CP 8/29/04 Why no one should bring items on a coaster...

After our first trip to CP was cut short earlier this year, we went to try again with a few friends. Third time was in fact a charm, and we finally got onto TTD. But here's the full report...injuries and all. ^_~

We got to the park at about 10 and there was virtually NO ONE in the parking lot. We almost did a double take and blinked at how empty everything was. Now understand, I'm from Chicago, and every time we've gone to CP it's been packed. Going on a day when crappy weather was projected definately helped. So we parked and headed in with big smiles, already pleased with the outlook for the day.

Raptor was pretty much empty so we had maybe a five minute wait first thing. Ran nice and smooth, all things considered, and that back seat really gets whipped through some of that ride. Great way to wake up. Then we decided to head over to WT to see if it was running, but it was down with mechanical issues, so a quick ride on Disaster Transport and it was time for Magnum. THIS is where things get interesting.

There was no line. None. We walked onto the ride, and the only seats that weren't empty were the front, and the back two, which were occupied by myself and my group. Half way through the ride at the turnaround, someone in that front seat either lost or let go of a park map/pamphlet. Which smacked me right in my eye. I had no idea what it was that caught me, but I knew that suddenly I couldn't see and it hurt like hell. It seriously felt like getting clocked in the face. Once I calmed down enough to realize there was no blood, we'd pulled into the station. Let me tell you getting ejector airtime while you're clutching your face and screaming in pain is not fun...although I'm pretty sure it looked funny. ^_~ People probably thought I was scared of the ride or something. My hubby got me out and no sooner did they get me to one side than some kid started messing around getting into the car..and slipped. He fell onto the track and banged his chin on the car.

Now here's my one complaint for the day. One of my friends ran up to the ride ops and asked them to please tell her where the first aid station was so that they could get me some ice for my eye. They said nothing. No answer, no response, completely silent. That was about the time the kid fell. So they get the kid to one side, and I'm still standing there not sure of what the heck to do, sobbing like an idiot and still blind as a bat, and my friend asks again. "Look, just tell us where the first aid station is." And they don't say a word. Not one of them. Granted, they had called first aid, but they wouldn't say anythingor give us any kind of direction as to what to do or where to wait. I'm sure the situation was a bit overwhelming, with two injuries right there, but you would think they could at least say "Security has been called, someone is on their way up."

One hour, two advil, a quick checkup and two ice packs later, I shrugged it off and headed back for the rides. ...After buying a strap for my sunglasses so that I could wear them on rides for the rest of the day, of course. ;)

The rest of the day was remarkably fantastic! I'll leave out all the little details. But I will say this. The park was nearly empty. We had a 45 minute wait for Dragster...which I finally got on. Amazing. Simply amazing. You don't even have time to ~think~ on that thing. SO glad I got to ride that. We caught an awesome night ride on MF and waited about an hour. That was the longest wait of the day. What amazed me was that we got onto every single coaster in the park in one day. And the guys on Demon Drop at the end of the night let us go twice in a row, something I've never had happen at CP.

All in all it was a wonderful trip, minus the big smack in the face. ^_~ *** Edited 8/29/2004 10:39:26 PM UTC by Kenmei*** *** Edited 8/30/2004 1:20:36 AM UTC by Kenmei***

All I can say is wow about your Magnum experience. I noticed at Cedar Point that the Magnum ride ops are fast but they aren't the friendliest or most helpful like the Raptor crew is.

Honestly that's the first and only time I've had to deal with that sort of thing at a park. I don't really blame them for the way they reacted. Between me and the kid who cracked his chin (who by the way had to be carted off to the ER for two stitches), it was probably overwhelming.

Imagine if that happened on TTD at 120 MPH.

I so someones wallot fly out once at 400 plus feet in the air.

We watched someone loose their glasses on MF last night. But they kind of went off to the right and down, so thankfully no one got hurt. And yeah that would have just been unbelievably painful. *shudders* I get the heebie jeebies just remembering what 72 mph felt like. The woman in their 'er' as they called it was actually shaking her head and said the same thing. "Imagine if it had been Dragster."

Don't even want to THINK about that. >< Ugh

I saw a camera floating in front of my face for a second on the drop of MF. I don't know where it landed as we dropped faster than the camera.

One of the neatest things I ever witnessed was on MF back a year or so ago. My sister and I were in the back seat of the train and in front of us was a guy and his wife. He had on a flannel shirt w/pocket and in this pocket was a pack of cigarettes. When we went down the first drop, the cigs fell out of the pocket and then floated forward on past the lady in front of him. At that time, we were started going up the first overbanked turn and the pack of cigarettes came back down towards their owner just in time for him to grab them. It was really cool and you just had to be there to see it trust me. :)

That is cool with the cigarrettes.

This probably doesn't count but right as I flew at 60 mph by MF's station the fireworks went off and they are really close and I was worried the ashes would land on us. ;)

Didn't happen but that was a really cool experience and how I was lucky enough to time it just right without trying is beyond me.

