The Boardwalk Media Preview - Evan Schulz
This past Thursday, Carsten and I (Evan) had the incredible opportunity to check out the brand new for 2023 section of Cedar Point, The Boardwalk! This media event included a preview of the newly painted and moved rides, new food samplings, and of course rides on Cedar Point’s new coaster, Wild Mouse! Before getting into the details, let me just say that this new themed area is FABULOUS and an absolutely perfect addition to the park that fills a hole that I am not sure I even realized the park had. What hole could Cedar Point still have in their lineup you might ask? That hole is an area that the whole family can stay in and enjoy together. You have colorful fun flat rides, wonderful food and drinks at the also new for 2023 Grand Pavilion, and a brand-new roller coaster that the whole family can enjoy together. What is not to love?
Let's start with the refresh of flat rides the park already had. For those who don’t know, the park moved Matterhorn and Scrambler from the main midway over to The Boardwalk, giving each a new paint job. Matterhorn mostly stayed the same colors with maybe some more purple mixed in while Scrambler was given a very California Beachy vibe mixed with the 1950’s and renamed “Atomic Scrambler”. Atomic Scrambler’s new colors include yellow, cyan, and purple, all in their pastel forms.
Moving along to Calypso (formerly known as Tiki-Twirl, and Calypso before that) and Troika. Both also received similar paint jobs that really hammers in the awesome boardwalk feel to the area. The pastel colors really do a good job of making this area give the vibes the park was going for.
Each ride in the area also received an awesome new entrance sign that matches each ride’s theme and color. It should also be mentioned that each ride also has a unique soundtrack, something we have seen before with rides such as Millennium and Magnum, but not so much in recent memory. In our book, it is a huge win!
Rounding out the ride collection in The Boardwalk is the new roller coaster, Wild Mouse! Wild Mouse is made by Zamperla, who also made Pipe Scream for Cedar Point and a whole host of new rides for the Cedar Fair chain in recent memory such as the rides at Aeronautica Landing at Carowinds and Adventure Port at Kings Island. Wild Mouse is a custom layout spinning wild mouse style ride from the manufacturer that they call a “Freeform Twister Coaster”. Wild Mouse stands 52 feet tall and reaches speeds of 35 mph (although it definitely feels faster) while traveling through twisting, swooping, and spinning steel track. Each ride vehicle on Wild Mouse has its own name and personality. Those names are: Larry, Mazey, Dizzy, Chase (The Head Mouse), Zaggy, Ziggy, and last but not least The Cheese Car.
Each mouse has their own part in the roller coaster’s automatic safety spiel which is something I recognize as the park going the extra mile in a way regional theme parks do not tend to do. They could have just had one person record a safety spiel similar to Power Tower that plays over and over again without personality, but instead they put the extra thought and effort in to really bring each mouse to life. I am sure before long everyone will have their favorite mouse that they try to get a ride on every visit. It’s the little things.
As for the ride itself, it really is a ton of fun! Of course, it is not the tallest or fastest or longest. It is simply a ride that the whole family can ride together and come off smiling each and every time. I’ve ridden it a few times already and each time I find myself giggling the entire ride. It is super smooth without any of the whiplash effect that wild mouse rides tend to have, and really does fly around the 1312 foot long course. I really think the park hit a homerun with this ride! Here you can watch Carsten and I ride it and see for yourself!
Finally, the centerpiece of The Boardwalk, The Grand Pavilion! This beautiful building sits right on the beach overlooking Lake Erie, offers two floors with sweeping views of both the park and of the lake, and tasty new food options
As you enter into The Grand Pavilion you head straight into the main food service location. The bottom floor restaurant is set up similar to other food offerings in the park like Farmhouse, and BackBeatQue. At The Grand Pavilion you will find the following entrees, Roast Turkey Breast, Roast Pork Tenderloin, Funnel Cake Battered Jumbo Shrimp, Daily Fresh Carved Rotisserie Sandwich, Beer Battered Fish, and Chicken Tenders. Along with those entrees, there are also great side dish options such as Tropical Fried Rice, Syracuse Salt Potatoes, Grilled Pineapple, Steak Fries, Marinated Cucumber, Shaved Brussels Slaw, and Cold Ramen Noodle Salad. Each meal is also served with a warm piece of bread. And yes, it is on the dining plan.
All around The Grand Pavilion you will see custom woodwork, stained glass windows, and wall art much in the style of Hotel Breakers
Once you get your food you have the choice of either taking it upstairs and eating on the balconies overlooking the lake and the park, or you can stay downstairs and enjoy eating indoors with huge windows that give tons of natural light.
Now for the question everyone will ask, how was the food? It was fantastic! On media day we were able to try as much of anything we wanted all for free (meal plans are 1 entree, 1 side, and a piece of bread) so we got one piece of everything and started our feast. We both really enjoyed everything, but the biggest standout was the funnel cake battered shrimp. This is easily one of my favorites in the park now, along with the Syracuse salt potatoes which are drowned in butter. Other big hits for us were the turkey, pineapple, cucumber salad, and ramen noodle salad. But seriously, everything here is tasty, and I will get everything periodically throughout the summer.
Now let's shift upstairs where inside we find a brand new bar, a snack bar, and cushioned seats scattered about. The bar is beautiful with a roller coaster styled liquor shelf, and the cushioned seats offer table service for the bar and snack bar. A table service bar is something that as far as I know is beyond unheard of for a regional theme park. Disney level quality here. There is a huge selection of beer, specialty cocktails, and wine. The snack bar (not on the meal plan) includes flatbread pizzas, pretzel bites, wings, and cheese curds. While the food downstairs really is great, the upstairs is really what makes The Grand Pavilion a five star luxury experience. Enjoy a few pictures from inside and outside the second floor of The Grand Pavilion.
That wraps up our coverage. We hope you enjoyed reading! The Boardwalk and The Grand Pavilion are absolutely perfect additions to the park, and we can see ourselves spending many days and evenings enjoying the wonderful atmosphere the park has created in the whole area!
Special thanks to Cedar Point for inviting us! Visit our Facebook page for more videos and pictures!
