Virtual Queue

May be possible on some coasters but not on most I see at KI and CP. on a car there is a sensor on the female end but is fixed (bolted in) so has a electrical connection. Most of the coaster ones are more buckle in the middle type with no wire unless it is woven into the fabric. Hey, I could be wrong about that but don’t see how it would work on Magnum.

Let’s ask RideMan!

Cargo Shorts said:

There is no way to check seatbelts when they are cloth it is non conductive.

Any attraction that checks to see if a seatbelt is connected has nothing to do with the "belt". It is what the buckle is inserted into that knows whether or not the seatbelt has been used. Again you won't see this on any rides at Cedar Point to my knowledge but there are rides at parks like Disney and Universal where this technology is used.

Cargo Shorts said:

Well you are seeing plexiglass and other barriers installed at checkouts. I would also argue a coaster ride-op has to get a lot closer to a guest than a Walmart cashier.

I would be good without seatbelt checks. 👍

Speaking of Ride-Ops & Walmart cashiers, I recently noticed a young guy that I recognize as a Wicked Twister ride-op working a register at Sandusky Walmart, safely? behind plexiglass. Of course, I don't know if this is his regular job, but I have never seen him there before. Perhaps he seeked out employment due to the CP hiring delay and an inability to obtain unemployment benefits. At any rate, props to him for being industrious in a difficult time. "You will be scanning your payment card in 3, 2, 1......!"

Here's an idea I just thought of. Instead of ride attendants checking belts and restraints by touching them, what if they just went to each row that was open from a safe distance and instructed the riders to buckle their belts, tighten it then ask you to lower your restraints? That would require no physical contact and they would've seen you do it so they would know that all safety devices are properly used.

^This is how I wish more parks operated all the time. It's exactly how Disney checks seatbelts and restraints on all of their rides and because of this dispatch times are sped up. There is zero need for an Operator to physically touch any restraint device.

Disney doesn't have seat belts, and the ops don't physically check lap bars themselves.

What would you call the restraint on Tower of Terror? They ask you to pull on the yellow strap.

The common-sense changes I could see happening in a world where the virus' impact has been reduced, effective treatment is available (we're getting there...) and testing doesn't require spending two weeks waiting for a result...we're gonna see things open up long before any kind of vaccine is available out of pure necessity.

a) Possible IR cameras at the park entrance for zero-contact body temperature readings. More useful than the magnetometers (which late last season were set to "ignore almost everything" anyway) and if you're over 99 degrees, let this person from First Aid stick a probe in your ear and find out for sure. If you have a fever, go home.

b) Return to 1990's-era no-touch restraint checks. Most of the seat belts have pull-tails on them now, have the riders pull those Disney-style and check bars and bar-belts visually. Have the riders pull up on the bars.

c) Hand sanitizer dispensers "everywhere" but especially at ride exits. Some of us remember when the park did this some years ago, then mysteriously removed them all. I know they were at every restroom door, and I think there were some at many rides and possibly at the food joints as well.

d) Initially, no big shows, in particular no big shows with seating. Midway performances, and standing audience shows, but initially a general avoidance of large groups in confined spaces

e) With (d) in mind, coaster platform crowd control. A few trainloads to keep the shotguns full, but don't pack the platforms. No, this is not a good reason to assign seats.

f) Initially at least, possible queue reconfigurations if crowds permit to use every other row in the queue blocks. Maybe even some queue blocks shunted off entirely in favor of straight line waits when possible.

Aside from that, people who have lived through this ordeal are already modifying their own behavior, and some of those behavior modifications are likely to carry on into the park: allowing more space one the midways and in the queues...not 6' all around, but a little further apart as space allows; more aware of what things are being touched, touching each other a lot less, and being a lot more careful with the coughing, sneezing and spitting.

I think we're going to see staged re-openings of our world, with close monitoring of the illness situation as we go. Because of the lead time required to get the park into operating condition, there will be a delay from the time we start visiting stores and restaurants again, and the time the park welcomes us back, and during that delay we will get a better idea of what the virus is doing in the community under relaxed-but-still-vigilant conditions. That's going to color the overall response to this thing and the whole process for opening back up again.

