Early Entry Enforcement?

I have never seen a checkpoint inside the park when entering through the Soak City entrance. Maybe they actually enforce the rules at the gate back there? There was one time I went around 2 years ago that they were letting all tickets, not just CP hotel guests, and passes in early from that entrance though. We were not pleased. I didn't see this happen last year, but if it did, it must not have been enough people to notice. It seems really stupid to have checkpoints inside the park when those allowed in during that extra hour can be just as easily checked at the gate and allowed or denied until opening.

jsmith7300 said:

I was just pointing out the irony of having uber restrictive grooming policies supposedly intended to make employees appear "friendly and approachable" and then permitting employees to holler at guests with a microphone and try to talk (or in some cases guilt) them into playing a game.

The game barkers are as old as amusement parks themselves, its a totally different thing from walking into Home Depot and some guys tries to sell you a bath remodel. Besides, the games employees are nicely groomed also!

Thabto said:

I wish the DirecTv sales people at Best Buy were like that. They come and talk to you when you're in the middle of shopping. They've gotten better, but I was very close to not going there anymore for that reason.

People still shop at Best Buy? Anyway, several seasons ago I was approached by a park employee with a clipboard. All he asked for was my zip code.

I can remember years ago when everyone was let into the park after the national anthem at 9, but there was no rides open until 10.

Somewhere I have a collection of the old viewfinder keychain pictures. My best friend and I used to get them every year. I have at least one with my husband when we were dating. My kids have never asked for one, I don't think they even know what they are. Do they even sell those anymore? Most days It seems easier to me to smile for 10 seconds than to refuse the picture but I never end up looking at the pictures.

Yes. The DirecTV reps came up to me once while I was shopping in the video game section and once while I was shopping for DVDs. Very annoying. And they kept going on and on about how good DirecTV is when I was clearly not interested. They should not be in the video game and DVD sections, stay near the TVs.

Jeff said:

RCMAC said:

Ever been to Disney? Turn a corner in a park or a resort and there's someone asking you if you've heard of the Vacation Club.

That is not true. They are not permitted to actively engage people that way. You have to approach them.

Speaking of Disney, I wonder if Cedar Point would ever consider doing a (much) smaller version of the Memory Maker that Disney offers. 45Wheelgun mentioned (above) that the "contract" for the photo folks is up and to be on the look out for something newer and more modern.

I underestimated how much we would love this little invention of Disney; so worth the pricetag, and I can see this working pretty well...on a much smaller scale of course...at Cedar Point.

I find it hard to believe that a person will stand in line for an hour to ride a 16 second ride. But to be asked to pose for a picture that takes 25 seconds out of their time is bothersome. You don't have to pose for the picture. I usually won't. We go to the park often enough that their wouldn't be anything special about it. Now when we take our grandson who is almost 4 now to the park for the first time. Hell yeah I want the keychain picture thing you look through into a light. They aren't even really that expensive. I don't think anyone expects you to buy the picture. They are just offering a service that you can politely decline.

As far as ERT. We'd went through the front gate at KI and CP this year so far. And there has been a second checkpoint that we had to get our passes back out to pass through. That stops the GP from getting into the ERT. I don't know about the back of the park.

kylepark said:

I can remember years ago when everyone was let into the park after the national anthem at 9, but there was no rides open until 10.

I remember those good old days. I'd usually bee-line to whatever coaster I thought was the highest priority and queue up to make sure I'd get a ride ASAP once it opened.

thedevariouseffect said:

...how they get anything is beyond me. Not once or ever will I buy a picture from them

Maybe that's because, oh, I don't know, you visit the park (and other parks) more than once a year? ;-)

Seriously, the enthusiast community seems completely and utterly disconnected from reality sometimes, and this is a great example. For most people in the park, that's their annual trip. Having a memorable picture of the entire family, without having to ask some rushing-to-get-in-line stranger to snap it, is pretty valuable.

I've never been bothered or otherwise annoyed at the picture folks. In fact, we'll sometimes get our picture taken, just in case the visit turns out to be a particularly memorable one. It is, after all, free, and takes about 10 seconds.

Well, exactly. And it takes about one second to smile and say no thanks and keep walking.

For several years I worked on a part-time basis as a portrait and event photographer (weddings, fundraisers, etc.) in addition to my regular full-time profession. The experience allowed me to encounter a pretty broad spectrum when it comes to people's comfort level with photographers. There are people who couldn't care less if someone takes their picture. There are photo "hams" who want attention and will strike a pose every change they get. There are groups that specifically want their picture taken because it is rare for them to all be together at the same time. There are people who do not want their picture taken by anyone...period. Others are fine taking casual photos with friends on their cell phones but become very uncomfortable as soon as they see someone with a DLSR.

