Starting my first season. What did I get myself into?

Working at cedar point this summer ('10) and need some information. I was wondering if anyone knew the:

-pay-rate
-how much housing costs (rather important),
-how hard the job is if you're working in the games dept.
-if things of value really do get stolen from your room,
-how expensive it is to live there (food and entertainment),
-Smoking while working,
-is there a place to park a car?

And most of all... is it worth it?

I've been reading up on the job and I've heard a lot of mixed views so any opinions would be grateful.

well, im working on power tower this year and my pay is 7:30 an hour, housing is deducted from your pay check im not sure on if its hard working in games. When my sister worked at cedar point she had her cedar point tickets stolen and ive heard alot of other people get things stolen so i wouldnt take anything valuable its not very expensive to live there bring money and what not to live on before you get your 1st paycheck. Yes if you live in the commons or dorms they have an employee parking lot!

Thank you very much for the response.

I've been reading everywhere that the dorms and commons are really ****ty so I'm trying to find out everything about them that I can.

this is my 1st year, but my sister worked there and ive been in the apartments and they are very noisy and the bathrooms are disgusting

I personaly think the Dorms are not bad and I have stayed in Commons and in Cedars, If you live in Commons, bring 2 locks for your locker because the outside locks like a regular locker and there is another compartment that locks too, so if you keep it locked up and your door locked you should be fine. I have always had good roomates and never had a problem.

Food is reasonably priced in the Cafeteria or in Stockade (Frontier Eatery)and visit those places on your day off while you are playing in the park. The ESD (Employee Srvice Dept.) Has fre events like ride nights, games nights and events in the rec center. If you have a car you can park in the Space Spiral lot next to where Demon Drop used to be and you go throug the gard booth and the games office is right there. Another alternative is the Employee bus the runs between Commons ad Cedars and it makes run to the Mall, Meijer and Wal-Mart.

Housing Cost around $31 in commons, $15 in Cedars but there is no A/C unless you bring your own and pay the $25 install fee and pay an extra $.50 a day.

That's pretty much exactly what I needed to know.

I applied for the job without even thinking about looking up on it and now that I am, things are kinda worrying me a bit.

Actually, what is the difference between the dorms and the cedars?

The commons and the cedars both have dorms. Commons also has apartments which about 16 people live in. Cedars is onsite near the marina while Commons is close by right off the mainland not too far away.

im concerned about the 14 hour shifts...

If staffing is anywhere near as good as it was last year, you won't have any 14 hours shifts for a good chunk of the season. You'll likely be asking for MORE hours. Of course it's always a little harsh at the very beginning of the summer and at the end when people are still in school and going back to school, but for June and July you'll be lucky to have any open to close shifts. But that's all in ride operations. I'm pretty sure that the games department works less than rides in the first place.

Housing sucks. Lived there for four summers, and while it was fun for about the first two, by the end of my fourth season I absolutely hated it. But you get what you pay for (which isn't much). My advise, though, is to live in Commons Dorms. Stay away from the apartments if you're concerned about having stuff stolen, and bring a couple locks. Your room can stay clean if you have clean roommates, but the bathrooms are awful.

There are employee parking lots both at the park and by housing.

Base rate is $7.30/hr.

The employee cafeteria isn't super expensive, but they're definitely making a profit (which really bothers me, but that's the topic for another discussion). The food is... okay. Some of it is actually really good (Macho Nachos!). They have microwaves if you want to bring your own food for breaks, which is what I suggest (except for Macho Nacho day!).

Sandusky has a few movie theaters, a mall, and well... Cedar Point. The park is where you'll spend most of your free time, trust me.

While you're on break, you'll have to find a designated smoking area that is not inside the park. You won't be given smoking breaks, though. I think that games does breaks differently than rides... pretty sure you only get one hour-long break per shift. Maybe someone who has worked in games could confirm this.

