Annoying stuff that happens in theme parks- The List

[VF15]

I hate when coasters are down for maintenance for long periods in the middle of the season when there have been no concerning incidents. Assuming it's a seasonal park, don't they have all offseason to do maintenance?

[Comeagain?]

I hate when coasters are down for maintenance for long periods in the middle of the season when there have been no concerning incidents. Assuming it's a seasonal park, don't they have all offseason to do maintenance?

 

$#!t happens. Many times there's "incidents" that the GP doesn't see. Like sensor failures causing the ride to tear itself apart and need new (rare) lift motors to be made. Or just plain old equipment showing it's age. Trust me, we hate it too. Not only do we now have to deal with people complaining that it isn't open, but everyone who would work that ride are now either not working, or usually standing out front saying it's closed.

[coasterfansince1999]

People dribbling basketballs.

 

 

couldn't have said it better myself!

[deltaelite]

1) People who jump between the normal and single rider queue lines

2) Parents who force their scared young children to take the big scary rides

[rcjp]

2) Parents who force their scared young children to take the big scary rides

I do remember seeing a mother forcing her daughter (should be around 12) to ride Top Thrill Dragster and she was noticeably scared to death. And, on top of that, while we were waiting a train rolled back and then she just started crying

[VF15]

2) Parents who force their scared young children to take the big scary rides

 

I agree completely. When I was a little kid, my parents never forced me on big scary rides because I would get scared half to death. Now, I'm obsessed with those types of rides, but I still hate it when parents have the attitude of "You're riding this whether you like it or not!" Why can't they just find something more suitable for them?

 

One time at SeaWorld Orlando, when I was about to ride Journey to Atlantis, the whole ride was delayed for five minutes because one little kid was screaming at the top of his lungs "I DON'T WANNA RIDE!", and they spent those few minutes unlocking the restraints to get him out. While thrill rides and roller coasters are awesome, you shouldn't force someone that young that doesn't want to ride it to ride.

[Xmeister]

People who change diapers in inappropriate places. I've seen it done on restaraunt tables, in gift shops, on the subs at DLR and during shows! I think the ones that bother me the most are the ones on any surface people will be eating food on!

[fraroc]

2) Parents who force their scared young children to take the big scary rides

 

I agree completely. When I was a little kid, my parents never forced me on big scary rides because I would get scared half to death. Now, I'm obsessed with those types of rides, but I still hate it when parents have the attitude of "You're riding this whether you like it or not!" Why can't they just find something more suitable for them?

 

One time at SeaWorld Orlando, when I was about to ride Journey to Atlantis, the whole ride was delayed for five minutes because one little kid was screaming at the top of his lungs "I DON'T WANNA RIDE!", and they spent those few minutes unlocking the restraints to get him out. While thrill rides and roller coasters are awesome, you shouldn't force someone that young that doesn't want to ride it to ride.

 

But then again, sometimes if you try it, you'll end up liking it. My parents sort of forced me to go on Steel Force when I was 9 and that basically completely eradicated my fear and fueled a true love for roller coasters. A bad experience with the Dominator put me off of drop towers and launched coasters, but after riding VooDoo, StormRunner, Maverick, and the three launched coasters at Kings Dominion, that fear went away as well. I'm not scared of drop towers, they just give me the butterflies my first time riding one.

 

Then again, I totally know where you're coming from, on my second trip to KD, I saw a guy call his own son a "F***ing pussy" because he was having second thoughts about Dominator.

[Linders]

call me stingy, but i hate paying for parking. Anywhere.

When they have events at the Cleveland IX center: the amusement park, Home and Garden Show, Auto show, you wind up paying 5-10 bucks.

Somehow, that just doesn't seem right.

 

Paid parking anywhere is the biggest scam perpetuated on humanity!! Say you buy a one day ticked to SFOT. $65 full price. Then they want to nail you for $20, just to park your car! But hey, it's a busy day so your are paying $20 to park and walk a mile or two to the park entrance because they decided for some reason to not run the trams that day. But for an extra $5, you can walk half a mile. An extra $10, you go valet!

