Why are you no longer allowed to bring items on GK?

+10! Anything the speeds up Maverick's line would be great. I'd even take that as a good "Project 2014" announcement. LOL

As for Raptor I'm thinking older B&M, not a policy change. The thing is that DB & GK both have done the same thing recently, sooo not too sure as DB has had regular loose article bins for quite some time

I see people taking their whole house with them in those draw string bags. Seriously, what do people put in there? All I take with me to the park is my phone, my wallet, and my car keys. My car keys clip to my belt loop, my phone and my wallet go in my pocket. Most of the time, I just leave my phone in the car.

I would love to see these bins go away.

You know, it just might be that some people actually need more than what can fit conveniently in their pockets. Things like sunscreen, insulin, protective case for glasses, Dramamine, and so on are examples of things that people actually need during the day. And shoving all that in a couple pockets may not be feasible.

Just because many of you enthusiasts seem to be lucky enough to not need these things doesn't mean you deserve some sort of award.

thedevariouseffect said:
As for Raptor I'm thinking older B&M, not a policy change.

B&M doesn't care what people bring into a ride queue.

The less crap people bring in line, the faster the line moves. It's not more complicated than that. There is no conspiracy to make more money on lockers. The only intention is to get your ass on and off the ride faster. There's always something to complain about, I suppose.

I don't get why they don't install free lockers with simple number codes then just make a no loose article policy on any ride.

One year I was in line for Raptor and the person working at the front of the station before you even get on the station told me I had to dispose of my water bottle. I wasn't too happy about that, but did it anyway.

I think Universal Orlando's lockers are the best... Free for the time permitted (the length of the line). If you keep your stuff in longer than the time permitted, you pay.

I would love a system like that at CP. And the fingerprint entry is nice as well. No codes or keys to remember or hold onto.

Well this "policy" was blown out of the water today. Either they were able to use some judgment or just threw caution to the wind, literally. Rode twice and first time noticed two women, one with an ankle length flowing skirt get on, both having shoulder regular purses, I think both used the bins. Second time a lady boarding ahead of us with a cross-body regular size purse rode the ride with the purse under the vest.

Really, even with the purse, in that vest, nothing was going to fly off. The bins are there to be used. I'm not a fan of carting luggage around an amusement park but in my opinion there was no danger in bringing "loose articles" onto the platform to be put in the bins provided or worn under the vest. So maybe they rethought their stance or at least are very inconsistent. Again, I agree with Millennium and Dragster, being separate entrances and exits there isn't a place to put it, but there isn't really an excuse for Gatekeeper.

I wouldn't consider 3 incidents of rules not being enforced on a ride that gives almost 20,000 rides/day as being "very inconsistent".

3snoH un=l said:
...there isn't really an excuse for Gatekeeper.

You mean, aside from trying to keep the line moving?

You had to have been there. I wasn't watching out from the get-go but couldn't help but notice and took particular descriptive note of the purses in front of me. But those bins were being open and shut with every car arrival with people retrieving things and nobody was stopped before entering the line.

Even so, seeing a few folks use the bins for loose articles doesn't constitute them being "very inconsistent". It seems you just saw a lax/inattentive crew, rather than the policy being "blown out of the water".

It seems you're just coming to a conclusion without having actually witnessed it in calling the crew lax and inattentive. I observed it being done in an efficient and business-like manner and moving people through.

In case you weren't able to detect the sarcasm in my post last night, I believe they were able to use some judgment rather than throwing caution to the wind and hope they have rethought their stance on this zero tolerance policy under the guise of safety that doesn't make any logistical sense.

And it seems you're coming to a conclusion about a change in policy after having witnessed a fraction of a percent of their daily operation. ;)

The no loose articles policy is not a safety issue. It's a capacity choice the park made.

