Best Part of working rides

PGH_Steeler · #1 10-27-2005, 06:17 PM

I know there is a post for the worst part about working in rides. Now i want to talk about the best part about working rides.

I like the test rides in the morning and at night. Especially if you're at a fun ride. I had fun riding the jack rabbit and the racer every morning. It gave me a chance to wake up and get ready for the long day ahead. And during traning before the season started we rode the jack rabbit for like an hour and a half straight. That was fun

PGH_Steeler · #2 11-03-2005, 09:59 PM

dang no one wants to post in here. I didn't think the thread topic was that bad.

Sir Willow · #3 11-04-2005, 12:47 PM

Nah, just to busy to think about it much. It's actually a good topic.

Personally, I really enjoy working with the vast majority of the guests. They're having a good time and I do to. Joking around with them, and especially having fun at the expense of the kids is a blast. But then over at Rhino we're supposed to be a bit irreverent- in a clean, friendly way.

Personally, I've found working there to be a great way to relax and let off some stress and steam from teaching all week. Especially when I'm driving and can, in a joking way, lay into my navigator or other people. They have fun, and it's a kick and a half for me too.

DPCMAN · #4 11-04-2005, 04:38 PM

Working the rides themselves can be pretty fun. I just like the feeling of having everyone's life in my hands. Not that I ever do anything bad but it is a really exhilarating feeling.

**Jimmy B** · #5 11-05-2005, 08:45 PM

I'll say this much, it feels like an honor being a ride operator, especially while you're interacting with guests in line or boarding the ride and guests are always inquisitive about your job and the ride. The best part is getting to play mind games with the nervous guests as they board the ride and playing with their heads, which is always a lot of fun. I like to say innocent things that probably does not sound comforting to the riders.

There are also perks to go along with the job like free unlimited admission/parking at your park and all other parks in your chain, especially through the employee entrance. Discounts on items at your park.

JordanMullins · #6 11-05-2005, 08:57 PM

Whoa... Im getting a job at SixFlags!

Hector · #7 11-06-2005, 02:19 AM

Free entrance to the park on days off, Cheap(er) food, pride knowing I haven't killed anyone *cough*sixflagsandknotts*cough* and the bond you make with your crew. Test riding is always a plus, unless your at a ride like Paddlewheel were YOU are the ride...

Honestly, if your supervisors don't suck too bad, you can have an awesome time working at an amusement park. The tough part is the hours and knowing safety should always come first before anything (The guest is NOT always right in this instance.)

DemonHunter4337 · #8 11-06-2005, 11:42 AM

Knowing that I get to operate a multi-million dollar piece of machinery and the simple fact that it goes with the job.

RollerNut · #9 11-12-2005, 08:14 PM

My favorite part of my job is watching and talking to the guests. It is always fun to talk to the first time riders that are scared because you ask if the ride is scary, and I like seeing their faces when they come back into the station.

kbf2005 · #10 11-14-2005, 01:28 AM

i statred at knott's berry farm as an ro in the wild water wildneress area i really enjoy it & note the knott's was cleared fo ANY wrong doing in one death

Hector · #11 11-14-2005, 02:19 AM

^ right...

PGH_Steeler · #12 12-01-2005, 07:17 PM

At the racer at KW, i loved to make people lose lol. That was the fun part of the day. Especially making them lose by a lot. I think the record was 17 seconds or in that area. We don't do that very often. Only when someone makes us really really mad. Or we just feel like having some fun.

**Ryan F** · #13 12-01-2005, 07:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JordanMullins

Whoa... Im getting a job at SixFlags!

There isn't a Six Flags park anywhere near Alberta...The only Canadian Six Flags park is in Quebec.

DemonHunter4337 · #14 12-03-2005, 08:51 AM

Two words: Ride Nights

PGH_Steeler · #15 12-03-2005, 02:55 PM

whats ride nights? is it when employees can ride when the park closes? KW doesn't do that. I wish they did, that would be fun. But i guess there's no point for Kw to do it cause there's not many rides to choose from that people really want to ride that bad. We can just come out on a day off and ride. now if we had like 10 more coasters then that would be a different story.

