Fast Pass Sharing at Ceder Point?

Fast Lane is a wrist band that cannot be shared. Unless you're going on a Saturday, I have not felt Fast Lane is necessary on most of my visits to Cedar Point, especially in a year where there's no new coaster.

I would definitely get a feel for how crowded the park is when you arrive, and make a determination then (i.e. do not buy in advance).

You note that you have 3 children, but do not mention their ages/heights. I would definitely not bother with a FastLane if your children are not over 48" tall, and would not get FastLane Plus if your kids are not over 52" tall (height requirement for Gatekeeper, Maverick, Valravn, and Dragster, which are only accommodated by Plus).

Thanks for the insight! We are planning on going on a Saturday and our children are all over 52" tall, so it seems like it might be a good idea to get them. We'll see. $149 extra per kid seems like a lot to pay, but we're only going to be there one day and they each seem very motivated to cover as much territory as possible.

I went on Columbus Day weekend last year (one of the most crowded times of the year) and did not feel like Fast Lane was needed. With proper planning and lots of caffeine, you'll be fine.

Realize that Fast Lane and Plus doesn't get you to the front of the line in most cases, just closer to the front of the line. On a long line it can save time, but last year there were times when Fast Lane Plus line for Valravn was still a 1/2 hour wait.

Based on my visits to Cedar Point, I'd recommend Fast Lane if all of the following apply:

-You are visiting on a weekend
-You have never visited the park before
-You only have one day for your visit
-You want to ride all coasters in the park, and hope to get re-rides on your favorites
-You meet the rider requirements for everything included on the pass

If any of the above don't apply, Fast Lane is not worth your money. The pass is extremely expensive and must be purchased on a per person basis (i.e. it is non-transferable, so you'll need to buy one for everyone in your party who wants to use it), but on really busy days it may be necessary in order to do everything. Like James said, Fast Lane does not get you immediate access. Instead, you get into a separate queue that is significantly shorter than the regular line (usually between 10 minutes and about 25% of the normal wait). Most rides have a merge point, and if the normal line isn't at least to there, Fast Lane does nothing.

Whatever you do, wait until you arrive before purchasing the pass, as you will not be refunded if you buy in advance and the park is not busy. While the pass can sell out, it only does so on the busiest days, but by it before noon to maximize the benefit. Lastly, if you do decide to buy, invest in the Plus version as many of the park's best (and most popular) attractions are only included with that.

jman300 - Do you have Cedar Point/Fair season passes for your visit? If you arrive at the park early, Cedar Point has an early entry perk for passholders that can allow you to get on one or two of the big coasters before the "running of the bulls" . There are also park touring strategies that can be used to reduce your wait in lines including, but not certainly limited to:

1. Park at Soak City and enter through the back gate by Magnum, starting your day at Maverick and working towards the front of the park (against the typical flow).

2. Enter through the Marina Gate so you can start at Valravn.

3. Get to the gates at least 30 minutes before opening (10-15 minutes ahead if you can do early entry).

4. Plan to stay the whole day (until midnight).

5. Ride coasters as you come to them. Cedar Point is HUGE, and you'll wear yourselves out really fast crisscrossing the park seeking short lines (except during the early entry hour where only the headline coasters are open, not including Dragster).

6. Speaking of which, keep an eye on Dragster. If you haven't seen it go in a while and then see it run consistently for @5 minutes (even empty trains), that might be a good time to get in line (they empty the line during prolonged downtime, and won't let people back in until its successfully completed a few cycles).

7. Make time to ride on both sides of Gatekeeper.

8. If you chose not to get FastLane, prioritize the coasters you want to ride. You list may vary based on parks you frequent. For instance, Valravn isn't a huge priority for me because I live close to Busch Gardens Williamsburg, which has a similar dive coaster, Griffon. I'd much rather ride Maverick and Gatekeeper because they're unique compared to coasters I have near where I live.

9. Don't forget about the flat rides. While Cedar Point is known as the "Roller Coaster Capitol of the World", they also have a solid collection of flat rides, including a few that you might not see anywhere else.

10. Bring your best walking shoes. Cedar Point has done a great job making sure there's a must-see attraction in pretty much every corner of the park, so even if there are some rides you're not that interested in, it's almost guaranteed you'll be making at least one or 2 full loops of the park. Cedar Point is 364 acres, which is bigger than Disneyland (85), Disney's California Adventure (72) and WDW's Magic Kingdom (107) combined, and bigger than EPCOT (300 acres).

Buying them ahead of time saves you a little money. Just a tip!

We just got back from a trip to Ohio including a visit to Cedar Point last Friday. While Anthony correctly notes that you can save some money through an advanced purchase, the entire purchase could be wasted if you buy early and the passes don't do you any good. Last Friday, Sandusky was subject to sustained high winds that left virtually every large coaster closed for most of the day. Valravn, Gatekeeper, Dragster, and Raptor were closed from about 10 AM through almost 9 PM with Dragster remaining closed for the entire day after running for about an hour in the morning. So, if you had pre-purchased a FastLane Plus, you would have arrived at a park where your purchase was essentially useless for all but the last 3 hours of the day. Also, aside from Maverick, every other coaster operating that day (including Millennium Force) never had a line that exceeded 30 minutes all day, so even a regular FastLane would have been a waste of money.

So, while you can save a few dollars by pre-purchasing the pass, I would highly recommend seeing what the weather and crowds look like before committing to the significant expense of FastLane or FastLane Plus.