Mystic Timbers Construction Progress

[CoastersRZ]

Well, just because those lockers have not yet been removed does not mean that they will be removed.  The asphalt on the midway right there hasn`t been removed yet either.  I suspect, given the recent trend at the park, that the asphalt will be removed and replaced with either concrete or some kind of pavers in front of the station area.

[teenageninja]

I think there will be a no loose article policy.  It's becoming an industry trend and with it crossing two other rides, I don't see them wanting to take the risk.  Plus as mentioned before, it can slow down capacity.  With this thing running 3 trains, and not having a MCBR, they are going to want to get the trains out ASAP.

[Joncars05]

Can we stop acting like the loose article policy is only about increasing rider capacity and see that lockers can also be a way to increase park revenue?

[CoastersRZ]

Joncars05, it is not about making a quick buck off of people putting stuff in lockers.  Not allowing loose articles in the station can and does increase capacity.  It allows the ride operators to check restraints and not have to worry about stowing or securing loose articles.  

 

Cedar Fair has been fairly relaxed with this policy.  Only Banshee and Firehawk at KI currently prohibits loose articles in the station.  As Six Flags parks, most of their major coasters prohibit all loose article and require people to put any loose articles in a locker.

[Joncars05]

Joncars05, it is not about making a quick buck off of people putting stuff in lockers. Not allowing loose articles in the station can and does increase capacity. It allows the ride operators to check restraints and not have to worry about stowing or securing loose articles.

Cedar Fair has been fairly relaxed with this policy. Only Banshee and Firehawk at KI currently prohibits loose articles in the station. As Six Flags parks, most of their major coasters prohibit all loose article and require people to put any loose articles in a locker.

Luckily CF has been lax with it's loose article policy. Unfortunately it is becoming common place on most of their marquee rides to have lockers instead of bins. But lockers do allow parks to create extra revenue streams. I believe it also disproportionately affects women as well because they carry purses. If only half of the riders that rode Banshee used the bins at Banshee, at the $2 rate, the company made at least $1,000,000 just off of storage at one ride. That doesn't even take into account the lockers at WWC, RFYLCB, Firehawk, and Flight of Fear. Its simple lockers are a CHEAP and VERY PROFITABLE source of income. Its also enforced under the guise of safety and expediency.

In terms of capacity, Kings Island had 5 rides have over 1 million riders last year and only 1 of the 3 rides (Banshee) that require you to use a locker is on the list. Banshee has 3 trains, no MCBR, and a 6 person crew loading the trains so capacity will be high no matter what. The other 3 coasters on that list (Beast, Racer, Diamondback) have bins. Also Beast's station to station time is over 5 minutes yet it still doesn't have trouble hitting 1 million riders.

[fryoj]

Can we stop acting like the loose article policy is about increasing rider capacity and more about making a quick buck off of the consumer?

 

 

While not Cedar Fair, Universal has one of the most stringent loose article policies on their coasters. They have metal detectors at the queue entrance and you can't take any loose articles into the queue at all including cell phones and keys. 

 

And they provide free lockers at those locations, so its clearly not about profit. Unless you are considering that it is cheaper to build lockers than get sued over flying objects, then sure. 

[CoastersRZ]

That must be a recent change to Universal.  I was out at Universal Hollywood last April and that wasn`t in effect then.  When did they implement metal detectors at the entrance to their queues?

[Joncars05]

Can we stop acting like the loose article policy is about increasing rider capacity and more about making a quick buck off of the consumer?

 

 

While not Cedar Fair, Universal has one of the most stringent loose article policies on their coasters. They have metal detectors at the queue entrance and you can't take any loose articles into the queue at all including cell phones and keys. 

 

And they provide free lockers at those locations, so its clearly not about profit. Unless you are considering that it is cheaper to build lockers than get sued over flying objects, then sure.

We are talking about Cedar Fair. Obviously if the lockers are free then its not about profit. Especially if you aren't allowed to have keys or cell phones on rides at Universal its clearly about rider safety.

At Cedar Fair (Six Flags as well), they still allow cell phones and keys on rides even with pay to use lockers. There are plenty of times where riders lose cell phones and keys. In fact I lost a pair of keys on Diamondback a couple of years back. So the current loose article policy at Cedar Fair doesn't prevent litigation from a person injured by a flying cell phone or keys on their rides that uses pay to use lockers.

[CoasterOhio]

Well, just because those lockers have not yet been removed does not mean that they will be removed. The asphalt on the midway right there hasn`t been removed yet either. I suspect, given the recent trend at the park, that the asphalt will be removed and replaced with either concrete or some kind of pavers in front of the station area.

Actually The lockers are on top of asphalt they're on top of pavers. And concrete.

[fryoj]

That must be a recent change to Universal.  I was out at Universal Hollywood last April and that wasn`t in effect then.  When did they implement metal detectors at the entrance to their queues?

 

 

I'm not sure when they actually got put in, but I found an article dated April 2015 talking about them going in. 

