Cedar Point Millennium Force Advisory

[DonHelbig]

If you're planning a visit to Cedar Point, be advised the park has shortened the seatbelts on Millennium Force and many guests who have been able to ride it for years no longer can. 

With many guests not able to fasten their seatbelt combined with now only two associates on the floor instead of four, the hourly capacity for the ride has also taken a significant hit. 

[Losantiville Mining Co.]

What would a good reason be to shorten the seatbelts on a ride like this? The coaster seemed to function just fine (in terms of seating) for 25 years with longer belts. This is a situation that will definitely lead to lower guest satisfaction — something that Cedar Point is already struggling with. Hopefully it can be resolved with new seatbelts that are at least the same length as before.

[disco2000]

Less length of new seat belts probably saved a nickel of fabric 🤣

[TheCrypt]

Could this have been a manufacturer's change that they had to comply with?

[Losantiville Mining Co.]

I feel like if it was a manufacturer change then it'd be the same situation for any other coaster with that type of restraint. Someone online mentioned that the fastening point was moved, but that would still result in a tighter fit for everyone. Allegedly at least two ride supervisors "confirmed" that the seatbelts hadn't been shortened, but if that's the case then why are so many people having issues now when they didn't last year? I'm not entirely certain that maintenance would tell ride supervisors about a seatbelt length change. This company already hasn't necessarily been the most forthcoming about changes that impact guest experience.

There's been a metric ton of comments fighting back and forth about it in the Facebook groups and a lot of those either saying guests got fatter (there's evidence to say otherwise) or that the guests who can't fit already need to lose weight. Trust me, bigger folks already know how plus-sized we are. The empirical evidence exists that something changed about the restraint clearance. I highly doubt that many people all grew that much since October. 

[TheCrypt]

I believe I read something awhile ago stating that Ohio's Department of Agriculture requires that operators comply with all manufacturers' recommendations, which, if accurate, could make that a viable theory. That would then leave the possibility open of other states not having to make the same changes if their laws are more relaxed.

[DoomPlague]

ElToroRyan has a video on the subject and its pretty clear that something changed and it can't be explained by weight gain. One guy reports having a 34" waist and not being able to ride. Probably an outlier, as body shapes vary quite a bit, but still very concerning.

[Losantiville Mining Co.]

2 hours ago, DoomPlague said:

One guy reports having a 34" waist and not being able to ride. Probably an outlier, as body shapes vary quite a bit, but still very concerning.

The guy in question has been responding to comments about it, and, if I remember the measurements he gave correctly, he said he's about 6'2", 220lbs, and works out regularly (meaning his issue is not body fat). I think the most concerning part about this is that the park/maintenance/someone who could check does not entirely mind if guests can fit in one seat but not another. It would be much more helpful if they went the B&M route and provided a few "fluffy" seats/rows with a longer seatbelt option. Either way this is the kind of thing that should have been checked and plans made to remedy it ASAP. Yes the trains would probably need to be recommissioned, but the guest satisfaction would be worth it. 

The comments also make it sound like not every seatbelt got changed, just a majority of them on various seats — which would throw out the "Intamin required it" theory. That lines up with some people saying that they felt no difference while others notice an incredible difference.

 

ALSO any rides that do have a fluffy person seat/row should make sure their ride ops/queue attendants/etc know which row(s) have that and should make an effort to put the person in that row when asked. (B&M should also make sure their dive and wing coasters have more than one fluffy seat. I had a friend who needed one but couldn't get to it because of the group they were forced to ride with.) 

Apologies in advance for being passionate about this kind of thing. It breaks my heart everytime I see someone get rejected from riding because of their size.

[BeeastFarmer]

I don't know the reason Intamin and RMC use those stupid style of seatbelts. Even for people who have no issues with the length, it's an awkward reach, especially if the person has range of motion issues with the shoulder. Traditional "make it click" belts like B&M use would be much better.