Years ago when I was in high school I went to SFGAM with a few friends we decided to hit Batman. While waiting in line we watched someone loose a shoe at the top of that first loop. It flew straight up and then fell back down. Too funny, and no one got hurt. Thank god there's a PayLess shoes down the road. ^_~

Not that I've had to duck in there to get replacement sneakers on a rainy day so I can play DDR. Noooo... :) *** Edited 8/30/2004 4:08:04 AM UTC by Kenmei***

From what I was told, they have had many incidents of flying objects hitting riders on Magnum this past few weeks. I was holding my camera in my hand and the VERY rude lady at the enterance yelled at me and told me that I must get a locker. I asked her if I could just put it into one of my cargo pockets (thats actually where they told me to put it on MF and TTD, not a locker) and she got even louder while yelling at me. I was very upset, never have I been treated so rudely at Cedar Point. I should have reporter her to park ops or something (like take her picture and then give that to park ops), but the 10 min wait for TTD prevented me from going back to the front of the park. While in line for TTD, I was talking to a CP nerd and he told me that several people have been hit by objectrs on Magnum and they now are being very strict on no carry on items.

Oh yeah, well this one time at band camp. . . . *** Edited 8/30/2004 5:54:59 AM UTC by ldiesman***

Sorry about your luck, that musta hurt...:(

I was at pkd one day, waiting for Hypersonic, and a train launched, and over the hill, a guy lost his sunglasses. They came down smacked someone on the head, and landed in the little fenced off area around the supports. Some kid ran up there, and screamed, MAN!! Those are nice!!! stuck his hand in there, struggled to reach it, and then got em, and ran away. How funny.

Josh

Flying items are exactly why I insist on wearing my glasses on coasters -- I want the eye protection.

Of course, there's the catch-22. Parks are getting so paranoid that I've been told I MUST take off my glasses, even with a strap. But the kicker? In Millie early this season I was told "Oh, just put them in your shirt". So let me get this straight, I can't wear my glasses to protect my eyes from flying objects, but I'm to put them in a place where they can easily BECOME flying objects. Sheesh.

That sucks that you got injured, and I'm glad it wasn't something more serious.

J Bird thanks. :) I'm alright thank god. EEP I can't imagine what that was like on Hypersonic. Kinda funny though!

GregLeg I'm with ya on that one now. They were being SO strict the rest of the day about people taking stuff on the rides. They wouldn't even let us in line for Millie without putting stuff away. I had a little stuffed monkey that my hubby won me and the security guard standing there looked at me and in this dead serious voice goes "What're you gonna do with your monkey?"

...was It wrong of me to laugh? ;)

People are getting really stupid with the things that they carry onto rides. I am seeing more and more people with cameras out on the coasters and their coins on drop rides.

Sorry about your eye Kenmei. The park map probably got sucked out of a pocket or something. I used to sit on my ball cap on rides, but it got sucked out on Blue Streak once.

It is really neat seeing stuff floating in the air that has come out of the train or someones pocket, but not worth getting hurt over.

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GregLeg said:

So let me get this straight, I can't wear my glasses to protect my eyes from flying objects, but I'm to put them in a place where they can easily BECOME flying objects. Sheesh.

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I can attest to the glasses on the shirt becoming flying objects. I accidentally left my sunglasses hanging on my shirt at CB Con on V2. I found out the fact that they were there on the holding brake when they fell off my shirt. Luckily, I had one of those Matrix moments, and caught the glasses in what seemed like super slow motion. God knows that those could have hurt someone behind me as we came back down the spike.

CP thanks ^_^ Yeah my husband has taken to taking off his hat and hooking it to the back belt loop, then sitting on it. They actually made him shove it down his shirt on Mantis.

and kick I've seen people do that on V2. =) Kind of odd when you have one o0f those slow-mo moments, ne? It's amazing the kind of force you get when inanimate objects hit coaster cars and what not. We saw a bird get hit by the cars on WT last year. Ugh...NOT pretty.

Hmmm...some guy at SFGAM the other day, while I took pictures of superman from the station, was trying to tell me that I couldnt take pictures. That they would take the camera away if they saw me doing it...I was trying to explain to the guy its only if you use it while riding, but this guy wouldnt listen...some people are just clueless.

stljason1: The reason they do that is because they are automatically assuming you are going to bring the camera on board. Add to that the policy that all loose articles are supposed to be put into a locker before riding, and you can see why the op was that way. I had a similar thing like that happen on Gwazi at Busch Gardens except with a cell phone. I called someone just before getting on the ride and put the phone in my pocket. When it was my time to board, the op told me I had to take the phone out of my pocket and hand it to her while I rode. Anyways, the moral of the story is leave the cameras put away until you clear the station AFTER your ride.

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Kick The Sky said:
God knows that those could have hurt someone behind me as we came back down the spike.

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My girlfriend can attest to the damage that happens when glasses fall out of a pocket at a little under 120 MPH ...