Cedar Point and My Worst Theme Park Visit Ever- Sir Willow's Park Tales episode 2
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- Опубліковано 3 кві 2017
- My first visit to Cedar Point stands out as the worst visit to a theme park ever- and it didn't have to. Here's the story of what happened and what they did and didn't do to make it worse. It's been 15 years now, so I'm sure things have changed in this area- and yes, I'd love to go back and visit again.
UPDATE 8/22/18 I finally had a chance to return!! How did it go? check out the 2 vlogs from the trip!
Day 1: • Is Rain Going to Ruin ...
Day 2: • Cedar Point Day 2: the...
and livestream in the rain: • Live at Cedar Point in...
UPDATE- since so many CP fans are insistent that parks don't run their coasters in the rain, here is proof that they do: video of Silver Dollar City running Wildfire in the pouring rain:
• Silver Dollar city- Wi...
On ride photo of Wildfire in the rain:
sirwillow.smugmug.com/Amuseme...
On ride photo of Cheetah at Wild Adventures in the rain:
sirwillow.smugmug.com/Amuseme...
(NOTES- Still working on improving the green screen effect, but it's better! Also I know the sound is a bit "echoey" compared to normal. I'm shooting in a different location which is causing that. But I have microphone due in this week that should fix and improve that in the future. Thanks for your patience while I try and learn new things!)
Not only did I work in theme parks for 10 years, I've visited a whole lot of them as well. Here's some stories of great visits, not so great visits, favorites, reviews, and much more.
If you're interested, here's the "trip report" I wrote way back in 2001 about that trip: groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/R...
I have a Patreon! You can help support me at: / sirwillow
My Facebook page: / thesirwillow
Subreddit: / sirwillow
Special thanks to Anna Simpson for the intro and Daniel Higgins (Goofy809) for the outro. Copyright and TM issues have been cleared through Joanne Choi of Disney legal and fall under parody/ satire provisions of law.
UPDATE 811/2018 I finally had a chance to return!! How did it go? check out the 2 vlogs from the trip!
Day 1: ua-cam.com/video/ZfsTRCod6k8/v-deo.html
Day 2: ua-cam.com/video/u-C5h0Vlyxw/v-deo.html
and livestream in the rain: ua-cam.com/video/xOaqdFKQcFI/v-deo.html
A lot of people seem to have missed a couple of key points here: I didn't post this to complain- it was in response to viewers asking what was my worst trip to a park ever, and I posted it after also posting a video about my best visit ever. it's just recounting a story about what happened. That's it.
Second: I did not travel just to visit for Cedar Point. It was one stop in a multi stop trip for a couple of events that only happen in Oct. It was a side trip and not the focus of the trip. But even if I had, that's no excuse for what happened on their part. Saying I should have visited a different time of the year is dumb- people have good reasons for visiting other times of the year.
Third- I've been to many many parks in the rain and been on many coasters in the rain of all brands (intamin, B&M, and many others), but I have a pretty good idea of what to expect- which is why I asked at the gates before paying and before entering if the rides were even open. Why I asked multiple times in fact.
Lastly- none of that justifies Cedar Point lying to me at the gates, portraying the park rides as being open when they weren't, and treating me like crap at guest relations. Sorry, but no park is perfect and Cedar Point absolutely blew it that time. That's a simple fact. I've had problems at other parks sometimes- stuff happens- but I've never seen the horrible response or anything close to it like I did at Cedar Point that day. By most reports I've heard they've improved since then, which is good. But that's still the way it was back then. Always amazes me when the Cedar Point fandom come out of the wood work to attack anyone that dares to think CP isn't perfect (it's not) and practically worship the place. smh
BTW- proof for those CP fans that insist that parks don't run coasters in the rain here is proof that they do: video of Silver Dollar City running Wildfire in the pouring rain:
ua-cam.com/video/rxSBZy3JObM/v-deo.html
On ride photo of Wildfire in the rain:
sirwillow.smugmug.com/Amusement-Parks-Roller/On-ride-and-in-park-photos/i-72BtQXL/A
On ride photo of Cheetah at Wild Adventures in the rain:
sirwillow.smugmug.com/Amusement-Parks-Roller/On-ride-and-in-park-photos/i-LZX8LmQ/A
You hit the nail on the head with that last sentence. Cant agree more
Also, Ive been reading ur comments. Man ur on point with ur responses (No pun intended) lol
You just earned another sub from me!
SirWillow Me being a Cedar Point Fan I don't think that the park is perfect either, nor do I think any amusement park is perfect
SirWillow I can't read that long IM LAZY
You know, everyone makes mistakes!
"...it's raining, it's wet, it's blowing a little bit. It's not real pretty weather"
Welcome to Ohio, folks
So I found this channel while trying to do my homework a few weeks ago and binged most of the episodes that night. Definitely one of my favorite UA-cam channels.
Right? I can listen to people's Theme Park stories forever! I love listening to them _and_ telling them! Sir Willow is great!
Sabrina Snape wow me too!!
Sabrina Snape same, he's so good
Sabrina Snape same I love it 😍
I've found that procrastination leads to the best youtube discoveries. However, youtube research doesn't tend to improve my grades drastically. Overall, best procrastination tool around, in my opinion.
I live 45 minutes from CP. It has changed, a ton. Give it another chance. Plus, now there are more coasters...Come on up, I'll buy dinner
Zach Nowaczyk ya I live a little past Cleveland like 2 hours away
I live 30 min away
I’m like an hour or less away.
I love this vidio! CA is one of my most favorite parks, so I totally relate to your feillengs! You're an amazing person, I love what you do, and if you could ever meet me in person one day, that would be so awsome! I'm vary much facinated by your channal, and hope you keep your videos up for many years to come! Thank you and ride on! Rain h.
14 dollars for stale chicken tenders, no thanks.
Park tales won, that's awesome! I'm the guy who recommended the title, I'm glad you guys liked it!
Woohoo! ;)
CodenameStirfry awsome! I love the name ...
that's one reason I love Disneyland in Ca . I have a son who has autism. he doesn't enjoy any rides at Disneyland but loves California Adventure so when we went to Disneyland the cast members gave me a fast pass for whatever ride i wanted so my son could go meet characters and more cast members and we could both have fun in our own way. it was so cool and even made me cry because what could have been a horrible experience turned into a great trip filled with awesome memories.
