Understaffing at Cedar Point hits nightmarish levels...

Walt said:

I'm not seeing where unemployment is Erie County is dramatically high. At 5.6%, it's only 0.6% above the state average and only 1.2% above the national average.

It may be improved, but 1.2% above the national average is incredibly significant. Jumps of a full percent are huge when talking about unemployment rates.

PS: Sky Ride is open this morning! I'd imagine that means they took on some additional staff.

I will say the park is as ready as they can be for the large crowds today. Both Tony and Kristie were working as Valravn crew this morning. Kristie was a ride host and Tony was doing the spiel.

Now I’m curious if Jason McClure is a ride op at Maverick today.

GL2CP said:

Just observing, after cedar points comment on here, no one was talking about the park crowd anymore. It worked.

The comment was completely meaningless, to boot. His response can be summed up as: 'We know there's a problem, and we're talking about it. We can't tell you what we are actually going to do about it, but you can vent some more at this link.'

ImpulsivePhoenix said:

Time to find out will this Friday be as crowded as the last one.

I was there. I have a Platinum pass, and I went into the park with no expectations.
Sky Ride: Closed
Windseeker: Closed
Wicked Twister: Closed
Power Tower: Closed
SkyHawk: Closed
Train: Closed
Gemini: Closed

Iron Dragon: Closed

I was in line for the Dragster, and it was shut down due to an issue. Everyone went for the exits, and when most of us got there, a security guard told us that we could go back, because the issue was resolved. Most of us continued for the exits. I kept an eye on the Dragster the best I could, and it was down for most of the evening.

Many food stalls were closed, and I only counted one Coke refill station that was open.

Naturally, I blamed those lazy Millennials/Gen X'ers/insert name of group here because I don't want to blame CP/ for not arriving in droves to work for less than 9 bucks an hour with a rigid schedule for so many rides and attractions being closed.

There was NO wind to speak of, before anyone tries that one.

None of the rides that you listed are ever scheduled to be open on Fridays. https://www.cedarpoint.com/halloweekends/haunt/attractions/friday-night-rides

That's too bad. Those are some really good rides not being used.

Your belligerent whining is getting a bit tiresome, Tony Stark.

And as for Tony Clark's reply, he was trying to (at least from what I can infer) pound home the message a few of us have been echoing. That 1) what happened last Saturday was not good...for anyone, 2) it's a problem that is being worked on given the resources they have to work with. As I (and others mentioned), some are suggesting that Cedar Point simply doesn't care. I would posit the opposite; they care more than you do.

As was already brought up, the fact that Dragster is currently open is a testament to the opposite. The fact that Valravn opened last Sunday for less than an hour is a testament to that. But I digress.

That aside, I have taught college students around Ohio since 2002. Large campuses (Ohio State), smaller campuses (Capital, and now my home of Mount Union). I's 40, so I guess I am in Generation Y, or X, or whatever; I have never seen one shred of evidence that anyone considered a "Millennial" lives up to any of the stereotypes that are put out there. In fact, there is actually data that suggests the opposite, if you like to read:

https://medium.com/the-mission/the-14-most-destructive-millennial-m...00838eecd6

What happened last Saturday , and what could be happening now...has everything to do with incredibly wonderful weather, lingering staffing issues that the park has acknowledged, at the crossroads of a season winding down at a seasonal amusement park.

The young men and women who fill my classrooms actually inspire me, not the opposite.

Kevinj said:

Your belligerent whining is getting a bit tiresome, Tony Stark.

Your mindless apologies for CP are beyond tiresome, KevinJ

And as for Tony Clark's reply, he was trying to (at least from what I can infer) pound home the message a few of us have been echoing. That 1) what happened last Saturday was not good...for anyone, 2) it's a problem that is being worked on given the resources they have to work with. As I (and others mentioned), some are suggesting that Cedar Point simply doesn't care. I would posit the opposite; they care more than you do.

