getting tired of line jumpers

Yes I took it "there". Yes I am fighting a loosing battle. I know, Paris...

I took it there, mil_force31482, because I think that maybe now that we are accustomed to VQ, people who cut lines don't feel as bad for doing it. Maybe they figure that if someone with a Q-Bot is allowed to cut, why can't they.

The parks post signs against line jumping, then post signs advertising that if you pay, you can skip the lines. I just find it ironic, that's all.

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LostKause said:

Maybe they figure that if someone with a Q-Bot is allowed to cut, why can't they.

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My theory is the opposite one. If you have a line reservation system -- whether it's free like FastPass at Disney or pay like Flash at Six Flags -- you have an actual extra attendant IN THE LINE regulating the flow into the station. You can't "excuse me" your way past the attendant. The attendant is also facing the queue and can see any unusual butting activity. Line reservation systems, therefore, help enforce the line jumping rule. It doesn't hurt that the park has a financial incentive in who gets the shorter lines.

The argument that folks see a FlashPass in action will be tempted to jump lines is flawed. If anything, they will see it as a premium product, and just as you don't jump over a park fence to get in after watching people pay to enter or feel you are entitled to a free burger because someone else is paying for one, seeing getting ahead in line as something to pay for, makes it more obvious that you are stealing from the park when you do. That's Dostoevsky 101 in action.

Who's Dostoevsky?

I'm just a regular guy. I have never read anything written by Fyodor Dostoevsky (that's the first person who popped up when I googled the name), nor have I ever heard of him until you mention him as if everyone knows all about him.

Seems as if you were trying to talk down to me. That's okay. I understand your side of the argument. I'm okay with it. I don't think that VQ is fair or just. I give my reasons. I hope that some people can see my argument and agree with some of it, or at least understand where I am coming from.

No biggie.

EDIT - (added a little more) *** Edited 7/5/2008 9:29:59 PM UTC by LostKause***

Not big. we need the high brow guys & gals to balance out the blue-collar knuckle draggers like me! :P

My situation is one I have not seen mentioned on here. I used to be against Virtual Queuing schemes unless they were open to all like DIsney's FastPass. I thought they were unfair. But then I had a series of very unpleasant experiences waiting in line at various amusement parks. I watched people cut me in line, smoke in my face, act overly rowdy, and even harass me for no reason other than they were bored in line and wanted to do something. I found myself not having a good time at the parks because of all the negative actions I would experience while waiting in line.

This led me to try Flash Pass one day at Six Flags St. Louis, and I had a great day where I was no longer at the mercy of all the rude and selfish people I would see in line.

So you see, all the bad behavior in the queue lines lead me to embrace the concept of Flash Pass, Q-bot and so on.

I would be glad to wait in line with everyone else if it were not so unpleasant. But as rude and disrespectful as people are today, I now try to avoid it when I can.

Actually had a somewhat pleasant experience with line jumpers today. I had a group of about 7 kids duck under the bars and cut in front of me and my friend who wound our way around the switchbacks of a ride like we're supposed to. I got irate because the park was crowded as hell and I wanted to ride on this ride sometime in the next millenium, so I said, "Gee, I hate it when PEOPLE LINE JUMP!!!" real loud. One of the kids turned around and said, "Ladies, would you like to get in front of us?" I said, "Really?" I was so surprised. I thought maybe he was being sarcastic. He replied, "Well, after all, we did cut in front of you, so you should go first." I said thank you and took my rightful place in line.

I mentioned before in another thread that a chaperone joined his line jumping group of school kids at Great Adventure, and when the chaperone got caught jumping, he said "I'm their damn chaperone!" The security guard let him do it. Instead, since the policy IS that the rest of the group go to the place where the last member of the group is, the whole line-jumping group of 10 people cut in front of us for El Toro and got away with it. If the parks aren't going to enforce some kind of policy on this, what is the point of the signs and the announcements and everything?

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LostKause said:

Seems as if you were trying to talk down to me.

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No way. I apologize if you felt that way, because it certainly wasn't my intent. I don't play that way, even if we don't see eye to eye.

