Cedar Point (CP) Discussion Thread

[XYZ]

You know what I find absolutely hilarious?

 

People complaining that it's not fair if other people get to ride more roller coasters than they do because those people have more money.

 

I mean, seriously? You're complaining about classism in a LUXURY hobby like this one? There is absolutely nothing fair about this hobby. And there never has been.

 

The vast, vast majority of people in the world will NEVER attend any amusement park. And some of you are complaining because some people might get a few more rides than you?

 

I'd love to see you find some poor, starving, sick kid and ask him to get upset that an amusement park is actually letting some people pay to get more rides than you do.

 

Many people in the world don't have food to eat. Or homes. Or jobs. Or medical care. That's capitalism for you. The same capitalism that allows big companies to spend tens of millions of dollars to build roller coasters, while people go to bed hungry.

 

And it's the same capitalism that allows YOU to visit amusement parks in the first place and enjoy this hobby.

 

It's great when YOU are getting the benefits of that capitalism. But it sucks when someone else does, and you don't.

 

Welcome to the world.

 

I'm an American, I have to complain.

[thrillrider]

Personally, I'm hoping that we're closing in on a "next one to bitch about FL in this thread gets a 24 hour ban" from the mods similar to the Waldameer thread about the wristbands for games, food, etc (which I believe only went about two or three pages).

 

It's interesting how people go to great lengths to download photos and do nice trip reports, yet most are lucky to get but a few comments for their work. But if there is anything that people can complain about (Fast Lanes, Q-bots, fluffy, fluffy bunnies filled with medicine and goo, colors of coasters, trains, etc, etc...) it can lead 10+ pages of confrontation and argument.

 

While it's one thing for someone to say, "I like it" or "I don't like it" and move on, some people just seem to want to constantly rant & confront people to get in their last word.

 

Sounds almost like Congress or Rush Limbaugh doesn't it???

 

 

I couldn't agree with you more.

[FeelTheFORCE]

You know what I find absolutely hilarious?

 

People complaining that it's not fair if other people get to ride more roller coasters than they do because those people have more money.

 

I mean, seriously? You're complaining about classism in a LUXURY hobby like this one? There is absolutely nothing fair about this hobby. And there never has been.

 

The vast, vast majority of people in the world will NEVER attend any amusement park. And some of you are complaining because some people might get a few more rides than you?

 

I'd love to see you find some poor, starving, sick kid and ask him to get upset that an amusement park is actually letting some people pay to get more rides than you do.

 

Many people in the world don't have food to eat. Or homes. Or jobs. Or medical care. That's capitalism for you. The same capitalism that allows big companies to spend tens of millions of dollars to build roller coasters, while people go to bed hungry.

 

And it's the same capitalism that allows YOU to visit amusement parks in the first place and enjoy this hobby.

 

It's great when YOU are getting the benefits of that capitalism. But it sucks when someone else does, and you don't.

 

Welcome to the world.

 

First World Problems

[PhantomNick]

I couldn't agree more about all the complaining about Fast Lane (and similar systems).....I guess I just will never understand that. Truth is, formulating some myth that the capacity of a ride will be crippled by a virtual queue-ing system just because you may not be willing to purchase one does not make it a truth. The parks, including Cedar Point here, are not trying to anger guests or make waits longer for the guests waiting in line. As many have said, they're just trying to offer a better experience for those guests who are coming to a park that they may not come back to for many years, if at all. Aside from some initial kinks, these systems have little to no effect on the queue line.

 

In previous years, I wasn't exactly able to shell out the extra money for these systems when I visited a park. Even when I was able to, I initially didn't see the point of the extra expense and still didn't bother getting them. And you know what? I still had a blast when I visited parks with the systems in place! There just wasn't any effect on my time waiting in line. And by no means did I feel "slighted" or whatever when those who did have the systems passed by and merged into the line. Maybe I'm just weird, who knows.

 

Then last year my wife and I were going to Six Flags Great Adventure in the midst of summer and I had booked us a package deal from their hotel partner website. Since we saved a lot of money on that, we decided to use the savings to get a Gold Flash Pass. And it was wonderful! We don't get over to New Jersey very often, and it was a great benefit to us so we could get the most out of our trip. We rode plenty, and got to experience some shows that we otherwise might not have been able to check out. Now I would totally budget to make use of similar systems in the future. I just do not see these systems as anything but a benefit for the guests willing to make use of them!