They have a funny way of showing they care. Less than 9 bucks an hour and insane demands regarding employee schedules, deplorable housing conditions...any of that ring a bell? CP is making money hand over fist, and you are whining for them about the "resources they have to work with"? Amazing.

His response was completely devoid of details. No talk of refunds, no real apology. 'Hey guys, uh...thanks for letting us know. We're talking about it, and...we'll get back to you. Now click this link and get it out of your system.'

You fell for that?

As was already brought up, the fact that Dragster is currently open is a testament to the opposite. The fact that Valravn opened last Sunday for less than an hour is a testament to that. But I digress.

That aside, I have taught college students around Ohio since 2002. Large campuses (Ohio State), smaller campuses (Capital, and now my home of Mount Union). I's 40, so I guess I am in Generation Y, or X, or whatever; I have never seen one shred of evidence that anyone considered a "Millennial" lives up to any of the stereotypes that are put out there. In fact, there is actually data that suggests the opposite, if you like to read:

https://medium.com/the-mission/the-14-most-destructive-millennial-m...00838eecd6

What happened last Saturday , and what could be happening now...has everything to do with incredibly wonderful weather, lingering staffing issues that the park has acknowledged, at the crossroads of a season winding down at a seasonal amusement park.

The young men and women who fill my classrooms actually inspire me, not the opposite.

You do know I was being EXTREMELY sarcastic when I "blamed" Milennials for the staffing problem, right?

I kept an eye on the Dragster the best I could, and it was down for most of the evening.

That’s not even remotely true. Dragster was running most of the evening. Sat on the boat and watched it run good most of the night.

It’s ok to be critical of the park but you are clearly just hating.

Unfortunately because of my job, I have been unable to make it to any Halloweekends this year. I didn't realize they did away with Wicked Twister as a Friday night HW ride this year until I saw the link above. That kinda sucks.

Yes, actually (I picked up on the sarcasm).

Point being, you whined about rides not being open when those rides are simply not open on Fridays. That's called belligerence; stirring a pot simply to sit back and watch the effect when it contributes nothing.

Your original post was based on Facebook comments.

Since this little thread exploded, I've had conversations without well over a dozen folks who were there on Saturday, and a few who were there all weekend. While all of them acknowledged many of the issues brought up here, all of them also expressed how much fun they had, and at least three of the couples (and one family) are there again, today, by choice.

My point is, despite all the noise (which is, to some degree important to listen to), I would actually suggest that despite the Lord of the Flies conditions implied, the majority of the guests walked away with having had a very busy but fun day.

Then again, what do I know? Please continue.

Kevinj said:

Are Facebook comments really the best source of information on which to base an argument with regards to park operations?

True

DSShives said:

I kept an eye on the Dragster the best I could, and it was down for most of the evening.

That’s not even remotely true. Dragster was running most of the evening. Sat on the boat and watched it run good most of the night.

It’s ok to be critical of the park but you are clearly just hating.

Oh, but it is true. I was in line, and the ride was closed. We were told to go to the exits. Dozens of customers were yelled at for running over the parked trains to head to the exit that is used when the ride is over. The rest of us walked to the traditional exits, and when we got there, we were told we could go back. Many did not, including me.

I kept an eye on the ride when I could after that, when I was at different sections of the park. I saw the ride go off on occasion, but based on what I saw, it was down more than it was running.

Now if you sat there and stared at the ride all night without blinking, than your anecdote tops mine.

Tony Stark,

Your original post was a good one and I think many people were in agreement with you that last Saturday was not up to snuff. I and many others supported you and sometimes the park needs to be called to the carpet when they're not delivering what they promise.

But now you're piling on about closed rides on a Friday night that have never been advertised to be open.

It's two different things.

MDOmnis said:

Tony Stark,

Your original post was a good one and I think many people were in agreement with you that last Saturday was not up to snuff. I and many others supported you and sometimes the park needs to be called to the carpet when they're not delivering what they promise.

But now you're piling on about closed rides on a Friday night that have never been advertised to be open.

