The traffic getting there reminded me why I don't like highway driving. Early in the trip, while merging on 94 from 127, we watched as the car in front of us tried to merge into the passing lane, only to bump and bounce off of the pickup that was in the car's blind spot. The two vehicles then just continued driving. Later, when avoiding the Ohio toll roads (having forgotten that my parents have an iPass), we were stopped trying to get on 75 north in Toledo (which would later turn out to have an accident, leading to a scenic tour of Toledo and the surrounding area). A car was between us and a truck ahead of us. The truck started slowly rolling backwards and the car made no move to get out of the way or any other sort of reaction. I laid on the horn, but the truck bumped the front of the car before it stopped.
The park was both familiar and strange to me. Some rides had been replaced; some had been moved (such as the Ferris Wheel which is now near the front). However, many were exactly where I last left them seven or eight years ago. When I remarked on the feeling of strangeness to Ryan (whose family went with us), he remarked that it was because it was so clean. He was right: I don't ever remember the park being so clean before. There was also a noticeable lack of cigarette smoke. Only twice did I catch a whiff, making the experience that much more enjoyable.
We were able to coax Trevor to ride the Raptor immediately when we got to the park (and he road it again before we left), but he otherwise shied away from the bigger rides. He said that his favorite part was getting to hang out with his sisters and his cousins. His least favorite part was the "first chunk" of all of the roller-coasters.
We had expected Connor to be a roller-coaster addict and were not disappointed. He went on every ride he could as often as he could. His favorite ride ended up being the Gemini. His least favorite part of the park was "kid's rides, because they are so slow."
Rowen went on the Iron Dragon and the Mine Ride, but that was it for his roller-coaster experience. He was content to ride the kid rides, and loved Camp Snoopy. Although he spent most of the time obsessed with the bumper-cars (it took us most of the day to find one and he then went on them three times), his favorite part were the old-time cars that he got to drive. His least favorite part was that the roller-coasters hurt his stomach.
I am certain that Janelle, Alex, and Katrina had their own favorite experiences and least favorite aspects, but as they are off doing their own things (like they often were at the park), I am not certain what they were.
My favorite part was getting to share this experience with my children, and watching their joy as they encountered the rides, food, and atmosphere of Cedar Point. My least favorite aspect was that I couldn't split myself to hang out with all of them equally.