Sunfire

^CGA has decent operations because good supervisors will teach their ride operators about efficient operations. As a sup working at Demon for the 2011 season, I always made sure my crew was working at at reasonable pace. If I noticed they were slacking off, I would talk to them and ask them to speed things up, especially when the lines were long. That said, I don't know how Six Flags trains their ride operators, so I can't comment on their training methods. However, I can say that most of the time, I am rather disappointed with how slow some rides are dispatched.

Just in case you didn't know, if you talk to the cast member who's assigning rows, you can request to sit in row 1, and they will almost always accomodate your request. However, you may have to wait an extra cycle, but it's worth it because the experience is much better in the first row.

I did not get an E-mail about that. Interesting that some people got E-mails and others didn't.

I don't expect tonight to be as crowded as last night. Although it is the night before Halloween, it's also a school/work night. But who knows? I guess we'll find out tonight.

Well, tonight starts the final weekend of Haunt, and the final weekend of the season. I'll be going to Haunt tonight as a guest, and then working tomorrow night and Sunday night Haunt. Who's comin' out to get in their last rides for the season?

Ahh, Gumball. How I love your creativity. Anyway, tonight starts the penultimate weekend for Haunt. It's gonna be a crowded one. Hope to see some TPR shirts out there!

I see stuff like this all the time as a ride op at CGA. One time while I was operating at Demon, I had just opened the airgates, and while a man and his wife were placing their stuff in the cubbies, another group tried taking their seats and sat down. When the first group saw that their seats had been taken, the man thought it would be a good idea to try and go back through the airgates...by crossing the track IN BETWEEN two cars. He also stepped on the wheel covers which clearly say "NO STEP" on them. I walked up to him and scolded him for what he just did, and he said, "What? You're making a big deal out of something stupid." Needless to say, I wanted to slap him.

Just a quick crowd update: Friday night Haunt was actually pretty busy. Not sure how long the maze lines were, but at Demon, our line was out to the rock cave at its busiest. We didn't need to open up the switchbacks, but I wouldn't be surprised if they're used tonight.

I'd love to go, but I'm always working Haunt shift. Just keep in mind that since tonight is Saturday, expect LARGE crowds. Do the Boofet if you can.

Yes, gum walls are definitely disgusting and just awful to look at. Does anyone remember back when Paramount owned CGA, how Invertigo had quite a bad gum wall? People would always stick their gum on the airgates before boarding. It would be interesting to see a picture of that 'ole gum wall. That said, once Cedar Fair took over, they cleaned the gum off the airgates and the ride looked cleaner than ever. Back in 2008, which was my first year as a ride op at CGA, I started at Invertigo. I remember spending a lot of time after the park closed scraping gum that people had plastered onto the airgates throughout the day. We did what we could to prevent gum walls from happening, and yet people would put gum on faster than we could clean it.

On Tiki Twirl's control panel, there's a button called the Homing button. You hold onto it throughout the cycle and it triggers the water and fire effects. Back when it was themed to Survivor, Homing would also trigger the video response telling the guests that they were doing a great job on their "challenge". However, if the balance on the gondola is not just right, the fire will not go off. Still, the guests don't understand that, and that's why they booed me when the fire didn't work.

That's a good question. I wonder if Cedar Fair holds the copyrights to the mazes and scare zones. That may be something to ask in the coming months.

Well guys, the crowds have definitely arrived for Haunt! Last night, the park was unexpectedly very busy. In fact, an area supervisor told me we actually surpassed our projected attendance, which is a great thing! People have heard about how great Haunt is, and they're checking it out finally. That said, the lines for different attractions are starting to get very long. Yesterday, I saw that Cornstalkers was spilling way out into the midway, and they actually ADDED more rope queue for Toy Factory! I was operating Tiki Twirl last night, and at one point we had a 45 minute wait. It was definitely busy for only the second Saturday of Haunt. I would say that if you can only come to Haunt on a Saturday, do the Boofet! Beat the crowds and get more mazes in, because yesterday made it clear that lines are going to be VERY long as we get closer to Halloween.

^ and ^^ Sundays are easily the best time to visit Haunt, for the reasons you explained. Very few people come because they either have school or work the next day, so if you're free Sunday night, go for it! Ride lines are non-existent, and maze lines are managable. Fridays are unpredictable, so I would arrive on a Friday at opening. Sorta on topic, tonight is the second Saturday for Haunt. Considering how busy it was yesterday, I'm guessing it will be very busy tonight. I'll be working at Xtreme Skyflyer, for what it's worth.

Well, seeing as Haunt starts in 3 days, as a supervisor, I'm pretty excited for this year's event. Tonight and tomorrow night, employees will be previewing the mazes before the GP, can't wait to see the changes to Slaughterhouse, plus the new shows.

Not too many, but here's my short list: Six Flags Discovery Kingdom 2003: Zonga (not sure if it counts, since previously it traveled around the German fair circuit) 2011: SkyScreamer. Rode it opening day, got in early with my season pass and rode it before the GP. Six Flags Magic Mountain 2011: Superman - Escape From Krypton (If you count it as a new ride after its transformation) and Green Lantern: First Flight.

I'll be working around Demon, Berserker, and Whitewater Falls as usual, unless someone else needs help. Come say hi!

Everyone seems to be picking on Six Flags and Cedar Fair. Maybe some of you guys have forgotten some of the moves Disney has made? Such as taking the Country Bear Jamboree out for the mediocre Winnie the Pooh ride? Not to mention any decision made by Michael Eisner. Even the best companies make some big mistakes.

^^You shouldn't have any problems. Flight Deck, Vortex, and Demon will likely stay under 10 minutes the whole day, whereas Grizzly will probably stay under 20. Expect to wait the longest for Psycho Mouse, which usually is about 25 to 30 minutes on a weekday. Other than that, you should not have a problem getting all the coasters in. With flat rides, it depends. Most will have short waits, but Delirium and Tiki Twirl can have long lines no matter what day it is. Still, on a summer Tuesday, I'd say you're safe.

Yeah, I worked closing shift. I was surprised that I didn't see you.

As a ride op at Whitewater Falls, I can assure you that it's not a trend. Since my first season in 08, I think I've told at least 500 people to remain seated on just that ride. Ahh, the GP. How I just want to facepalm you all sometimes.

I think that refers to putting your arms out, rather than down. You know, the tried and true safety spiel "keeps your arms and legs inside the car at all times".

I was in the park as a guest today, just for a few hours. It was a little busy, but the waits were managable. Longest we waited was 20 minutes for Flight Deck. ^As much as the Drop Tower crew would love to dispatch faster, occasionally there are some delays. For example, guests with loose articles, children that need their height checked, etc. I always keep that in mind if I'm waiting in line for a ride that takes a bit longer to dispatch. There's usually a reason why it wasn't started sooner.

^Yeah, Demon's been running roughly. But then again, it's an Arrow lol.

Demon was dead. One train today, and Berserker was closed because it shuts down even in light rain. But we can expect this Independance weekend to be PACKED, especially if we have fireworks both days of the weekend.