New Covid Protocols for this season.

https://www.cedarpoint.com/welcoming-you-back

This is great news!

With everything going on I really have to compliment the park on finding a good balance of everything!

I'm stoked for the season now!

Indeed, very great news. I didn't see anything specific in regards to access passes, but I assume that "no limitations to ride capacity" implies that they are gone. I think this is a really good balance of safety and a good guest experience. It'll be great to see a full Millennium train flying around that final overbank again.

Dvo - I agree, it definitely seems as though the access passes are a thing of the past! This is all good news! Looking forward to some sense of normalcy this season!

My only concern is the health questionnaire at the gate. I'm hoping this doesn't slow the ingress process too much.

It will also be nice to see smiling faces again.

@negative g yeah I agree about the intake questionnaire. Considering all the other steps forward that one seems like a step backward. Why not continue using the app?

If it's anything like the verbal health checks I have done at other places when I was servicing copiers and they would interview us before we went in, 30 seconds would be an extended amount of time for a quick interaction. It'll likely be the same three questions they asked in the application but this time you actually have to have a person ask you and answer them. My guess would be they're trying to keep things a little honest by making it a people interaction and not just some boxes someone has to check.

Also of exciting note in regards to masks, per Cedar Points Twitter, masks are recommended on rides it sounds like they are not making a rule one way or another as of right now.

I think this will be a huge relief for those that have expressed medical issues with wearing a mask. As long as you don't eat indoors you could technically have a mask free day at the park. The only thing I can't find a way around is restrooms. I know I have some family that had that concern that will likely be looking at a trip this year under these conditions.

"Face coverings are recommended while riding rides." and "Face coverings are not required outdoors unless it is not possible to maintain 6’ of social distancing."

Doesn't this seem to contradict itself? There will not be 6' of distancing on almost any ride so they would be required? Also at the loading station at each ride there is usually like 6" of space between parties waiting to board the next train.

I'm wondering about the queues. My first thought was they'd require masks in the queues but now I'm not so sure if they space them like last year. Thoughts?

Per what I've been skimming of Tony and CP Official twitter queues are still socially distanced.

If they are marking them like they did last year technically it is 6 ft in all directions . Even in the loading platforms they were marked out where everyone would be 6 ft apart. So it is not a concern in the queues if people follow the park's direction, which is the stance Tony in the park have been taking. It sounds to me like they're taking the approach of they have covered their end of the deal it's up to the guests to work with the park.

I think the difference in wording of required versus recommended actually rectifies the conflict there. Their explicitly stating that the rides separate from all other things are recommended masks but explicitly not required. I think this is another one of those points if there's no best answer but they are trying to balance guest experience with best conditions possible. I'm sure the one staff epidemiologist has had input in this in the park had a lot of people that brought up medical concerns with the masks last year that they are trying to accommodate.

I personally am looking at it this way, if myself or anyone in my party is concerned about it they absolutely can wear a mask on a ride and for those that have medical concerns or for whatever reason don't wish to have that option. Again I don't know if there's a perfect answer but I really am impressed with how the park is trying to balance all of these things out.

Frankly, I'm shocked that masks are not going to be required on ride. I get that the battle is lost and this will greatly help their attendance, but wow. You're WAY less than 6 feet away from the people in front of and behind you on trains like Magnum or Gemini, for example.

For reference they have updated the website to reflect that it's recommended.

The ones that are most interesting to me and seem like they should require a mask or have some other operational change:

Gemini: riders often face each other on the turns while racing. I wonder if they will de-sync them and run independently.

Raptor/Rougarou/Valraven/MaXair/Ocean Motion/Pipe Scream/Power Tower/Skyhawk/Railroad/Snake River Expedition/SnakeRiver Falls: Wider seat configurations. Will they leave an empty seat between groups? or could someone that chooses to wear a mask be put right next to someone that chooses not to wear a mask?

Dodgem, Ocean Motion, Skyhawk: Seating configuration where at times people are facing other strangers. I don't see anyway around Dodgem. Ocean Motion might be spaced out enough between riders. Skyhawk could just not use the inside few seats, or maybe the space is already wide enough to be a non-issue (not sure how far apart the pendulums are).

I understand people have different opinions. Personally I will wear a mask all day in the park, but would not feel comfortable in some of the situations above. I fully acknowledge that that might mean I just don't ride those rides, but I wonder what CP will do.

The problem is recommended != (does not equal) required. Given that somewhere around 25% of the population is anti vax/anti mask, there is a decent chance you'll have someone with variant with a breathing right down your neck. (given that the variant is now popular in Michigan). Issue might not be that 5 minutes you are on the ride once, but add up several rides a day and you could have been given a decent viral load.

Ride ops will have it worse. A ride like Raptor you will be face to face with mask-less people hours a day.

No mask outside on midways make good sense, but this doesn't to me.

Bjenks10 said:

Gemini: riders often face each other on the turns while racing. I wonder if they will de-sync them and run independently.

They raced it last year. They'll race it again this year. My guess is they just won't combine groups on the B&Ms and leave a space or two on Valravn between groups and that'll be that.

TwistedCircuits said:

If it's anything like the verbal health checks I have done at other places when I was servicing copiers and they would interview us before we went in, 30 seconds would be an extended amount of time for a quick interaction. It'll likely be the same three questions they asked in the application but this time you actually have to have a person ask you and answer them.

As someone who has been an "essential worker" visiting various places this entire time, this is accurate. At this point, whenever I visit someplace, they usually ask: "no" to all the COVID questions? This is a welcome improvement from the long winded questionnaires and such at the beginning of the pandemic.

Including the thermal scan, the process takes 5 seconds. Maybe 15 seconds if they're collecting contact tracing information.

They have all the contact tracing information they need if they collect contact info when you buy your ticket.

On rides, we're talking about outdoor spaces...COVID transmission is extremely rare in outdoor environments. Add to that something like 47% of the adult population is already vaccinated, I don't think exposure on rides is nearly as big of a problem as some of you make it out to be.

All I know is, I'm in line for a reservation; that should tell you something...!

--Dave Althoff, Jr.

Excellent news!
Got my rez in for opening day!

Can't wait for Friends and Family on the 8th!!!!

Just to be extra cautious, we will likely still wear masks in the queues and on the rides. It will be a welcome relief to not have to wear them in the Midways.