What to Know Before Visiting Cedar Point Amusement Park

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Since opening in 1870, Cedar Point amusement park has always been one of the best amusement parks in the world, and is a staple of midwestern summers. This guide will help ensure that you make the most of your time at Cedar Point, it will help maximize the number of rides you can enjoy during your visit, and will help prepare you for a fun day (or days!) of summer fun in the midwest’s largest and most exciting amusement park.

Cedar Point Amusement Park

Location: Sandusky, Ohio, United States of America
Address: 1 Cedar Point Dr,
Sandusky, OH 44870
Cost: See their website for ticket pricing
Parking: $20 per car as of 2019
Handicap Accessible: Park mostly is, rides are not

My number one tip for having an amazing experience at Cedar Point is to upgrade your tickets to fast pass plus tickets for an extra $110/ticket (as of 2019). We never had to wait more than 10 minutes for any ride, and many of them we just walked right up to the front. It also makes sitting at the front of rollercoasters (the best place to sit in my opinion) much easier, as it significantly cuts down on the total wait time. Fast Pass Plus tickets, for us, cut the wait time from 2-3 hours for popular rides down to around 15 minutes. They say they generally cut the wait time in 1/3 or 1/4, which means you can ride 3-4 x as many rides in the same amount of time you would with a standard ticket, so while it may seem expensive, you’ll be able to enjoy far more of the park than you normally would be able to.

Another great tip to enhance your day at the park is to arrive early. Not only will you be able to park closer to the park itself, but if you head to the back of the park first, you’ll have almost no competition for rides if you get there before the park officially opens. So even if you don’t invest in enhanced tickets, you will still get to ride a few rides with reduced wait times.

As I mentioned above, sittingt at the front of rides, in my opinion, gives you the best experience. With no one in front of you blocking your view, you can experience the thrill of having an unchallenged view of every twist and turn of the rollercoasters, which is so exciting!

Bring a change of clothes (and socks), and a swimsuit if you plan to visit the waterpark. Some of the water rides might get you wet, and it’s always nice to have a change a clothing when you head back home from a long day of fun. We live about 2.5 hours away in Michigan, and the first time I had to drive back in wet clothing was the only lesson I needed to learn to bring extras with me.

I like to bring my own lunch in a cooler that I leave in the car when I head to the park. I have a special diet that is very difficult to accommodate in a park almost entirely sponsored by Coca-Cola, so if you have any food allergies or dietary restrictions or you follow a vegan or diabetic diet, I absolutely recommend bringing food from home. That’s not to say that you won’t be able to find anything at all here, but it’s mostly festival food (aka deep fried or sugary things) and burgers, fries or pasta, so if you’re on a diet, or want to eat healthy, there aren’t many suitable options. Also, if you’re a vegetarian or vegan, Panda Express may seem like a somewhat healthier option, especially if you can’t eat gluten, but they add chicken powder to every single item on the menu according to their employees, even their vegetables and rice, so be sure to ask about what you’re ordering if you’re unsure.

All that being said, if you don’t have any dietary restrictions and enjoy the occasional deep fried or sugary treat, you’ll be in heaven at Cedar Point! Sample the cuisine at the park, and check out their ever growing list of new restaurants and food stalls, they have a lot of options.

Always bring sunscreen to the park. When I was younger and my class took a trip to the park, I got one of the worst sunburns I’ve ever had on a beautiful sunny day here at Cedar Point. Of course, this could happen anywhere, but I was having so much fun I didn’t even realize I was baking in the sun.

Wear tennis shoes or comfortable walking shoes, avoid heels, flip flops or sandals that might fly off during rides or be uncomfortable when standing in line or waiting in queues for the rides.

Pack layers so as it heats up you can take them off. It’s not uncommon for there to be a chilly breeze off the beautiful lake in the morning, and then for temperatures to soar later in the day.

If you’re able to, wear contacts if you normally wear glasses, so they don’t fly off when on rides. I was on a ride and the person next to me sat down with glasses on and then after the ride had to be helped off by a friend because they’d flown off and they couldn’t see!

Leave earrings at home, as they are not permitted on some rides. Some rides may cause your ears to hit the sides of the headrests and that wouldn’t feel very good with earrings in. Without earrings, you won’t feel a thing and will have a safe, enjoyable ride.

I think the most important tip I have is that you should never be afraid to go to the park by yourself. Single riders are unsung heroes because they help fill up rides and keep lines moving faster, plus if you’re a solo rider, you’ll get to ride more rides, quite a bit quicker because you can fill in rows, whereas people in large groups will have to wait a bit longer to get on rides all at once.

What useful tips and tricks do you have for visiting Cedar Point? Let me know below!

Thank you Lake Erie Shores & Islands and Cedar Point for sponsoring this post.
As always, all opinions are entirely my own.
Keep an eye out for more posts about the area!

Until next time!

xAnnie Fairfax
Follow Me for More: @AnnieFairfax

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