bluestreak Posted October 29, 2018 Share Posted October 29, 2018 (edited) Have to agree with previous statements about the park this weekend. I was there Friday and Sunday in less than stellar weather but CP seemed to find their balls with operating rides in the rain. Most of which were running more than one train too. Dragster and Gemini were the only coasters consistently closed (Gemini is closed on Fridays anyways) and Dragster would reopen as soon as the rain stopped, even if it was only for 10 minutes before the rain started again. The weather was miserable but CP still made it a "CP best day" and I really appreciate their dedication to everyone who stuck it out this weekend. I got on the last train of the year on Millennium and thanks to a stroke of luck and a nice ride operator at Dragster, I also got on the last train of the year there too. This has to have been the only time a Dragster breakdown worked out in my favor. (Also shoutout to Josh Rice who's a member here. His crew was outstanding this year and congrats to him for getting such a high ridership number) All in all, it was a great year at Cedar Point with over 100 laps on SV and near 200 on Millennium (sorry I'm a numbers nerd) and I can't wait for May 2019. Now time to start the dreaded "Cedar Point offseason thread" Edited October 29, 2018 by bluestreak Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DirkFunk Posted October 29, 2018 Share Posted October 29, 2018 Cedar Point's location is totally to blame, but they could always become more efficient with their use of staff also and it seems like they're getting better at that. They'll never have the staffing pools of parks like Great Adventure and Great America (those parks are actually opening the next few nights for Fright Fest and Cedar Point would never be in a position to pull that off) but it doesn't mean they can't become more efficient, and it sounds like they're slowly doing it. Yes and no....I had a chat about this with a friend about a week ago as it related to SFMM being 365 days a year now. By running every day, what that does is it means your employees can work for you on a standard 40 hour a week schedule. You aren't stuck with seasonal people who know their job will effectively end in mid-August. That's a good thing if you want to retain people in a job market that has labor being in increasingly high demand. You can generate revenue from people coming into a park that has to be upright and maintained to operate anyways by having them come in and work for you, and it may be more effective at keeping staffing levels than just paying more for fewer hours. Six Flags Great Adventure is not in the middle of Philadelphia - it's in Jackson NJ. If you go work there and live in the area, you can figure to get paid by them from possibly late March-first week of January. If you're under/unemployed, that's not too bad a deal while you look for something more permanent. Cedar Point doesn't have that and doesn't have any method to place you anywhere between the months of November and April. Sucks, but that's kinda sorta their fault. They're adults. They can work that out on their own. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prozach626 Posted October 29, 2018 Share Posted October 29, 2018 I think they've learned a lot about how to properly staff for the fall season in at least allocating people to the places they're best useful (coasters, rides with a roof) and away from that which is irresponsible to effectively staff (car rides, skyride) under the likely weather conditions. Seems like it. I've heard a lot less complaining this year, especially around the Haunt. Also, everyone said our trip would be a nightmare in May, but when we went for Coaster Campout all of the rides were open, including both antique cars rides. The smaller shops weren't open and a lot of the flat rides opened late. Other than that, it was perfect. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
christianscoasters Posted October 29, 2018 Share Posted October 29, 2018 I got on the last train of the year on Millennium and thanks to a stroke of luck and a nice ride operator at Dragster, I also got on the last train of the year there too. This has to have been the only time a Dragster breakdown worked out in my favor. What a coincidence! I was on the train in front of you that rolled back! I was going to wait for the last train (especially because I was in the front row) but due to the breakdown, cycling of an empty train, then the trains sitting still for so long, I knew the first train sent was gonna roll back so I rode that one instead. It was so worth it. My first ever rollback haha Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluestreak Posted October 29, 2018 Share Posted October 29, 2018 I got on the last train of the year on Millennium and thanks to a stroke of luck and a nice ride operator at Dragster, I also got on the last train of the year there too. This has to have been the only time a Dragster breakdown worked out in my favor. What a coincidence! I was on the train in front of you that rolled back! I was going to wait for the last train (especially because I was in the front row) but due to the breakdown, cycling of an empty train, then the trains sitting still for so long, I knew the first train sent was gonna roll back so I rode that one instead. It was so worth it. My first ever rollback haha HAHA OMG! So you're the one I saw run back to the second to last train. I couldn't understand why you did it but I figured the chance of a roll back was the reason. That's so funny. Well I must thank you then. Was awesome to take your spot in the front row. Hope you enjoyed your roll back Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavidB Posted October 29, 2018 Share Posted October 29, 2018 I spent the closing weekend at the park and I wanted to do a bit of a trip report and echo the sentiments I've seen here. The weather sucked all weekend. Friday and Saturday it was constant very light rain and mist, and Sunday there were some rain free periods but mostly rain. I was thoroughly impressed with the dedication from everyone involved to keep the park, and specifically the rides, running as much as possible all weekend long. Huge thumbs up to CP for running the rides all weekend in the rain as much as possible!!! I was in the park 9 to close Friday, Early