stacking question

That definitely has a lot to do with it. The ride speils, the hurrying, etc. The park puts so much pride in each of the crews. Even on rides like the skyride.

Look at the devotion of all the CP ops on here to their rides. You don't see that with many other parks.

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I don't wanna be your Saddam Hussein baby!

The ride ops at CP make it look like fun to be a ride op, and they make it a good experience between the op and rider. I'd much rather have a funny ride op who's enjoying him/herself rather than some quiet jerk who pushes you around. :)

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If at first don't succeed, find out if the loser gets anything.

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Jeff said:
So CP guests are smarter? I certainly don't think so. I still chalk it up to good crews and the right emphasis by operations management.

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You would be surprised. At GASM on *every* train there was trouble getting seatbelts fastened. They weren't fancy or anything... just seatbelts. Most guests wouldn't listen to spiels, either. Or read. But what can ya do except let trains hang in the brakes.

SFOG never gave us enough staff to run trains efficiently. That's always what pissed me the most. With two people on the dock, slow downs are bound to happen.

It's not that the crews don't care (sometimes they don't, but generally they want quick dispatches), it's just that the company scrimped on ride crews.

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Is that a Q-bot in your pocket or are you just happy to see me?

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MarimbaGuy87 said:
The ride ops at CP make it look like fun to be a ride op, and they make it a good experience between the op and rider. I'd much rather have a funny ride op who's enjoying him/herself rather than some quiet jerk who pushes you around. :)

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GOOD Po!nt! :)
I had forgotten that most other parks ops don't do ANYTHING but stand there, they don't spiel or give any instructions. As for me I know the Raptor spiel by heart, I ADORE being ride op and I really do like making it fun for all the guests!! I LOVED when we were pushing for X amount of intervals on any given day, it made everyone work really hard as a team and kept us all on our toes. As for the Magnum vs Raptor rivalry-guests seem to get in and out of Magnum ALOT faster than they do Raptor so I wonder if that's a fair rivalry? Matt?
I know when someone mentioned specific stacking coasters I couldn't help but think of Talon, (another 2 train operation) it is obvious at Dorney intervals is a non-existant goal.

Jo
2000/2002 Raptor Crew
Lifetime Raptor flights: 708 :)
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It's all about getting around the barrels or over the fences, right leads, no faults, fastest time and still looking pretty when done. What's so hard about that? :)

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Thanks GP...I knew I wasn't the only one who noticed...;). Seriously, are CP guests *smarter* than SFWoA's or PKI's...I don't believe so....but I'm sticking with my *theory* that Ohio guests visit more parks more often, and are more experienced with restraints. I am not silly enough to suggest that CP's crews, and the abundance of people working on the crews, aren't the MAIN reason for the capacity...but I *am* silly enough to suggests that the guests play a part in keeping CP's capacity high...loose items poloicies are important as well.

Finally.....if you're a decision maker, and you're reading this....MULTI-TRAIN...it *will* pay off.
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Dr. Thrill IS my family practitioner
Bracketology, half art, half science, ALL excitement...:)

I have trouble with seatbelts all the time. I keep hearing people say "the male end goes in the female end" but I just don't get it!

Seriously, tho, the crew and multi-train operation makes all the difference.

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WWGD?

Maybe you just need it explained in different terms...;). I DO like the idea of posting VISUAL signs (pictures) in the queue for all stand-ups...that's a *very* sexy idea...an educated consumer.

The difference between CP and Six Flags crews is that CP gives more power to their crews. At Six Flags we have computer spiels so we cant talk over the mic. From my experience we entertain ourselves by talking to the guest. We've also just had fun with each other. At Great America at Bull it was rare that we stacked three trains. But there are many reasons why two trains are stacked at Bull. If you a delayed by a couple of seconds you can stack two trains (in three train operation) just like that. The main reason for stacking is guest in the loading procedure. But in my opinion Bull's capacity is great.

Are CP guests smarter? I haven't measured their IQs, but it does seem like it. Maybe they just respond better because of the ops entusiasm. Maybe a higher percentage of guests are at least somewhat coaster buffs. They certainly seem to cause fewer loading hassels than the guests at just about any other park.

On Riddler's Revenge out at SFMM, in my experience it's not people who are unfamiliar with how a stand-up works that hold up dispatches. I see lots of kids trying to stand on the sides of the car so they can get their feet about a foot off the base of the coaster when the seats lock. Then, of course, they have to unlock the row and force 'em to put their feet on the car floor.

