Lake Compounce adopts Lo-Q texting service

That was really funny, Vater. :)

...because it's true.

Let me add, I would rather see line cuts be much more expensive. Less people using it means that it would impact the wait times less.

I was considering purchasing a Q-Bot during my Dollywood visit, because my disabled Mother was with me, and I didn't want her to have to sit and wait for me to ride coasters any longer than she had to. Once I saw how uncrowded the park was, I changed my mind.

Had the park been hella busy, I would have felt that the Q-Bot would be helpful in my situation.

...Still not accepting how wonderful it is though. Knowing how most people would use it, it still allows people to cheat. If they could find a way to keep people from standing in two ride lines at once, especially two rides that offer Q-Bot (RFID perhaps?), I would be much more accepting of it, because it would then be actually used as a ride reservation system. Right now, for most users, it works as a way to get double the rides or more, and it clogs the lines for everyone else. That's why it negatively effects those who do not use Q-Bot.

Now that we have the 6-10% number, I feel more than ever that it doesn't affect people's days enough to even begin complaining.

Assuming a full 10% use it and 100% of those people double up (perfect storm, worst case scenario) - your 30 minute wait is now 33 minutes.

Oh, the horror!

Of course that's for a basic minute-for-minute system. The impact is greater for systems that reduce waits (like Gold and Plat bots), but I'm not doing the math right this second. Maybe later.

When just one person cuts in front of me, that's one person that I have to wait on before I get my turn. It still affects my day.

Three minutes per ride, times fifteen rides per day, is 45 minutes. That's not a non-issue. That's an extra ride or two that I could have gone on, but couldn't.

In this example, I used to pay about $50 to get approximately 17 rides, but now I am getting approximately 15 rides. Heck, people complain when just one person cuts in front of them, adding, maybe, one cycle to their wait. This is enough people to keep me from riding a few rides throughout the day.

And just don't think about the one person getting cut in front of. Taking a few rides away from everyone who isn't Q-Botting throughout the day makes it seem even worse. That could equal to thousands of rides, per person, per one day admission, that the average guests are not getting because of the system.

What confuses me about LK is this: he hates people who pay to cut in line, but he keeps mentioning that he pays to cut in line. Here, in consideration of his mother. How do we know that that person that cuts in front of LK when LK hasn't paid to cut, doesn't have a medical condition?

LostKause said:
Three minutes per ride, times fifteen rides per day, is 45 minutes. That's not a non-issue.

Then that's where we differ in philosophy.

I couldn't tell you the last time I went to a park and rode 15 rides. I couldn't tell you the last time I went to a park and did nothing but ride. I couldn't tell you how many variables are already affecting your day that make your wait times vary from "perfect" waits.

There's so much that goes into the equation of a day at the park that, to me, if you're thinking I might oinly get 16 rides instead of 17 over the course of my day, then you're just looking for a complaint.

If you're that worried about the economy of the cost of each ride, then maybe your complaint should be with the pay-one-price system that makes you pay the same no matter how much you ride?

LostKause said:
When just one person cuts in front of me, that's one person that I have to wait on before I get my turn. It still affects my day.

No, it doesn't, because they didn't cut in front of you. Most of these systems are simply reserving a place. Whether they physically stand in line in front of you or do it virtually, they're there either way.

But if someone is standing in line for two rides at a time, Jeff, to me they are cutting in front of everyone for their second ride.

Slither, I never hate anyone, not serial killers, the guy who drives like a maniac, or the guy who cuts in front of me in line. I don't hate anyone.

I hate that every park has a no line cutting rule, but allows people to break that rule if they pay. It's blackmail. I don't want people cutting in front of me or doing anything to make my wait times any longer. Sometimes they are already long enough.

Place RFID tags into a Q-Bot, and don't let people stand in line while thier Q-bot is standing in line, and it may start turning into a good idea. Or make it so that everyone has a Q-Bot (even charge more admission for it), and no one can enter the ride without a reservation...that'd be awesome!

