Voice you opinion to CP about the assigned seating

I guess the way I look at it is I would rather ride the ride more than a couple times and have a middle seat than ride it once or twice and have the front seat.

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Jeff Young

When I was there on opening day, I got in line early and was in the station around 12 P.M. I believe. At that time, they were letting a limited amount of people get in line for the front queue. I was so excited I didn't even notice what was happening with the back. My group was lucky enough to get a spot in that line, and it worked out well. When the line was full, they simply told people that they were not able to wait for this. But one observation I saw, is that a young couple seemed pretty upset that they could not get in that line and argued for a solid 10 minutes with a security guy on the platform. Maybe CP tested it out and didn't like it, but I really hope they bring that system back. Everytime I've been there also I've noticed about 2 security officers on the platform who could easily assist in this operation. Just my thoughts :)
-Dave

I sent CP a comment and suggested exactly what Rideman and Jeff said. It seems like the best way to me. I'd rather be told every couple times that I can't wait for the front then be assigned a seat every time. Do it like on Raptor - choice of seats and close off the front and/or the back when those lines get out of control. I have a hard time believing that nomatter how long these lines are that they are having a problem filling trains. I've seen extremely long lines for the front on some coasters (like Apollo's Chariot at BGW and even Raptor), but that does not mean the rest of the train is empty. And Dan brings up a good point as well. I am making one trip to the point this summer from nearby Albany, NY and its around 9 hours. Top that off with a 2 hour wait for MF, and I probably won't be all that pleased with being told where to sit. Anyway, that's my take on the issue... :)

-Matt

What could be better than Y2K @ Cedar Point - America's Rockin' Roller Coast?

Not that I know anything about Raptor
but to "do MF like Raptor" I have seen EMPTY seats/rows on Raptor flights despite the fact that the queue and loading platform is PACKED-
I do believe the assigned seating is to eliminate any empty seats.
Just my thought
6 days till I am MF'in again
sit me where you will-I am ready to FLY!!

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Welcome back Raptor riders-how was your flight??

regarding boots question a couple posts up:

I rode MF front seat, and I'm still against the policy. It worked out well for me, but it involved as much planning as Magnum's does, and was a whole lot riskier. I hate gambling on my seat location.

I would prefer to pick my seat. But, to be prefectly honest, there isn't a bad seat on the ride. Somehow I was fortunate to ride both in the front and the back several times. The last two times I was mid-train which didn't feel much different that being in the back. It's all rider preference. I was just happy to ride! Whatever it takes to keep the queue moving well is fine with me. Faster queue; more rides. :)

Check this out, I rode last night... I was in the middle of the group that was getting on the platform for my train, I rode in the front row of the second car. Of course the first 2 rows filled up, then the last 2 then car 5 filled, then it was basically pick where you want. I see it not as assigned seating persay, but as 36 people on the platform at a time, first come first serve, and I like how it works.

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Ain't no cookout like Charlie Brown's Cookout!
Forces: 3
Magnums: 2

Exactly, cheeseonastick...

It isn't really "assignned seating." It is more first-come first-served. The Ride-ops don't tell you which car to sit in-- you pick, but only 36 are allowed in the platform at once.

People calling it assigned seating has been bugging me for a while, since people who haven't been on the ride yet might think that they are forced on to a specific seat (which would be true if you are the 36th person in line...)

LuvRaptor: Raptor's problem is that you enter the platform through the front seat queue, which has to be one of the silliest things I've ever seen (second only to SFDL's first and second row combined queue).

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Jeff
Webmaster/Guide to The Point
Millennium Force laps: 29

Mantis's station does that too. I think it's more of a space conservation thing than silly. Making the queue for the front seat stretch back and forth through the station prevents the builder from making the staion wider. More concrete + workers + labor= more $$.

Whether or not the seating is assigned seems to depend on who is working the turnstile. Once I was the third person through the turnstile and was told flatly that I could NOT sit in the back of the train. I have yet to sit back there.