Now, I like to leave my lap-bar a bit loose as much as the next guy for some extra fun, but trying to ride a stand-up with your feet off the bottom? I mean, sometimes I end up hurting quite a bit (my roommate likes to shout "MY BOYS!!" like a grieving mother during any positive G's on that ride) on that ride, I can't imagine riding it without my legs to help remove some of the load on my naughty bits.
*** This post was edited by Tom Servo 3/21/2003 3:53:04 PM ***

Tom - I've seen people do that on Chang and Mantis, too.

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WWGD?

True, but those were the *members* of the Vienna Boys' Choir....la la la LA...;)

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LuvRaptor said:

As for the Magnum vs Raptor rivalry-guests seem to get in and out of Magnum ALOT faster than they do Raptor so I wonder if that's a fair rivalry? Matt?

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I'm guessing people get into and out of Magnum faster simply because there is no crossing through the train to put stuff in a box because we don't have one! :) In terms of loading procedures, honestly, I don't think it gets much easier than Raptor. Magnum is pretty simple too, but every now and then you get someone who sits on their seatbelt and you have to dig it out from under them. That isn't real pleasent - let me tell you. With Raptor, the belt is right there and is a piece of cake to buckle. As for other factors in the battle, Raptor has a shorter interval by a few seconds, but also has four less seats per train which pretty much makes it a wash. One advantage you might have is that when you dispatch a train, the next is rolled in pretty quickly while ours takes probably 20 seconds to come around the corner. The numbers the past few years have been pretty close so that suggests its a pretty fair fight. We had the second highest numbers in the history of Magnum in 2001 and Raptor edged us out by like 30,000 riders. Definitely a tribute to two crews doing a darn good job! :)

-Matt
2001 Magnum Crew
2003 Magnum Crew

*** This post was edited by MDOmnis 3/21/2003 12:40:29 PM ***

Jim, something is definitely up. I noticed a big difference between the CP parkgoers and the SFOG parkgoers. I don't know if intellect has anything to do with it, but it seems that way. But then again, the guests that come out to SFOG are much different than the guests that came a decade or so ago.

Krazy, we cal turn our autospiels off at most rides. I usually do. It becomes a drone in the background and no one listens to them anyway as the volume isn't enough to go over the crowd. I have a "booming" voice so I prefer the home made spiel variety.
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Is that a Q-bot in your pocket or are you just happy to see me?

it different demographics at most other parks.

Both CP and PKI are close to cities but basically in the middle of farmland. It is usually families that visit. They are not Bus parks as I like to say abotu places like Kennywood (which I adore even if it has it's share of rapscallions) or SFOG.

While more ride ops on the platform do help the trains move in and out more quickly, it does ultimately come down to slow and/or stupid guests. In my experience, I have observed that guests just flat out do not read rider policy signs at the ride. Then you get the parents whose kids can't ride and they don't understand why. The absolute stupidest guest I ever encountered wanted to ride a 50 foot water ride in the middle of a thunderstorm.

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St. Louis Blues hockey RULES!!!

Greatest theme park ride: Steam train

May the Tommy G. Robertson live forever.

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MagnumForce said:
Both CP and PKI are close to cities but basically in the middle of farmland. It is usually families that visit. They are not Bus parks as I like to say abotu places like Kennywood (which I adore even if it has it's share of rapscallions) or SFOG.

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MagnumForce, I understand what you mean, but what you said about CP and PKI is so completely and totally wrong, I'm not sure I know where to start...

1. There is no farmland surrounding Cedar Point. In fact, there is no land at all surrounding Cedar Point.

2. Kings Island used to be surrounded by farmland, but immediately to the West of the park is an Interstate highway and a commercial strip, to the north is a high school and a major commercial development, to the east is forest and a military reserve, and to the South is an enormous commercial development. In season, there is a bus stop at the park, and out of season there is a Park-And-Ride lot just South of the parking lot.

I understand your point, but your facts don't quite fit. :)

--Dave Althoff, Jr.

You know what I mean Dave. Not the actual area of either of the parks are farmland but the surrounding area is. If you ever go to PKI from I-75 you know what I mean and the same goes for going to CP from 6.

I think you read waaaaaaaaaaaay too much into what I said.

You can go 10 minutes from either park and find a field of Soybeans.

-Brent "I am a lifelong farmboy" Kneebush

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I don't wanna be your Saddam Hussein baby!