Dealing out details on Cedar Point's Wild Card program

SANDUSKY — During the offseason, guests are yearning to get back into Cedar Point to ride their favorite roller coasters and enjoy time with friends and family.Winter Chill Out provides an opportunity to see the park in the offseason — but it just is not quite the same as visiting Cedar Point in spring and summer.When Cedar Point opens for the 2019 season, on May 11, it ends up being an ideal time to visit the park. Outside of opening weekend, when the park can be very busy, crowds tend to be lighter, resulting in less wait times for rides.Traditionally, when Memorial Day weekend arrives, it triggers the start of heavier crowds for the busy summer season, especially once schools get out.Lower crowds also carry over into the Cedar Point Resort hotels. Guests can score better rates in May and June than later in the season.The newly remodeled and expanded Hotel Breakers now offers 669 rooms. Cedar Point's Express Hotel provides 419 rooms, a coincidental nod to Sandusky's 419 area code. Not to mention there are 276 cabins, cottages and RV sites at Lighthouse Point and 237 rooms at Castaway Bay. That is a lot of room to fill.But lower rates only represent one aspect Cedar Fair employs to keep guests for overnight stays.Another new tactic, debuting for the 2019 season: the Wild Card.Guests staying in a Cedar Point resort property from May 10 through June 29 can purchase a special Wild Card package. The Cedar Point Wild Card is valid for unlimited Cedar Point admission May 11 through June 30.Cedar Point Wild Card does not include a drink wristband, admission to Cedar Point Shores, parking, early entry on future visits, season pass benefits or add-on options like dining plans, drink plans, FunPix, etc.For guests who are on the fence about getting a season pass, the Wild Card program is a sort of test drive to see how much guests might use it.Though consider this: A one-night stay at the beginning of the season results in a free visit for the next month and a half. That's a bargain in our mind.Your Wild Card pass would also get you access to the opening of Forbidden Frontier on Adventure Island on May 25. You also get access to Brew & BBQ/Frontier Festival taking place June 7-30, one of our absolute favorite events.More details on the Wild Card • Upon checking into your resort, guests receive a voucher that must be redeemed for photo ID pass at an admission gate upon first entry to Cedar Point.• The Wild Card program is only available for guests staying in a resort and not as a standalone ticket option.• The Wild Card program adds the following additional cost per person to your room rate:— Cedar Point's Express Hotel: $57.39— Hotel Breakers: $62.39— Lighthouse Point: $62.39— Castaway Bay: $77.39• Guests will likely have the opportunity to upgrade the Wild Card to a season pass at the park.Editor's note: Justin Dietz is a Register correspondent representing CPFoodBlog.com and @CPFoodBlog on Twitter.Cedar Point's new Wild Card program provides discounts to guests who stay in an overnight resort property, such as Hotel Breakers.