Quick Queue Unlimited at BGW

And why don't the other Busch - err, SeaWorld - parks offer the Unlimited option? Or will they be offering it?

It looks like SWO *only* offers an unlimited option:

https://commerce.4adventure.com/eStore/scripts/skins/swf/QuickQueue.aspx

Price is seasonal, $15-$25.

Doesn't seem like a bad deal, especially since the sky tower is normally an upcharge anyway. It seems that due to the nature of the park, they'd include some sort of priority seating for some shows, though.

Brian Noble said:
Price is seasonal, $15-$25.

That is a steal. Especially if you get stuck there on a packed Orlando tourist kind of day.

Even if you only doubled up on the three big rides and did the others once - that's 9 no-wait rides for $15 - $25 ($1.67 - $2.78) per ride. Subtract the Skytower's usual $3 fee and it's even less.

You'll pay that much (more!) to ride coasters at pay-per-ride parks. Granted, you don't pay to enter those parks, but they're not exactly Orlando parks either.

For what it's worth, I used the unlimited version last year on the Saturday of BBW's closing weekend. It came in quite handy to get 10 or so rides on BBW that day by just going up the special access gate near the exit stairs, plus plenty on Griffon. Throw in the all-you-can-eat wristbands and a good time was had at BGW!

Gator said:
If your local park IS closing rides to generate longer lines....someone else will be owning the park in a few years....

Then Gator said:
Six Flags has had lots of owners...

I think a park owner would be more successful closing rides if they came up with clever reasons that seemed to be out of their control.

To see where I got the idea that Six Flags magic Mountain had many coasters closed at a time, check out Screamscape's Magic Mountain page, and pay special attention to last month. That's not an uncommon story from many SF parks, from what I understand.

Kpjp, I don't want to cut (or stab lol). I don't want people cutting in front of me either. I buy it and I feel like crap. I don't buy it and I feel like crap too. If you perceive that argument as me painting myself as a victim, than I can't change that. I also can't change how cutting (or stabbing) makes me feel.

(sorry to talk about my "feelings" here. I know that's frowned upon in some circles.)

...And my becoming part of the problem is part of the problem. When I visit a park, I have two choices... either become part of the problem, or allow myself to be cut in front of. I lose either way.

...That is, unless I visit parks that don't offer to accept bribes to allow people to break the rules.

Brian Noble said:
It looks like SWO *only* offers an unlimited option:

Totally forgot about SWO having that... Yeah they had that last year as well.. Its a wrist band they give you and you either go through the exit (Kraken) gate or a separate line (Manta) for their example.

But again.. Each park decides their own thing. There is word Tampa will be looking into it late this year/early next but not official. Only way you get it there is if you go through the tours but its a one shot deal.

LostKause said:

...That is, unless I visit parks that don't offer to accept bribes to allow people to break the rules.

...or unless you do as someone with a reasonable amount of knowledge about the industry does, and go when it's not busy. Then the point is moot. I honestly don't remember the last time I was at a crowded park.

BGT with an unlimited version could be problematic...operations there can turn a few dozen people into a long line. Clearly the worst park capacity-wise in Central Florida, by a considerable margin...Rock'it would fit perfectly there! ;)

LostKause said:
It doesn't "ruin" my park experience, but it does leave me really mixed up. I don't want to cut in front of anyone, but people are cutting in front of me, so I have to go ahead and pay a lot extra, so that I can cut too. I then feel bad for doing something that I feel is wrong. Why would a park do anything to make people feel like that?

Might be a stretch but how do you feel about going to a restaurant that offers 3 cuts of steak - petit, queen, and king? Everyone could purchase the petit cut because that is the base price, but you have the choice to upgrade, at a cost, to a larger cut. If you get the king cut do you feel mixed up because you made the choice to upgrade your meal but others did not?

To be fair, that comparison is invalid. Other people's choice of meat has no impact on his dining experience. A more apt comparison might be with regard to paying extra to not have to wait for a table during the dinner rush, for example.

Which is common practice. "Party of 3. Me, my lady, and my friend Mr. Hamilton."

No, it's relatively valid.

You can't be mad that you bought the petit at a lower price and other people got the king because they paid more. ("Why is my steak smaller!?")

The same way you can't be mad that you paid to wait in stand-by lines while others wait (or rather don't wait much) in a preferred line because they paid more. ("Why is my wait longer!?")

And I still insist, like ridemcoaster, that the impact is minimal and overexaggerated on forums like this by haters.

The problem isn't necessarily that some people in the park paid more, but rather that you didn't. Not the other way around.

OK, I see that angle. But how is that any different from any purchase? As in, a large Coke costs more than a small. A double cheeseburger costs more than a single. A dinner with a side dish costs more than one without. Four new tires cost more than one. Ten packages of diapers cost more than five. And on and on.