--Dave Althoff, Jr.

Rideman said:

....Aside from that, people who have lived through this ordeal are already modifying their own behavior, and some of those behavior modifications are likely to carry on into the park...

Read my rant under the Virus impact on CP thread. The sad part about this is alot of people AREN'T modifying their behavior including hand washing, traveling for "non-essential" things,etc. Just on Easter day alone when walking around my block where I live....lots of driveways with 4-5 cars packed in them (when people can't even sacrifice one holiday) for the common good of man, to slow down the spread of this virus currently. When I'm still out traveling to my deemed essential job on a daily basis.... the amount of "boomer generation" people still traveling to get their daily fix at Starbucks , Walmart, wherever....because the rules "don't apply to them" makes me realize why it will be later rather than sooner that any of this goes away any time soon. CP's opening for this 2020 year included. Too much selfish behavior in this country and it's sad. My 2c.

I understand your concerns, but this virus, like the various flu viruses, is not likely to go away for years or decades. How long do you want people to give up their liberties? How long do you want businesses like Cedar Fair, not just one of their parks, to be shut down? They are losing money at a pace that cannot be sustained. Especially Cedar Fair, with their high debt load that must be serviced, cannot have a dead season across all their parks and survive as currently constituted. So go many businesses in this country. My grandfather lived through the Great Depression - would make this current virus look like a walk in the park and we are getting dangerously close to igniting one worldwide.

Cures are coming online quickly. Some would argue we already have some. Vaccines are being accelerated, but not likely until late summer. People are being more diligent. I am in my 60's and visited my daughter's family for Easter. Zero risk - no. Less risky than the drive there - yes. They have been "confined" for a month (in Florida, we have been at this for a month) show no signs of illness. Just like the people on your block, I considered my risk vs. reward and went to celebrate Easter.

I like RideMan's approach. Open it, but provide reasonable risk reduction. Ultimately, anyone thinking of attending a park this year (or any year) will judge their risk/reward, and make a free choice.

Rapids 77-78 said:

How long do you want people to give up their liberties?

I think we're being a little broad in what we're defining as "liberties" here. You can both have "liberty" and not be able to go to Starbucks for a few months, for crying out loud. You do not have a right to ride roller coasters. You have the privilege of paying to access roller coasters (when such access is available), but it's not like this is enshrined in the Constitution.

How long do you want businesses like Cedar Fair, not just one of their parks, to be shut down? They are losing money at a pace that cannot be sustained.

But what's the alternative? If Ohio relaxes restrictions such that CP could open in, say, August, we would likely (according to the experts) see COVID cases explode in such a profound way that would result in even harsher and longer restrictions than we're dealing with now. How exactly is that a "win"?

...I considered my risk vs. reward and went to celebrate Easter.

...judge their risk/reward, and make a free choice.

I feel like some are missing the critical point that you are not only increasing your risk of exposure and death, but others' risk of exposure and death. Why should you be able to increase someone else's risk just so you can "celebrate Easter" (as if that can only be done in person) or ride a rolley coaster?

Rapids 77-78 said:

Cures are coming online quickly. Some would argue we already have some. Vaccines are being accelerated, but not likely until late summer.

False. There are no cures, there are no effective treatments, and a vaccine is 12-18 months out. Optimism does not outweigh the science.

show no signs of illness...

Which is precisely the problem. You don't know. Has everyone been tested? What sucks about this disease is that the infected range from asymptomatic to dead.

All of the desire to "open the economy" presents a false choice. If you open it and infection and death spirals out of control (because it will if it's done too soon), the economy tanks. If you're extra cautious, whatever that means, the economy tanks. Historically, the 1918 pandemic worked out better economically for those that acted quickly and ramped up slowly.

djDaemon said:

Why should you be able to increase someone else's risk just so you can "celebrate Easter" (as if that can only be done in person) or ride a rolley coaster?

Because the constitution (first amendement) guarantees us that right. And is in direct conflict with any order to stay at home, or even more specifically as the not-too-smart governor of Michigan has ordered, do not visit family or friends.

"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances."

So the constitution itself prohibits such a law. Whether you think it's a good idea or not does not matter. What the governor of MI thinks does not matter.

