FreeFaller Posted September 26, 2014 Author Share Posted September 26, 2014 Hello together! I'm sorry for not having updated my thread in the last couple of days, but as I have already said, I was pretty busy meeting up with friends, doing trips and planning my travels. However, I found some time to give you another update of my life here at Cedar Point. This time, it is all about enjoying my time here, going to Kings Island, getting my first American paycheck and X-MAS in July! Every once in a while, the crews are doing crew outings which means nothing else but having dinner at a random restaurant or hanging around somewhere. This time we went to Steak n' Shake and we combined our crew outing with our X-MAS in July gift exchange. My crew knew exactly what I love! That's why I got a T-Shirt of my favorite coaster Top Thrill Dragster and Hershey chocolate! Daily life was going on, so just buckle up and enjoy my photos! My first American paycheck! Millennium Force! Doug from last year's Texas/Midwest trip came visit me! Together we went shopping and... ...visiting Cedar Point! I'm so glad to have met this guy last year! Just chillin' in Raptor's queues! Hello! What's up? Looks busy! Biggest tree in the park! Maverick at night! Employee friendships! Sending postcards to my friends from all around the world! Mirror selfie! Best restaurant experience here: Chipotle! Magnum Marcel! Beach selfie! Employee food! I love Drop towers! Banshee and me! Look at that loop! Marcel the shell on the midway! I got another Best Day experience ticket! My all time favorite coaster: Top Thrill Dragster Magnum coworkers Time to eat at... ...Chili's Yummy! So delic! Off from work! Party time! Welcome to our crew outing at Steak n' shake! Burgers, fries and... X-MAS in July! My crew knows what I love! Hanging out with me means having fun! Beach time! Welcome to Kings Island! Ready to ride! CP the place to be! Mantis! Stand up straight! American buffet experience! Ice cream cone! My spanish queen Liz and me! Welcome to Magnum! What is this hat doing here? ...Milkshakes! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YoshiCraft2011 Posted September 26, 2014 Share Posted September 26, 2014 Awesome, awesome, awesome. I didn't know what to expect when I first clicked this thread, and I did not expect this. This trip report is pretty unique. A report from a Cedar Point employee is something that everyone should look forward to. The best thing is that you left Germany and went to a place right in the middle of nowhere, just because you were a dedicated enthusiast. I am eager to see what's next on this trip report. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DougMJr Posted September 26, 2014 Share Posted September 26, 2014 MARCEL! I'll have to visit you again before you head back across the pond! I'm running out of time. Hope you have enjoyed your summer in the states so far! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Naina21 Posted September 26, 2014 Share Posted September 26, 2014 Marcel! I'll be up there on Oct 12th. Hopefully I'll be able to stop by and at least say hi. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FreeFaller Posted September 26, 2014 Author Share Posted September 26, 2014 MARCEL! I'll have to visit you again before you head back across the pond! I'm running out of time. Hope you have enjoyed your summer in the states so far! I'll be here until October 27! Marcel! I'll be up there on Oct 12th. Hopefully I'll be able to stop by and at least say hi. Please stop by and say hello! That would be super cool! I love all the people of last years Texas/Midwest trip because I still have contact to them! Miss u guys! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geauga Dog Posted September 26, 2014 Share Posted September 26, 2014 Hey Marcel, glad you've had a great summer at the Point and thanks for the photos. I was briefly out at the park last Saturday and saw you sitting at the entrance to Magnum. Would have said hi but didn't want to bother you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MagnumFreak25 Posted September 26, 2014 Share Posted September 26, 2014 lol I was there last Saturday to but I didn't see you either. Still mad about not getting the last train of the day Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gerstlaueringvar Posted September 26, 2014 Share Posted September 26, 2014 Love our TR so much! Plus I really need to go back to Sandusky for all the food in your TR, they look so delicious! I look forward to work at an amusement park for a summer in the future Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thepoint4life23 Posted September 26, 2014 Share Posted September 26, 2014 Good old Chipotle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Philrad71 Posted September 28, 2014 Share Posted September 28, 2014 It was nice to meet you this past Friday night at Magnum, Marcel! You are a stellar example of a what a Cedar Point employee should be...great smile, polite and very friendly. And I have really enjoyed reading your reports on how much fun you have been having in the USA! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woodie Warrior Posted September 29, 2014 Share Posted September 29, 2014 Great report. Extremely interesting to see a behind-the-scenes view of Cedar Point. How long are you planning on staying in the US? Will you be back at Cedar Point next season? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FreeFaller Posted September 29, 2014 Author Share Posted September 29, 2014 It was nice to meet you this past Friday night at Magnum, Marcel! You are a stellar example of a what a Cedar Point employee should be...great smile, polite and very friendly. And I have really enjoyed reading your reports on how much fun you have been having in the USA! Thanks a lot for your nice words! appreciate it! Great report. Extremely interesting to see a behind-the-scenes view of Cedar Point. How long are you planning on staying in the US? Will you be back at Cedar Point next season? I will be in America until late November, but I'm not planning on working at Cedar Point next season. I have different plans for next year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FreeFaller Posted September 29, 2014 Author Share Posted September 29, 2014 Hello TPR members! I finally found some time to give you another update of my cedarfantastic summer! Halloweekends are pretty busy, especially on Saturdays which is the reason why I give you an update during the week, because that's when I have time Today's update is not about any roller coaster or theme park, but about my trip to Washington D.C. which I won because of an essay contest. I don't know if you guys know that I had to contact an American agency that is sponsoring my visa before coming to the U.S.. In my case it is CIEE. This agency organized a Civic Leadership summit in Washington D.C. where we did workshops and meetings about how to be a change maker in our country. Since I'm doing a cultural exchange program by working and living in the U.S., they wanted us to get a better understanding of how we could improve bad conditions in our country, all by learning from people from all over the world. They picked around 60 people out of 900 applicants and sent them to Washington D.C. All the costs were covered, so we didn't have to pay for any flight, accommodation or food. The leadership summit took place at American University, which means that we experienced the American University life as well. Each applicant had to write an essay or make a video to be selected. I decided to write an essay and I would love you to read my essay! I think I did a great job, especially because every word in this essay reflects my understanding of gaining an international experience. Theme Park Review is and will be forever a big part of my life since it connected me to so many people from all around the world. We all have the same passion: Theme Parks and Roller Coasters, and sharing a passion is one of the best things you can do in life. Making new friendships that last for a lifetime is amazing. Enjoy my cultural roller coaster ride throughout the United States! Cultural roller coaster ride through the United States of America A roller coaster train is going up a 500* feet tall roller coaster. On board: numerous passengers from all around the world. Their destination? America, the land of unlimited opportunity and freedom. Their mission? Sharing their culture with American citizens by working and living in the U.S. Right in the middle you can find one student: Marcel Strobel, a German roller coaster riding world traveler who is ready to start this thrilling cultural ride. All these people have one thing in common when they look down the lift hill: They are leaving their home country to experience a once in a lifetime opportunity: Being part of the CIEE Work & Travel program to acquire intercultural knowledge of both the American and other nations’ cultures. While looking back, everybody is bringing back memories why he or she dared to take this step into a cultural exchange… Marcel is thinking about his passion: riding roller coasters all over the world. Since he was a child, he has been dreaming of traveling the world to experience the most terrifying thrills, some of which you can only find in America, like the worlds highest and fastest roller coaster. He did not want to travel alone. He has always felt the urge to share these stunning and nerve-racking roller coaster rides with other people, preferably with people from all over the world. Thanks to his membership in the American roller coaster club Theme Park Review, he