 

As for Fast Lane, I think it is about time that one of the busiest parks in the country introduces this. And we might very easily purchase them ourselves when we go in May with our friends who have never gotten to experience Cedar Point before. I hope it proves to be wildly successful for the park and its guests. Just my take on it.

[therooboy]

Fast Lane = Awesome

I'll be puting aside $$$ for this.

No more 2 hour wait times for me.

 

I drive a 1990 car worth under a grand but people with $30.000+ cars regularly ask me how i afford my trips & other like minded questions.

[Jew]

As someone who actually missed out on the opportunity to credit whore Geauga Lake because of Cedar Point's horrible rain policy, I welcome this addition.

[cfc]

From what I've heard about crowds at Cedar Point during the summer (I've yet to visit the place), if any park needs a "Fast Lane" type system, it's this one.

[Meteornotes]

^Yes. Cedar Point, King's Island, Canada's Wonderland and others have all been in desperate need for a system like this. These parks are just too busy in the summer for someone that lives a great distance away and that can perhaps only visit on a weekend to have a chance to experience everything at the park on one visit. So I'm very happy to see these parks adding a system like this. I'd still like to see these parks install the Q Bot system, as I'm a huge fan of that system (especially the gold upgrade!), but this is certainly a positive step. This might get me back to CP and KI, two parks I haven't visited in years because of crowds.

 

dt

[netdvn]

I couldn't agree more about all the complaining about Fast Lane (and similar systems).....I guess I just will never understand that. Truth is, formulating some myth that the capacity of a ride will be crippled by a virtual queue-ing system just because you may not be willing to purchase one does not make it a truth.

 

Actually I do... It's mainly because the haters have only had bad experiences with FP-type systems. If you read their comments, you'll read how some parks used to reserve trains for FP-users to ride and leave the regular line to get longer and longer. Clearly those parks aren't doing something right because most experiences I've had with FP-style systems were positive.

[ernierocker]

If you read their comments, you'll read how some parks used to reserve trains for FP-users to ride and leave the regular line to get longer and longer.

 

Has any park even done this in last few years??? I remember this practice at SFOG when they first started Flash Pass and yes I hated having to wait one or two more train cycles so they could ride. But the majority, if not all parks learned how crappy this practice was and have improved upon it.

 

Some people just have their minds made up that they hate something and refuse to listen otherwise.

[PennStater]

^ At Kennywood they have the "VIP Coaster Tour". You basically pay the fee and get one scheduled time to visit each coaster and skip the line via the exit ramp. Depending on how many guests have passes for a certain time, we may end up reserving an entire train for VIP riders, but most of the time we just hold a few rows for however many VIPs are waiting. It definitely gets crazy for us trying to keep track of checking everyone's passes, reserving rows, hoping the guests who you told not to board the train actually don't board the train, etc. I can tell you one thing, Phantom's Revenge's front row wait is excessively long due to the front row being held basically every other train during busier times. It's not the greatest system...

[netdvn]

If you read their comments, you'll read how some parks used to reserve trains for FP-users to ride and leave the regular line to get longer and longer.

 

Has any park even done this in last few years??? I remember this practice at SFOG when they first started Flash Pass and yes I hated having to wait one or two more train cycles so they could ride. But the majority, if not all parks learned how crappy this practice was and have improved upon it.

 

Some people just have their minds made up that they hate something and refuse to listen otherwise.

 

 

It's not like they are loading five full trains of people with Fast Passes without letting any people on that don't have them.

 

Unfortunately, this is what a ride op suggested to me at Carowinds today at Vortex, that as long as there are Fastlane guests waiting they will board first, regardless of anyone waiting in line. For us, that meant we were "next" 3 times before actually getting to ride. At other rides later in the day they were at least running it 1 Fastlane train, 1 normal train.

 

Still, it's not equal. Fastlane get their pick of seats on Intimidator and Carolina Cobra as they are let in first. Everyone else is assigned what's left in the middle. Lines ARE longer since by the time FL guests board a train from the entrance in the front of the station the second train has already stacked. Then we get the air gates opening for the 1 remaining row to be filled. Beyond that, they are not spread out throughout the ride- they have choice of seats- in other words, the line you see for the front is half of what you'll wait.

 

I don't mind these systems when there is control, but what I saw today was sorely lacking. It is the utmost stupidity to build staircases to load platforms and then hold up boarding anyway. There is no limit on riding, and users can get on every other train. After seeing the majority of rows fill with FL regularly, it's hard to believe there's a limit on the number sold.

 

I hope that Cedar Point does a better job of implementing it, cause what I saw today was horrible for operations...