I am a gold pass holder so no paid parking for me, but I sure feel sorry for those who are already paying through the nose to get a ticket only to get scammed for parking.

[coasterkid124]

When you ask an op what's wrong with a broken ride and they say "I don't know". Well if you don't know then how do you know the ride is broken in the first place?

[CoasterGuy06]

^^ There is never a reason to pay full price for a ticket to Six Flags. There is always a discount out there. That is part of the reason they charge so much for parking.

 

^Very few, if any, parks allow their operators to say what is wrong with a ride. Most operators wouldn't even know what is wrong with the ride anyway, they just know it is either sounding funny, not starting, or if it has a computer style control panel they might only know it is telling them there is a maintenance fault.

 

 

For me one of the most annoying things are season pass holders that act like they should be able to do what they want because they own a pass. I have heard everything from "We should be allowed in to private events" to "we keep the park in business so we should be able to bring our own food and drinks in" and everything in between.

[larrygator]

What annoys me is when customers ask the ride operators why a ride is not running.

[Linders]

1. People in a large party that send their 8 yr old kid to stand in line at the front gate and "hold their place" for them while they park the car, go to the bathroom, etc, and then all decide to join her just before it is her turn to go in, after waiting for 20+ mins to get in. Yep that happened.

2. People that stand in front of you in line and when it's their turn to get on, change their mind and get off and the ride op refuses to open the gate and let you on, rather sending empty seats.

3. Titan breaks down every time we visit. Every single time, and sometimes multiple times! I've gotten so far as to sit down, close my lap bar, only to have it pop back open and ride op announce it was shutting down.

4. I know this has been said already, but it bears repeating. 1 train operation!!

5. People that fart in line.

6. Buying popcorn and then spill it all over the place trying to get the lid on it. The people at the stand usually always offer to refill it, when it happens in their line of vision. Still annoying to have happen.

7. If you have bad allergies, take a pill. Nobody wants to be in line behind "Sneezy McSnotty" for an hour. Yep. That happened. He had no Kleenex with him and sneezed ever couple of minutes. Rubbed the hand under the nose a few times, sniffed it back in. I was fully nauseous before the ride started.

8. Being next in line for a ride and you hear the phone behind the dispatch board ring. The ride op gets off the phone and announces that there is lightning in the area, shutting it down. I know it's for safety, but it's no less annoying when it happens.

9. Recheck car 5...locking car 5...recheck car 1.... locking car 1...recheck car 7.... on one dispatch. Need I say more?

10. Waiting 45 or so min for Texas Giant and suddenly having to pee right before it's time to board. Trying to decide how bad I need to go and will I be able to hold it? That's annoying.

11. Waiting for 45 min for Texas Giant and your kid suddenly decides he needs to pee and cannot hold it. We went before we got in line. Very annoying!

 

Not everything annoying that can happen at a theme park is due to someone else. Ma nature can be pretty annoying, too.

[Linders]

What annoys me is when customers ask the ride operators why a ride is not running.

 

Probably because they waited an hour plus to ride that ride and want to try and find out if there's a chance it'll open back up shortly, to wait it out or they just wasted a whole hour out of their day because that ride won't be reopening, go find something else. It may be annoying to you, but think of the poor schmo that waited all that time in the heat for nothing.

[larrygator]

What annoys me is when customers ask the ride operators why a ride is not running.

 

Probably because they waited an hour plus to ride that ride and want to try and find out if there's a chance it'll open back up shortly, to wait it out or they just wasted a whole hour out of their day because that ride won't be reopening, go find something else. It may be annoying to you, but think of the poor schmo that waited all that time in the heat for nothing.

