Reasons Cedar Point is going downhill

Gomez said:
Other areas in the park that need work have already been discussed. Operations might be changing a little with a new manager in charge. Who knows where foods is headed, but no matter how much some of you hate them, Chick-Fil-A and Panda Express have been good additions to the park. The last and probably the most important change has to come to staffing. The park has to figure out a way to keep their good employees to stay not only through Halloweekends, but carry them over to work a couple more seasons. They will have to create some kind incentives and new ways of going about their current systems to keep the working environment happy.

I think your last statement is where we need to see quite a bit of change first. For me, the only reason that I have to go back next year isn't that I eventually want a career with CF, it isn't that I love the park, but its the people. That's right, its the friendships that I made that make me want to come back the most. Without all of the friends I made, I would likely be looking seriously at either Disney or Great Adventure for next summer. Depending on how things go this summer, I may look more seriously at both places, because I won't keep going back to work there just because of friendships.

fastercat said:
CP is going down hill? Thanks for the update.I never would have known.Sure there are small problems but can you go anywhere without that happening?I try not to nit pic since the big picture is so enjoyable.My children don't even notice the expensive food...lol..As long as they continue to have fun I will to.I notice all the small stuff.My little one loves the Breakers hallway .She calls it the windy hallway.We love the crappy ship store and like the beach.I love the good free coffee in the entrance of the Bon Air section.We love the arcade and the special times we have together.I could have fun there and not go on a single ride.they are putting in a new family section . Maverick and most of the rides go downhill {what goes up must go down}but come on.

And this is why intelligent threads come to comments from people like this are who are blind, and don't read the entire thread, thinking we're bashing the park and saying it sucks. Why can't people open their eyes around here?

In no way are we that talk intelligently saying that the park is on a disaster course to hell. But we also know that its going to take a little more than a "bit of money" to turn things around.

Those of you who have kids probably don't care, and thats fine, because you guys will continue to pay higher and higher ticket prices, higher and higher food prices, for the same thing, year after year. You are the increased per capita spenders that Kinzel bases his thinking on, which is wrong, because the rest of us know better.

The improvements that CP needs are great in number, and together, are bringing down a park that once was great, and could be great again, but only with a lot of re-staffing, (meaning, fire the idiots), re-thinking (food services and the employees who run them), and re-imagining. (the new family area is a good start).

Cedar Point has declined, and I think too many of you either refuse to see that, or read wayyyy too much into the title of this thread.

ohhh so I am not intelligent for my comment .Thats ok I will go and have fun no matter what you think.

I still think Six Flags parks are making great strides in becoming what CP likes to claim. Coaster capital of the world....

Hershey Park is honestly I think CF's also new bully on the block.

2.7 million people for them this year, and they get a new coaster next year. The park has resonated with a lot of people and the chocolate theme is better then no theme.

I still say they need a fine dining establishment with a nice view, and some on-point fun.

They run out of programs for the kids to do during the evening,and the same with adults (entertainment programs).

Those hotels on point are filled with kids looking for something to do besides play video games, or swim.

They should add a nightly boardwalk character walk and then maybe walk to a location where they can play capture the flag for instance.

If peanuts is there mascot / theme then they should try and make the most of it. I think most of you would agree CP doesn't need much to take Snoopy out of the park an replace him.

Isn't your incentive to work at CP the fact you get a bonus? Here is a nice way to make employees come back. Every year you return for employment and work X amount of weeks or longer and fulfill your contract. If your bonus was $.5 an hour the first year, make it $1.00 an hour the second year, and double it every year after on top of a wage increase.

For $7.00 an hour they have a easy job, but admit it you guys would begin to get bored sitting outside of Magnum every day for 12 hours a day. *** Edited 11/10/2007 4:07:46 PM UTC by factory81***

mk522 said:
In no way are we that talk intelligently...

You might want to proofread before criticizing anyone else's comments. fastercat has a right to post his/her opinion.

factory81 said:

For $7.00 an hour they have a easy job, but admit it you guys would begin to get bored sitting outside of Magnum every day for 12 hours a day.

