Top Thrill STILL closed

Well this doesent exactly apply to Dragster specifically but i thought it was a good idea and it kind of fits here. Instead of cedar point having little wooden signs at the beginning of each queue line listing the ride time. I have heard that other parks have little digital digns at each queue stating the ride status. Open/Closed/Broken Down and the line wait time. which are all tied into a simple central computer system (nothing elaborate) and then have small kiosks located at the main entrances and strategic areas of the park displaying ride times and ride status. I think this would be a great idea for cedar point. That way guests would not have to walk all the way back to frontier town (for example) to find out that mean streak was down. Or make the walk from Magnum XL200 to Wicked twister to find out it is down for the day. How simple of a system is this, and how nice would it be for cp to have it?

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TTD Burnouts = 4

What are the lights moving for...
AHHHHHHHHHHHH!
I Feel The Need, The Need For Speed - Top Gun

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jeremymj said:

On a day when a number of their greatest rides are down, a refund or discount should be given.

I know the park can't hand out mass-refunds, but there is no excuse for a day like Wednesday. Sorry if this sounds harsh, but Cedar Fair is a multi-billion dollar corporation, and losing sight of your customer to build extreme rides, and break records, could cost them in the long run. Just my thoughts.

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I wouldn't even call Wed. a bad day. People had plenty of opportunity to ride everything except TTD. An hour or two of down time on a ride during a ten hour day is not a big deal. Are you whining that you couldn't ride a ride at exactly the time you wanted to and had to come back? These arguments are getting ridiculous. In no way is Cedar Fair losing site of their customers, just the opposite from what I have seen.

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Florida may have Disney World and Key West,
but Ohio has Cedar Point and Put-In-Bay.
It's great to live in Ohio!

Im not trying to make Cedar Point look bad, yes for me Wednesday was bad, we rode Magnum, Wicked Twister, Gemini, and ran around the park the rest of the day, we had lunch after riding Gemini and then, tried to ride Millennium Force at around 3:00pm and people were getting out of line, we had planned to ride TTD in the evening, and waited in line, when it broke down, we left the park at around 7:45 very upset about the whole day. I know the park is going to have these problems, but I want everyone to look at it from a one-trip guests point. You guys must not see the value of a $48.00 admission price, and you dont understand that Cedar Point is in the business to make money, but where does that money come from? I dont care what anyone says about an amusement park, it must follow the same customer service concepts as other business, "Meet or exceed your customers expectations". I didnt have high expectations for the day, I had heard the problems with TTD, and expected not to ride it, but three other rides not operating was not good. Im sorry if I make you guys mad, but get a room full of "regular" customers and see what they say; again Cedar Point is the best at what they do, but this day left much to be desired. I will get over it.

Jeremy.

Doesn't CP state that they are not responsible for rides being closed, weather or otherwise, and that they make any sort of compensation would be just out of the "goodness of their hearts"?

X is closed in SFMM on wednesday During the offseason, again your complaints can be told to that brick wall over there.

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If beating old people is wrong, i don't want to be right! hehe

trips to CP:3 Dragster:1 MFer:4 Magnum: 8 doesn't get any better then a nice day in may!

I've said it before, but I'll say it again... It is a matter of PERSONAL EXPECTATION... There is no right or wrong here... it just depends on who you ask.

To put it in simple terms... When people go to a restaurant, for example. Two different people order the same, but both end up getting a plate of cold food (assuming they ordered something hot, of course). One of them doesn't mind that the food is cold and eats it anyway, pays up and go. The other one on the other hand complains about the food being cold and demands that the food is reheated (if possible) or ask for a refund. And most likely he/she will get it.

Two different reactions to the same situation. Why? Because it is a matter of personal expectation and opinion... One is willing to "let it slide", while the other does not.

The same principle applies here... It depends on how the situation affects each person.

Besides... refunds, credits, rainchecks, and other forms of compensation exist (on almost any business) because of the "few" unsatisfied customers, not because of the "majority" of satisfied customers...
*** This post was edited by pfranco 5/30/2003 12:50:29 AM ***

For those who just went to CP and the only reason was to ride TTD for $43 is very foolish. CP does not guarantee that the rides will be operating. When you buy a lotto ticket and lose do you expect half of your money back? Give me a break! We have one of the best places to go IN THE WORLD, and if a ride is down all day, and other rides are down periodically thruout the day, there are still other options.

