Travel Tip Tuesday #20

Tip: Take A Spare Memory Card

Large View of Travel Tip: Carry A Spare Memory Card

Better safe than sorry.  credit

Did you read my earlier post when I realized that I had a broken memory card after arriving at an attraction?

Ugggh!  AND I couldn’t find anyone selling memory cards.

Don’t miss the opportunity to capture memories.  Always travel with a spare memory card.

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This post is part of the Awe Inclusive Travel Tip Series, which teaches travelers how to have better travel experiences. Come back next week to get another travel tip or have your tip sent directly to your inbox!

My Blooper Reel At Cedar Point Amusement Park

Cedar Point

There’s nothing like screams to let you know a ride is worth the wait!

It took a few minutes of struggling before I realized the memory card was broken in the locked position.

I sadly watched the bushes, artistically manicured into shapes of Charlie Brown characters pass out of site.

 

Cedar Point claimed to be the best amusement park in world – a fact my boyfriend endorsed.  After traveling seven hours and passing at least three other amusement parks, I was hard pressed to discover the truth.

As we approached the entrance and I lost hope of fixing my memory card, it dawned on me that I’d left our tickets at the hotel.  If it’s not one thing…

Ticket Retrieval At Guest Services

There was no line at Guest Services.  I walked to the desk and explained the ticket situation.  With a smile, I was told that we needed to provide the order number.  No problem, I thought.  I’ll check my email for the receipt.

Three smart phones and twenty minutes later, we still didn’t have the tickets.  The lady at Guest Services mentioned that phones were slow because the park was packed.  I asked to use their computer to find the email and was told that the computers weren’t set up to go online.

After five more minutes of watching never-ending hourglasses, I asked if there was another way to find our tickets.  The lady asked for our phone number, looked up the tickets and printed them off.

Luckily my desire to get in the park was stronger than my desire to stare incredulously at the lady behind the counter.

Searching For A Memory Card

We were offered free cup holders upon entering the park – a nice touch for opening day.  Plus people started using them hand warmers which I thought was smart.  My boyfriend thought they looked like dorks.

I rush into the first store and ask about memory cards.  I know that it’s going to cost a fortune, and I don’t care.  I need pictures!

The store doesn’t have them and directs me to another store.  There are no memory cards in the second store and I’m sent to another store.  After checking with four more places on this wild goose chase, I decide to break the lock on my memory card.  Amazingly, the memory card allowed me to get a  dozen or so pictures before re-locking.

I never found the store that sold memory cards.  Huge bummer.

Lines, Lines and More Lines

My boyfriend’s patience had grown thin from my insistence that we find the memory card before getting on any rides.  Then we found out about the wait times for the coasters.  A new coaster at Cedar Point, the GateKeeper, had a wait time of 4 1/2 hours!

That’s right.  Folks were spending 1/6 of their day waiting in line to ride for a little under three minutes.

We opted out.

Instead, we braved the Top Thrill Dragster with a reasonable wait of 45 minutes.  By the second coaster, we were over the long wait times.  The rest of the day was spent on the low thrill rides like Bumper Cars and Merry-Go-Rounds.

I plenty more to say on Cedar Point.  Look out for the second part of this post later this week and add your Cedar Point comments below!

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