Hersheypark: 97 degrees and a 97 degree plunge!

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matt. said:
All the time. Why would even numbered groups be inherently more common than odd numbered groups?

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Because I think people tend to ride as pairs. I think people tend to experience parks as pairs (we all have a 'riding partner'). I think the very nature of all aspects of park-going shies away from odd numbers.

Maybe it's just me.

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2 across or 4 across I don't really see why it would matter when it comes to single rider lines.

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I suspect that with a 4-across ride that when the line hasn't adjusted itself to fill those extra 2 seats when a pair boards, the ride-op would be more inclined to grab from the single-rider line than try to call for two from the regular line. Just makes sense to me for some reason.

Probably just me again. :)

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Lord Gonchar said:
Maybe it's just me.

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I think it is. Even on coasters that sit 2 across you're still going to find at least 1 or 2 empty seats on every train. If the riding arrangement makes a significant difference, and I really don't think it would, then the ride's capacity would still affect the single-rider line many many many more times over. On rides with high throughput you just have that many more chances to catch an empty seat, which I think is why single rider lines are so successful at Disney parks.

On a ride like California Screamin' you could have a constant, heavy stream of single riders and still fill seats like crazy. On Fahrenheit you just don't get that many chances to nab an empty one because there are so many fewer total seats moving through the loading area. If capacity in the single-rider line exceeds the limited supply on a ride like Fahrenheit then obviously the wait would get pretty darn lengthy but in theory if the loading procedure is clear and you can tell how many people are in the single-rider line it shouldn't be that tough to do a quick cost/benefit analysis and know which line to stand in.

That makes sense.

I still think the psychology of a park visit lends itself to even numbers though.

Like you said, it's pretty common to see one or two seats empty on any given train. That's pretty much saying there's only one or two odd groups on every train.

For a B&M ride that means there could be as many as 14 even groups in comparison. A 7-to-1 ratio certainly favors the idea of the park experience being a 'couples' thing.

Admittedly, that's stacking the odds in a best case scenario sort of thing, but the basic point is there. One or two empties on a train just means lots of even numbered groups riding.

Even on a 12 passenger train like Fahrenheit if you had two empties per train that still means people are riding in even numbers at a 2-to-1 ratio.

I'm getting away from the original question and your "total number of seats' thing makes perfect sense, but on a mostly unrelated note, I still have to think that most people visit the park and especially ride in even numbers.

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Lord Gonchar said:
I still think the psychology of a park visit lends itself to even numbers though.

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Agreed and I bet if you did a study you would indeed find, on average, over the long term, more groups of even numbers riding major attractions than odd numbers. However, I'm guessing the even groups would not outnumber the odd ones enough to be significant in this case, at least not compared to overall capacity unless the capacity is really really garbage.

Of course, my favorite single rider move is the old wait in the line for the 2nd row - nab an empty seat in the front row trick. Now in that case the 4 across seating DOES totally help since we're hunting for that specific row.

I don't think an odd number of riders is that unusual. I've seen two parents and one child, and one parent with two children (the second parent is either a non-rider or is waiting with a child too young to ride). Often I'll see 3 teenage guys or teenage girls in a group.

Last month, I met my brother and his family and a few of the kids' friends at Hershey. There were 8 of us altogether, 3 adults and 5 kids. It seemed that as often as not, there was an odd number of the group on many of the rides. Only 3 of us rode SR and Sidewinder (I remembered why I haven't ridden that one in 7 years). Only the 5 kids went on the Rapids and Tidal Force (at 7 PM), but I attribute that to the fact that teens and tweens basically have no common sense. :)

See, I still think odd groups are (excuse the pun) the odd ones out.

Might be an interesting thing to keep an eye on when at the parks...

...if you're a total tool like I tend to be about such things. :)

^Some of us just have brains that don't go into "auto-shutdown mode" when we're at parks. So we keep busy people-watching and looking around at the park instead of glazing over... ;)

I've said this before, but I always have a great time at the parks....I save the "toolishness" for times when I'm stuck with a computer in lieu of a ride... :)

I don't really think odd numbered groups are the odd ones out...typically I can't GET a big group to come out to an amusement park and usually somehow end up with three people going on rides. We just take turns riding with each other. Or, I get a huge group together and we spend so much time bickering about what to do next that I don't ever end up on ANY rides. I tend to just go by myself when the mood strikes me. It's easiest, and I'm not the odd one out because well, how could I be? :)