Understaffing at Cedar Point hits nightmarish levels...

GL2CP said:
Im not a park expert so for me one train on magnum seems like it could be two trains easily, even with short staffing. A station wait was 35 minutes. We enjoyed the park though with fewer people.

This was a rain issue. Magnum opened with two trains, but when the rain started to sprinkle on and off, they took the Arrow coasters to one train in an effort to keep them open. Necessary? Probably not. But a way to keep the rides open with CP's overly conservative rain policy? Yes.

It was generous, because I made it up. I have no idea, but whatever it is, maybe they’re hitting goal. I worked my entire life for a corporation that provided service. Our benchmark for satisfaction was below 100%. We knew there were going to be missed appointments and unhappy customers. It’s mind blowing, but that’s part of the mix.

I laughed when I saw all those signs inviting guests to text a number to discuss the “best day ever” thing. I though “Oh lord, if I was the boy fielding those messages today I’d kill myself”. The system probably melted.

Anyway, 70,000 was the number I had in mind as I strolled. It was like Ohio Stadium busy, but all day.
I think I felt sorriest for resort guests. If anyone feels they were handed a bill of goods it should be them.

"My worst day at work is better than an October Saturday at Cedar Point."

RCMAC said:

I think I felt sorriest for resort guests. If anyone feels they were handed a bill of goods it should be them.

Not that CP will ever share the numbers, but I was wondering what the early entry split was for resort guests vs passholders. Ride availability had something to do with it, but the lines during early entry were long both Friday night and Saturday. Saturday morning I made one of the first 3 or 4 trains on MF, then headed straight to Maverick to find a 30+ minute wait. By the time I got off the ride they were in the outdoor switch-backs, still before the park opened.

Due to many of the Ride Warriors events being scheduled on Saturday mornings, I've been in the park more Saturdays these last 2 years than maybe the 10 prior years combined. This summer, it wasn't an issue to hit 4 rides during early entry on a good weather Saturday. This weekend, just barely 2.

It is a serious question for the discussion about Halloweekends with all the wish-list fantasies for expanding/rebuilding/replacing Sandcastle Suites. Can Cedar Point consistently provide the value implied with early entry if season pass sales and resort capacity increase simultaneously?

I wondered the same thing. From the looks of my early-morning drive in to the park I could see that all resorts were likely at capacity and cars were spilling out of Express and Castaway on their way in as well.
I got my season pass renewed when they opened at 9:45. I noticed there was already a large crowd of people at security so I walked down to the marina. As luck would have it a dear friend called so I stayed outside the park on the phone until about 10:15. Valravn was down and there were a lot of people heading to MF. I went by and the first bin at the bottom was full and the second was filling up. Pass. I did not sprint down the trail and by the time I got there Maverick’s line appeared to be full. Pass. So I smoked a cig and stared at Steel Vengeance. By then the park was about to open and I knew I was a goner. I hit all the flats on Gemini midway for fun then that was it. No more rides for the rest of the day.

My overall impression of early entry is that the bulk of it was resort guests trying to get something in before all hell broke loose. And once again, the perfect storm happens so infrequently that resort entry isn’t an issue most weeks of the season.
I also think about places like Universal Orlando where only the top tier hotels get you their fast lane thing. So maybe Cedar Point would limit early entry to certain hotels- Breakers and Sandcastle or whatever is coming there. Maybe Lighthouse, too. But would CP want to risk killing their business at Express, especially early in the season, by not offering early entry? I still have a feeling that theres a balance there that the park recognizes, and in the end if October guests are the sorry losers then so be it.

I was there on this past Friday Night and it was much busier than in past Fridays evening when I have gone in the past. While I do agree that the Warmer Dry Weather can cause a much higher crowd than predicted, I did notice a lot of changes in park staffing from years in the past.

This year, more rides were scheduled to be closed on Fridays then in the past years. Skyhawk and Power Tower were both closed this season. I remember them being open in the past 2 years on Friday nights. Top Thrill Dragster was closed (as I knew it would be) but Iron Dragon was open instead. But the rides weren't the issue on Friday. Waits for the rides were reasonable. Same with most of the Haunts.