The first time that I walked through the front gate at Cedar Point and was approached by someone with a camera I became defensive in my body language. Not because I was apprehensive about having my picture taken, but because I didn't know why that person was holding a camera and blocking my path. Was he going to take our picture and then try to talk us into buying overpriced photo merchandise? Was I about to be put in a position where I would have to try to walk away and ignore a sales pitch? This was supposed to be a day of fun and interacting with sales people is not my idea of a good time. However, once I realized that there was no obligation involved my reactions have been a lot different on subsequent visits. There have been times where we simply walk through when the photographers are distracted with other guests. We've also stopped a couple times and figured "ah, what the heck" and had our picture taken because we knew that we weren't going to be given anything other than a card telling us where we could buy photo gifts if we were interested.

Personally it wouldn't bother me if they eliminated the front gate photography "barrier" that you have to pass through and set up something on the side where groups could stop for photos if they so desired. They could have a special Cedar Point themed background, something unique that people would want to pose in front of for group shots, and put it some professional lighting that can be triggered with pocket wizards or some other remote. I've seen this done by action / sports photography companies for race photos and it works out nicely. What they're doing right now is using on-camera flash and anyone can get that same image quality with a cell phone or point-and-shoot camera these days. The only thing they're really offering that the average person can't get on their own is the photo merchandise. So why not increase the appeal of the merchandise by including a photo that they can't recreate on their own?

I had purchased the photo keychain three times in my life, with three different boyfriends. But with everyone's point about phone cameras, group selfies, etc., I think its time is passed.

As far as early entry, I bet they want to make everyone feel good as they start their day, or that they're getting a deal in being able to enter early, but it is a perk for passholders and hotel guests that should be honored just for them, otherwise it degrades the value of it. They should think of a tactful universal reply for those that are trying to get in before general opening. If they want to continue to let them in, make sure someone is at each open ride's gate and check the passes and hotel cards like they do on ride nights so they can't enter the line. I think it would be easier to just not let them in. I remember standing in line at the gate for them to open at their stated time well before early entry and perks.

I wonder how much more money that perk generates in Platinum Pass upgrades or CP Resorts stays? Is it really worth it for the park to bother with or should they just get rid of it? Back in the day, park gates opened at 9:00am and rides started when ready between 9:00 and 10:00 for everyone. That changed when they decided to offer a premium pass upgrade called Joe Cool Club. I wonder if it matters these days?

Well, some people here stated they relied on it to get their main rides in or marathon. So I imagine it still holds a lot of value in it alone in why people choose the platinum pass.

Going back to the Enforcement of the ERT, I once saw a young woman come in through the gates with a Regular ticket, when I was behind her in line. When I went up to the barrier she showed them A gray/shiny credit card and got in...

Yeah, without morning ERT, the pass would instantly lose a huge chunk of value for us. This is especially true in recent years as we've been staying at Castaway Bay, which comes with ERT access (provided you don't use the PASS promotional discount).

Don't get me wrong - the math still works out pretty favorably regarding raw value with regard to ticket cost and parking. It's just that without ERT, we might opt to spend that money on other entertainment options.

The perk for us is definitely something that enticed us but the biggest benefit was being able to go to different parks.

Today we are going to Kings Island and I thought we would take advantage of early entry, but as I write this my husband is still fast asleep.

Yesterday at CP they were letting everyone through the checkpoints, it was pretty annoying.

Early entry was a big factor in our decision to stay at Cedar Point hotels twice last year. It was also one of the main perks that persuaded us to drop nearly $700 on Platinum Passes this year.

I agree with Brandon that early entry adds to the value of the passes. If it isn't enforced then that value as a perk is diminished. Is that enough to cause people not to renew their passes? That's hard to say because the passes have some other strong perks. But if the lack of enforcement causes people to even think about not renewing, then that ought to be of some concern to the park. Early entry access is something that they have complete control over so protecting the value should be a fairly simple task.

I recently sent a message through the Cedar Point Contact link expressing my concern over whether early entry policies were being enforced.and did receive a quick reply:

Dear Bradley,

By way of introduction I am Gretchen Miller, a Park Admissions Supervisor at Cedar Point. I appreciate our guests who take the time to share their comments with us. Please accept my apology for your experiences during your recent visit. From your comments, it appears that we missed the mark on our service levels that day.

All guests are allowed to enter a certain distance into Cedar Point at 9am, but only Platinum Pass Holders and Resort guests are allowed full access to the park for the Early Entry Rides. Please accept our apologies if this procedure was not enforced on the day of your visit. Your comments have been forwarded to management in our Park Operations Division and will be discussed with the gate staff to ensure it does not happen again.

Thank you for bringing this matter to our attention. We value our guest’s comments highly and hope your next visit to Cedar point is more enjoyable.

Sincerely,

CEDAR POINT

Gretchen Miller

Park Admissions Supervisor

At least she took the time to respond.

It's just like the form letter I have used for a service failure. We insert name, service failure, follow up, and an apology. Dependent on the severity of the failure, I have included compensation for goodwill towards the customer.