People wanting to ride together

I gotta run to the bathroom. Someone save my spot in this thread for when I come back. I might stop at the dippin dots stand too. Just to ask about KIs new ride. Thanks!

I have never had a problem with groups, they always let me go in front of them if they cant all fit in the car.

That has also been my experience, though in the main queue I often get passed by people whose "friends are up front."

Then the 'friends' should come back. I never understood that mentality, usually being younger groups, where cutting is ok as long as they have a friend further up in line. It must have to do with the way they were raised because even as a young teen I knew it was polite that if my friends were behind me in line that I would let others in front of me to meet them, not shout 'Hey guys! Come up here!'

Over the weekend I unintentionally jacked a line jumper in the face. He happened to be pushing his way past my friends who were behind me at the same time I turned around to motion something to them. To make it even better, his entire group was removed from the line almost as soon as he caught up with them. Props to the Gatekeeper crew and CP police (they seemed to have at least one cop and one ride op patrolling the line at all times) for the good work.

Somehow I knew this was going to revert to a FOL access is bad conversation. I'm kicking myself for even coming in...

It is an important part of the amusement park experience that I refrain from talking about all the time because I don't want to annoy you, specifically, Tek. Blame Bunky and Andy for starting it. I just wanted to get my three cents in for the new kids

It seems like that short sidebar of the conversation was over three days ago, unless that is, you rekindled it now, buddy.

Yeah...I saw where the discussion was going and smacked myself on the head, going, "oh no. What have I done?" Not my intention.

I've seen a lot of people pull stuff like "but I just was at the bathroom! Why can't I get back in line with my friends?" I don't understand why people don't wait for the rest of their party or why they don't accomplish everything they need to accomplish before they get in line. Emergencies happen, I understand that, but how hard is it to at least ATTEMPT to organize yourself before hitting the lines?

Because my comments were so obvously pointed at Travis...and no one else.

LostKause said:
It is an important part of the amusement park experience that I refrain from talking about all the time because I don't want to annoy you, specifically, Tek. Blame Bunky and Andy for starting it.

This is what I was commenting on, Tek. Should have clarified.

Wait, Bunky. Tek was being sarcastic. Umm, I think.

I read it two different ways. If there was sarcasm, clarification wasn't needed, of course, but in case it was the other thing...oh forget it. *laugh* we'll call it a just in case post.

Back on track, didn't some of the parks used to have a number system so people could get out of a long line to use the bathroom or rehydrate? I thought I remembered something about that.

Yeah. When Kingda Ka first opened, they were handing out raffle tickets in order as your entered the line. In theory, as you entered the station you had to hand the tickets back to an attendant. In practice, I'm not sure how much they checked and I definitely never saw anyone get booted, but maybe it was more of a preventative measure.

They did a similar ticket thing on Batman The Ride at SFGAM on a busy day, giving out numbered tickets to people as they entered the line. We saw a bunch of kids climb the fences in the garden Q, trying to join their group of friends. We told them as they passed us, that they would be stopped, but they didn't listen.

The guy taking the tickets was checking, and stopped this group, and made them stand outside the que, by his station, and even though we were serveral hundred people behind them, we eventually passed them, and we were about at the tunnel entrance, when they were allowed back in line. Glad something was done about that.

As for people waiting for group in the station, I have encountered that at many parks. Some of them are not very good at math. Can we go ahead of you? hen they change their minds and find out they figured the train loading wrong, then want to go behind me again. But, usually, because I am riding by myself, I usually get asked to go ahead.

The worst is school days, as large groups of kids will enter the station of a ride together, and bottleneck the line, as they wait for all of their group to be in the station, with many rows of empty seats going out on the coasters, because they want to wait to ride, and they will not let you pass them. Or, even worse, the wait for the front bunch, who stand where ever they feel like standing, and block the other seat entrances.

The worst coasters for station confusion are Gemini and Magnum at Cedar Point, as people just flow into the station, and go where they want, and most can never make up their minds. People will also unknowingly merge into your seat line on Magnum, because they are in a group of four, and decide at the last minute that they need to be in front of you. It's a mess on a busy day.

They handle M-force so much more efficiently. I heard that on Gatekeeper, the line splits in two, and people waiting for the left side, will block people waiting for the right side, as the left apparently gives you the higher flip on the first drop, and is more exciting, than the right. Though lines at Cedar Point don't have a good history of moving along.

The only park that masters moving massive amounts of people along is Disney.

What makes me bonkers is the group that asks my riding partner and I to go ahead of them. I then politely decline, explaining that we are lined up perfectly to ride with two other friends for the same train. They then somehow think it's ok to allow a group of two from another row or even behind me to go ahead of them. Hello, now you've allowed people line jump in front of us and completely screwed up the mindful planning my group set up!

I think the bigger issue with GateKeeper's queue is that the FL entrance is on the left side of the queue, so many FL riders simply choose the shorter path. Though it does seem to even out eventually, because the left side line will extend all the way to the split, leaving the right side with an appealing shorter line.

What is everyone's thoughts on mid-line vending machine etiquette? Obviously if the line doesn't reach the machines, I wouldn't consider someone in line yet. But when it does, do you lose your place in line? If so, how do you re-enter a moving line? I don't personally use the machines, but I was curious how everyone else felt about this.

Also, what are the thoughts about a line forming outside a ride that is closed? When walking to the entrance of a ride normally, it's just a matter of who gets there first. But when it's closed, no one is actually in line yet. Now, I think the courteous thing to do is enter as part of the line outside the ride entrance. But what about holding places in line there? You haven't entered the queue yet. Is that still line jumping?

I have no issue letting people return to their original place in line when they're getting something to eat or drink.

For closed rides, all the standard rules apply, as far as I'm concerned. You can't hold places for people.

Wish there was a way it could be controlled. Letting someone go ahead of you because you want to ride with friends is one thing, (or asking to go ahead, Ugh!), and having a whole busload of kids enter a station and bottlenecking it is another. Maybe one day we will have a better filtering process in the stations to prevent these problems. But how?? What could be done and not sacrifice ride capacity times?

Rihard, because of odd numbered groups I ALWAYS wait until we are "on deck" to board before I invite people in front of us. 6 people in front of me could be two groups or three. Or even a single rider, two pairs, and another single. I won't make the assumption that I will board the Xth train until that number is "next" train.