Cedar Point (CP) Discussion Thread

[disownedpear]

Not sure if I'm adding anything new here but I just read about this and it's ridiculous! If this happened at a Six Flags park I would be angry, the fact that it's happening at CP is just absurd. When was the last time Cedar Fair fucked their customer base like this? I can't think of anything. Just horrible, I really feel for you guys who planned trips it's not fair at all. 

[bill_s]

Of course they prefer single day ticket sales. That's reservations 101. Hint: these are not 2020 level restrictions most places, if you can't get a reservation, probably dodged a bullet. 

[AmyUD06]

The weather is actually supposed to be quite shitty this weekend, so I'm hoping that keeps some crowds away.  I've got CP reservations for Friday, Saturday, and Monday, with Sunday at CP Shores.

[Satans Hockey]

3 hours ago, coasterbill said:

I’m seeing a lot of reports on Twitter from people who purchased Fastlane for those days that the park is refusing to issue refunds and only exchanges. Hopefully they correct that and it’s just a communication error.

They should just file a charge back if they end up actually really doing exchanges only. That's some pretty bad customer service if that's what they really end up doing. 

[Carrie]

1 hour ago, Satans Hockey said:

They should just file a charge back if they end up actually really doing exchanges only. That's some pretty bad customer service if that's what they really end up doing. 

I don't know who the bigwigs are that run it now, but I worked there in 93 and even though we weren't pandemic-ridden at that time, there were still some very inefficient and crappy management.  At least they were fully staffed, though, right??  LOL 

 

 

[KarlaKoaster]

I can't blame them that they don't have enough staff. It's been a problem for years and with covid it has been the perfect storm. But I can absolutely blame them for their terrible communication and promising the world when they can't even deliver the moon.

Hopefully anyone who has booked accommodation etc has free cancellations, I'm not booking anywhere that doesn't at the moment.

 

[prozach626]

15 hours ago, Zand said:

I strongly disagree with the assertion that booking this was a gamble. If I booked it 6 months ago or even 3 months ago, sure. But I feel that it was almost the opposite of a gamble to book last week.

Yeah, I see what you're saying. I'm sure you're not the only one in this situation, which is a part of the big problem. Maybe you can get a full refund in time and change all of your plans, period. I hope everything turns out the best. Keep us posted.

I remember in 2019 I was upset, because we'd booked our first trip to Hershey. We're skip-the-line people and when they finally introduced their fast pass unlimited system, I knew for sure it was going to be on the list that summer. We never had the option to order it, but a week later it was pulled from their site and customer service said they weren't going to offer it. I was mad, because we'd already booked, based on the pass system. That's a fraction of what you're going through, so I can't imagine the sick feeling you must have.

I can't think of any other Cedar Fair park worth visiting outside of Kings Island, this year. That park is really turning out to be a shining star in the chain.

I loved KI before it was cool to love KI, so that makes me cool, right?........ (I'm not cool.)

[DirkFunk]

15 hours ago, JJLehto said:

Is it really $20? Bc Im a pretty pro labor guy, like much as I love my coasters I will never chagrin workers for not wanting to get shafted but that is well, better paying than my last job for the City and needed a degree XD So I do agree, seems like a good gig. I know working the park is a vastly different beast than going but that is deff solid pay, I too would gladly take advantage. 

Well, look, you gotta pay people to show up. Reportedly there's people who refused to work at Cedar Point before considering quitting their retail positions in Sandusky to go there and make that money. That's the point of paying more: to COMPETE. That's the point of capitalism - that competition leads to best outcomes. It's just too bad it took people's vacations being cancelled for that reality to sink in.

[dankeykang]

1 hour ago, prozach626 said:

I can't think of any other Cedar Fair park worth visiting outside of Kings Island, this year.

Agree with that 100% right now.  Cedar Point is an easy day trip for me but there's no way I'll be heading up there until maybe late July, at the earliest.  Kings Island is the better option right now but I'm too much of a cheapskate to get Fast Lane there so that might not be worth it either...

I'm curious to see if all this "pent-up demand" starts to level off as we get later into the summer.  Not expecting it to, but I guess we'll see.

[coasterbill]

Cedar Point should pay people a premium to work there. Unless you love the industry and have aspirations of moving up within it, why else would you work at Cedar Point?

- For most jobs, there are no benefits.

- Your hours are inconsistent and range from being overworked in the summer to barely working at all in the fall.

- Your job ends on November 1st, at which time (if you live in the area) you have to look for a job at the same time as everyone else who just lost their job at Cedar Point. Then if you find one and get settled there you have to quit again next year to apply for a job you already had that you’ll lose again on November 1st and repeat process. ... or you can work retail in Sandusky in heat / ac with more stable hours and not have to deal with any of that.

