Are you ready for a Cedar Point family adventure? We had the opportunity to visit Cedar Point a few times this summer, but recently we visited together as a family – all 5 of us! Pulling off an epic Cedar Point family adventure can be a little challenging when you have kids of various ages and interests, but with a little planning (and sticking to it), it’s totally possible!
I picked up a few ideas from our Cedar Point family visit last year, and things definitely went more smoothly this year. Here are my Top 6 Tips for an Epic Cedar Point Family Adventure that will help ensure everyone will leave with a big smile on their face!
Disclosure: We received complimentary general admission tickets to facilitate our review. Regardless, all opinions are my own and those of my family.
1. Plan Ahead
There are a wealth of resources on the Cedar Point website to help you plan your epic adventure. I admit, I’m not a planner. I like to have a general idea of what we’ll be doing, but it doesn’t go much beyond that. When you are visiting Cedar Point with kids of multiple ages and interests, though, planning ahead is absolutely necessary. How tall are they? What kinds of rides do they like?
What we did is made a game plan based on this information. Our oldest is now able to ride all of the rides based on his height (but I wasn’t sure he was ready for all of them!), so we made a plan. My husband would rather not ride the bigger roller coasters due to his neuropathy, so the plan was simple – Brayden and I would ride these big coasters while Joey and the other two kids would visit the arcade or go on a smaller ride.
Certain rides my husband would ride with our older two kids, and I would stay with our youngest for a smaller ride – or just to take a few selfies on Snap Chat! Whatever is fun, right? Ha! Whatever works for your family, it’s ideal to plan it in advance so there won’t be confusion and delays when you’re there. You can make the most of your time!
Our daughter was now tall enough to ride some of the bigger rides, so that was definitely exciting – and a “must do” for our plan!
If you ask my husband, though, he will tell you the best experience ever was getting to be a tester for the virtual reality on Iron Dragon. He still talks about it!
2. Take a Bag (or Wagon)
One of the biggest mistakes you could make it not having a few things on hand. Taking a bag (or a wagon if you have younger kids) is a must. Be sure to have necessities like sunscreen, a change of clothes (particularly for younger children), a small first aid kit, towel (even if you don’t go on the rides that get you wet, it can still be handy to have a towel), water bottles, and kids’ comfort items.
If you have a plan in place for some people riding rides while others are doing something else, you won’t necessarily need a locker for your bag. There are lockers available, though, for a fee, so if it’s better to keep it in a locker that is always an option, too!
It’s also a good idea to take jackets. Even if the weather is nice (or even hot) during the day, it can get cooler at night – especially closer to the beach. It’s better to have jackets and not need them than not having them and needing them!
3. Check Out Additional Activities
There are many great activities for kids at Cedar Point. There are fun opportunities to meet the Peanuts Crew as well as watch them perform! In Frontier Town there are animals to pet and feed, mining and sifting fun, shows to watch, and a museum! Of course, there are also games to play throughout the park!
Do your kids like dinosaurs? You definitely will want to check out Dinosaurs Alive! Not only can you walk through and see life-sized dinosaurs (and learn a lot about them), but it’s also interactive. The kids can make some of the dinosaurs move, and there is a fun area to dig for fossils! Dinosaurs Alive! does require a separate admission.
4. Get a Souvenir Cup
Water bottles are great. They help ensure you’ll stay hydrated, but what about when you (or the kids) want something different to drink? There are a variety of drinks available from sodas to Powerade in multiple flavors. Instead of paying around $5 every time you get a drink, it’s ideal to just get a souvenir cup so you can get free refills all day. If you know you’ll be visiting a few times throughout the summer, there is also a souvenir cup for free refills for the whole year! It seems like a lot, but after doing the math, I discovered we saved quite a bit of money overall!
5. Plan Your Meals
Will you be eating there? Are you bringing a picnic lunch? Whether you’re buying food or going back to the car for a packed lunch, it’s good to know the when and where. If you’re going to choose food within the park, be sure to check out the Drinking and Dining Deals first to see how you can save. Set a specific meal (or snack) time and plan to relax or attend some of the shows while eating and letting food settle!
6. Take Advantage of Cedar Point Family Resources
Be sure to take advantage of the great resources for families for a safe and fun trip. Some of the resources include the Family Care Centers (particularly helpful if you are nursing and/or have little ones), Parent Swap (so one parent can ride while the other waits for the kids and swap out so the other can ride), KidTrack to help reunite parents and lost children.
Cedar Point Family Fun
For more tips for Cedar Point family fun be sure to check out the tips and tricks on the Cedar Point website as well!
Connect with Cedar Point
Get Ready for 2017
Cedar Point is open for the regular season only one more weekend, but the fun is far from over. Be sure to check out all the exciting fun coming up for HalloWeekends, and even get ready for next year. Season passes for 2017 are available now!
Plus, your visit to HalloWeekends can be free with the purchase of the 2017 Season Pass. All new 2017 Season and Platinum Passes include one free fall visit valid any single operating day through October 30. Plus, additional visits in the fall are just $14.99 each for all new 2017 Season Passholders.
What are your favorite Cedar Point family moments?
