Dorney Park or Hersheypark

Okay, but while I understand some of the theoretical reasoning behind it, I still wonder why it's so important to worry about efficiency if the park is dead enough to send out half-empty trains. If there's no line, what does it matter?

Using your figures (assumptions aside), you're correct that the absolute most a train would take to load would be twice as long. But so what? If the park is dead and nobody is in line, does it matter? Capacity obviously isn't a concern on this particular day. Like I said, it seems like an unnecessary policy - no real gain with the potential to damper guests' experiences. I just don't see any sense in it, especially if it's leaving anyone waiting in line while they send half-empty trains.

-Nate

The point isn't capacity.. I've said that already. Dorney just wants their rides to be as efficient as possible.

If the park is dead and nobody is in line, why force your employees to work twice as hard?

As for guest experiences, you have people on both sides of the coin. You'll have people who agree with you - placement on the train is more important. Then you have other people, like myself when I was little. When I was little (in the ballpark of 8-10 years old) I remember I'd get in a ride, and be so anxious for it to start. that extra 30-60 seconds seemed like half an hour.

Also, people (even enthusiasts) are more impressed with a faster-cycling coaster. Which thread was it recently that a bunch of people noticed that Stormrunner's line seemed to keep moving, while TTD stood still? Not to mention about the people that come into the station while you're buckling the last seatbelt and have to wait until you finish, the train dispatches and comes back, and then wait for you to do it all over again. If you had the back half blocked off, the train would likely be at least halfway up the lifthill, and that person would be waiting less.

I think this is another one of those topics where we'll both have to be adults and, to use a cliche, "agree to disagree" :)

Hey, if you want, next time you're in the area let me know and I'll give you a personal tour of the park, complete with history and much of what I know about operational background stuff. If nothing else, it'd be good to put a face to the name, and it'll be a new perspective of the park for you.

Generally speaking enthusiasts are not a good group to ask about line length and wait times. I've seen many, many times enthusiasts say, "the line was 20 mins so we skipped it."

WTF...20 mins is a long time? Man, sometimes I'd pray for only a 20 min wait.

---

dannerman said:
Also, people (even enthusiasts) are more impressed with a faster-cycling coaster. Which thread was it recently that a bunch of people noticed that Stormrunner's line seemed to keep moving, while TTD stood still?

---

But if there is no line (as there shouldn't be if they're only filling half the train), this point is irrelevant, no? :)

I have to admit, your point about easing stress on employees is the most valid IMO, but those slow days where they're only filling half the train should be the least stressful days anyway. Honestly, this is a policy I've only seen at Dorney. It still just doesn't make any sense to me. Even the point about not keeping people in the train waiting is a little odd, I think, since those same people walked on to the ride without waiting, and a minute in the train shouldn't bother anyone.

I appreciate the offer, but like I said, these days I find myself driving past Dorney to visit Hershey or SFGAdv instead. :)

-Nate
*** Edited 1/19/2005 7:09:45 AM UTC by coasterdude318***

Just a question on closing off rows for "efficiency". I've only ever seen this done once... and it just happened to be at Dorney on Hercules. They had the back half of the train closed off.

Question is this: You have a train of 12 rows of seats (total of 24 seats). In the case above, the back 6 rows I believe were closed off. When parks close off rows, is this the normal procedure? Or do some close off the middle of the train, leaving the front and back rows open since those are the most populare seats?

I think it depends upon the supervisor, or which rows maintenance has given ops the ability to close.

Its usually the back in order to keep the weight in the front of the train. I know this was the case with Hercules anyways.

^ Also, if you look at the station (Thunderhawk, since Hercules is gone) there are chains to put up on the back 2 cars, but not on the front 2. I do remember one time I noticed they had the 3rd car closed off, but had the back car and front 2 open. That I thought was a little odd.

As for a slow day being less stressful, actually, from friends of mine that have worked on coasters, those are usually the most stressful. It's typically cold and rainy, and even with things like closing off particular rows, you're still working harder for each dispatch than you are on a busy day. On coasters like Steel Force and Thunderhawk, that's a lot of bending over to either buckle seatbelts or push down lapbars (depending on the coaster)

Well, if you're assuming a park is only dead because it's cold and/or raining, that point stands. However, there are days (especially at Dorney) early and later in the season that are dead no matter what the weather. And although ride-ops may have to work slightly harder with buckling seatbelts, they also get a break while the single train is cycling.

The ride operators I know would certainly disagree with the statement that less busy days are more stressful.

SLFAKE: The only park I've seen close off rows due to low crowds is Dorney, and in that case it was the back half of the train on Hercules and Thunderhawk. I don't believe the policy was in effect for Steel Force.

-Nate
*** Edited 1/20/2005 3:47:07 AM UTC by coasterdude318***

I'll have to disagree with you. With the exception of before noon (everyone is at the top of the park) and after 6 on days the park closes at 7:30 (school/camp groups leave around 5/6), unless it's cold (I'd say around 50-60 or below) and/or rainy, Dorney usually isn't that dead. It's not insanely busy, but usually busy enough to make it useful to use the back cars on Thunderhawk.

Oh, but I'm not talking about only loading half the train specifically; I'm talking about slow days in general. You (essentially) stated that ride ops you know say slow days are the most stressful because of having to buckle so many seatbelts, among other things. I was just pointing out that even with those extra chores, the day should be less stressful (and indeed, rideops I know have backed me up) because you get a break while the train is cycling.

In other words, slow days when there is only a need to run one train should be less stressful because you're only filling one train per cycle, not two.

-Nate

If you look at it simply that way...Yes

But why is it a slow day? Is it raining buckets? Or is it 95 degrees? Was the park bought out? Is corporate management in the park?
There's a whole host of reasons that a slow day can be more Stressful...Especially if Management decides to make it so!