There are countless reasons you might consider traveling somewhere other than Walt Disney World for your next vacation. You may be looking to change things up or seek out more thrilling attractions. Perhaps recent health concerns are making a Florida vacation seem less appealing. If you are looking for another wonderful destination, I have just the park for you: Cedar Point. Here are 10 reasons to check it out.
1. Location, Location, Location
Cedar Point is in Sandusky, which is in Northern Ohio. The park and many of its amenities are located on a peninsula on Lake Erie. It is a great option for those in the Midwest and Northeast regions because you can very easily drive there. They also have Greyhound bus and Amtrack stops in Sandusky. If ground travel isn’t an option for you, Cedar Point is also worth a plane trip (there are nine other reasons why).
2. Avoiding The Florida Heat
Cedar Point is open from May to October. You will not find any sweltering Florida heat at Cedar Point. During the summer months, the average temperatures are in the 80’s. It still can get hot, but not the same kind of heat that is common in the Florida summers.
3. The Roller Coaster Capital of the World
Cedar Point boasts 72 rides including 18 roller coasters. While Disney is known for its fantastical dark rides, Cedar Point is known for its phenomenal roller coasters. Many of Cedar Point’s coasters may feel like a more thrilling version of some of your Disney favorites. If your favorite ride is Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, you should check out Steel Vengeance, the newest coaster. If you enjoy Space Mountain, check out Cedar Point classic, Millennium Force. Finally, if you love Mission: SPACE, try Top Thrill Dragster. That one is a stretch, but the 120 mph launch straight up 420 feet certainly makes you feel like you’re being launched into space.
Cedar Point is also accommodating to guests of all ages. If you have smaller children or roller coasters aren’t your favorite, Cedar Point offers dozens of other incredible rides. Snake River Expedition is a new attraction that sounds like a more adventurous Jungle Cruise. They also have three children’s areas.
4. On-site Accommodations and Benefits
Cedar Point has several on-property accommodations. First, you have your “deluxe” option: Hotel Breakers. Hotel Breakers is within walking distance of the park. It has dining options within the hotel and two pools. Next, is your “value” option: Express Hotel. You will have to drive to the park if you are staying at this hotel, and there is no pool. However, if you’re looking to save some money and reap the benefits of staying on-site, Express Hotel is a still great option. Light House Point offers RV site and cabin rentals, and it is within walking distance to the park. Finally, you may choose to stay about 10 minutes away from the park at the Sawmill Creek by Cedar Point Resorts. This is another “deluxe” choice with dining offerings and a golf course. The last Cedar Point property is Castaway Bay, a resort and indoor waterpark. However, it is closed for renovations through the rest of 2021.
Just as Disney has had in the past, Cedar Point offers exclusive park time to their on-site guests. Guests of all Cedar Point properties are allowed into the park one hour early to enjoy select attractions. This includes most of the roller coasters, at least one of the children’s areas, and several of the other attractions.
5. The Fast Pass Options
Cedar Point offers two fast pass options called Fast Lane and Fast Lane Plus. The basic Fast Lane will allow you to skip the line for 20 of the most popular rides as many times as you wish for a price starting at $109. The Fast Lane Plus will allow the same benefit as the basic, plus access to Millennium Force, Maverick, Top Thrill Dragster, and Steel Vengeance (the most popular coasters) for a starting price of $159. However, they only sell a limited number per day.
Comments
My family can visit CP for less than our WDW budget. It’s great. We can stay in the nicest Breakers room, buy tickets and upgrades. A lovely trip. But we won’t stay more than 3 nights. 2 full days of park tickets with 1 day of paid fast lane is enough. We ride roller coasters but are not the ride coasters all day type. 3 roller coasters a day is plenty for us in our 50s. Maybe if we were 15yo we’d ride ‘em all day.
CP may be a great alternative to WDW, it’s NOT a replacement. I can stay a week at WDW and still not see everything we’d like. We do WDW every 1-2 years during different seasons. There’s soooo much to do beyond just rides. We visit other resorts, new restaurants, different modes of transport, etc. I’m sorry but the best CP resort is only deluxe in it’s location, the rooms are not really even as nice as the newly remodeled value resorts. The room we like is over $400 a night… we stay for less at Poly and BeachClub on our DVC points. There’s a reason WDW gets the big bucks.
As a native Ohioan and not a roller coaster fanatic, CP doesn't compare to Disney parks. Plus Halloweekends are over crowded and understaffed. While I appreciate having it in the state, it lacks the charm, theming and quality of Disney parks.
Yea, but I live in Orlando. This is a bit more of a detour on the way home from the doctor's office, especially since I live about 12 miles from each of the toll plazas for the theme parks. :P