Pay-to-cut: Not Fun For Everyone
On such a day, everyone would have a very short wait if nobody bought a q-bot, but the park seems to try to give you incentive to buy one by intentionally making lines longer (or at least, making them longer as a casualty of q-bot).
This is why I like the free systems like Disney and Cedar Point better: The park has no incentive to make lines longer and if you complain about lines, they cannot simply say "Well then buy a Q-bot" (which I've gotten from guest services before).
Hobbes: "What's the point of attaching a number to everything you do?"
Calvin: "If your numbers go up, it means you're having more fun."
That is why even on the slowest days you see Cedar Point running at near to full or full capacity on rides. While Six Flags' parks take trains off etc.
Kyle Says: Diamondback was a lot of fun! Made his first time at Kings Island worth it all!
Regarding the conspiracy theory that SF intentionally lengthens lines, I'll just quote an earlier post:
Gonch said:
from what I've seen, these parks were running crappy capacity before they implimented these systems - so I don't buy into it.
Is this the real Gonch, or Virtual Gonch?
Guest happiness = return guests.
However, they didn't care before FastLane, so why should anything change after. Not because of incentive, but rather that's how they do business.
Most of us would rather be at Kennywood, Holiday World, Hershey Park, Kings Island, Busch Gardens then a Six Flags park despite the absence of queue systems. Even those of who want Fast Lane at parks would choose these others because they are better, more fun. What makes them better? Well, what is the goal of the park?
I agree with you, guest happiness does equal return guests, and lets hope it continues to bring in greater profit. Yet, lets say FastLane changes that rule. Now guest unhappiness can actually create a greater profit return.
Parks can profit from knocking out all the drinking fountains while charging $7 for any liquid, while guests passout from heat stroke. Is your decision on the correctness of such a park policy based purely on whether or not you can afford a $7 soda?
Do you want any of these better parks to start adopting profiting schemes like SF? Do you believe it would not effect the overall quality of these parks?
Park policies that favor profit over guest satisfaction in the end effects the whole park. They cut corners, provide crappy service, they overprice and con people into paying for ride access twice. In subtle ways park quality becomes less of a priority.
So when you feel that sinking feeling wash over you when you discover that Kennywood, Holiday World, Hershey Park, Kings Island, or a Busch Gardens park has chosen a Fast Lane policy, don’t be alarmed by your response. Even advocates of pay-to-cut can feel that pang of doom when they discover another park has chosen profit over people; a sad indication of things to come.
All my post said was SF had poor operations long before FastLane. Therefore, I don't buy into the conspiracy theory that the lines are intentional to sell Q-bots.
I have no idea what the hell you're talking about and even less of a clue of how it pertains to anything I said.
Lord Gonchar said:
I wonder what happens to people who have a ride time that lands during the breakdown?
At CP, Force was down and we had freeway stamps for the 1-2pm time. Went to the queue and asked what happened if the ride didn't open before 2, and we were told that we could use our stamps "whenever the ride opens". Sure enough, it opened right around 2pm....and proceeded to strand us about 200' up the lift...good times!
Not sure how this works elsewhere, but I was happy...:)
I agree with you Gonch, Six Flags did have poor operations before Q-Bot so Q-Bot might not be the reason why they have poor capacity, but should they implicate that system if they have poor capacity in teh first place?
Probably not.
Kyle Says: Diamondback was a lot of fun! Made his first time at Kings Island worth it all!
Lord Gonchar said:
All my post said was SF had poor operations long before FastLane. Therefore, I don't buy into the conspiracy theory that the lines are intentional to sell Q-bots.
Ahh, but you see, that was part of the conspiracy. They ran operations down into the ground well before introducing Qbot, precisely so people like you would think that bad capacity was the norm not the exception.
And y'al thought SF execs weren't forward thinking! ;)
lata, jeremy (tounge fimply implanted in cheek)
zacharyt.shutterfly.com
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A park managed by competent people would never design a scheme that annoyed more guests than it served to drive short-term profits. That's because the park's very survival depends on repeat business and word of mouth, particularly in a world flooded with entertainment options. Do incompetent management teams exist? Possibly. But, again, if they are incompetent, they have bigger problems than virtual queueing.
Kyle Says: Diamondback was a lot of fun! Made his first time at Kings Island worth it all!
Hobbes: "What's the point of attaching a number to everything you do?"
Calvin: "If your numbers go up, it means you're having more fun."
They ran operations down into the ground well before introducing Qbot, precisely so people like you would think that bad capacity was the norm not the exception.
They played me like a fiddle. I feel so used.
Being blown like a horn or plucked like a harp is so much better ;)
OK, seriously I don't think its much more of a case of "monkey see, monkey do." Disney started it with Fastpass, Universal Orlando followed suit and suddenly Six Flags wanted to offer something similar and saw a chance to make some money.
Of all the different systems I think only those that are free and available to all park guests are the best, and Disney's Fastpass system is great once you learn how to truly make the most of the system.
Q-Bot and Fastlane suXors.
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