Steel Vengeance no longer allows cell phones on the ride or in line with you

[Benjamin22]

1 minute ago, JubJester said:

Jason McClure said they were averaging 28 to 30 lost phones a day on Steel Vengeance. That's the same amount as all the rides combined for a week. He also stated there was some serious injuries. 

Man that’s a lot, just takes one phone to hit someone in the face for a lawsuit. I’m happy they went with the pouch on the train route rather then metal detectors at the ride entrance.  Wonder how much the number of lost phones decreased once the ban was in place.

[KIghostguy]

1 hour ago, Ben43065 said:

Interesting, I don’t think I know of any other rides with pouches on the rides them selfs, anyone know any example? 

Off the top of my head, many of the thrill rides at Disneyland have pouches (Space Mountain and Indiana Jones Adventure immediately come to my mind). They work very well and dispatches are still very efficient.

[gforce1994]

2 hours ago, JubJester said:

Jason McClure said they were averaging 28 to 30 lost phones a day on Steel Vengeance. That's the same amount as all the rides combined for a week. He also stated there was some serious injuries. 

I can imagine. I got nailed with a phone on Racer last season, and it hurt like heck. I fortunately got hit with the screen, but to emphasize how dangerous it can be, it can take out an eye in the worse-case scenario.

[Rivertown Rider]

I'm glad to see they are going with the pouch solution.  Hopefully Twisted Timbers does the same at KD.

[Creed Bratton]

41 minutes ago, Rivertown Rider said:

I'm glad to see they are going with the pouch solution.  Hopefully Twisted Timbers does the same at KD.

I was under the impression Twisted Timbers already had them. 

[spooky21]

24 minutes ago, chugh43 said:

I was under the impression Twisted Timbers already had them. 

I believe they do, I read somewhere toward the end of the season that pouches started showing up on Twisted Timbers.

[BoddaH1994]

I almost feel like the problem was recently remanufactured with the trend of not having bins. It helps with dispatch times, but it creates a dangerous situation when people stow their cell phones in unsecured pockets. I honestly think that it ultimately hurts the park to not allow cell phones in line. I couldn’t imagine standing in line for two hours for SV without my phone. It’s probably far worse for younger people who have never really known a world without cell phones. It runs the risk of making parks “not cool” in their eyes. It’s a trend that would be very problematic for a very valuable demographic.

I have been beyond shocked that it took this long for this idea to re-emerge. I think the earliest example I can think of for pouches is Tomb Raider - which was over 15 years ago now.  

I understand the no bags policy to an extent, but it does feel like a cash grab when they sell the souvenir bottles and then require you to put them into a locker to ride some rides. I’m a big fan of the disposable cup thing, but it still feels like many parks still push the bottles and simply feed into their own problems.

Am I alone in this thought process?

[flightoffear1996]

If they see alll iPhones X that is $30,000. 

[Benjamin22]

3 hours ago, BoddaH1994 said:

I almost feel like the problem was recently remanufactured with the trend of not having bins. It helps with dispatch times, but it creates a dangerous situation when people stow their cell phones in unsecured pockets. I honestly think that it ultimately hurts the park to not allow cell phones in line. I couldn’t imagine standing in line for two hours for SV without my phone. It’s probably far worse for younger people who have never really known a world without cell phones. It runs the risk of making parks “not cool” in their eyes. It’s a trend that would be very problematic for a very valuable demographic.

I have been beyond shocked that it took this long for this idea to re-emerge. I think the earliest example I can think of for pouches is Tomb Raider - which was over 15 years ago now.  

I understand the no bags policy to an extent, but it does feel like a cash grab when they sell the souvenir bottles and then require you to put them into a locker to ride some rides. I’m a big fan of the disposable cup thing, but it still feels like many parks still push the bottles and simply feed into their own problems.

Am I alone in this thought process?

Yeah I’ve also heard other people talk about parks not raising the next generation to like theme parks. They talked about how Fast Lane,  the kids who grow up using it might not want to go back to the parks once their adults because they’re not going to have the same experience they had with Fast Lane. I personally never bring my phone anywhere at the park due to the fact I’m not risking to drop a $1000 phone, but I completely understand where you’re coming from. 

[Joshua]

The thing to keep in mind is that some of us go to the park alone, and having that cell phone on you is handy for a number of reasons, up to and including emergencies, but not limited to necessary distractions while waiting in line. Plus, nothing lasts forever and I want to take photos of some of the interesting things the park does over the years. And personally, while I do sometimes use them, I never feel like my belongings are completely safe in public lockers/storage bins.