It's two different things.

I admit that I did not know that it was part of the plan for those rides to be closed.

Whether it is posted on the site or not, I still think it's unfortunate to have some many good rides closed. Not only because they are good rides, but it has to increase the wait for the remaining rides that are open. Sound fair?

Is there also a reason for the so many different food stands and Coke stations being closed, too?

You can literally check and see exactly when Dragster was open and closed on Queue-Times (which pulls data directly from the app). There's no need to argue about it.

It opened with the park (possibly for Early Entry but it won't populate a wait time until park open), ran until about 8:20, then went down from 8:20 to 9:40 and then operated until a little after 11:30 when it went down again. That sounds pretty typical for Dragster. It was open the majority of the time.

Kevinj said:

Yes, actually (I picked up on the sarcasm).

I seriously doubt it.

Point being, you whined about rides not being open when those rides are simply not open on Fridays. That's called belligerence; stirring a pot simply to sit back and watch the effect when it contributes nothing.

I didn't whine, I stated facts.

Yes, I didn't know that it was planned for the rides I listed to be closed. I still think it's unfortunate. Is there a reason for so many rides to be closed on a busy day in advance?

Your original post was based on Facebook comments.

And?

Since this little thread exploded, I've had conversations without well over a dozen folks who were there on Saturday, and a few who were there all weekend. While all of them acknowledged many of the issues brought up here, all of them also expressed how much fun they had, and at least three of the couples (and one family) are there again, today, by choice.

My point is, despite all the noise (which is, to some degree important to listen to), I would actually suggest that despite the Lord of the Flies conditions implied, the majority of the guests walked away with having had a very busy but fun day.

Then again, what do I know? Please continue.

So you can use your own anecdotes, but Facebook reviews are a no-no?

Not knowing about limited ride availability is like showing up at noon on Friday expecting the park to be open. It’s your own fault as the business has, for years, announced that operations are limited on Friday nights.

I would expect there are a lot of people that don't know what rides are not scheduled to be open on Friday nights.

It's not even close to not knowing when the park is open, after all PARK HOURS are right on the homepage at the very top and is virtually the first thing people see. Most people would likely assume that when the park is open, the park is 'OPEN' for business.

The ride closures are not mentioned anywhere on the home page, they are buried deep in the webpages.

Facebook reviews are fine. They're also not something one can use to generalize with.

To me, in your first post you sounded like a disgruntled former employee, or someone who simply either has a beef with the park, or both. You weren't even at the park on the "crazy Saturday" in question, and yet you monitored and harvested the Facebook comments from that day to base your argument on. Tony Clark/Stark? Very clever. Or maybe you just really like Ironman.

That said, as others have pointed out, there was some merit. Everyone more or less agreed to that. Last Saturday was, in many ways, a situation that revealed many areas in which the park did not function like to would like to (to say the least).

Great.

The park also realizes that, and apparently many of us have a lot of ideas with how the park could do better.

Wonderful.

I happened to know many who were at the park that day, some of which spent the entire weekend there. I myself was there with 30 of my students and some family members on Sunday. Everyone agreed that the park was slammed, and many expressed some of the things stated in this thread ad nauseum; and yet they all had a good time by some miracle.

Person A spends X amount of dollars and says: "Damn it! Things arent how I would like them to be, and I just spent X amount of dollars! Greeder Point! Can't wait to get home to Facebook!"

Person B spends X amount of dollars and says: "Damn it! Things arent how I would like them to be, and I just spent X amount of dollars! How can we make the most of our day?"

I apparently just commune with more Person B's. But then again, I'm a person B.

Regardless, Cedar Point says, "Damn it! Things arent how I would like them to be, and all these people have great expectations of us. This is not our best self. How can we do better"?

Or, you know, you can continue to believe Jason and Tony are somewhere in a room in the coliseum laughing as they roll in around in all the dollar bills the apologists continue to feed them, as Ouimet oversees their frolicking from his throne.