Zenechai

That's what we hear a lot at Knott's (you know, the park that seasonally hires over 1,000 immature teenagers who get paid to take up space in the ONLY EMPLOYEE LOT WE USE DURING HAUNT (seriously, it takes an hour to leave, some nights) and jump out and scare people). I haven't been inspired by some of the guest service stories I've heard regarding ride operators. Would love to know if the same TV show that came to the park to see if we were using our cell phones while operating rides (dunno if anything's aired yet... so I don't know if they found anything) went to Six Flags. I would be interested to hear it. As far as the job interview/hiring process goes, I didn't have a problem getting a job at Knott's, but the other people interviewing made it really easy. Flip-flops, baggy shorts around their butts, girls dressed in tube-tops, ear guages the size of half-dollars (I kid you not...). And I was business-casual. I got put in front of about 17 people who applied before me, simply because of how I was dressed. You never know WHAT will put you ahead in an interview, so just make sure you're as prepared as you can be. Another thing that really helped me was getting hired during a seasonal period (I was a 2008 Haunt "beef up the staffing" hire,) and then doing a better job than the people who'd worked there longer. It's sad to see, but operators tend to get into routines, and they focus less and less on guest service in their ultimate goal of getting as many people through the turnstiles as they can in one day (though this may be a product of supervision not being satisfied with numbers. I'm not sure). If you're a standout with a good work ethic, there's no reason they shouldn't keep you past your original hire date, especially if you get pulled in to an area that operates year-round. The only questions I found difficult (since I'd never been a ride operator before) were "what-if" scenarios. But those scenarios become very easy to handle once you tell the billionth person that NO, their child is NOT tall enough to ride, even if they stand on their tippy-toes (that gets old fast). They'll throw some common scenarios at you, shouldn't be anything too hard. But be warned, you have to take the interview VERY seriously. Someone I referred for a job was interviewing and jokingly answered that they would let a child on an attraction if they were JUST BARELY too small. He didn't get called back for a second interview, needless to say. The best of luck to you!!!! ~Zen

I've lived in SoCal for 2 years and haven't been to SFMM (I know, I know...heresy), so I wouldn't know about the highlighter shirts (please to explain?). A little sad that I can't type in my signature dark red, but if it makes it easier on everyone, I will happily adjust to the default yellow. ^_^ As for the marine-based theme parks, I do prefer them to the amusement parks, simply on the basis of educational value. They offer a little more to kids and families than thrill rides or characters (spake the former DCA CM). You learn things, the exhibits (are they still called attractions?) are interactive, and while they do have rides, the theming is much better done than, say, at Knott's. (IE Bullet: Random backstory + illogical color scheme = theming at Knott's! YAY! And we all know the pioneers headed across the plain to marvel at the world's first air-powered swing....) But the rides are NOT the focus of the park. The animals are. Now that I think about it, I need to go THERE, too. I will say, that the one thing I'm glad CF kept was Haunt. Granted, it's the ONLY thing that keeps the park running (and I am NOT joking here, kids), but they do it extremely well. The Hanging is fun (last year was better, but how do you expect Star Trek to top The Dark Knight), and I've never done the mazes, but the street monsters are amazing and the shows are side-splittingly funny (Bloodlust and Chipper Lowell, anyone?). Not really a family event (though some people insist on bringing their six-year-olds..."He's mature for his age!" "Ma'am, your son is crying because he got chased through the Boardwalk by a chainsaw-wielding Killer Clown and you did nothing to stop it." <--True story!), and revenue was WAAAY down from last year's Haunt, but I'm hoping as the economy stabilizes (knock on wood), more people will be willing to spend their money on entertainment. ~Zen P.S. Gonna go TOTALLY OT for a sec....saw an avatar and HAD to comment...Alpengeist was my first "floorless" coaster (can someone remind me what the difference is between "suspended" and "inverted"? In some cases (IE Bullet), aren't they describing the same kind of coaster? The train's UNDER the track, but you're not in a car, you're suspended over the ground....but please correct me if I'm wrong. I know what coasters I like, not exactly all the technical aspects of each one). I rode it at BG when I was, like, 11. Like most first-time-riding-kids, I had my head down and my eyes closed, but it was FORCEFUL.... ^_^