Raptor · #16 12-03-2005, 06:26 PM

- Getting to see parts and aspects of the park you normally wouldn't get to see.
- Getting to see parts of the ride you normally never get to see.
- Getting to operate the ride.
- Interacting with guests, joking with them, etc. All kinds of people that wouldn't normally talk to you suddenly do when you're a ride host.
- Having control over the guests
- Test rides!
- Ride nights!
- Able to go in and out of the park as you please (at Cedar Point the park kinda becomes your second home)
- Cheaper food for employees... but only in break areas.
- Making friends with your crew
- Actually being around people who know what they're talking about when it comes to rides. In other words, you won't feel out of place discussing things like we do on this forum with most of your co-workers like you would with average people.

Some people may think it's a stupid job... but I enjoy it.. you really do get a cool feeling from it, if you're someone who loves parks/rides like us.

Tbakmtown2006 · #17 12-04-2005, 12:05 AM

- Anytime your working with a fun crew
- Seeing the children's smiling faces on kiddie rides
- Getting to know people from all over the world
- Having first or last ride at one of the coasters
- Storm closings
- Getting to know and bond with your supervisors and hanging out with them outside of work
- Realizing how stupid people can be
- Employee parties
- Knowing you made somebody's entire day
- Joking around with the maintenance guys when they don't know how to fix the ride
Pretty much everything else except for getting yelled at by a guest.

sirius_kid · #18 12-04-2005, 02:52 AM

-Having the control to tell what the guest to do. I find it so funny we as ride ops actually control the guest!

- Getting to operate a multimillion dollar ride I mean who gets to do that every day?

- Making great friends at work.

- Test Rides!

- Racing to check restraits with other co workers

m-force 4 ever · #19 06-21-2006, 07:25 PM

I love to hear guests scream and say they had fun, that always makes me happy.

April_fool_79 · #20 06-21-2006, 08:32 PM

40 mm grenade launchers at Jaws. Makes weather down time *REAL* interesting.

Being the person that drops the dummy at Earthquake and doing something totally off the wall to try to make the "director" start laughing.

10 minute power naps when frozen in the TD booth at Earthquake on a day we're running 15 minute cycles.

Stealing ... I mean *BORROWING* the comfy couch from the building that never gets used anyway ... *AND* convincing that security guard that you run into that you not only have permission to be dragging a couch across the park at 1 AM, but to HELP YOU DO IT.

Hide and seek in Fievel's playland at midnight, with no lights.

Diddo at Camp Jurassic.

And the castle at Dueling Dragons.

20 people playing UNO with 5 decks of cards ... And getting violent about it.

Learning how to sleep in the offline area of Dueling Dragons ... Sitting up, leaning against a water dummy, wearing a hard hat.

Picking on Steven Spielberg because he's a wuss and won't ride any of the thrill rides at the parks.

Riding the Hulk for a photo shoot until I almost passed out ... Had to be carried off the train.

Walking through Spiderman.

Sitting on the ledge beside the big drop on Ripsaw Falls and watching the Disney fireworks as empty logs drop past me.

Climbing inside Kong. Yes, actually inside the monkey himself.

Going on the roof of the Kong building to watch shuttle lift-offs.

Hiding in the firehouse at Jaws during a weather down time, seeing the lagoon get hit by lightning and watching all the shark platforms come up out of the water.

Wandering around the Jaws lagoon during annual draining and cleaning weeks.

Stopping annoying people on the lift hill in the boat wash at Bluto's Bilge Rat Barges and hitting them with the water cannon over and over and over and over again.

Employee parties at the waterpark with lifeguards and ride ops ONLY. Dragging the inner tubes from the Lazy River into the Wave Pool. Taking the mats from the Zoom Flume and going down the Speed Slide with them. Going down the River Rapids without a tube.

Ride nights on the Starliner, Wave Swinger, Log Flume and Shockwave. Supervisors walking under you as the Wave Swinger is running, and you trying to hit them with shoes, shirts, coins, anything handy. Everyone on the log flume having plastic cups to dump on the person at the top of the big hill. The supervisors waiting in the station for you to come back to dump the water cooler -- still full of ice water -- on *YOU*. Your supervisor stopping the Shockwave upside down, throwing the brakes on, turning the lights off, and LEAVING THE CONTROL BOOTH!! I thought we'd be up there all night.

AlpenOp06 · #21 06-21-2006, 09:44 PM

There are so many reasons I love working a ride - whenever I see Alpengeist listed somewhere, or someone talkin' about how much fun they had riding that, I get to say that I had a part in that. Not to mention that this season, we have such a great crew - we have soooo much fun hangin' out together!!!! I also love being able to tell people that I operate a major roller coaster that is known world-wide - and the guest interaction is wonderful. It has it's moments, as do all jobs, but for the most part, I wouldn't trade my job for anything.

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