People Jumping the Line / Queue

[aldredd]

Hello, this is my first thread I've started here, so I hope it's OT, correct forum etc!

 

I recently spent a few weeks in Florida, and did pretty much all the parks going (all the WDW parks, BG, SW, UO, IOA and lots of other things).

One thing that struck me, was the number of people finding some way of jumping the queue. Being a Brit, we love to queue (well, actually we don't, but we figure that if we're going to have to queue, we want to do it properly!).

 

Many times, people had snuck past us before we even had a chance to stop them, but one incident in particular I think is worth mentioning. We were queuing for Journey to Atlantis at Seaworld. If I recall, they provide lockers for you store your items before you join the queue.

 

We had been queuing for about 20 mins or so, when a couple of people in the queue behind us shouted out to tell us that someone had just pushed in front of them. By the time we figured out who, she was right behind us, so we promptly blocked off her route to prevent her passing.

Anyway she claims her partner had joined the queue whilst she put their items in the locker, and she felt she had every right to then join the queue where her partner was. Her partner caught up with her, and started rowing with ourselves and the other couple of people who were not happy with them pushing in, to the point of them accusing us being racist (110% not the case).

 

So I put it to you guys - what are your thoughts / opinions on this? Do you have any other stories / nightmares to share?

What are the parks' policies on queue jumping in the US - we didn't see much signage about this - you go to Alton Towers, and there are signs EVERYWHERE defining their definition of queue jumping, so there is no question about it!

 

Just interested!

 

many thanks for reading / replying!

[Fallen Heretic]

I dont have many personal experiences with q-jumping but there was an awesome incident at HHN in Universal Orlando. We were in one of those (highly recommended) RIP tours, and were waiting at the front of the vip line to get into Bill n Ted.

 

Suddenly we noticed a bunch of probably half-cut people pushing through the line, saying "VIP, VIP" over and over. As if it was that easy. Now I was a little way back from the front so missed what actually was said, but they were made to wait at the side, while the VIP line, then the whole of the regular line, filed in. All I really heard was our beyond-awesome guide Karyn shouting "Serves you right!". It was just so brilliant to see them get their come-uppance. There was much rubbing-in as we passed them being held at the side, holding up our glowy sticks of privelage and saying VIP! as we went by.

 

If anyone in the group reading this was near the front an can elabourate a bit, that would be cool.

[Bolliger&Mabillard]

For personal experience, I've seen tons of this as a ride op. It angers me because no one likes waiting in line, but they do it anyway. I was grouping at Riddler's Revenge two summers ago (When it gets busy we group from the top of the stairs.) when a group of three came up pushing and shoving and just walked through without even looking at me. I tell everyone in line to wait until I approch the group. They told me the had Flash passes. I laughed saying "Well why did you come through the line and not the Flash pass entrance?" Their answer was "The guy downstairs told us to". Good stuff since I was the grouper and I would've been that person, so I told them their was no one downstairs. So I gave them the benefit of the doubt. I asked to collect their flash pass. The answer I got, "We don't have to show you anything! You don't own this ride! (add your swearword of choice to this statement, as there were many) I told them no. but I operate it and you don't, so I'm one up on you. Show to keep the line moving I put them in row one, let them ride and when the train came back, we held them in their seats until security got there. Hope they enjoyed the ride seeing as how it was was their last one of the day!

 

In general, as I think I heard Robb say before, I don't believe in that whole "I'm meeting up with my group" crap. I feel you enter the line as a group, you wait as a group, you ride as a group. Simple as that. You don't want to wait, don't go to theme parks.

[Corkscrew]

At my home park, there is nobody to really control line jumping, so there is plenty of it. I have yet to see any simple budging in line, but rather a lot of jumping over the fence to meet up with friends. For example, when I was waiting for the pirate ship, there was a group of three people (surprisngly, one was an adult and he should have known better). Then the rest of their group comes to the side of the line and jumps over, so I got pushed back about 8 people in line. Honestly, doesn't it ever cross people's minds that even if someone has saved you a spot, it's still line jumping. I think that's what most people don't get.

[jason10]

I think that maybe not the very worst case but definitely the most outrageous case of queue jumping I have experienced is one incident at Thorpe Park Fright Nights. The park was at full capacity and many rides were shut so queueing turned into queueing to queue. 3 hours for Nemesis Inferno and many other rides. Anyway, enough rambling.