[King Ding Dong]

I think everyone is a little right on this issue. Yes lockers are necessary for a variety of real or perceived reasons, yes they are making a quick couple of bucks and they could charge considerably less or have a roaming code or all season rental program like Zoombezi Bay. But they would have to make that revenue up somewhere else. It's not like these regional parks have huge margins and growth potential.

In my opinion they do not disproportionately affect women becuase they do not need to carry a purse and could wear cargo shorts like us men do, but many choose more fashionable attire like yoga shorts, which I certainly do not object to.

Regardless the situation is what it is and is not going to change. If you need a locker a little smart planning and it shouldn't cost a family more than $10-$16 a day unless you feel the need to criss cross the park constantly.

[Bennett]

 

Can we stop acting like the loose article policy is about increasing rider capacity and more about making a quick buck off of the consumer?

 

 

While not Cedar Fair, Universal has one of the most stringent loose article policies on their coasters. They have metal detectors at the queue entrance and you can't take any loose articles into the queue at all including cell phones and keys. 

 

And they provide free lockers at those locations, so its clearly not about profit. Unless you are considering that it is cheaper to build lockers than get sued over flying objects, then sure. 

 

 

This was not the case two years ago.  Just went first week of October this year.  Very, very, very strict. 

[Kenban]

Let me provide some background on the metal detectors at Universal.  

 

Of the three Universal parks in the United States only the two parks in Orlando has the metal detectors in front of the lines on any attraction.  Universal Hollywood does not have any looping coasters and does not have the metal detectors on any individual attraction.  

 

Universal Orlando only has them on 3 rides, Rip Ride Rockit, Hulk, and Dragon Challenge.  These rides are the only looping coasters at the parks.  While Mummy does not have metal detectors, they do not allow loose items such as bags, so it is basically the same policy as Banshee.

 

The no items including in pockets policy has been in place for more than a year in Orlando except the permanent metal detectors were only installed earlier this year.  Last year the employees used wands similar to how security at Kings Island is done.  

 

One major but a number of minor safety incident started this.  Back in 2011 a guest riding Dragon Challenge was struck in the face with an item which fell from the other train.  His eye was damaged and had to be surgically removed.  Sadly he only had one working eye before the incident so he was left completely blind.  The park has had a number of other thankfully minor injuries on the ride from loose objects with stories of customers with cuts on their arms and legs after they ride the attraction due to objects from the other train.  The park has since decided to never allow the coasters to duel again.

 

The park has also had issues with items falling out of guests pockets on Rip Ride Rockit.  The lift hill is vertical and with guests lying on their backs it becomes very easy for items to fall out of their pockets.

 

The good news is that the lockers are free but there is not enough of them.  I have heard stories about guests waiting 45 minutes for an empty locker in the middle of the summer.

[Nick_Plummer]

Tragic story about the man losing his only working eye. Clearly a great example of how loose articles can cause safety problems. In my opinion I think Kings Island could put in some money in more lockers in various places around the park and lower the price of the rentals. While it isn't overly expensive, forcing people to have a minimum of a two hour rental for $2.00 can be troubling at times, especially when you only really need the locker for an hour or less. I am for capacity and less bins in stations, but there are better ways to go about enforcing the loose articles policy than making people buy a locker. 

[malem]

I am for capacity and less bins in stations, but there are better ways to go about enforcing the loose articles policy than making people buy a locker.

Loose article policies are enforced by keeping items out of the line if they can't be accommodated on the ride or ride platform. Lockers provide a service to people who bring such items into the park and can't leave them with a non-rider.

From a guest relations perspective, I see the souvenir cup issue as the biggest problem. For guests without other loose articles, the total cost of using one can end up higher than they're expecting.

[sixohdieselrage]

The issue I have with the lockers is, and it's not a big one, but if you decide to rent it for two hours, but the ride line is 2.1 hours, you are out of luck. Again, not a huge issue.

Sent from my XT1585 using Tapatalk

[steveinphoenix]

My gf and I both wear cargo pants with zippers on all the pockets, so we dont need the lockers for anything. In other words, we plan ahead, and this applies to all amusement parks. 

[Creed Bratton]

I still don't know why a ton of people need lockers or need to bring their entire house into the park with them. 

[Magenta Lizard]

I personally wear cargo shorts or pants, and love being unrestricted. One of the things I always carry with me in my pockets is a foldable tote bag or a string backpack.

So, what's funny is that usually the only time I have something I can't stuff in my pockets is when I am carrying something I purchased in one of the shops in my bag or backpack. This makes it so that I rarely buy something on a whim: I need to already be planning to make a run out to my vehicle. I would probably spend much more money than the couple bucks for a locker, if I didn't always need to be on my way out to feel like I want to buy something.

[fryoj]

My gf and I both wear cargo pants with zippers on all the pockets, so we dont need the lockers for anything. In other words, we plan ahead, and this applies to all amusement parks. 

 

 

Well, not exactly. As mentioned above, at Universal, you aren't getting in line for a coaster with a cell phone or keys in your pocket, zippered or not. 