4:50 NO REFUNDS!
NO ROLLER COASTERS FOR YOU - ONE YEAR! :)
No soup for you....
More soup sir?
I'm sure getting a kick out of how many actually got that reference. I wasn't sure if it was obvious enough. lol
SirWillow if I had to critique your performance I would say the accent was a tad off. :)
I live one town over from Cedar Point and I am astonished that they treated you this way. If I were to hazard a guess, I bet the only reason they acted that way is that in 2001, they were not the park they are now. I don't think Top Thrill Dragster opened until 2003, and the park wasn't as highly regarded as they didn't have as many coasters and rides as they do now.
As a resident of Ohio, I'd like to apologize for how they treated you all those years ago, and if you ever come back, message me and I'll show you around.
Actually They had a big reputation in 2001 They were at 13 or 14 (some reason 18 sticks in my head though) roller coasters at that point making them the park with the most roller coasters. They actually have fewer now. Also, Millennium Force was, if I remember correctly, the tallest continuous loop coaster. Their attitude was inexcusable. I would expect that from a Six Flags or Black Stone in their earlier days. And from Universal Florida today with their policies toward people with medical conditions. Luckily I have not spent any money there. Different rant for a different time.
Timothy- with one exception being SFWoA (formerly Geagua) I've always had good service and encounters with guest relations at Six Flags parks.
I base the SIx Flags on three different parks. New England and Darien Lake and Great Escape. I do stand by Universal Florida being the worse out there for people with medical conditions. I am not allowed to wear my insulin pump on most of the rides that I enjoy, roller coasters, I have ridden many world record breaking roller coasters over the years and have not had an issue with my pump being a safety issue. That is their claim it is a safety issue. I am planning on a trip to Cedar Point this year to see what the have changed. It is possible that my view of Six Flags is skewed with a consistent experience at 3 of their parks. Have avoided them because of experiences at three parks. All the issues were minor compared to yours. Anyways keep up the great work with the videos. I enjoy them even with the glitches that I don't notice, I just figure it is my computer.
turbo1431 he's a liar
I have been going since 1975. Most people make the mistake of going on the weekends when everyone is there. Go in may normally in a non covid year. They had mellinium force. Magnum, blue streak , mantis , cork screw . Raptor mine ride. Mean streak Gemini wicked twister disaster transport.
Last time at Kennywood Park when it had bad weather and closed at 5:00 PM as we left the park we were all given free one day passes. :)
now that I think about it the tickets we bought were BOGO. So we got about 1 and 3/4s of a day for the half the price of one day . If that makes any sense. :)
Nice.
It SHOULD be an industry standard, but nah.
Lmao my home park always closes at 5pm 😂😂
Kennywood is awesome. Great rides lovingly maintained, excellent food, and nice friendly staff both on rides and in concessions. Let’s hear it for greased rails on their woodies. Have been there every summer for nearly 30 years and it has poured rain nearly every visit. We just wait it out or go back to our hotel. We live about 25 minutes from cedar point which is the darling of the electric company but has very few benches and hardly any trees. Boo hiss.
NOTES- Still working on improving the green screen effect, but it's better! Part of it is I didn't have a real good background photo for this one. Also I know the sound is a bit "echoey" compared to normal. I'm shooting in a different location which is causing that. But I have a microphone due in this week that should fix and improve that in the future. Thanks for your patience while I try and learn new things! Also trying to figure out which setting on my camera keeps changing the lighting exposure and how to fix that as I think that's what's causing those changes.
Special thanks to Anna Simpson for the intro and Daniel Higgins for the outro. Copyright and TM issues have been cleared through Joanne Choi of Disney legal and fall under parody/ satire provisions of law.
Also, if you're interested, here's the original "trip report" I wrote about this way back in 2001 in the Roller Coaster Talk discussion group that was active at the time: groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/RollerCoasterTalk/conversations/messages/3940
thanks. If it had been really bad I wouldn't have used it. It's one reason this got delayed about a week and a half. :-)
Have you been to Six Flags in So Cal? You HAVE TO go on Twisted Colossus! Have to! Make it you mission in life from here on out. 47 years of coaster riding and that is by far the best ride I've ever had. I don't scream on coasters. I screamed on this one. What a blast!
Magic Mountain was my home park for many years. I've got hundreds of rides on many of their coasters. and yes, I've been on Twisted Colossus- got to ride it a couple of months after opening. It's an awesome coaster, easily one of my favorites.
My 8 year old didn't care for Goliath too much, but he was ready to live on TC! I was kind of sad to see the original go, but I really think they hit it out of the park with this one.
SirWillow going to have to honest and say if it doesn't get considerably better I would nix the green screen.
as a regular visitor to cedar point I can tell you their policy on rain and breakdowns hasn't really changed, but they are much more up front about it now. And surprisingly, last summer there was a huge storm in Ohio that knocked down power lines and Street lights and I believe cedar point did give refunds to the people caught up in that storm.
I went last year a it was cloudy looking like it was about to rain . We still wanted to go but the lady said not to go today . Thankfully she convinced us not to go thirty minutes later it was storming like crazy so thanks cedar point worker for saving our money.👍
Cedar point isn't like that now. They do say no refunds or rain checks but for how bad of an expirence you had they probably would have at least given you a ticket for another day or something. The only thing I'm confused about with this story is why iron dragon was open but not Millennium. Millennium can open in pouring rain but iron dragon, cedar Creek, Magnum, corkscrew and all the arrow coasters at cp have to close by the slightest of rain. So weird but maybe their mechanics were sick that day or something. And now the park would tell you what rides are not open. They now have an app which tells you the wait times and which rides are open and closed.
I've never heard of them closing the park early so I can't address that
RideAllNight- I agree. I rode Millennium Force in the pouring rain. I can't speak for others, but when you ride a coaster like that that travels as fast as it does, when that rain hits your face, it really hurts.
Maybe since it was so new, they didn't want to risk anything.