entry to close Saturday except for an hour where I went to my cabin to sit down for a few minutes and put on some dry clothes, and basically all day Sunday. Never once did everything shut down, and if there was a shut down, it was addressed as quickly as possible. At one point on Sunday maybe 4 pm Valravn went down and there was a train stuck right before the drop for probably almost an hour. I left the line early in that break down and assumed I wouldn't get on it again this trip, but after circling the park for some other rides, it was back up. Excellent work this weekend from everyone. Food didn't seem to be a problem either. There were lines at Panda Express and Chik fil a, but nothing too bad. I ate at the various food trucks and had a couple Auntie Anne's pretzels and stayed away from standard park stuff for the most part. I tried an Italian panini sandwich, chicken and waffle taco, pulled pork sandwich, Philly steakburger wrap, Korean bbq chicken cup, and funnel cake and fried oreos, all from food trucks and all delicious. This is obviously a great solution to help out with the low staffing levels. I got my first ride on Steel Vengeance Friday night one of the last few trains before closing. I know it's all been said, but that was my first RMC and it's the most ridiculous thing I've ever ridden. I rode 8x in all through the weekend in different seats, daytime, nighttime, doesn't matter...nuts! I only noticed the midcourse trimming one time on my rides, and it made a little difference, but not much. As for the recent discussion, I'm not necessarily in the group that prefers other rides better due to the excessive nature of SV, but I don't put it heads and shoulders over some of the others. I really don't rank rides, but as wild and insane as SV is, I would group it with MF, Maverick as my favorites. That intensity doesn't put it above my other favorites, it's just a different flavor. I managed to get on all the adult coasters except for Gemini on the weekend. I was a bit bummed out as Magnum didn't do as much for me as it usually does. I rode near the front on Blue Streak in a middle row and had a much better experience than I did last time a couple of years ago. I won't belabor this with the same pictures and reviews of the same rides we have all seen and heard before. I did try to pay more attention to the collection of rides as relates to families, and there is a good progression of rides from the smallest to the largest, wildest stuff in the world. I don't have kids and never really paid attention from that perspective, so I've tried to be more mindful of some of the other aspects of the park experience the last couple of years. As has been discussed many times, CP could use another coaster or two on the mild to medium end of the spectrum, but it would really be helpful to have slightly lower height requirements for CCMR and Iron Dragon. Here are a couple pictures I took that may be of some interest: Sandcastle Suites site I didn't remember seeing any pics of the Sandcastle Suites site and how much of it the new deluxe RV campsites covered. There is a ton of space back here. My guess would be for this area to get a hotel, but I guess we'll just have to wait and see. Nightmare! These poor people sat up there in the rain for like an hour before they got the trains moving again. Sounds absolutely awful! As an aside, I think I hit every available penny smasher as well. Sorry for the lengthy post. Just wanted to note some things I made a point of paying attention to and give the park props for doing everything to make it a good weekend for everyone who showed up despite the weather. It would have been just as easy to pack it in but they stood tall! Had an excellent weekend overall and glad to have followed through coming from St. Louis even though the forecast sucked. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CoasterInk Posted October 29, 2018 Share Posted October 29, 2018 First off, great report! Glad you had a great time and good thing the park was doing well. Bummer you didn't have a great time on Magnum though... still one of my favorites. Also that's quite the plot of land, I didn't know that it was that big however I don't see a hotel coming. Second, I don't believe this has been mentioned, but I received an email from CP advertising their platinum pass along with the Forbidden Frontier. They provided a graphic for the new attraction that seemed really interesting. It appears as if they are relocating the entrance from where the Dinosaurs alive bridge was to where shoot the rapids used to be. They've also given some of the areas around the island random names like "Strataman's ridge," or "Sitnam's point." Dunno what the heck any of this means, but it neat to try and guess what they'll do with it. Am I looking at this map right?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaMarkSta Posted October 29, 2018 Share Posted October 29, 2018 The dotted lines on the map look like the layout of Millennium Force on the Island. But i'm not sure about the water section in the bottom left of the island, that I don't remember being there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yamez Posted October 29, 2018 Share Posted October 29, 2018 Pretty sure that's what remains of Shoot the Rapids on the Island. Edit: Yep Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
christianscoasters Posted October 29, 2018 Share Posted October 29, 2018 I got on the last train of the year on Millennium and thanks to a stroke of luck and a nice ride operator at Dragster, I also got on the last train of the year there too. This has to have been the only time a Dragster breakdown worked out in my favor. What a coincidence! I was on the train in front of you that rolled back! I was going to wait for the last train (especially because I was in the front row) but due to the breakdown, cycling of an empty train, then the trains sitting still for so long, I knew the first train sent was gonna roll back so I rode that one instead. It was so worth it. My first ever rollback haha HAHA OMG! So you're the one I saw run back to the second to last train. I couldn't understand why you did it but I figured the chance of a roll back was the reason. That's so funny. Well I must thank you then. Was awesome to take your spot in the front row. Hope you enjoyed your roll back Haha. Indeed, that was me! I figured giving up front row was worth it for a roll back. It wasn’t even a guaranteed rollback (obviously you can’t guarantee it will happen) but I knew the conditions were just right for it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ytterbiumanalyst Posted October 29, 2018 Share Posted October 29, 2018 They've also given some of the areas around the island random names like "Strataman's ridge," or "Sitnam's point." Dunno what the heck any of this means, but it neat to try and guess what they'll do with it. Oh those are not random. Cedar Creek Pass is Cedar Creek Mine Ride, Strataman's Ridge is Top Thrill Dragster (remember, it's a stratacoaster), Sitnam Point is Rougarou (because it used to be called Mantis), and Fort Sandusky is the fort along the Frontier Trail. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IntaminLove Posted October 29, 2018 Share Posted October 29, 2018 I spent Friday and Saturday at the park. I had a good time despite the constant light rain. The only coasters I didn't ride were Gemini and Wicked Twister. I was a bit disappointed with the one or two train ops because I didn't get as many rides in as I normally would. The park wasn't busy enough for me to finally buy Fast Lane and I didn't want to risk it with the weather. I had good rides on every coaster and I got two awesome trimless rides on Magnum. I finally got to ride Steel Vengeance and I was able to get three rides in. I think it's a great ride and it's one of the best coasters out there. I let the hype get to me a little so I was a bit underwhelmed after my first ride. My second ride at night in the rain was a lot more fun. My third ride was slightly better because the rain paused. The mcbr didn't slow down the train at all during any of my rides, which was nice. The first half of the ride is really fun, but the second half is awesome. There is so much ejector airtime and it's heavenly. My favorite section of the ride is from the little wave turn in the structure to the brake run. That section really packs a punch. I can't wait to get more rides on it next season. One last thing. I was surprised by how strongly the no phone policy was enforced. I was not expecting someone to patrol the queue and remove people from the line. I think the policy is a bit much, but good for the park for sticking to their guns. Thanks to those who recommended the Econo Lodge North. The location is great, the room was clean and the staff were great. It's the best bargain hotel I've stayed at and this will be my go to hotel for every trip to the Point. Needless to say I also recommend staying here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JRice92 Posted October 29, 2018 Share Posted October 29, 2018 I got on the last train of the year on Millennium and thanks to a stroke of luck and a nice ride operator at Dragster, I also got on the last train of the year there too. This has to have been the only time a Dragster breakdown worked out in my favor. (Also shoutout to Josh Rice who's a member here. His crew was outstanding this year and congrats to him for getting such a high ridership number) Thanks! Dragster had its best ridership of the past five years in 2018! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bgtlover Posted October 30, 2018 Share Posted October 30, 2018 ^I was very impressed with how much up-time it had during my 3 day visit to the park in June. I have read horror stories of people trying years to get on it in some FB groups...lol I just paid attention to when I saw it running and got in line. I just happen to be nearby and waited no more than 10 minutes each time. You were working (at least) one of the times I rode. You were in the booth back between the load & unload. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thrillrider Posted October 30, 2018 Share Posted October 30, 2018 Despite the weather, we had a great time this entire closing weekend We were able to hit all the major coasters multiple times, and did all the haunted houses several times as well. Closing weekend is always bittersweet. We were able to enjoy the weekend with lots of friends and coaster geeks like ourselves . But on the other hand, the winters up north are cold, long, and void of coasters. So with that being said, I have an idea to help with the off season blues. Let's play a game. I took a bunch of pictures from around the park of signs, rides, and other park landmarks. The object is to try and figure out what it is. Most are close up pictures. Let's see how well you know the park. I'm not gonna lie, most of these are not easy to figure out. I figured that I would do 1 a week if you guys and gals are interested. So here is the first picture. Any idea what it's from? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluestreak Posted October 30, 2018 Share Posted October 30, 2018 Boardwalk sign Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluestreak Posted October 30, 2018 Share Posted October 30, 2018 Double post Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thrillrider Posted October 30, 2018 Share Posted October 30, 2018 Boardwalk sign Nope. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nrthwnd Posted October 30, 2018 Share Posted October 30, 2018 Cedar Point Bath House? I'm trying to figure out what it says, before I figure out where it is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thrillrider Posted October 30, 2018 Share Posted October 30, 2018 Nope... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nrthwnd Posted October 30, 2018 Share Posted October 30, 2018 Curses. Must ~ have ~ more ~ wine. A pale 'ghostly' one would be nice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bert425 Posted October 30, 2018 Share Posted October 30, 2018 hmm. . shuttle stop sign? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thrillrider Posted October 30, 2018 Share Posted October 30, 2018 Nope. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
christianscoasters Posted October 30, 2018 Share Posted October 30, 2018 (edited) Point Pavilion? Edited October 30, 2018 by smartestcoasterkidever! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thrillrider Posted October 30, 2018 Share Posted October 30, 2018 Point Pavilion? We have a winner! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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