 

I do agree that planning ahead can fix things most of the time. 

[Bennett]

 

My gf and I both wear cargo pants with zippers on all the pockets, so we dont need the lockers for anything. In other words, we plan ahead, and this applies to all amusement parks. 

 

 

Well, not exactly. As mentioned above, at Universal, you aren't getting in line for a coaster with a cell phone or keys in your pocket, zippered or not. 

 

I do agree that planning ahead can fix things most of the time. 

 

 

Correct.  I was turned around on Dragon Challenge on our first day with only my phone in my zippered pocket.   They don't, they don't, they don't mess around.

[calakapepe]

If you wonder why people often have so many loose articles...

Sometimes...

-People want to bring a camera (and who on this site doesnt appreciate the non-cell phone captures?

-they NEED sunscreen

-they need sunglasses for sensitive eyes (athletic strap makes them allowed on rides i believe, but I would never trust that)

-some people have medicine they need to take. (Hopefully it's not altered by hot temperatures)

-their job is on-call

Idk. I assume there could be others. And sure, dont bring a camera or sunglasses.. but the other points are pretty valid, I think

[King Ding Dong]

I personally wear cargo shorts or pants, and love being unrestricted. One of the things I always carry with me in my pockets is a foldable tote bag or a string backpack.

So, what's funny is that usually the only time I have something I can't stuff in my pockets is when I am carrying something I purchased in one of the shops in my bag or backpack. This makes it so that I rarely buy something on a whim: I need to already be planning to make a run out to my vehicle. I would probably spend much more money than the couple bucks for a locker, if I didn't always need to be on my way out to feel like I want to buy something.

I rarely buy at shops but SFSTL had a program where any purchases you made were bagged and delivered to some counter up by the entrance plaza for pickup when you left for the day. You were probably given a claim ticket like at the cleaners.

If you wonder why people often have so many loose articles...

Sometimes...

-People want to bring a camera (and who on this site doesnt appreciate the non-cell phone captures?

-they NEED sunscreen

-they need sunglasses for sensitive eyes (athletic strap makes them allowed on rides i believe, but I would never trust that)

-some people have medicine they need to take. (Hopefully it's not altered by hot temperatures)

-their job is on-call

Idk. I assume there could be others. And sure, dont bring a camera or sunglasses.. but the other points are pretty valid, I think

For anyone that has to bring medicine or anything medical related. First Aid will store and even refrigerate for you if necessary. That info is listed on the website somewhere.

I have two pale redheaded boys. We NEED sunscreen. The athletic glasses straps sold at the park are not that great but you can get very good ones.

[silver2005]

Guys, don't go assuming that the issue of loose articles is such a black and white issue.  There's a lot of grey area to think about (much of which just listed by calakepepe). The medical situation I was in required me to carry certain items that required me to have a backpack at the park (I won't say what they were because its extremely personal territory).  

 

And to be honest, I wouldn't mind sacrificing capacity for the convenience that the bins provide over the lockers.   Also, let's not pretend we don't have issues with power hours, at least going by some posts around here regarding that issue.  The crews don't have to be so fast all the time, but you can still get steady line flow with bins.  It's not as hard as some of you are making it out to be.  For all of Paramount's faults, they still ran rides at decent capacity numbers with the bins.  Why is it suddenly such an issue with Cedar Fair?

 

But as stated before, this isn't as much about convenience as it is about money.  

[sixohdieselrage]

Too bad there wasn't a place for you to place your bottle instead of needing to rent a locker.

Sent from my XT1585 using Tapatalk

[BeeastFarmer]

I carry my cell phone, insulin pen and alcohol prep pads in my zippered pocked.  I usually leave my cup and other items in the car.  I have found it is worth the $5 to use preferred parking rather than paying for a locker.  I did, however, carry my backpack last Friday night because I wanted to have a jacket and you can't leave the park once Haunt starts.

[presto123]

 What's the law with baseball caps these days? I always used to turn my hat around backwards on coasters, but I think they made me take it off on Drop Zone. I've never once came close to losing a cap with it turned around backwards.

[CoasterOhio]

 What's the law with baseball caps these days? I always used to turn my hat around backwards on coasters, but I think they made me take it off on Drop Zone. I've never once came close to losing a cap with it turned around backwards.

It is illegal to drop, throw, spit anything from the tower. Your hat can come loose, even when faced backwards when you're plummeting 65 MPH starting at 267ft.

I've worn a bucket hat on Drop Tower, and they've asked me if I can secure it (Which I could.

[Nick_Plummer]

I usually put the bill in the back of my pants and my back pushes the rest into the back of the seat which keeps it secure. I only do that if they ask me to secure it though because I've never had a problem losing hats on rides.

[presto123]

 Nobody still really answered my question. How many coasters do they actually tell you to remove your hat on? It used to be zero. I already knew they did on drop zone. Last time I was at KI was 2010 or so and I wore my hat on every coaster.