MF is one of my top 3 but riding that in the rain is an experience in pain. Feels like you're being stabbed in the face with thousands of needles. Not pleasant.
Talos 620 Well I’m sure you might have meant to write, ..you rode Millennium Force in light rain condition. That’s usually ok! I’ve been on it with light rain!! As for pouring there is no way in heck you was on that in pouring rain!! It’s mandatory in pouring rain to shut every ride down because the heavy rain effects the sensors which will cause brake malfunction!
I went to Cedar Point on a day when there was a very light off and on rain mixed with sunshine, and every ride in the park was closed, not even 3 rides open. And it wa ungodly packed with very angry customers. I also stopped and asked what was going on.
Aparently there was a thunderstorm 75 miles from the park, that was supposed to reach the park in the next hour, 45 minutes, and it was their policy to close rides during lightning even though there was none. I thought that seemed fair.
Five hours later, everything still closed, light sprinkle and no storm. It was actually sunny. Go back again. Storm 75 miles away. I said, that's what I was told 5 hours ago, where is this storm? They say it is still on it's way. Bull shit.
I waited another two hours, still nothing open. I finally got angry, and I left. They offered me nothing. But, I had a platinum pass and had gone two days prior with no problems. But, closing every single ride is just crazy. They said take in a show, play games, or shop. Spend money in your closed park. I don't think so.
Went back to the campground where I was staying. Just 30 miles from the park, and a quick thunderstorm came through at a little after 10 pm. So basically after they closed the rides at a little after noon, the storm come through 10 hours later. I am no weather genious but I know it doesnt take a storm 10 hours to move 75 miles.
Word of advice. NEVER go to Cedar Point if storms are predicted, you will be wasting your money and your time.
Another thing I just thought of. Years ago (we're talking 40 or more) Cedar Point had a different entrance fee structure. If you wanted to ride the big coasters and other thrill rides you paid one price and got a wristband. If you just wanted to enjoy the park and the lake and ride the tamer stuff, you paid a lower price and got a different-colored wristband. Kids were charged even less. Wish parks would do that now - they could call it the "Lady on the Bench with the Purse" price.
Deb Brown they still do this at some parks like walder(not sure if that's spelled correctly) and it's in Erie Pennsylvania not too far from cedar point
Waldameer, near the entrance to Presque Isle. Free parking and free admission - you pay for each ride. That's how the old trolley parks like Euclid Beach (of fondest memory) were. Sir Willow, Waldameer should be on your list! Actually, Erie is probably 2.5-3 hours from Cedar Point.
I worked at Cedar Point in 1979 and it was one price for admission then.
You must be thinking of another park. CP has always been one price, junior, adult and senior....purse or no purse. They had wristbands for kids official height, but that was it.
I've never had a bad experience at a park, but when I was at Disneyland this February some lady said she was going to go raise "heck" at guest relations because Space Mountain was *temporarily* down. It's too bad that people like that are probably the ones that ruin it when there are legitimate reasons to complain :/
I worked at CP during the 2015 and 2016 seasons. They HAVE changed quite a few policies. We were taught the "Best Day Ever" experience. If a guest is upset, we fix it anyway we can.
There was even one day similar to what you're explaining where most employees were even told not to show up to work. We were allowed to ride the three open rides, with minimal lines, and every guest who had paid ahead were given refunds, exchanges, or coupons for freebies depending on the case, and still allowed a day pass to the park. Overall admittance (not including employees) was roughly 75 guests, most platinum pass members who would have gotten in free anyway.
Another case (I was in Merchandise so admission wasn't really my thing) we had a larger group, about thirty teens with chaperones, that had bought fast lane plus passes. At the registers, once purchased and given, I did not have the power to offer a refund but called Guest Services to ask. This group bought them ahead of time and there had been less than 700 guests in the park, the longest ride wait was 30 minutes for Valravn (the new coaster that year). They asked for a representative for the group to go to GS and they'd take care of them. Not only were all the passes refunded, and a special group rate given (as each student and chaperone bought tickets individually), they also were each given one free meal pass to make up for the time lost snipping off their bracelets.
Cedar Point has really tried to turn things around. Although there is still room for improvement, each year they make strides on trying to have it be the best summer ever for employees and guests. I hope you try again soon. There's a new expansion to the water park this year too.
+CrackAttack17 Good for them! That is really good to hear. I figured they had to improve that over time. Thanks for updates about the good things they are doing there
this is the best chanel ever i watch your videos over and over again and they really help me make guests more happy at the theme park i work at currently. KEEP UP THE AWESOME WORK!!!!
I have been to Cedar Point several times (I used to only live 1.5 hours away!), and only had one bad experience... It was the year the Top Thrill Dragster first premiered, and my sister was just tall enough to ride while wearing her sneakers. However, when my sister was being measured, the attendant didn't allow her through the line because she was wearing "height enhancing shoes"....What??? Pretty sure sneakers aren't in that classification lol. My father tried to argue the situation, but no luck. She was able to ride the next year since she grew, but that was not our best trip.
Never really thought about it til now, but in 2011 my now husband and I went to the Gold Coast and did the parks. Dreamworld and Sea World had a lot to offer, but Movie World was a let down.
We went during the off season so expected there to be rides closed. What wasn't expected was, after paying full price, to be told by guest relations that my disability meant I could ride 0 rides and they even made me wear an armband indicating I wasn't permitted on the rides. Instead I had to settle with sitting on a bench and watching. No discounts, no offers, just a "oh we don't have anything you can go on right now" even after we'd asked at the gate and were told it was fine.
I find it hilarious that Disaster Transport, an indoor coaster, was closed for weather
And that is why you don't give bad service to people, you never know when a person is a youtuber who will tell their experience to thousands of other people
very interesting hearing this expeirence. i had an almost identical situation at kings island, only time i ever had a bad experience with guest relations. terrible rude people who run those parks.