Trump supporters are reminding me more of lemmings than lap-dogs at this point...

MaverickLaunch said:

Because the constitution (first amendement) guarantees us that right.

LOL... No, it absolutely does not. You have free speech, yes, but not absolute free speech. Your speech/assembly/etc. cannot endanger others is one example of the accepted limitations. You know, the whole "FIRE" in a crowded theater thing.

As for religion, try again. The government isn't telling people they cannot practice their faith. Rather, they are saying any practicing of faith cannot endanger others. You know, like by gathering in large numbers.

...the not-too-smart governor of Michigan has ordered, do not visit family or friends.

What does that say about the President, who acted even less competently than The Woman from Michigan?

Anyway. Still looking forward to that NYT critique. :-)

You conveniently ignore the "right to peaceably assemble".

To say there is no effective treatment and that saying so is pure optimism is not a correct statement. Hydroxychloroquine, often combined with z-pack and a zinc supplement, has been endorsed by thousands of doctors worldwide who have used it to successfully treat covid patients. Even NYC has been sent, at their request, millions of doses of these meds for use in eleven of the hardest hit hospitals. I doubt Cuomo asked for the meds and started pushing them out to the hospitals on a dream. Hard data does exist. That was about 9 days ago. Even he reports that now more people are leaving his ICU's than entering. The occupancy rate of his hospitals has never reached the levels forecast and are now dropping, after this drug showed up.

I agree it is a conundrum. So which victims are more precious to us as a society? Those who are elderly in compromised health to begin with along with those who have other serious illnesses before getting covid (this is by far the categories for this virus' morbidity) which are projected to be, by the Feds, around 60,000 (btw over 61,000 people died of the flu in 2017-2018). They can continue isolating until they feel safe. Or, is it the much larger number of all of our citizens of all ages and conditions, who will perish if the world economy fails no matter what they do to avoid it? Even the current economic numbers show we are in a free fall. The Feds are tapped out, sending stimulus checks purely from borrowed money. I contend staying in the present condition for months further is not viable.

MaverickLaunch said:

You conveniently ignore the "right to peaceably assemble".

Nonsense. Ignoring for a moment that no laws have been enacted (rendering your entire "Constitutionality" argument moot... you know, "Congress shall make no law..."), the First Amendment has limitations. You cannot endanger others is the most pertinent issue here. Gathering, even "peaceably", endangers others, and would therefore still qualify as a reasonable limitation in these circumstances. And I would further argue "peaceably" in this instance would mean "in a way that does not endanger others". Which, you know, any gathering endangers others, so...

But again, that's if these were laws we're talking about, which they're not. They're guidelines, or "orders" or whatever. And it's stupid that some people cannot be counted on to follow these guidelines under the ignorant assumption that they should be able to endanger others if they themselves are willing to accept increased risk.

It's fundamentally no different than drunk driving. Hey, I'm fine, and even if I total my car, so what? I have insurance! Besides, it's MY life! As if no one else could be affected by such actions. It's an absurd argument.

Finally, there's a delightful irony in you championing the First Amendment while simultaneously attacking it by calling, without substantiation, the NYT "fake news".

Drunk driving, lol. More straw man absurdity from you. I was waiting for it and you delivered.

The right to peaceably assemble is protected by the constitution. To tell me that I cannot go visit my parents when I have not been out of the house (nor have any of my family) is insane, illegal, immoral, and unconstitutional. Not allowing people to drive to church and stay in their cars with the window up (Kentucky) is an even more absurd violation of constitutional rights.

I say again, your feelings on the matter are irrelevant.

Rapids 77-78 said:

Hydroxychloroquine, often combined with z-pack and a zinc supplement, has been endorsed by thousands of doctors worldwide who have used it to successfully treat covid patients.

A z-pack is an antibiotic. Contrary to what our President has stated, an antibiotic will never be able to catch up to the pure genius of this viral infection. It just simply won't happen. And if you don't believe that, better go back to a high school biology class. Throwing antibiotics to treat a viral infection isn't going to do anything but potentially create a drug resistant bacteria. we already overuse antibiotics as it is.