Dostoevsky wrote Crime and Punishment. It wasn't meant as a high-brow comment. Heck, I've seen it referenced on The Simpsons! It just felt appropriate since I was wrapping up a winded explanation on criminal psychology.

Bunky: You should have gotten the name of the security guard that allowed the chaperone to cut, then went to guest relations after riding, told them that so-and-so allowed a chaperone to cut in line at El Toro, and ask if this is park policy.

If they say it is, point out the 'no line jumping under any circumstances, including to meet up with people ahead in line' rule and ask how they can reconcile that with what happened. If they say it isn't, ask them to kindly do something to prevent it from happening again. Methinks (or at least hopes) that security guard will get disciplined over it.

If they blow you off, that's when you stop going to the park. Get the names of whomever blew you off and write a letter to upper management. Eventually, you'll hit someone who cares.

It always fascinates me that people who are willing to pay the money to get into a park, with apparently not a moment's consideration for all those who simply can't afford the gate admission to their local amusement park, then become angered that some of the people in the park are willing to pay for expedited access to rides.

I must be blind, but I just don't see much jumping at CP. Then again, I don't generally get in long lines.

I don't get angry when I see people getting ahead of me in line because they bought virtual ques...I get sad. Why can't I afford them? :P

You know, I never even thought to go complain. I felt that I had paid so much for the admission and everything that I just wanted to get in as many rides as possible. I can assure you that next year if I get a season pass and actually therefore have the money to take my time in the park, I will definitely make complaints to the managers/guest relations people. If nothing else, maybe they'll give me a pass to ride something else (I know people that got stuck on El Toro and had to be evacuated and THEY got a jump-to-the-front-of-the-line pass for any ride they wanted). One can dream, right? :)

The other day at Hersheypark, I saw several people cut in line for the Comet in front of me. I didn't say a word because my 9 yr old neice was with me in line and I didn't really feel like risking a possible argument in front of her. However, it did p*** me off royally.

In contrast, the last time I was at SFGrAdv that I didn't buy a qbot and I saw people getting in line ahead of me, I got mad too... at myself for being to damned cheap to buy one myself. Since then I have used Qbots at SFNE and SFGrAdv as well as FlashPass (or what ever they call the coupon books) at SFKK and on a busy day at a park that offers such a system I would NEVER think about doing with out them.

Now if SixFlags would ever up the cost of their (rediciously underpriced) season passes, I might think differently... but by spending the money for a Season Pass as SFA early in the season for the same price as a 1 day admission, the pass pays for itself in one visit, and buying a Qbot at later in the season at SF parks that offer them is about the same price as paying for a one day admission there... the two in combination are a powerful tool.

It's just one of the unofficial rules of economics at work... You get what you pay for.

You'd think with the "widening" of America's waistlines, line cutting would be on the decrease.

(At least I know it to be an advantage in my case) ;)

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janfrederick said:
You'd think with the "widening" of America's waistlines, line cutting would be on the decrease.

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Line plumpers?

There are a few of us who might resemble that remark, Gonch. i'm not exactly small (260, 5'8 w/ a 44" waist), but my doc says I'm healthy. Now if Intamin would make their seats a bit bigger....

All I know is some people dont know what real line jumpers are.

Example 1 Opening day, Some guy just sat on the Millie Q line silver rails and just kept slinking by people till he cut most of the line. The worst part no one said anything.

Example 2 If you have ever gone through Soak City gate you know that they let You in then hold u back until the anthem is done, and to hold you back they have blue rolling "Gates." Well I saw that there was room near the front so I went up there. Then as people starting going to the rides after the anthem, someone of the GP comes up to me and says "I saw what You did and that was line jumping"

To simply my point the GP doesn't get what line jumping is even though it is posted everywhere.

This might have been covered but since everyone has such long winded posts I have avoided reading them all. :)

Do events that include ERT count has cutting?

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Hopman said:
(260, 5'8 w/ a 44" waist), but my doc says I'm healthy.

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I'm 200, 5'8" and have a 34" waist, and my doctor says I need to shed about 30 pounds. I think you should see a better doctor.

^Just because his doctor said he was healthy, doesn't mean he wasn't told to shed pounds.

Even with all that weight, him being healthy probably meant his cholesterol and blood pressure were good, heart, etc.