Reasons Cedar Point is going downhill

CPboy77 said:
Why is it that we always have to compare Cedar Point to Disney? We get it! Most of you like Disney better. Sheesh.

No thats not it at all. Cedar Point and Disney have many things that are standard in parks. What we are saying that when you able to compare like things, such as Parking, Lockers, Service, Disney does it better period. I am simply trying to point out these differences to help show where there is room for improvement. But working at both I can say this Cedar Point guest are of a much lower quality then Disney guests, and this is an understatement. Which says something for what each of them attract. Either way that is besides the point. No I do not like Disney better, because in my book they are not comparable that way. However I will never work for Cedar Fair again, and I am still considered a seasonal cast member at Disney. Ohh and I live in Michigan so I am willing to pay and fly there to work over working in Supervison for Cedar Fair.

^Also, can someone tell a year since 1994 that Raptor's gum wall wasn't there?

I still think some of don't see the real issues here. Slow ride host and a gum wall that is always there isn't the parks biggest problems.

So just because the gum wall is there a lot it's acceptable? That's not a good excuse. If you have to clean it off every day, clean it off every day. Garbage cans need emptied, trains need cleaned, queues need swept, gum walls need cleaned. It should just be added to the list of things required to clean each coaster every day.

The park could use some of its space better.

Aka Mean Streak...

It has good capacity and all but it just isn't appealing. Frankly Shivering Timbers should be sitting at Cedar Point in my opinion.

Corkscrew could be replaced with something a lot more thrilling in 2009. Mean Streak could be demolished, we could get a topple tower in place of the aquatic stadium. Disaster Transport could be demolished and made way for a....dive machine.

In place of mean streak we could put a euro-fighter in, a launched ride like the volcano ride at Kings Island, and a top spin.

Plus if you want to spoil us for 2009. You could on top of all that jazz. Tear down Gemini, replace it with a dueling dragons style B&M. Then add a log flume there as well.

These are just some ideas I have had. I hope they are not too much :)

The park rules. But for 09 you know they are going to go with something new and ridiculous. I think they can go the easy route and put a log flume in because it is obvious they don't have one and many people think they should.
Realistically to keep up with innovation I think 09 should bring a floorless dive machine or a euro-fighter and a log flume.
*** Edited 11/11/2007 9:59:45 PM UTC by factory81***

In a way, I think Disney can be over-rated. I went to Disney world once and we spent most of the time wandering around just watching things and people having no clue what to do even as their kids couldn't decide what to do. I understand it has rides themed to the best of the best, but the rides themselves are all very similar and involve just riding a boat or car train and going through displays and scenes, etc. Yes great for kids and their first time, but after a while I became bored because most of the rides, shows, etc. were geared towards small kids. Space mountain was fun, and the only big ride there. But I do like universal escape because they have themed rides, but with more thrill and stuff for the kids too.

^You do know that there are three other parks in Florida. But Big Thunder, Splash Mountain, and Pirates of the Caribbean are three great rides at Magic Kingdom. Then you have the many rides at MGM, Animal Kingdom, and Epcot.

The World in Disney World is quite appropriate. Its not a park, or even a collection of parks its an 24-7 experience (provided you stay on site.) And Miss Maverick, I dont think Ive ever heard someone dismiss the Disney Dark rides so quickly as you, sure the Fantasyland ones might be on the weaker side (ie they are actually comparable with other park's dark rides) but POTC, HM, GMR, and SE are without peers, those rides are amazing. Also Disney is much more then rides, focusing on the MK it also has:

-Great Entertainment
-A daily parade
-A near daily night parade
-A amazing firework show
-Very good sitdown resturants (but thats nothing compared to what EPCOT has.)

CP is not Disney, nor will it ever be, but comparing CP's food, employees, rules enforcement and cleanliness is an apples to apples comparison. There is no reason CP cant have good food, Disney employees are all older locals, young teens, and internationals, rules should always be enforced and keeping a place clean is not hard to do, just expensive, but very doable.

I started to type a whole long speil comparing CP (or CF in general) to where I work, but eventually I gave up because it was too long and I can say it in much more simple terms. I think a change at the top is needed. DK has done a great job with new rides and making the chain what it is today, but times are changing and in order for the chain to develop with the times, you need someone who will do what is needed. This year and next years capital improvements was/are a step in the right direction so I guess we'll see how it goes.

crazy horse said:

There was also a lack on part of a lot of the ride crews(not all, but most) to get the trains out of the station in a hurry.

No offense, but if you have worked there doing 70 plus a week people can get burnt out quick.Also the crew must be all on the same page, one person's attitude can result in the whole crew not wanting to get the job done fast. Now I was the Team Leader at Corkscrew this past year....and on 99% percent of the operating days I strived my hardest to hit interval.Although I wasnt the most liked on the crew due to the fact I always mentioned guys we have to be faster..I would even have crew members literally stall to put up there clears. Although the last 10am to 11pm Saturday I told the crew to give it all they had to beat the previous years high. Every1 was burnt out that late August day we managed 68 intervals in a row two back to back 1300 plus hours. Hit the previous years high at 6pm! I told the sup we were trying for a mid 14k plus day and he laughed like riggght. It wouldve happened but at 7 cork went down mechanical the rest of the night. I dont try to get my employees to hate me by saying we must be faster..I juss strive to give the best service as well as make my crew better and make leadership.I lead by example im sure most the crew can oblige ive popped the most pedals all year to get you in and out and not wait 1 1/2hrs for corkscrew.

