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Cedar Point in a Storm

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Geeky Pastimes

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So we've finally made plans to get to Cedar Point this weekend (from the UK so this might be a once in a lifetime thing), and now on top of being Memorial Day weekend, it's looking like the Sunday is going be full of thunderstorms. Our only full days there will be the Sunday and Monday, so we're wondering how does Cedar Point cope with storms? Is it the sort of place where the rides will just go down if there's lightning nearby for a few minutes until the storm passes, or will they shut things for the whole day? Is there anything to do if it is stormy?

We made the same mistake last year with Six Flags Great Adventure but despite some crazy storms and flood warnings they eventually opened up everything including Kingda Ka and we had a great day because the place was near-empty. Here's hoping Cedar Point goes that well!
 
They'll only shut down for the day if the storm is going to last all day - been there a couple of times when they have shut down but they try their best to get things running again when they can.
 
I didn’t visit Cedar Point during a storm, but apparently the park has a reputation for closing anything large down when thunderstorms are in the area. Remember, Cedar Point is located on a peninsula inside the Great Lakes, meaning that the threat of lightning striking a ride is just that much more prevalent.
 
TPSou said:
Yeah that's what I'm worried about, not sure what we're going to do for the day if all the coasters are shut!
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Don’t worry; there’s this great barbeque restaurant out on the marina — (past the Valravn entrance, located under the brake run of aforementioned coaster) it’s called Famous Dave’s, with excellent service and quality food for a price much lower than what you’d find at an amusement park. I’d suggest going there for dinner, as it has beautiful views of the crystal-clear shores on one side and lots and lots of coasters on the other. :)
 
Yeah... if it looks like a passing storm I would find a place to eat and ride it out. They will do everything they can to get everything back up and running as quickly as possible. If you can, get a night ride on Millennium Force or Steel Vengeance. They are both amazing at night... Just be careful and not open your mouth, unless you want bugs to fly in...
 
Kw6sTheater said:
Don’t worry; there’s this great barbeque restaurant out on the marina — (past the Valravn entrance, located under the brake run of aforementioned coaster) it’s called Famous Dave’s, with excellent service and quality food for a price much lower than what you’d find at an amusement park. I’d suggest going there for dinner, as it has beautiful views of the crystal-clear shores on one side and lots and lots of coasters on the other. :)
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Just looked at this on google maps and the location looks really nice. It's not part of the park though is it?
 
davidm said:
They'll only shut down for the day if the storm is going to last all day
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I just checked the Sunday forecast and this might be a likely scenario - "scattered thunderstorms" from opening to 1300 then "thunderstorms" until 2000.

On the other hand, there's no rain predicted on Monday until 2100. Also, I'm not sure how accurate this site is, but it's predicting light crowds on Memorial Day:
https://www.isitpacked.com/crowd-calendars/cedar-point/

If the forecast doesn't change I'd be tempted to give up on the Sunday and get a Fast Pass Plus for the Monday.
 
FarleyFlavors said:
I just checked the Sunday forecast and this might be a likely scenario - "scattered thunderstorms" from opening to 1300 then "thunderstorms" until 2000.

On the other hand, there's no rain predicted on Monday until 2100. Also, I'm not sure how accurate this site is, but it's predicting light crowds on Memorial Day:
https://www.isitpacked.com/crowd-calendars/cedar-point/

If the forecast doesn't change I'd be tempted to give up on the Sunday and get a Fast Pass Plus for the Monday.
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It varies depending on weather and such. Memorial day is more of a celebrate locally type deal but if CP is advertising free admission for veterans which has happened, you'll see a spike in attendance. I think Kings Island is doing that this year? Staying away from that with a 10ft pole.
 
Yeah, we're staying at Hotel Breakers and have a ticket for all the days we're there so I guess we'll try to make the most of it, but it's looking like Monday is our best bet for rides.
 
TPSou said:
Yeah, we're staying at Hotel Breakers and have a ticket for all the days we're there so I guess we'll try to make the most of it, but it's looking like Monday is our best bet for rides.
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If so, I’d say to first ride Steel Vengeance and Maverick in Frontiertown, using the Magnum entrance (the closest to the Hotel Breakers), as I’ve known the latter and heard the former to both get long lines; then, ride Millennium Force afterwards, as most of the public will be making their way to Raptor, Gatekeeper and Valravn — the biggest mistake I made whilst at the Point was riding Raptor in the morning, as I could’ve skipped a 90 minute morning wait in favor for a 15-20 minute evening queue. Iron Dragon tends to get somewhat long lines, as does Top Thrill Dragster... because the two times I hopped in line for the Dragster, it broke down at a 30-60 minute wait and I left the queue promptly. For sure have lunch at Famous Dave’s, out over the beautiful marina, and head back into the park to ride Valravn, Raptor and Gatekeeper, as their queues should have died down by the afternoon/evening. If you have done everything you’ve wanted to before nightfall, I’d highly suggest taking a short rest in your Hotel Breakers room; Cedar Point’s sheer size and amount of rides lent itself easily to tiring me out and making every bone in my body ache, come 11:00 PM that first night, even with a few hours of downtime. As for night rides, I’d certainly suggest Maverick and Millennium Force from my experiences; a night ride towards the front of Millennium Force changed my opinion on the coaster from calling it overrated, rattly and forceless to deeming it breathtaking, airtime-filled and graceful. I haven’t gotten the opportunity to ride Steel Vengeance yet, as when I visited the Point it was still under construction; but if others’ constant ravings about that coaster at night are to take for granted, Steel Vengeance at night is a must-do experience.
 