was able to make this dream come true and travel the United States with other coaster enthusiasts from all around the globe in summer last year: Americans, Germans, Dutch citizens, Canadians, New Zealanders, Australians, Chinese citizens. They all were highly interested in sharing their passion for roller coasters. Thanks to this experience, Marcel became part of a cultural roller coaster exchange community and had the opportunity to share his German roller coaster career with citizens from all around the world. His career in this industry has not come to an end yet. CIEE fulfilled Marcel’s biggest life goal: Working and living at Cedar Point, which was voted the best amusement park in the world for 16 years in a row. Starting the Work & Travel program at Cedar Point will allow Marcel to be part of a team which runs a multi-million-dollar business in America. It will be a great honor to Marcel to place his passion for roller coasters and theme parks at Cedar Point’s disposal. Since Marcel will work in a roller coaster crew which consists of both local and international employees, it will guarantee Marcel to make multicultural friendships that last for a lifetime. Besides that, he wants to learn about life in a foreign country and develop himself both personally and professionally. The train has finally reached the top of the lift hill. All its passengers including Marcel are now facing the first drop, leaving behind their old life and looking forward to a cultural exchange ride of ups and downs, twists and turns and inversions that will make the passengers see the world from a different point of view. They all know that once they arrive in the station, their life will be different: They will have experienced new cultures, made new friendships and have a fantastic consciousness of the American and many other cultures! Fasten your seatbelt, put down your lap bar and hold on tight for this stunning cultural roller coaster ride called Work & Travel in the U.S. (copyright Marcel Strobel) U.S. excitement National Library Everybody I met this summer has to write into my Marcel The Shell book! Ready to fly! Besides me, there were a couple of other CP employees that went to Washington D.C. Waiting for boarding! Marcel the shell is in the... ...smallest airplane ever! Flying high! We landed! But first, let me take a selfie! Beautiful airport! Cosi was so delicious! Best thing: I didn't have to pay for it! CIEE was picking us up when we landed! We got water bottles and I wrote my ride on it: Magnum XL 200 American University is really fancy! The New York Times was replaced by a cheap Pizza flyer! Who can say no to food? Checking in to our dorms! Dinner time! Marcel from Germany is taking part of the... ...CIEE Leadership Summit in 2014! American University is really beautiful. That's why only the rich kids can study here. Group selfie! All the participants of this year's Leadership summit Me and the president Tara Abrahams from Girl Rising! Very good movie! Sight seeing time! Looks like a white house! Jumping in front of the Capitol! Tourists wherever you look! I'm right here! Look at that cheesecake! Yummy!!!! We had a fancy dinner at Carmines! So good! Another Capitol selfie! Too many people in one cab! Serious tourist photo! Mh, is that the White house? Ready to fly back to Cleveland! White House selfie! Hello! I'm in Washington D.C. Jumping high! Martin Luther King memorial! Fancy Carmines Best group ever! Worth a group selfie! Study hard! Friends from all over the world! Crazy people! After school craziness! What's up? I love my friends! Hair extensions Crazy Marcel! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coasterbill Posted September 30, 2014 Share Posted September 30, 2014 Keep the updates coming! It seems like you had a heck of a summer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gerstlaueringvar Posted September 30, 2014 Share Posted September 30, 2014 You had the best summer I've ever known! DC looks fantastic, especially with those food Can't wait to read the next part or your amazing summer, have fun at CP! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FreeFaller Posted October 6, 2014 Author Share Posted October 6, 2014 Hello TPR! Another week, another CP update, another round of fun photos! Every summer, Cedar Point organizes a so called ''Big Bash'' which means FOOD, RIDES and FUN with friends for employees only! Unfortunately, the weather was really bad (rain, rain, rain, have I mentioned rain?) and I lost my phone a couple of days later, so the only photo I can share is a group photo of our food party. Even Marcel the shell has bad times here at Cedar Point. Losing my phone is definitely not fun. However, the Big Bash was really cool! They had amazing food (buffets, popcorn, ice cream) and they opened up some of the games plus