Opening Day Review: A Big Mess

The woman at the trash can at Starbucks that was throwing a tantrum told me there should be a lottery for season pass holders and only those picked are allowed to attend pass holder night. Great idea, lady... until you're not the one who is picked - that'd be a whole different storm.

I'm a fan of "it is what it is" in this scenario. There's a LOT of pass holders, and they all came to the park. So be it. It was busy, sure - but again, we have 6 MORE MONTHS of Cedar Point. You're not a special snowflake because you've got season tickets to anything - and you're not actually generating revenue for the park after 3 visits.

I love CP, and everyone that I associate with it. I spent equal time in the park and relaxing at the hotel this weekend - which is just the way I like it. I'm so glad my summer home is open again

Sounds like some pass holders need to practice "acceptance."

JUnderhill said:

There's no way the crowd levels should have been a surprise to CP.

The crowd levels were not a surprise for Cedar Point, but just for the pass holders who thought there wouldn't be much of a crowd, then complained about a busy park and felt like they were no longer "special".

With all the talk of entitled Season Passholders, it makes me wonder if there isn't an opening for a pass that is beyond Platinum. If you really feel the need to be special, charge upwards of $1000 for a pass that includes everything: Preferred Parking every visit, Fast Lane Plus every visit, Season Dining, unlimited beverages on your pass (no cup), greater discounts on merchandise, etc. Maybe just invite those people to a preview night that only includes the major rides, like they did last year. Not sure if this would make sense from a business perspective, but it's definitely something I'd consider buying.

e x i t english said:

The woman at the trash can at Starbucks that was throwing a tantrum...

Where do you all find these people? (and not just you specifically Exit, but everyone on this site who says that they keep seeing people throwing tantrums) I have been to the park lots and lots of times and have been part of long lines and have had instances where ERT went badly for whatever reason. The only tantrums I have ever seen are by 2 year olds. Maybe my definition of a tantrum is off base. What does an adult tantrum look like? Sure I have heard people complain but I have not seen screaming, tears, or foot stomping.

I think what people mean by a tantrum is usually a case of someone excessively complaining about something they don't like, usually to someone that has no control over the situation whatsoever. Though I have seen adults literally kicking and screaming before.

As a ride host, I have been on the receiving end of very upset people several times, usually if we have to take a ride down for whatever reason (weather, mechanical, etc), or asking people to wait an additional cycle to accommodate alternate access guests or even those who disagree with our loose article policy or our judgement in a child's height. I have very little control over any of these policies but I have been cussed out, threatened, spit at, shoved, offered money to look away, and even had a water bottle thrown at me for enforcing them. In every case, these were done by adults.

I understand why people feel the need to do so though. It can be extremely draining to be standing around in the hot sun all day, waiting in long lines and usually not drinking enough water or using sunscreen. There are so many people, noises, and things that grab your attention that it is easy to become overstimulated. Add on the expense of it all and you have a recipe for people to get more upset than they otherwise would if things are not going exactly as they want.

The best things I can suggest to anyone going to Cedar Point, or any other resort is to have patience, stay hydrated, take rests, and to just make the best of whatever happens.

The worst I ever experienced was last year during our little Face your Fear adventure. The park was generous enough to get us (by us I mean myself ad about 30 students) in early (9:00) so that we could do our work on Millennium before early entry even started at 10:00. Of course, it was a Sunday in October and the temps did not allow for test-runs, warm-up runs (or whatever the process is)...and we did not even get on the coaster until after 10:00.

I do not recollect the exact time we got off the platform, but of course the early-entry line had formed, and a dad with his young kids pointed at me as I walked my students out the exits and yelled... "what the %$# gives you the right to ride my coaster!" Then he said something unintelligible about his pass and early entry and was quickly joined by a couple more adults in his party who yelled a few more expletives at my students and myself as we walked by.

I'm not even remotely suggesting that a majority of pass-holders act like entitled little brats, but the vocal minority who are make all the noise. It's no different than the people we read about who throw fits at events like Coastermania, etc.

Patience is indeed a virtue.

DSShives said:

The crowd levels were not a surprise for Cedar Point, but just for the pass holders who thought there wouldn't be much of a crowd, then complained about a busy park and felt like they were no longer "special".

My comment was only in reference to the traffic situation folks have described on Friday night. My personal experience on Saturday and Sunday was that the park was indeed prepared and I think did a great job.

Kevinj said:

I do not recollect the exact time we got off the platform, but of course the early-entry line had formed, and a dad with his young kids pointed at me as I walked my students out the exits and yelled... "what the %$# gives you the right to ride my coaster!"

That is just amazing to me. Its like when you go to Disney World and see families fighting. You have spent all this time and money to enjoy a fun place like cedar point and all you can be is bitter.

e x i t english said:

I do miss the name "Joe Cool Club", though. That was pretty awesome.

