NEW Policy with MF seatbelts?

Reading through these posts is really starting to aggrivate me.. Especially the post from FROSHY. I am 5'10 and 150 lbs exactly.. I had NO problem on any ride and plenty of seat belt room to spare.. This new policy of the 1" of slack may be true (even though i seen no more guests then usual get sent off the ride), but it still accomodates many people and there are plent of other rides to ride and there are warnings in front of CP for guests of exceptional size. My Dad has a 42 inch waist and is 235 lbs and has no problem at all with any ride. So FROSHY, if you are going to post something, try doing a little more research first instead if scarring off some of the CP fans who dont go that much.. Have you been 5 times this season yet? I have!! Next time you go pay more attention...sorry if i hurt anyones feelings for beig hostile...GOOD DAY!!

Hey if you were able to ride last year... dont worry about it.. There may be a slight new policy this year for guest of exceptional size.. Ive been 5 times this season and noticed no difference.. dont let rumors or some post scare you away. like i told everyone..my dad is almost 240lbs and has a 42 inch waist and had no problem and never got sent off... On Dragster he did have to have someone help buckle him in, its not the easiest thign to do at that size and it was a pretty tigh fit and he never got sent off.. In fact we rode it about 15-20 times in 4 days and no PROBS!! The only probs were all the BREAKDOWNS of the ride..ouch! Long waits but best ride!

If you could ride last year and are of "exceptional size" you better be worried about it. I am 20 pounds lighter then I was in October and I cannot ride this year.

"I hope everyone was paying attention when we told you to hold onto the grab bars!" :O If they're going to go ahead and replace the restraints on MF, I hope they do it one train at a time and don't close down the ride and ruin it for everyone. It certainly sounds like this isn't something CF would do (and hurt themselves), it's probably orders from Intamin. "If you don't follow these instructions and something happens, we're not liable" type of thing. Also, while this might cause a PR nightmare for them, it would cause an exponentially larger nightmare for them if an accident were to happen. Also, I can't remember how the seat belts go, but can't you just "suck it up" while the ride-ops are inspecting for slack? It also seems like they're creating more dangerous situations by routing the seatbelts over the "arm rests".

MF & WTer, did you read through this thread? Doesnt look like it. If you had you would see that it has been said that it is orders from Intamin that caused this change. Yes, a PR nightmare would happen if a bad accident did occur. But you are assuming that there was something wrong with the ride to begin with and that this "slack" rule is making any kind of difference from a safety perspective. Its not, its a knee jerk CYA reaction from Intamin. I think thats what has people so upset.

Like I said before I'am on the borderline, I might get on it. But its not worth a 4 hour drive, parking toll and admission price for me with the distinct possibility that I may not be able to ride. If I cant ride MF or Dragster I would just assume go to MI Adventure instead as Shivering Timbers is as good as any of the other coasters at CP after MF IMO. Plus its way closer and I KNOW I can ride it. I just think the slack rule needs to go, its not accomplishing anything except angering alot of guests that could ride before and creating a PR nightmare AGAIN for CP. Its not their fault so much, as Jeff has pointed out. But the customer that has been able to ride every other year and suddenly cant could care less about that. I think its CP's responsibility to put the lean on Intamin to make some type of adjustment or fix for the problem. CP is their customer, they should do all they can to correct it. *** Edited 5/19/2004 1:45:19 PM UTC by CPTwister***

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Coastermarky said:
European manufacturers need to start building rides that more realistically respond to the physical needs of the average American out there - we are NOT built like Europeans, and building rides geared toward European body styles will *not* fly here.

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Why don't AMERICAN manufacturers start building rides that more realistically respond to the physical needs of the average American out there? :)

Okay, after reading over some of the posts in this topic, it makes me wanna puke. I hope that when I go next year, I'll be able to ride. I'm only 5'9" (tall enough to ride anything at the Point), and my weight is about 220. My waist is about a 38" (at least that's the smallest pant size I wear). Nothing is more embarrassing than waiting two hours for one of the greatest rides on the planet and getting kicked off because of some stupid seatbelt policy. I was able to ride three times last year without any problems. Let's all hope they axe this policy and just load the trains like they've been doing since the damn thing opened.

Does anyone in the know know if Intamin is working on a solution to the problem that will allow guests who were previously able to ride Millenium Force the chance to ride it again? Intamin would have some serious issues on their hands if they just say, institute this new selt belt policy and your problems are solved instead of working to rectify the situation for a good chunk of riders.

While I would never want rider safety compromised, one has to be seriously concerned if this short term solution (which apparently is not even really a solution) proves to be long term. It seems to me that Cedar Point is getting itself into a tricky situation if this solution remains. If people who were previously able to ride are permanantly no longer able to ride using the existing trains, then the park is admitting that the ride was not safe for them to begin with.

I do hope that a reasonable solution in found in as quick amount of time as possible so that all guests who have been able to enjoy Millenium Force in the past will be able to.

To me, it would be less heartbreaking to see the ride shut down for modifications than to know that I cannot ride it but someone else can.

This whole thing is just ridiculous.

If it is such an issue then my question would have to be why didn't they at least try to retrofit the trains so more people would be compatible with the lap bar and seatbelt combination? They modified dragster to accomodate more riders in a short time, I think they could do the same here for MF.

