Opening Day 2018

Not at all. I've just been dealing with "entitled" customers for decades.

CP Maverick said:
Not at all. I've just been dealing with "entitled" customers for decades.

Maverick I had the same mindset as you back when I worked Town Hall in 2005 but now being on the other side of the fence I can definitely see the view. Your analogy wasn't the best but in terms if you ordered a full pound burger at a restaurant and they served you a 1/4 pounder you would feel the same too. I have went twice since 2009 and by far the park had hit a all time low.
Cedar Point in general knew before the gates even opened they didn't have enough staff to run the rides. (What the majority of people go there for) at least state that at the front gate due to low staffing some rides will close at 3pm. Yes I expected downtime but when almost 60 percent of rides even major rides don't even have a crew on hand that's outright dropping the ball. When you spend 500 on a day of fun to get a half operated amusement park it needs to be stated. Its not being entitled its being falsely misled that the rides would be operating and finding out otherwise after setting foot in there.

I hate the term “entitlement” that everyone seems to like to throw around here. I’d be mad too if I paid extra for a FL+ and didn’t get to ride the extra rides it included. You said (paraphrasing) that it’s CedarPoinin2003’s fault for paying for the FL+ prior to going in the park, but it’s expected that the park is going to be packed on opening day especially with SV, so it’s not their fault for wanting to reserve the FL+ before they sold out. Yes, it’s ridiculous when people complain all day because one or two rides were down, but Saturday, was just sloppy. Almost everything was down and a bunch of food stands weren’t open. Yes I know the park is understaffed, but maybe they should open up a week later or charge less for the first two weeks. I was there at the opening and didn’t even get on a ride until 7:00 pm. That’s ridiculous. I am a regular customer too, so I know how to get the most out of a day at CP. That being said, I’m not blaming anyone who was upset about Saturday.

Keep in mind the fact that Wicked Twister (and Gemini Blue if you want to get technical) is in fact the only coaster that failed to open on Opening Day. Dragster barely got there for an hour and Valravn was only for a couple hours. But there were in fact roller coasters operating on Saturday, despite the overblown rhetoric that has shown up on social media.

^Some of it is certainly overblown, as are most things on the internet. But it was far from successful. We ended up giving up on the park for a few hours in the afternoon and had some drinks by the beach, in the hopes that more stuff would eventually open up later. Fortunately that did take place, and we got a few rides in during the evening.

CedarPointin2003 said:

As a guest you should definitely be informed before you enter if most rides wouldn't be opened. They gave me free admission for my next visit but not a fast pass even know most the plus rides were closed.

As a former Ride Host (and especially as a former TL), you should know better than this.

They don't always know which rides will be down and when and to set an expectation that they will let every guest know prior to entering the park that any or all rides won't be open is asking for way more trouble than it's worth. They don't control the weather and, as you should know, they don't provide a refund for when rides are shut down in those scenarios. So why should it be any different for maintenance?

If I were you, I'd just feel grateful that they gave you free admission and try again another day. That's far more than they usually do as compensation.

It's not about entitlement. It's about remembering the crap the park goes through on a daily basis as a former employee.

Dvo, you bought multiple $10 drinks on the beach? The bean counters will view that as a successful opening day not a failure. :D

I didn't say we bought them. ;) We stayed at Breakers, and had some margaritas in our room. But agreed, with the stay at the resort, they still came out ahead on us. Haha. But it could have been even more successful if we had found an open ice cream stand...

Cargo - Wait, you DON'T buy multiple $10 drinks? Drinks are ALWAYS better when someone else makes them for you.

I don't mind paying for convenience, and goodness.

No my drinks are always better becuase I do a 4-5oz pour. :)

But I can recall only have one drink at a park my entire adult life and that was a beer. (We won’t talk about my teenage years). I am always with my kids and have to drive. One of these days I will splurge and stay on-site and tie one on.

As a former Ride Host (and especially as a former TL), you should know better than this.

They don't always know which rides will be down and when and to set an expectation that they will let every guest know prior to entering the park that any or all rides won't be open is asking for way more trouble than it's worth. They don't control the weather and, as you should know, they don't provide a refund for when rides are shut down in those scenarios. So why should it be any different for maintenance?

Actually Sparty once again I expected rides to be down however you act like it was all maintenance. Cedar Point knew before the day even started that these rides would be down due to staffing. When you have signs made you knew way before the guests even got there what was closing at 3pm. Also as a former employee what happened last Saturday was completely unacceptable.

I really do feel for those who go opening day and don’t expect rides to be closed. This is why I usually wait and don’t get involved in that mess. By late May everything’s is usually going.

My feeling is that most vacationers and big spending families show up in summer when everything is open, so outside of the folks who go opening day just to enjoy finally being at the open park, it might not be a big issue for cp.

That’s right. If you truly want to be disappointed, go on the weekend after opening day.

Or just don't go at all. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

I mean, I was there this weekend and had a blast minus the weather (obviously not CP’s fault). Every coaster was opened, and seemed to be running very well for it only being the second weekend of the season.

^ :) I gotta give kudos to the park. They made it work this weekend

I planned on going today, but did something with my girlfriend instead. Will be going for sure on June 1st.

Why didn't you take her to the park?