The lines for Food and Drink Stands were insane. Even if the pack would have been slow with colder or wet weather, lines still would have been long. While the Food trucks in the front of the park helped, the back of the pack (where the Newest Haunted attractions were located) was a Ghost Town when it came to open food and drink stands.

Maybe if the park had Just a drink stand staffed by one employee back there if would have helped, or moving a few of the food trucks back there... I wanted a drink badly most of the evening, but I wasn't going to wait in line with 30 people ahead of me at the Pretzel stand by Magnum. (Which only had 2 people working in it)

I was at Busch Gardens Williamsburg a few weeks ago and the Friday Night was Jam packed with perfect weather. Everything was open with good staff levels. Every single Ride (except water rides) and Every single food stand was open. Waits were reasonable. The Next day the weather was Rainy and the park was not that busy. However, every single food location was still open. Maybe with less staff at the location, but they at least were all open. Most rides were open in the rain as well. Yes, Cedar Point has more rides than Busch Gardens. Yes, there are more food stands at Cedar Point than Busch Gardens. But BG makes sure that the Guests have the best experience possible.

In the past I have waited 40 minutes for Food at Busch Gardens.... however Every single food ordering area was open at the location with 20 + employees working the food location and the lines moved. Crowds do create lines no matter how well staffed you are. But at Cedar Point on Friday....almost every single food location that was open had minimal staff with only one or two windows open (maybe at 50% capacity or less depending on the stand). The Kettle Corn location was closed as well. It has gotten worse every year and I really hope they do something about it. It caused me to spend $ 0 in the park.

I loved BG at Halloween time. I was a bit shocked at how many people came to the park at night for the event vs the day(which was pretty slow). Yeah I would love cp to be at full staff for their biggest event of the season but with the location that might not be possible. A time might come soon where I sadly have to give up Halloweekends, in the nicer weather at least.

After reading all the posts since last night one thing stands out as a possible solution. That's (As mentioned by many before) capping the amount of people in the park. If they aren't willing to do what's necessary to improve staffing numbers then limiting the amount of people in the park is the only option. 70,000 is an insane number and no amount of staffing would have made the midways less crowded or the bathroom lines shorter. But that shouldn't make the lack of staffing acceptable, in fact it's even more unacceptable. Charging more and eliminating season passes sounds like an idea as well. The numbers that we will never see would really provide some insight on that possible solution.

Would a concert or sporting event be better if the venue can hold 40k people but they let 60k in? I think not, now everyone has a horrible experience. A good question would be does the park even have a number where they cut it off? As stated above it does become if nothing else a safety issue at a certain point.

I've only experienced a 50k crowd years ago at the park and cannot imagine how it was last Saturday if it was indeed 70k.

I've never run a large regional amusement park, but there are a lot of people assuming the park is not willing to do what is necessary to rectify the problem.

And yet, none of us know what the park has actually tried, or the obstacles they may face in implementing these solutions.

I'm not saying nothing could or should be done, but how much time, energy, and finances do you invest into a problem that may or may not arise on only small handful of days the park is open?

This past Saturday was, quite literally, a perfect storm. The aforementioned school issue, and not only beautiful summer temperatures on Saturday, but the forecast for Sunday was miserable (although it turned out quite nice, all things considered). That means anyone who was planning a visit this weekend most assuredly picked Saturday; leaving an already busier Saturday crowd bumped up even higher by "would-be" Sunday visitors going then instead.

It would seem the only reasonable solution would be twofold: 1) making wages much more attractive, and 2) more aggressive local recruiting for these temporary positions. But with such an easy-to-arrive at conclusion, can't we all assume that these have at least been suggested? What budgetary restraints does Cedar Point have to work in? Is it an unwilling park, or is it a park that is doing the best with what cards they have to play? Do any of us actually know?