My dad, friends and I were queueing for as it happens, Nemesis Inferno when we noticed a whole group of about 10 foreign people all pushing infront in the line behind us. We were going to say something to a member of staff outside of the queue walking by when someone else did. The man kindly asked them to exit the queue and go from the start. They declined and started shouting at him. Before long, two police officers noticed the row and came over to assist the staff memeber. The man raised his voice and said 'you will be evicted from the park if you do not exit the queue now.' The group then insisted that he was racist. This obviously was not the case. The staff member then stated 'This is not a racist park and nor am I so if I hear you using that as an excuse or a way of getting out of this situation again, I will remove you from the park, so leave the queue now.' The group did eventually go and didn't start queueing from the start and instead went off somewhere else.

I myself am not racist but, I do think that it has to be said that the racist card is used a lot for bad intentions and usually in cases where racism is obviously not a problem. I think it is ridiculous.

Another example was not neccesaraly queue jumping, but bad judgement on the part of another queuer involving myself. I was in the queue for Rita at Alton Towers again with my dad and friend. If anyone has been on Rita, they will know there is a food kiosk type place in the middle of the queue on busy days. It was a busy day and I needed a drink. My dad bought an ice cream and gave me the money for a coke. They went off ahead and carried on in the queue so people wouldn't go infront of them and no one would accuse them of holding up the queue. Once I had bought my drink and had to move ahead of people in the queue to get back to my dad. Bearing in mind that the kiosk is physical in the queue and I was in the queue also. I didn't think this was queue jumping and it obviously isn't. Anyway, on the way back to my original spot, I was stopped by another queuer and he said 'Excuse me, do you know the definition of queue jumping?' I politely said yes and pointed at the signs that explain what queue jumping is. I also explained the stroy but he wasn't having any of it. He started to have a go at me but I knew I was not in the wrong to I went on with him stunned.

I don't think that haveing a kiosk in the queue is right as events such as this one will happen. Does anyone else agree with me that I was not queue jumping or am I actually the one doing the bad? Enough from me...

 

-Jason-

[Bolliger&Mabillard]

^That's tough to say, but many people WOULD consider that line jumping, including myself. If there is anything I learned as a ride operator is that if you want to be a fair person, you'd have to be consistent. What is the difference between what you did and someone leaving the line to go to the bathroom? What your group should have done was wait at the cart out of the way of everyone else unil you were all ready to go. It's like one of those "tough but fair" kind of rules.

[pianojohn]

Ah, stupid park guests!

 

When IOA opened in 1999, I was in line for Bluto's Bilge Rafts. It was about a 30 minute wait but it was pretty hot for April. 2 girls, about 13 years old, start making their way through the line, basically cutting in front of everyone. I saw them enter the line and just snake their way to the front.

 

Then I see their mom do the same thing. As she got right behind me, I turned and said "Can I help you?"

 

"Yes, my daughters are up there."

 

"And," I said " we have watched them cut in front of everyone in line. And I will not allow you to cut in front of me."

 

"But they're my children!" Love that old excuse!

 

"Well, then they can wait for you until you reach the front of the line."

 

She was BEYOND pissed, but I was not budging. She then had to wait behind me while her kids kept motioning for her to cut the line.

 

Nope....not today lady!!

 

[chemical_echo]

What is the difference between what you did and someone leaving the line to go to the bathroom?

The person leaving the line to go to the bathroom has actually physically left the line and is attempting to come back.

I don't see what he did as line jumping since he's still in the line and has only just bought a drink or snack. It's not like his group is now at the front of the line, they're a few people ahead. I don't see why people have a problem with this one since it's not going to slow them down. They had 50 people before them when he was with his group, 49 when he got his snack, and 50 when he got back with his group; they didn't move. The only exception to this is when they physically leave the line for something, because than it's been a good deal longer than just stopping at a vending machine. If parks consider this line jumping then they should get rid of the vending machines in lines.

 

Anyways, when I worked at Canada's Wonderland I spent a day off at the park with my cousins. We were waiting in line for The Bat and getting close to the front when a large group of people jumped the entire line and got in front of us. We told them to leave the line, but they said no and threatened us. I told them I worked there and I would get the supervisor of the ride to come and deal with them. They threatened us again, so I got the supervisor's attention and told him what happened. Security removed them from the line when they got to the station. When we got off the ride, the group looked ready to attack us, but luckily security was still around.

