DSLR/SLR and rides

[israel09]

Has anyone every taken an SLR or an DSLR camera to Kings Island. how do you manage to get on rides with.You can't just stick it in your pocket. I wouldn't leave it in the bins at the station, too many "sticky fingers" at the park,lol

[coaster_junky]

i've never taken one to the park, but if it was me i would either rent a locker to place it in, or schedule days at the park for me to just go and take pictures, since i have a season pass

[The Interpreter]

And, as has been stated many times, loose articles are not permitted on nearly any of the rides...

[coaster_junky]

are ride op's allowed to hold on to things like that in the control booth for people?

[mech]

are ride op's allowed to hold on to things like that in the control booth for people?

Absolutely not ... Kings Island assumes no responsibility for articles left while riding.

[coaster_junky]

well, if i ever bring one, no rides for me, unless you count the Eiffel Tower as a ride.

[74Gibson]

I take an old camera for TR photos and fun shots of the day. I've got an Olympus for quality photos but that goes back to the car or into a locker before any rides.

[mech]

well, if i ever bring one, no rides for me, unless you count the Eiffel Tower as a ride.

locker?

[coaster_junky]

^ i guess i could, but i'm always afraid i'll lose the key, unless my dad is there to hold onto it.

[UnrealNightmare]

If your dad was there to hold the key wouldn't that defeat the purpose of the locker? Just sayin

[coaster_junky]

well, he enjoys riding too, and i don't think he would like the idea of playing pack mule while i went and rode rides all day.

[The Interpreter]

Huh? Then, if he is riding (and you are, too), why would he be any safer repository for the locker key than you would?

Terpy, whose head hurts...

[coaster_junky]

he's a little more careful when it comes to keeping up with smaller objects. i know it's kinda confusing.

[The Interpreter]

he's a little more careful when it comes to keeping up with smaller objects....

Smaller objects...like...perhaps...you?

[coaster_junky]

yea, like me terpy.

[PKISecurity]

Has anyone every taken an SLR or an DSLR camera to Kings Island. how do you manage to get on rides with.You can't just stick it in your pocket. I wouldn't leave it in the bins at the station, too many "sticky fingers" at the park,lol

As a previous security officer from years gone past, I don't ever recall getting a call from ride ops for someone taking a camera such as a SLR and definately not an DSLR (as technology like that was not as affordable then as it is today) onboard a ride little lone remember having to do a report for someone stowing one in a bin and having it stolen.

*off subject* I've had to do a report for someones shoes being taken (faceoff) so, it really doesn't matter what you trust to leave behind while riding. (shoes, plush, fanny pak, sunglasses...and yes purses(women do it)) And, right now, Tomb Raider & FOF comes to mind from back then as the only two stowable zipper pouches on rides for articles to be secured while riding. The worse place to leave something behind in my oppinion was Delerium. Those metal boxes scream (prize box) as it's like, first come first serve for theives.

Back to my point...back then I can recall the countless (dozens) of phones that certain rides would produce while people were riding. (We all got the call to walk the phones back to "the clock" and then on to guest relations) The Beast in my book was the worse for getting your phone loose out of your pocket (but at least when it fell out, it was still inside the car) and Face Off shows no mercy for phones. Just look inside the secured fence area under the first drop, it's like a cellular grave yard. The bad thing about that is that they can't be retrieved until after the park closed. Even then, I only saw one that survived as we couldn't put Action Zone to bed until those people got their phone back. I admit that Firehawk crushed my phone and glasses in my pocket so no ride is safe in my book and that brings up my point...(FINALLY!)

Todays phones are so much more powerful than they were 5 years ago. They're portable, they have better Megapixels pictures and supreme HD quality video features that can record hours instead of 15sec at a time. They are usually attached to your belt so you don't see them when they get on the ride or people keep them in their pockets. They take good enough photos for people to use on their facebook, myspace or scrapbooks back home. So, once the car gets out of the station, it usually results in a free for all for guests to get them out and record what they want until they circle back in the station. So these folks still takes pictures but assumes greater risks with their phones/camera at hand while folks like you israel09 who want to have the 'big guns' for photo opportunities but can't do both: ride/photography because of theft and KI assumes "NO RESPONSIBILITY FOR ARTICLES LEFT".

***I suggest like that of Firehawk and I'm not sure lockers are still there at the beginning line at Tomb Raider, KI should invent or provide a quick change locker for people to use to secure those sort of small items so that we all can rest a little easier when ridding a ride or having to worry about theft or the destruction of our property that we carry on our person while riding. I would love to see some pics from the park with your camera...sounds like a wonderful hobby or do you make a living doing this? If you have a season pass, make a day of photography or break it up into parts: morning/afternoon/night to get all aspects of light and activities throughout the park and then stow it in a locker in between shoots and ride your butt off. Don't forget to smile.

[PKIDelirium]

I see people riding rides with shoulder-strap camera bags and fanny packs all the time. As long as it fits and doesn't interfere with the restraint, Diamondback and Firehawk are the only rides you can't have anything on you.

Whether or not it's good for the safety of the camera inside said case is still up for debate. Beast broke the screen on my previous camera, while it was fastened in a cargo pocket, from the lap bar pressing against it.

As for Beast eating phones, been there done that. Back in 2003, my phone was in a fairly deep pocket, and after the ride it was gone. Somehow managed to both fall out of my pocket and exit the train, they found it under the track caked in mud with the battery missing.