 

[flightoffear1996]

A cellular Apple Watch has been the best thing for me at parks. Leave the wallet, phone, and keys in the car thanks to the outside keypad I litterly cab car nothing in the park in my pockets. 

[Benjamin22]

9 minutes ago, flightoffear1996 said:

A cellular Apple Watch has been the best thing for me at parks. Leave the wallet, phone, and keys in the car thanks to the outside keypad I litterly cab car nothing in the park in my pockets. 

Yeah I love using my Apple Watch at the park, able to remain connected while not having to worry about losing or dropping my phone.

[BeeastFarmer]

My cell phone doubles as a medical device. I contacted CP about that last year after the ban went into effect. They had actually heard of this app, and were supportive. Unfortunately I wasn't able to get to the park again before the season ended.

Sent from my Pixel XL using Tapatalk

[BoddaH1994]

2 hours ago, jtro223 said:

My cell phone doubles as a medical device. I contacted CP about that last year after the ban went into effect. They had actually heard of this app, and were supportive. Unfortunately I wasn't able to get to the park again before the season ended.

Sent from my Pixel XL using Tapatalk
 

You'd run into the issue of them saying that it was okay but then the kids who were running running the cell phone police division in line wouldn't have been made aware and there would have been issues.  Glad this whole thing was essentially resolved.

[sixohdieselrage]

8 hours ago, flightoffear1996 said:

A cellular Apple Watch has been the best thing for me at parks. Leave the wallet, phone, and keys in the car thanks to the outside keypad I litterly cab car nothing in the park in my pockets. 

Until the keypad randomly decides it doesnt want to work. That sucks. Hopefully it doesnt happen to you. 

[Rivertown Rider]

On the locker issue, Cedar Fair would be smart to roll out roving lockers across the chain.  Either that or only charge a $1 for a locker at each ride like I saw at Six Flags St. Louis last year.

[BeeastFarmer]

5 hours ago, BoddaH1994 said:

You'd run into the issue of them saying that it was okay but then the kids who were running running the cell phone police division in line wouldn't have been made aware and there would have been issues.  Glad this whole thing was essentially resolved.

The conversation began with me needing a green sheet.  I would board at the assigned time and leave my phone at the operator's booth.  But when I said that the phone has to be within 20' of me, they said to stop by Guest Services and get a laminated card of who to call if/when there were issues.  Evidently, it had happened with a T1D with a Dexcom system before.  

[rhyano]

Twisted Timbers has those pouches but they really had an effect on the ride's operation. I'm hoping that this will work out but at the same time I'm just not sure.

[bengalsguy23]

8 minutes ago, LovinMeSomeBanshee said:

If Cedar Fair didn’t want to seem so cash-grabby about it, they’d offer lockers for free for however long the current ride wait time is, then charge after that time elapses.  Steel Vengeance is an absolute joke in that Cedar Point makes you pay for park admission, then makes you pay for a locker to even get on the ride you already paid for.  It’s slimy and shady.

I thought they only made you get a locker for bags and backpacks. (Like Orion, Mystic Timbers and Banshee). But where steep vengeance is different is they make you put all the stuff in your pockets in the pouches on the train. This isn’t an extra charge but slows down operations significantly. 

[JimParker85]

For 2020 they've stopped use of the pouches and are again requiring all loose articles be placed in a paid locker or left with a non rider, so for this year they are back to the late 2018 pay to ride process (if you carry a cell phone, that is). It's not ideal, although it's also not unprecedented. I was at Great Adventure last week and the pay to ride rule also exists for El Toro. I was told they also have it for Kingda Ka, but Ka was closed. The only difference was that the locker was $1 for 2 hours at El Toro as opposed to $2 at Steel Vengeance. It's not great, and does come across as a bit cash grabby. I wish they'd use the timed free ones like HersheyPark does for SkyRush. 

[IceePirate]

36 minutes ago, bengalsguy23 said:

I thought they only made you get a locker for bags and backpacks. (Like Orion, Mystic Timbers and Banshee). But where steep vengeance is different is they make you put all the stuff in your pockets in the pouches on the train. This isn’t an extra charge but slows down operations significantly. 

The pockets no longer exist, and they metal detect you before you get in line. I was a bit annoyed by the lockers at first, but I came to like them tbh. For $8, I can move it around the park and not have to worry about stuff coming out of my pockets, which allows me to enjoy the coaster more. Granted, I'm probably in the minority, since with Fast Lane, I don't have to spend as much time waiting in line where a phone would come in handy, but I enjoyed the locker system. $8 is slightly too high though, and I would be much more comfortable spending $5, or like $25-30 for the season.

