Guests turned away from Cedar Point's Millennium Force

and nooooooo i disagree...if you sit in the very back of the train on the force your HURLED down that first drop, but your right the rest is just floating.

weird thing is, i would have totally expected someone to be ejected from magnum then any of these intamin rides...those lapbars go like halfway up your lap and that thing has some SERIOUS ejector air and your entire torso is thrown up and your 'lap' bar just manages to catch you...uuggh that sucker hurt

Mamoosh, I know you weren't directing to me, I was just answering in general for myself.

Yes, I did enjoy the park before and I have rode all of the coasters there, except the 2 kiddy, but it took me a long time to do that. When I normally get up there I am with people who aren't coaster enthusiast, which is okay with me because I consider myself more of a Park enthusiast, than a coaster. I don't go up there to power ride the coasters. A normal day at Cedar Point is walking around seeing the shows and to enjoy a day of relaxation. The only time I power ride anything is if it is a park I know I won’t be going back to for a long time if ever.

I'm lucky to live close enough to the park to drive up and back in one day (4 hours away), but when I go up with friends they want to make a weekend out of it and we head up on a Friday night, go to the park Saturday and head back Sunday. That’s a lot of money for a local park in my opinion. I would rather take that same weekend and go somewhere I haven't been before, like Kennywood or Dollywood or Indiana Beach. That is why I said I more than likely won't go to Cedar Point this year because Millennium Force was the coaster that I enjoyed the most and I don't want to torment myself looking at it knowing I can't ride it because of my weight.

Sarah - I agree that I'd much rather visit IB, HW, Knoebels, Kennywood or any other smaller traditional park. To be honest if Cedar Point only featured three coasters -- Blue Streak, Wildcat, and Magnum -- I'd be a happy camper ;)

I'm right there with you on that, Mamoosh, I would much rather visit smaller traditional parks over Cedar Point. If Cedar Point were only going to have three coasters they would have to be Millennium Force, Magnum and Raptor for me, though! (Well, not so much Millennium Force now ;))

I take the whole park atmosphere over a couple of coasters. Look at Holiday World, they only have 2 coasters (3 if you count Holidog) but, I would give up all the weekends I have ever spent at Cedar Point for one weekend there!

The problem I have is that my friends don't go for the smaller parks. If it isn't a "mega" park with the name Six Flags in it somewhere or Cedar Point, they don't want to go. The only time I ever got to Holiday World was SRM last year. I have tried desperatly to get some of my friends to go back there with me, but none want to because they can't see how a park that small could be fun. These are the same friends who don't ride many coasters when we are at Cedar Point. I don't get it! I just can't win!*** This post was edited by Sarah Jackson 5/20/2004 12:25:35 PM ***

FWIW, 36" waist was no problem at all this past weekend.

A friend of mine also managed -- barely -- to get on this year for the first time, after having lost 170 pounds since last year. So we were pretty happy. We didn't even know the belts had been shortened (again) til after we got back.

I guess this is the place to put this instead of starting a new thread, but I just happened to be watching the noon news on KDKA here in Pittsburgh, when they ran a really brief segment on the whole seat belt fiasco. They said something about new regulations calling for shorter seatbelts on rides such as Millennium Force that might make it harder for larger riders to ride. They did show a clip of a ride op checking and tightening a belt or two. Anyway it appears that this isn’t going away for now, and just letting you all know what I saw.

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There are 14 other adult coasters at CP. Why would you skip the park because you can't ride one?

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The problem there is that it's not just Millennium Force for a lot of people - that list extends to TTD & Wicked Twister as well. I used to love CP -but I don't plan to return unless I *know* that I'll be able to get on their newer, signature rides. I suspect I'm not alone in this...

Why is it so hard for some people to believe that MF could be someone's only reason for going to CP? It's not a new and different experience for me, I go at least 10 times a year. When I'm in line for anything other than WT, I think at least a couple times "why aren't I in line for MF instead?". So apparently the fact that I love MF that much makes me a bad enthusiast - so be it, I'm now officially GP and I can be happy knowing I have the "right" to consider MF the turning point of my being able to visit. You say you like going to your tiny parks? Fine, take away their main coaster. Have it sit there and mock you cause you're not allowed to ride it - now, why can't you go and enjoy the burger bar and pop stand, huh? huh? What did you do before that coaster was built? Give it up - you can't present something, then take it away and expect things to return to the way they were before it was there.

Anyone care to venture how "crazy" Six Flags will come across when the 3 SRoS's open and previous riders can't ride anymore? Maybe not because of this stupid seatbelt rule, but I'm willing to bet that the new restraint setup will be rather "snug" for some larger riders. Personally, I'm scared I won't be able to ride some of these Intamin rides anymore. I'm 6'5", 260lbs, 40-42" in the waist. I've never had an issue before, but with this new rule I dunno if I can crank down to get a couple inches surplus belt. And of course who knows what Six Flags has in store for restraints.