On Sunday, I struck up a brief conversation with a wonderfully kind lady staffing a haunt. She had nearly lost her voice on Saturday due to all the yelling she had to do the night before (her own words). We of course talked about the crowds they endured, and she simply said (paraphrasing) that she is working there because she simply loves the park and finds it fun, but that the amount she was getting paid was beyond abysmal.

I didn't ask her to elaborate, but as already been mentioned, if you don't have a moderately attractive wage, I'm not sure what you can expect with regards to successful recruiting.

A higher wage would expand the area that could be considered local for potential employees. I've given thought to the idea of seeing if I could work a bit at the park around my permanent job but I just can't justify driving an hour away for near minimum wage.

I can't find a peep from anyone associated with CP about the pathetic conditions involving staffing and allowing customers to pay for parking when the lot was full.

They obviously are lying low and hoping the countless angry customers forget about their horrible experience, and just go away.

Tony Clark is promoting Steel Vengeance, though. I wonder if there are plans to actually have enough employees to run it.

:rollseyes:

RCMAC's story makes me think we need a new category of enthusiasts, but instead of the "entitled enthusiast" moniker I would suggest a "CP apologist". Seriously, I get what he's saying but what worked for him as a passholder (ride a few flats and enjoy the hotel and beach) might not sit well with the family of four driving in from Lexington who get to go to the park once a year. Even if that family had sprung for FL they would have probably had a bad experience.

What happened Saturday was not OK. I was not there but a clear picture has been painted by the reports here. While I have some understanding that sometimes things happen, CP's staffing issues have been going on FAR too long even in summer, especially at CP shores as some others have mentioned. How you can simply have slides closed on an 85 degree day when it's busy is beyong my ability to look past.

None of this is new. It's an old problem getting worse each year. They are a business, not a family member. I will neither give them a free pass and defend them for bad behavior nor will I expect more from them than is reasonable given the cost and circumstances.

Tony Stark said:
I can't find a peep from anyone associated with CP about the pathetic conditions involving staffing and allowing customers to pay for parking when the

What are you expecting, a media statement? It’s already been announced publicly that they are struggling with hiring fall staff. Why is a complex answer with location and wages as some leading causes.

It’s tough hiring right now. As I mentioned before, we are having a tough time hiring good staff where I work. It’s not as easy as some people make it out to be.

MaverickLaunch said:

RCMAC's story makes me think we need a new category of enthusiasts, but instead of the "entitled enthusiast" moniker I would suggest a "CP apologist". Seriously, I get what he's saying but what worked for him as a passholder (ride a few flats and enjoy the hotel and beach) might not sit well with the family of four driving in from Lexington who get to go to the park once a year. Even if that family had sprung for FL they would have probably had a bad experience.

What happened Saturday was not OK. I was not there but a clear picture has been painted by the reports here. While I have some understanding that sometimes things happen, CP's staffing issues have been going on FAR too long even in summer, especially at CP shores as some others have mentioned. How you can simply have slides closed on an 85 degree day when it's busy is beyong my ability to look past.

None of this is new. It's an old problem getting worse each year. They are a business, not a family member. I will neither give them a free pass and defend them for bad behavior nor will I expect more from them than is reasonable given the cost and circumstances.

Thank. You.

As I wrote before, this nonsense was going on at Cedar Shores, too. I did not mention that it happened in the beginning of the year, as well as the end. I was at Cedar Shores the first weekend it opened, and the adult pool was a disgusting mess.

DSShives said:

What are you expecting, a media statement? It’s already been announced publicly that they are struggling with hiring fall staff. Why is a complex answer with location and wages as some leading causes.

It’s tough hiring right now. As I mentioned before, we are having a tough time hiring good staff where I work. It’s not as easy as some people make it out to be.

A media statement would be the least they could do. Nothing wrong with apologizing to all the people they swindled on parking fees (without the pesky parking places), fast lane passes, and drink passes, and Hell, even just plain ol' entrance tickets.

Refunds are also in order, but this is CP, so I'm not going to get crazy here.

As far as the tough issue of staffing, pay the workers more, and they'll show up. Give people 9 bucks an hour without any incentives, and you definitely get what you get.

