No rides for dad

Last year I would go to the park Mon-Thurs, because there was no one there even during July and August.

This year, I have been only once or twice in July where the park was empty and that was a Tuesday after it had rained.

Keep your sense of entitlement and stay away from the park, they don't need your money.

^Actually they do. Cedar Fair is in a lot of debt and the shareholders are getting screwed. Even though they are getting better, Cedar Fair needs all the help they can get.

But plw, no other park has their test seats outside the park. They also need the entrance staff to stay at their location because people would complain about the height requirement then. Also what you said regarding the seatbelt size on Millennium and Top Thrill Dragster, it is not Cedar Point's decision to have the safety belts shorter, it is up to the manufacturer and the lawyers. Why would it be Cedar Points fault for something about safety when it is the manufacturer forcing Cedar Point to do so?

It goes back to the size/shape thing--on Top Thrill there was an 8-10" gap where I couldn't pull the seatbelt closed on the test seat. On Millenium it was only 1-2", and so on. None of the seats were the same. Parks OPS confirmed this to me when I inquired at the office. "Varying levels of restrictiveness." It's not standard. They've been adjusted again just recently.

While some people with a 38/40" waist can fit (if you believe all of the replies here), I don't see how everyone is riding everything using these posted specs, and that's my point. CP's disclaimer is not accurate for everyone, but they compensate by having test seats, which are located inside the park, requiring you to pay to purchase a pass to check them out.

I have no issue with the safety aspect of this, or what the manufacturer may deem necessary, just that there are times and/or situations where a customer may legitimately want/need/deserve a refund, or replacement pass, and it's not happening.

Again, you do not "legitimately" deserve a refund. Your size did not prevent you from enjoying the overwhelming majority of the park's rides and attractions.

Even if i could not ride any of the coasters at CP, i would still want to go in the park and enjoy the time with my family, you cannot put a pricetag on that! When it all comes down to it, that is why i go there, spending time and having fun with my family! Alot of the time, we just walk around with the kids and take in the atmosphere, while getting them on the kiddie rides and family rides that we can all ride together, cadillac cars, train, boat, enjoy the beach, etc.

I'm either on one side or the complete other.

Sometimes my wife and I and our nephews or friends are there to dominate, sprint to Millennium at 9 and barely miss a beat, hitting coaster after coaster. Other times we take our son and just "chillax", hit the kiddie rides, ride the ferris wheel, play games, go out to eat and really take our time and enjoy the park.

[on topic]

I did notice, sitting in the back of one of the trains on Millennium, I had the usual 2" of slack, but then, later in the day, towards the middle of one of the trains there was almost 4" of slack. I know right? Complete opposite of the "back is the most slack" theory, but I'm telling you, there was a BIG difference.

[/on topic]

plw said:
I still haven't seen any good reasons not to relocate the test seats outside the gates, many of them are staffed at each ride right now by an attendant. Think of all the money CP could save by only having one attendant for all the seats--

Not true. This would actually require 1 more employee to be hired and paid. All the coasters (and some of the flats) have someone at the entrance to check rider height. That they are able to doubly check people in the test seat is just a bonus to what are their normal duties.

Also, Millennium and Dragster have always had seatbelts. After the incident at Six Flags NE (either there or DL) Intamin, the ride manufacturer, changed their guidlines and the seatbelts were to be used as a measuring device to determine if the primary restraint (lapbar) would properly secure a guest. Cedar Point has no choice but to follow the manufacturers guidlines.

plw said:
just that there are times and/or situations where a customer may legitimately want/need/deserve a refund, or replacement pass, and it's not happening.

Except that those times and situations don't exist in this scenario.

And the only time they do exist is when one of the parks rides decides to involuntarily provide facial piercings to the riders.

Man, if only repeating the same flawed arguments over and over burned calories...

But seriously plw, I'm curious as to what rides actually turned you away. So far, you only really mentioned Millennium and Dragster, and it's pretty well-known that those are the most size-restrictive rides in the park. You stated that they would let you ride Power Tower, so obviously there are at least some shoulder restraint-type rides that would allow for you to ride. The fact that you've been on coasters elsewhere would seem to support this idea as well. It sounds like you're a big guy, but I'm sure I've seen bigger on all kinds of rides at the park, if not the marque attractions.

