Video Recording in Queues...

I was under the impression that video recording was allowable throughout the whole park except for on the rides themselves. Apparently I thought wrong. Even after reading all of the "policies" of photography at the park, I was rudely told while in the Mantis queue to put my camera away. I asked the ride host when that rule became into effect and he hastily responded with "since always." His reason for stopping me: I might take my camera on the ride with me. I wasn't even "in line" for crying out loud. It was a fairly busy saturday night and all I wanted was some nice night footage of Mantis, which as most of you well know, is rather impossible to get while standing on the midway, so I went into the queue. Still though, there is nothing written about photography in the queues. Anyone else have any problems/information for me about this? Or is this just something the park "frowns" upon and enforces because they feel its a risk. Frankly, I think they should be stopping the smokers in line before they even think about bothering me with my video camera.

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Michael McCormack CP '02: 52
Magnum XL 200: 498 (623)
Millennium Force: 13
Wicked Twister: 33

I think this was just a case of the ride op not know policy. As far as I know, you can photograph anything in the park as much as you want.

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

Meanwhile, when my team leader and myself are sitting in a break area quite close to Mantis, we see some idiot video recording from the last row of the ride, that is a major liability issue. If he were to drop the camera and have it go flying into the queues, it would most likely be on us for letting him ride with it. That is why the latter half of the season, we really tried to enforce no camera in line. There are actually signs posted (namely on the black fence by the dive loop) to secure all loose cameras or leave with a non-rider. Sorry you weren't able to get some good footage though.

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MANTIS ROCKS 2002

They haven't been doing a good job of getting photo policies out among the employees, and some have been outright morons about it.

Earlier this season we had a guy being harassed about shooting from the midway by some ride op. I called PR and they said the ride op was misinformed, and of course you take photos on your vacation. Two weeks ago one of the cops told me not to shoot photos of the parts in the parking lot, in plain public view (really stupid, considering it's hard to take a photo in the park at this point without getting that thing in the shot). Again, a call to the right people revealed there is no such policy.

I'm 100% OK with the photo policy on rides (except for Giant Wheel, which amounts to the most ridiculous one I've ever heard), but they need to be a lot more clear so ride ops stop tripping.

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Jeff
Webmaster/GTTP
"There's nowhere to run, nowhere to hide, when it's all in your mind. You gotta let go." - Ghetto, Supreme Beings of Leisure

I'm glad I'm not the only one who thinks that the GW camera policy is ascenine. Is there such a policy on Space Spiral also?

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- John
"Guest 234: Watching construction of S:TR" - RCT2 (God, I love that game)

he said he was "video recording", and that is why he wasn't allowed in line because video cameras aren't allowed even in the lines.

...Another policy in desperate need of updating, I might add. My video camera is approximately half the size of my still camera, and unlike my still camera is extremely easy to safely stow during the ride. Yes, my video camera has been on every coaster in the park except Jr. Gemini and M:TCFKAB, and no, I've never been hassled about it. Because most of the ride ops understand the intent of the policy (and no, I don't whip it out on the ride...in fact, once it is properly secured I can't pull it out on the ride 'cause my arms don't bend that way). Video cameras aren't, for the most part, fifteen-pound VHS behemoths anymore.

--Dave Althoff, Jr.

You can take pictures on space spiral, I brought my big 200 mm lens in there and nobody said a thing as I was sitting next to the op snapping pictures. This one turned out pretty good :) http://ourworld.cs.com/Raptor94/images/mf+spriral+adjusted.jpg

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Wow, they're building a new ride!

I know that on some of the larger rides, MF and WT in particular, that they will NOT allow ANY loose articles of any kind into the queue lines. I can understand why, the only end of the lines... is up onto the ride... so youd be stuck carrying something on with you, that could come loose and seriously hurt someone.

Even in someones pocket, there is still a chance. I was inline for HYPERSONIC XLC and some woman snuck a cellphone in with her, and concealed it in her pocket. She was heading up the hill, crested and came back down, but a little black thing was still traveling upwards over the hill. One of the Line-People(?) Started motioning to move back and started screaming "GET BACK GET BACK"

......SLAM.... the phone hit the ground and just exploded into a million pieces. Thank God they saw it comming.

I must confess. Way back in the 80's I took my trusty instamatic on the gemini and got some great shots ,also on the beast KI.Ok I sneeked .I was young and foolish then. The new rules are correct for this time

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I'm not an old foggy I'm just an old coaster rider..

aw heck, even i'll admit it. I took a disposable on Magnum and got some great pics...

I've taken a full camera bag in line with me on WT before. Makes sense to me, since you obviously can't hide it, and they've got plenty of shelf space on the platform.

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Jeff
Webmaster/GTTP
"There's nowhere to run, nowhere to hide, when it's all in your mind. You gotta let go." - Ghetto, Supreme Beings of Leisure

Reasons for the no loose article policy...

1. it may hurt another rider and safety is number 1

2. people want cp to stop MF to find their destroyed cell phone from the low zones next to the exit

3. the rides are travelling at insane speeds, a quarter falling out of your pocket really hurts (from experience) so why have a purse snap off your sholder and hit somebody behind you? and no matter what kind of purse you have it can and does happen

4. Its easier to enforce it on one ride when you enforce it on all of them built after that one was built *the WT clause*

5. it makes it impossible for you to say to a ride op "why did you let that person take my $500 camara from the shelf, or my backpack from the bin

6. If a ride op is doing their job they should be able to give you all 5 of the previous reasons why that policy is in effect in a very friendly cedar point way with a smile.
*** This post was edited by MF_BDogg 10/22/2002 11:58:56 PM ***
*** This post was edited by MF_BDogg 10/22/2002 11:59:48 PM ***

I can udnerstand WT and POWER TOWER, but MF has a seperate unloading station and you wouldnt be able to pick your things back up after the ride.