Fewer International Workers This Year

Nonsense. If a college kid can work at Disney or Cedar Point, and Disney offers the better environment, they should be compared.

Agreed. And like Chief said, I have choices to work elsewhere closer to my home that pays just as much at the end of it all, even though I don't get as many hours. The factors include:

* Pay that is about $1-2 more than minimum wage
* No housing costs
* Not near as much spending on food
* No spending on extra essentials like soap, shampoo, etc...
* And best of all, I'm sleeping in my own, comfortable bed, in my own space, after a decent day at work.

What's the motivation for a normal college student who doesn't really have much of an interest in the industry to go work there? First, its working at the best amusement park in the world, where they think they'll have as much fun working as they did when they were a guest. If they don't find the fun, then what's left to keep them there, if the housing conditions and other things didn't already turn them away? Heck, I love the industry, love Cedar Point, yet the only reasons I'm coming back this year are my friends and the fact that I've not really been able to look for a better job, between everything I've been involved with at college. If I could have gotten a job back in the Decatur-Berne area that paid $8+ an hour with decent hours (read, less than 10-12 a day, more like 6-8), there's a good chance I would have taken it. The housing is quite frankly deplorable, and I'm sitting here in my air conditioned room at college, thinking about how nice it is to only have one roommate, desk space, a comfortable bed, high speed internet, and sharing a bathroom with 3 other guys, instead of an entire floor that doesn't know the meaning of the word "clean." And I can only wonder why Cedar Point hasn't even attempted to catch up to current college living conditions (though I really know the reason, or rather, person responsible).

There are a lot of reasons TO work at Cedar Point. And, like a good soldier I tried to get potential employees to focus on those positive reasons during the recruiting process. Free access to the park, the beach, the girls/guys, etc. But my job would have been a HECK OF A LOT EASIER if I didn't also have to address the stories people heard about the housing.

Every year I had employees I recruited that I never met b/c they got to the Point, checked out the housing, and went home. Sometimes they might contact me before leaving and I would make every effort to find them someplace acceptable. Sometimes the parents insisted on turning around and going home. That is not an exaggeration.

Dick has the same philosophy of employee recreation as one of the previous posters. Hey, you've got the world's biggest amusment park and the beach at your disposal. Gee, isn't that just dandy? Because, you know, after working 50-60 hours a week (and then some) it should be obvious that I would want to hang out at my work and deal with the people who I cannot avoid while I'm working. Heck, when I was at Disney the novelty of free access to the parks wore off after a while.

BlueStreak...you don't have to wonder why Cedar Point hasn't caught up with their living conditions. Simply, it isn't a priority for Dick. And I think it is plainly obvious that his laissez-faire approach to it has been to the extreme detriment of the park. Again, name any other parks (outside of Disney) where they have the potential to house so many employees. They don't exist. So, it stands to reason that they have a corner on the market yet they do next to nothing to take advantage of that.

In Dick's language, there is "no ROI in employee housing." Well, sure, if you have a limited mindset that may be true. You know why College Program at Disney continues to grow? Because, the full time managers in the parks perfer the CP cast members. They are the cheapest labor around to be sure, but they also have pretty good attitudes about their work. And why shouldn't they? When they go "home", back to the housing areas, they are living a pretty good life. When I go to Disney I love talking to the College Program kids. You can pick them out with no trouble b/c they are, by and large, the happier employees. Happy employees translates to happy guests which...well, you get the picture. It isn't hard to connect the dots.

Disney markets the CP experience as a living, working and learning environment. Well, Cedar Point has the working environment. But, they have little, if any, learning environment and their living environment, for the most part, blows. This crap about not being able to compare Disney and Cedar Point is just that...crap.

Even with average at best wages Cedar Point could be known as THE place to go after your senior year of high school or for a summer job during college. Instead, they go to Romania to look for employees. The absurdity of that is really something.

I'm glad Chief and Jeff didn't think my comparison was so ridiculous.