I don't deny that MF and TTD are huge draws to the park, and I would be disappointed if I didn't get to ride them. However, it doesn't change the fact that other ride options were very likely available to you, and you could have enjoyed those options with your family rather than be miserable and bitter all day (and well into the next week).

I mean, just because I'm not handsome enough to date NFL cheerleaders doesn't mean I throw up my hands and give up, you know? I look to see what else is on the menu...

Break Trims said:
I look to see what else is on the menu...

XFL cheerleaders?

Mean Machine Cheerleaders?

djDaemon said:

Break Trims said:
I look to see what else is on the menu...

XFL cheerleaders?

She hate me.

Sorry, just had to.

plw said:
They were added in 2004 after some guy was flung out of a ride on the east coast, and have been adjusted several times since then, making them increasingly restrictive.

Park revenue as a whole has also been down, and you can't blame it all on the economy. If people have bad experiences, word gets out.

MF and TTD had seatbelts when they were built, they were not added after any incident.
You may be mistaking "increasingly restrictive" for "extra precaution"

I was at CP on Tuesday and Idk how you can say park revenue has been down. The park was PACKED-more packed then I have seen in a long time. It was hard to believe we were in a recession seeing all the people throwing down $$ and waiting in LONG lines.

If all the larger sized people all decided to boycott CP (or any amusement park for that matter) where they didnt fit in their rides do you really believe that would even begin to make a dent in their bottom line?

Many people here have stressed over and over again that overweight people are NOT the majority at CP. There are far more people who easily fit in the rides then there are those who do not. Working at CP for 4 years I can easily state that for every single Raptor train (32 riders/train) the walk of shame was only done maybe once every 20 or more trains.

I cant help but think about all the years my Mom went with my kids and I to CP and KI. She was NOT a rider by any sense (not due to size or weight she just hated rides) she would walk around with my kids, let them ride and see the shows. Never once did she ever complain about having to pay full price despite the fact she didnt ride one ride.

I dont think you're getting any sympathy here and there is no way you are due a refund either. Not to be crude or a bit** here but isn't being overweight a choice?

Jo
Lifetime Raptor flights: 2236 :)

ns.

Not to be crude or a bit** here but isn't being overweight a choice?

PLW would tell you its the fast food restaurants fault most likely. After all they forced him to walk into there restaurants and purchase there food and pushed it down his throat and get to big to fit on the coasters!

If i can lose the weight anyone can!!!!!!

You know, I think some of you guys are implying a sense of entitlement from PLW that is neither warranted nor fair. The personal attacks aren't adding anything to the discussion either.

Well, PLW is sort of doing it to himself, John. While I agree that the lose weight! "advice" and such isn't adding anything at this point, PLW continues to insist that he is owed a refund because he couldn't enjoy a few of the park's 100 or so attractions. That is, he feels entitled to a refund.

Oh, that I don't have a problem with and it is certainly pertinent to the discussion he has brought up. And I'm not saying he isn't displaying some sense of entitlement, but not to the degree that some people seem to be taking it.

Comments such as alwaysrockings have no benefit to the discussion. And he's not the first one to do it, just the latest. The personal attacks aren't necessary.

^Hate to break it to you but on the internetz when someone isn't listening that is where it goes, unless he has bad grammer then it would go from there to personal attacks later.

Internetz FTW.

Bit of trivia--the state of Mass. concluded in their investigation that although "girth" was a contributing factor to the guy being thrown from the Sixflags NE ride in May 2004, it was the ride's attendant that was negligent in either not turning the guy away, or locking him down under the T-bar properly. There were pictures taken by the auto-camera of the guy's bar unlocked, and he slid out from under the seat belt.

Couple of people were thrown from the Hydro as well around that period of time, and size was not an issue. T-bar was the culprit.

PLW, the discussions here and at coasterbuzz had that figured out shortly after the accident.

However, Intamin's response is what it is.

Also, it's not the t-bar that is the culprit, inattentive and distracted ride hosts are the culprit.