Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio, is widely known as an amazing amusement park and one of the best amusement parks in the world. Cedar Point is also a highly successful amusement park known for attracting a large number of visitors. The reason why Cedar Point is held in such regard is because of their amazing roller coasters, but there is more to amusement parks than roller coasters. That is why in this Cedar Point review we’ll be rating all the attractions, food, shows, and more.
Cedar Point Roller Coasters
Lets get this out of the way since it wouldn’t be a Cedar Point Review without talking about their great roller coasters that earned Cedar Point the nickname, “America’s Roller Coast”. It certainly does live up to the nickname and more, as in my opinion, Cedar Point has the best roller coaster lineup in the world. Cedar Point is so unique that you can ask 5 different people their rankings and you can get 5 totally different answers based on what they like.
Headline Coasters
Grade 9.5/10
Not giving Cedar Point’s headline coasters a 10/10 might be really controversial, but hear me out first. Cedar Point’s Big 4 of Steel Vengeance, Millennium Force, Maverick, and Top Thrill 2 can not be matched. These extreme rides can easily be the unquestioned #1 coaster in almost any amusement park, but at Cedar Point, four people can give you four different answers depending on what they value. If you value pure air time the Steel Vengeance will be #1. Want a coaster that sustains its speed through out the whole ride? Millennium Force is perfect for you. For people who love rides that whip you around, there’s Maverick. Now for all the people who had Top Thrill Dragster as their number 1, its back and better than before with Top Thrill 2 with now a guaranteed roll back every time and going up a 420 foot vertical spike going backwards.
These top coasters offer a variety of thrill rides that cater to adrenaline junkies and families alike.
Now, why didn’t I give Cedar Point a 10/10? They’re missing just one thing that would supplant them a 10/10 rating for the foreseeable future. That’s being a Mack Xtreme Spinning Coaster like Time Traveler at Silver Dollar City.
Supporting Coasters
Grade 10/10
The next group is what I call the supporting coasters. These are all high thrilling coasters but not the 1st thing someone thinks of when thinking of Cedar Point. This tier includes Corkscrew, Gatekeeper, Magnum XL-200, Raptor, and Rougarou. You know that Cedar Point has really great depth when coasters like Gatekeeper, Magnum,Raptor and Valravn is down this low.
The three great coasters that make Cedar Point’s supporting coasters a 10/10 is Gatekeeper, Magnum and Raptor. Gatekeeper is a very graceful and smooth ride that makes you seem like you’re flying. Magnum, my personal favorite of this tier has people who both love it and hate it. The controversial part of the ride is the triangle shaped bunny hills on the way back that offers such great ejector air time that it could hurt some people. Raptor is an intense B&M invert that can cause some people to grey out but its such a great ride. Valravn is a great dive coaster but on the shorter end of ride length.
Rougarou is a good B&M sit down coaster but it fails to compare with most of the other rides. Only ride it if it doesn’t have a big wait. Now for Corkscrew, don’t go on it. I don’t care if it has no wait, don’t go on it unless you like your head being a pinball.
Family Coasters
Rating 8/10
The next tier is family coasters that is a great transition point for kids to move away from the kiddie coasters to the more thrilling coasters. This tier includes Blue Streak, Cedar Creek Mine Ride, Gemini, Iron Dragon, Pipe Scream and Wild Mouse. Blue Streak and Gemini gives kids the feelings of air time without the ride being too intense, Cedar Creek Mine ride is an alright mine train that doesn’t do too much and the worst coaster of the bunch. iron Dragon is one of the last arrow suspending coasters in the world and gives great views especially with the new Top Thrill 2 vertical spike right by it. The suspended cars is also very unique. Pipe Scream is more of a fun spinning flat ride, but Cedar Point calls it a coaster. Wild Mouse is a fun spinning coaster which the park needed.
Kiddie Coasters
Rating N/A
Cedar Point has 2 kiddie coasters. Wilderness Run is the small kiddie coaster while Woodstock Express is a perfect ride for kids to transition to the family coasters.
