Those are some of my favorite words, ones I here many times over a summer. This year, a one-two combination of unusually bad weather in the Midwest and my typically busy life delayed my second and final Cedar Point trip had to wait until mid-October.
The trip from my house in mid-Michigan took just over three hours of very light traffic. I’ve found that Sunday is a great day to visit Cedar Point, if, like me, you have to work during the week. Since I haven’t quit my day job, a weekend is the only time to go.
My usual route through Ohio takes me along the Ohio Turnpike, a quick and relatively painless way to travel through northern Ohio. On this trip, I noticed that the prices for the Turnpike fares had increased since my last visit in July. The cost of a ticket went from $2.50 to $3.75. That’s quite a jump, so, in the interests of saving a few dollars, I’m considering taking Highway 2 next year. It’s a slower route, but would definitely be cheaper (free is pretty cheap), and probably more scenic too.
I picked a good day to go. Though cold, early in the day there were no long waits. Blue Streak, Mine Ride, and Iron Dragon were walk-ons, and I didn’t wait more than 15 minutes for any other ride.
My first ride was Maverick, and at only 5 minutes, it was the best wait time I’d ever had for that ride. (By the time my ride was done, the wait was already at least fifteen minutes.) Though one of the smaller coasters in the park, it is one of the most intense and fun. It starts with a fast lift hill and a 95 degree drop and then it really gets going. The track twists so much that it’s hard to know what’s coming, which is one of the reasons I like it so much.
This was the first time I have ever worn winter clothing at CP – ski jacket, hat, and gloves. The woman who rode next to me on Maverick was from Arizona, so she must really have been suffering.
My favorite ride at The Point is Skyhawk, which is essentially a giant swing. Unfortunately, it was closed most of the day, though it opened just before I left for the park, so my Cedar Point season ended on a high note.
Food is never cheap at amusement parks – after all, the parks have a captive audience. With your $10 parking, you do have the ability to leave and return one time during your stay, so there are options. But I didn’t want to leave the park and lose valuable ride time. I had tried the hamburger on my previous visit, and it’s a mistake I did not make again. Needless to say, I wasn’t a fan. This time, I tried the chicken strips and was pleasantly surprised at how good they were. And CP fries were perfectly cooked. Sure, you could get a meal at a restaurant like Chili’s or Applebee’s for the cost of a chicken finger basket (without a drink), but I tried not to think about it.
Who doesn’t love fried dough? Nobody, that’s who. At least once a year, I have an elephant ear. I’ve had one at the Allegan County Fair earlier in the year, but it wasn’t as good at CP’s. There are two places that I know of to buy an elephant ear in the park. The first is in Frontier Town near the Mine Ride. The second is near the front of the park by just south of the carousel. Since I had tried the former, I decided on the latter. The Frontier Town elephant ears were better. The one I bought on this trip time was crispy throughout instead of having spots being equal parts chewy and crispy, and the Frontier Town elephant ears had much more cinnamon sugar. I enviously eyed those who were eating the Frontier Town ears, knowing they had made the better choice.
Every time I go to The Point, I ride the Mine Ride. It was my first coaster, and for a long time, it was the only one I would ride. I had coaster-phobia for much of my childhood before shaking the fear in my teens, and now I’ll ride just about anything. In fact, I think the only non-kiddy ride I haven’t ridden at CP is the Witches Wheel. That doesn’t look like a pleasant ride to me. Just thinking about it makes me queasy. I’ll take a 400 ft coaster over an upside down spinny ride any day.
I’m looking forward to seeing the new ride for next season, Shoot the Rapids. I’m checking in daily on the construction webcam to see how they’re coming along, and riding Millennium Force gave a great view of the progress, though I had to look fast.
As a tip, if it’s just past lunchtime and you’re not ready to hop on another ride and risk losing that lunch, take a visit to the giant arcade on the midway. I stop in every trip and play some games from my childhood like Bezerk, Frogger, or Galaga. I’m not very good at video games anymore, but so few people play those, it’s easy to get the high score.
