No cell phones... at all

I have the geeky zipper cargo pocket shorts I bought just for theme park days. I really don't care either way about the policy, but it does kind of suck to not have the phone to pass the time when I typically am at the park alone

This just seems impractical and unenforceable.

Even with SV's neutered capacity at 800PPH, a 2-hour queue holds 1,600 people. That will eventually climb to 2,400 assuming they get things worked out.

Even if we assume groups will share a locker, giving an average of 2.5 phones per locker, we're talking about 640 lockers in use at any given time now, and 960 once it's running as advertised. Assuming even 70% compliance, that's 448 or 672 lockers. That's a lot of lockers.

considering the ride tries to undress me thoughout the course already, riding buck isn’t that far of a stretch. .

It has always ASTONISHED me how many people put cell phones in their back pockets AND sit down. Now that’s confidence!

No doubt SV has emptied many of back pockets. ... front pockets, and everything in between.

I would think about some Coasters, Thrill Rides, and Rides for a Cell Phone. CEDAR POINT has bins in these Coasters. The Maverick, Wicked Twister, Raptor, Gemini, Gatekeeper, Iron Dragon, Blue Streak, Corkscrew, and the Mine Ride. The Thrill Rides like the Skyhawk, maXair, Windseeker. The Magnum did at 1 time. I say to make Bins for all Rides . Think for a person that has Family Member that is in the Park, and is hurt, lost, or something happened to them . They should have their DARN CELL PHONE with them to know where they are. That is more important for all people. Does anyone agree they should do that?

Agree. There needs to be some option other than lockers here. I don't understand why they don't allow fanny packs on this one they would not be in the way of the restraints. If they did maybe less phones would be flying. If they can provide a place for people to store their inappropriate footwear that they should not have worn to the park to begin with on other rides they can find a solution for the phone issue. What really has me irritated in this situation is that this is probably going to end up being just one more area of life where I end up being punished in some way for other people being irresponsible.

Mr. Cedar Point said:

Think for a person that has Family Member that is in the Park, and is hurt, lost, or something happened to them . They should have their DARN CELL PHONE with them to know where they are. That is more important for all people. Does anyone agree they should do that?

This is an irrational justification. The park has existed for far longer without cell phones than it has with them, and things worked out OK.

Paisley said:

What really has me irritated in this situation is that this is probably going to end up being just one more area of life where I end up being punished in some way for other people being irresponsible.

Exactly this.

Two thoughts on this:

A) some people will never be made whole over this

3) the line to get in the queue will be ridiculous with people arguing with the poor employee at the front of the queue that they will literally DIE if they don't have their phone with them at all times

Until you get hit in the face with a phone. That would be punishment due to someone’s lack of responsibility. Or even an unintentional accident. But it would suck and someone would be liable.

This is a tough spot, especially for the park who’s charged with keeping everyone happy and safe while operating as efficiently as possible. My thoughts immediately go to Universal where on some rides objects of any kind are forbidden and free, site specific lockers are provided. It actually works pretty well. But they’re staffing an entrance nazi, a locker person, and dealing with crying customers. As I saw it the two ops at the front of SV have enough on their hands just dealing with two entrances, measuring, and FL+ scanning. And I sense from several posts here that there’s the opinion that having to walk through a metal detector to enter a queue would be the worst thing ever. I’m not sure why.

Once again it gets down to what we as enthusiasts know to do and what Joe Schmoe knows to do. When I rode SV last Monday the verbal warning, over and over, was to not put ANYthing in a back pocket. Wise advise- I put my wallet in my front pocket, and my phone and keys in my secure cargo pockets, and I still worried about it. (I also fit in the seat a little better, whaddaya know?) But the last thing I want or need is to lose anything important or expensive. And there are so many clueless folks out there for whom that thought never occurs.

Remember the endless discussion and outrage not too long ago over stopping rides to search for missing articles? How would everyone here feel if that was policy on SV?
It seems as if CP has made up their minds on this, they made a fancy sign after all, so I feel the commitment level there is high. And we “responsible” folks are left to deal with it. I also wonder how I might feel having to be without my flat thing for the better part of an hour while in line and I’m sad to say the thought makes me sweat. (And the idea of taking infield photographs and vids is so compelling, right?)

Oh well. I have a feeling there’s more to learn here on both sides of the measuring stick.

Are the people breaking the "no phones out on the ride" rule going to break the "no phones in your pocket" rule???

