Magnum and Gemini Closed?

If it was construction related I wouldn't think cycling empty trains all afternoon would be any different than trains with guests. Unless the construction delayed them from starting preseason safety procedures which led them to not be ready for the State of Ohio to certify it.

That would be my guess as to what happened with Magnum. There's also a certain requirement for number of cycles that have to be put on each ride unit (train) before using it with the public. I think it's like 100 cycles. I'm guessing the ride is totally fine mechanically at this point, but they came up short on this number and thus the empty dummy cycling. Interesting that they were cycling it with only two trains though. I'd think it would be easiest to just get them all done at the same time. Putting 100 cycles on all three Magnum trains should only take between six and seven hours.

We skipped Gemini because when we went by there was a line all the way out to the midway with only one train running. Pipe Scream broke down right before we would have gotten on because the platform wouldn't come back up. Disappointed we didn't get to ride Magnum but I got plenty in for the amount of time we were there and 3 rides on Blue Streak so I'll just catch Magnum next week.

It could be different than cycling water dummies in that if it is actual people and somebody dropped their phone or something they could easily walk over to a not done yet fence around the low parts of the ride and grab it and possibly get hit. This assuming that no construction was taking place at the water park over the weekend in which case it can be assumed the water park would be virtually empty making it fairly easy to get away with.

Stupid question here, but I could've sworn on Sunday they were running red trains on BOTH sides of Gemini. Were my eyes playing tricks on me? Are the blue trains on the track? I didn't stay long enough to see the ride open, but I could've sworn at one point during testing both lift hills had a red train.

Magnum was not cleared from the state and had to run a minimum of 150 cycles per train.

Way to go CP!

You'd think after all these years, they would know what to expect and have things ready for opening! But, yet they fumble the ball every year!

It's like going to out to eat and then after complaining, you get the typical response, "We're short-staffed". Well, that's not my fault. That is poor management, plain and simple. Many years ago, Soak City opened early in season with unusual nice weather. I jumped in the lazy river on west side of Magnum. It wasn't long when I started being told by lifeguard to stay with group. They only had a limited number working, so they would follow group around. Finally near the end, after being told again, I snapped and yelled back, "give me a f'ing paddle then!". Leaving the park, I spotted a member of management and complained to him. "We decided to open park early due to nice weather but just don't have enough employees ready to work yet". I told him you shouldn't open early if you're not ready. I don't think they have opened the water park that early again since. They tried and failed.

It does make me feel a little better about not making it there this past weekend. Even though CP is not my favorite park anymore, it still holds a special place in my heart. Most of my coaster family has been made there on Magnum. I love the ride and it is main reason for returning to park. I haven't been there since opening 2015 and it's killing me!

Magnum "Candy" Man said:

Way to go CP!

You'd think after all these years, they would know what to expect and have things ready for opening! But, yet they fumble the ball every year!

It's like going to out to eat and then after complaining, you get the typical response, "We're short-staffed". Well, that's not my fault. That is poor management, plain and simple. Many years ago, Soak City opened early in season with unusual nice weather. I jumped in the lazy river on west side of Magnum. It wasn't long when I started being told by lifeguard to stay with group. They only had a limited number working, so they would follow group around. Finally near the end, after being told again, I snapped and yelled back, "give me a f'ing paddle then!". Leaving the park, I spotted a member of management and complained to him. "We decided to open park early due to nice weather but just don't have enough employees ready to work yet". I told him you shouldn't open early if you're not ready. I don't think they have opened the water park that early again since. They tried and failed.

It does make me feel a little better about not making it there this past weekend. Even though CP is not my favorite park anymore, it still holds a special place in my heart. Most of my coaster family has been made there on Magnum. I love the ride and it is main reason for returning to park. I haven't been there since opening 2015 and it's killing me!

