XGatorHead 8904

Oh my goodness... what have I started? I don't think this is the path the OP intended this topic to take, but I'm enjoying it! The offseason insanity has started early this year...

What is the meaning of life, the universe and everything?

I had the good fortune to work with him for several years, and he's is one of the nicest guys there is. I wish him luck in his new job!

I got to thinking about crowd sizes at Haunt. Granted, I haven't really seen the ride lines in the last five years since I've been working in the haunts, but hearing others' accounts of them reminded me of when I was a kid. When I was a kid, we only got to go once a year, and on those days, the lines were long. Beast had all the switchback queues open, Racer had all of it's queues open, as did Vortex, King Cobra, etc. I think our idea of "crowded" has gotten skewed over the years. Yes, those days were busy when I was a kid, but from what I understand those kinds of lines were common at the time, much more common than they are now. In recent years you could go to KI on a Sunday - Thursday and have fairly minimal waits. Perhaps this has spoiled us. We're no longer used to the long lines that were so pervasive in the '70s/'80s/early '90s. I know when to avoid going to Cedar Point, because I've heard stories of 2 to 3 hour waits for Millie, Dragster and other rides there on Saturdays during the summer. From what I understand it's quite common. I think we regular KI visitors have just become somewhat spoiled, and when we are faced with those huge crowds and long lines, we don't know how to process it and it forces some to complain. Maybe it will help if you just think of it this way... Huge crowds and long lines is just another way of bringing nostalgia back to the park! (Oh... am I a few years too late with that joke?...)

And Sam is in the front half of the house... Mama told Sam that he's her favorite (although I have the sneaking suspicion she says that to all her kids) so he tends to be a little friendlier (except for when he does the Sam Slam while popping out) than some of his siblings, what with offering them dinner and sometimes a song to go along with it.

Also, the furnace from Phantom Theater ("How about some HEAT?!?") is in Slaughter House, in our lovely boiler room located just after Sam's kitchen hangout.

Thank you for joining our twisted family! We have fun, but it's hard to believe it's already over. Until next year!

^It means to get stuck in a low point between two hills... in a valley, if you will.

Yikes! And have the people that are going to both events wait around for 3 hours, outside the park? Not such a good idea. That's three hours they could be in the park spending money. Those kids are ALWAYS my target. Where I hide, no one suspects that there's someone hiding there. When I see a group like that come through and they're taunting the other person that's in the room with me, 99% of the time I make that group jump out of their skins. Is that not what they did when Paramount did FearFest and it required an upcharge? It seems to me I remember hearing something about getting a wristband or such and you could only do the rides and mazes with that wristband saying you paid to do FearFest. During FearFest, people who paid for the event were given a wristband. The park was not cleared out; if you didn't have a wristband, you could stay in the park, but you were not permitted to ride or go through the mazes. They had an extra person at the entrance of each ride checking for wristbands (and keep in mind, additional person to staff = additional wages to pay).

I tried to submit my answers to the survey, but for one of the multiple choice questions it said something like "Answer for question x must be at least y characters long". Thanks to the FunPerks program and Hank's Burrito Shack, I definitely increased my in-park spending this year. We used the Soak City burger FunPerk deal at least three times this summer, I got 4 instant rewards at the registers (free cotton candy, free Thunder Alley ride - which I didn't get to use, $.99 cheese coneys and free Dinos Alive ticket, the last of which I didn't get to use because it was on Labor Day weekend & it expired before I could get to the park again, what with the park sellouts and all) and I only had one problem with a cashier not swiping the card for a purchase, but it was resolved quickly & efficiently at the FunPerks booth. GatorGirl, with all her visits, never made it above 1 star because we never put any purchases on her card. Between Mrs. Gator and I, we have 7 FunPerks to use on Sunday. So many choices, so little time... but we've picked out which ones we're going to use!

I personally don't like the snarl. For someone dressed like an animal, I'm okay with it, but for a human / formerly human / undead human character I don't like it. It's too simple, and it's unimaginative. Now for some undeads, like zombies, it makes sense. But if you're using something so simple, chances are there's a hundred other scareactors doing the same thing. Now put yourself in the guests' shoes. Would you want to go through 5,6,7,8 attractions where even a quarter of the scareactors are snarling? I wouldn't. It gets old. That's why Sam, and The Bouncer before him, doesn't/didn't snarl. Sam has a set of different things he'll say to or ask the people that walk past him. If it's busy and there's a long line of people coming through, sometimes he'll do the Sam Slam and glare at you while he resets so that he can get the people later in the group (because, after all, the Sam Slam is the most effective scare tactic that he's ever used), but if he's out and talking, he's not snarling. He's saying things that are unique to him, things that no other scareactor is saying because he thought long and hard to come up with those lines. So to all scareactors and future scareactors, be creative. Sure, it takes time to think of things to say. And some things you find will work, and some won't. It's trial and error, but after a few times you'll find out quickly what doesn't work, so you drop those and continue to use what does. I've even found that my improv skills have improved over the years. Sometimes a guest will say something to Sam, and Sam will come up with a snappy comeback. Or Sam will think of something a few minutes later and use it the next time someone says something similar. It just takes time and some thought.