 

Uninformed guests who don't understand the following

 

Very few, if any, parks allow their operators to say what is wrong with a ride. Most operators wouldn't even know what is wrong with the ride anyway, they just know it is either sounding funny, not starting, or if it has a computer style control panel they might only know it is telling them there is a maintenance fault.

[Linders]

What annoys me is when customers ask the ride operators why a ride is not running.

 

Probably because they waited an hour plus to ride that ride and want to try and find out if there's a chance it'll open back up shortly, to wait it out or they just wasted a whole hour out of their day because that ride won't be reopening, go find something else. It may be annoying to you, but think of the poor schmo that waited all that time in the heat for nothing.

 

Uninformed guests who don't understand the following

 

Very few, if any, parks allow their operators to say what is wrong with a ride. Most operators wouldn't even know what is wrong with the ride anyway, they just know it is either sounding funny, not starting, or if it has a computer style control panel they might only know it is telling them there is a maintenance fault.

[/

 

That's part of the nature of that job. That person who just threw away an hour out of their day doesn't know that you don't know. Nothing on their ticket stub says, "If ride shuts down, don't ask the dude working the line because he won't know and you might annoy him." You get paid to stand there, nobody forced you to work at an amusement park. You never know, that person may have paid for a one day ticket and this is the only time that season they'll get to come. They really wanted to ride that ride, waited for it only for it to close down on them. They may be asking you because they are hoping you might know (because you are working that ride), if they should wait it out or go on. I understand hearing the same question over and over annoys you, but that's something you should expect.

I'm just saying, you need to think about it from their end. There are no ways that person can know you don't know. After all they aren't at a theme park every day like you are.

I had a friend come with me last summer who hadn't been in years. She paid for a one day to come with me. We experienced 5 break downs in that one visit! Most of them after having waited for up to 30+ minutes and even getting so far as to board the ride and turn around and get off. I was annoyed but thought oh well, I'll come back another time. I felt bad for her, she can't come back. Maybe you should move to a different position if that bothers you so bad.

[LiMiT]

I don't like having to pay for lockers to store my stuff for a single ride. Universal Studios does it right, Six Flags...just no.

 

Also, if ride operators don't want to be questioned repeatedly about if the ride is broken down or not, they can just use the intercom and inform the guests queuing for the ride. It's a good compromise on both ends, because now everyone knows the issue, and it saves the ride op from having to tell every individual person what's going on. If someone wasn't listening, it's just a great example of social Darwinism.

 

But yes, I find it somewhat annoying when I've waited a long time for a ride and something happens before I get on. Usually, it's somebody throwing up on Batman, and then it takes close to 30 minutes to clean up. Yay.

[urzishra]

I don't understand why a ride op couldn't just say "I'm sorry but our ride isn't currently operating due to unforeseen circumstances. We don't currently have an estimated time of resolution to the issue at hand."

 

I realize it sucks having a repetitious job, but that is the job. Customer Service should always be top priority. Part of that is informing people if something breaks.

[Comeagain?]

"I don't know" is such a crappy answer. "Technical difficulties", "unforeseen circumstances", "inclement weather", (and my least favorite) "Bio cleanup" are all much better ways to phrase it. Even if you don't know. And it sucks to hear, but it really really sucks to have to tell guests. But must be done.

[bonsaiisuperstar]

Waiting for fatty's who didn't bother to check themselves in the test seat. Then the same fatty's expect that they lost 40 lbs in the queue line and cannot understand why the restraint won't close around their bulbous girth. Instead of just getting out the seat and leaving they plead for the ride ops to try "one more time" all the while all the trains are stacked three deep because of said person. I do get satisfaction when everyone cheers as they do the walk of shame. It's just desserts for these people and maybe motivation for them to get in shape.

[CoasterGuy06]

I don't understand why a ride op couldn't just say "I'm sorry but our ride isn't currently operating due to unforeseen circumstances. We don't currently have an estimated time of resolution to the issue at hand."