[KIghostguy]

My issue with the locker policy on Steel Vengeance is that Cedar Point considers closed, zippered pockets on your pants with no way in and out as unsecured. They’d rather charge money on lockers than trust that you know how to work a zipper on your own pants.

[bengalsguy23]

4 minutes ago, KIghostguy said:

My issue with the locker policy on Steel Vengeance is that Cedar Point considers closed, zippered pockets on your pants with no way in and out as unsecured. They’d rather charge money on lockers than trust that you know how to work a zipper on your own pants.

The ride attendant told me everything needed to be out of pockets in order for the lap at to properly secure you not because of a loose article policy. Not sure though. 

[BeeastFarmer]

I have a condition that uses an app on my phone to measure my health status.  I have never considered the condition a disability, so I have never used the green sheet.  I have zippered pockets and have never had a problem with restraints on any coaster and even made it on to El Toro with the phone.  Steel Vengeance was a moot point because I have not visited since the locker policy came into play nor the pockets on the ride vehicle.

I did call Cedar Point after this went into effect and was told that I would need to use the green sheet and one of two things would happen:  1. I would leave my phone with the ride attendant who would take it to the drive box.  Or 2. I would keep my phone in my pocket while I rode.

Unfortunately, my trip to CP had to be canceled so I never got to see what happened.  I did not want to use the green sheet, but if I had to, I had to for that ride.

I have never had any issue whatsoever with Storm Chaser or Twisted Collusus with the phone in my zippered pocket.

[Driver8rws]

5 hours ago, KIghostguy said:

My issue with the locker policy on Steel Vengeance is that Cedar Point considers closed, zippered pockets on your pants with no way in and out as unsecured. They’d rather charge money on lockers than trust that you know how to work a zipper on your own pants.

 

Is my WALLET "an unsecured item"??  

And why not? 

Do they make you give up your wallet? 

[LovinMeSomeBanshee]

14 hours ago, bengalsguy23 said:

The ride attendant told me everything needed to be out of pockets in order for the lap at to properly secure you not because of a loose article policy. Not sure though. 

That sounds like BS.  I had no problems being secured in my seat with things in my pocket in 2018.  Just a BS explanation.

9 hours ago, Driver8rws said:

 

Is my WALLET "an unsecured item"??  

And why not? 

Do they make you give up your wallet? 

I'm not sure about this year, but in previous years?  Nope.

[malem]

Unfortunately, even enthusiasts sometimes fail to properly secure loose articles in their cargo pockets before riding. The pouches were a good solution because the ride operators could verify that they were closed, but they did slow dispatches. Getting rid of them for the time being was the right call to keep capacity up and reduce touchpoints amid the pandemic.

Hopefully we see pouches return once the pandemic is over.

[LovinMeSomeBanshee]

35 minutes ago, malem said:

Hopefully we see pouches return once the pandemic is over.

Cedar Fair is going to see increased locker usage, and by extension, increased $$$$ from it.  I'd bet we never see those pouches again.

If Cedar Fair was decent, they'd make lockers free for mandatory locker use.  

[BoddaH1994]

I made this point a few years ago but can’t find it in this thread, but the same thought popped in my head after seeing this again.

If the chain starts migrating towards a “no cell phone in line” policy for many major attractions it is going to hurt them more than they think. No teenager or 20-something is going to want to wait for 15 minutes let alone 2 hours without their noses in their phones. Steel Vengeance may have a good reason or not to remove the pouches. I don’t know and don’t care. I’m just saying it would only be with the most supreme arrogance that they think that people will adapt to their system on a large scale. Let alone take away your phone and charge you for doing so. I do not think that you can equate Universal doing it to this because 1. Their lockers are complementary, 2. Their queues are often indoors, so less irritability, and 3. Their ride queue really are the beginning of the experience, not just the back and forth that we often see now. 

[PatchesC]

On 7/14/2020 at 11:54 AM, BoddaH1994 said:

I made this point a few years ago but can’t find it in this thread, but the same thought popped in my head after seeing this again.

If the chain starts migrating towards a “no cell phone in line” policy for many major attractions it is going to hurt them more than they think. No teenager or 20-something is going to want to wait for 15 minutes let alone 2 hours without their noses in their phones. Steel Vengeance may have a good reason or not to remove the pouches. I don’t know and don’t care. I’m just saying it would only be with the most supreme arrogance that they think that people will adapt to their system on a large scale. Let alone take away your phone and charge you for doing so. I do not think that you can equate Universal doing it to this because 1. Their lockers are complementary, 2. Their queues are often indoors, so less irritability, and 3. Their ride queue really are the beginning of the experience, not just the back and forth that we often see now. 

Seems like the 20 somethings would look into FL purchasing more often if the wait without phones is too much.