It seems possible that because it's late in the season and college classes are getting under way, that a new or less experienced crew may be the root cause of what you witnessed. Regardless of the cause, I think seeing a few purses in line isn't cause to suggest they've changed their policy with regards to capacity.

we can all agree that we want to get on coasters as fast as possible. The fewest people that have to put things in the bins the faster the train gets loaded and out of the station. As far as the gatekeeper crew goes, they do a great job enforcing the rules but they have a lot to deal with such as filling out parent swap forms, arguing with people, answering silly questions or questions that can be answered by reading the cedarpoint brochure or found online. They do have people sneak by them with backpacks. Small purses over the shoulder must not be a huge concern but anything bigger cant be taken in line. Everybody needs to get over their insecurities about fanny-packs.You should see all the stuff I carry in mine. I know they aren't stylish but who cares! Ride on!

3snoH un=l said:
couldn't help but notice and took particular descriptive note of the purses in front of me.

Purses can come in line if they're small enough to ride with the person. They have to be a size that will not conflict with the harness. We can almost always tell if they're too big at entrance by using our judgement. If one does happen to get up to the platform, and ends up getting in the way of the harness, the bin is there. The bins can accommodate the select few purses that mistakenly are thought to not cause an issue. They cannot accommodate everyone's purse or bag. There simply isn't the room. This is why we ask for large bags and purses to be left in a locker or with a non rider.

Regarding safety:

I did actually call the number provided for their loose article policy a couple weeks ago. The website did not list Gatekeeper at the time (it does now) so I wanted to find out their rationale. Capacity was not given as a reason but safety was. I was told you cannot take loose articles onto the ride. "Oh, no, loose articles will fly off on Gatekeeper. Absolutely not." Of course you can't, then what are the bins on the platform for. She didn't know. I told her I understood about MF and TTD with the separate entrances/exits. She had no explanation except it is unsafe to take loose articles onto the ride. I told her if people cannot use the bins then maybe they should consider removing them. She said that was a good idea and she'll pass it on. :P

We'll see how this plays out in the long run after Gatekeeper's been there a while. During crowded Halloweekends, they might be more stringent again. I don't think Gatekeeper had such a capacity issue. However, I don't have any skin in this game, I do carry a fanny pack nor do I buy anything I have to carry around. Although I do see backpacks occasionally (lord knows what they have to pack in them, lunch? swimsuit and towel?) a lot of women carry purses or people do buy the souvenir cups like Thabto did and cannot justify paying an extra $2 when there are bins like the other coasters. That makes me more determined to not buy the souvenir cups. I see this as a customer service issue, I really think most people are reasonable and am glad to see Corkscrew Headache's post that they are at least accommodating some items besides flip flops within reason, so no Gorillas. ;)

3snoH un=l said:
I told her if people cannot use the bins then maybe they should consider removing them. She said that was a good idea and she'll pass it on. :P

But people can and do use the bins, for small items like hats, glasses, etc. I'm flabbergasted why this is such a difficult concept for you to grasp.

I don't think Gatekeeper had such a capacity issue.

It doesn't, because you're not allowed to bring loose articles into the line with you. If they changed that policy to allow such a thing, that may lead to a capacity problem.

djDaemon, I'm going to have to just ask you to read the context from which you pulled those quotes from the previous posts because I find that I'm repeating myself. Otherwise I think this is just reduced to bickering back and forth. I also think the burden of proof about capacity being their rationale for Gatekeeper would lay on you, because that is not what I was told by a Cedar Point staff member nor does it explain that on their website. Nor does the capacity argument explain why Maverick doesn't have that policy. We know why MF and TTD does. And technically, one is not allowed a purse or a cup into the entrance per their website, however Corkscrew is saying something different and that of which I've observed. And I'm glad they are being more reasonable in reality (at least recently) with some other personable items such as purses besides your stated hats, glasses, flip flops, including letting people stay hydrated while waiting in an hour+ line, whether they have to dispose of the cup prior to boarding or can put an empty souvenir one in a bin (at least on other coasters for now).

I don't know how I can make my points any clearer for you or shall we just we agree to disagree? :)

I don't get what's so hard either. When I ride GK, I put my hat in the bin, unless I just sit on it, and my flip flops, if I wore them. I don't bring in a souvenir cup or my girlfriends big purse, the rules clearly say no loose articles, not hard to grasp.