SFNE (6/3/07)

Great trip turned to bad trip.

Well I decided to go to the park on sunday with my friend and it rained the whole way there, it cleared when we got to the park. There were short lines so we got right on thunderbolt, it was a great ride as always. We than went to superman which only had a line in the station. Waited for the front row and was again a great ride. After this we decided to head over to Cyclone which had a 25 minute wait, got on the back row and had a great ride, barely any trims. I went and rode Catapult with a one cycle wait, which was fun as always.

After tooling around the park a bit we decided to go get some lunch at nicky's down the street which is by far the best place to eat around the park. On our return to the park we decided to do thunderbolt again near the front which was just as good as the first time. Now this is where my day turned from great to horrible. We got in the superman line which was just past the steps and decided to go to the back row. Right before we boarded I made sure to button my cargo pocket with my keys in it, ride was going great untill the third hill. We were going down the hill getting some great airtime when I hear clink, and my keys are gone. Needless to say I was a bit mad and did not enjoy the rest of that ride. When we got back in the station I informed the lead op of my problem and she said that I have to go to guest relations. So I did and a very rude guy informed me that they would mail them to me if they found them, and he said they most likely wouldent. This is when I told him that I kind of need my keys to get home and he said there was nothing he could do and that I should come back after closing and wait to see if they found them.

Well the park was supposed to close at 8 but they closed at 7, which in my situation was better, so i decided that i needed to get the most enjoyment out of my day so I decided to ride Superman as much as possible before 7. So we got on the back had a good ride, my friend decided not to ride anymore because he was not in a good mood because of what happend. So I got 3 more rides on Superman, one in the front row( thank you single riders line). So I then made a trek up to guest relations and waited. Around 8 o clock they informed me that they couldent find my keys, which they wouldent even let me point out where they were. I knew exactly where they were, I can understand them not letting me look for them but i could have told them within 5 feet of where they were from the fence. It kind of pissed me off, because I know they didnt really look for them that hard, but I understand, if I were a worker I could care less if I found someones keys. So now thank god I made a spare key but it was at home. So I called my dad who was at work and he came out to give it to me. So I waited 4 hours after closing in the parking lot when it was raining and cold for my dad to come. Ill tell ya that parking lot is pretty creepy at night when there is nobody there. So my dad showed up and i drove 2 hours home in the pouring rain and managed to get pulled over 2 miles from my friends house. In the end I got home at 2 in the morning when the park closed at 7......bummer. It was preaty beat.

So the lesson for the day is secure your keys with more than a pocket and a button, Im going to get one of those clips that goes on to my belt buckle from now on.

Notes: Everything running at capacity, park was running great even though my day kinda sucked.

Rides:
Superman:6
Thunderbolt:2
Cyclone:1
Catapult:1 *** Edited 6/5/2007 10:25:55 PM UTC by Devins3***

Wow, that sounds awful.

Devins3 - - - > I feel your pain. Once, I went (solo to Great Adventure) and I lost my glasses on Medussa. I had to drive home with horrific vision for about a 3 hour ride.

From that experience, I learned to not wear glasses when visiting a park (without the family)

Now-a-days I learned to put my key in a magnetic case (available at any reputable auto supply store) and clip it underneath the car. This is expecially helpful at waterparks where the remote alarm remote can become permanently disabled when it gets wet.

Belt loops have been known to tear and break too... especially with a heavy set of keys and a q-bot attached to it.

Also there was the time when my car broke down on the Verrazano Bridge and I never made it to the park.

That really stinks, I'm sorry to hear about that. I don't know the reasoning for not being able to point out your keys, but I can tell you that every time we knew of specific lost articles when I was there, we looked for a while and quite thoroughly... it's just tough given the conditions under Superman at night.

I know that's no consolation, but perhaps it will help.

That stinks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I feel bad for you.

I know this sounds strange, but what I always do when I go to parks is to put my keys and cell phone in a glass's case which I place in my cargo pants. I usually bring two of them( another for my glasses). It works very well actually.

Everytime i go to sfne, or any park, i always wear my shorts with zipper pockets so i never lose anything...Thats what i recommend..buy cargo shorts with the zippered pockets and you cant lose anything!

