ve stayed for even longer and kept riding the same rides. Even if I didn’t need to go back for Top Thrill 2, I would still want to go back to Cedar Point within the next few years. There is something so cool about an entire peninsula just dedicated to a theme park, specifically the coasters, and the fact that everyone is there for the same reason. There’s a certain mythos around Cedar Point, and I can see why. What more could you ask for from the Roller Coaster Capital of the World?
not as special or charming as…… KINGS ISLAND?! LOL