CP Coaster Videos

I'm interested to know if anyone else has taken any front car videos while riding the coasters at CP. I have live action video from all of the coasters except Wildcat,mine ride and Disaster Transport. On DT we accidentaly shut off the camera. I have watched the tape in excess of 92 times and can't wait to have a tape from Millennium Force. The tape is the next best thing to being there. P.S. Would they throw you out of the park for this????????

Yes, they would. Operating cameras on any ride other than the train, Paddlwheel, Giant Wheel, Space Spiral, Skyride, etc., is a violation of park policy.

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Jeff
Webmaster/Guide to The Point

I never did like dodging disposable cameras and other stuff off the top of Power Tower when I worked there. I had one camera come about 2 feet away from hitting me head on cuz the person was trying to take a picture form the top, and lost grip of the camera. I didn't really feel all that bad for them and their camera since it could have killed me. I believe I speak for every ride op that has ever worked at CP, or ever will, please don't try to take pictures on the rides. You compromise the safety of everyone around you, and below you when you do. That "beautiful" picture or video just isn't worth the risk of killing somebody. Plus, in most cases, if you do hit somebody, ride op, another park visitor, anybody with whatever you have in your hand while on any ride, even by possible accident, you can be charged with assault.
This has been a public service announcement from PT98C, thank you for listening. And happy riding.
pTc 4-Life

Jeff,

I was under the impression that photography was not allowed on ANY ride (including Giant Wheel, Space Spiral, etc.)?

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Cedar Point Photography
http://www.schmidty.com/cp

PT98C your point is well taken about liability and injury. Our camera is a Sony minicam that fits in the palm of your hand. It has a strap that fits securely around your hand and there is a backup retention strap we made to make sure we don't lose the camera as it was quite expensive.Never came close to losing it on Magnum or Raptor. My friends wife would murder him if that camera didn't come home. Does this mean that my friend and I could have some of the only non professional live action shots from CP besides the folks from TLC? Wow...Better make myself a backup copy!!! P.S. I don't think we will risk our good fortune of not being caught and try it this year.

I don't know Walt, you might be right. However, I have very openly had my camera out (with the big 300mm zoom on) with bag in tow when I've been on those rides. In fact, I did two laps on Giant Wheel in this fashion and no one said anything to me.

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Jeff
Webmaster/Guide to The Point

I remember several years ago (circa 1990) that my dad was asked to put his video camera away on the CP & LE. I think I read somewhere (maybe even the Fun Guide) that it was prohibited on all rides, but I'm not sure. Maybe they just don't enforce it on those certain rides. Any ride op care to share?

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Cedar Point Photography
http://www.schmidty.com/cp

The thing is, the retention straps and safety straps may keep it close by to you, but what if it slips from your hand, comes up and hits you in the face while you're riding? That's still injury that is not needed. I don't know how many times we "downed" (stopped it and brought it back down) the turbo drop towers because of people taking cameras and other stuff up there. They prohibit cameras and stuff on every ride so they have some sort of cohesion. That way someone can't think "hey, i was allowed to have it on CP & LE, maybe they won't see it on magnum, or Power Tower, or MF". I just think that with CP's great safety record, that the guests could help keep that safety record as clean as the ops, and workers keep it. CP tries to give the best views, shots, and perspectives of every ride they have. You should see all the hubbub they have when they do promotional shots on rides. They take every safety precaution in the book, plus extra ones to make sure the ops and other workers close by are as safe as nothing even happening. Enforcement of the rules is of course up to the op. I think there is a small bit of leniency given on the "lesser" rides i.e. CP & LE, and other such rides. But on the larger rides, and I speak from personal experience, if someone was trying to take something up and I didn't catch it till the train was already heading up, or if i even saw someone reach into their pocket on a Turbo Drop tower I was working on, that sucker was downed in no time at all. And i believe every ride op on Power Tower will agree with that statement. believe me, with MF even taller than PT, I have every reason to think they will be even more strict as to what enters the line, and what goes inside those trains. I don't mean to sound like a hard ass (excuse my language Jeff) about it, but you look at it in a different light after a 2 lb camera or so is barrelling down from a height of 240 ft where it's falling faster than the actual ride itself, ?? ?? ????? ?????? ? ???? ?? ??? ?? ??????? ???? ??????? ??????? ????????????? ??????? ???? ??? ?????? ?????? ??? ???? ???? ????????? ???? ???? ?? ??????? ??? ?? ??? ?? ?? ???? ?????? ????????? ??????? ???? ??? ?????????? ??? ?? ??????? ???? ??? ???????? ???? ?? ???? ????? ??? ????????? ?? ??? ?????? ??? ???? ???? ??? ?? ?? ?? ??? ????? ?????? ?????? ???? ???? ???? ??? ????? ??? ????? ????? ????? ??? ??? ??? ????? ??????? ?? ??????? ???? ??????? ????????? ??? ? ???? ???? ???? ????????? ?? ???????? ?? ????? ??? ???????? ??? ??? ??????? ?? ?????? ????????? ???? ??? ???? ????????? ?? ??? ????? ??????????????? ??????