Impulse-Ive, that remark was very rude. If you don't understand, then so be it, but don't judge me or anyone else for what we believe. So what if I prefer smaller parks? Is that really any of your business? huh? huh? No it isn't.

Any restraint has some limitations on the size of the rider that can be accomadated. Usually, it is a minimum height. Occasionally it is a maximum height. Sometimes it is a maximum girth. Intamin's aren't alone. I've seen a woman turned away from Beast because they couldn't lower the lap bar. Heck, I darn near don't fit on Monstre's horrible Morgan trains.

Intamins restraints are obviously more limited that most, and Intamin needs to work on a major redesign to accomadate more of the riding public. Until this is done, we will just have to accept the limitations. Hopefully Intamin will devote a major effort to correcting this problem soon.

Sarah that wasn't directed at you at all that was directed at everyone out there who keep asking why everyone can't just be happy with the 15 other coasters at Cedar Point - I just want to know what would happen to their love for small parks (the usual retort to one of those statements) if the one or two coasters at said small park were not taken away, but just made off-limits and sat there mocking them. I find it hard to believe that everyone would still be willing to take long, expensive trips to ride a scrambler just because it's in a small park that has a cool coaster they can't ride ...

I dont think this has anything at all with intentionally discriminating against people due to there weight!!!! Cedar Point and Intamin are making rules regarding who can and cant ride a certain ride based on what they think is safe for there guests and also for civil liability purposes. The fact is that the accident that happened on Perilious Plunge and the latest one on SROS is that the guests shouldnt have been allowed to ride.

Life isnt fair and there is no consitutional right that we can all ride every roller coaster me might want too. How about adults that are height challengened, should me make parks have special restraints so adults who are only 44 inches tall can ride every roller coaster in the park???

Or should parks make people sign waivers that absolve them of any resposnibilty if they fall of a coaster or other ride so everyone can ride any ride they want too no matter what they height/weight/physcial disability??

I think people throw around the word "discrimination" way too easy.

I have never been to Cedar Point before, and am very much looking forward to finally getting the opportunity to ride their coaster collection during next month's Con. I figure I am probably borderline as far as being able to ride Millennium Force, based on what I've read -- I'm 5'10", 220 lbs, athletic build but I could stand to lose some weight (I am working on it).

If I am able to sit in the train, fit the T-bar to my lap, and then buckle the safety belt, and they tell me I can't ride because there is not enough slack in my seat belt, there's something very wrong going on. I could understand being refused a ride if I was physically unable to buckle the safety belt, but if they decide there is not enough slack? I fit in the restraints, buckle the seat belt, but I'm not safe? Huh?

I'm not going to cancel my Con plans (too much money invested at this point!), but I am more than a little dismayed by what I have read on this subject...

--Kevin

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Kevin Knapp, Colorado Springs, kknappcyclone@aceonline.org
Remove "cyclone" from e-mail address to reply

Impulse-ive, that was asinine and you owe Sarah an apology.

I think the rest of us owe Sarah a big hug--unless she declines the offer, in which case you can go hug somebody else.

I think she's very courageous to say what a gazillion other people are much too cowardly to say to themselves...and that is that they're heavy-set.

This one's my favorite denial:

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Mr Doom said:
I am very much football player sized (probably smaller actually since there is a distinct lack of muscle in the upper body).

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Huh? A football player without a developed upper body? Isn't that more like the ball than the player, my friend? Sorry, couldn't resist, you know me. But hey--I remember years of looking in the mirror and kidding myself too.

Just because you're heavy, know that you're heavy and don't want to be heavy doesn't mean the weight will vanish. It took me years of diet after diet, workout after workout and pill after pill (Ephedra tremors! Ephedra tremors!) before a twist of fate and pure, dumb luck helped me figure out what my body was up to. Others are still on their journey.

Okay, back to my Sarah-hugging session. Stand in line and take your turn...

-CO

"I could understand being refused a ride if I was physically unable to buckle the safety belt, but if they decide there is not enough slack?"

I think that is the main problem here.

In all of the discussion about the S:RoS accidents, it has been mentioned that on B&M's it is a given that if the OTSR locks and the belt buckles, you fit and you are fine. There is none of this "Well, the OTSR locks, the belt fits, you physically fit.... BUT... " type of thing going on.

Alright fine, I'm sorry Sarah, my post was in no way directed at you, but apparently, I'm the only one that saw it that way. I'm sorry I offended you.

I'm offended that I get bashed because I feel that Cedar Point without MF isn't worth the trip ... that was my point, that's what pissed me off. Apparently I'm one of the only ones who feels that way. Retracted; god forbid I have a differing opinion ... and sorry to Sarah again.

I'm sorry that I missunderstood your post. It really did come off like you were bashing me. I in fact agree that Cedar Point without Millennium Force isn't worth the trip!

Don't mind ole' CO. He is just protecting one of his stalkers. He loves us all so much! :)

Even when they won't join the Stalkette club like they're supposed to...

Uncle! Okay, I give in! I'll join, but please don't make me wear those Ray-bans or funky coaster shorts!