And is the 2nd rule going to be enforced more strictly than the 1st???

I read an LA Times article yesterday on how important not just WiFi but great WiFi is for parks. Competing interests involved in this issue.

Why theme parks are spending millions to give guests free Wi-Fi - Los Angeles Times
http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-theme-park-wifi-20180720-story.html

Web surfing and texting made an 1.5 hr SV line go real quick for me a few weeks ago. So shoot. Oh well.

I sit completely in the middle on this issue. I have been hit with a cell phone. It was like one of those impossible things you see in movies. I was on Blue Streak near the rear. Someone, somewhere in front of me either had their phone out or not secured because going through the bunny hops *SMACK* . A phone right into my neck/shoulder. Not fun. I've also witnessed a poor line host at maXair nearly get impaled, possibly killed . She's just sitting there with her stick, minding her own business when a phone came crashing from the sky above her. I was heading to the line, about 6 feet away. It shattered into pieces right next to her feet/stool. That poor girl turned white as a ghost. I was rattled as well, thinking of all the times my kids and me walked under that ride. Every trip to CP so far this summer, we've had at least one ride stopped because someone has a phone out. The Wave Swinger seems to be the magnet for this. Some people just don't believe rules are meant for them. So, in that regard, I get it.

However, I'm also one who needs my phone as my son and I have medical issues and need to be able to contact other family members or someone for help. (Which in the last 8 years has happened only twice.) I'm never without my fanny pack, my son uses the zippered cargo/military shorts. We're also rule followers and the phones are never out on rides. So, in that regard, I'm not so much for it.

As others have mentioned, I can't see how this will be enforced. Edited to add that my family can work with this rule. There's always at least one non-rider in our groups, so in the end, it's not really a huge issue.

If you have a legit reason for a med tag on a bag stop in at guest services or town hall and get one they cannot make you put it in a locker and have to make sure you get it back at ride exit.

And next... emotional support animals ride too?

I don't know . . . I'm pretty sure those therapy Peacocks are going to be way to tall for most of the rides.

Paisley said:

If they can provide a place for people to store their inappropriate footwear that they should not have worn to the park to begin with ...

They should not allow them to ride without proper footwear. If you have to have a strap for your glasses then you should have to wear secure footwear.

As for the phones bit, I can't see why they just don't put bins in the station. They have enough room and you load at the same spot you get off.

I've been needing to post this all summer, Wrangler makes a "modern" cargo short available at Walmart (and maybe other places). https://www.walmart.com/ip/Wrangler-Men-s-Outdoor-Performance-Serie.../510376099 They come in a few styles, with anywhere from 1 to 3 zippered pockets. I picked up three pairs on a trip down to Carowinds earlier this year, well worth the $18 bucks a pair. The two other people that were with me also got some, they're invaluable for roller coaster use for sure.

Those zipper pockets are pretty darn secure and as long as they aren't loaded up, the pockets blend in and aren't very noticeable. They worked well for wallets, keys, and phones. Steel Vengeance didn't affect them at all when I was at the park.

I remember in 2000 or 2001 when a woman was injured on Villain at what was then Six Flags Ohio/Worlds of Adventure when kids were throwing rocks at passing trains from the access road the coaster ran parallel to. It was an unusual circumstance of a coaster with low track areas operating near an area that was technically out of the park and no one likely thought of this issue until it happened. The park shut the ride down for a day or two while they constructed a fence to prohibit that from happening again. Reactionary and problem solved.

This just seems like an unusual situation. Are that many phones flying out of pockets on Steel Vengeance compared to the other major rides? Or is the issue that people are taking phones out on the course? A phone hitting me on Steel Vengeance isn’t going to hurt any less than a phone hitting me on Millennium Force or Top Thrill Dragster. I feel like this policy should be all or nothing - I just don’t understand the exclusivity to Steel Vengeance (and at Kings Dominion Twisted Timbers).

iamahugevwnut said:

If you have a legit reason for a med tag on a bag stop in at guest services or town hall and get one they cannot make you put it in a locker and have to make sure you get it back at ride exit.

But I'm guessing the other items that would be in your pockets with your medical item are not going to be allowed in the bag? I've already created a secure pocket for my inhaler in my cargo shorts where I also keep everything else to avoid needing a bag for it. Of course if we reach a point that they make us totally empty our pockets to ride then I will have to look into this anyway.