you could ride Millennium Force and Mantis. All in all a really fun time! They even had a fireworks for us which was a really nice surprise! Since I'm international I don't get free tickets for the park as most of the American employees do, BUT I get free tickets for Challenge park (Skyscraper, Ripcord, Go Karts etc.), which all of the Americans don't get. That's why I took my friend Josh to Challenge park to conquer the rides there! We had a lot of fun! My friend Janis and me did the Ice bucket challenge which means that you first name the people that you nominate to do the challenge, too, and if they don't do it, they have to donate money to a charity project. When I was working Top Thrill Dragster the other day, Tony Clark and its crew did the same thing and it looked like they had a fun time! Cedar Point is closed during the week. That's why my friend and me went to the park to take photos of the rides and relaxing on the beach! I even went fishing for the first time of my life. It was really nice, since we went fishing right across from Cedar Point. The view of the skyline was stunning! ... the brand new Sling Shot! I got my free Challenge Park ticket, so I took... Food party! Crew outing at Thirsty Pony! Friendship! ...Skyscraper and... ...my friend Josh to ride Rip Cord and... ...Go Karts and... Random photo of me and TTD, because I love this coaster! We did the Ice Bucket Challenge! Bowling time! Me and my friends! Welcome to Cedar Point! Help me! Frankenstein tries to catch me! Power Tower and me! Dragster for sure! My home ride Magnum! Ready for the photo shoot? Dinosaurs at CP? What? I thought we had Dragons? Woop woop! International friendships! Beach! Am I in the photo? Jump time! Travel the world! Relaxing! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gerstlaueringvar Posted October 6, 2014 Share Posted October 6, 2014 Great photos! I love the MF one. The bash looks fun, how was Sling Shot? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Diamondbacker27 Posted October 6, 2014 Share Posted October 6, 2014 I love all of these! I can't wait for the next update, I wish they would never end! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FreeFaller Posted October 6, 2014 Author Share Posted October 6, 2014 Great photos! I love the MF one. The bash looks fun, how was Sling Shot? Honestly said, it's not that special. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coasterbill Posted October 6, 2014 Share Posted October 6, 2014 Another great update. Sorry to hear you weren't a fan of Sling Shot, I enjoyed it though Ripcord is a much, much better ride. Those things always manage to scare the crap out of me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
805Andrew Posted October 6, 2014 Share Posted October 6, 2014 Cool TR. I'm glad you made an experience of your Summer working at Cedar Point. You are very enthusiastic and that's what the theme park industry needs employee wise. Thanks for also sharing little seen photos of the resort like the beach. Does anyone swim at that beach? Also I agree that the sling shot rides are nothing special. I rode a sling shot ride at Magic Mountain 10 years ago with the highest thrill setting and it wasn't nearly as thrilling as I thought it was going to be. The sky coaster I rode right afterward was way better. Anyways have fun working Haunt and I look forward to those photos as well. I need to get to Cedar Point someday. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FreeFaller Posted October 6, 2014 Author Share Posted October 6, 2014 ^Thank you all for the nice comments! There is only a restricted area where you are allowed to ''swim'', but swimming is not really possible, because the restricted area is really small and you can stand everywhere. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rcjp Posted October 6, 2014 Share Posted October 6, 2014 ^I heard it was because the water wasn't in the best "conditions". Is that right? Once more, nice update. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WFChris Posted October 6, 2014 Share Posted October 6, 2014 I was wondering if you knew why the mist on Iron Dragon was on even though the park was closed? Is it like, ALWAYS on or something? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FreeFaller Posted October 7, 2014 Author Share Posted October 7, 2014 ^I heard it was because the water wasn't in the best "conditions". Is that right? Once more, nice update. It's not the cleanest water, that's true, but honestly said I don't know. I was wondering if you knew why the mist on Iron Dragon was on even though the park was closed? Is it like, ALWAYS on or something? It's whether a timer or maintenance controls it. I'm not for sure, so I don't want to say something that is wrong Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts