Mechanical / wind issues all over the park Sunday!

If you open Cedar Point in the winter, they won't come. It was tried in the 90s and it was a flop. First, they can't run the rides. Second, the peninsula is a miserable place to be in the winter. Third, they can't hire enough people to staff the place, etc, etc, etc.

Point me to an amusement park that has a weather policy that you like. As I said, maybe others are doing something I'm not aware of.

TTD is running today. Gatekeeper is down due to wind and not expected to open today (said the person at the entrance). MF's blue car is off the tracks in pieces between the queue and train tracks

They have a hard enough time staffing for halloweekends.

It's been a year or so since our last Dollywood visit, but at that time they still had a raincheck policy. B

"Rain Checks
If it is raining when you leave the Park and your visit is shortened by the rain, you can request a Rain Check—just ask. Rain Checks are distributed at the Season Pass Center and are valid until the end of the season. Rain Checks are not available for Season Passholders."

I stand corrected. I did a quick Google search and I see that Hershey Park and Dutch Wonderland both offer some type of rain check policy (for guests who purchased a ticket...not for Season Pass holders or Comp Ticket holders) and Six Flags New Englad is offering something similar new this year.

So, I guess we will see if those programs pan out. But, I won't take back my other comments. We've let guests become real bastards...and Cedar Point sucks from December to April.

Chief Wahoo said:
Today the customer is often wrong and the fact that we let them believe "the customer was always right" got us into the mess that we are now in...

Enough said to prove my point as to what is wrong with customer service in the park. There is no justification for a guest behaving rudely. However, if a guest has a problem with and it is not dealt with anyone's frustration is understandable. Bad managers turn away business. If that was a pattern, I would say that persons bosses / owners of a business wouldn't keep them around very long either.

By the way, they did not need to use a crane to take a train off the top of the hill on Millennium Force, it just got stuck on the top of the hill for 45 minutes and they got it moving again😁
(I was in line when it happened)

But what do you do with the guest who won't be happy until THEIR way is given...even when that cannot possibly happen? There are folks now who take advantage of business owners because they know they can and I'm simply saying that those guests are not worth it to the business.

Good managers turn away short term business that can impact long term business. I'm not saying this is rampant but I have no problem sleeping at night when I stand up to atrocious behavior.

Universal Studios Hollywood says it has the world's first ever theme park guaranteed raincheck. In Southern California where rain is rare.

From their website:

"Yes, Universal Studios Hollywood is open on those rare Southern California days that include rain.

But if it does rain, don’t worry, we’ve got you covered with the world’s first-ever theme park guaranteed rain check:

Guests using any 1-day ticket to visit Universal Studios Hollywood on a day when the park receives over 1/8″ of rainfall by 2:00 p.m. can request their rain check at the Guest Relations office on the same day before park closure. Rain checks are good for a free return visit any time within the following 30 days!

And to ensure a full day of fun on rainy days, most of our outdoor shows plus your favorite strolling characters are moved to indoor locations within the theme park. We also serve complimentary coffee and hot chocolate, and have indoor dining venues to keep you warm and dry.

We’re looking forward to entertaining you, rain or shine!

* The free return tickets may not be transferred or resold"

What I really like about this is the "complimentary coffee and hot chocolate". That is pretty good though as GoBucks said, it isn't like they have to roll this out very often in Hollywood. I'll have to check if Universal Studios Florida does the same thing. I don't see anything immediately on their website.

I wouldn't rule out rain checks. I'm not saying they would be warranted every time. Most cases, I think simple coupons would make a lot of guest happier if the ride they came to the park to ride was shut down. That is a pretty standard business practice if a guest is dissatisfied with something and it encourages repeat business.

The PointGuru said:
Simply not true. If it rains or other weather conditions dictate, the outdoor event, baseball, concert etc... is rescheduled and you can go to the rescheduled date or you get a refund if it is cancelled. If the weather is 40 degrees at a baseball game you can watch and get what you paid for. You may not enjoy it as much; but, people would still ride coasters if they were running in 40 degree temperatures.

And you could ride the vast majority of CP's rides, including 3 coasters.

CP played the game on Sunday. Conditions were unpleasant but most of the rides were operating. No amusement park guarantees that the ride (or rides) that you most want to ride will be operating when you visit the park.

Moreover CP warned you BEFORE YOU PAID that some rides would not be operating b/c of wind. Why would you choose to spend $$$ knowing that Gatekeeper was not operating b/c of wind? Why not just reschedule your trip? Unlike a baseball game, your CP ticket is good ANY day.

Do you think that CP enjoys the fact that its $25m coaster was not drawing paying customers to the park on Sunday? Do you think they liked paying people to not sell food & drink? You can simply come to the park on a bright, sunny day--even using the very same ticket that you bought online. The park never gets that day nor the $$$ they spent building the park back.

The PointGuru said:
If the park had a more flexible weather policy, they could extend the operating season, probably double it. If you can play baseball in Cleveland at the beginning of April in Detroit or Cleveland you can run amusement rides in Sandusky. Sure there would be a lot more days with bad weather; but, there were a lot of pretty good days wasted before the park opened this year and last year. I'm sure people will have lots to say about staffing levels, maintenance, and attendance levels but that would be better for another thread. All I will say is, "if you open it, they will come" (Field of Dreams voice).

Except that every game is different. There is no particular reason to visit CP every day. There is a reason to watch a team's every game.

BTW, CP is not a 3 hour event after work/school. It requires a 1 hour (or more) drive. It requires taking time off from school/work during the day. And, finally, a baseball team does not lose money rescheduling a game: they just play a split double header. CP cannot charge you 2x as much when you come for the "make-up" day.

CatWoman said:
They purchase a ride that breaks down when it is windy, put it right on the beach where it is windy, and call it WindSeeker! Really?!?

Seriously dude, let it go. You've been grinding your ax so much that only the handle is left.

Chief Wahoo said:
Today the customer is often wrong and the fact that we let them believe "the customer was always right" got us into the mess that we are now in.

This is certainly true. Although I agree customer service today (at just about any business) isn't nearly what it used to be, I think this attitude is half of the reason for it. People learned that if they just whine enough they can get something for free. Many companies in turn implemented across the board policies that over correct the problem and go so far as to be hostile to people who actually do have legit complaints/problems.

The other half of the reason customer service has gone to hell is thanks to companies seeing no ROI in it and therefore downsizing/outsourcing their customer service to practically nothing. But that's an entirely different discussion.

nickpa said:Oh I forgot to mention, I got stuck on the windseeker Saturday for 30+ minutes. '

So they did not use the new evacuation device?Isnt that what it is for or is it only used when they have no other option?

Mike Jenkins said:
So they did not use the new evacuation device?Isnt that what it is for or is it only used when they have no other option?

Sorry it took so long to reply, my computer broke :( anyway no the evacuation thing was not used.... We just waited until they were able to bring us down

I went to the park today (5/20/12), and CP was having some major issues keeping rides working. Skyhawk, Shoot the Rapids, and Windseeker were pretty much down all day. maXair and Maverick were down for half the day. Wicked Twister, Magnum, Millennium Force, Dragster, and Raptor all had moments in the day that caused the rides to be closed for a while. It was getting frustrating with what rides were working at certain times!

Some days are like that. I don't think I've ever been to the park where either MF or TTD have been down for some period of time.

Yea that is true. I think TTD is always down at some point whenever I'm there. I've just never seen that many problems in one day!