Stay on top of the weather projections, as weather will flip quickly along the coastline; scattered storms can result in a perfectly fine day, as storms tend to stay more inland from Cedar Point. Monday (gratefully) you are looking in the clear.

The park will shut down major attractions in the event of rain, with everything closing when lightning strikes nearby. If you do end up at the park on Sunday and it does start raining, keep an eye on Power Tower once weather clears. If Power Tower starts to test, majority of rides should be back up and running within 1 hour if the weather remains clear.
 
Kw6sTheater said:
If so, I’d say to first ride Steel Vengeance and Maverick in Frontiertown, using the Magnum entrance (the closest to the Hotel Breakers), as I’ve known the latter and heard the former to both get long lines; then, ride Millennium Force afterwards, as most of the public will be making their way to Raptor, Gatekeeper and Valravn — the biggest mistake I made whilst at the Point was riding Raptor in the morning, as I could’ve skipped a 90 minute morning wait in favor for a 15-20 minute evening queue. Iron Dragon tends to get somewhat long lines, as does Top Thrill Dragster... because the two times I hopped in line for the Dragster, it broke down at a 30-60 minute wait and I left the queue promptly. For sure have lunch at Famous Dave’s, out over the beautiful marina, and head back into the park to ride Valravn, Raptor and Gatekeeper, as their queues should have died down by the afternoon/evening. If you have done everything you’ve wanted to before nightfall, I’d highly suggest taking a short rest in your Hotel Breakers room; Cedar Point’s sheer size and amount of rides lent itself easily to tiring me out and making every bone in my body ache, come 11:00 PM that first night, even with a few hours of downtime. As for night rides, I’d certainly suggest Maverick and Millennium Force from my experiences; a night ride towards the front of Millennium Force changed my opinion on the coaster from calling it overrated, rattly and forceless to deeming it breathtaking, airtime-filled and graceful. I haven’t gotten the opportunity to ride Steel Vengeance yet, as when I visited the Point it was still under construction; but if others’ constant ravings about that coaster at night are to take for granted, Steel Vengeance at night is a must-do experience.
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You think Millennium Force is rattly? I’ve been riding that coaster for 19 years now and I think it’s still incredibly smooth for it’s age.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Aaron Smith said:
You think Millennium Force is rattly? I’ve been riding that coaster for 19 years now and I think it’s still incredibly smooth for it’s age.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
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I thought it was rattly in the back row, but towards the front Millennium Force is so much smoother.
 
Thanks for all the help people, had two days here now and it's been great, did end up waiting for a front seat for TTD for nearly three hours after it broke down then rained for ages (everything in the park shut) but had people to chat to so was fine.

That Famous Dave's BBQ place was amazing, thank you so much for the recommendation.
 
TPSou said:
Thanks for all the help people, had two days here now and it's been great, did end up waiting for a front seat for TTD for nearly three hours after it broke down then rained for ages (everything in the park shut) but had people to chat to so was fine.

That Famous Dave's BBQ place was amazing, thank you so much for the recommendation.
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I'm glad I could help a fellow coaster enthusiast out! How were Maverick, Steel Vengeance, and Millennium Force, if I may ask?
 
Kw6sTheater said:
I'm glad I could help a fellow coaster enthusiast out! How were Maverick, Steel Vengeance, and Millennium Force, if I may ask?
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Maverick was a little less comfortable than I expected, I thought it was going to be like Taron, but for quite a small coaster it really throws you about. Enjoyed the forces and it has some of the best theming in the park.

Steel Vengeance was awe inspiring. I've only done Twisted Colossus and Wildfire before and the pace is so much better than Wildfire, its so long and just keeps on going right until the brake run. A few rides on it were super uncomfortable, like one time I had the seat belt buckle under the lap bar and every air time hill pushed it into my leg, and there's a lot of air time! Also at night there are bugs everywhere, but it was funny seeing the ride photos at the end with everyone trying to cover their face. Overall it's definitely my favourite RMC.

Millenium Force was way better than I expected, its just so fast, and again the pacing is great, it never gets dull or gets a chance to slow down. The first corner made us both feel like we were starting to grey out. I love the trains on it too, I'm pretty tall so the raised seats on every other row makes the second row feel like a front seat, more rides should do that!
 
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