LostKause said:
But if someone is standing in line for two rides at a time, Jeff, to me they are cutting in front of everyone for their second ride.

Which works out for you since you're only in line for one ride, and thus you still lose the argument. :)

...almost no one at Dollywood had Q-Bots (note: I'm paraphrasing)

Once I saw how uncrowded the park was, I changed my mind (on getting one).

See, Dollywood started Q-Bots for the shows, not the rides. They expanded it to the rides. You say you want them to be more expensive. Parks like Dollywood, and likely LC price them so cheap for 2 reasons:

1) They added the system to offer another service so that the park can make more money.

2) These are options that really aren't needed at these 2 parks for most guests. Seriously, I've been going to Dollywood since 2004, before they got Q-Bots, and I've never actually seen anyone rent them (for rides).

Why are those to things important? These parks offer a service that guests mostly don't need, which means they're selling an almost useless service (If going by my assumption that LC isn't a really crowded park).

Dollywood offers it, but even during busy days, it's RARE that lines are over 30 minutes. If they have 2 trains running on the 3 big coasters, and multiple cars running on Mystery Mine, they eat up those lines. Did you notice how small the Queue for Thunderhead is? I've NEVER seen it full. Even on packed days.

They're offering the service to make people think they're getting something of value, thus they're making money, for something that isn't needed by most people, therefore, the preceived value is less, so most people aren't going to pay more than $10 for Dollywood's Q-bot anywho.

The busiest day I'd ever been to Dollywood was on a Thursday in June. It was packed, and the line for Thunderhead was 30 minutes (They only ran 1 train) and the line for Tornado was about an hour (Again, only one train). I left the park at 5 and didn't get there at opening, and I still got multiple rides on everything I wanted to ride.

If people already aren't using the system at parks like this, for as cheap as they are, then why charge more? If hardly anyone uses it, it isn't such an impact.

I will be curious though to see how these systems work out in other parks besides Six Flags which even before the service had terrible wait times.

Let's be fair about the arguments against Lo-Q (and that is its correct name) that have been presented over time, too.

It used to be argued that Lo-Q was evil because it created a disparate experience for two classes of people: those who could afford Lo-Q and those who couldn't (or one assumed couldn't.)

Now it's being argued that Lo-Q is evil because it is so inexpensive that it can be obtained by too many people and therefore too many people have access to it and usage will grow.

There really is nothing left to debate when the opposing argument is not much more than, "I hate it because I do and there's nothing anyone can say to change my mind." (:folds arms over chest and sticks out bottom lip:)

Lord Gonchar said:
I'm not sure I understand what the issue is with the 10-minute window.

I was just wondering if a 10 minute window will be practical, or will a large percentage of the people miss their window, and have to be reissued new times. I guess if you are given a reservation time fairly close to the time of the request, it may not be a problem. But if its like Disney, and your time could be hours away, then it takes a little more planning to make sure you are near the ride during your 10 minute window.

Disney's is the only system I've used that doesn't actively enforce some kind of window for reserved rides.

I mean, it's a reservation. Isn't the point to be there at a certain time?

Carrie, Lo-Q is the name of the company that offers the Q-Bot service. I think it is a scam against everyone in the park, even those who do not use it, and thus I occasionally call the company Lo-Scam, but not nearly as often as I used to.

I'm allowed to change my mind as to why I think it is wrong. Really, people change their mind all of the time. I used to say that I will never ever rent a Q-Bot, but now that I see the negative impact that it has on wait times at places like SF, I feel like I have to rent one, or suffer through the even longer lines.

And I've tried to talk about better way that Lo-Q could handle their ride reservations system, and how they could make it impact other riders less. They have to find a way to keep people from abusing it, in order to make it a true "ride reservation".

AND...If a park can't run their rides efficiently, why would they even consider inviting Lo-Q's services?

Jeff, I don't follow.

Exactly!