Jeez, all of us MF veterans that rode for the past 4 years that all of the sudden can't would most likely (if we aren't already) be very very upset of a policy change of this nature.

It looks like to me the best COA in this matter would be to do a train mod to accomodate the guests.

Well, it has been said that the seat belts were "modified" at the begin of this year. I noticed this last saturday day cause I couldn't get the belt to click, where last year I was able to (rode it 4 times last year). Just had to put it under the arm rest and do a little stretching to get it. Now this year, it seems like it's about 1/4 to 1/2 an inch shorter.

If it was Intamin that sent the rule down, here is something the people at CP could tell them: 1. Do away with the stupid slack rule and 2. put the belts back to where they were last year. Course, adding a little bit more to the belt would be an added plus :)

It has been said over and over... the belts have not been changed. They aren't being routed any different. Some of you keep confusing the issue.

Haven't some people mentioned that the belts now go over some bar on the sides of the seats but used to go under the same bar? Wouldn't that make the reach of the belts shorter? *** Edited 5/19/2004 7:04:26 PM UTC by meanspirit(not really)***

i'm just curious about something...indulge me please....

how many of you have been turned away/removed form the ride due to "extreme size" so far this year, even after MANY rides in the past??

how many of you will stay away from CP until this is fixed PROPERLY, allowing as many as possible to ride?

how many of you are considering staying away FOREVER?

just wondering what the numbers here are...cos if theyre as big as i think they are HERE, imagine what they'll be like in a few weeks when this REALLY hits the fan...

I barely fit last year, and I know I would be turned away so I don't even intend to try. I will still go to CP because 3 of my good friends are working there this year. But I wont spend the money to stay at breakers or buy the expensive park food. We will spend more time than normal in soak city though because the other rides are getting old.

Question: Are they doing the inch of slack on dragster or not? I havn't heard much complaining about people being kicked off dragster.

Last year, I can say with complete confidence that the people on my ride were taught to be very sensitive and accomodating when dealing with guests who were unable to fasten the safety belts. I must admit that sometimes it was hard to maintain such a composure when a guest would continually refuse to exit the ride even when it was painfully clear they wouldn't make it in their wildest dreams. But, on the whole, as a ride-op you had to understand the frustration of waiting in line only to be told you couldn't ride.

If this employee was rude and called attention to you for your inability to ride, they were out of line and almost certainly went directly against the manual for their ride and the general park operations guidlines for employees. The best way to get results and change would have been to make note of the employee's name and make a formal complaint against them directly in the park operations office (located directly across from the giraffe in kiddy kingdom). The problem employee would then either rethink their methods of customer service or, at the very least, be one step closer to termination (and elimination of the problem).

That said, you could be pretty certain that the MF crew was notified of the complaint regardless of the way you were blown off by Peggy. And complaining about the policy to the higher ups was a very good thing to do, because I personally find it to be an extremely ridiculous rule change that will do little to contribute to the overall safety of the rider. I am personally just guessing that this policy is one that was put in place by Intamin after the incident at SFNE. If the ride manufacturer requires such a rule, then Cedar Point must implement it under Ohio law.

At the same time they should be implementing ways to fix this issue (better restraints and more accomodating for average americans), and making it known they are doing so.

In all this i have seen nothing to indicate they are working on better restraints... just not letting people ride.

Time to update the Cedar Point web site:

What are the height and weight limitations on Millennium Force™ ? What is considered exceptional size?

To ride Millennium Force™ you must be at least 48" tall. There are no maximum height or weight requirements because different guests carry their height and weight differently. All 250-pound people, for instance, do not have the same measurements. Please note that the seat belts on Millennium Force ™ can accommodate riders of up to 46" in girth.

If you question your ability to ride some of our rides because of your build, please make the Park Operations Office your first stop at Cedar Point and they will be happy to advise you on which rides might pose a problem for you. In addition, before waiting in line for Raptor and Millennium Force™ , you can try out a test seat to see if the ride will accommodate you.

Right, Jeff. Everybody--just let the crew get up to speed with the new policies. I'm 6' 1" 195 lbs and had a great ride Sunday. Yes, our restraints were released 3 times to allow guests to exit who couldn't ride. Yes, the delay annoyed me. They'll figure it out.

They always do. :)

MrScott

OK....46" in girth. Thats pretty big....but with this new system, 2 inches at the most off, would still be 44" in girth, and still more people are getting turned down for the ride...I guess thats how it would work out...correct me if I'm wrong.

maybe the CP higher-ups need to TRIAN THE MF RIDE OPS better in determining who can and cannot ride.

updating the website does NOTHING to fix the problem. it is only gonna cause more confusion and more people who are pissed off because "your WEBSITE said i could ride and my waist is only 44 inches"!

heck, just letting the MF crew know that riders up to 46" around can ride would help.

this sounds very much like my work where one person knows something that SHOULD be known by the whole kitchen staff and then there is surprise and confusion when no one knows how to handle it when it comes up later...

servo...so glad im not going this year. not after all THIS anyway...

Not to sound stupid, but has anyone thought about letting the local news programs know about this policy? Getting the info out there might inform larger people about the new policy, as well as getting some additional press (and adding pressure) about the situation (not everyone knows about this site).

I have a 38" waist and was able to ride on May 9th. I am not sure if I slipped by or if I actually fit. I didn't know about this issue when I went to the park.