Honestly for me, the first summer I worked at CP it was just that, a summer job. The second summer I was more concerned with my academics and professional development, so I worked with my university and with Peggy in park operations and I contracted a work/study program since I was PR major working in guest services. I got a few credit hours out of the job which was great.

I knew though that was as far as my professional development would go as a seasonal employee at Cedar Point, so the following summer I PAYED to live in London and intern for a PR company for college credit as well as boost my resume. I payed for that experience, as opposed to working at CP again and getting paid to do it.

NO, not every employee may be interested in this arrangement, and lets face it there are a lot of CP employees that are not college students, and many of the college students who DO work at CP are much more concerned with partying and having a great time than actually working and developing professional skills. But those aren't necessarily the type of employees the company should be seeking to bring in either.

I could be totally wrong but I can't help but think that developing a training/education program for college students at CP (and of course improving housing) would really bring in the higher caliber, professional, mature college students who currently opting to spend their summers elsewhere.

I forget whose suggestion it was but I really liked the idea someone else suggested of perhaps leasing the housing out to the other indoor waterparks etc. in the off season as well so the rooms don't sit empty half the year.

But Why? Bayside is open year round and is big enough to house all the castaway workers. Plus it had renovations this winter. I plan to go there this year after a great year at Commons Dorms. The only downside was it being small (I called it cozy) and a kitchen would have been nice.

Chief Wahoo said:

In Dick's language, there is "no ROI in employee housing." Well, sure, if you have a limited mindset that may be true. You know why College Program at Disney continues to grow? Because, the full time managers in the parks perfer the CP cast members. They are the cheapest labor around to be sure, but they also have pretty good attitudes about their work. And why shouldn't they? When they go "home", back to the housing areas, they are living a pretty good life. When I go to Disney I love talking to the College Program kids. You can pick them out with no trouble b/c they are, by and large, the happier employees. Happy employees translates to happy guests which...well, you get the picture. It isn't hard to connect the dots.

Exactly. I don't understand how management doesn't realize that happy employees do a better job. Last summer I hear lots of guests complain about how employees seemed to not care about their jobs and looked bored and unhappy all the time. Its totally true too. We didn't have any incentive to do more than the bare minimum required of us. Even if we did less than that the only punishment we would get would be some "points." I remember hearing stories of people with like 30 points because they couldn't afford to fire anyone or else they wouldn't have enough people. The point system was pretty stupid too. If I make it to the end of the summer and have all my points whats stopping me from calling off work for a couple of days just to get a little extra time off? Why not just sleep in a couple of hours and just take the points?

They could improve so much just by making little changes. The grooming guidelines look like they haven't been updated in 25 years. Why on earth are mustaches allowed but other facial hair isn't? Who wears pleated shorts anymore?

I actually had the most write ups at our stand for just about everything (I have each one in a file) and was the was bigger screw ups then me and yet they just skated around and got away with stuff. Get this. The only time I was in DEEP DEEP DEEP with some VIPS instead of sending me home or fired, I was sent to a different stand for the rest of the day. That actually was a reward for me cause I always tried to get away from our stand. There was one catch. There was one minor that had gotten on my last nerve and it turned out that on my day off she had sent to a new stand for good and I was very happy. Yeah I hated her but karma bit me in the butt because that was the stand I was sentenced too. In the end nothing happened to me other then returning to CJ's to die like nothing ever happend.

Wow sounds like you're a grade A employee. Hope to see you back this season. *rolls eyes*

Actually the it was the fact that I was so hard working and everyone knew it that if there was the slightest slip up it would usually fall on me. The write up were bogus if you read them and the case above was a you had to be there kind of deals. I hope to see you back too. For real.

I was pretty happy every day at work, and housing wasn't much of a big deal for me. It had no effect on me, even while working above what was required. If your not motivated to work, of course your going to feel unhappy all the time, get write ups, etc.. I think management does realize it.. to be a happy employee you need to be happy with what you do, even though housing may not be the best :) (well, finding them to hire is another story, who would want to work at an amusement park anyway!)

My apoligies Chris, I read it fast and didn't get what you were saying. I re-read the post and I see what you mean. Sorry.