I still have my old season pass cards...really liked the picture of the 'Joe Cool-Snoopy' that were on these

Course it was Joe Cool wearing his shades! LoL

I worked for years at a major theme park (not CP) and the ridiculousness of poor guest behavior is truly unbelievable unless you have put in the time. I could write a book. But like others, I was spit at, cursed at, told that I was not worth the air I was breathing, and once was physically assaulted. All because I enforced policies.

Going back to the "overcrowding" topics from a page or two ago, I believe Gemini stopped running three trains per side when they added gates. Since all three trains could not stack without setting up on the block brake before the final turnaround, it was decided the ride could no longer safely run three trains (correct me if I am wrong)

With Gemini, Corkscrew, and Iron Dragon eliminating three train operation, I have long wondered if Magnum would ever follow suit, especially after the 2007 accident. Between less demand as the ride ages, combined with the older Arrow braking system and lack of a midcourse block, I have always wondered if and when the powers that be would decide that the ride was safer only running two trains, regardless of whether or not that is actually the case.

I hope not. They have taken good steps in recent years to keep things running smoothly on Magnum. The safety brake release was moved/duplicated so if a train stops on the safeties it can be released more easily. They also removed the storage bins.

I'm hoping that someday if they decide to put magnetic brakes on Magnum, the hard stop in the safety brakes can be eased up somehow.

Kevinj said:

"what the %$# gives you the right to ride my coaster!"

Wow, he has his own coaster? He must be rich. I wasn't there, but I'm picturing something like ...

acole5292 said:

With all the talk of entitled Season Passholders, it makes me wonder if there isn't an opening for a pass that is beyond Platinum. If you really feel the need to be special, charge upwards of $1000 for a pass that includes everything: Preferred Parking every visit, Fast Lane Plus every visit, Season Dining, unlimited beverages on your pass (no cup), greater discounts on merchandise, etc. Maybe just invite those people to a preview night that only includes the major rides, like they did last year. Not sure if this would make sense from a business perspective, but it's definitely something I'd consider buying.

While $1000 is out of my price range, I would almost guarantee that there is a significant customer base that would shell out the cash for a pass like this. Even if each CF park limited it to 1000 members (hey! instant million bucks for the park!)

Why not just add these as check out options when renewing, offer a season long fastlane or fastlane plus, season long preferred parking, 30% off merch and food instead of 10%, "free" soda without a damn bottle to carry around, "unlimited free" locker rental! There are all sorts of options they could simply market as add ons' for season pass holders.

Frog Hopper King said:

Kevinj said:

I do not recollect the exact time we got off the platform, but of course the early-entry line had formed, and a dad with his young kids pointed at me as I walked my students out the exits and yelled... "what the %$# gives you the right to ride my coaster!"

That is just amazing to me. Its like when you go to Disney World and see families fighting. You have spent all this time and money to enjoy a fun place like cedar point and all you can be is bitter.

I think these are many of the same people that are the ones in the enthusiast clubs that ruined the rest of us being invited to things like Media Day and the Halloweekends event that they used to have. I enjoyed those events, and never understood the people I saw that had a ridiculous sense of entitlement, and did nothing but complain or, worse yet, get int the faces of the staff running the events that we were invited to. I see some of these same people still walking around the park, so I know they're also passholders, and they're likely up to their same antics, ruining things for the rest of us ion the process.

It's episodes like these why I only use early entry occasionally and don't attend many enthusiasts events anymore.

I like to think of a platinum pass benefit as allowing me to enter the park on a Tuesday afternoon in early June when one can ride much more than at any early entry or ride night. One of the many benefits of a season pass.

I had an interesting time in line for Vallie on Saturday....

First, we got in line and it broke down after 30 mins of being in line. my 3 friends and I moved up and saw 2 employees come up to the corner of the queue area and start asking questions and giving out free things like up-the-exit passes and free game vouchers, etc. So they ask silly random questions like "whoever can remove your shoelaces first from your shoe, gets a free fast lane pass!!" so my friend took out hers in like, 5 seconds, pretty much beating all the other people in the vicinity of that corner. she clearly held it waaaay up, and one of the employees literally looked RIGHT at her, but then proceeded to scan the whole crowd and instead pick this 12 year old who was not as quick at pulling the lace out and was standing 3 feet in front of the employees. of course. And Yes, there were adults raising their hands too. So they ask another question about rides and my friend knew the answer and shouted it aloud with her hand way up. once again, he looks RIGHT at her, scans the crowd, and picks yet another teenie bopper standing like 2 feet in front of the employees. go figure. why do tweenagers always get top picks even if they technically didn't "win" the trivia?

You were about ten minutes behind us in line. I couldn't hear anything those people said from where I was.