[Kalepi_Konei]

^^ Your my hero.

 

Okay, so many incidents not enough fingers to type it out.

 

At IOA around 2004-06 ish, I had annual passes, so I went ALOT, and witnessed ALOT of line cutting. Well, happens to be one day in the Dueling Dragons tunnels (one of the most challenging places to cut through a line) this guy comes barreling down the tunnel just PUSHING people out of his way, with out so much as an "excuse me." or a good excuse for that matter. And he gets up to me and he just pushes me a side and I stopped him, and I politely said "excuse me can I help you." And he goes "yeah, (BEEP) off." Well, this set me off, you come barging through the line, pushing people aside, not even saying excuse me, curse at me, in this hot cramped tunnel. You chose the wrong day to mess with me man. So I kept my pace with the man making sure he could not pass at all, and man was this guy just trying to haul ass around me. And eventually we get to the front of the line (that day they had a guy assigning which place to split too to keep the lines moving,) and this guys still behind me trying to barge through, and I told the employee-split-line guy, and he pulled the guy out of the line after one final attempt to get around me. And he talks to him and he starts just wailing, and cursing this guy out. They called security (which in IOA suprisingly comes VERY quickly.) And this guy was just pissed off. I mean his face was BEAT red, and he's just going at it with everyone around him. Needless to say he was escorted from the park, and I was given a fastpass for the time I had to waste with this man. (I didn't even do anything but heck yeah free fastpass.) So I took it to Dudley-Do-Rights after my ride on Fire which was excellent by the way. And got to ride it a few times because they never marked my fastpass. So it all worked out in the end.

 

The End.

 

------------

 

And on the racist excuse topic, I swear everyone uses that nowadays, and seriously I bet you they don't even know the definition. UGH, it disgusts me to see people use racism as an excuse, I get kids in my school who say "it's because I'm black, racist." All the time, and it's like you wanna see racist why not go back to the time you would be pickin' cotton if you wanna see racism. And there all like "Pshh, I'd be beatin up on dem' white folk all day long." And it's like wow you're uneducated, they had guns, you didn't.

 

Anyways... carry on.

[Team Thriller]

Here is a tip. If you don't like people cutting, avoid France....

 

Here is a story, which actually happened at Europa Park. (I have tons that happened at Walibi and Disneyland Paris. I might tell them later)

I was in line for Poseidon at Europa Park, and there where two girls behind me who where trying to cut me and my group. They started laughing because we wouldn't give in to them.

 

--James

[thrillgeek]

I think queue jumping is just a part of being at a theme park. That's the sad truth now a day unfortunately.

[Bolliger&Mabillard]

What is the difference between what you did and someone leaving the line to go to the bathroom?

The person leaving the line to go to the bathroom has actually physically left the line and is attempting to come back.

I don't see what he did as line jumping since he's still in the line and has only just bought a drink or snack. It's not like his group is now at the front of the line, they're a few people ahead. I don't see why people have a problem with this one since it's not going to slow them down. They had 50 people before them when he was with his group, 49 when he got his snack, and 50 when he got back with his group; they didn't move. The only exception to this is when they physically leave the line for something, because than it's been a good deal longer than just stopping at a vending machine. If parks consider this line jumping then they should get rid of the vending machines in lines.

 

Anyways, when I worked at Canada's Wonderland I spent a day off at the park with my cousins. We were waiting in line for The Bat and getting close to the front when a large group of people jumped the entire line and got in front of us. We told them to leave the line, but they said no and threatened us. I told them I worked there and I would get the supervisor of the ride to come and deal with them. They threatened us again, so I got the supervisor's attention and told him what happened. Security removed them from the line when they got to the station. When we got off the ride, the group looked ready to attack us, but luckily security was still around.

 

Peerhaps I may have come off wrong...this is the point I was trying to make...

...if you want to be a fair person, you'd have to be consistent.

 

I don't agree with vending machines or churro carts or whatever in lines because you'll run into this problem every single time.

[cprocks22]

I've had a few bad experiences at multiple parks, I'm convinced its just one of those annoying things people do at theme parks and that the "good guests" will just have to contend with.

 

One year at Cedar Point, myself, my dad my friend and her dad were all in line for Millennium right after it re-opened after being down for the past 2 weeks due to a problem with the cable lift (2, maybe 3 years ago I believe for anyone that remembers, correct me if I'm wrong). We started pretty far forward in line so we winded through most of the queue up to almost the bottom of the ramp. We continued through line and started to go up the ramp when a group of about 5 high school girls start yelling to their friend whos at the entrance to the line because she had to put something in a locker.