"This was 15 years ago,"
Oh, so like late 90s
"back in 2001"
T.T T.T T.T
Hey SirWillow, I really love the ParkTales series and all of your other videos! I encourage you to keep making these amazing videos! I could listen to you tell these funny and shocking stories all day. Hope to see more videos, have a good day!! -Fennett
*NO REFUNDS*
We went to DCA the first year Cars Land opened and the Radiator Springs Racers ride kept breaking down the day we went and we spent like 3 hours in line and never got on it. Also the Haunted Mansion and some other trademark (I think Pirates and Space Mountain it was a while ago) rides were down for pretty much the the entire day. It was literally our worst ever trip to Disneyland. My mom emailed the park when we got back home and they sent us replacement tickets so it all worked out. They do have really great costumer service at Disney!
I’ve been going to cedar point for years now. So has my dad and my mom, and none of us have ever had an experience like that. I’m so sorry to hear it!
I believe the rain policy is mainly because it is Ohio in the Midwest and we have very unpredictable weather as opposed to places like California or Florida. That’s why the rain or shine no refunds policy because it’s just very difficult to predict you know? Doesn’t excuse it but I understand it. But now I can safely say almost every employee is very considerate and helpful.

Wow haha, that's very interesting. Cedar Point just so happened to be my greatest park experience. No lines for the most part, nice weather, good service, etc. I'm really sorry you got the bad end of the stick!
Bahaha I was NOT prepared for your intro. That made my week and a half!
Had a really bad experience at Disney World.
When I graduated from high school in 1982, my graduation present from my parents was two weeks in Florida by myself. I asked for it and they granted it. I had already signed up with the US Air Force and when I got back, I would have another month before I'd have to show up for basic training. This was my treat after being imprisoned in school and before serving my country.
So on Graduation Day, I literally walked out of the graduation ceremony when it was over, turned in my graduation gown, gave a hug to my parents, got into my orange Vega, and drove off for Florida from Wisconsin. No graduation party. No party with friends. I wanted to be gone. Freedom at last. Now my family had gone to Disney World a number of times while I was young so this wasn't my first time there. I knew what I was in for. I was looking forward to it. That and seeing NASA, Miami beaches, and Key West bars.
Anyway, I got to Disney World and stayed in Fort Wilderness in a tent. Had a great first six days but then when coming back from breakfast on my seventh and last day, ants were all over my tent. All over it. Red ants. And not just a few. Pretty much a whole colony. A thick layer all over my little pop tent. Well, I went to the campground office and told them what was going on. Their reaction was pathetic. They simply didn't seem to care. I pressed for them to do something. After sighing, they said, "We'll tell someone in maintenance and someone will get around there in a bit." So I went back to my tent and waited ... and waited ... and waited ... and waited.
After four hours, I then went back to the campground office, everyone there was new, and asked when they were going to send someone to take care of the ants. "What ants?" was their reply. Apparently, the person I talked to hadn't told anyone. Ugh! But now they assured me they would send someone to fix it. Fine. I told them that I was going to go and eat lunch at one of their restaurants and hopefully everything will be fixed by the time I got back. Well, I ate, came back, and...
Ants were still camping my campsite. Went back to the campground office, I walked in and, again, everyone there was new. Again, no one knew anything about my ants on my tent. Again, they assured me someone would come and fix it. I went back to my tent and waited.
Another four hours later, I returned to the campground office and, again, everyone was new there, and no one knew about the ants. That was it. My whole day was ruined. I had to get this fixed so I could at least sleep in my tent that night. So I then asked where the maintenance people were so I could go talk to them myself and after arguing with them about telling me their location, they finally did and I walked over to talk to them directly. Talked to a maintenance guy and he was very helpful. He picked up a big spray canister and told me to stay away while he sprayed and that he'd come get me at the campground office when he was done. The office people did NOT like seeing me again. No friendly Disney smiles to be found among any of them. After feeling very unwelcome, I went outside and sat on a step.
A hour later, the maintenance guy came and got me. Got to the campsite and all the ants were gone. Great, right? Not so great. The smell of the chemicals was nearly choking. The maintenance guy told me to go get some dinner and the wind will get rid of the smell by the time I got back. But when I got back, the smell was still there. All through the night, I was coughing on the chemicals and kept awake by the smell.
The next morning I was very tired and royally teed off. I went to the office and very calmly asked what they were going to do to make up for me losing my last day at the park. They acted as if nothing had happened. That they had done nothing wrong. That it was my fault for wasting my last day at Disney World on trying to get rid of an ant colony on my tent. I started arguing with this young guy that wasn't much older than my 18-year-old self. Eventually, I stopped arguing and asked to speak with his supervisor. The supervisor was ONE desk over! He had heard everything. And what did he do? He then argued with me. I couldn't believe this. How could they argue any of it. I didn't have an ounce of food in my tent. I ate out every meal. I didn't wear any cologne. None of my candles were scented. Heck, I didn't even have candles but a flashlight for light at night. Finally I asked to speak with his boss. He didn't like that idea so he asked what I wanted then for my troubles. I was young and had never really handled this situation before. So I said I'd like another day at the campground and park to make up for the one I lost. Yeah, I should have asked for more and probably would have gotten more, but, again, I was young didn't know better. When I told him that, he obviously thought I was going to ask for a LOT more and was almost relieved by my request. He quickly gave it. Not happily. Very begrudgingly. But he gave it.
Unfortunately, my eighth day at Disney World was terrible. I was tired. I couldn't get the taste of the chemicals out of my mouth or smell out of my nose. I just wondered around Disney World that day like I was a zombie. Horrible time. That night I slept in the tent again and the smell of the chemicals wasn't that much better. The rest of the trip I stayed in hotels because I wouldn't stand the tent anymore. I eventually bought a small box of big garbage plastic bags and stored the tent in one plastic bag inside another plastic bag inside another ... etc. until there were no more bags to use. After two days staying in hotels, I was back to normal and enjoyed the rest of my trip.
But the above experience didn't turn me forever off on Disney World. Nah. I went to it again a number of times over the following decades. Just too bad my only solo trip to it ended that way. :-(
You're videos keep getting better and better! I love seeing your channel's evolution! Keep up the good work!
I went to Cedar Point this last year and had no issues but then again it was good weather and all the rides were open.