It's really not complex. CP is bringing in a record amount of $, they can afford to pay their employees. Also, when your customers literally can't even get a spot to park their car, don't take anymore customers for the day. I can't believe there is not a maximum capacity for the park. Squeezing that many people into one location in pursuit of the almighty $ is beyond the pale.

Personally, I would be OK with taking Halloweekends away from the regular season pass and Halloweekend Saturdays from Platinum passes. It would be less than 5 blackout dates as a platinum passholder, offer a little more incentive for regular passholders to upgrade to platinum and MAY help distribute the Saturday crowd to Sunday and Friday.. Although, a downside could be losing the Friday night walk-ons. But from my experience the past few seasons if the weather is nice Fridays can feel just as busy due to limited attractions.

Not sure there is an easy solution. I've been noticing the decreased staffing the past few seasons during Halloweekends. I began to feel the event just outgrew what Point and handle with it's unique location and end of season staffing woes. Higher wages could work, but its hard to find staff for 4-6 weekends. Bringing back end of season bonuses could also help retain summer staff.

It is a shame this event has became such a staffing nightmare for the park, it's taking what was my favorite time of year to visit and turning it into a part of the season I may start avoiding...

Tony Stark said:

I was at Cedar Shores the first weekend it opened, and the adult pool was a disgusting mess.

100% agree with you that Muffleheads has opened up the last 3 years totally unacceptable.

As far as the guard shortage, that’s not a surprise. We hire a couple hundred lifeguards a year and it’s a total struggle to hire enough to fully staff our aquatic venues. It’s really tough in mid August when schools start back up. Not making excuses but just stating realities.

WolfBobs said:

Personally, I would be OK with taking Halloweekends away from the regular season pass and Halloweekend Saturdays from Platinum passes.

I kind of have my doubts as to whether this would even scratch the surface of the problem. From my observation,there aren't that many regular passholders. With the parking included, CP Shores included, and Kings Island a couple hours away, most people go for Platinum.

I've been taking 5-6 Friday night through Sunday afternoon trips to the park for the past several years and they're mostly concentrated in May/June and Halloweekends. Maybe I need to adjust my strategy since I'm always running into a park running half assed due to staffing excuses.

I'll be honest. They've got me for next year with Steel Vengeance. I can't wait to ride that thing. But another season with issues like this one and I'll consider dropping our passes for a year or two and see if they can get it together. These issues are getting worse and worse every year and as a mostly outside observer with a few inside friends, I don't see the company doing enough to address the issue.

Taking Halloweekends away from passholders is a horrible idea that would probably cause countless complaints, CP would be shooting itself in the foot if it did that. They would do better by increasing the single day ticket price for Halloweekends by about $20 - $30 dollars if they feel they need a smaller crowd during that time of year. Or have dynamic pricing, charge significantly more for a Saturday ticket and keep the Friday and Sunday ticket price the same.

DSShives said:
It’s tough hiring right now. As I mentioned before, we are having a tough time hiring good staff where I work. It’s not as easy as some people make it out to be.

Does anyone else here run a business? And at that, run a business that only operates a few days a week? And run a business that employees unskilled, low-wage employees?

The Halloween stores that pop up at the end of August are constantly hiring until the day they close in November. These are businesses that only operate a couple months. Finding someone interested in temporary part-time work is difficult. Most people want better job security than just a few weekends.

I finally went to cedar point's Facebook page to check out the comments regarding Saturday's crowds. In so doing, I was surprised to discover that cedar point did not reply to a single comment (positive or negative). I am curious to learn cedar point's theory as to why it does not engage its customers on social media. Seems like doing so would be an easy way to acknowledge some of the negative feelings about last Saturday's capacity issues. It could also be a way for the park to ingratiate itself through small tokens of gratitude, such as offers for discounted tickets for next year, free drinks, a one time front of the line ticket next year etc. Such tokens would not only help to bring people back they would publicly show that the park holds itself accountable to its mistakes - both foreseen and unforeseen.