Magnum policy change?

Somehow, someway, I've managed to visit the park for 37 years...now complete with a wife and 2 kids...and I can honestly say I have never used a bin, nor have I ever paid for a locker.

I'm just saying; it's possible.

And you know why it's so easy for you?

Because you've been going to the park for 37 years.

It is utterly astounding to me how out of touch enthusiasts can be sometimes.

No, that's not the reason.

Not using bins or lockers is not specific to Cedar Point at all (or being an amusement park enthusiast in general).

Knowing the "best time" to get in lines or "how to ride" Mean Streak has something to do with being an enthusiast of a park.

Not carrying around crap that we need to stow away is just something we do wherever we go. It's merely a personal choice.

At what other venues do you visit for 12 hours at a time, once a year?

I'm not sure where you're going with that (obviously other places like Cedar Point; BGW & Dollywood being the last).

As a kid, we were never lugging stuff around, and if we were going to win/buy something (a stuffed animal, a ball, etc.) the rule was that was the last thing you did before we left to avoid the annoyance of carrying it around or losing it.

My parents were not enthusiasts by any stretch of the imagination.

Again, it's just a personal preference of how to visit a place. You want to bring a change of clothes and safari gear? Wonderful.

http://www.memebucket.com/mb/2013/01/PLEASE-DONT-FIGHT-866.png

I didn't know we were fighting, did you dj?

Of course not. :)

Kevinj said:
I'm not sure where you're going with that...

Just pointing out that a vast majority of guests visit once a year, and often stay the entire day. So not only do they have the pressure of maximizing their time (which precludes heading back to the car), they also don't have the experience that so many here have.

As a kid, we were never lugging stuff around...

My parents were not enthusiasts by any stretch of the imagination.

And that's great. But your family still sounds like an exception to the rule.

Though I'd be interested to know how frequently your family visited parks back then. Because if it's more than once a year, your family is certainly an exception to the rule.

Don't get me wrong - I loathe the impact bins and other inefficiencies have on wait times. But time after time when this subject comes up, many of the same people (who in most cases have been visiting parks several times per year for many, many years) all boast about how easy it is to carry everything they need in their pocket.

It's just striking to me how completely self-unaware that point of view is.

This isn't a change I'm gonna be excited about, but it isn't some sort of deal breaker either. It doesn't change how I tour, but then I don't do things like buy a giant garish soft drink bottle, the savings from which evaporate when I'd have to stash it in a locker.

What I do worry about is the park reverting back to the way it was 10-11-12 years ago (or the way Six Flags operated under Red Zone) with every ride lacking bins and lockers being demanded for riders while also not bringing back the entrance personnel that once manned virtually every ride in the park. The usually conflict filled interplay of guest w/giant loose article provided by park (drink bottle/stuffed animal/basketball) vs. cast member and the littering of entry areas with random crap isn't something I need to see, especially if it ends up taking place more often than not in the close quarters of the station. So please, Cedar Point, don't do that.

From my experience, the tendency of some people to carry a lot of stuff isn't limited to amusement parks or even places where people spend all day. I know people who bring a lot of stuff with them pretty much everywhere they go. Even if its just for a couple of hours. Some people seem to want to be prepared for any possible scenario (former boy scouts maybe?). Others seem to view it as something of a security blanket. They just feel better if they are carrying stuff with them no matter what it is actually. It becomes a part of their person. Wouldn't recognize them without carrying a lot of stuff.

As I stated earlier, I hate bins. But I will make the exception that I like for there to be a place to put a souvenir cup, which I often take into the park to capitalize on the $.99 refills all season.

Six Flags has a great system for this -- a rack where you can place your cup. The holes are all sized for the souvenir cups... and for those rides that do have bins, it keeps them free from cups and the hordes of people who need to retrieve them.

Still though, if it has to be an all or nothing choice, I'm absolutely in favor of eliminating all bins. For the sake of "consistency between rides". :) I can always stash my souvenir cup somewhere in the weeds or behind a fence post, which I have done many times before on rides like TTD.

Note to self: no need to purchase a souvenir cup this year. ;)

Last cup I bought was 2011 with Windseeker, the new half sized Coke deals aren't worth it IMO, besides I usually don't want a pop while in the park anyways. Gatorade or water in the car packed away, and maybe a beer with food in the park, that's about it if I want to eat off point. Still a fan of Dirty Dees and all the local fisheries.

djDaemon said:

And that's great. But your family still sounds like an exception to the rule.

Though I'd be interested to know how frequently your family visited parks back then. Because if it's more than once a year, your family is certainly an exception to the rule.

Definitely only once per year, and it was a 3 hour haul each way (Defiance, OH) back in the old pea-green Bonneville. We would always have a huge cooler in the car and make a trip out to the parking lot to break up the day, then head back inside to close out the day.

GoBucks89 said:

From my experience, the tendency of some people to carry a lot of stuff isn't limited to amusement parks or even places where people spend all day. I know people who bring a lot of stuff with them pretty much everywhere they go. Even if its just for a couple of hours.

I definitely agree with this.

I agree with that as well, but in many cases, the "cost" of carrying more than you might need is less than it would be at an amusement park.

"Better to have it and not need it..."

why don't parks just do what universal in Orlando did when I was there last year, they had FREE lockers to use by all(most) the rides. I wish parks got rid of all the bins in the stations. people bring way too much sh*t into parks. its crazy.

When we were kids we went to Cedar Point once a year. It was a two hour drive. If it didn't fit in our pockets (this was before cargo pockets) we didn't take it and mom would not carry it in her purse. I don't remember ever needing anything either. Dad, who could not ride the rides, sat on a bench and held mom's purse--and she rode everything.

When mom was in her 70's and early 80's she was still riding everything and refused to carry a purse. If it didn't fit in my cargo pockets we didn't need it.

And I don't think we were or are the exception to the rule.

Kevinj said:
Somehow, someway, I've managed to visit the park for 37 years...now complete with a wife and 2 kids...and I can honestly say I have never used a bin, nor have I ever paid for a locker.

I'm just saying; it's possible.

THIS, exactly; and I can add my once every 10 year trips to WDW, KI, Kennywood, and Knotts and still say THIS. Thanks.

Bluestreaker said:
When we were kids we went to Cedar Point once a year. It was a two hour drive. If it didn't fit in our pockets (this was before cargo pockets) we didn't take it and mom would not carry it in her purse. I don't remember ever needing anything either. Dad, who could not ride the rides, sat on a bench and held mom's purse--and she rode everything.

When mom was in her 70's and early 80's she was still riding everything and refused to carry a purse. If it didn't fit in my cargo pockets we didn't need it.

And I don't think we were or are the exception to the rule.

That's one way to look at it. Back in your day, the park's PR manager also wasn't looking to have "tweetup" giveaways to guests in the park and encourage them to post about their day in real time via social media either. So things are different now. I take a digital camera, my sunglasses (I wear prescription ones; probably not alone in the world w/that), a cell phone, and often my wallet. I try to pare that down whenever I can, but it turns out a real camera with actual features takes a lot better pictures than the tiny one attached to my smartphone, and that food at the park costs money.

Do I need most of that stuff to go into Cedar Point? No. Do I find that it enhances my enjoyment of visiting the park that I can shoot photo/video or use my phone for information and news? Uhh, yeah. Different era. I just think what a huge pain it would be if we all still shot film. Could you imagine still taking multiple rolls into the park? Or DV tapes?

I get a certain sense of freedom and contentment of not carrying a bunch of stuff. Debit card and sometimes car keys and a phone is all I want to carry. Phone goes into a cargo pocket.