I feel that it’s absolutely worth paying people a premium to have to deal with all of that bullshit. Most of that is not Cedar Point’s fault, but as an employee who could work absolutely anywhere right now, who’s-fault-it-is isn’t really your concern. Everyone is hiring, their gig sucks in a lot of ways unless you care about the industry but most of their employees probably don’t and they don’t have the creativity of a chain like Six Flags where they can find a way to make it work so this is what they have to do now. Cedar Point could do something like Six Flags Coaster Power Hours on those days where they only staff 15 rides, open a few select food stands and get thousands of people to show up but nope, they'd rather close entirely. lol

[JJLehto]

1 hour ago, DirkFunk said:

Well, look, you gotta pay people to show up. Reportedly there's people who refused to work at Cedar Point before considering quitting their retail positions in Sandusky to go there and make that money. That's the point of paying more: to COMPETE. That's the point of capitalism - that competition leads to best outcomes. It's just too bad it took people's vacations being cancelled for that reality to sink in.

I completely agree like I said in a previous comment I am a very pro labor guy. And I have been all about the Memes that have been pointing out how lotta people fail to realize that people aren’t showing up to work because the pay is too crappy etc And also like I said as much as I love my coasters I am always for people not getting the shaft like there are more important things in life than rides. So you were preaching to the choir and I agree if they were having issues getting people to show up then you have to incentivize them to do so

[tndank]

2 hours ago, prozach626 said:

I remember in 2019 I was upset, because we'd booked our first trip to Hershey. We're skip-the-line people and when they finally introduced their fast pass unlimited system, I knew for sure it was going to be on the list that summer. We never had the option to order it, but a week later it was pulled from their site and customer service said they weren't going to offer it. I was mad, because we'd already booked, based on the pass system. That's a fraction of what you're going through, so I can't imagine the sick feeling you must have.

Was this the beginning of the summer?  We bought unlimited fast passes early August at Hershey in 2019.  I didn't realize it was new at the time.

[ytterbiumanalyst]

1 hour ago, coasterbill said:

Cedar Point should pay people a premium to work there. Unless you love the industry and have aspirations of moving up within it, why else would you work at Cedar Point?

- For most jobs, there are no benefits.

- Your hours are inconsistent and range from being overworked in the summer to barely working at all in the fall.

- Your job ends on November 1st, at which time (if you live in the area) you have to look for a job at the same time as everyone else who just lost their job at Cedar Point. Then if you find one and get settled there you have to quit again next year to apply for a job you already had that you’ll lose again on November 1st and repeat process. ... or you can work retail in Sandusky in heat / ac with more stable hours and not have to deal with any of that.

I feel that it’s absolutely worth paying people a premium to have to deal with all of that bullshit. Most of that is not Cedar Point’s fault, but as an employee who could work absolutely anywhere right now, who’s-fault-it-is isn’t really your concern. Everyone is hiring, their gig sucks in a lot of ways unless you care about the industry but most of their employees probably don’t and they don’t have the creativity of a chain like Six Flags where they can find a way to make it work so this is what they have to do now. Cedar Point could do something like Six Flags Coaster Power Hours on those days where they only staff 15 rides, open a few select food stands and get thousands of people to show up but nope, they'd rather close entirely. lol

Absolutely agree with all of this, and there's a pretty simple fix to this entire problem: Pay their workers $40 an hour. If you're only working 6 months out of the year, then you need double the money for those 6 months to make up for the other 6 months you aren't working.

[PKI Jizzman]

I was really looking forward to returning this year while I'm living in Ohio but I'll stick with the other parks that are functional. Bummer. I love Maverick and Millennium and SV but it just doesn't look worth the drive + $ to stay and eat/drink for the experience. Orlando here I come!

[CoasterGuy06]

4 hours ago, coasterbill said:

Cedar Point could do something like Six Flags Coaster Power Hours on those days where they only staff 15 rides, open a few select food stands and get thousands of people to show up but nope, they'd rather close entirely. lol

Hell, SFOG recently announced they are going to be open daily until Labor Day (their last week of daily ops is usually the first week in August), but starting August 9th they are only open from 5pm-10pm during the week. CP couldn't even offer reduced hours??

[bert425]

1 hour ago, CoasterGuy06 said:

Hell, SFOG recently announced they are going to be open daily until Labor Day (their last week of daily ops is usually the first week in August), but starting August 9th they are only open from 5pm-10pm during the week. CP couldn't even offer reduced hours??

