Millenium Force rip off

Ok, I'm going to take a step away from the norm for coasterbuzz and bash Cedar Point for a minute.  Why oh why won't they let you take bags through the Millenium Force que line?  It doesn't make any sense at all.  Sure, the exit platform is different from the entrance platform.  But so what?  It's not too hard to have a shelf in the middle of the two stations where people can put their stuff. 

Instead of letting you take your stuff through the line, they direct you to a locker area (which I doubt was there before MF was built) where you can pay them for the privelage of keeping your stuff while you ride.  It's like paying an extra fee to ride one particular ride! 

It seems to me like a cheap way to get extra money out of people.  Now it may be a good ride and cost them a fortune to build, but this is a dirty business trick and, although it was the only bad part of my day there, it really pissed me off that an otherwise good place did this to their customers.  Can someone tell me why they do this? 

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Ohio - Coaster capital of the world

Well if you think about it, why would you want to bring your bags onto a coaster that goes 93MPH? Stuff anything you need into your pockets, spend the whole 25 or 50 cents (i forget) and stuff your bag into a locker.

And I actually do bet they had the lockers there before MF... Mantis is right across the way.

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Tommy Penner - GTTP Regular, Coaster Buzz Lurker...
http://coolforce.cjb.net - The Most Important Web Site... EVER.
"When this baby hits 88 MPH, you're gonna see some serious $***."

Wahhh Wahhh Wahhh Ever notice how much faster lines are at CP then other parks? This is why, I have had enough of tripping over peoples stuff after getting off of coasters at Six Flags too.  I never understood why people need all this stuff at parks anyway.  I wear cargo pants and if I want to take somethign in I get a locker and go back to it if I need a towell or new clothes after riding water rides and such. 

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Does CCI know how to make a bad coaster?

What I'm trying to say! lol... Cargo pants always work! Even kept my friends lighter dry in Thunder Canyon (or w/e that was, the shower w/ clothes on)

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Tommy Penner - GTTP Regular, Coaster Buzz Lurker...
http://coolforce.cjb.net - The Most Important Web Site... EVER.
"When this baby hits 88 MPH, you're gonna see some serious $***."

Hey if you drop anything on that ride, and it hit someone in the face (say a coin), then you could serious injure someone.  A doll would also hurt anybody while going 93 mph! 
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"What kind of person would pay money to see a Jay and Silent Bob Movie?" says Holden McNeil *looking at the audience*

At SFA they have a similar rule for Batwing because the station isn't as wide as the other coasters hence the addition of lockers in the Batwing section.I kind of agree about the issue of tripping over someone else's bag's,fanny packs etc. that are left on the platform during the ride.It also takes longer to load the train what with people having to walk right through the train and then sit down again.For example on Joker's Jinx I was putting my fanny pack in the little cubby hole and the ride op nearly closed the  restraint thinking no one was riding in that seat.

I've said it a hundred times. You don't need anything but yourself on the ride. The issue isn't money, it's about safety and capacity. Never before was this more obvious to me than at BGT a few weeks ago when half a dozen people are handing the ride ops stuff on Kumba. One train operation was bad enough, then add this. If you're going to pack 36 people on the train, you need quick and efficient crowd control on the platform, and this can't be done with a bunch of people fumbling around with whatever they brought with them.

The lockers were there on opening day 2000.

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Jeff - Webmaster/Admin - CoasterBuzz.com
"As far as I can tell it doesn't matter who you are. If you can believe, there's something worth fighting for..." - Garbage, "Parade"

What is all the "stuff" people carry around in amusment parks anyway?  I visit a lot of parks and always can carry everthing I need in my pocket; my wallet. And  I have a belt clip for my camera. What else do you need?

And I do appreciate the reasons why CP doesn't use the "cubbies". It speeds up the loading times and removes them for the liability of something coming up missing or broken.

On the other hand, at Holiday World they have the exact opposite philosophy; they offer to hold your stuff!

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Without the chaindog, you'd never get up the lifthill...

One Joe Cool ERT day, some guy decided he wanted to listen to some music on the ride. He had his headphones on his head even! The operators told him that he would have to walk back down to the locker area and put them in his locker. Of course he made a big fuss about it, eventually he said, "This train better wait for me!" Well then he goes down to put his headphones in a locker, and what do you know the train goes up the hill. It is people like this who slow down the operation of the ride. Bringing personal belongings would also endanger the other riders. What if something that you brought with you comes out of your hand and hits someone in the head?
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SFWoA Online
http://sfwoa.coasterbuzz.com
*** This post was edited by Mr. Villain on 11/27/2001. ***

*** This post was edited by Mr. Villain on 11/27/2001. ***

Ok, now why would you want to bring all that stuff with you? At SFMM, Riddler's Revenge has lockers at the foot of the stairs leading to the station. Usually, there's someone there to direct you to the lockers (which you naturally pay for) since they don't store your stuff at the station anymore (most of the time).
At any rate, if you know you're going to haul stuff with you like a towel, camera, etc., cargo pants help out a lot.

