Worst Part of Working Rides

maXair140 · #1 09-12-2005, 06:14 PM

So, what's the worst parts of working on rides at a park?

Pcw · #2 09-12-2005, 06:22 PM

I'm sure everyone can answer this one. Even I can. The worst one can be really stupid guests that break rules even though you warn them and stuff.

DPCMAN · #3 09-12-2005, 06:22 PM

Dealing with all the guests. Especially when parents get pissed off at you for telling them that their kid is too small and that it isn't your decision. It isn't too bad when you have more than one person running the ride but on the smaller ones where there is only you, it sucks.

Carowinds 73-03 · #4 09-12-2005, 06:32 PM

Stupid guest. Thats really the only problem i have. Guest who don't know how many are in their group and guest complaining that their kids can't ride.

maXair140 · #5 09-12-2005, 07:14 PM

Wow, I hope the good things out number your list of bad things!

AdrenalinexX · #6 09-12-2005, 08:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by WildeFyre

-Parents (the kids are never really that bad; 95% of the time kids will understand but the parents put up the fight)
-Protien Spills aka Vomit. Its not fun to clean up
-Guests hitting on you (especially jailbaiters and dirty ones)
-Seeing things you wouldn't even wish on your worst enemy
-Long hours (if the park closes at 10 but you have a 3hr line, you'll be there till past 1am)
-Extreme heat with little to no shade at all
-Low pay
-Constant standing or bending (depending on rides)
-Having to answer the same questions over and over when the ride breaks down
-Having to tell the same person 3 times to get off the handrails (which by the way, if i had to ask more than 3 times i wouldn't let them on)

I'm sure i could go on, but I have class in a few minutes

With the part about long lines are you payed for that?

Carowinds 73-03 · #7 09-12-2005, 09:11 PM

Yes your still being paid. They have to pay you since your still working.

**Jimmy B** · #8 09-12-2005, 10:19 PM

In this order

1. Guests who do not agree with our park policies and refuse to adhere to them; thank GOD we have security guards on patrol to help crackdown on such guests!

2. Guests who litter or vandalize the park.

3. Guests that ride the same ride 10-15 consecutive times with the intention of annoying the operator.

and a very distant fourth

4. Very long hours and exhausting nature of the work.

Carowinds2005 · #9 09-12-2005, 10:49 PM

In this order-
1. Guest who does not have on their shirt and shoes when its posted at the enterence of the water ride. And they try to get all pissy and upset about it.
2. Guest who get upset when you assign them a row they dont want. And they hold your line up when its like an hour long arguing with you that they want the front row.
3. Guest who swing their hair after getting off a the water ride and the water off their hair gets on your face. TALK ABOUT NASTY
4. And working Scooby Doo Haunted Mansion. When guest ask what the guns are used for. I have had guest ask if the guns are microphones, water guns and one even asked if it was a freakin HAIR DRYER.

Yea thats about it. lol

Carowinds 73-03 · #10 09-12-2005, 10:52 PM

LOL, thats some funny questions. The only question i get tired of answering about TG is "Why does his/her seat have two belts and mine has one?"

I get tired of answering this qeustion 100 times a day.

Some people even refuse to sit in the single seat belt seat, They complain that they want the double seatbelt cause it must be safer.

