Are you a roller coaster fanatic? If so, you’re probably already planning your 2024 trip to Cedar Point.
Today, Cedar Point boasts more than 70 rides for thrill seekers of all ages, including 17 of the world’s best record-breaking coasters, four kiddie areas, tons of live shows, beachfront fun on the shores of Lake Erie, a water park, food, games and much more.
If this sounds like the perfect vacation spot, you’re in the right place.
We know a lot of families take an annual trip to this Sandusky, Ohio, hotspot, so we’ve gathered all the important details and little-known tips and tricks, all in this one convenient family guide.
This article was recently updated on April 5, 2024 by Metro Parent’s Assistant Editor, Nikki Roberts. The update included her research and fact-checking expertise to provide the latest information on Cedar Point, aligning with Metro Parent’s mission to provide the top parenting resources for local families. Questions? Please reach out to nikki@metroparent.com.
Cedar Point 2024 Season
Opening Day is May 4, 2024. Cedar Point Shores Waterpark will reopen on May 25, 2024.
The 2024 season will conclude with the park’s fright-tastic Halloweekends, which runs Sept. 12-Oct. 27.
New attractions for 2024
Cedar Point welcomes Top Thrill 2, the world’s tallest and fastest triple-launch strata coaster. Guests will experience true weightlessness and “free fall” moments as they are launched into the sky not onoce, not twice, but three times at speeds up to 120 miles per hour.
Cedar Point tickets for families
Families who purchase their tickets through Cedar Point’s website enjoy tickets for $45. Purchasing tickets at the gate will incur an additional fee. The park also offers special ticketing deals for Michigan residents.
Season pass options are available for $110-$350, which includes free entry for up to two kiddos ages 3-5.
Lockers, pets and food
All-day lockers are available for rent near the main gate and in Cedar Point Shores. Locker costs vary based on the locker size. You have the option of moving these lockers from location to location if you rent it out for the day.
Need a place to stow a pet? Cedar Point also offers a pet check available near Bay Harbor Restaurant before you enter the park. No overnight guests allowed.
And when your tummy is rumbly, there are also tons of spots to find food in the park, including BackBeatQue, Chickie’s & Pete’s, Coasters Drive-In, Red Garter Saloon and more.
The park also offers kids’ meals at various locations and has a list of where to find food for special diets online so that you know where to find gluten-free, vegetarian-friendly and allergy-safe options.
If you prefer to avoid the concession stand costs, public picnic centers are located outside of the park. Pack a picnic lunch and keep a cooler in your vehicle for a mid-day break.
Roller coasters and thrill rides
Or if you’re really looking for a thrill, tackle Steel Vengeance.
This award-winning hyper-hybrid coaster is built on the skeleton of Mean Streak in Frontier Town and takes riders up 205 feet and then drops them straight down 200 feet at 74 miles an hour. From there, riders scream through a 2-minute and 30-second twist of wood and steel, around tight turns, over hills and and through four inversions before arriving back into the station.
If that’s too much for you or your child, there are also plenty of great transition coasters, like Blue Streak, Iron Dragon and Corkscrew, for younger coaster lovers above 48 inches tall but below the 52-54 inches required for bigger rides.
You’ll also find thrill rides like Windseeker, Power Tower, MaXair and, for an additional fee, SlingShot and Professor Delbert’s Frontier Fling; plus family rides including the Cedar Point and Lake Erie Railroad, Giant Wheel, Carousels, the Snake River Expedition boat ride and two water rides: Snake River Falls and Thunder Canyon.
Cedar Point Shores
Cedar Point Shores Waterpark is set to open for the season on Friday, May 25.
This family-friendly waterpark sits just under Magnum XL 200 and features 18 acres of wet and wild fun for all ages.
Among the attractions at this spot is the gut-wrenching Point Plummet, which offers four nearly vertical, six-story drop body slides; plus the Portside Plunge water slide and the Riptide Raceway.
You’ll also find Lakeslide Landing and Lemmy’s Lagoon for kids — and for those looking to kick back and relax there’s a half-million gallon pool and the Cedar Creek lazy river.
Family and special needs offerings
With so much to do, you’re going to want to bring the entire family. For parents with smaller kids who want to take advantage of the thrills, the park offers several programs to make it easy for everyone to enjoy everything.
The first is the free Parent Swap program, which, works like this: One parent waits in line for the bigger coasters, or another height-restricted ride, while the other takes the kids to one of the four kids areas: Camp Snoopy, Planet Snoopy, Kiddy Kingdom and the Gemini Midway Area. (Find a full list of kiddie rides here).
Parent No. 1 rides their ride, hands off the pass to a ride attendant at the exit, and finds Parent No. 2. Parent No. 2 goes up the exit and hops on the ride while Parent No. 1 watches the kids. Once Parent No. 2 is off the ride, the family continues their day.
The park also offers two family care centers for nursing moms or dads with dirty diapers to change, and there’s a KidTrac” program to reunite lost kids with their parents.
Cedar Point has a Boarding Pass Program, which is designed for visitors with disabilities and autism spectrum disorders. This program allows for these guests to get a set boarding time for specific rides, rather than waiting in the long lines.
Guests with special needs or limited mobility can take advantage of wheelchair rentals and accessibility options for stage shows and rides. Find a full list of the parks accessibility programming here.
Parents also have the option to get their child officially measured at guest services to find out which rides they can enjoy and which lines to bypass until next year.
All of these programs and services are available at guest services, which is located near the park entrance, or Town Hall, located near Mine Ride.
Cedar Point hotels for families
If you’re looking to do it all and need a place to stay, try one of Cedar Point’s hotels:
- Hotel Breakers, located smack dab between the coasters and the beach
- Castaway Bay, which is newly renovated and features an indoor water park.
- Lighthouse Point campground with cabins, cottages and RV sites near the lake’s shore
- Cedar Point’s Express Hotel for families on a budget
- Cedar Point Marina for those who would like to park their boat and play
- Sawmill Creek is a short drive away and features an 18-hole golf course, spa and more
Guests that choose to stay in one of the park’s lodging options enjoy added bonuses including early entry to the park, discounted park tickets and free tickets to Cedar Point Shores.
Cedar Point Halloweekends
This year, Halloweekends will occur on select days and nights from Sept. 12-Oct. 27, 2024. Enjoy not-so-scary fall activities and live entertainment, or brave scare zones and terrifying mazes once the sun goes down.
Learn more about Cedar Point’s annual Halloweekends event here.
Looking for more amusement park fun this summer? Check out our roundup of the best family-friendly parks in the country and our guide to tackling Michigan’s Adventure.
Follow Metro Parent on Instagram.
from Metro Parent https://ift.tt/5SiW4Jz
0 comments:
Post a Comment