Disney is a theme park, cedar point is a classic vintage amusement park, people who want hairy fairy theming crap can go to Florida, I personally love cp because I love the old time amusement park atmosphere and I don't need to see a cartoon wonderland at every corner, yeah they have snoopy here and there but it's not over the top like at theme parks, the atmosphere is perfect

halltd said:
So just because the gum wall is there a lot it's acceptable? That's not a good excuse. If you have to clean it off every day, clean it off every day. Garbage cans need emptied, trains need cleaned, queues need swept, gum walls need cleaned. It should just be added to the list of things required to clean each coaster every day.

Tim, seasonals, with the exception of supervisors, are no longer allowed to power wash, which is the method used to address issues of that sort.

^^Raptor you missed the point, no one is argueing with what you said, its just that some of us feel that CP can have the same level of food, service, and cleanliness that Disney has.

At Dragster we were allowed to use the power washer. In fact, we were made to stay after hours to clean the gum off of the platform and near the launch track.

Well, this was a change that happened mid-way through the season. Through about mid-June or early July, we were allowed to too, then that change was implemented, and we never did it again... Thus the reason we started deck-brushing with Ajax each night.

We had to deck brush the queues about half way through the season too. We only had to stay after with the power washer once if I recall right. The one time we were told to use the power washer by supervision was in mid-July I do believe. I knew it was later in the season because our gum problem had gotten way out of hand next to the transfer track. I don't think the power washer was supposed to be used every night on the rides.

I dont post much any more as I moved to FL back in Dec, I too have worked at Cedar Point for two years, then down at Disney and even Universal Studios now. I only had to deal with guests at CP my first year (05' season) because my 2nd year was in a maintenance department with limited guest contact.

I do agree its the attitudes that are a main factor to some of the problems at CP, After working at Disney, I find that cedar point is horrible with guest service in comparison, but did not notice this at the time while working there, because I had nothing to compare it too.

While I will never work at a Cedar Fair park again (My choice) I will say that even going back with the most positive attitude will not fix a thing.

Disney gives you freedom as a cast member, I am allowed to go find a family, a group in line, or find someone who is having a bad day and I can go walk them up fastpass, or do something special for them, that does not have to be done, Cedar point lacks the ability to do this. In-fact Disney encourages it.

Another problem that Cedar Point has is with its Special Access system, now most people here may not ever even use the system, but after seeing how Universal and Disney do it... How CP does it is horrible. Not many people understand how it is to have an autistic child. This is not the easiest thing handle in an amusement park. At Cedar Point with their current policy, it stands as they take the current waiting time, add it to the current time, and tell that group to come back. This means that the group is stuck waiting with a autistic kid, and its not that easy!

Disney on the other hand has a card, where that guest shows it to one of the cast members (CM's here on in) and they are treated like royalty, where they are walked up the exit or what ever the entrance is for that ride for special access and loaded on the ride ASAP. I always asked to do Exit greeter on my ride (It was in the Magic Kingdom) and I did that because I know how nice it can feel and help a parent out in that situation. Disney also does a great job with Give Kids the World, and they get treated like gods in that park (Not that other people dont).

Thats my little rant.. there is a LOT more, I just need to go to class :) *** Edited 11/12/2007 3:52:20 PM UTC by wwrgsww***

Wonder what happened with the power washer for them to say you couldn't use them anymore. Could you "scrape" the gum off with a putty knife, or would that just make a mess? Obviously I've never cleaned gum off of anything before. :)

They were caught giving water wedgies with it during Beat the Heat nights.... ;-)

Yeah, something probably made them decide to not let workers use the pressure washers. Not saying it was at CP, but somewhere somebody probably stuck the wand to their head, pulled the trigger, and peeled the skin off their skull, and then tried to sue. CP gets scared and no more pressure washing.

*And kids at home don't try this at home...3500psi hurts like a b*tch!

halltd said:
Wonder what happened with the power washer for them to say you couldn't use them anymore. Could you "scrape" the gum off with a putty knife, or would that just make a mess? Obviously I've never cleaned gum off of anything before. :)

Tim, actually it can be addressed, we have a product by Zenex called Gum Freeze. You spray it on and take the scraper to the gum. Corkscrew never got bad this year but with that pic above on raptors gumwall I can easily say that would take almost 2 cans and we must share supplies with all the rides. That gum wall hadnt been there the whole year looks like a weeks worth believe it or not. Every day id chip off maybe 6 pieces of gum at cork, raptor on other hand that whole pole would be filled up completely if it was a years worth.