If places like CP decided to give money back when a ride is not operating to your expectations, we would NEVER have new rides. Consider the glass half full.

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The best thing about Six Flags "Worlds of Adventure" is that Cedar Point is nearby!

For those who just went to CP and the only reason was to ride TTD for $43 is very foolish.

Speaking from a non-local perspective, I'll be spending far more than $43 to fly out to CoasterMania next week. I even booked a pair of nights at Breakers with plans to spend Thursday there too for extra wiggle room and to fend off the CoasterMania crowds.

If TTD is down I'll be bummed. Sure. If it wasn't for TTD I probably wouldn't have come this year in the first place but you won't see me crying at guest relations for a refund. I know I'll have a good time. I don't need to see the headliner to enjoy the rest of the show.

However, just as some of you have pointed out the problems with X at Magic Mountain only running six days a week, do you realize that nearly half-price coupons for Magic Mountain are plentiful. Xcelerator at Knott's had its problems last season and now Cedar Fair is down to selling adult annual passes at the kid price of $59.95.

That's the long-term problem here. Wicked Twister may have had its problems last year but the coaster obviously didn't get nearly the kind of hype that Dragster is generating. The season is already a few weeks old and you can count the full days that the coaster has been in operation on one hand.

Yes, this will improve. It has to. But that doesn't kill off any of the bad will and rider frustration of spending hours in a line that goes nowhere. It's easy to say that is no BFD right now. But if folks start using Cedar Point as the new baseline for a flawed opening the way folks refer to PKD with Hypersonic or Six Flags with X, it will make your skin crawl.

Wow, good thing I didn't stay up all night reading all of this.

I will agree with one thing: Cedar Point IS in the business of making people happy. The UNITHOLDERS. It is up to Cedar Point to decide how to do that. Usually, that philosophy leads to a mission statement.

The Mission Statement for Cedar Fair is "Cedar Fair, L.P. is dedicated to providing our guests with worldclass thrills, fun and family entertainment, guided by the principles of safety, service, courtesy, cleanliness and integrity."

So now, there is a balance between providing fun and making the Unitholders happy (ie money). If Cedar Fair found that by not providing refunds for rides being closed they were losing money resulting in devaluation of the company, the policy would be changed.

So, how did Cedar Fair do for pfranco according to their own "cornerstones"?

Safety: They had the rides closed because something was wrong. I suppose they could have opened some of the rides (not TTD obviously) and disregarded your safety but they didn't. I have personal experience that can tell you that some parks DO disregard your safety.

Service: Eveyone seems to admit that TTD was being worked on all day and the other coasters pfranco complained about were also back up and running as quickly as possible. I have personal experience that can tell you that some parks will close a ride mid-day and not work on it just so they don't have to pay overtime to mechanics.

Courtesy: I think you can be courteous and still not give a customer exactly what they want. I am sure a representative from Cedar Point didn't say, "ha-ha-ha the rides are closed and we ain't doin' nuthin' for ya!"

Cleanliness: Not really an issue with this example but I haven't heard any complaints so far this season about filth.

Integrity: Cedar Fair states right on its tickets that they are not responsible for ride closures and you are not owed a reimbursement. At least they are honest before you walk in the gate.

Someone earlier said most people go to an amusement park to ride just one ride. You are on crack, no offense.

I think it is a TERRIBLE idea to have a phone number or website update of opened/closed rides. If you check the net to see if everything is open and then get to the park and things are NOT open, aren't you going to be even more ticked off? Rides can be operating fine one minute and then down for days at a time the next. This would really open up a can of worms.

One summer at old Geauga Lake, they did something called the "Sunshine Guarantee". Anyone remember that fiasco? They had a program where if the weather caused rides to shut down for X amount of time you would get a starlight ticket or for Y amount of time you would get a one day ticket. The administration of the program was a complete disaster and caused more problems than they had before it was implemented. As a result, you don't see that program anymore.

The inherent problem in having a refund policy is that there is no way to fairly administer it. We have something similar here where I work. People would like to rent rooms from me all of the time but want discounts if they are with a non-profit or community based organization. We discriminate against everyone equally. No discounts.