I am no park exec, but I'm pretty sure the entire ride was planned out before they started building it. The ride is exactly what CF ordered. This logic may work for the vast majority of the people riding the coaster, but I have a feeling it's not going to fly here. Welcome to TPR though, and try not to sound so angry! Jeez! Chris. I'm not trying to put one over on anyone. My understanding of what happened with Pony Express is as follows (what we were told by maintenance who built the ride): The coaster was supposed to weave over more of BFR and WW, but the ride exceeded the budget with the equipment it already had (flywheel, brake/launch blocks, maintenance pit that's larger than usual, etc). So the track length (the easiest thing to cut, apparently) was minimized to keep the ride on-budget. In response to a previous quote...I'm not saying Knott's agrees with everything the park has done, I just don't see how it's valid for people to complain that CF isn't keeping with the "Knott's Family Vision" of the park. Why should they? It's not the Knott's family park anymore, and if the Knott's family wanted to keep it their way, they wouldn't have sold. Going back to the painting example. If I wanted to keep the painting the way it was and prevent you from making changes that people might not like, what would I do? I would simply NOT SELL THE PAINTING. But I do NOT have the right to complain about what you do to the painting after you buy it. It's not my property, nor my decision about what happens to it, so therefore, how I supposedly "would feel" about any changes you made is insignificant. ~Zen MOD EDIT: Please use the default yellow font, and in it's normal size. It's easier to read for everyone. Thanks!

I know necro'ing posts is not a good habit to get into, but since I'm new and I work at Knott's, I figured I'd catch up and read this thread all the way through. Wow. Just....Wow. O.o Until people complain that updating the animatronics "erases the magic that was new technology when the ride was opened". Because we all know updated rides are not cool. That's why after the reopening, PotC had a 3 hour wait, and once everyone saw it, it went back to the normal walk-right-on, and TSMM still has an extended queue, and the ride is over a year old. Because new technology is lame.[/sarcasm] But I suppose people will never be happy. The grass is greener, so on and so forth... Tough to say, but I don't remember Thanksgiving as being a standout "busy" day at Knott's..... *I pause to reminisce* NEVERMIND!! Last year during Thanksgiving I worked both jobs I had at the time (DCA Day Custodial and Ride Ops at Knott's), and requested Thanksgiving off so I could work my shift at DCA. Disney was really crowded (we had celebrity guests, though....the turkeys George W. pardoned were in the parade...who DOESN'T live to see that?), but as far as I know, the crowds avoid the Farm on holidays. Hope that was helpful. ^_^ Also, thank you for your patience with me in responding to the posts which caught my eye. For the record, I am all caught up. ^_^ ~Zen P.S.Thank you for the edit, Dave. ^_^ I will keep this in mind for the future. MOD EDIT: As in the other thread, please use the default yellow text and size. It's easier for everyone to read. DO NOT EDIT A MOD'S CHANGES!!!! My mistake. I thought that when you merged the posts, the text defaulted, and your main problem was the separation of the posts, not the text. As I stated in my PM, I'm slightly confused about the inclusion of text modification when you have an aversion to people using it, however, I am now using the default yellow. Again, sorry about that! ^_^; ~Zen

As an operator for this attraction, I agree. The layout is boring. However, Cedar Fair made a bad purchase decision with this coaster. They ran out of money halfway through building it, hence the ride's length (or lack thereof). Here's a tip: When we say to kick your legs back and "lean" forward, we just want you close enough so there is no space between your sternum and the pony. We don't want you lying over the top of your horse. Also, when we ask you to hold on, we mean it. 9 out of 10 people who have a bad experience with the stop (ie, getting thrown forward and having the restraint tighten) have their hands up. If you brace against the backbar, you won't have this issue. ^_^ ~Zen I love how people hate that Cedar Fair is changing the park and "deviating" from the Knott family vision, but no one ever mentions that this could have been avoided if the Knott family hadn't sold it in the first place. Somehow Cedar Fair ends up as the heartless corporation, but it doesn't matter that the Knotts sold out, as it were. Think of the irony. xD ~Zen