benny1388

I wonder what most people think. Do they appreciate the quicker lines at Banshee or paying for lockers? Do people even realize part of Banshee's shorter lines is its increased capacity because of no bins? I try not to bring what can't fit in my pockets personally, but I know that's difficult for some. I'd venture that no, most people don't realize that, even though (or because?) they've likely been held up at the start of the line because a clump of people with bags are causing a hold up. At first I was a little put off by that limitation on Banshee, but am starting to lean toward wishing other rides had the same restriction to speed things up. Honestly, though, it seems like the only ride that would really benefit is Diamondback and I'm not sure that's related to it being a long/slow line.

Yeah, I don't hold stupid actions of guests again ride ops. At least, not entirely. They should be trained to deal with the most common moronic actions (shoes on DB, for example), if by no other means than they've been doing it day in day out for 2/3 of the season - it should be old hat. It will cause delays, regardless, but they should be able to minimize the delay, if not mitigate it entirely. I guess I'd prefer to see 'justice' and the ride held up another 60sec for the troublemakers to be removed from the ride. Sure, it would impact capacity for that hour/day/whatever, but I wonder what the long-term impact would be? I really think it would end up as a positive. That person would either not ride again, or if they did be more likely to follow the rules. Plus, word spreads as riders make small talk in lines for other rides. "Did you see the guy get kicked off of Diamondback for not wearing his shoes?" Sure, hearing something like that tends to get polar reactions. Either people will wear their shoes or they'll try to be defiant. I think the latter is the less common reaction, and would become even less common if enforcement was kept strict. Another one I saw yesterday, again on DB, was someone using their phone as the train was leaving the station. While the train was climbing the hill, the ride op in the booth announced over the PA to put it away (rather passively, not calling out a specific person) and then she and another op looked at each other, they each shrugged, and went about handling the next train. Pretty much disregarding their own rules with a "we told'em, what else are we supposed to do?" demeanor. I've not seen as much of this sort of thing as many on these forums, but enough to wonder. Are the ride ops in a job where they have accountability for safety, but not the authority to effectively enforce rules and assure safety. Or, do they just not care enough (for whatever reason)?

"Got a bit of video to look over and examine/show everyone" What are you, an auditor? Does it include the dude yesterday (8/5) in the back row throwing his shoes into the bin WHILE THEY WERE ANNOUNCING shoes must be worn? And the subsequent wait while the ride op went to the bin to get his shoes and the fool struggled to put them on while in the restraint?

The reason most guests don't realize the magnitude of their actions is because we have gotten to soft in our country - enforce these rules with dire consequences and you will see such actions stop. When people on the Racer hear the spiel about putting away camera and such offender does not and riders witnesses zero consequence for such action, you are now encouraging a rider to pull out camera on their next ride... I think ejecting a patron for violating a rule that puts others at risk of severe injury/death is appropriate. Especially if it is stated in writing on the sign and said in spiel. As for as what the park can do - ban loose items all-together and confirm empty pockets. My last visit to Dollywood this summer, they had "temporary signs" indicating that a rider should not ride with any loose items and they indicated coins, keys, cell phones, as loose items. These signs could be one of two things - either this was a soft implementation and they will start enforcing a loose item policy OR legal told them placing signs would limit their liability in the event of the flying cell phone. I did witness where a ride-op saw someone with a cell phone out in the line and made such person put cell phone in bin before riding. Ban loose items and confirm empty pockets? Really? You think it's right to force people to pay insane amounts (on top of the high prices they're already paying to enter the park, eat, etc) to stash their car keys in a locker? Lockers that are known to not be very secure, on top of that? That would encourage people to find alternate routes to the park and not pay the (outrageous) fee to park. (Plus side - fewer parking spots required, more room to expand the park) No. The solution to people not following existing rules is not the establishment of new rules, it's the enforcement of the existing rules. The right answer is to eject offenders, ban repeat offenders.

Adding my $0.02 to the necro'd thread... The best music to have in a park is the music that's just there, sets the mood, but you tend to not consciously notice it. Genre doesn't really matter.

lol yeah, i meant Drop Tower...guess I got ahead of myself and missed a word. DOH

It's been a month since I was there (really hate that it's been that long), but the wait time posted for Tower was hugely inaccurate. The in-park boards said no wait, the actual wait was over an hour. Hopefully they're more accurate than that.

Sadly, that's probably the case. I can see not enforcing the rider responsibility law on guests with arms up, because that's not nearly as likely to cause injury. That and really bad PR. However, loose articles in hand should definitely be taken seriously. We just got back from Carowinds where I saw quite a few guests with phones, GoPro, and even glasses in hand. Even on Fury 325; an op told her she could even leave them on, so long as she didn't turn her head..? I'm no lawyer, but I just read over the law...I see no mention of putting your hands up (honestly, though, it wouldn't surprise me for Ohio to make that illegal), just obeying posted signage. Am I missing something?