Thrill Rides
Rating 8/10
Cedar Point has 4 thrilling flat rides, maXair, Skyhawk, Power Tower and Windseeker. These are all great rides that you should try and do when you come to the park. maXair is a great frisbee ride and Skyhawk is a great scream n swing. Power Tower has two sides, one side being the traditional drop tower and the other side launching you up and bouncing you up and down. In my opinion, the launching side is better. Windseeker is a very underrated ride with it being on the beach so it gives you the best views of any ride at the park. Cedar Point has Windseeker only labeled as a 4/5 thrill rating but for some reason its the only ride that gives me butterflies.
The reason its only an 8/10 is because of the lack of variety. Adding another thrilling flat ride such as Samurai at Lagoon would go a long ways. Additionally, the park has very few indoor events, which could be improved to improve the visitor experience during rainy days.
Family Flat Rides
Grade 10/10
Cedar Point also has no shortage of family flat rides. There’s the atomic scrambler, Cadillac Cars,Calypso, Cedar Downs Racing Derby, Dodgem, Lake Erie Flying Eagles, Matterhorn, Monster, Ocean Motion, Super Himalya, Troika, and Wave Swinger. My 2 favorites is Cedar Downs Racing Derby and Troika. Cedar Downs Racing derby is 1 of only 2 racing carousels in the US. You will have a lot of laughs on the ride with friends and family and the reason I love Troika is because its a scrambler but 25 feet in the air.
Rides For Small Kids
Grade N/A
Cedar Point has 3 different designated kid areas in Kiddie Kingdom, Planet Snoopy and Camp Snoopy. The best of the rides are in Planet Snoopy and Camp Snoopy.
Water Rides
Grade 7/10
Cedar Point has 2 water rides. The first ride is Snake River Falls. Snake River falls is a great log flume ride that will get you absolutely drenched. If you don’t want to get on the ride but still want to get drenched, there’s a bridge right by it that the ride will splash.
The other ride is Thunder Canyon which is a family raft ride. It’s a fun water ride but it doesn’t guarantee you to get soaked like Snake River Falls if that’s what you want.
Food
Grade 9/10
Cedar Point has 12 restaurants that will satisfy everyone. The restaurants are BackBeatQue, Cedar Point Grand Pavilion & Bar, Chickie’s & Pete’s, Coaster’s Diner, Derby Dos & Señor Vargas’ Walking Tacos, Frontier Inn, Hugo’s Italian Kitchen, Miss Keat’s Smokehouse, Panda Express, Sagebrush Sue’s, The Corral, The Farmhouse Kitchen & Grill. I personally loved the burgers at Coasters Diner.
There’s also so many different options for snacks. The options include Auntie Anne’s/ Cinnabon, Cotton Candy, Funnel cakes, Coke floats, ice cream, donuts, waffles, pretzels, fries and yogurt.
There’s also places to get adult beverages such as Trail Tavern, Summer Brews, Last Chance Saloon, 21 and Colder, Bar 1870, Cedar Point Grand Pavilion & Bar, and Engine Company Spirits. The variety of dining options contributes to a smooth and enjoyable experience for visitors.
Shows
Grade 6/10
Cedar Point also has amazing shows such as Back Then Right Now, Bands in Residence, Class of 99, The Rally and The Swell Tones.
There’s also shows and meet and greets for kids with the Peanuts. The shows include Party with the Peanuts and Snoopy’s Dog Days of Summer. Most amusement parks offer a variety of shows, and Cedar Point could benefit from adding more indoor events.
Fast Pass
Grade 9/10
If Cedar Point isn’t your home park and you’re just here for a day or two, I strongly recommend getting a fast lane plus pass. Make sure you get the fast lane plus pass instead of the regular fast lane pass. The regular fast lane pass does not include Steel Vengeance, Millennium Force, maverick or Valravn. With the fast lane plus pass, you’ll cut down your wait time by at least half. Getting a Fast Pass can help ensure the best theme park trip by reducing wait times.
Atmosphere
Grade 10/10
Cedar point has a very lively and fun atmosphere throughout the whole day but there’s just something that makes me feel like a little kid seeing all the rides light’s on especially after spending the whole day there. The atmosphere turns it up even more during Halloweekends. Riding rides in the chilly fall air, seeing monsters walk around and the fun haunted houses is a great experience. The lively atmosphere enhances the overall theme park trip experience.
Summary
Tell me in the comments below if I was spot on or wrong about my Cedar Point review!
Also read our Cedar Point tips for your next visit.
Cedar Point offers some of the best roller coaster experiences in North America.