Amusement Park Pet Peeves

[Paradox]

Not maintaining rides

Assigned seating on coasters. People tend to gravitate towards the empty rows, so having an employee telling people where to sit doesn't seem necessary to me. This is especially frustrating when you've waited in a two-hour line, and also if you've made a long trip to get to the park.

[Coasterkidmwm]

TTD03 wrote:

I think so, especially for Dragster. They will literally step onto the train, and look down the chassis for stuff, then look behind and everything. It really doesn't take too much extra time and it is way more effective than anything Six Flags does.

They're making sure the seatbelts are buckled properly. They need to loop through the metal triangles on the side of each seat (can't go over, under, or around it). You can't see the far side of the train unless you step in the middle. Guests, usually the fat ones, will end up with the belt over that triangular loop thing, under it, or all sorts of other combinations. Fat people usually have rolls that will push the belt against that triangle so you have to step over the center of the train to look or pick up the guest's fat roll. I preferred stepping over and looking the couple days I worked that ride. Pic below shows proper seatbelt configuration on normal sized people.

The visual scan is more for making sure idiots haven't wandered out of the queue into restricted areas to "find their hat we told them to take off" or whatever else.

[Dirk_Ermen]

VF15 wrote:

Assigned seating on coasters. People tend to gravitate towards the empty rows, so having an employee telling people where to sit doesn't seem necessary to me. This is especially frustrating when you've waited in a two-hour line, and also if you've made a long trip to get to the park.

I have no problem with this as long the grouper allows preferred seating. (Which is usually no problem 9 out of 10 times)

[Paradox]

Using 1 station with 2 train operation on Tatsu with a 1+ hour line.

Keeping one side of a major ride (S:EFK) closed with a 1+ hour line.

Somehow breaking a drop tower to the point where it doesn't run once all day.

^Actually that happens all the time with Zumanjaro over here. Sometimes it's down for a few days, and once in a while it's down for weeks. It was closed along with Lex Luthor but recently it reopened

When I was in line for Wild Thing at Valleyfair today, they E-stopped the coaster on the lift hill because someone took out their selfie stick on the ride. Really, people? Why can't everyone learn to follow the rules?

I've always hated when people decide to go to amusements parks on the same day that I decide to go to them.

Just wondering but anyone who has seen the coaster E-stopping at a MCBR when some riders are breaking "camera policy" rules?

[Mikey]

lol240 wrote:

Just wondering but anyone who has seen the coaster E-stopping at a MCBR when some riders are breaking "camera policy" rules?

Lift stop dog, lift stop. Nobody E-Stops to go climb a lift and beat a guest with their own selfiestick. If you e-stop you have to reset the computer and fill out the paperwork.

Some pet peeves about guests:

When you call for a supervisor and I arrive to find you screaming racial epithets at a cowering female operator and an all star line backer of an SRO who is about to lay down some whoop ass with the height stick of enforcement. I can't help but think: Why are we producing a live segment of the Jerry Springer show on the dock today? Because you waited in line for 45 minutes only to realize your child is not tall enough to ride. You knew that because the line checker at the entrance remembered you because you're fat annoying and called him a honky.

You waited in line how long, heard the safety spiel how many times, and observed how many other guests boarding and you still can't figure out board the damn ride and secure your seatbelt. It's people like you that make people like me loose faith in humanity.

People that wear sandles and other worthless open toed shoes to the park. There are about a million ways to burn your feet or get your toes cut off in this place, and we require you wear some form of shoe at all times. Do you know how many people puked on the slab of concrete your walking barefoot on?

People that chew gum on rides. If you choke on your gum while riding, you better hope your not at a Six Flags park. By the time they get to your probably starting to get cold to the touch.

Large groups of non-english speaking people with walkie talkies from another country. Half of our radio channels are encrypted in dedicated frequencies we license from the FCC, the other half operate in public frequencies unencrypted where some of the store bought walkie talkies can reach. Nothing drives me more up the wall then asking someone to go to channel 7 only to be blasted off the radio by someone talking a million miles an hour in a language you can't understand in a conversation you established with someone else.

When you complain at the ride and someone calls for a supervisor and you get me, then when you don't get the response you expected and your down at guest relations trying to extort us and then you also get me. In our park all complaints fall back to department directors for resolution. So unless your start not complaining about a ride operator your going to have deal with me.