Well put. Safety is no accident.

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Jeff
Webmaster/Guide to The Point

PT98C, APPAULSE, APPAULSE. That's as close as I can come to giving you a standing ovation. You stated it perfectly. Regardless of the "safety straps" or whatever configuration the "Average Joe" has on his/her camera, accidents can and will happen. Being a past Ride Op myself, I have had to tell many a park guest to put the cameras away. To this day, if someone riding near me on a coaster pulls out a camera, I'll ask them to put it away.
People, CP has a great photographer who takes many photos from just about every angle you can imagine. JUST GO TO THE GIFT SHOP AND BY THE POSTCARD. DON'T ENDANGER, YOURSELF OR ANYONE ELSES SAFETY BECAUSE YOU WANT A "COOL VIDEO". Leave it to the professionals!!!

Thanks for your support Tim. It's no accident (no pun intended) that CP has one of the greatest, if not the best safety record of any park in the world. And it's everybody's job to maintain that high standard. I hope this topic will help steer a few more people away from attempting to take their own equipment on rides. Safety is everyone's concern, not just the park's.
Happy riding
pTc 4-Life

But How Come CP lets people bring there purses and bags on the rides. MY girlfriend brings her puse on every roller coaster, and quite honestly I think the weight of her purse is twice that of a camera. I'm always worried one day shes gonna loose something, but I guess there not because they let her take it on the rides. So why bags and purses, but no camera with a strap?

I'd rather get hit in the head by a flying purse or bag than a camera!

I never did get an answer to my original question.
Has anyone ever seen or have taken any videos while riding coasters at CP? You know, the homemade ones, not the made for tv versions. I can't hardly believe that ther isn't someone else out there with any. And "yes" we would have put the camera away if asked by the ride ops and "no" we don't plan to do it anymore.... all of your points about safety were well taken. Some of us can take constructive criticism without getting a chip on their shoulder.Thanks for the great web site......

Hey Gemini, I worked on the CP & LE Railroad in 1990.. maybe I am the one who asked your Dad to put away his camera :). Not sure about Ride Policy these days, but..I do believe there was a time that picture taking was not permitted on ANY ride at Cedar Point. Not just for safety issues of other guests and employees, but if you dropped your camera off the Train or the Paddlewheel boats Cedar Point could not be held responsible.

On America's greatest roller coasters 1&2 and ona video called Awesome Rides they should all most all of the cp coaster from the front car. Also i wrote to CP because I was writing a report. They sent me the best pictures(black and white) of Mantis, Magnum, and Mean Streak. I will be posting them on my new web page in a day or two. I will let everybody know when I post them.

If you look on amazon.com you can find a ton of rollercoaster dvds and videos. Some of which show coasters that are at CP.

Hey Andrew, I did the exact same thing. That Mantis picture of the diving loop is so cool!

I recorded Raptor on my 8mm camera. The loop is good, but the inline twists came out great. oh yeah forgot to add that I got a great shot of the CP midway from front car at the top of the hill.

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Welcome back Millennium Force riders...We all want to know how was your RIDE!!!!! *** This post was edited by Hooper on 2/20/00. ***