I've been going to CP for a long time, and unfortunately stories like this are too common, and they still happen. They have a great collection of rides, but guest experience has always been lacking. They work their employees 60 hours/week and overcharge them for crappy "dorm" rooms...it makes them mean. Food service has always been bad, even lines at the carts are crazy slow. Employees are rude to the guests almost as if it's a company value. ALL rides close at the first sign of rain, and many close just due to wind. Your "friends" with season passes had to know this, I have no idea why they let you buy a ticket. Even if you get there on a not-crowded weekday with good weather, the park will make sure to slow the lines down by roping off roller coaster cars so as not to load the entire train. If you want to get them back, simply walk around with a camera in your hand. CP has a decades-old obsession with cameras and the employees become visibly phobic if they see you walking towards the entrance of any ride with one in your hand, even if you aren't even entering the line. But don't antagonize them too much, because they are crazy in love with the idea of being some kind of police state. Most parks have "security" but CP has "police" and they love to quote laws and disclaimers and threaten to escalate to legal action way before it's even necessary.
bigdogthepirate I completely disagree I've been going for like 6-7 years and no bad service ever I go like 10-20 times a year
I wish I had experience more like yours. I was in the park recently, on a good weather day, no electrical outages, and still like 8 rides were closed all day.
What rides were closed. Like Drew said, I never experienced the bad serviced you said. In fact, a friend of my lost his phone on Gatekeeper and it was eventually found and mailed a month later. There's no doubt that you're going to encounter someone with a bad attitude, but to say the park's attitude is like this the entire season is a little far-fetched.
Hi Ctha Man. During a visit earlier this year, many rides were closed due to wind: Dragster, Magnum, Raptor, Windseeker, Gatekeeper, Raptor, Sky Ride, Power Tower.. Other rides were closed but I don't see how it could be from wind: Matterhorn, Scrambler. I had a better trip just this past week where fewer rides were closed: Skyhawk, Thunder Canyon, Snake River Falls, Antique Cars, Gemini, Iron Dragon. In addition, the Cedar Point app reported some closures during the day and wait times that I'm not sure were correct. My interactions with staff this year have been better than I've seen in years past, but "the park" most definitely has a certain attitude, and I can clarify that if you are interested in hearing more.
bigdogthepirate Actually I don't want to know more. You're obviously set in your belief that your are going to experience a bad time and/or come across something negative; however, I would recommend to try and go to the park with an open mind. If you expect negative things to happen, it will........
I thought cedar point is the best theme park! They're also getting RMC mean streak!
Mean Squeak, er, Streak, needs the treatment. That can't be anything but an improvement.
SirWillow its not an improvement its practicly a whoule new ride
SirWillow it's confirmed
LOL- I think you two are missing my point. It's obviously practically a whole new ride. I'm saying the old one was horrible and that anything was an improvement. Even leveling it. A RMC is obviously much better. And there's no secret about what's happening there. Just keep an eye on Screamscape.com
California Coaster riders I know I can't wait for it
Wow. No wonder you had mentioned having issues with Cedar Point in one of your previous vids! Hopefully they have changed since then and any future visits will be better for you!
I loved your video, I had a similar experience at Dollywood the year that they opened Lightning Rod when I went to ride it, it was closed down because of mantience so I waited another year and tried again to ride it only to have it closed again, I haven't been to Dollywood since and I don't even know if I will make it back or not.
Cedar Fair replaced their entire management system with people from the Disney Parks customer service division.
have you been to Valley Fair in Shakopee, MN?
No, haven't made it to Minn yet
Alright, you got a giggle from me with the Duck Tales theming.
Now to get that damn song out of my head!
this was posted on my birthday!! also I love your series
two of the rides in the background are totally gone for good!!! surprised the giant wheel is still standing and is in operation!!!! 😁
I went to Cedar Point in 2008 and had a similar situation.
This was on a band trip, so we did pay less, but we were set to be there for like 8 hours. It's a pretty decent but overcast day, things looked promising.
There was a guide or whatever when we got there and he was telling us about the rides and the wooden coaster and encouraged us to have fun.
It starts to drizzle a little, but it's barely noticeable.
By the time we get to our first choice, the attendant at the line tells us it's closed because of the weather. Umm okay.
Our band director told us to eat and see if it changes. Droplets are still unnoticeable, but even when we're done the only thing open was the trolley and food places.
We ended up going back to the hotel because there was nothing left on the itinerary for the day.
Our parents and the BD all tried to get us refunds, and their inquiries were repeatedly refused.
The food wasn't even good btw.
I'm a big theme park buff, and even then as a teen I was disgusted.
hello sir, I always dreamed of getting to america and visit there a theme park but it is very very expensive for me to get there.
so you understand it is a bucket-list kinda thing, I doubt between 2 theme parks 1. disneyworld (i've been a couple of times to disneyland paris resort) 2. universal studios, my question is wich one do you recommend?
Depends on what you like to do and what you are interested in. Some prefer Disney, others prefer Universal, some do both. We liked both about equally. Look over what is in each one and which sounds more interesting toyou.
thank you for your time/feedback
Haha! I was listening to the opening and realized it was the theme song for "Duck Tales ". My brain tends to be a well of the weirdest mix of information. I can remember theme songs and recognize actors and what parts they played before even if they're not really popular and looked really different in their last role. Now if those were marketable skills for a great job, I'd be set!
Thanks for your upbeat videos!
wow..I used to work in a smaller park in NC and it was always our policy to issue a ticket during bad weather. I thought that was industry standards.
I've been to Cedar Point before back in 2005. While I was on a church trip for high school students I didn't have to face any customer relations. I can just add that I never really got any form of greetings from workers in the park. No hi, or anything. Except for when I went on the top thrill dragster (keep in mind I hate roller coasters, but we had to stay with our group of 5 people and everyone wanted to go on it). When we got in line the gal there asked me if I was okay. I told her I was scared and she smiled and said I'd be fine and that she hoped I would enjoy the ride (for which I had my eyes closed and screaming oh my god I'm gonna die the whole time).
"I went in October, parks open for 6 hours, wanted to ride all the coasters...."
What. Were. You. Thinking.
Planning and Common Sense 101, you apparently missed that class.
Imagine walking into a GUEST SERVICES building and immediately hearing “No refunds.” Not even a how can I help you or something. How polite
@@TheCycloneHunter it says that on the ticket you get before you even get to the park.