Oh. . I missed that!

I'm in Atlanta that whole last week, and usually only can go on Labor Day proper (since I come in for Dragon*con).

but I get in 2 days prior to Con, and tho always just hang with friends/go to the zoo/eat-drink around town?    This year, we can go to SFOG on the Tues/Wed before con starts proper as well!

[wildcattb5]

5 hours ago, coasterbill said:

Cedar Point should pay people a premium to work there. Unless you love the industry and have aspirations of moving up within it, why else would you work at Cedar Point?

- For most jobs, there are no benefits.

- Your hours are inconsistent and range from being overworked in the summer to barely working at all in the fall.

- Your job ends on November 1st, at which time (if you live in the area) you have to look for a job at the same time as everyone else who just lost their job at Cedar Point. Then if you find one and get settled there you have to quit again next year to apply for a job you already had that you’ll lose again on November 1st and repeat process. ... or you can work retail in Sandusky in heat / ac with more stable hours and not have to deal with any of that.

I feel that it’s absolutely worth paying people a premium to have to deal with all of that bullshit. Most of that is not Cedar Point’s fault, but as an employee who could work absolutely anywhere right now, who’s-fault-it-is isn’t really your concern. Everyone is hiring, their gig sucks in a lot of ways unless you care about the industry but most of their employees probably don’t and they don’t have the creativity of a chain like Six Flags where they can find a way to make it work so this is what they have to do now. Cedar Point could do something like Six Flags Coaster Power Hours on those days where they only staff 15 rides, open a few select food stands and get thousands of people to show up but nope, they'd rather close entirely. lol

Just like with other industries, they had this facade of "you love being a customer here, so you'll really love working here!". And of course the reality is completely false. While surely lots of young enthusiasts think it would be really cool to work at a park, the ones who do quickly find out that unless you really have a great/fun group of co-workers and the camaraderie that comes with it, it really is no different than any other crappy min-wage retail/food job:

- As already said, unless you're at a SoCal/Florida park, the work is seasonal. You're still gonna want/need money during horrible Northern winters.

- It becomes just as repetitive/monotonous as being a cashier or a fast food employee.

- You can't just run to the bathroom when you want to if you're operating a ride, you need to call for a replacement.

- Most importantly, you will still get treated like absolute $#!t by the supposed "happy" guests because you (gasp!) are doing your job and enforcing safety policies, whether it's someone taking out their phone on a ride, using the queue railings as a jungle gym, or blaming you because apparently it's your fault their large girth can't fit in the restraints.

All of that for (pre-pandemic) minimal wages.

"But you get perks like free park admission on your days off!" Well when you're overworked/tired/under-appreciated do you REALLY want to spend your time off at the place that's a big part of all of that?

So yeah, theme parks may not be getting the attention of other retail industries in regards to the effects of the hiring crunch, but the reasoning is all the same. People all across the working world are re-evaluating how much crap they're willing to put it with, and still want to have some sense of dignity, and they'll go work somewhere that can at least provide a semblance of that, while giving the finger to those places who did not.

(And no, I am not a former Cedar Fair employee, but I have worked my fair share of retail)

[Carrie]

1 hour ago, wildcattb5 said:

Just like with other industries, they had this facade of "you love being a customer here, so you'll really love working here!". And of course the reality is completely false. While surely lots of young enthusiasts think it would be really cool to work at a park, the ones who do quickly find out that unless you really have a great/fun group of co-workers and the camaraderie that comes with it, it really is no different than any other crappy min-wage retail/food job:

- As already said, unless you're at a SoCal/Florida park, the work is seasonal. You're still gonna want/need money during horrible Northern winters.

- It becomes just as repetitive/monotonous as being a cashier or a fast food employee.

- You can't just run to the bathroom when you want to if you're operating a ride, you need to call for a replacement.

- Most importantly, you will still get treated like absolute $#!t by the supposed "happy" guests because you (gasp!) are doing your job and enforcing safety policies, whether it's someone taking out their phone on a ride, using the queue railings as a jungle gym, or blaming you because apparently it's your fault their large girth can't fit in the restraints.

All of that for (pre-pandemic) minimal wages.

"But you get perks like free park admission on your days off!" Well when you're overworked/tired/under-appreciated do you REALLY want to spend your time off at the place that's a big part of all of that?

So yeah, theme parks may not be getting the attention of other retail industries in regards to the effects of the hiring crunch, but the reasoning is all the same. People all across the working world are re-evaluating how much crap they're willing to put it with, and still want to have some sense of dignity, and they'll go work somewhere that can at least provide a semblance of that, while giving the finger to those places who did not.