 

Can everyone blustering their caption obvious business sense and otherwise misguided logic please read this?

 

I went to Carowinds as well yesterday and I could not have come away more disappointed with the FL system.If you look at the first picture on this page you will see the columns in front of Boo Blasters where I spent the last 30 minutes of my 1.5 hour wait for the ride. Once inside I saw the 15 person FL wait that had somewhere between 85-100% priority to board the ride at any given time, which made the normal line hilariously long.

 

On Intimidator I watched the same group of 12 kids pass the regular line 6 times while we were in line for the one ride we could get. When we passed under the brake run and I could look at the operations, it was clear that anyone waiting at FL got 100% priority into the station, with the general outcome being .75 Fastlane users, 1.25 Regular line for any two trains. I don't know what time length a full regular queue for Intimidator usually amounts to, but I'm pretty sure a near doubling of the line doesn't help matters.

 

Also watched the Front Row of Afterburn get taken 4 times consecutively by Fastlane (who have choice of any seat). I'm sure the tier 1 customers were happy about that and want to come spend their money at Carowinds again. Adding to that point, I heard complaints from other non-FL guests a few times directed towards employees.

 

Obviously Carowinds is still new to this policy though, which is probably why they had this issue. I'm pretty sure they'll make modifications later on to perfect the system.

 

Kinda weird how other parks that have implemented FP in recent years haven't had this big of an issue though.

[cal1br3tto]

^^I strongly prefer systems that either allow me to select available rides at will, or only enforce a "beginning" to the ride time window. Kennywood's system ended up being the hardest for me to plan around.

 

I could see Q-Bots working out better for Cedar Fair parks as there may be more control over use that way, but I'll be fine continuing with the wristbands if they're handled well.

[KDCOASTERFAN]

If you read their comments, you'll read how some parks used to reserve trains for FP-users to ride and leave the regular line to get longer and longer.

 

Has any park even done this in last few years??? I remember this practice at SFOG when they first started Flash Pass and yes I hated having to wait one or two more train cycles so they could ride. But the majority, if not all parks learned how crappy this practice was and have improved upon it.

 

Some people just have their minds made up that they hate something and refuse to listen otherwise.

 

If they want to improve upon something then don't try to fix what was never broken in the first place....there are ways to improve capacity on rides without having to resort to offering expensive front of the line/line cutting passes & perhaps one way to do it might just be to revert back to the "pay per ride" arrangement that the early parks of the turn of the 19th/20th century had used?

 

By offering the unlimited access to rides by means of a pay one price admission(something SF pioneered with the opening of SFOT) the total park attendance has jumped to huge numbers compared to the earlier "pay as you go" concept that previous parks had been using & with the increased attendance comes increased wait times for rides.

[netdvn]

^ Are line cutting measures really supposed to increase capacity? I remember Disney did it to cut down on people waiting in lines for rides and spend more time in lines for merchandise/food. Most other parks seem to be doing this for extra revenue than anything else, which is why they're usually pretty expensive.

[KDCOASTERFAN]

I couldn't agree more about all the complaining about Fast Lane (and similar systems).....I guess I just will never understand that. Truth is, formulating some myth that the capacity of a ride will be crippled by a virtual queue-ing system just because you may not be willing to purchase one does not make it a truth.

 

Actually I do... It's mainly because the haters have only had bad experiences with FP-type systems. If you read their comments, you'll read how some parks used to reserve trains for FP-users to ride and leave the regular line to get longer and longer. Clearly those parks aren't doing something right because most experiences I've had with FP-style systems were positive.

 

The industry was doing fine until about 12 years ago when these systems were first implemented,when you visit a park waiting in line is just a fact that can't be fairly avoided & it wasn't until the parks saw they could make a quick buck off of offering line cutting passes/lo-Q systems etc. that this class warfare within the industry got started with disney giving them the stupid idea in the first place.

[netdvn]

^ If I pay extra for a service, I should be entitled to get better service out of it whether it's legit line cutting or getting better seats on a plane, good seats at a concert venue/sporting event, etc.

 

This whole class warfare thing is kinda pointless. Don't have the money to pay? Plan your day better. I plan on doing a trip to KI later this season (if things work out), but I don't plan on using FP (don't have the money), so I have to plan ahead to figure out what rides to hit and which ones to skip.

 

Clearly the experience you had at SFA years ago was a sign that the park/employees didn't do their job managing the FP line, and that does happen at times.

 

The industry is still doing fine with FP's in place.