 

The girl doesn't hear them and waits until us and the group of girls are almost to the top of the ramp to walk up the SIDE of the ramp to meet up with them, and of course we all have a look of shock on our face from this, mostly because of how unsafe it is. Once we get up to the station my friends dad reported it to the ride up, he politely apologized and said there's nothing they can do if they can't see it. While we were all a little ticked we just went on knowing that there's no use fighting a loosing battle.

 

The story gets even better when we were in line for Dragster later that day. We were in the station almost to the gates when we see the same group of 6 girls walking our way, the proceed to try and cut in front of us cause they "Didn't see we were in line" (which is total bull, also there were some scary ass biker dudes behind us too which was AWESOME to see their reaction to them trying to cut) so me my friend and the dads both put our arms on either side of the gates and refused to let them through, which made them so angry they got out of line. Made up for the entire Millennium incident.

[ajinaz]

The person leaving the line to go to the bathroom has actually physically left the line and is attempting to come back.

I don't see what he did as line jumping since he's still in the line and has only just bought a drink or snack.

 

This is where the proverbial can of worms opens up. There is often no way to tell where this person comes from and sadly people play on that knowledge. The rule should be simple. You leave the line...you lose. No exceptions.

 

Security removed them from the line when they got to the station. When we got off the ride, the group looked ready to attack us, but luckily security was still around.

 

Another problem that needs to be fixed. They should be removed FROM THE PARK. If they hold a season pass it should be canceled. I think that this rule applies especially at Disneyland where the park is a summer babysitter. Kids get thrown out and they are back again the next day. Every person that enters the park should be told that they will be removed from the park if they cut a line under any circumstance. . At the airport they ask about your bags. They could do the same thing at the turnstiles.

 

[YoshiFan]

2 from Dorney Park in 2006:

 

At Talon in August, Security did a great job overseeing the line. They had a guard standing on a platform in the middle of the line to watch for line cutting and other problems. Someone pointed out to the security guard how one person was in line and 2 others joined him by cutting through half the line.

 

The guard told all 3 to go to the back of the line. They refused and he then said they could go to the back of the line or leave the park, their choice. 2 of the people left and the third one still wouldn't leave but after another threat of being ejected from the park, he left as well. A few minutes later the 3rd person cut again and the guard saw him. I couldn't hear exactly what happened but the security guard was saying something about how he never said all black people had to leave the line (I think the line cutter was claiming he was being told to go to the back of the line because he was black) and again refused to leave the line. The guard took this guy and escorted him out of line and possibly out of the park as well as the guard was gone for close to 10 minutes. I was very glad to see line cutting being enforced and handled seriously because as I'm sure everyone will agree, it's very annoying.

 

Then in October I was in line for Dominator and there were 6 teenage girls ahead of me. A mother and her son cut the line to join that group of teenagers. Another mother from another group in line was furious and went to the front to tell the ride grouper that they cut the line and that the person who cut the line hit her. The person who cut got angry and started cursing at the other woman and claimed that if she would have hit the other woman "you would have known it." She said it wasn't cutting because her group was in line and that she did not hit her. The other woman said she elbowed her to get past her in line. Then the woman who cut starts yelling at the grouper because he said it is line cutting. Security was called and there within a few minutes. 4 guards showed up. The family who had said the others cut left the line because they were fusturated and security got the whole group in front of me, the 6 teenagers, the mother and son to leave the line. The teeangers and mother are cursing and another mother in line says to them "I don't appreceiate the language you are using in front of my kids" One of the teenagers says to her "Shut the **** up." Security saw and heard this and then escorted the entire group out of line and hopefully out of the park.

 

It was annoying because the time it took for this whole situation to be handled, at least 2 - 3 cycles of the ride could have occured (I don't blame the employees or security, I just mean that the whole incident wasted time).

[ECZenith]

I have so many stories about line cutters from Indiana Jones. At Indy, we not only have ride operations rotations, but also queue-watching positions at Greeter, Temple Entrance, Rotunda, Film Room, and Vehicle Loading. A monitor at temple entrance let's us watch the infamous "bamboo canyon" section via a security camera. The "trick" is that people come up the exit and then just hop over a small fence into the end of the queue leading up to rotunda. When we see someone doing this, we just call the next position and the CM is ready to remove them on the other side, we've got it down to a science.