@@vanadar00 I’m not talking about that, that makes sense. But they didn’t have to be so rude to him as soon as he walked through guest services, as well as lying to him at the gate
@@TheCycloneHunter true, he's lucky to have found a person that could even help. Usually it's full of old fat lazy people who expect to be given a fancy motorized wheelchair
there's always like one worker in there. while 80847494949 are in the queue
I'm very sorry about your visit. Now, this was 5 years before I was born, but I'm still sorry about that. Cedar Point is my home park and I rarely have a problem. Hope you come back again soon to ride the stuff you could not before and the new rides they added.
I live an hour away from Cedar Point and grew up going there every year and never heard this kind of thing happening before. I am really sorry it happened to you. So glad your second trip was so much better and you want to go back, there are a lot of great rides since then. Your background picture cracked me up, Disaster Transport has been long gone lol.
That's terrible how they treated you that first time around! I understand that not every park can be near Disney's level of customer service, but still, the guy you talked to at guest relations could have at least apologized for the situation. If you like roller coasters, another good park to check out is Hershey park in Hershey, PA!
God how I loved Disaster Transport.
I miss that ride
One of my worst experiences was actually at the end of the day. my family and I went to Busch Gardens a lot in the early 2000's. It was always a place of such great memories. Then at the end of a very long and tiring day, we were waiting for the next tram to arrive because the one before us was full. We were the last people to leave the park, so the tram really only needed to pick us up and take us to where our car was parked. But for some reason, they said we had to walk and that there wasn't going to be another tram coming back. We kept insisting, but they denied that another tram was returning. So, begrudgingly, we walked towards the parking lot and as we were walking back, WE SAW THE TRAM RETURNING TO PICK UP MORE PASSENGERS! They lied straight to us! We were beyond upset, and my Aunt wrote a letter (similar to yours) but they only apologized kind of as an afterthought. It was really upsetting because we were so exhausted, and they wouldn't just carry us to our car in the parking lot.
Loving the background and the intro
I am glad you got to go again, sorry to hear the first one was so bad. 2018 is looking like great year with the new RMC.
yes, the new Mean Streak should be great
I am hoping, all the RMC's look amazing. Very cool you travel to different amusement parks. I want to visit Magic Mountain sometime in the future.
I've never had a bad experience at a theme park anywhere, but I'm so sorry to hear that happened to you! Wow! And Cedar Point's been one that I've been excited about one day visiting, but this makes me really hesitate about going!
Stephanie Austin just don't go on a day that it rains and you should be fine. :-)
SirWillow Aw, thanks for getting back to me! I always love it when the channel creators do! And, thanks for the support about going! I suppose that if you're telling me to go,and you had the bad experience, then I can go, and be fine! Haha, just, like you said...I'll be sure to go only when it's sunny out!
Well cedar point isn't the only regarded place. There is Dollywood, carowinds; six flags magic mountain, Knoebels, Busch Gardens, Kennywood, and Mt. Olympus that all provide top rides and a good overall experience. Knotts berry farm is good but that's more for anyone thrill or family: if you live in Europe you are in for a better treat with Alton towers Portadventura, Europa Park, PhantasiaLand, GardaLand, and Disneyland Paris!
FishTitan Wow! Thanks for the rundown with that awesome list of suggestions! I'm actually working on moving back to England (I was born in the States, but lived in England for just over a year, and miss it like crazy!). But, I never knew what parks were good to attend there. I'll definitely keep your list in mind so I know what awesome places to attend once I finally make my way over there!
Lots of great parks in England and throughout Europe. If you just want to know what parks are in a certain country or area, check out www.rcdb.com the roller coaster database. It's a great way to look up parks and coasters and see what's out there.
I’ve have been going to cedar point for years and never ever had anything bad happen before they are normally super nice about things like that, sorry you trip wasn’t the best, if you go again hope your experience is better
I'm going this week after over 16 years. Hoping for the best.
Am I understanding this correctly? They closed the park just because it was slightly raining and they didn't meet their excepted crowds? It wasn't crazy storming or anything, right?
it was more than slightly raining- it was a decent steady rain. but it wasn't crazy storming.
Very nice green screen job, I recommend getting 3-point lighting if you don't already have it. That should fix the grainy effect on your shirt, if you need me to link you a nice lighting kit I'd be happy too!
:)
+Neon Apple I actually have a three-point lighting set. It's just a matter of getting the lights positioned where it'll give me the best lighting and we just have not found that quite yet. The room and fixtures are a little interesting to work with to say the least
SirWillow I see. Best of luck! :)
yeah, it's just a matter of getting enough time to get in there and get them placed right. Closer on this one, but still not quite there.
SirWillow yes I can definitely see the Improvement
2001? That's when I had my worst park experience as well.
My brother, sister-in-law, neice and I went to Six Flags Over Texas, and it was your basic scorching Texas Summer. We decided to go on the log ride to cool off. Everyone piles into the boat, it starts going up the conveyor... and they stop the ride near the top because of 'reasons.'
Again, Texas Summer; 100 F outside in the sun... and they stop the freakin' ride near the top of the hill ... No shade, no breeze, all sun and heat from the pavement and cement in the park. After 15 minutes, I began to suffer major heat stroke symptoms (from what I could remember of First Aid training a few years earlier) and decided to heck with being patient. I staggered to my feet, held onto the railing as best I could and slowly made my way back down to exit the ride. Immediately, one of the employees rushed up and told me to get back on the ride. What followed was a less than polite exchange between myself and him. Suffice to say, the threat of lawsuit against him and the park was enough to get me into a cool shaded area with some water so I could try and cool down. He changed his tone and helped me down, then checked to see if anyone else needed to exit the ride as well. I was not doing well the rest of the afternoon and I honestly don't remember much more of what happened after that.
I live a couple towns over. It has changed a lot. One time my sisters and my mom waited all the way through the line for Maverick, and right when they were at the end of the line, it closed because it started raining. They went to the City Hall of Cedar Point to complain and I think they gave them a pass for a free drink every ten minutes as an apology. They definitely have changed.