[Ace Of Spades]

I think some people are forgetting that *PEOPLE DO PAY FOR THESE PASSES, AND RICH OR POOR THEY'RE ALL PAYING THE SAME PRICE FOR THE SAME PREMIUM SERVICE*.

 

It's like complaining that people who pay for first class get on and off a plane first...yes, it's an inconvenience, but hey, you aren't the one paying X amount of dollars extra for the special privilege.

 

Anyway, I love that the Cedar Fair parks are finally adopting this. I rarely get to visit many parks outside of my local area (or even in my local area, for that matter) and these kinds of passes make my visits so much more relaxed. Can't even begin to imagine how useful they'd be at the Point during the summer.

[FeelTheFORCE]

The industry was doing fine until about 12 years ago when these systems were first implemented,

 

"The industry" is still doing just fine. Plan smart and you never have to worry about crowds. Ever. I've been going to Cedar Point my entire life and have never waited an obnoxiously long time for anything (while still being able to ride everything I wanted during every single one of my visits).

 

I am absolutely ecstatic about this. Considering I work 50+ hours a week, going on weekends in the middle of the summer no longer makes me cringe. Heck, I could even see what it's like at the Point on the 4th of July now if I wanted to, without any worry. This is an awesome thing, and it opens up so many opportunities for someone like me (and many other people I'm sure).

Edited April 11, 2012 by FeelTheFORCE

[UrbanLegend]

Oh, wow, you guys are still going at it. I guess I'll just head back to the Winchester, have a nice cold pint, and wait for all of this to blow over.

[better_by_design]

I am absolutely ecstatic about this. Considering I work 50+ hours a week, going on weekends in the middle of the summer no longer makes me cringe. Heck, I could even see what it's like at the Point on the 4th of July now if I wanted to, without any worry. This is an awesome thing, and it opens up so many opportunities for someone like me (and many other people I'm sure).

 

Yes, this exactly! If I take a trip to a summer-only park the first thing I think about is "Man, what are the lines going to be like?" because if I'm driving/flying somewhere to go ride coasters on a Saturday, in season, in the heat, and may not get back to a park for 10+ years - well the opportunity to buy any sort of premium pass is phenomenal.

 

Would this drive me nuts if it was my home park? Maybe, but when I was lucky enough to live near a park and have season passes, I avoided busy weekends like the plague (and went weekdays, or early/late season) because it wasn't fun, and I had the option. Heck, even now we don't do certain local activities (the zoo on holiday weekends, opening night movies, etcetera) for the same reason.

 

If the parks do their jobs right and balance out the number/cost of the passes with the available capacity of the rides (and what rides are included) it can be a win for guests, and for someone who travels to parks, a HUGE win.

 

PS: I love that at Dollywood it looks like the most use guests get out of Q-Bots is show reservations!

[KDCOASTERFAN]

^ Are line cutting measures really supposed to increase capacity? I remember Disney did it to cut down on people waiting in lines for rides and spend more time in lines for merchandise/food. Most other parks seem to be doing this for extra revenue than anything else, which is why they're usually pretty expensive.

 

While that looks fine on paper in practice it doesn't work since instead of shopping or eating people are stuck in line for rides that move even slower than before.

[Tomes1225]

Personally I think it's an awesome addition.

 

I'm visiting the park for two days Memorial Day weekend. It's my first time, and I probably won't be back for a while as it's half way across the country. Even on a crowded weekend, I'll be able to ride what I want with these passes.

 

My only encounter with systems like this are Universal, Disney, and Six Flags. I hate them at Six Flags New England. It's my home park and I just want to get on the rides without blowing an extra $50 every time I go. That's why I go in the middle of the week and on less busy days. For out of towners the system is a god send though.

[ernierocker]

^ Are line cutting measures really supposed to increase capacity? I remember Disney did it to cut down on people waiting in lines for rides and spend more time in lines for merchandise/food. Most other parks seem to be doing this for extra revenue than anything else, which is why they're usually pretty expensive.

 

While that looks fine on paper in practice it doesn't work since instead of shopping or eating people are stuck in line for rides that move even slower than before.

 

How does it not work? Have you seen actual studies that show what Fast Pass has done to ride capacity at Disney World??? Do you actual have statistical proof??? You have such a negative perspective on things it gets beyond irritating. If you aren't typing your 1000th post about how Six Flags America hasn't had your business because of some wild conspiracy theory, you are typing something negative about another subject. I'm sorry, but it is getting old.

[Skycoastin Steve]

^Funny, SFA rarely gets my money because I think the park sucks out loud. I don't even need a conspiracy to back that up.