 

My most bizarre case of queue-line mischief came about 3 weeks ago where a group of 3 college kids waiting in the standby line (which runs parallel to the fastpass line outside the temple) were literally elbowing every single fastpass guest in the ribs as they breezed by them. Not one guest let me know this was happening until the party in front of them got to my position and they whispered it to me. Needless to say after about an hour and a half wait in line, I threw them all out. As soon as they were gone everybody started clapping and telling me this had been going on for about 20 minutes... It was amazing to me that everybody seemed scared of these kids, too scared to tell me they were assaulting other guests because they were frustrated they had to wait in line while others with fastpass came right in. People do some weird stuff...

[mcjaco]

I think any exercise is good exercise.

[itnotfair]

I worked at USH for a summer in 1998. Their line-cutting policy at the time always struck me as brilliant and completely unfair. It was as follows.

 

If party A complains that party B cut in line, but party B denies the fact, then party B is removed from their place in line and placed at the front of the line, unbeknownst to party A. That way, party A thinks party B was kicked out of line, while party B rides the ride and moves on: this way everyone is happy.

 

Brilliant, in that no one is left angry, but unfair in that it seems to condone not only line-cutting, but also lying vigorously in defense of line-cutting.

 

Does anyone know of any parks with similar rules?

[Angry_Gumball]

I've had a few incidents, and been in some as well. I'll start off with my incidents. My bro and his friend got over to CGA's Flight Deck to get in line as I took a ride on Psycho Mouse. I took the flyers across the park to get on Flight Deck. When I got in line, I saw them maybe 30 feet ahead. They told me to come on. I told them that I really don't feel right about doing it. They insisted, and to my surprise, the people ahead of me all moved over to let me through. I then after told them that I really did not like doing that. (And still do not like that I did that)

 

My most recent incident I dealt with (and the jumpers got away with it) was in a semi long line for the log ride. Seeing 2 guys coming up, my cousin and I deliberately block the queue as they barge their way through anyway claiming they're "Security." Really, they just reunited with the rest of their group. The rest of the people in line sucked it up as well therefore leaving them to get away with it.

 

But yea..I hate line jumpers, but it's just a part of visiting a theme park.

[Sunfire]

I have dealt with line jumping before, but not as severe as the stories mentioned above. I do remember it happening A LOT at Disneyland during the summer. The heat makes people much less patient, resulting in more line jumping.

 

On a random note about queue lines, does anyone else agree that Splash Mountain and Indy's indoor queues are horrible because of body heat? That's could also result in line jumpers.

[ash.1111]

Ok, get this... Last week I was in the line for Batwing and someone was smoking! That's right, smoking, in a packed line.

 

I was just about to say something to him but he was with a big group of 'large' guys and I'm not dumb...

[jason10]

The rule should be simple. You leave the line...you lose. No exceptions.

 

I hope you understand that I never left the line at any point. I just bought a drink from a stall situated in the line. I didn't go out of the line, buy a drink and then try to come back in.

 

- Jason -

[jamesdillaman]

Ok, get this... Last week I was in the line for Batwing and someone was smoking! That's right, smoking, in a packed line.

 

I was just about to say something to him but he was with a big group of 'large' guys and I'm not dumb...

 

You seemed shocked. That happens all the time in the US...

 

-James Dillaman

[scooterdoug]

I've got a story from last May. I was at Cedar Point, in line for Top Thrill Dragster. A teenaged couple cuts through about 30-40 minutes worth of line. The entire time, people are booing them, but nobody stopped them. The couple stopped a few people behind me and waited in line. Once in the station, the couple was about 2 trains away from the front when a security guard pulls them aside. They tried to act like they didn't know what was going on, but you could see the guilt in their eyes. The guard talks to them, writes them both citations, then escorts them out of the park. Many people applauded, and I thought it was great that the guard let them wait in line before ejecting them from the park.

-Doug

[HEADCHEEZ]

When I was at SFGAdv in Augest, Iwas standing in line for Batman: The Ride when 3 kids pushed past us. My uncle put his hand in front of them, and they were MAD! they started screaming so loud that security came almost immediatly without a call. When we toldthe guard that they were line jumping, they denied it and ran to the front of the Queue. the guard ran after and we never heard from them again.