I live in Ohio and I LOVE CP. but they close down the rides once in a while and Ohio can be like all the seasons in one day... sooooooooooooooooo
Hopefully they've fixed their "Code of Conduct". Love the Park Tales intro. Your kids look really well behaved and all ways love seeing a dad playing with his kids.
Took me a second to figure out about my kids, then I remembered they were in some of the photos in the intro and outro. lol
You need to go there again! My experience last summer when I went there was pretty much the opposite of yours. And maverick, valravn and top thrill dragster have been added since and they are amaising!
A few years ago my family and I went to Kennywood. The day started off normal enough, weather was nice, but about halfway in the day a storm hit [I admit I loved watching the lightning] and it was announced the park would close early so as we were exiting we recieved a raincheck and went back the following Sunday and it was great :]]
Do you have any Knotts Berry Farm Stories? It's my favorite place to go and I would love to hear some of your experiences.
some, but they're from a long time ago. But I'm sure they'll come up here and there.
I grew up going to Cedar Point every year and I am so sorry to hear of your experience that first year. They have put in some amazing coasters that you simply must try if you ever get back to Ohio,
perfect channel to just listen to whilst doing other work! keep making great content!
Wow, That's worse than my homepark at least companies like Merlin give fastracks or return tickets for a ride breaking down...
I am an Ohio native, and go to Cedar Point most every year, that and Kings Island. We have been to CP where some major rides were not open, but Ohio weather changes so often it is hard to predict. 90% of the time it's a great visit. We were actually there in 2003 I believe when a power outage hit the whole east coast and CP closed after a couple hours of no power, but they gave everyone an after 5 ticket since it was open half that day. It sucks you had that issue, they have always been pretty great to us.
What a frustrating experience you had! I wonder what would happen now if CP guest relations were to see this video ... and see the number of your subscribers ...
i like this vid alot! id just say in terms of production quality, do you need the green screen?(its getting better but the actual image quality has decreased unfortunetly, its quite grainy) perfecting green screens is a very expensive and laborious task, a physical set looks much better and is probably much easier! your doing amazingly! love the content(the most important part of any channel)!
part of the "graniness" is that it's a very old photo that I scanned in. I didn't have a better one of CP and wanted to make sure I used that as a backdrop. With this series because I'm going to be doing some "on location" shooting for reviews and things like that I'm wanting to try to keep something of that feel for the rest. Plus I have several things I want to do with characters and things, and I don't have a good place to do another set. I don't want to use the same one as the "Confessions" series to help avoid confusion. So I'm going to eventually get it down where it looks good. Yes, labor intensive to learn, but I think eventually it's going to be worth it.
yeah, i would imagine that has an effect, i meant on your t shirt, on the black! and yeah that sounds brilliant! your doing brilliantly so far, its worth learning and investing in the equipment as the rewards can be amazing, you may be already doing this but the main tip i was given for green screening is light yourself and the background separatley, and just make sure the background is lit evenly and by the same colored light throughout, it really makes a huge difference! loving the series so far!
that's been our biggest challenge so far is the lighting. The room we were in before wasn't big enough for the lighting to work, so now we're in a different room and playing around with lighting locations to get it right. Hardest part is that it's not near a computer so we don't have a way to check it quickly- take a test shot/ video, transfer the memory card and head off to the computer, load it up and play with it, then go back, reset lights. wash and repeat. lol
SirWillow good luck with that, theres not much you can do apart from once you get it right, don't move it! Im sure you will get there eventually!
Yay!!! I love coming home from school and seeing a new sirwillow video!
I recently went to cedar point this year and It has gotten better but probably not that better. There are new rides though that just kick ass. And I suggest try going to cedar point on a nice sunny day where its not raining or chilly at all. warm and comfortable
We had a bad experience at Cedar Point a couple years ago. Firstly, the japanese restaurant in the Hotel Breakers gave my wife food poisoning. And then, our 2nd day was cancelled when the water main to the island bust. They did make up for it, because our tickets for that day became acceptable at any other CF park. But even so, we had a good time overall.
I have had several unpleasant experiences at Cedar Point over the years. I'd say in general the place has improved. But I can still say without hesitation that Cedar Point employees are rude to guests, more than any other park I have visited. There might be rude employees here and there at other parks, and everyone has a bad day sometimes. But I swear rudeness is in the training manual at Cedar Point. I always stop and thank the ones who are pleasant because they are few and far between!
Every time I go to cedar point it always rains for like a half an hour to an hour. When I went last year it had rained and people got stuck on the millennium force at the top for at least an hour
Thank you for this well-rounded video! Sometimes when one is treated this way I wonder if I'm the only one. We had a rough experience at Universal Studios sadly, which is one of my favorite parks. Customer service says a lot. We'll post a truthful video about what we sadly experienced from Universal Studios on our channel soon. Usually we just do vlogs, but your stories inspire me! I so enjoy your videos thank you!
your green screen is getting better! Have a great day :)
I have to admit at first, when I ran across these, I thought they would be terrible. No I'm subscribed and have watched several hours of them. Love them!
After this video I'd absolutely love to see a video on your best experience at a theme park!
To many great experiences to count necessarily one best. But my Park Tales episode 1 comes pretty close, even though it was in tragic circumstances. ua-cam.com/video/zzvqWhzptiU/v-deo.html
Awww so sorry to hear :/ never had any problems like this there, but I can definitely agree that other parks have had better service in my experience
Sir willow, you're always so kind and generous.I love your stories ❤️️
I live one hour from Cedar Point and have gone every summer since I was young. I feel customer service has gotten a lot better since your experience in 2001. I once went when it was a chilly, rainy day in 2008 (and it was the last day the park was open for the season). Most rides were in operation that day (including Top Thrill) and I had a lot of fun.
My worst theme park experience was actually at Six Flags Worlds of Adventure (which isn't open anymore). I had went with my dad and sister for a Girl Scout outing (I was 9, and sis was 7) and there was one coaster where we couldn't all sit together. Since I was short for my age, one of the ride attendants rode with me. She kept talking to me like I was a little kid (I repeat: I was 9. I didn't need to be baby-talked!) and I honestly wanted to tell her to shut up, but I knew it would be rude.
lol maybe she was trying to talk herself out of being scared. She might have been annoying, but it is actually pretty cool that she was able to take a ride with you so you weren't left behind or by yourself. (She was also likely taking one of their periodic "ride inspections" that they do as well to make sure everything is working fine)
I'm gonna have the Duck Tales theme song stuck in my head for weeks now! Haha!