Responding to a call for first aid where the guest is "overheated" and the only cure for it seems to be Ice Cream. Sit in the air conditioning at first aid, drink some water.

When it rains for 15 minutes an hour after open and you demand a rain check. We have a 12 hour operating day with the best operations team on the planet. Unless it's the Memorial Day, Labor Day, 4th of July Weekend, the third weekend in October or New Years Eve you can do everything in this park at least twice even if you didn't show up until 4 PM and hobbled around this place in an EUV with a dead battery.

People that claim diabetes as a handicap and want an alternate access pass.

Weaves, wigs, and other fake hair pieces because no matter what quality they are at the end of the season somewhere on every ride is the nastiest hairball you have ever seen. It's almost always on some bolt that is sticking out into the air stream to.

People that sit on the handrails on the second floor of the queue house where falling backwards results in a 24ft drop.

SFNE has a serious bee infestation. I payed for a slushie, and I couldn't even get one because the amount of bees hording the handles, the 'tubes' the slush comes out of and the grate underneath is ridiculous. Seriously, I asked for a refund and I wouldn't get one even though it was nearly impossible to get a drink of any kind. All the outdoor soda fountains/ slushie stands were infested to the point where it was impossible to get any sort of beverage, and I was aggravated that I wasted money on nothing.

Paradox wrote:

Insane food prices.

IKR. I imagine Al Gore from Bender's Big Score saying "Dang. That hundred dollars could have bought me... ONE CHEESEBURGER AT KINGS ISLAND!"

[Paradox]

mrcrolly wrote:

SFNE has a serious bee infestation. I payed for a slushie, and I couldn't even get one because the amount of bees hording the handles, the 'tubes' the slush comes out of and the grate underneath is ridiculous. Seriously, I asked for a refund and I wouldn't get one even though it was nearly impossible to get a drink of any kind. All the outdoor soda fountains/ slushie stands were infested to the point where it was impossible to get any sort of beverage, and I was aggravated that I wasted money on nothing.

They need flamethrowers to destroy those things. They could just spray the machines at night and prevent bees in the morning.

SkyArrow wrote:

Paradox wrote:

Insane food prices.

IKR. I imagine Al Gore from Bender's Big Score saying "Dang. That hundred dollars could have bought me... ONE CHEESEBURGER AT KINGS ISLAND!"

I also hate when the food isn't even good enough to justify the prices. Unless the food is from Dollywood because the food there is beyond worth it.

[Mr. Freeze]

Mikey wrote:

lol240 wrote:

Just wondering but anyone who has seen the coaster E-stopping at a MCBR when some riders are breaking "camera policy" rules?

Lift stop dog, lift stop. Nobody E-Stops to go climb a lift and beat a guest with their own selfiestick. If you e-stop you have to reset the computer and fill out the paperwork.

Some pet peeves about guests:

When you call for a supervisor and I arrive to find you screaming racial epithets at a cowering female operator and an all star line backer of an SRO who is about to lay down some whoop ass with the height stick of enforcement. I can't help but think: Why are we producing a live segment of the Jerry Springer show on the dock today? Because you waited in line for 45 minutes only to realize your child is not tall enough to ride. You knew that because the line checker at the entrance remembered you because you're fat annoying and called him a honky.

You waited in line how long, heard the safety spiel how many times, and observed how many other guests boarding and you still can't figure out board the damn ride and secure your seatbelt. It's people like you that make people like me loose faith in humanity.

People that wear sandles and other worthless open toed shoes to the park. There are about a million ways to burn your feet or get your toes cut off in this place, and we require you wear some form of shoe at all times. Do you know how many people puked on the slab of concrete your walking barefoot on?

People that chew gum on rides. If you choke on your gum while riding, you better hope your not at a Six Flags park. By the time they get to your probably starting to get cold to the touch.

Large groups of non-english speaking people with walkie talkies from another country. Half of our radio channels are encrypted in dedicated frequencies we license from the FCC, the other half operate in public frequencies unencrypted where some of the store bought walkie talkies can reach. Nothing drives me more up the wall then asking someone to go to channel 7 only to be blasted off the radio by someone talking a million miles an hour in a language you can't understand in a conversation you established with someone else.