Welcome to KIC! I'm a bigger guy, too, but smaller at the waist (I'm 6' ~265lbs, 48 or 50 chest, 38-40 waist). I think you'll probably be ok on rides with over-the-shoulder restraints. On Banshee, the operator sometimes asks if it's ok for them to push the restraint, but it's never been uncomfortable or restricted my breathing etc. For sit-down rides, try to sit in the front seat of a car as you get an inch or two more leg room and in the second row my legs are cramped. Well, that's my experience on Vortex, so I just do it by default on others. You may or may not have issue with rides that secure you via a lap bar, like Diamondback. I have no issue with that ride and see other people larger than me riding it, but with the restraint basically pinning you into the seat at your thighs, having a larger waist may prevent the restraint from doing its job properly. Again, I've sometimes had an operator on Diamondback ask if it's ok to push the restraint and it's never been a problem for me. I hope this helps you, or at least gives you a better idea of what to expect.

I'd love to see more around that area. I like The Bat, but the walk from where its line 'starts' to the actual ride is prohibitive, IMO. If there were other things in the area that shared part of that queue space (it's really just a sidewalk for a large portion of it), I'm pretty sure I'd ride The Bat more than I do (once this season, and that may be it).

Rode it once. Won't ride it again. The restraints are the reason. It wasn't the restraints around my torso that was the problem, it was my legs. I was in physical pain for almost the entire ride. I was actually very sad afterwards because I was so excited to experience the 'flying' ride...

^ sums it up better than I ever could have (partly because I never completed my training lol) The only regulation I could see someone using to get you in trouble relates flying over large crowds or crowded areas...or something like that. It was added to the FARs after 9/11 generated fears of terror attacks at large stadiums.

My youngest stepson just overcame his fear. He did it himself, though...well, mostly. We encouraged him, but promised him we'd never force him, to ride. But that also meant he'd have to sit and wait for us. I honestly think he decided he'd rather be scared than bored and realized it's fun.

No, they do not. Not to mention that it would be impossible on White Water Canyon due to the fact that riders face in different directions and the boats can freely rotate to any orientation, so no fixed camera could possibly capture a photo guaranteed to have the riders' faces. Unless you put a wireless waterproof camera for each seat in the center of each 'vehicle'. While cool, wildly cost prohibitive.

I think it should remain child/family themed, considering its location. A dark ride more along the fast/loud/spooky route, I'd be ok with that elsewhere in the park. I think it's been mentioned elsewhere (maybe even in this thread), but Rivertown could make for some interesting themes for a dark ride.

I'm not a fan of this ride. I wasn't a fan 20 years ago when it was themed as Outer Limits, but I dislike it less now. Back then it had over the shoulder restraints and the quick transitions turned your head into a speed bag and you left with sore ears and a headache. I rode it again a few weeks ago and probably will never ride it again. The car and/or restraints were extremely uncomfortable for me, to the degree of really wanting to get out of the car rather than enjoying the ride. To each their own, though, I know several people do enjoy this ride (as evidenced by the posts above).

It would be nice to see Vortex get some TLC, but I'm sure there's a prioritization of things that need attention for other reasons and Vortex just never quite makes it to the top of the list unless it's broken. I wouldn't be surprised, though, for it to get some fresh pain after the 2016 season. 2017 is, afterall, it's 30th birthday

Totally thought you were paraphrasing a Queen song, Terp...

^ Heard something along those lines on the in-store advert while in Kroger yesterday. But, how would they enforce it for just Banshee? Not a fan. ERT was one of the perks that 'sold' me on buying a gold pass...now it's no longer a perk.

hmm..maybe wait times weren't added...

I do remember riding in the back seat down I-71 watching the horizon to catch a glimpse of the top of the Eiffel Tower. It seems it's harder to do now. Amazing how much taller trees are 30 years later hahahaha

You won't be able to pick up your BF's pass. They need him to be there to take his photo for his pass. Unsure about the parking issue. I would suggest calling the park to ask.

I have a 6, it might be an issue with data/signal more than the app (even their server being overloaded). I had similar issues with the last update loading properly for me the day it dropped. It cleared up that evening (when I was home) and was fine after that

it loaded for me, but the wait times are "this ride is temporarily closed" which makes sense with the park not yet open for the day

For IOS, anyway. Looks like they've added wait times and in-park directions to attractions. Here's hoping the wait times are accurate within 15min of reality.