Is it worth it? YES! You'll meet a lot of very interesting people and it's pretty much the most fun atmosphere you could possibly work in. Go in with an open mind and a willingness to do a good job and you'll have a lifetime of memories packed into a single summer. Wouldn't have gone back for five years if it wasn't worth it!

brian- you took the words out of my mouth- except MACHO NACHO day is also- everyone's-gets-gas day. it's so funny seeing everyone coming back from break saying- "oooh it was so good but i feel soo sick now."

however the apartments are only bad because the living room is the only room with A/C and also, because you live with 12-16 other people (commons apartments) however if you're lucky, which if you come in May or after, you wont get these, but Bayside i heard are a little nicer because you live with 6 people and not 12. you get a living room, kitchen and 2 bedrooms (correct me if i'm wrong.)

this is the best place to work in the summer, you're going to have an amazing summer

Thanks for the info.

another few questions:
Does working in the games dept. give you ****ty hours?

And how exactly does the whole living situation go?
Liike, roomates and stuff?

And does anyone know where these dorms/commons/apartments are located exactly? I'm planning on going to look at them when I go for my interview on Saturday.

Depends on what you consider to be "bad" hours. Some people like to work a lot. Some don't. Having never worked in games before, I don't really know how many hours you can expect to work, but I'm sure it's at least 40 per week. I know they work less than rides. We're the slaves of the park. I like the long hours in rides though.

You can choose who you live with. Meet some people on this site, or go there with a friend from home. If you get to the park on the same day, just tell the person at the front desk that you want a room together. If one of you gets there before the other, they can put your name on the room list for when you get there, provided that there are empty beds. You're pretty much 100% guaranteed to room with at least one person whom you've never met before, so be prepared for that.

If you've ever been to Cedar Point before, Commons and Bayside are the prison-looking buildings to the left on the mainland just before you head over the Causeway. Cedars are the red and while buildings over by Famous Dave's.

I think it was mentioned before that housing is $31 or $16 dollars a week. During my interview, Debra informed me that housing is going up about $4. That's the first time in 30+ years it's increased, so no biggie. I won't miss that extra $8 each check :) Either way, working a ton or not, you will have a blast. Meet your coworkers (Facebook groups and here are great ways to do this) and bond with them and you're almost guaranteed for the best summer of your life.

What I tell every newbie is that the experience is what you make of it. The people who hate it tend to be the people who don't/refuse to get along with their crews/supervisors and the people who would rather party than work. You should expect demanding hours, although you may not get them. Make friends with the people you work with, they'll be your family for the summer. Have fun when you're not working, there's plenty to do. Just keep a good attitude and you'll have a great summer.

Oh, and personally, I'd recommend living in the Commons Dorms. You'll have 2-3 roommates, and A/C. The apartments, in my opinion, are terrible.

Thanks again for all the responses. Based on what I've heard, I going to try to live in the Common Dorms since I absolutely cannot sleep when it's incredibly hot.

Any other tips/pointers/recommendations/whatever?

Bring shower shoes. You do NOT want to be in any of the showers in your bare feet.

Hi, I've been working in merchandise since 2006, and games is part of merchandise. Basically if you're working a game it's not that hard, you just need to attract guests to your game by calling to them, and telling them about what your game is all about, and how to play it. Some games have a loud speaker you can use to attract guests to you. Although I've never worked a game before, I have seen it a lot, and it looks like fun. You handle quite a bit of money during your shift, so being good with money will be a benefit. But you shouldn't worry too much, there's always a supervisor near by if you need help, plus you'll be trained before you start. Just have fun, and do a good job and your summer will be awesome!

Bring a waterbottle. :)

Definitely bring shower shoes...I would suggest living in commons, it's like party central, but yes I have heard of quite a few people getting iPod's and camera's stolen. Just bring a lock for your locker. The cafeteria is better priced than the rest of the park...but it's not cheap. And (shocker) I think Macho Nachos are so gross (haha just saying). Of course I was also pregnant during the season and just about everything in the cafeteria made me sick. The hours are long, in rides, but it goes by pretty fast (most days). I don't know how games works, but in rides you will not have very many 14 hour shifts. My longest shift was an O-C on an extended day, park opened at 10 and closed at midnight. I was at work at 9 am and left around 12:30am...yeah my legs hurt really bad after that lol. My biggest piece of advice is to budget your money. Chances are you will be eating out with friends like 5-6 times a week. It's 5 bucks here and there but it adds up, TRUST ME. And lastly, yes it is very worth it. You will meet some of the greatest people there, and if you're like me they become even closer to you than your at home friends. Good luck, and I'm sure you're going to enjoy this season!!!