When you complain at the ride and someone calls for a supervisor and you get me, then when you don't get the response you expected and your down at guest relations trying to extort us and then you also get me. In our park all complaints fall back to department directors for resolution. So unless your start not complaining about a ride operator your going to have deal with me.

Responding to a call for first aid where the guest is "overheated" and the only cure for it seems to be Ice Cream. Sit in the air conditioning at first aid, drink some water.

When it rains for 15 minutes an hour after open and you demand a rain check. We have a 12 hour operating day with the best operations team on the planet. Unless it's the Memorial Day, Labor Day, 4th of July Weekend, the third weekend in October or New Years Eve you can do everything in this park at least twice even if you didn't show up until 4 PM and hobbled around this place in an EUV with a dead battery.

People that claim diabetes as a handicap and want an alternate access pass.

Weaves, wigs, and other fake hair pieces because no matter what quality they are at the end of the season somewhere on every ride is the nastiest hairball you have ever seen. It's almost always on some bolt that is sticking out into the air stream to.

People that sit on the handrails on the second floor of the queue house where falling backwards results in a 24ft drop.

I understand completely what you are saying Mikey. This happens a lot at Mr. Freeze at SFOT more than what most people think. And when you are operating freeze, the only way for the people below you can talk to you is by yelling at you. I have had my fare share of yelling fights with people that can not read the signs that are posted outside of the ride, as well as when people do not listen to you when you tell them not to push on the gates and then the ride shuts down because of it. Ahh, good times bring back these fond memories

[Mikey]

The Mr Freeze crew for the last few years has been sucken. You guys couldn't hit 950 to save your life.

[Mr. Freeze]

That is true. Hard to do it with 3 internationals as well that barely understand english. Not sure how it is now, but I can not wait to be back on Freezes crew again. Was definitely very relaxing for me and also gave me a break from the entertainment drama that would happen on a daily bases.

[Dirk_Ermen]

mrcrolly wrote:

SFNE has a serious bee infestation. I payed for a slushie, and I couldn't even get one because the amount of bees hording the handles, the 'tubes' the slush comes out of and the grate underneath is ridiculous. Seriously, I asked for a refund and I wouldn't get one even though it was nearly impossible to get a drink of any kind. All the outdoor soda fountains/ slushie stands were infested to the point where it was impossible to get any sort of beverage, and I was aggravated that I wasted money on nothing.

There is an easy solution to this: Place a (few) fan(s) pointed onto to the slushy machines. Bees (and wasps and such) hate wind. So there will be a few attempting to grab a sugary snack, But keep getting blown away at the nozzles/handles. They have tried this at a few Dutch parks and it still is a very successful way of getting rid of this problem. All the nozzles are completely bee/wasp free.

[Coasterkidmwm]

Mikey wrote:

The Mr Freeze crew for the last few years has been sucken. You guys couldn't hit 950 to save your life.

Is Freeze subject to a ton of fatty ejections or no?

[Mr. Freeze]

Coasterkidmwm wrote:

Mikey wrote:

The Mr Freeze crew for the last few years has been sucken. You guys couldn't hit 950 to save your life.

Is Freeze subject to a ton of fatty ejections or no?

Yes, and we also have three internationals on the crew this year as well. I was in Entertainment and cross-trained with rides, so I was a filler PIC (Person In Charge). I am currently not there right now due to me being 5 hours away at school in a different state.

This isn't a big annoyance, but sometimes when I'm sitting next to some random stranger on a coaster, they'll tell me "good luck" before the train leaves the station. I'm a little confused on what people mean by this. "Good luck on not getting killed" I guess?

[Coasterkidmwm]

I did always find the Maverick fast lane to be grossly unfair.

I've seen that line stretch all the way back to the main entrance... It can get very bad on busy days.

-Visual scans before dispatch: I feel like this just wastes time because the ride ops don't seem to be looking for anything in particular.
-Overly-critical coaster enthusiasts: Just because a coaster doesn't cure cancer does not mean it's a horrible ride.

-When there's an ERT event going on and you need some wristband that no employee even knows how to get. True story

-stupid ass prices
-no love shade ever(looking at you cp midway.
-dinn corp