On-Ride Photography: Out of Control

It started out worse at the beginning of this season than ever before, but the last two months have been just horrible with cases of on-ride photography

It used to be that I could visit the park and have an instance such as this once every few trips... But recently, I can't even get 3-4 rides in without the ride having to be shutdown due to someone with a camera.

In the few hours I was at the park today, I got in 8 rides (1 Blue Streak, 2 Wicked Twister, 3 Magnum, 1 Millennium Force, 1 Mean Streak). Of those rides, there was one delay on each Wicked Twister, Magnum, and Blue Streak due to on-ride photography. One day about 2 weeks ago, I witnessed 2 on Raptor (within 5 minues of eachother), 2 on Magnum, 2 on Mean Streak, 1 on Iron Dragon, and one on Gemini, all in one day! And these instances are just the beginning. I can't be the only one who has noticed this.

It's not like it's always a simple 2 second thing, either. These train holds and e-stops are causing very long delays. You could get a good 10 trains or more in in some cases.

Something truly needs to be done. The ride operators, for the most part, do an excellent job of taking care of the problems when they arise, but now there's so many of them, it's beginning to truly affect the capacity of rides, at times. Signs specific to on-ride photography need to be posted, and the consequences need to be made clear, and then followed through with when such an incident occurs. Enthusiasts can always help too, by not partaking in such activity. And it's not going to hurt us to mention to someone, who looks as though they'll be doing such a thing, what the rules are. In fact, it'd only help keep things moving for us.

I don't know of any true solutions, and there probably isn't one, but some action needs to be taken to help this, now overwhelming, problem.

*** Edited 10/9/2006 2:21:22 AM UTC by DBCP***

Agreed.

Either you're very unlucky, or I'm just very lucky, but I haven't seen a ride stop all season due to someone using a camera.

I'm usually at the point at least one day per week and this has been a big problem all year long. I myself have been e-stopped on almost every coaster in the park at least once this season. I think that the best solution for this is to implemement signs at the front of the queues stating that these types of actions will be cause for removal from the park. After that, they should implement a "zero-tolerance" policy for these actions. If enough people get their day cut short with no refunds, I think the message will get out there quicker than you think.

Oh yes. Just the last time I was there, riding the Magnum, we were sitting on the holding brakes before the station and we sat there for a good 10 minutes waiting for an operator to climb the lift and tell some fool to put away their camera. That is a nuisance.

When I saw this topic, I originally thought it was about the on-ride photos on Magnum, MF, TTD, Mantis, Raptor, and Woodstock. What I hate about them is when some idiot snaps a picture of the screen, the booth operators hastily turn off all the screens. It's frustrating when you think you got a good pose, but you are unable to view it.

I got stopped on Magnum's lift earlier this year for this reason. Some enthusiast sites are doing this as well.

People don't understand the danger. I can't tell you how many times people asked me why I don't take on-ride pictures. Camera phones haven't made the issue any easier to take care of. The fact you have the camera strapped around your wrist still doesn't make it safe. If you want to be smacked by some stupid person's camera, be my guest, but I'm there to have fun, not gamble on a head injury.

I'm glad CP is taking it seriously though.

I agree that it is good CP takes it seriously. A camera hitting someone in the head could really do some damage as Gomez pointed out. However, I haven't seen any issue with cameras all year. I guess I'm pretty lucky as it sounds like it can cause lengthy delays.

On the 1st of October when I was there, I saw a woman sitting front seat on MF holding a video camera to her chest video taping the whole ride... and from what I saw, nothing happened to her.

But it did piss me off!
I wanted something to happen to her sooo bad... but of course, nothing!

My visit happened with the "Blue" Gemini train. Three different trains, while waiting on the station platform. The "Blue" train stopped, the "Red" kept going. After the third "Blue" train was stopped, the "announcer" said

"If you want your train to stop, go ahead and pull out your camera, but a lot of people waiting in line may come after you, no picture taking is allowed on the ride, thank you."

Or something close to that. Probably mid September.

Also, I saw numerous times, Magnum stopping, thoughout the year.

How about making it easier on everyone and just doing away with the rule. Is this a rule at every park? I though Disney allowed it.

I for one appreciate the fact that I can go to youtube and watch a video of rides I'll never get on in nearly every US park as well as many other countries.

Disney does allow it. Although none of their rides are near the size of Millennium or Dragster.

Can you imagine launching at 120 mph when that guy in the front row loses his grip on the video camera and it smacks you in the face?

CP might as well just have a lawyer waiting by the exit because that's going to be a nice hefty lawsuit (and I'm against frivolous lawsuits, this isn't one of them).

realmadrid311 said:
How about making it easier on everyone and just doing away with the rule. Is this a rule at every park? I though Disney allowed it.

I for one appreciate the fact that I can go to youtube and watch a video of rides I'll never get on in nearly every US park as well as many other countries.

We'll see what you say after a Sony Handycam or Cybershot flies back and hits you in the face on a ride. Even on DT or Blue Streak it wouldn't feel good at all. Would you really like a small brick smacking you in the face at 40 mph?

I also have been on a ride that was stopped thanks to some idiot that decided to take out his camera this season. We were about four swings into maXair's cycle, when someone took out a camera. Of course, I thought something was wrong, like the floor or maybe something in the electrical room. But when one of the ops came storming out onto the platform once the ride had stopped and escorted the guy off the ride I knew what had happened.

Hopefully they escorted him right to security who escorted him straight to the front gate (even if he was parked in back).

If I remember right I think whoever was working unload kept him until security got there, which I believe was right as the ride started back up.

When I was there in August MF had to stop as it started going up the bottom of the hill because some idiot pulled out his camera and thankfully the ride op saw it. It took about 15 minutes but the ride finally got restarted...and security was waiting on the platform to escort him out.

I agree that it should be automatic ejection from the park. It would make everyone who witnessed it think twice before doing such a thing.

What is the penalty for getting caught with a camera currently?

Security was always escorting people who were caught, but yesterday, they only showed up in one case, and I think that girl got off scott free with some sort of "I didn't know" excuse.

Gomez, I'm fairly sure they's suppose to remove you from the park, and ask you to destroy your film, or erase your photos (if digital). At least that's what I've seen done in many cases.

*** Edited 10/9/2006 10:11:22 PM UTC by DBCP***

You'd better believe that the ride hosts do NOT appreciate people whipping out cameras on the rides. Especially since we drive ourselves nuts constantly repeating the no camera thing over and over and over and over....well you get the idea. ;)

In august of this year i saw a girl with a disposeable camera get booted off the ride and way told by security that they could either leave the park or give the camera to them.

I think that is bull, it should be an automatic boot from the pak for taking a camera out on a ride. I think that cedar point needs to be more strict about there policy and buckle down.

If they honestly didn't know though, it's not really their fault - it's easy to miss information on spiels when you're pumped for a ride. When we stop it, we just go up there and tell them to put it away. If they give us trouble, or we specifically told them to put it away before the ride left (not over spiels), then we call security and leave it to them. *** Edited 10/9/2006 10:45:44 PM UTC by PKevin2004***