My point was that someone else choosing a "king" steak doesn't necessarily negatively impact anyone else's dining experience in the way that LK is arguing "pay to cut" does. With the steak comparison, someone who ordered the "petite" steak has to see the other diner enjoying the larger version. In a FOL system (again, according to LK's perspective), someone super-sizing their park visit has a direct negative impact on his visit, whether or not he sees someone using the system.

It's just a matter of perspective. The system has changed and he's looking at it as if it hasn't.

Is he getting less for his money under the new system? Technically, yes - assuming all things being equal. But the difference is usually so minimal that it feels like splitting hairs to me.

Is he getting screwed? No, he's getting what he paid for - access to the rides through the stand-by line.

Is he getting "cut in front of" in line? No, the people get on the ride from his line in the order they arrived. People in another line may get on quicker, but in the line he paid to use, he's taken in the order he's entered. It's different lines and different levels of access.

Does it have a negative impact on his visit? No more so than any choice one makes that lands them in a slightly longer line.

I don't see how you can choose to stand in the longer line and then complain that it's longer.

I should point out that I'm not agreeing with LK's position. In fact, I think the FOL systems are not only an inevitable evolution of the queue, but also pretty awesome (though I've never used one myself).

I was merely pointing out what I thought was a poorly-chosen comparison with the steak comment. And now I'm hungry.

Yeah, I know.

I just think they are more comparable than it seems.

LK's argument, which I agree with to a point, is that coaster capacity is zero-sum whereas Coke is not. If there are only 10,000 rides on a coaster a day, the more someone else is getting, the less you are. Not true for Coke.

That said, the option of "one price fits all" is never coming back and just because one pricing structure happened to serve one person, doesn't mean it served everybody and it obviously didn't serve the company.

Heck, if the park auctioned off the front seat on every coaster to the highest bidder at the beginning of the day, I'm not sure I would complain.

ApolloAndy said:
LK's argument, which I agree with to a point, is that coaster capacity is zero-sum whereas Coke is not. If there are only 10,000 rides on a coaster a day, the more someone else is getting, the less you are. Not true for Coke.

Yep. But it still doesn't mean you're getting screwed or cheated in any way.

Paying more buys you more of those seats. Paying less buys you less of them. Paying nothing buys you none of them.

The old "one price fits all" system was still as random as anything - the price guaranteed you nothing but the chance to wait in line for available seats assuming that's how you chose to spend your day. There's countless variables and no way to guarantee anything.

The new system does the same at the same price point - lets you wait in line for available ride seats.

Then again, this all assumes your admission price is buying rides and nothing else.

I maintain a POP admission guarantees you nothing but admittance to the park. That's one purchase. The line management system now makes somewhat of a ride guarantee purchase. Once inside the park, you're now buying preferred access to the rides; a purchase which is entirely separate from the admission price that guarantees nothing.

It kind of combines the elements of both pay-per-ride and pay-one-price in a weird frankenstein sort of way.

Which is why some people are scared and chase it with torches. :)

Here's another way to look at it:

I don't have any sick days at work, so I have to visit FunLand on Saturday when everybody and their third cousin is going to be there, and I can only get on six rides during my 12 hour stay. I paid 50 bucks for admission.

My coworker takes a sick day and she heads to FunLand on Tuesday, and she rides 47 rides at least 3 times each. She paid 50 bucks for admission.

Am I pissed at her for acquiring more Fun than I did for the same price? Flip that: does she feel guilty that I didn't acquire my expected amount of Fun?

My answer to both is 'no,' but if your answer is 'yes,' than that's your problem. The whole argument is tired.

Thanks for some of you for trying to understand what I am saying, weather you agree or not. that's really all I want. :)

Lord Gonchar said:

I maintain a POP admission guarantees you nothing but admittance to the park.

That describes my experience at Six Flags pretty well. :p

Steak...

(Caution. Run on sentence ahead.)
If there was only one steak at the restaurant, and it was only open for one hour so everyone had to visit all at once, and the steak had to be shared with everyone, and they charged one price for everyone and handed you a plate wit you share of steak on it, and then told people that they could have some of everyone else's steak if they paid them extra, and then they took steak off of your plate and others plates to give to the ones who paid more, then I would see it as a valid argument.

When you pay "stand by" admission, you really have no idea how many others are going to be cutting in front of you that day, or how many rides will break down, or what kind of "staffing issues" the park will make you suffer for. You can't just judge by the crowds anymore. now you just have to hope for the best, or cheat like the others.

Solutions? ERT, is a good one. Limited FotL passes are another decent option. I want the parks who find these systems to be appealing to them to make them less invasive to the guest experience. It does effect those who do not use it. Have you ever waited in line for (the now defunct) Batman & Robin or Rolling Thunder at SFGAdv? I fear the worst for BGW.

As far as Q-Bot goes, what system do they use to figure out how long the line is, so that they can tell Bot users when to come back? How do they know how long a line is when the signs in the queues are misleading? I really don't understand how they could be holding your place in line, when they don't really know how long the line is in the first place. Someone want to "school" me?