 

That was what I would tell people (usually using the phrase 'technical difficulties'), but then many times it turns into "Well what kind of technical difficulties?" or "Well how long does it usually take?" if you answer either of those questions you break policy, if you don't the guests get upset with you. For ops it can really be darned if you do, darned if you don't. Now this doesn't go for all parks, but many will at least tell you if they anticipate it to be a long delay. However, other things can come up and the worst thing a guest can do is then get upset when what was anticipated to be a short delay turns into a long delay.

[urzishra]

I don't understand why a ride op couldn't just say "I'm sorry but our ride isn't currently operating due to unforeseen circumstances. We don't currently have an estimated time of resolution to the issue at hand."

 

That was what I would tell people (usually using the phrase 'technical difficulties'), but then many times it turns into "Well what kind of technical difficulties?" or "Well how long does it usually take?" if you answer either of those questions you break policy, if you don't the guests get upset with you. For ops it can really be darned if you do, darned if you don't. Now this doesn't go for all parks, but many will at least tell you if they anticipate it to be a long delay. However, other things can come up and the worst thing a guest can do is then get upset when what was anticipated to be a short delay turns into a long delay.

 

 

That makes sense. Those kinds of people will always try to probe as much info as possible regardless. Working in Tech Support most times the person you talk to on the phone has no idea and GP sometimes doesn't understand that.

[Barge84]

Waiting for fatty's who didn't bother to check themselves in the test seat. Then the same fatty's expect that they lost 40 lbs in the queue line and cannot understand why the restraint won't close around their bulbous girth. Instead of just getting out the seat and leaving they plead for the ride ops to try "one more time" all the while all the trains are stacked three deep because of said person. I do get satisfaction when everyone cheers as they do the walk of shame. It's just desserts for these people and maybe motivation for them to get in shape.

 

I won't get in to a lot of your comments because I don't have the time or energy, but I will say that most test seats are fairly worthless. I've had plenty of times where I fit in the test seat and couldn't get on the ride after waiting an hour, or vice versa. Different seats on trains have different sized seat belts, so it can be a crap shoot whether you'll be able to ride or not. Hell, last summer I rode Raptor at CP. About 2 hours later we went to ride again and the seatbelt was about 5 inches from clicking. 2 hours later I didn't have any issues. Like I said, it's a total crap shoot.

[Angle O. Descent]

There was a story at Wonderland where a mother tried to sneak outside food into the park (baby food, yogurt, and a sandwich), claiming that it was all for her 15-month-old baby. The park policy is that only baby food is allowed into the park, so she was denied bringing the rest of the food in. Instead of simply leaving the food in her car, they left... turned in their season passes, stating: "when he’s old enough to have a $15 hot dog, we can go back". I just can't believe that people could be that ignorant or arrogant.

 

Let's not put ourselves above everybody else and just follow the park rules!

[fraroc]

Waiting for fatty's who didn't bother to check themselves in the test seat. Then the same fatty's expect that they lost 40 lbs in the queue line and cannot understand why the restraint won't close around their bulbous girth. Instead of just getting out the seat and leaving they plead for the ride ops to try "one more time" all the while all the trains are stacked three deep because of said person. I do get satisfaction when everyone cheers as they do the walk of shame. It's just desserts for these people and maybe motivation for them to get in shape.

 

I won't get in to a lot of your comments because I don't have the time or energy, but I will say that most test seats are fairly worthless. I've had plenty of times where I fit in the test seat and couldn't get on the ride after waiting an hour, or vice versa. Different seats on trains have different sized seat belts, so it can be a crap shoot whether you'll be able to ride or not. Hell, last summer I rode Raptor at CP. About 2 hours later we went to ride again and the seatbelt was about 5 inches from clicking. 2 hours later I didn't have any issues. Like I said, it's a total crap shoot.

 

A lot of test seats are rather inaccurate. I'm a 46 incher and I could not fit into the test seat of the Crypt at Kings Dominion, but on the actual ride, I fit with absolutely NO problem whatsoever.