I'd like to feel sorry for you, but I'm not. Sorry that I'm not being sympathetic or if that's a bit harsh. MANY amusement parks, including all Six Flags parks make it extremely clear to not board rides with any loose articles (that includes anything in ALL pockets, buttoned, zipped, or whatever). It's your fault, not the park's.

Expecting a park employee to retrieve ONE person's lost belongings because they didn't follow instructions in the first place and expecting to get it back that same day is a bit ridiculous. You are forgetting that Superman would have to be closed down so that someone could safely enter a restricted area off from public access to retreive an item.

Next time, opt to use one of the many of the lockers provided at the park.

I do not feel sorry for ANYBODY that loses ANY personal item, whether it be glasses, phones, keys, or even pacemakers on an attraction.

All blame, loss and well wishes aside, we're all missing the obvious:

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Everything running at capacity, park was running great...

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At a SF park! In June!

Is the change really happening?

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Lord Gonchar said:
All blame, loss and well wishes aside, we're all missing the obvious:

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Everything running at capacity, park was running great...

---

At a SF park! In June!

Is the change really happening?

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It might be so. Six Flags Discovery Kingdom was the same too. Yes, meaning three train operation on Medusa. I know, I know. Something has gone terribly well at Six Flags.

I learned not to wear glasses when riding a roller coaster because of my sister's unfortunate experience. She once lost hers on the Racing Whippet at the now defunct West View Park.

The same goes for the more intense flat rides. On the other hand, I do like to keep my glasses with me and use them when walking around the park or riding darkrides, transport rides, or Ferris wheels.

As for keys: Carry one set with me and one set stays in the car. If I lose the set with me, all I have to do is call a lock smith to get me back into the car.

As for glasses: Glass strap on the ones I wear into the park and a second pair in the car incase something happens to the ones I am wearing.

Sorry to hear man about your lost keys!! I used to firmly secure my glasses and everything else, but slowly started to get more and more lazy about that (especially when I sat across from a girl on Face/Off at Kings Island who successfully had her flimsy glasses on the whole time!!)

But I knew I was probably pushing the limit when I started riding with nothing secured (which was legit for everything I rode one day at KI including Face/Off, Delirium, etc.) then my last ride of the day on Racer (which had been running butter smooth that, opening day this year) my freakin Bluetooth phone piece popped off my ear into oblivion!!

So now, I firmly secure everything again including when I rode Maverick, which I was very tempted to ride with my glasses, but my friend convinced me against it and sure enough the guy in front of me with his glasses *ON* lost them on that very ride!! So the lesson is "secure to be sure"!!

I'm with Krax on this one...simply put you should store loose items such as keys in a locker.

My dad lost his phone on Two Face the Flipside at SFA and they mailed us the destroyed celll phone but it was really frusturating for my dad that they wouldnt go get it after it feel.

While obviously now I know to keep them in a better place, it still sucked majorly. Yea every trip I went to a Six Flags park, the park has been running great. I think they might be heading for a turnaround. If things are still like this in August I don't think anyone will have any thing to say about it.

Sorry to hear about the keys. I am a many loose item kinda guy these days with getting a phone this year. I have lost my wallet once at cedar point, not a good situation in the least, luckily mine was found and not looted of all the things of interest.

The thing with superman if im not mistaken at least that one is that dont they have the sliding doors with bins on the side of the ops on that ride. I only rode it twice, so correct me if im wrong, but sometimes that might be a viable option if you cover it up with a hat or something, in my case i always wear one so i guess i have that advantage. Sometimes thats a decent option and for the most part people are respectful of items placed in a bin, although there is no way for ops to keep track if someone does mess with your stuff.

I found a picture i took in the station and yes they do have bins at least as of last year, so it was a viable option for you, but i know you might feel more comfortable with the keys on you. Still sorry to hear about that though. *** Edited 6/7/2007 11:22:41 PM UTC by MagnunBarrel***

One of my worst riding experiences was on Millenium Force, on the second hill when I heard a clunk and what sounded like metal sliding across the floor -- I gripped my pockets with both hands trying to figure out what fell out as I lurched over the remaining ride elements. By the time I reached the station, I realized the sound came from the loose seatbelt hitting the empty seat beside me. Lucky. Very Lucky. I could have been pooched like you were.

Now, I usually make sure that my wife and I each carry a set of keys and wallets with enough cash to get through the day. I also wear contacts, but keep a set of glasses in the car. You never know when things might disappear.