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How can you be scared when I'm the one that has to go potty!?

I like cubbies because they're easy. Safety might be an issue there but if they're right near the ride-ops then there's not THAT big of a problem. When I have my glasses I just put them in my pocket and leave my other stuff in the cubbie.

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"I’m more than a bird..I’m more than a plane...More than some pretty face beside a train...It’s not easy to be me"-Five for Fighting "Superman" dedicated to all of the hardworking rescuers of the WTC...

I found a nice way to handle this stuff in Japan, although it may not be useful in many American settings...

(I should preface this by saying that this is pretty ironic, because there is NO crime in Japan.  FOr example..the SD2K gift shop was closed, and all the merch. was just out in the open, unattended!  I was looking for a clerk to check out until someone told me that it was closed and I'd have to put my stuff back and come back.  Later on in the day a worker showed up!)

As you enter the platform as early as a few trains before boarding, you can access the cubby holes.  Instead of like what we have in the USA, they were FREE lockers.  You put your bag in, and the key is on a nice bungee cord for riding around your wrist.  After riding, you can access them again.  It was great!  With the proper placement on the platform it worked quite well.  I'm not sure if it would be so great nover here, but a variation would be a possible.

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- Peabody

Would you want to come back from a ride and find all your stuff (or some of it) gone?  Who will you blame: the ride ops.  They can't worry about it.  Just like Jeff said, they have to worry about keeping the ride going and keeping the guests safe and moving quickly.

Being a ride op myself, I've seen some people go absolutely bolistic on me because I am apparently responsible for what happens to their stuff.  And, in addition to what Jeff said, I don't have time to take 10 stuffed animals while I am trying to check lapbars/restraints.  I'd gladly pay the 50 cents to keep my personal belongings safe, yet the most expensive thing I bring into the park is my wallet, which I only take extreme care of on stand-up coasters.  So, that's my two cents.  Enjoy!

The job of the Ride-Ops and Station Crew is not to be your personal junk baby-sitter.

Their job is to insure your safety on what are potententially VERY dangerous rides. (Try hitting a feather-pillow at 93 miles per hour and then imagine worse!)

Do you really want to compromise or distract the SAFETY CREW???

The Millennium Force Station Crew are the best team of ride-ops I've yet seen. Plus, they have to work in a VERY high intensity setting that never lets up and where there is NO room for error.

Lockers are about 75 cents at every park I've been to...BIG DEAL!

~Tocci

They used to have free lockers at IOA. I think you just left a deposit for the key.  Anybody know if they still do?

On a side note to Peabody; did you find a language barrier in Japan (assuming your not fluent in Japanese)?

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Without the chaindog, you'd never get up the lifthill...

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Peabody said:
I found a nice way to handle this stuff in Japan, although it may not be useful in many American settings...

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Yeah, Jeff!  I love the way they take care of things in Japan.  There is never an issue with lockers, but the society is sooooo different there.  It would never work here in the land of the free-home of the thieves...

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Check us out! www.geocities.com/ethylsite

When MF opened in 2000, it probably had the highest profile of any coaster opened in recent history. That said, the lines were (and I'm assuming) still very long. To let people fumble around with loose items would delay things further and therefore create stacked trains. From my stopwatch, there is only 1:40 until the train isn't moving anymore. That's not a lot of time to get everyone in place. I support their decision.

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SFA 2002-What are they building?

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quailroberts said:
"Instead of letting you take your stuff through the line, they direct you to a locker area (which I doubt was there before MF was built)"

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Just to let you know, the lockers were built when Millennium Force opened. There is a road right next to the station, so that could be a reason why the station isn't that "big" by your standards.

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"Duff Man Says... Ohhh Yeah!"
Current Favorite Coasters:
1)Raging Bull 2)Millennium Force 3)Medusa (SFMW) 4)Vertical Velocity (SFGAm) 5)Dueling Dragons (Ice)

*** This post was edited by StealthmF5m3 on 11/27/2001. ***

yeah..i think its crazy to take all that crap on rides...i used to carry a bookbag into parks and on the rides, but found it annoying to carry around, and a nusance to others when they had to get around it.  its just worth it to get a locker.  or bring the minimal stuff :)
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ROLLERCOASTERS....BETTER THAN OXYGEN BABY!!!!!!

Can I just answer the question on why people bring a lot of stuff with them to parks?  Personally, I bring some money, an ID, and some sunglasses.  Easily stowed in a pocket.  However.  I'm always with my 6-year old niece--she just hit the 48 inch mark this spring, let the good times roll!  I don't know about other kids, but everything we bring is for her.  We bring a book bag filled with snacks (no way is she eating park food, she's picky), gloves, kid sunglasses, a camera, an extra sweatshirt, her tall shoes, a water bottle...it really adds up.  Which is why I appreciated those lockers right near MF.  I don't want to carry that stuff on a ride.  I don't want any extra bulk.  It was 45 degrees and I stuffed my coat into a locker.  Love 'em.
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If you're skating on thin ice, you may as well tap dance.