Just got back from my trip and to spare some of the details:
I have tried hard to avoid paying extra for the Fast Lane pass because it's usually really expensive and the program as a whole tends to erode the facade of fun when there's a money grab and class warfare (termed by Kevin's Defunctland video - Disney may have popularized ways to get people to pay extra for partially skipping a queue, but damned if every other park didn't try to get their own version), it's become a necessity unfortunately.
While I can respect that the staff seemed to be generally working hard, it stunk that many of the coasters had some form of downtime through each day - not sure if it's needing better maintenance staffing or something else impacting this. Maverick was the most egregious example of this.
I generally enjoyed most rides though if they replaced the older Arrow rides I wouldn't be too unhappy - they don't feel as loved and cherished by the park as Nessie is by BGW IMO. Also, I'd be perfectly happy with either or both Gatekeeper and Rougarou in Virginia - they're great rides of their respective types.
Though unexpected, I think my next visit will definitely include time dedicated to being on the beach if the weather cooperates - it offers a nice respite from the crowds on the midways and in queues.
While I had the drinks wristband both days and made use of it (only need 4 drinks each day to get my money's worth), I only got a full meal once at BackbeatQue. Generous portions, sides were good, and though it wasn't what I'd expect if I were to go to a true Texas-style smokehouse the brisket wasn't half bad either. The main criticism I have is I wish they house-made their sauce.
I stayed off property in Sandusky proper by the waterfront, and had a good time. As noted elsewhere, I learned to not order an Old Fashioned as nobody knows how to make one (they all got bourbon in the glass though, so points for that). Given the feeling of money-grabbing by the park, it was a good feeling to spread my custom to the true locals too.
The one major criticism of the whole experience was dealing with line cutting. Apparently kids up there think it's ok for a large group of their friends to join one or two others further up in line, as if the 'excuse me' bit should work. In one instance it got so bad that security actually got involved taking statements from us and the offending party, though they otherwise did nothing while agreeing the other party was in the wrong - how did that not result in an immediate ejection from the park baffles me considering all the signs and spiels stating as much.
Otherwise, I got much better views of the TTD project site including observing some pressure washing action on the track - at the time of writing this it's unclear what the end result will be though I'm guessing it's painting related.
One other thing that was made clear on a trip up Valravn was there seems to be an awfully large space next to the midway grandstand cleared out - there also appears to have an adjacent part of the marina parking lot on the other side of the fence blocked off and cleared out. I'm not sure if that's been like that for awhile or if that's normal, but my suspicion if not is there may be a new attraction of some kind heading there before too long.
Overall, I'm not sure if I would want to go back anytime soon unless someone else pays for me (highly unlikely) - they're trying to emulate Disney's pricing strategies a little too hard while also skimping on the overall experience.
