I wanted to know are there certain days or certain nights, or even certain holidays where the park is short handed? It been plenty of situations at my ride we had to cut low priority postions to fill them for big ones. The maximum number of people can work at my ride is eight. The minimum number is 5 but sometimes we are desperate then we cut down to four. There been certain situations where we have to cut down on break times. Ugh! I hate that so I wanted to know if you guys had the same problem I'm sure you did.

We have not had to deal with that so far this year but like all jobs it will happen.

We can run Top Gun with 5 but to fill every spot we need 7.

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2009 Carolina Cobra Crew
Go Panthers! 4-6: Week 12 @ New York Jets

#6 North Carolina Tarheels 4-1

That never really happens much at KW. If they are short handed and need extra people, they usually go to the kiddie land crew to get some extras. Kiddie land always has a few people they can spare. Also, KW hires people just to be extras. They don't work at a specific ride, they work where ever they are needed.Usually if your a extra at a ride, all your doing the whole time is height and checking restraints. if the ride is super easy to operate then you can do that too. I have no idea how their schedule works. they probably come into work and see if they are needed which they probably will be needed. It would seem interesting to be a perminant extra cause it would give you a chance to meet most of the rides employees and learn how to operate a lot of rides too.

I remember me and my friend were taken out of k-land to extra at the Merry-go-round and that only requires 2 people to operate. We learned how to run it in like 5 minutes and then they left us there alone to run it by our selves. i thought that was kind of funny cause we had just learned it and the left us there alone. It was easy though.

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Kennywood Team Member 2004 Kiddieland
2005 Racer/Jack Rabbit Crew
2006 Racer/Skycoaster/Paddle Boats Crew
2007 Thunderbolt/Turtle/Gold Rusher Crew

Wow your park operates 100% differerent than mines.... I know, I know different company but still lol.

Carowinds has extras called floaters.

Floaters go where ever help is needed. Sadly i don't think Carowinds has hired any floaters yet this season and they really need to.

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2009 Carolina Cobra Crew
Go Panthers! 4-6: Week 12 @ New York Jets

#6 North Carolina Tarheels 4-1

yeah they do operate different. I like the fact that they hire extras, that means less stress if you are 1 or 2 people short at your ride. And when the extras come, thats one less spot you need to rotate to. Everyone just rotates around the extra.

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Kennywood Team Member 2004 Kiddieland
2005 Racer/Jack Rabbit Crew
2006 Racer/Skycoaster/Paddle Boats Crew
2007 Thunderbolt/Turtle/Gold Rusher Crew

Hmmm ...well at my park I'm sure at carowinds aswell do they have something called a "check list" where the operator does a quick knowledge test and a demonstration of the ride there operating? and I I'm kinda suprised that we did not use carowinds Idea sense we are under the same company. Maybe its a management thing o well ...

we have check lists but only the new people have to do them i think. In k-land we had a 2 page check lists for all 14 rides, thats a lot of paper lol. We just breezed through them, nothin major. and the operators didn't have to demonstrate anything. We just sat in the back of k-land and the managers went down each thing on the list, and all we had to do was put our initials on each number saying we went over it. thats all.

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Kennywood Team Member 2004 Kiddieland
2005 Racer/Jack Rabbit Crew
2006 Racer/Skycoaster/Paddle Boats Crew
2007 Thunderbolt/Turtle/Gold Rusher Crew

Actually we can run with 3 but its better with 4 or more

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At some amusement parks, the beginning and ends of the seasons tend to have the most problematic staffing problems.

Douger

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Check out my website: http://www.dougerz.com
A Positive Change For The Future
Proud 8 - season veteran of Cedar Point ('98-'05)

We are typically under or over staffed. Weekdays at this time of year are the worst for understaffing, because many of the workers are still in school.

During pre-season in April and May before our internationals get here we are pretty short handed. But we have volunteers and they help out at the bigger rides and operate the kiddie rides. Usually the night shifts are the worst with staffing during that period.

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~~~Proud HersheyPark Rides Department employee (4years)~~~ 2006 Ride Lead
http://www.hersheypa.com/attractions/hersheypark/

I remember being short handed at the end of August at every park I was at. When kids went back to college just about everyone was recruited for rides. Security Guardes, Lifeguardes, and even suits were at rides working. It was pretty funny. I was in kiddieland once and right next to me at the next ride was the operations manager of the entire park.

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Please remain seated until the ride comes to a full and complete stop.

I always worked on coasters which were provided some staff. The flat rides weren't always so lucky. Viper would be the exception which opened only after the section flat rides were opened.

In the Spring, extras from Security, Admissions, Guest Relations, Foods, Games and Maintenance are trainned and tested to work on the rides while other ride employees are in school. They make for very pleasant employees since they get to do something different with their day.

Some times coasters go down to minimal staff. Rolling Thunder went with one attendant for a few years. These were the days of the "running monkeys" before seatbelts, exit gates and other lawyer nuisances.

My favorite experience was running Dino Island during the Spring with three employees. The operator and the theatre employee's positions would work the same. The runner however, counts the glasses and distributes them to guests in the preshow. Then he spiels and starts the preshow and runs through the front (behind the screen) to collect and sort the glasses from guests exiting the theatre. Then he runs through the back and puts the glasses into BOB (the automated 3-D glass cleaner.) Then he takes another rack of glasses out of the dryer, sorts and counts them into a distribution box. Then he runs catching the end of the preshow to distribute glasses to the next set of guest. By the time he is ready to pass out, a college kid comes in for swing shift and it's time for break.

Ever have to go to the bathroom with minimal staffing. ;-)

i really only got one complaint about the rides being short staffed.. actually two

first one at roman rapids:

Girl : why aren't yall using those dozen boats over there?
Me: there isn't much of a line
Girl: what do you call what i'm standing in?

it was a girl from a school trip.. which is why i didn't care.. we were running five boats around and all five boats usually held one school group.. so we didn't need to increase the staffing..

second @ Lil Gliders..:

Lady 1: Is the balloon ride open?
Me: yes Maam, i'll be running that as soon as i run this one once more because my line is long
Lady 1: well can't you get any help?
Lady 2: yeah! you shouldn't have to run both rides
Me: (thinking that i am the help) i'm sorry about the inconvience Maam
Lady 1: it's not your fault.. it's just that there aren't too many rides for the kids here

Good thing that was at the beginning on what started as a good day.. I was helping Italy rides with their breakers and having to move back and forth between the two rides.. i really don't mind the kiddie rides minus the parents.. cuz i went about the whole hour without any complaints.. maybe it was because the lines were in the most shaded area in Italy

and yes.. i hate having to go to the bathroom when i know bumps are off and there's nothing i can do about it..

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Joined the ranks of the Overworked and Underpaid 2003-7
Park Ops, Food and Merchandise Certified
I've tried other jobs.. but they say i'm too committed to the park to work for them.. heh

Let's see...Clementon Park was shorthanded yesterday...big time. The Amusement Park was fine for the most park, we even put extra people at J2, we were running 2 trains and we had 1 op + 1 supervisor, 4 attendants (incl. 1 at dispatch), 1 at the beginning of the station for height and one at the beginning of the queue checking heights and clothes, etc. Everything was going well until about 1:30...we lost 2 attendants to the waterpark. After that, some people from other departments were being moved the waterpark. Figures the hottest day is the same day someone rents out the park. We had an estimated 8,000 people. which is alot for Clementon Park.

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Former Clementon Park Ride Op
J2 Attendant 2005
Clementon Park Rides Supervisor 2009
On-Ride Central is returning Summer 2009!