Julia was in for the vacation of a life time. Around the time we learned of Luke's wedding, we thought that it might be time to go to Cedar Point. Last time we were there was in 2013, so Elisabeth was the age that Joanna is now. Matthew & Rebekah were happy to miss this, they mostly remember being terrified of the entire experience (even though Rebekah was too young to go on any of the rides). But this vacation was for the family dare-devil: Julia. For nearly a year, she reminded us that Cedar Point was coming up.
Nobody else in Ohio wanted to go (either too old, too young, or just simply too busy), so we went by ourselves. Stacy got the food package, which allowed us to get unlimited drinks and nearly unlimited food while in the park. We used the drinks extensively, as it was unusually hot (for northern Ohio). Being from the South, the temperature didn't bother us too much, but we did drink more than normal. On the other hand, the food part of the package was perfectly engineered. The way it worked is that there are many restaurants in the park, each one with a different theme. There was a diner for hamburgers, a pizza joint, a Mexican one, etc. At the restaurant there would be 2 items that were part of the package, but then they would aggressively advertise something else that would grab your attention. For example at the diner, you got hamburgers and fries for free, but if you wanted that absolutely delicious looking chocolate shake, that was extra. And you had to walk past the shakes to get to the food. Insidious marketing at its finest.
We arrived at the park just after 10am and got measured. Julia measured in at 54 inches, meaning she could go on every ride in the park. Joanna measured at 52 inches, this didn't bother her at all because any ride requiring 54 inches, she wasn't interested in at all. It was busy at the park, with many people there, but it also wasn't super crowded. The roller-coasters typically had ~45 minute wait times, but the kiddy rides barely had any wait time at all.
We started the day at the Merry-Go-Round. A good start, and it showed that Joanna was very nervous about everything. She didn't want to get on a horse that went up and down. Then the scary ride. We all went on the Iron Dragon. This would be the only full roller-coaster that the entire family would go on. It is a fairly easy-going one (the park rates it a 4 out of 5). Joanna screamed, but nothing compared to Matthew's screaming when he tried it for the first time. Elisabeth on the other hand said that it wasn't as awful as she remembered.
Next we split up, Julia and I went on the Siren's Curse while everybody else went to Kiddy Kingdom. We waited in line for just under an hour. The ride itself takes high up in the air, then tilts you on a 90 degree lever and hangs you there looking at the ground for what feels like a very long time. Then it lets go of you and you fall straight down and the coaster ride starts. The anticipation was absolutely crazy. I was worried about Julia, since this was the first true roller-coaster she had ever been on. But she loved every second of it. It was everything she had dreamed about and she wanted more. In the mean-time, the rest were taking the easy rides of the motorcycles, airplanes, & trucks. All circular rides that basically did the same thing but with different themes. Joanna made a friend and had to show how brave she was.
Then we went for lunch at the Coaster's Diner. A '50s style diner that served hamburgers, chicken fingers, & french fries. Overall, a very mid level hamburger, but we weren't here for the burgers, we were here for the fun. After lunch we went on the Race Horses. Same idea as the Merry-Go-Round, but they got a bit faster and also forward and backward so that you can "race" the person next to you. Joanna was skeptical, but willing to try it out.
We walked through Frontier Town to get to our one water ride of the day: Thunder Canyon. This ride slowly spins you around while you glide down a river next to water-falls. Depending on the spin, you may leave the ride with only a drop or two of water, or you may leave the ride completely soaked. It is a gamble that we took. Joanna and Elisabeth got completely drenched, while Stacy and I came away with relatively unscathed. Julia taking the middle ground. After the ride, we watched a Glazier show how to make glass bottles for a few minutes, but then it was on to the next ride. Cedar Point is good about all levels of rides. For example it has three levels of swings, The Wave Swinger is the middle ground for people who want to ride around in a circle high in the air. Elisabeth & Julia went on that one, while the rest of us watched. If that isn't enough for you, they also have the WindSeeker which is the same concept but twice as high and fast.
Then it was time to split apart again. This time Julia and I went on the Maverick, while the rest went to Snoopy Town. We waited in line almost an hour for a ride that shoots you out super fast and swings you around wildly. It is faster than the Siren's Curse, but without the killer anticipation factor. I think it was my favorite ride of the day. During that time, the girls went on the small swings & the teacups with Joanna.
Then we met up at the Petting Zoo. It was a pleasant relaxation moment amongst the chaos of the day. With that out the way, it was back to Snoopy Town, where we road a Train Roller Coaster, which is an intense kiddy ride. At first Joanna didn't want to ride it, but then changed her mind. She screamed but was glad she did it. I tried to get everyone on the Cedar Creek Mine Ride, but nobody was interested. We did the teacups again and then went on the tiny roller coaster. This one is for young kids and can only accommodate one adult every 4th seat. I was scrunched up little tiny in it and went with Joanna. Then Julia & Stacy went on it, where Stacy said she got jolted around. The easiest roller-coaster in the park and the only one where Stacy got hurt.
While doing that, Joanna got to meet Lucy, which thrilled her to death. Soon after, Julia got to go to "Psychiatrist" Lucy. It was dinner time, so we decided that the best choice was the local saloon (We were still in Frontier Town after all). This food was much better.
After that we went on the Cadillac Cars, which actually allows you to drive an old car around a track -- it is heavily controlled. But it allowed Julia & Joanna to drive a car. Next was the Matterhorn -- Stacy's favorite ride of them all. It was here that we could tell that Joanna had pretty much exhausted her fun meter. She screamed in terror the whole time and was even crying before it started, saying it was too hot. While the sun was shining on us, it wasn't the heat that was bothering her -- she was just all tuckered out. But Julia had one more roller-coaster to do: The Gatekeeper. I remembered the Gatekeeper from last time we were here, and I really wanted to ride it. So we went to our final hour long wait. We got almost to the starting line, when they had to shut down the ride briefly to clean up after somebody had vomited while on the ride. But after that brief delay, we got on and flipped and spinned all over the entrance to the park. Julia declared it her favorite ride of the park.
The girls went on the Merry-Go-Round again, and once we met up with them again we went on our final ride of the night: the Bumper Cars. It was great fun, Julia would have gone on another ride, but Joanna was done. So we decided it was time to go home. We arrived at 10am and left at 7pm. When we got back to the house, we had some ice cream and went to bed.
In all, I went on:
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