I have to agree. I've been to other parks on opening weekend and they've been well oiled machines. CP each year is an expected mess, and this year was no different. I wonder how much they actually test the rides? I saw a Maverick train get stuck in the tunnel early opening day, then saw maintenance manually pushing Pipe Scream to it's proper position after a cycle so they could unload the riders. Lots of food and beverage locations were closed. And of course, the aforementioned closed Gemini and Magnum, though Gemini did finally open Sunday. Things did get a little better on Saturday and we had a good time overall, but Sunday was just too much and probably the most unhappy I've ever felt when I left slightly early at 7 PM. Part of that had to do with obnoxious patrons and that WAY TOO LOUD announcers on Valravyn combined with everything else. Stop shouting!

Couldn't agree more about the issues they have every opening weekend. I understand the staff is new and am patient with them, however the leadership at CP needs to figure out to better prepare with proper staffing levels as well as perhaps more testing to ensure their attractions are ready to operate.

I read a comment on Reddit, so take it how you want, that Magnum had some low-zone fences removed during CP Shores construction, so they could not start cycling until those were back in place. Yes, project management on this should have been handled better, but I get the feeling though that having Magnum open late is nothing compared to if CP Shores was not ready for the planned debut dates.

Magnum "Candy" Man said:

Way to go CP!

You'd think after all these years, they would know what to expect and have things ready for opening! But, yet they fumble the ball every year!

It's like going to out to eat and then after complaining, you get the typical response, "We're short-staffed". Well, that's not my fault. That is poor management, plain and simple. Many years ago, Soak City opened early in season with unusual nice weather. I jumped in the lazy river on west side of Magnum. It wasn't long when I started being told by lifeguard to stay with group. They only had a limited number working, so they would follow group around. Finally near the end, after being told again, I snapped and yelled back, "give me a f'ing paddle then!". Leaving the park, I spotted a member of management and complained to him. "We decided to open park early due to nice weather but just don't have enough employees ready to work yet". I told him you shouldn't open early if you're not ready. I don't think they have opened the water park that early again since. They tried and failed.

It's folks like you that will bitch if every life experience you have isn't 100%. It's folks like you that people who work in customer service can't stand dealing with and will never go out of their way to help or extend any sort of extras to. Has CP had some rough opening weekends? Of course. Other than Magnum's closure and some weather closures was this weekend pretty darn good for ride availabilty? Yes. Things happen and are rarely, if ever, perfect. That is the nature of the business. Folks like you feel entitled to demand perfection and then scream your demands and obscenities to employees and managers. All you do is make yourself look silly and provide us with great break room stories.

Would you rather the park not open until Memorial Day and then close the third week of August when the majority of kids go back to school? Or would you rather have a chance to get to go to the park the entire months of May, September, and October knowing things may not be at 100% staffing but you still get to get to have access to the place? Perhaps you should go work in Cedar Point management and realize that no matter how much planning goes into something, be it a new construction project or yearly staffing goals, there are outside factors that change and unexpected things come up and sometimes it just doesn't happen. And then when one coaster doesn't open for opening weekend I will demand to see you and make sure you know just what a horrible management team you are a part of because you don't know what you are doing. And then the next year we will have a beautiful April and you will decide to open up a weekend early, but because it was last minute you will only have staffing to run six or seven coasters. And I will ask to speak with you and hurl F bombs at your staff, rather than being tickled to get a free bonus trip into the park on what would be a closed day.

I flew 1,000 miles to come to CP opening weekend. Magnum is my favorite coaster in the park and possibly my favorite coaster in any park. Did I have a brief 10 second moment of being bummed when I found out I wouldn't be riding it on Sunday? You bet. Did I logically think about all of the work that went into CP Shores construction and the entire new gate and realize there was a chance there were a few snags along the way that delayed Magnum's preseason prep that since trickled down into a delayed opening for the season? Of course. Was I upset? Not at all. Was I thrilled to just be back in the park after a long offseason? Without question. Did I have a great day with people that mean a lot to me that I rarely get to see? I did.