That's so sad! I'm sorry your trip was disappointing :( We just went last year and we had no complaints. You should go again! :)
I hope to at some point
The building and the ride inside with the 12E got torn down to build another roller coaster I think 2 years ago. Love the videos by the way
Yep. I wonder how many will catch that Disaster Transport, as you see in the picture, is no longer there. That's actually a photo from my Spring make up trip. :-)
I think the not being open year round poses some challenges for Cedar Point. Knotts is open year round and they can retain good customer focused employees.
I indications of this when I stayed at the Hotel Breakers at Cedar Point, they did resolve my issue but there was multiple different answers from multiple employees.
I have had a bad experience with six flags discovery kingdom in Vallejo CA. It was in October during fright fest and my girlfriend and I had season passes and we checked online and it said that with a season pass that would get you in for the park and the haunted houses too. we get the the park and they said that the season pass let's you into the park only not the haunted attractions so that was 35 dollars a person for thier halloween attractions
I had two bad experiences. The first one was at Disneyland last year in September: My brother took me to celebrate my birthday at the park. When about to ride Roger Rabbits Toon Spin and got the motion from the cast member to go on the ride, the loading gate closed on me on my waist. I yelled ow and it hurt. None of the ride operators said anything to me and my waist hurt for a couple of days.The other was at Six Flags: drove 4 hours to only find them closed. I did call ahead of time and the individual said the park was open for the day which is why my family and I made the trip in the first place. However when i explained to them what happened, Six Flags kindly upgraded my season pass to Gold level.
Okay, here's my worst theme park experience. I waited three hours in line for the Superman ride at Six Flags Magic Mountain with my family. It was a big line and it wasn't moving an inch. It only did when people decided they had enough. Now normally I would have wisened up and left but this ride was one I really, REALLY wanted to get on for years. The last time I was at this Six Flags I was too short to get on. Now that I was tall enough, I was bound and determined to ride it. Turned out it had been closed because of technical problems. My mom had to rangle an employee to get any sort of info of what was going on. They had the gall to say they had made an announcement an hour ago. Mom asked the entire crowd from front to where we were if they heard any such announcement. NO ONE heard a thing. That's when the employee made an announcement over the intercom, and everyone heard it that time and everyone cleared out. That entire crowd made their way to the entrance to leave the park, including us.
I live in Sandusky and get platinum passes every year. I've always felt bad for the people paying gate price on lousy weather days. This year on OSU day Ohio State University alumni and students), it was rainy and I was shocked that they all got tickets to come back another day.
I'm so sorry you had such a lousy experience! I worked as a Ride Operator for Cedar Point back in 2013, and am lucky to have nothing but good memories of the place. I hope you get to go back some time, because in my opinion, coasters elsewhere just don't compare ^_^
the second trip made up for it the next year. That was a pretty good one. But that was back when Wicked Twister was knew. I'm really overdue for a return trip.
I love the new intro, it's so cute!
Wow, I'm glad my two trips to Cedar Point weren't like that. I went in '06 and '09 and they were pretty good trips. I tend to spend 2-3 full days at parks out side of Florida so it all works out for me at the end. One of the worst experiences I had was actually at Disney's MGM Studios. ToT broke down and we were stuck in the first shaft for over an hour between show scenes and that's when I discovered those shafts aren't air conditioned because it got hot in there pretty quick. No announcements were made and nobody gave us fast passes, even when we went to guest services. The next day, my family and then girlfriend, who happened to be a cast member at the time, went to the MK and she slipped on the ramp to the monorail at the TTC and turned her ankle. Disney did her right by sending a medic with a free wheelchair and GA card. That got us all onto the rides without having to wait.
Ive been waiting you videos for a few weeks now and I'm from pa and I hear you said knobles, which is my home park and I would love to hear you story of how you liked it and if you're going to come back with all the fun stuff they are bring in for 2017 and if you do come can you film it just to see your experience at the park.
I LOVED Knoble's. I would really like to get back there again. Phoenix is still one of my all time favorite coasters. But it was 2001 when I was there and we basically had the evening. Maybe someday.
wow even loon mountain the ski resort i work at does a snow condition guarantee considering you bring it up to guest services by 11am
They've gotten better. Last summer we spent the day there and we were done for the day around 8:30pm, so we headed out. We learned the next day that the water lines broke, or something of the sorts, and were handing out free tickets at the gates. We wished we would've stayed longer to grab some! 😁
+Brooke Young that's what I've been hearing is that they've improved a lot. Way back when this trip happened they had a reputation for being one of the best parks, but one of the worst for guest relations. I haven't heard anywhere near the complaints in recent years that they used to have. :-)
I am very surprised they treated you like that ever since I was 2 I have gone and the staff were always really nice and funny but I’m pretty sure that was the old ceder point now if you go these summers it is very enjoyable
I worked for Cedar Fair in 2007-2008.They had an attraction in Las Vegas Called Star Trek the Experience. I also lived in Southern California my whole life growing up and frequented Knott's Berry Farm often. Here's my take on your situation. Cedar Fair is entirely under new management since about a year after I stopped working of them. They sold out to another company. Which took over all of their properties at the time. Knott's was originally family owned and independent until Cedar Fair purchased them but they kept a number of their employees from before the purchase and never changed their operating policies. They were owned by Cedar Fair but never really were operated the same so they will not be a similar experience to the other Cedar Fair parks. As for anything else the entire company ids under new ownership and new management. I owned and actually still do own stock in Cedar Fair just because I have yet to get around to rolling it over into something else. At the time you had your really bad experience they were having major shakeups in the company and financial trouble. The original family owners were being pushed out and it was making for a poor guest and employee experience all over. I'm sorry you had a bad experience. As a former employee and shareholder in the company these are things I don't like to hear, and they also make it very evident why the company is no longer under the same ownership and is in fact now a privately held company once again, it no longer trades publicly.