I don't think not giving refund coupons is just about the money, what about the logistics of it all. bholcomb said he stood in line at Six Flags over Texas for two to three hours to receive a free admission coupon. I'd never wait that long to save $30, never. When do you give the coupons for "z" discounts out, when ride "x" is down for "y" hour? If patrons deserve partial refunds when major rides are closed I can honestly say that I would have deserved one on every single trip to Fiesta Texas and Astroworld. I admit that for some unkown reason Six Flags over Texas seems to be able to operate at what you might call the "Cedar Point" level. Hey most of us here are Cedar Point fans, but we all get frustrated with things or get mad at them for various reasons. I remember having fun there when the Blue Streak and the Scamper were the only two coasters, and I still haven't forgiven them for changing the Surf Lounge into an ice cream shop.

Wow,

Another person that misses the Surf Lounge. We are a rare breed.

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Paris said:

...Yes, this will improve. It has to. But that doesn't kill off any of the bad will and rider frustration of spending hours in a line that goes nowhere. It's easy to say that is no BFD right now. But if folks start using Cedar Point as the new baseline for a flawed opening the way folks refer to PKD with Hypersonic or Six Flags with X, it will make your skin crawl.

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I don't mean to be ignorant, but what does "BFD" mean? I thought it meant "Bad F***ing Day", but that does not seem to fit the context above...

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Cedar Point - where SBNO is not an option! (my GTTP sig)
..........................................................................................................
Only 1 more week of Space, my favorite nightclub of all-time! (my universal sig)
*** This post was edited by Kevin Lehman 5/30/2003 9:33:09 AM ***

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D. A. Rossi said:
...and I still haven't forgiven them for changing the Surf Lounge into an ice cream shop.

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I second that! (Or I should say third)

I miss drinking "Wave Swingers" on the beach!

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tambo
*** This post was edited by tambo 5/30/2003 9:59:04 AM ***

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I don't mean to be ignorant, but what does "BFD" mean

LOL Big F---ing Deal

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The best thing about Six Flags "Worlds of Adventure" is that Cedar Point is nearby!

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Just to clarify, at Six Flags over Texas, they actually credited my credit card the full amount I was charged for me and my girlfriends admission ticket. It was like 78 dollars or something outrageous like that for the two of us

Um ok so now that we know Top Thrill Dragster is fixxed, it is open today, and it will probably have its usual breakdowns, just to keep you people updated, i don't know if any other rides are running, but i am sure if TTD is the only coaster running people wont complain cause they got to ride what that wanted! ;)

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Ed Markey is my anti-drug.
Rollercoaster have proven to cause brain damage in stupid politicians.

trips to CP:3 Dragster:1 MFer:4 Magnum: 8 doesn't get any better then a nice day in may!

It looks like TTD operation is going to be spotty at best for the near future. Yesterday it opened late and was down for over five hours from shortly before noon and then again for over an hour after running only 3 trains. At 11:30 this morning the platform was empty and now TTD appears to be running.

TTD has been getting good dispatch intervals in the past hour, i have been watching for a little while and it takes a very short amount time to circulate the trains.

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- Dennis
When I die, They'll read this And say a genius wrote it.
http://drinkduff.com/
*** This post was edited by Big D 5/30/2003 12:30:23 PM ***

Are all six trains running?

no. i was at the park on wednesday and thursday. on wednesday, the first time it opened was at 7:15 that night. and we waited 4 hours outside the queue for it to open. but it was well worth the wait. got to ride front row. the thing is, about 3 minutes into our wait, they started testing it WITH employees riding it. then they come on the loud speaker and is like "just because we are testing it doesn't mean its gonna open. ride the other rides please, thanks." i think its bs that you test it with your employees on it, then sit there and do nothing for an hour, THEN open up the ride. but whatever, it was defintley worth it. then on thrusday, it opened up in the middle of the day. right when we saw it going, we ran to it. we had about an hour and a half wait, but it broke down. we waited 2+ hours for it to open again, but it never did. i don't think it opened the rest of the day, but i dunno. we had to leave at like 4 for the 10+ hour drive back to alabama. all in all, i had a great time, got to be the 2nd person in line on mf on thursday, got to ride front row on ttd, but only got to ride it once =(.