It's all about life perspective I guess. And I am just glad I'm not as tightly wound about the little things as many seem to be. In the grand scheme of things, a Cedar Point running at 80-85% on Opening Day, Closing Day (or really, any day) is hardly anything for me to even think about.

So the waterpark expansion and new entrance was a huge failure, because it stopped Magnum from being opened the 1st weekend of the year? I think that's pretty harsh judgement. Read the disclaimer on your ticket.

Cartwright....

As someone who works in the hospitality/guest service industry, guests who share their frustration and feedback from their expearience rather positive or negative helps company's learn their guest actually feel about their product and experience.

Expectations for a positive experience should not be lowered because of a specific day, such as opening day. It's one thing when a business has an off day and challenges occur impacting a guests experience. The issues with attractions not functioning correctly or more to my prior points food service unable to handle guest demand due to piss poor planning is a consistent theme of opening weekends for years.

The parks leadership should review and look at where they failed or fell short of their guests expectations and then try something different.

At no point have I said the opening weekend was a overall failure, but there were many failures. I would compare it to paying to see a football game and they decide to only play three quarters. You should get what you paid for whenever possible. (Insert Cleveland Browns joke here)

It is one thing to give feedback about something. It is another to be disrespectful about it.

Compare Opening Day to Halloweekend Fridays. CP knows it will be short staffed and posts what rides will be closed. If they know rides will be closed (due to staffing, lack of certification, etc.) they should post it.

With weather, breakdowns, etc. you pays your money and you takes your chances. If CP knows a ride will be down, they should post it.

It is disappointing not to have all rides and attractions available on opening day. It happens a lot everywhere, though, and downtime for rides is something that should be expected. Any time of season, really, for whatever reason. I wonder what "well oiled machine" we're talking about here. Carowinds opened without one of their new, advertised attractions ready until a couple of weekends in. Same at Canada's Wonderland. And for years Cedar Point was famous for not opening any new major ride until partway through it's debut season. It's common to see rides and food stands closed at any park, especially when the crowds are light, staffing is an issue, or the weather sucks.
I was the guy who booked a non-refundable week at The Breakers the week Maverick was to debut. We all know how that turned out. I felt rather outta luck, but made the best of it and still found plenty to do, and never once dreamed of crying about it.

Speaking of staffing, good points are being raised here. But please consider a couple of other crucial variables. Cedar Point relies on college students for the bulk of its seasonal help. They come from all around the country and they come to stay. A lot of those students are just now preparing to leave school for the year and won't be available to leave home again for another minute. Cedar Point is in the middle of nowhere compared to parks in Cincinnati, Richmond, Charlotte, or Kansas City. Those places have a pool of high school students in the metro area who don't mind driving to a part time job on the weekends. Cedar Point doesn't have that kind of numbers in their local population. They have to wait.

CP used to open for daily operation the second week of May and it got pushed back. I can see why. Crowds were very light, staffing was an issue, and it was just not worth opening that early. I think Pete made the comment earlier that this seemed more like a "preview weekend", and that's exactly what it was.
I shake my head when I hear enthusiasts rejoice that the park is open a week earlier now, but then complain (loudly) when it's not 100% for those two lousy days. The lesson learned here should be, especially after more than a couple of disappointments, to just contain your excitement and wait to go when you know things are apt to be more to your liking.
I also shake my head when complaints arise from enthusiasts who weren't even remotely affected by the weekend's events. They weren't even there! And it's laughable to assume any problems that occur are due strictly to laziness or ineptitude on the managers' parts. Trust me, they would rather have things running smoothly than to read things like this or be taken aside and told they should never have opened in the first place!

The outdoor amusement industry is technically considered "show business" and should always be viewed as such. Think of the park like a play or a concert tour would be. Opening night is always going to be a different show than what you'll find at the peak of the run. Like all things, it's a learning and a growing process. Every season at Cedar Point will include an opening night.

RCMAC said:

I wonder what "well oiled machine" we're talking about here.

