Question about working at the Point

That's a good point. If you're in another department but want to do Screamsters, you need to work it out before you get hired and sign your contract. Otherwise you're screwed, because most departments need everyone they can get when Halloweekends comes around.

Ralph Wiggum said:
You can ride on your break if you get out of uniform before you do it. Riding Magnum or going for a lap around the lazy river in Soak City were my favorite break options at Ripcord. But of course, you just have to make sure you can do that and get back in time (and probably be ok with not eating anything that day). As for #2, if Peggy says it's cool than it shouldn't be an issue. I doubt they'll even ask about it, but if they do, just tell them what happened.

Actually, you aren't supposed to ride anything while on break.

I don't remember reading anything in the contract that says you can't. And I was never reprimanded even once for doing so. In fact, I think it even says something about being out of uniform to ride rides on break, but I'm not entirely sure on that. I'm only positive on this because at Carowinds you got fired if you got caught riding anything on a day you worked, whether you were off the clock or not. When I came to CP, I was expecting the same rule, but when I found out otherwise, it was kind of like the light of Heaven shining down upon me and God personally saying, "Yes, Steve. I love you."

Breaks are unpaid time, so I'd be damned if anyone was going to tell me what I could or couldn't do on them as long as I was out of uniform.

But you're still technically on a scheduled shift. If that ride breaks down for awhile, not only are you late, but you're causing everything else backed up at your location. They are not meant to be ridden during breaks, but definitely during the offtime.

My memory tells me you can do whatever you want as long as your out of uniform and have your work ID covered. I know I've done it once or twice when taking a lunch and not being hungry. Leaving line isn't that hard if something goes wrong. But after a month, I had plenty of ride time already.

First word of advice, don't spend your off time on Point if at all possible. You will get burnt out and you need a mental break from it. It was something I never thought I'd believe I'd say, I love the place. But believe me, is true.

But there is a chance that you could be on a coaster and it stuck on the lift for 30 minutes...then you're screwed. This is why you can not ride these on breaks.

^ Valid point, and without a doubt probably the correct answer. I was always told we were not supposed to ride unless you were clocked out of the time clock. Breaks you are still clocked in, but the time just get taken out later. Sure you can get away with riding during a break without your uniform on, but once your noticeably late returning from break I'm sure many people will be irritated with you (which is a way stupid drama starts, haha).

How can you have a mental breakdown riding Magnum, the greatest ride on the face of the earth? :)

The probability of getting stuck on a ride is already slim. The probability of getting stuck on that one particular train during your small window of time on that particular day is even slimmer. Like Nicole Ritchie slim. In my nearly 24 years of life and probably somewhere over 1,000 coaster rides, I've been stuck on a coaster once, and that was the Voyage because the mid course breaks stopped the train we were on due to it going too fast through the first half of the course. Never been stopped on a lift. Ever.

You probably have a better chance of driving off point to McDonald's and getting stuck in their heinously slow drive thru. Or getting in a crash on the causeway. Or blowing a tire. Or a gaggle of geese crossing the street and stopping you for half an hour. Any of those are more plausible than getting stuck on a coaster, and yet we're still allowed to go off point for break.

Anyway, I always just used to do the lazy river on my break. The only way to get stuck in there is if you're Shamu's cousin (or the assistant Challenge Park supervisor). And I still don't think there's anything about not being allowed to ride rides on your break in the contract. If there is, I'll admit I'm wrong, but I'm about 99% sure it doesn't specifically say you can't.

Well I am 110% sure you can't ride rides on your break. And the shot at the "assistant ChallengeD park supervisor" was a little unneccesary.

I was riding Raptor while on the clock once and we got stuck on the lift for 45 minutes, making me 45 minutes late to my ride location. Luckily it was for dead weight and was totally excusable since I was pulled off the midway by a supervisor to do it. Don't ever say you wont get stuck on a coaster while on break, because it will happen. To play it safe, save riding for before or after your scheduled shift... you will have plenty of opportunities to ride on your time off.

Thank you.

RaceRinger said:
The probability of getting stuck on a ride is already slim. The probability of getting stuck on that one particular train during your small window of time on that particular day is even slimmer.

You've apparently never met Murphy or been introduced to his Law.

Believe me, Murphy has cast his long, dark shadow over my head on more than one occasion, but never have I been stuck on a coaster during a break. That's some seriously bad luck if it happens, but like I said, there are literally dozens of things that could happen to you on break, and all of them with a greater probability than being stuck on a coaster.

You could choke on your sandwich and need the Heimlich on break, yet you are allowed to eat sandwiches on break. You could get food poisoning from the employee cafeteria, yet still you are allowed to go there on break. You could roll your ankle falling off a curb, yet still you are allowed to walk places on break. Just simply saying that there's a possibility of getting stuck on a roller coaster during your break is an asinine and idiotic reason for saying you shouldn't be allowed to. For everyone who has seen Forrest Gump, "stuff" happens.

And I still haven't seen a shred of proof that it's in the rules that you aren't allowed to. Just because one supervisor in one area of the park says you can't doesn't mean it applies to the whole staff.

Yet it does. And just because you feel there is a very small chance of something like that happening, it still can. Which is why you arent to ride rides on your break.

Well until Mr. Hildebrandt or someone close to his importance puts it on paper, it's just a ride by ride thing. I guarantee the supervisors in the front of the park differ from the ones by Magnum who differ from the ones back in Frontiertown. And they certainly differ from the supervisors in Challenge Park. You can't universally apply a rule to everyone if one supervisor says so, he/she doesn't have that kind of pull in a workplace that extensive. If I came back as supervisor and tried to say that all employees are required to wear a hat and sunglasses, I could maybe enforce that with my rides, but it's not like I could make everyone else follow my rules. The only way a rule applies across the board is if it's in the contract, and like I said, I know it's not in there.

I'm not near my guidelines book or anything because I'm far from home. This rule would not be on any contract, but in the Guidelines book, most likely. I'm pretty sure this rule applies to all of Cedar Point because anyone can get stuck on a ride and cause things to be delayed no matter where they may work. It's highly likely that this rule is unheard of in Challenge Park because it's so lenient and easy to get away with things.

I have to disagree there, at least on the reasoning for it. Sure you take a risk of getting stuck when riding a ride, regardless of how small that risk it. But that can apply to any situation that could arise that would make you late returning from break. Slow cafeteria service (they don't know the meaning of the word fast), guests stopping you for 15 minutes to bitch about something you have nothing to do with, and a slew of other things could cause you to be late from break, but nobody just hides at their ride and worries about it instead of taking a break.

BGRooDoG said:
I was riding Raptor while on the clock once and we got stuck on the lift for 45 minutes, making me 45 minutes late to my ride location. Luckily it was for dead weight and was totally excusable since I was pulled off the midway by a supervisor to do it. Don't ever say you wont get stuck on a coaster while on break, because it will happen. To play it safe, save riding for before or after your scheduled shift... you will have plenty of opportunities to ride on your time off.

So you were testing it before it opened? I feel like the odds of it getting stuck during a test run are considerably higher than during normal operation. But then what do I know? I never worked a coaster.

Who even cares if you're a little late? Its only a minor inconvenience to your coworkers, and as long as you don't make that a habit, nobody is going to hate you for it.
Oh yeah, you might get 2 points. OH NO.