Those are some fighting words right there... I think any employee in Ride Operations, and employees in many other departments will tell you, the job is not nearly as easy as it seems. Don't judge it until you've actually worked there.

And the doubling bonus thing... never going to happen. There are people there who have been there long enough they'd be making more from their bonus than they would from their regular wages.

*** Edited 11/10/2007 4:28:27 PM UTC by DBCP***

I can understand Disaster transport, but what other coasters are "due to come down?"

Miss_Maverick07 said:
I can understand Disaster transport, but what other coasters are "due to come down?"

Disaster transport is a great family ride that is unique from the other rides at the park, considering it is indoors. It gives people another option that dont always like the big stuff. Sure the theming has deteriated, and sure the building is ugly, but whos fault is that for not maintaining it?

factory81 said:
Isn't your incentive to work at CP the fact you get a bonus? Here is a nice way to make employees come back. Every year you return for employment and work X amount of weeks or longer and fulfill your contract. If your bonus was $.5 an hour the first year, make it $1.00 an hour the second year, and double it every year after on top of a wage increase.

For $7.00 an hour they have a easy job, but admit it you guys would begin to get bored sitting outside of Magnum every day for 12 hours a day. *** Edited 11/10/2007 4:07:46 PM UTC by factory81***

The bonus isn't our incentive, its supposed to be working for the best park in the world. But when you don't feel like you're a part of the best park in the world (for several reasons), that incentive is lost. When you feel 100% disposable, that incentive flies right out the window.

And I don't know how many times I have said this, but its got to be a lot now; don't think about telling us that our job is easy until you actually do it! That's where people start crossing the line to enthusi-ass in my mind, when they criticize people over things they have no clue what they're talking about.

Reasons Ride Operation jobs are not easy!

1) Long Hours -- Many ride ops work upward of 65 hours a week. (including several O-C's in a row)

2) The guests -- While we do appreciate them, and understand that they pay our paycheck, that does not make them the exception to the rule.

3) The Rules -- Due to the nature of our job, strict safety rules are in play. We didn't make the rules. But we enforce them.

4) The Management -- While I've worked for much worse management, it does get old with Silver Tags constantly looking over your shoulder.

5) I could go on and on, but I think you get the point. Don't Judge us until you experience what we do.

I have been a reader of these forum for several years now, and with this topic I felt the need to register. I agree 100% with Top Thrill Dragster, and also I am an old employee of Cedar Point and Disney World. There are many aspects to why Disney just simply does it better and makes Cedar Point look disfunctional.

It doesn't look like anyone is going to argue against me when it comes to foods. Why does it take 20 minutes to order food with a line of only 5 people in front of you, I have no clue but it is what it is.

Another thing that is disfunctional at Cedar Point is the parking lot. When it rains it floods and it floods bad. Second it is way unorganized. If you ever leave the park on a busy day you can sometime find yourself waiting 40 minutes just to get on the causeway. At Disney the parkinglot is simple, one way in one way out.

I worked in Merchandise and have been up at front rentals, why do they ask for an arm and a leg for a simple locker key? At Disney you pay, get a key and start off. I have seen the line for lockers extend out along the front gate. In the end it is unnecessary to get an name and a number for a simple locker.

I have had good and bad service at Cedar Point but I could right a book about that so I will not dicuss this.

But the key difference between the operation of Cedar Point and Disney is the conditions for the employees.

Cedar Point housing simply sucks. Disney housing is awsome nice apartment with high speed internet, cable, pools, fitness center, a cast member only park, ohh and space to breath.

Cedar Point employees are overworked. 60-70 hours a week is too much. You get one day off a week and no overtime. Disney gives you 2 days off a week with much shorter shifts and overtime if you work enough.

Cedar Point needs to give employees a reason to like where they work and that is something that they just don't get. The park is understaffed year after year for a reason. Conditions for the employees are just not up to par.

