Cedar Point Today (10-1-06)

STR8FXXXINEDGE said:
But I did manage to get the last train of the night in the front seat on Millennium Force without even trying,

Drew07 said:
I was on the last ride of the night on MF as well, towards the middle.

What was it, the pre-Closing Day last ride on Millennium? I was on the last train too! :)

It really was amazing to see so many coasters running without their full complement of trains. I was with my daughter, so I didn't get to ride anything major, but I did see what I would characterize as unusual waits for the size of the crowd.

I hope this was merely a staffing issue, and not CF economizing. That would be exactly the wrong thing to learn from SF's struggles. I usually go to the Point 3 or 4 times in May to take advantage of the light crowds, but I may have to rethink that, depending.

Its really unacceptable for CP to be doing this. Six Flags does it all the time, and I think it is horrible and inexcusable. DBCP is right, its one thing if there are no lines for the rides. But when there is a line, those guests deserve to get on the rides as quick as the park can make it. Running rides less than capacity is unacceptable. Guests are still paying full admission, so rides should be run the best they can be run. Waiting 35 minutes to get on Iron Dragon because the park decided it wasn't necessary to run three trains is just wrong.

Guests notice too. I hear people that couldn't tell you the first thing about coasters making comments like "Why aren't they using that extra train over there" or "These employees are so slow in loading the ride". It not only hurts the guests, it hurts the parks. People will become agrivated if they are waiting a long time due to a parks incompetance.

Hopefully this isn't the parks new idea on how to save money. I'll be hoping this is corrected for next weekend. *** Edited 10/2/2006 11:35:02 PM UTC by Top Thrill 182***

How would it save money if its not due to staffing?

Top Thrill 182 said:
so rides should be run the best they can be run.

So if a ride is understaffed and the best they can run the ride with less staffing is one train less than max, they are running the ride the best it can be run.

I know I'm more aggravated when I'm sitting in the train on a brake run waiting to get out (i.e. seatbelted CS with 3 train operation).

*** Edited 10/2/2006 8:24:02 PM UTC by JuggaLotus***

Here's what really gets me though... Every ride can justify running 2 trains. While one is running its course, you can load/unload the other. It makes perfect sense.

Secondly, are ride operators told not to dispatch trains (when only running 2 versus 3) until the other is almost back in the station, if not having hit the brakerun? Sometimes I feel like they want to make it look like there's always a train in the station. Running two trains keeps rides like Magnum from having riders stuck in the block by the lift when there's a backup. Because of this, the ride operators are in far less of a hurry. Even when you're only running 2 trains, you should want to get the trains out as fast as the computer and blocking system will let you; you'll move people a lot faster than if you wait for the next train to get back. It's easy to understand; the sooner you dispatch it, the sooner it'll get back.

But if you wait for the train to almost get back before releasing, you give yourself the most time to get that train reset before it needs to move. Not a bad plan when you are shorthanded.

True, but there's no reason that if you did fall into a backup, the train couldn't sit in that block for a few seconds. And, most of the coasters I rode yesterday generally weren't short-handed from the norm on the platforms. The only exceptions were for a few minutes on Mean Streak and Gemini when breaks were over-lapping.

DBCP said:
Here's what really gets me though... Every ride can justify running 2 trains.

That wouldn't work very well with Wicked Twister.

**Edited to increase humor quotient.**
*** Edited 10/2/2006 9:49:52 PM UTC by Ensign Smith***

Okay, so any ride that has more than one train. :)

JuggaLotus said:
So if a ride is understaffed and the best they can run the ride with less staffing is one train less than max, they are running the ride the best it can be run.

Well let me edit my original statement- understaffing, while it could be an explanation, is not an excuse. Running the ride the best it can be is not considering how much staff is on hand. A guest could care less about the park's staffing problems, all they would care about is why after paying $40 dollars a person they are still receiving sub-par operations. CP needs to have enough staff present so that rides can be run to the best of their intended ability- end of story. After paying close to $200 for a family of four nothing else really matters.

I hate to be the one to say this, but I don't think we should complain about it when it's in regards to a Sunday of Bonus Weekends. Saturday-yes, but not Sunday. We should appreciate that they even stay open this late in year. All they have to do is say "Fine, if people aren't happy, we will just close early".

I don't like it either, But, hey, I get to ride coasters until Halloween! So I can live with it.

Brian - it was good seeing you too! I love the pic in your profile!! :) That was a blast!!

It's not like they're losing money on staying open, is it? As long as people will come, they'll stay open.

Well, to answer someone's question, its not that ride operators are told not to dispatch the second train until the other returns to the station, its just that when running two trains, the dispatch interval changes. On Magnum, for example, when three trains are running the interval is when the train reaches the top of the second hill. When running two trains, the next train should not be dispatched until the previous train makes the turn around Soak City on the way back to the station, making it seem like a lot longer between dispatches, and it is, because usually the train makes it back before dispatch anyway. As far as operators being slower when two trains are running, it happens somtimes, especially since when running three and one train takes too long to dispatch, the ride basically shuts itself down in a system "set-up" and let me tell you, thats just a pain..so two trains give you a lot more room to breathe. But as long as there isn't stacking in the ready brakes, it doesnt make that much of a deal capacity wise.