BSBMX · #11 09-13-2005, 05:50 PM

The following mostly pertains to Blizzard River:
1. "Can we take off our shoes?"
2. "Will I get wet?"
3. My seatbelt won't work/is broken."
4. "Can we take off our shoes?"
5. "Can you hold my cell phone for me?"
6. "Can we take off our shoes?"
7. "Where do we put our things that we don't want to get wet?"-Completely ignoring the buckets in front of them for items left behind during the ride.
8. "Does this center ring steer the boat?"
9. "Where is the dryest seat?"
10. "Can we take off our shoes?"
11. "Can we take off our shoes?"
12. "Oh, I'm not riding; I'm just going to cross over to the other side"-Completely ignoring the people that are exiting on the same sign they entered.
13. "Can we take off our shoes?"
14. "You mean our swim suits have to be covered up on this ride?"
15. "Oh, but little Johny is only an inch too short; come on man, let him ride."
16. Me-"How many poeple do you have in your group?" Guest-"Uhhhh, hmmmm, I don't know."
17. "Can my child sit in my lap?"
18. "What you mean I can't smoke in line?"-Because it's for the convenience of those around you who actually like living.
19. "But I just bought these $200 shoes this morning, and the water will ruin them."-Why would anybody come to an amusement park wearing $200 shoes? I mean seriously, $15 pair of cargo shorts, $5 shirt that says "Vote for Pedro", and $200 shoes. It just doesn't make sense to me.
20. "Can we take off our shoes?"

But after all these complaints, I still enjoy my job. The occasional BELT FOOOOOOOOOO (you would have to work there to understand) and the funny spiels my senior team leader gives are just two things that make my job worth-while.

Sandy W · #12 09-13-2005, 07:52 PM

^ And the winner is can we take off our shoes? lol

BSBMX · #13 09-13-2005, 08:10 PM

Yes, I believe so.

Kyle Rehm · #14 09-14-2005, 01:52 AM

By far the worst thing is dealing with the parent that is determined to get their child on a ride. These lovely people come in a few different styles...

1. The child is too short and they understand it is for their safety - These are the ones that I wish I could have had every day, but instead I had these more like once a month.

2. The child is too short and the parent will try to barter with you, saying things like "Well I assume responsibility for what happens to them." or "Well what if we just slip by and you 'don't' see us?" and don't forget the best one of all.... "Well we went on Mine Ride already today and that is 48" too!" Now I don't care who they are, if they are not 48" according to my height stick I'm not putting my job on the line, sometimes it is extremely hard to get it through their heads!

3. The stuffers. Simply put, people shove stuff in their child's shoes, tissues, toilet paper, paper towels, anything that would give them an extra inch or so. Or even the people who have 2" Thick heels on. Now when these people walk up I could spot them a mile away, simply because they couldn't walk at all. With their shoes stuffed it not only makes it hard to walk, but it also makes your ankle show up really high above the top of your shoe. When confronted they usually begin to plead, which doesn't work since I really at that point would have the urge to call for security to explain to them that they are knowingly endangering the life/safety of their child. The ones with shoes that are too tall were fairly simple, you swap their shoes with their parents or my own shoes, if they made it they are fine, if not sorry not tall enough.

4. The sneaky ones. They are usually people who have tried to get in through the main entrance and will then ( at least with Gemini) try to go partially up the exit, and then cut across the grass, as the exit/entrance lines pass relatively close to each other. I guess these people never realized the people on platform watching them cut across the lawn.

5. The child is tall enough, but doesn't want to ride. These are the fun ones. I was called so many bad words its not even funny by these types of people. At Cedar Point each rider has to show a "willingness to ride", basically if they are crying and saying they don't want to ride, then they are not riding period. But then the parent will say to us "NO They are going ON." These can lead to some quite serious confrontations, but the train is not moving with the child on it, if they say "No" then they are not riding, plain and simple.

***Steven*** · #15 09-14-2005, 02:51 AM

Mine are the know-it-all type of enthusiasts... the ones that try to tell me how to run the ride, and the ones that try to defeat the restraints.

Other ones I've hated...
- Guests who try to bring beer, cigarettes, basketballs, etc. in line.
- Guests who attempt to abuse the Special Access (for disabled guests)
- Parents who tried to get their kids on rides when they were too short (I heard the excuse that they either were previously on this or another ride... I just told them to go to Park Ops and get officially measured)
- Line jumpers (you leave to do anything, your forfeit your spot, simple as that... they'd continue to argue, to the point where I said I'd call security and have them escorted out of the park)
- Those novelty cups
- People who decide to bring a giant Odie onto the ride (back before Cedar Point cracked down on loose items).

... and other things that are said above.