As for the queue design on Raptor: That was simply a mistake. Whoever designed the station was figuring that the first and last rows would be the most popular, so there were extended queues for both ends of the train. What thye overlooked was that on the B&M inverted coaster, the front seat is the only place where you can see anything, and therefore the popularity of the front seat would far outstrip the popularity of any other seat. Trouble is, they had already built the platform for the stairway to come up in the middle before they figured that out. So now, if you want to ride in the front, you step into the station and turn right, towards the back of the train, then walk through the front-seat queue along the back wall of the station.....crossing the path of the people coming up the steps. It's ridiculous.

Mantis does not have this problem. Its front seat queue is longer than Raptor's to begin with, and seat selection on Mantis is less critical anyway, since it is equally bad in almost any row... :)

--Dave Althoff, Jr.
*** This post was edited by RideMan on 6/19/2000. ***

Watch out now! That's a low blow. LOL!

Hopefully someone can set me straight here because I'm beginning to wonder if CP changed their seating arrangements with MF since I was there in late May. I hear alot of you mention assigned seats which makes me believe that the ride ops tell you exectly which seat to sit in.

When I was there they allowed up to 36 people on the platform but as you went thru the turnstile you could choose any of the remaining seats that had not been taken by people who went thru the turnstile before you. Is this still the policy or has it changed? With this system, it allowed you to choose your seat of the ones remaining which wasnt all that bad unless you were unlucky enough to be one of the last 36 thru for the next train.

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Ain't it neat to have your butt out of the seat.

Yeah, "assigned seating" is a little inaccurate. It was, and remains, first come, first serve for the 36 they allow into the station for each train.

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Age and treachery will always overcome youth and skill.

Well, actually Spewey,

As Rideman said, it depends on who is working the turnstlie. I was at the park on Sunday, and the lady wouldn't let people sit where they wanted. If you were the 3rd person out of the line, you HAD to sit in the 3rd row. She slowed down the whole process of loading by going back and telling 2 guys that they couldn't sit in the back.

I have no problem with only letting 36 people on the platform at once (well maybe a little one), but not even letting people sit where they wnat in a train is probably the stupidest policy I've ever heard.

Wow, RPerz, I hadn't heard that. That doesn't seem to make any sense at all - after all, it could serve to slow the line down, not speed things up.

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Age and treachery will always overcome youth and skill.

I know, and the worst thing about it is that the girl on the platform was being a real jerk about it. She treated these two guys like garbage, and it was pretty disheartening to see at a great place like Cedar Point. It really kind of breaks the mood of what the whole Cedar Point and Millennium Force atmosphere is all about.

I really hope something is done about this "pricketry on the platform"...

You guys can all say that it doesn't bother you. I however have ridden the Force four times and guess what. I have been made to sit in the back four times. I really don't like this ride probably because the back is a bad location (for so many reasons). I wouldn't mind sitting in the middle. As luck may have it. I am worried that you can see my imprint on that seat!

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Dispatch Master, This is Transport one! I'm losing control, I'm losing control!

I am of the mind that "hey, at least I get to ride it"..CP may be of the mind of "if the front seat is that important to everyone, then just don't ride it this year and wait til next year or later on in the season when the policy might be relaxed"...remeber the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few on something like this and they need to get people through the line as quickly as possible. This is their solution, like it or not. Not saying I like it, of course, but not everyone who rides it wants the front. I too would like to ride the front someday. I just realise it might not be RIGHT NOW, this season.

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I am Servo's ride partner

The thing is, Cedar Point isn't doing their coaster's reputation any good by shunting people *away* from the good seats and toward the ones they don't like. Magnum generated a lot of business by being widely acclaimed and widely televised, because it generated instant popularity. MF is generating the crowds, but I don't see the acclaim building as quickly, and CP isn't helping at all with this inane policy. *** This post was edited by Bill on 6/19/2000. ***