Friday, August 16, 2013

Taking the "stay" out of stay-cation

On the last of my days off we decided to venture a few hours north- to America's favorite roller coast!


It's our summer tradition to visit Cedar Point but this summer was a little bit more exciting because there was a new coaster to try. Gatekeeper is a winged coaster located right at the park's entrance. A bit of the excitement of this ride stems from the fact that it looks as though the coaster will barely fit through two key hole towers. 

I should mention that somehow we've been really lucky with our Cedar Point trips in the past. We've managed to pick the most perfect days and have rarely waited more than 30 minutes for a ride. Unfortunately our luck ran out this year. I think it was the combination of going in mid-August and the return of the evil Fast Lane passes. For the low fee of $75 (on TOP of general park admission) you can get yourself a wrist band that allows you to use a much shorter line. At some point the Fast Lane and general admissions lines meet and an allotted amount of riders from each line get through. What this results in is a much longer wait for the general admission folks (and a whole lot more frustration). 

We decided to tackle Gatekeeper first and I am glad we did- if we had delayed I never would have been willing to wait in the ever growing line. The ride is definitely something different- I kept thinking my feet weren't going to fit! It was thrilling but not really my favorite kind of ride (I like BIG hills and super high speeds). 





Although our spirits were a bit crushed after the long wait, we continued with our day. We went to our second favorite coaster (Top Thrill) because the wait was "only" 45 minutes. We broke for lunch (packed sandwiches in the car) and then made it through only two more rides (the Raptor and Millennium Force- the greatest ride of all!) before we realized it was already 5 o' clock. Four rides in SEVEN hours is not a good Cedar Point day. We debated for a bit but decided to cut our losses and head home early- all the biggest coasters had waits of at least 1.5 hours and we just didn't have it in us to deal with that. 

I have to say, I'm disappointed with the whole experience. Cedar Point has been a lifelong favorite summer trip for me and while driving back we pretty much decided that we won't be returning as long as these Fast Passes are still in effect. Could we shell out the extra $150? Absolutely. But when you add up the costs ($90 for two admissions, $150 for two Fast Passes, $15 for parking, $30 for gas) our little day trip becomes quite expensive. 

Despite the bitter taste it left in my mouth I'm glad we got to get away from central Ohio and have a few thrills, even if was cut short.

Have you ever been to Cedar Point? What's your opinion on these Fast Passes (and similarly named offers) that keep popping up at amusement parks?

1 comment:

  1. Those fees exist only to suck your wallet dry. ugh! They can be fun, sure. I've never been to cedar point but carowinds and six flags are the same type of park. They are fun, but we don't go very often.

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