What do you do if a ride breaks down while you're in line?

[Coasters 4 ever]

It really depends. On ROTM at USF I usually stay in line, and on Dueling Dragons at IOA I usually stay in line. It really all just depends.

[it]

at SFFT there was a long ass line to the roadrunner.the op says i might be down for a hour.so we get out of line......the train goes up the hill....i've learned my lesson.....never trust teenage ride-op's

[Spookbaby]

This is a tough question because when a ride breaks down whatever you do it's probably the wrong thing. If you get out of line... the ride will be up and running in 3 minutes. However, if you stay in line then it will be broken for 2 hours. UGH... I swear when a ride breaks down it ALMOST always a no win situation. I've gotten lucky a few time though when a ride broke down and I stayed in line and everyone left... it was sweet.

[DancingDays]

I'll usually wait for about 15 minutes, unless I'm very close to the station. Just about once every time I go to SFGAm, I'll get stuck in line for either Raging Bull, Superman, Batman, or Viper when it breaks down, and it usually only takes 10 minutes for the ride to get up and running again, so it's definitely worth it. I have left the line for Deja Vu after waiting about 35 minutes, then 30 more minutes because a train had valleyed. After about 20 minutes they finally got the train back to the station, sent it out again, and the train was slowed by the brakes between the loop and the second spike, causing it to valley again, so we decided to ge out. I also waited about 45 minutes for S:UF before it broke down, and we were in the station, probably 2 trains from riding...yet, 20+ minutes had passed and the situation didn't seem to be improving, so we decided to try to get one last ride on Raging Bull before the park closed instead.

[timetrial3141592]

My general response is to keep waiting. This is why i bring large books to amusement parks. Although I remember this funny scene at SFNE... Two idiots cut in front of me on Mind Eraser (why was I there? I needed the credit.) and snagged the back seat. I was waiting for the front seat, and I got to see their expressions of pain when they got off. Mmm...revenge...

[IdahoKat]

[Thread necro since last posting in 2005]

 

It depends where I'm at/how long I have to spend at a given park (ie. am I only there for the day, or on a multi day trip), and where I'm at in line. If I'm on a multi day trip and in close proximity to the station, I'll usually sit on the ground and scroll Facebook on my phone, or text, etc., and wait for about 45 minutes before I decide I've had a long enough sit down break. A bad ankle after a crazy leg break a few years back often makes standing for extended periods of time painful, so sitting and resting is always a welcome break.

If I'm on a more rushed/day trip, then I might wait 10-20 minutes top, again, depending how far back in line I am. If i'm in the last 50% of the line, I probably bail after a few minutes.

[Coaster Hero]

For me it depends on;

 

A. How far I am in the line. If i'm right next to or in the station I'm always gonna wait, but if it's at the beginning I'll ditch.

B. How long the line is. If it's excessively long to begin with, I don't bother waiting (depends on C though)

C. What ride it is. If it's something good like El Toro or Kingda Ka, and it's my first time riding that day, I will literally wait no matter the circumstances. I once waited 5 hours for Kingda Ka in the most disastrous day I've ever seen in terms of operations.

[SFMMGeek27]

If it's a ride I have never been on before I will wait until they kick me out.

 

If I have been on the ride I analyze these factors:

1) what type of a breakdown it is. Especially at SFMM, I know all the typical breakdowns and how long they take to fix. If it's short I will always wait, and if it's gonna be a longer delay, I then consider factor #2.

2) the rate at which people are getting out of line in front of me. If the line is moving at a rate that is the same speed or faster (or sometimes even slightly slower) from people getting out of line in front of me than it would move if the ride wasn't broken, then I will stay since I will probably get on just as fast if I wait, no matter the length of the delay as long as it isn't multiple hours. Basically, will I have to wait longer if I come back later.

 

Sometimes I will even ask if I can join the line for broken rides, and I am usually allowed to do so.

[LuminousAphid]

I had this situation with one of the former Deja Vu's the other day (Aftershock). Since I knew the history of this ride and had just started queuing, as soon as I saw the train lowered back to the station without cycling, I nope'd out of there. Luckily after 3 or 4 tries they got it to cycle, and it was good for the rest of the night. I got back in line and got to ride at sunset- it was the coolest sunset view I have ever had!

 

2 days later it was down for the whole day, which is why I would never wait if there were any signs of a breakdown. If it was a fairly reliable ride and I had waited a while, I would stay.

 

There was also another situation, not a breakdown but a protein spill, which I stayed in line for, then made sure to sincerely thank the ride ops- the more I think about it, the worse that job seems.

[BeansproutMidget]

Depends on the coaster I'm waiting for. If its something I've ridden before/don't really care about riding much, I'll probably follow the 15 Min. rule. It its my first time riding (E.X, Maverick), I will wait for who knows how long until I ride.

[Married a Canadian]

Escape from Gringotts broke when we were in line in February. We had already waited half an hour and moved pretty quickly.

We decided as it was a new ride with new technology AND the staff kept everyone well updated with mechanical updates that we would continue to wait. In the end we got on after 50 mins which was pretty fair. This is the only ride we have ever done this for and it was down to the fact that we saw what the lines were like later in the day (on the previous day).

 

If it was a coaster? I would leave the line and come back when the ride is fixed...not easy to stand around waiting if family are in tow and the young one is getting antsy.

[rcjp]

I get really really angry

[DoinItForTheFame]

Honestly, this is one of the huge perks to doing VIP Tours at a theme park. Your VIP TOUR guide wears a radio and if a ride breaks down as you're walking towards it they knoe, and are able to suggest something else before you walk all the way to the ride.

 

However: previously when waiting in line for a coaster there were a lot of factors that came into play on if I would stay in line, or if I would get out of line when the ride would break down. Usually it just depended on the coaster, and how far through the line I was, and about how long the breakdown would be. That has bit me in the a$$ a few times though. Ended up waiting almost 4 hours for Outlaw RUN because of 2 breakdowns. That's the longest I've ever waited for a ride because of a breakdown. Usually I'll give it about 20 minutes and if nothing has changed then I'll leave the line.

[LiftThrill]

I will stay in line 99% of the time. One time NTaG went down and they had to transfer a train off. It took around 30 minutes, but everyone left the line and we got almost 15 minutes of essentially ERT in the back rows.

Another time we waited 2.5 hours for Batman The Ride (SFFT) and dealt with about 5 breakdowns. That wasn't really worth it. Another time at SFOT, Mr Freeze broke down just as goldpass early entry started, so we waited about 10 minutes and it got fixed. That ended up being worth it.

 

So basically, it depends on the quality of the ride and the amount of time it's down for.

[Philrad71]

Current American GP reaction:

 

Complain about it, then bounce the basketball that I won playing 3 Point Challenge until it bounces into a restricted ride area...then I attempt to retrieve it and capture a photo of it all with my selfie stick.

 

 

[BisonRugbyGuy]

I usually wait around 20 minutes, but it also depends on how close to riding I am. I once got in line for Deja Vu at SFGAm which was almost a two hour wait. After waiting for about 15 minutes it broke down and almost everyone got out of line which reduced the wait to about 30 minutes, and the ride even reopened 5 minutes later. Patience has its perks

[Coaster Hero]

Today Kingda Ka was broken down at opening and the line to enter the queue was manageable, but 30 minutes went by and nothing happened. Most people were going to Zumanjaro but I remained patient. 5 minutes later it opens and I almost walk on. Right after I got off the line was 30 mins. I agree with the above poster, patience indeed has it's perks