I believe that the root to many of Cedar Point's problems is the way management treats employees. Improve conditions for employees and see people that take pride in where they work.

I know it sounds like I am just bashing Cedar Point but let me tell you that I spent 2 summers there and my second I was an area supervisor in Merch. And I worked there because it is my favorite place in the world. I just have some concerns with the way some things are run when I have been exposed to how nice they can be.

Why is it that we always have to compare Cedar Point to Disney? We get it! Most of you like Disney better. Sheesh.

CPboy77 said:
Why is it that we always have to compare Cedar Point to Disney? We get it! Most of you like Disney better. Sheesh.

Because Disney is considered world wide as the best of the best when it comes to theme/amusement parks. One of the best ways for any company to improve it to figure out who the best of the best is, find out what they are doing right and in a way emulate them. I am in no way saying become a clone of the best of the best but Disney is doing something right when it comes to employees and putting on a good show for the guests.

Noone here is saying that CP is a bad park. Just having a discussion on what they could do better. Just opinions on where their weak points are and how they could be improved. The easiest way to point out how something can be improved is to give examples of what other places have done that was good.

There are some cases in which a comparison with Disney is perfectly fine, but there are also cases in which comparing Disney and Cedar Point is like comparing apples and oranges. The main problem that I see here is that there are too many of the apples:oranges comparisons, and not enough of the apples:apples comparisons.

Disney has literally built their own city down in Florida and it's almost sad that their city is better than every other one i can think of in almost every aspect. They know what they are doing and one visit to their resort shows it.

This isn't a game of who likes who, I think we can all say we love Cedar Point one way or another (or else you would never have clicked on this topic). I want to see the park continue to be successful and hopefully say that its greatest days still lie ahead.

Here is a few more shots of the decline of things.

http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff298/hothitz2000/S6302369.jpg

http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff298/hothitz2000/S6302564.jpg

I have been going to the park more than 10 times a year since I have been 5, and the last 2 years have really been bad.

I also worked there for several summers as well. If ANYONE got cought talking on a cell phone in uniform they were in trouble.

Gum walls happen, but they were delt with fairly quickly. This gumwall was there most of the summer.

There was also a lack on part of a lot of the ride crews(not all, but most) to get the trains out of the station in a hurry.

The man on the phone is definitely a Ride Pride... they pretty much do what they want, no matter what you tell them.

I attacked his opinion because he used sarcasm, btw.

It's quite clear, especially when employees can talk about the problems at CP, that the park does have its fair share of issues, many of which have not been looked at in years. This does not mean that CP is going downhill, and again, some of you read way too much into the title of this thread.

Its unfortunate that we'll probably continue to see this behavior from the park because the only thing people like Kinzel sees are the per capita spending numbers, and while they are an inidication of how the park is doing, they are one indicator. CP should be doing a lot more to gain feedback from actual guest experiences all over the park, as well as gain feedback (and use it) from park employees.

It's one thing for them to survey guests and employees, its another to use the feedback to move forward, not backward.

It looks like he has headphones too for when he's not on the phone. LOL!!

Gum walls happen, but they were delt with fairly quickly. This gumwall was there most of the summer.

That's actually wrong. I went three times this summer and not one time did Raptor have the gum wall there.

I will have to agree with those of you who mentioned that a job at Cedar Point is harder than it looks. I am over 30 years old and the hardest job that I have had was at Cedar Point, and I have taught middle school. With the combination of long and odd hours, plus paying for a room and pretty much having to buy at least one meal from the park the employees deserve every dollar they make.

I have noticed CP slipping a bit in the last 5 years and I think it has a lot to do with the management. Sure services are not as good this year but the crews are smaller, that was a managent decision. Less shows, half baked safety policies to satisfy the lawyers, and non enforcement of park policies (smoking, and line jumping) are also a result of poor management. I remember when you were escorted out of the park for breaking park rules, now it is rare to see somebody escorted out of the line. All in all though Cedar Point is a good park, far better than most.