Exit Riders

Ok, have a question for everyone. I know handicapped can come up the exit to ride and "skip" the line as well as parents with small children. Why are there some that come up that fit neither of these categories?

Here is my rub with that, waiting in line for SV Sunday, decided why not wait a little longer for the front car. Wee were next to go and were asked can you wait yet another train so these riders coming up the exit ramp could ride? Of course I said sure, but my rub is this. They should not be allowed to ride front or back cars since those seats have extra waits for them. If they want to ride those seats they should at a minimum have to wait the extra time like we all do to ride in that seat. Or be made to ride any other seat other than those premier seats.

Maybe I am missing something here, just don't think it's fair to make some of us wait an extra train when we already waited longer to get the premier seating.

What you're missing is the weirdness of your entitlement that your able-bodied self can ride in the front, but someone who is wheelchair bound shouldn't because it's not fair.

You should consider yourself lucky that you even got to pick your row on SV....

They could have had skip the line passes and not be a parent or disabled.

Delete your post before RCMAC sees it and tears you a new one. I have seen him do it. 🤯

There are several different kinds of Boarding Passes available to fit the needs of the particular disability but one thing they all have in common is the the guest still has to wait, just not in the queue. Often times the wait is longer than the queue.

I will touch on one non-obvious disability that needs the program which is Autism Spectrum Disorder. The conditions are varied and no two people with ASD are exactly alike but trust me you do not want to be in line when one has a meltdown due to a trigger.

Regarding front and back row, most of the time front row is not allowed especially on Dragster but it is inconsistent and I guess depends on the associate or crew/area supervisor.

I'm seeking diagnosis as well. Having a son with ASD, and given my understanding of it, my entire life would make a great deal more sense if I knew.

^Jeff, since your son has ASD, I'm sure you already know this. But men are 4.5 times more likely to have ASD then women. Also, genetic's plays a HUGE role in autism. As much as 80%. Because your son has it, there is a good chance you do as well.

Don't hesitate to get yourself an assessment. But before the assessment, sit down with your spouse, parents if they're still around, siblings, etc. Anyone who spends a lot of time around you who may notice certain behaviors that you may not be aware of. All of you should look at the symptoms of ASD and if you have that symptom, highlight it, so you can discuss it with your psychiatrist or assessment team.

Obviously, the docs will do their own assessment, but if you can bring that info to the table, it will help them in their diagnosis.

Sorry to get this thread off topic. I just want to help you!

Cargo Shorts is 100% correct in his point that ASD manifests itself differently in the affected individuals. My now 15 year old son calms himself by flapping his arms and "stimming" with some random object (holding the item up in front of his face). In our 10 years of CP Platinum Passes we have several hundred CP visits. We certainly would have been eligible for the handicap access, however we never once have used it. Ethan waits quite well in the lines, usually people smile at his mannerisms and quirks. Most Ride Operators were understanding & sweet with him. This is not to criticize those that do utilize the handicap access as we must all assess our needs appropriately.

I have held a personal theory that is totally unscientific regarding the explosion of Autism diagnosis over the past 20 years. Back in the 60's & into the 70's you didn't here the word Autism barely at all. In the 80's, 90's & beyond our food supply has been pumped to extremes with hormones & supplements. A cow stands at that trough and sucks down a mixture of all kinds of stuff, and we drink the milk that comes from it. I think all those additives contributed to the Autism numbers rising. Just a thought, as Autism has been a real "roller coaster ride" for our family.

As for Blue Gemini, those 42 straight rides may have rattled the thought process.

jimmyburke said:

I have held a personal theory that is totally unscientific regarding the explosion of Autism diagnosis over the past 20 years. Back in the 60's & into the 70's you didn't here the word Autism barely at all. In the 80's, 90's & beyond our food supply has been pumped to extremes with hormones & supplements. A cow stands at that trough and sucks down a mixture of all kinds of stuff, and we drink the milk that comes from it. I think all those additives contributed to the Autism numbers rising. Just a thought, as Autism has been a real "roller coaster ride" for our family.

The reason autism numbers rose so rapidly during the past 20 years has to do with several things. First, what we called autism back in the 1980's (much less the 1960's, when Autism and Schizophrenia were considered the same thing) only accounts for a very, very small percentage of what we call Autism in 2021; more specifically, only the most extreme cases on the spectrum that we know of today were diagnosed as Autism.

When the APA changed the diagnosis of Autism to Autism Spectrum Disorder, they rolled about half a dozen other diagnoses (Asperger's being the most well known, but also PDD, etc.) into the single diagnosis. Put it this way: if we started calling all the different anxiety disorders "General Anxiety Disorder", rates of "General Anxiety Disorder would skyrocket exponentially. Rates rose. I hope that makes sense.

The other reason is just greater awareness of Autism and less stigma of being diagnosed. If you were diagnosed with autism in the 1960's there is a good chance you would be put into a state mental hospital and disowned by your family (literally). Ohio's abandoned mental hospitals alone are littered with graves marked only by numbers because of the shame/stigma/ignorance that still exists is some forms today.

I have no affiliation with this website, but here is a quick glance about what is at these hospitals

Your personal theory about hormones, food additives, etc. has been studied. There is no correlation. And I'm not saying that flippantly, arrogantly, or in any kind of tone other than conversational; it's important to know that there have been dozens of such theories abound about not just autism but almost every other mental illness that does nothing but set the field back. It's no different then the damage Jenny McCarthy and politicians like Kennedy did promoting the idea that vaccines (MMR, specifically) "caused" autism.

And to the original poster, two points: 1) not every disability is overtly visible, and 2) it's none of your business why they are there and being allowed in a seat that you a) did not "earn" by waiting in line longer, and b) is a ride experience that they are just as qualified as you are for.

God forbid your un-disabled self had to wait 3 more minutes to ride a world-class coaster during a pandemic.

That's my "rub".

POST SCRIPT: It's pretty incredible that we live in a reality where people can openly talk about mental illness. We have such a long, long way to go with regards to stigma, but the fact that people in a public forum such as this can even bring it up shows how far we have come. My own battles with anxiety disorders and depression are why I do what I do, and the more people who normalize it by talking about it are helping. Not my usual sarcastic, funny-with-a-gif response on this one.

And just to clarify it for BlueGemini, having been at the park with someone in a wheelchair who utilized the alternate access pass, you go up the exit ramp, and show the attendant on the platform your paperwork. He or she then gives you a time to return to board, usually about the same time as you would wait in line. Call it a virtual queue, because that's exactly what it is. It's not like we rolled right up and got on.

Kevinj said:

And to the original poster, two points: 1) not every disability is overtly visible, and 2) it's none of your business why they are there and being allowed in a seat that you a) did not "earn" by waiting in line longer, and b) is a ride experience that they are just as qualified as you are for.

To your 2nd point, I just want to add. Ironically, throwing a fit over people receiving more attention than you is a symptom of ASD.

2020TpForSale said:

Don't hesitate to get yourself an assessment. But before the assessment...

This isn't some spontaneous curiosity, I assure you. My therapists have all "identified" it, but they aren't technically qualified to diagnose as a doctor would.

I’ll add my two cents, based on personal experience:

At 18 months old my son was diagnosed with high-functioning autism, and has since been down a long road with a lot of specialists and doctors all whom have expressed various different opinions on the diagnosis. He is now ten years old and to be perfectly honest, exhibits not one, single “symptom” of autism. At all. Case in point, he recently was at his annual checkup and his doctor made the statement that he believed my son was diagnosed far too early, as it was obvious he no longer fell on the spectrum.

My point in sharing this is that I think we live in an age where too many kids are over-diagnosed; while the ones who truly need the support and intervention of medical specialists often go unnoticed. This isn’t to say that autism isn’t real, because it very much is. But there is a problem, at least in my opinion that kids are getting tested far too early in life for it, and more often than not are automatically put somewhere on the spectrum because they exhibit one behavior out of an entire ocean of “autistic” behaviors that sometimes are nothing more than normal child behaviors.

That being said, I know many parents whose children truly fit the the bill of autism, and it’s certainly challenging and difficult at times for them to manage the diagnosis and balance a normal life for that child. So there’s a real opportunity that exists for us to understand autism better and develop more specific ways of testing for it, at more appropriate age levels.

The problem there is early diagnosis is key and critical to more positive outcomes.

DRE420 said:

And just to clarify it for BlueGemini, having been at the park with someone in a wheelchair who utilized the alternate access pass, you go up the exit ramp, and show the attendant on the platform your paperwork. He or she then gives you a time to return to board, usually about the same time as you would wait in line. Call it a virtual queue, because that's exactly what it is. It's not like we rolled right up and got on.

Right on. Also in the past, depending on the ride they entrance attendant will ask if you want to sit in the front and then add 10-15 minutes to your return time. So the alternate access is also waiting for the front, just virtually as well.

CP's alternate access to me has always been the most fair and equitable to all parties.

Cedar Point is also giving out these skip the line exit passes when you get stuck on a ride and have to wait a while for them to work it out. I received one after a 15 minute wait in the sun stuck at the end of Gatekeeper and my daughter and friends got one for waiting about 15 minutes in the train after her Dragster ride. Is this a new policy for CP? Kind of like how the Disney Parks give out fastpasses for unhappy customers.

Not new, several years ago I witnessed an area supervisor fill out a stack of them for a guest at the Be Made Whole Again Counter in Town Hall.

We received them for being stuck on skyride (at dusk with a great view of the celebration stage fireworks made it a good experience) but it got better when we walked up the exit and onto the front of maverick with no wait.

My only disability is being an idiot so you never can tell.

Jeff said:

What you're missing is the weirdness of your entitlement that your able-bodied self can ride in the front, but someone who is wheelchair bound shouldn't because it's not fair.

Not entitled at all! Just think they should be placed in line lets say behind ones waiting for these premier seats. So when the come up the exit if there are three trains worth waiting for the seat then they are the 4th to go. That's all.

DRE420 said:

And just to clarify it for BlueGemini, having been at the park with someone in a wheelchair who utilized the alternate access pass, you go up the exit ramp, and show the attendant on the platform your paperwork. He or she then gives you a time to return to board, usually about the same time as you would wait in line. Call it a virtual queue, because that's exactly what it is. It's not like we rolled right up and got on.

Got it! Thanks for the clarification!!