Stolen All-Season Drink Cups

Thabto said:

This is the exact reason why I never bother with getting those cups. Some time ago, I calculated the costs of buying the drink cups + lockers vs. just getting a disposable cup and found that the disposable cup was cheaper in the long run. When you factor in locker rentals, it ends up costing you more money. I would pay up to $50 for an all-season drink plan. That wouldn't be a replacement for souvenir cups, just another option. I'm sure there are many who just buy those cups for the sake of collecting them.

Precisely the reason we ran the risk and now that it has been stolen twice it's time to cut our losses. I did not want to pay $6-$10 in lockers each visit (my understanding is lockers are $2 minimum for 2 hours - yes that's $1 per hour, but $2 minimum each time you put it in a locker).

Burt said: However, he saw everyone else just leaving cups around and decided to skip that process.

"Everybody else is doing it, so it'll be fiiiiiiiiiiine"

Don't be a lemming, and don't trust stuff like that simply because everyone else is.

I would think Coke gives the cups to CP for free. Would you pay for something to advertise another companies products? Year's ago (60's and maybe 70's) CP actually had CP branded soft drink cups which were very cool with the CP logo and some ride illustrations on the cup. I'm sure they paid for those. When they made the switch to the Pepsi branded and then to the Coke branded cups, I would think they are supplied for free.

If they had a locker system like Silver Dollar City, that would help a lot. I love how you pay once and use a code to activate lockers in different areas. We wanted to do the water rides and stash our stuff so wouldn't get wet. This would be great at CP with all the issues they have about loose articles, and guests not wanting to pay every time they go to a different locker.

For those of you than can get by with water (the horror!), I recently used these at the park and found that they worked great. When it's time to get on a ride just make sure they're empty and stuff them in your pocket. The carabiner is a bit worthless, but the pouches are fine.

I know that water is free at concession stands, but when I went they were pretty busy and it was much more convenient to refill these things at water fountains.

That's a great idea. I also just saw that MI Adventure got new water fountains last weekend that have the actual water bottle refill thing on the back of them, so you don't have to fill them from the spout. I haven't been to CP this year, but maybe they have those also for easy refills, or maybe they are getting them soon!

Unfortunately I didn't see any water bottle refill things around June 1st (I just used the regular water fountains.) Valleyfair had at least one of those things in the park as of last year.

MF&WTer said:

For those of you than can get by with water (the horror!), I recently used these at the park and found that they worked great.

This is brilliant. Just placed my order. Thank you very much.

MF&WTer said:

Unfortunately I didn't see any water bottle refill things around June 1st (I just used the regular water fountains.) Valleyfair had at least one of those things in the park as of last year.

Kings Island has installed a few. I was at the park last week.

Theme Park G said:
(...)You ACTUALLY get the park to give you a new one (which surprises me because they have signs and fine print everywhere saying any lost or stolen items are not the parks responsibility if NOT in a locker) and you do it again and in the same place the first was stolen! (...)

The park disclaims liability for items lost, stolen or destroyed in the lockers, too. That's why I don't use them (and why my 50mm Pentax lens is now worthless). It's just that items in the lockers are slightly harder (but not impossible) to steal.

--Dave Althoff, Jr.

MF&WTer said:
For those of you than can get by with water (the horror!), I recently used these at the park and found that they worked great.

Hold up. People actually put water in those?

Well, it is evident there is no unfortunate situation our webmaster and other Cedar Fair apologists cannot make worse by piling on the "personal responsibility" card. But let's think realistically here. The actual cost of the orange cups to Cedar Fair, labelling included...Maybe a dollar, tops. Also, It is the worst kept secret in the restaurant biz that selling fountain pop is the biggest profit around. There is a reason McDonalds can charge a buck for any size drink and offer free refills...It's all profit. By charging anything for each small plastic cup of soda Cedar Point is making a huge profit. By charging what they actually do charge, they are squeezing every last drop of profit out of something that is relatively inexpensive at cost to them..

The bottom line: if Cedar Fair were to make the 'sacrifice" of allowing some of their best customers the perk of having free drinks as a platinum perk rather than issuing unwieldly, obnoxious color-coded plastic bottles (in a park that discourages carry on items) they would not stand to hurt the bottom line much. But, that is something the management remains too myopic to notice or too greedy to consider. Yes, Jeff, I know CP is a business and they can do what they want. But let's call a spade a spade. When some of your best and most fervent supporters are on the internet blogging about ways to improve the experience, it might not be a bad idea to listen. When they do stupid things, they should be open to criticism.

We did the souvenir cup about 4 years back because the person that was with is a big pop/soda drinker. We hid that thing behind or in bushes all day and it never disappeared. Still have it actually. They should tie the all season free refill cup to your pass (if you have one), it'd simply things if it got stolen or lost. They could charge some nominal fee for a replacement to cover their costs and call security if someone tries to use a disabled cup (that's tied to a pass) for a free escort out of the park and loss of the cup.

It'd be way better though if pass holders could get some sort of drink plan that didn't involve those pesky cups. I'm water or adult beverage only at the park, since pop is ridiculously overpriced and I out void it generally anyway. I'd use the drink plan for Powerade or tea from the freestyle machines.

I bet the drink plan will be even more expensive than the all season free refill drink cup if it does get offered, and it will probably have strings attached too.

It makes me cringe to see people not able to rely on only water while at the park. I would actually think it would be better than drinking soda since there is less of a chance of a protien spill. It's like half of America has a physical addiction to pop which is really sad. This contributes to the threads on here about which seats on rides have longer seatbelts so you can avoid the walk of shame. I know I am being harsh but this whole issue makes me cringe. I will drink a soda maybe once every 3 weeks and that is simply to stay awake on the drive home because of the caffine.

cptedsdisciple2 said:

But let's call a spade a spade.

We did, when we called out people who can't be responsible for themselves and seek to blame everyone else.

^ ^ When it's really hot the thought of drinking pop at the park doesn't even appeal me. We drink just water and some Gatorade because my doc told me I need otherwise it would be all water.

I only drink pop when out & about. Home all I have is fruit punch & koolaid. At CP, usually it's just at Famous Dave's. Once in while might buy drink in park late in day just to hold us over until we leave. heck, I haven't had caffeine on about 12 yrs now. Sometimes when it's really hot, I know water is better for you. But, man, ice cold pop really hits the spot! I remember once while riding Magnum all day in heat, I couldn't put my $2 in machine fast enough!

I have a souvenir cup, and I never get soda in it. I get the water beverages at the Coke Freestyle machines, lots of options for those now. I get a cup every year, and have yet to have any issues. When I don't feel like paying for a locker, I don't ride the rides that require I get one. It's not that expensive, and I tend to get a locker on days when the lines are not long, and I can ride multiple times during the duration of my locker rental. On days when the lines are long, I do other things, or ride other rides that don't require a locker. It's not that difficult, and not that expensive.

OMG! Is it actually... a voice of reason!! =D

What? Logic exists here? No water tower comments?

Praise Odin!