[Jasper]

I have been at the mercy of The Beast and it's phone stealing habits before. I got up off the ride and walked all the way to the Eiffel Tower to find my phone was missing. So me and my uncle walked back to The Beast because that was the last place I remember having it. Luckily, and I do mean luckily, someone had been gracious enough to turn in my phone to the ride op, either that or the ride op himself found it, and I retrieved it with ease. I would not recommend bring expensive cameras to the park unless you plan on leaving them with a non-rider, or putting them into a locker. Nothing is safe at Kings Island. You are pretty much putting your trust into the hands of countless amounts of people.

[pcc]

I took my (very expensive) DSLR to the park on several occasions last season. We always rented a locker up front, I feel they are safer for some reason. Anyways, my husband would put the key around his ankle..which is a good way to keep it in place. I usually take it in the park when I want shots of my kids, something special is going on or I feel like getting a bunch of ride pics. Otherwise, I bring my cheap point and shoot.

We had an incident back in the summer of leaving my DSLR camera somewhere in the park. Still haven't figured out how it went from my husband's shoulder to wherever it landed. He had it on across his chest too. That still baffles us. Anyways, we didn't notice it was missing until getting back to our hotel. We drove back to the park and some very VERY kind person had turned it in to lost & found. Very lucky that day....

[Guest rcfreak339]

And, as has been stated many times, loose articles are not permitted on nearly any of the rides...

At Cedar Point they actually force you to carry your items on the ride....Which is really ironic. Either fork over the $1.00 to get a locker or carry it on with you. Big money making scheme IMO....Why not just have those booths on rides?

[Guest ~BRIAN~]

^Uh no they dont. On Millennium and Dragster they dont allow any loose articles in line. All the other coasters have the loose article bins in the station.

[coaster_junky]

^actually on dragster, if something you want held onto in the station, weather it be cell phone or what, they tell you to stick it in your shirt, but you are allowed to have them in line.

[The Interpreter]

Yeah, I think someone is mixing up Six Flags with Cedar Point. At most Six Flags parks, no loose articles of any kind are allowed on nearly any coaster...and "convenient" dollar lockers are located beside the ride, along with a (or more than one) security guard at the entrance to the ride queue whose job it is to generate income for the...uh...to protect the safety of the guests and increase capacity by ensuring guests do not enter the line with items that could be stored in the lockers. The only loose items that can be left in Six Flags coaster stations where this policy is in effect are loose shoes on rides where loose shoes are not permitted.

That was last year. I would not be surprised if the dollar lockers were more than a dollar this...

[trint2004]

Why cant KI invest into something like Holiday World has on voyager. You pass your items to the ride opp. and they place them in a locker then give you the corisponding key to that locker.

[mech]

i always think it would be cool to have something like universal has setup:

free lockers as long as you don't use them for more than 3 hours. As for keys, unless you lose a finger the key isn't going anywhere. (but nothing is keeping you from re-renting it using a different finger)

[Tomkatt7]

We just bought a super expensive camera this year. We have already talked about it and decided. It will not be making any trips to KI. There are plenty on cameras (and cell phone cameras) that fit in to your pocket. I don't think it would be worth the constant worry of keeping up with it, or the thought of leaving it in a locker. After the year I've had, I have become a very untrusting person. If you have faith that there are more good people in the world than there are bad, then you may be right. The few bad people though, will leave a much stronger impression on you. Best to not deal with it. Leave it at home, so that when the neighbors see you leave for the day, they can break in to the house, and steal it there! LOL

[dakota2112]

Why cant KI invest into something like Holiday World has on voyager. You pass your items to the ride opp. and they place them in a locker then give you the corisponding key to that locker.

I can't speak from experience, but it sounds like it would have a major impact on hourly ride capacity, at least if the majority of boarding riders were to do this. Is this for all loose items, or only for valuables that need to be locked up?

[PKISecurity]

Why cant KI invest into something like Holiday World has on voyager. You pass your items to the ride opp. and they place them in a locker then give you the corisponding key to that locker.

I can't speak from experience, but it sounds like it would have a major impact on hourly ride capacity, at least if the majority of boarding riders were to do this. Is this for all loose items, or only for valuables that need to be locked up?

I remember at Universal in Fla, that while waiting in que lines for rides, some rides have mini shows or character acts that entertain you and build anticipation before you ride. They always seem to be one step or two ahead of getting people in the que line(plus it passes time while waiting) because they have que lines that allow you to be there waiting for the ride to end or train to come back to the station and then "boom" you get on and go. Kinda like the Italian Job where they que you up in your own lane and there never seems to be a long wait. You're in line, you get on...and you go.(one step ahead) Why not have most que lines like that where us, the riders have one train ride or two to prepare ourselves with a locking storage bin, and then locks and rotates when it's your turn to get in line and when you come back from your ride, your storage bin is already ready there for you to open it up and move along while everything remains safe. It wouldn't bother me to do this and know (IF I HAD TO USE THIS OPTION) my things are secured. I only carry my phone and sunglasses because my family seems to hand me their stuff to hold while they ride in comfort and I'm stuck juggling things in my pockets. Again, the one and only time I rode Firehawk, I didn't know those front lockers were my last chance to secure loose articles. I ended up crushing my glasses and bending my wifes frames. She was mad, but what can you do? So, now I have to dress with zippers and velco shorts to secure stuff . BLAH!

[Jasper]

I think Diamondback has a very nice storage operation going on, you board the brown train, place your loose articles in the brown train's bin. As soon as you leave the ride op closes the brown train bin and opens up the incoming train's bin. I have found this system to work very well in the overall time it takes, as well as the security of my items.

[The Interpreter]

...the perceived security of your items. The park disclaims all responsibility for them, and items DO disappear from those bins...