(And no, I am not a former Cedar Fair employee, but I have worked my fair share of retail)

It really does sound like times have changed since I worked there.  That was in 93.  Back then, it is where college students flocked to..it was a HUGE social event for us.  We didn't get paid a ginormous amount of money and no OT (due to being seasonal), but as I said, it was a social thing and most college students didn't have car payments, car insurance, mortgages, etc....many had parents paying tuition, car insurance, etc so whatever they made, they pocketed it (aside from dorm rent and food).  I had a car there but many did not..... we had a decent night life (TGIFridays was at the entrance of the causeway) amongst other things that centered around the park/beaches/put in bay.  It was THE job to have back then.  It's different now.  I think mentality is a bit different.  My daughter is 16 and most of her friends don't work and have their parents supply everything for them.   Why would they want to work? I wouldn't want to!  It's unfortunate because the real world hits HARD when you step into it.  Mortgage, car insurance, health insurance...and you pay it or you don't have it.  Period.  I told my daughter when she gets old enough to go to Cedar Point to work to do it.  You can't argue that it isn't great experience.  You work your butt off but depending upon your position, you learn some valuable people-skills, money skills, customer service skills......oh wait.   That last one doesn't exist, anymore.   When school is out in a few weeks here, I told my daughter she WILL work or she won't drive (insurance/car), she won't be going to movies, etc with friends, etc and so on.  It's a hard lesson, but a very valuable one.   But, for $20/hour, I would flock there NOW to work!  $20/hr to  be a sweeper?? Yes, please.  No people to deal with.  You do your job and you are left alone (I dealt with people...front desk Sand Castle Suites Hotel).  But, i am not local and I have an age factor soooooooo.....but, maybe they wouldn't care at this point??? ;0) LOL

[DBru]

I'm sure this is causing a big sh*tstorm all over Sandusky this weekend. It's pretty ridiculous that this was the "solution" they came up with for under-staffing issues.

With that said, at $20/per hour and a $500 signing bonus... brb throwing all my belongings in the car and headed back to work at Cedar Point for the summer!

[coasternut]

1 hour ago, DBru said:

I'm sure this is causing a big sh*tstorm all over Sandusky this weekend. It's pretty ridiculous that this was the "solution" they came up with for under-staffing issues.

With that said, at $20/per hour and a $500 signing bonus... brb throwing all my belongings in the car and headed back to work at Cedar Point for the summer!

I remember when you worked at the Point. I enjoyed it then. Seems like quite a mess now. For $20 / hr, and a $500 bonus, I'd do it except I live over 2000 miles away. That's a long drive to work every morning!

Seems like great pay for a part time job. With their staffing crisis now, you could call your own shots for more...

[RaceBoarder]

At $20/hour, you are probably looking at $1100-1300 for 80 hours per paycheck since there are no benefits taken out.    It's not bad.   But at the same time, turnover will still happen.   People won't want to be talked down to.   People will be sick of dealing with other people. It's also a job that has "full time" pay for only 3 months.  The other 4-5 months of employment are significantly less than that.

It's a band-aid on a knife wound.

[Carrie]

41 minutes ago, RaceBoarder said:

At $20/hour, you are probably looking at $1100-1300 for 80 hours per paycheck since there are no benefits taken out.    It's not bad.   But at the same time, turnover will still happen.   People won't want to be talked down to.   People will be sick of dealing with other people. It's also a job that has "full time" pay for only 3 months.  The other 4-5 months of employment are significantly less than that.

It's a band-aid on a knife wound.

I don't think these jobs are meant to be long-term careers and for the target demographic of employees they are looking for, it's great money.  Full time college student with a killer summer job? Yes, please!!   If I didn't have an age factor, I'd  go now!! ;0)   *CP Coaster voice*  Thank you for riding and enjoy the rest of your day here at Cedar Point!   I got that down;0)   HOWEVER.....at my age I would tell them to go eff themselves the first time they decided to be shitty with me.   Younger people tolerate that crap more than older people.  I've been over the road for far too long and I'm over it.  I never experienced that when I worked at CP, though....just the one time when the big boss decided he didn't care if I had an emergency at home...I needed to stay and work.  I told him to F-OFF and I left.  LOL

[macman820]

Any guesses?

[AmyUD06]

At this point, "we'll actually be open every day in June like we told everyone for months" would be a big announcement.

[Carrie]

27 minutes ago, Mike240SX said:

At this point, "we'll actually be open every day in June like we told everyone for months" would be a big announcement.

LOL Right?!?!   I'm going for a coaster/ride announcement.  Or is it too early for those?