Most recently, Kings Island had a stellar opening weekend. They even let us in a bit early to start forming the line for Mystic Timbers. My first of 8 rides on the coaster was in the pouring rain, but it was clear the rest of the day. Down time for a new ride is expected, but MT was down so briefly over those two days. In fact, there was very little down anywhere the whole weekend. All food and beverage places were opened and we even commented that it seemed they had been opened for months with how well everything was going. By the way, Mystic Timbers has now beat out Maverick as my favorite coaster. They are definitely similar but MT wins. What a rush! I hope they don't ruin it by adding additional brakes in the future.

RCMAC said:

Pete made the comment earlier that this seemed more like a "preview weekend", and that's exactly what it was.

Yes, but the website stated the park would be fully operational both days. Perhaps the bleak forecast played in the staffing issues, even though it turned out to be a fairly decent Saturday. The only thing we didn't ride was TTD, which was because of its usual unreliability, and Magnum since it was closed. Any opening day I've been to at CP, be it a preview weekend or otherwise, is usually quite busy. The light crowd this year likely had more to do with the forecast than anything.

Maybe I'm missing something but wasn't Magnum the only ride not running? We're the lines not fairly short on most everything? Couldn't you get a lot of rides in throughout the day? Didn't they have food trucks to make up for some of the closed food stands, which many of the food commentators here wouldn't have made purchases from anyway?

I think some people are just too jaded and bitter that everything that isn't 100% perfect is a big fail. I was happy to get out in the park and ride some rides, use my meal plan, look at Mean Streak and drink at Surf Lounge. I had a good time.

TheRealMaverick said:

Cartwright....

As someone who works in the hospitality/guest service industry, guests who share their frustration and feedback from their expearience rather positive or negative helps company's learn their guest actually feel about their product and experience.

Expectations for a positive experience should not be lowered because of a specific day, such as opening day.

I have spent my entire career working in customer service. Customers sharing feedback and frustration is essential (as long as the organization is willing to take the feedback and find a way to make necessary changes)

What my experience has always been is when folks are entitled and simply demand 100% perfection 100% of the time, we don't take them seriously. Add in anyone who uses profanity with staff, be it during an in person interaction or written feedback, is not taken seriously and loses any credibility in regards to the actual issue at hand. Sadly, some companies reward this bad customer behavior by throwing insane amounts of freebies to folks who curse out staff and floor managers. Disney is perhaps the biggest offender in rewarding bad behavior.

As for the "no excuses just because it's Opening/Closing/non typical day" I love the theater analogy. You aren't going to get the same performance on opening night that you will midway through a run when everything really gels together. Much like the pilot of your favorite sitcom isn't always a particularly standout episode when compared to the best seasons. And not that it is a "valid" point, but CP working out the kinks on opening weekend is still far smoother operations than most Six Flags parks on their best day. Problems can't be predicted and you can only train staff in the preseason who are able to show up in mid April. Was Magnum being down this weekend any different than if the chain breaks in July and it's down for a couple of days? An unexpected issue came up and it wasn't able to open.

Being located in small town Ohio, there really isn't much more they can do in regards to staffing than what is already done. The fact they are able to open in early May and stay open until Halloween is actually pretty remarkable. I don't know many folks who aren't students or retirees who would be chomping at the bit for any of those hourly, seasonal positions. I can live with some food stands being closed or a non-racing Gemini or even a few bottom tier coasters being closed if the other alternative is moving Closing Day to Labor Day.

WolfBobs said:

Stupid question here, but I could've sworn on Sunday they were running red trains on BOTH sides of Gemini. Were my eyes playing tricks on me? Are the blue trains on the track? I didn't stay long enough to see the ride open, but I could've sworn at one point during testing both lift hills had a red train.

Your eyes deceived you. It was business as usual with two red trains on the left and two blue on the right. My eyes have played that trick on me before as well over the years in certain vantage points.