During my years in Admissions during the Paramount era, the fall season pass price was not considered a discount. It was the regular season pass price for that time period, until the price went up to the next price point. Although that was a different time and a different company. But I would forsee no problem in using the Funperks for a gold pass because as jcgoble pointed out, it's only good until the end of the season. The Gator family may be getting platinum passes for next year, so I'd like to know if the discount works for that. I'd ask you to let us know how it goes, but waiting until after closing day when you get it is a little too late for us!

Update: Ex-haunted house worker files suit She was in a coma for three days, claims that she doesn't remember the incident, and "is now plagued by headaches, confusion and heart flutters". The family says that she also sometimes gets lost coming home. http://www.nydailyne...ticle-1.1184981 http://www.columbiat...ker-files-suit/

Hmmm... I have no idea who that might have been...

The same St. Louis haunted house where an actor was found hanging by a noose last year and taken to intensive care (http://www.KICentral.com/forums/index.php?/topic/24737-frightening-accident-at-st-louis-haunted-house/) is now allowing patrons to use paintball guns to shoot actors dressed as zombies. I first read about this last month when it was announced that this place was hiring, and one of the positions listed was for zombies who would be shot with paintballs. I thought at the time that I would definitely not want that job. I've played paintball, and I can't imagine being hit over and over again for hours as a job; my body aches enough just being on my feet and popping out for so many hours each Friday & Saturday without being hit. Some actors there are now complaining they are not being provided with adequate protection. I wondered about this since when I think of shooting zombies, I don't think of shooting zombies who are wearing body armor... Click link for the full story: http://www.kmov.com/home/Employees-of-local-haunted-hay-ride-say-working-conditions-led-to-welts-bruises-174216551.html

Yes, I meant the clowns in the house. Thanks for the clarification, that makes sense!

^I'll take that shirt in blue, please!

I got to experience Dent Schoolhouse for the first time ever last night, along with Mrs. Gator, kiruler102 and former posters StalkerChick, Tassels and Tom76257. The attention to detail in the schoolhouse was VERY impressive. Lots of great animatronics, including a couple that I wish we had in Slaughter House, as they would fit perfectly there. However, I did not get any scares from the house. Usually when I walk through a house I'll get a startle or two, but not here. There were not nearly as many actors as I thought there would be, and I'm guessing this is probably because it was a Thursday night and staffing levels may have been hurt because of it being a school/work night. The actors who were there did a great job though, and were really into their characters. I think if there had been more people working it, I probably would have gotten that startle I was waiting and hoping for. I'd love to go through it again on a Friday or Saturday, but that's kind of hard with my current slaughtering schedule. Some things seemed kind of random and didn't fit the backstory of the house. The ground floor and first part of the basement fit in with the story of Charlie the janitor, but I don't see how the clowns fit in. Also some of the larger animatronics, while quite impressive, don't fit in with the story either. But the roles of the actors (minus the clowns) fit in nicely with the overall theme. One more thing... Hearing the roar of the chainsaw there really made Sam miss playing with one like he did last year.

^Yes, there will be more. I predict Dollywood will premiere one on March 23, 2012 called Wild Eagle.

It still can be. Believe me, I doubt a Coney Island restoration would make KI have less guests. I never said that a Coney restoration would make KI have less guests. I said that if Coney expanded to try to compete more directly with KI, then it would hurt Coney, not KI, in the long run. Coney's current business model works for them, and has worked for them for years. Small parks have their place too; not every park has to be mega. Hence the reason Coney and Stricker's have been able to survive. One of Coney's major problems is flooding in the spring, and that was one of many things that contributed to them removing attractions, and moving others at the end of 1971 to a former field in Kings Mills in 1972. As it is, they spend enough time and resources in cleanups every spring. Sure, I can see Coney adding a few new things here and there (they pretty much have to to help drive business), but nothing on a grand scale like a whole new Western themed section of the park, a campground or a huge gigantic waterpark expansion. People are more than welcome to dream and speculate, but I'm just trying to add a dose of reality to this topic.

I really don't see any of this happening. There's already a major park in the area and huge expansion would just hurt Coney in trying to compete with KI on a bigger scale. Coney has found a new niche as an affordable family park / pool / company picnic place. It's a great little park, and I for one would certainly not consider it "ghetto".

The no re-entry rule has been in effect since the beginning of FearFest. I have very fond memories of the "No Rentry" A-frame signs we had at the gate, and of turning people away during the event. -Gator, PKI Admissions 1995-2004

Oh, the great adventures you will have once again... And I can't imagine NOT living within minutes of it. And with Coney & Stricker's so close too... I grew up in the Fields Ertel area, and besides my four years in Oxford and one unfortunate year in an apartment in Forest Park, there I have remained.

Thank you for once again bringing up the fantasy football score, as my team now goes to 1-4! Friday wasn't enough for you that you had to remind me again on here?!?

Great TR, and it's good to read that you had fun despite the weather. Sam wanted me to thank you for carrying the KIC sign through Slaughter House, it made it very easy for him to spot you!