Jump to content

Question on "Line Jumping"


Tomkatt7
 Share

Recommended Posts

I have wondered about this ever sense my visit in July last year.

Most of you are familiar with WWC, I presume.

about 3/4 of the way back through, there is an opening with vending machines, benches, where the exit and entrance to the ride are joined. The line didn't back up until the bridge crossing the water right before the platform.Pretty short line. As we were walking back, a group of kids crossed that section right in front of us and ran on up the path. No problem. A few minutes later, after we had passed that point, another group did the same thing. This time though, we were between them and the formation of the line. I have always been under the impression that the line started when you enter under the WWC sign right by the train platform. So when they tried to push through my group and run past, I stopped them. Told them that they couldn't line jump. They started to argue that we were not "in line" yet, just walking down a path. My response was, the line is 50 feet in front of us, and we WILL all stop up there. If you insist on jumping past us, I'll just get a ride op when we get up there and let them decide what line jumping is.

They decided to play it safe, and stay behind us, so it all worked out to my benifit, but I have wondered about it ever sense.

I don't want to be considered an A$$, but at the same time, I don't want to wait extra time because a bunch of pre-puberty kids decide to run past me.

Was I wrong in stopping them at the point I did?

Is it really not a line until somebody is stopped in front of you?

Or is the entire queue a "no passing zone" from the time you enter it? Even though it is very wide to be a queue.

I remember when it first opened, you were lucky to get under the entry sign before the line formed.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I always stop people that try to line jump. Usually there in the line part of the line if you know what I mean. Like I need to meet some one up there. No you need to tell them to come back here. It not only effects you but others in the line. That one person could mean you don't get to ride cause of a break down! I agree with you and stopping them. I would have done the same thing. The line starts at the sign!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

There is an opening like that in the queue for Flight Deck as well. I figured that it was there in case you wanted to ride again, but I don't think I would be so shameless as to cut someone off that was clearly walking from the beginning of the path.

I don't think you were wrong to say something to them, I probably would have too. It drives me crazy when people jump over or crawl under the dividers in the queues to get to the front of the line when they would have actually been behind you had they just walked around like civilized people.

In my opinion, the line begins as soon as you go through the entrance to a ride and I would consider it to be a "no-passing zone".

Just my two cents on the matter.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Does any of the signage indicate whether you've entered the queue? I think there is some ambiguity at play. Still, the long pathways to some of the attractions (FD, AE, Vortex) are quite narrow, and running kids can pose something of a safety hazard in them. In a society where people are living by their own rules, sometimes they just need someone to speak up before they realize they're being rude, or that their behavior is ...eh, 'out of line'...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

As soon as we're past the sign (Beast is an Exception, in such cases as soon as there are rails besides you) then the line begins. If someone tries to pass me past there, I stop them.

Even though it's the right thing to do, I sometimes have second thoughts being a bit of a weakling.....

Link to comment
Share on other sites

just a question to add on. if there is ques open but yet there is no one filling up these ques and you go under the bars and pass no one is that line jumping?

nah, I don't think so, I don't even have a problem with people that were cutting through the "open" space to re enter. I just didn't think it was right to try to run around me while I was walking back

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest TombraiderTy

I think it's alright to re-enter the line through the connecting point between between queue and exit, but only if the area doesn't already have people or a person approaching the queue's end from a short distance.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

:unsure: It might possibly be a violation of a rule to remain on designated walkways and traffic areas. (i.e., people who run through the landscaping between the exit/entrance paths on AE).

It very well may be. But, If there is a path worn through from others doing it before you, and the staff does nothing to try and stop it from happening, then why wouldn't the kids do it?

It is also against the rules to bring in drinks, but LOTS of people do it.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Reminds me of when we went to PCW in '97. We were in line for their go-carts if I remember correctly. Anyway, one of the guys I was with is in a wheelchair, and the queue line was wide enough to accomodate it. As we were zigging and zagging through the empty queues, a group of kids who entered the line behind us decided to duck through the queue railings, and they would have ended up in front of us. At that point I said VERY loudly, "Do not cut in front of us!" The girls stopped in their tracks, with wide eyes, and got behind us after we passed.

I have no problem with ducking through the queue rails as long as the only people ahead of you are those already stopped. But if someone is ahead of you in the empty queues, that's line jumping.

Then there were the girls at HW this past summer. We were in line for Voyage, and had just gotten to the downstairs queue area when two teen girls came from behind us and said they were catching up with their friends. Like a fool I let them pass. 2-3 minutes later, the guy behind us points out to me the girls, who are now climbing the stairs out of the lower queue area to the loading area. From that point on, I swore to never let anybody by using that excuse. "Nevermore!" (OK, for you literate people out there, that line would actually work better if I had been in line for Raven at the time...)

And I love that shirt, giga!!! Too bad they don't have a color I would wear, or my size...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

At WWC during the summer we rode it about 6 times in a row and we had to get off everytime. What we would do is wait until there was nobody coming and then we would get back in the line so not to upset anyone. Plus it was about 6 o clock and there was hardly anyone in line. But other than that i do not line jump at all. Except for when there is no one in the queue ahead of me and i jump through the rails to get up to the ride quicker.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

just a question to add on. if there is ques open but yet there is no one filling up these ques and you go under the bars and pass no one is that line jumping?

nah, I don't think so, I don't even have a problem with people that were cutting through the "open" space to re enter. I just didn't think it was right to try to run around me while I was walking back

If people want to use the "cut-through" areas that's fine. I remember seeing the gate across from The Beast's ORP open, so I entered there. Of course, I waited until no one was coming, but as long as that's the case with all those areas, I'm fine with it.

Just talking about stopping people who are "catching up with my friends" reminds me of this day at SoB when a group of 5-6 young guys tried that with me. I attempted to stop them, but I thought better of it when I realized I might get jumped if I pressed the issue. That's sad when that consideration has to be made. I'm not going to fight over a rollercoaster.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'll use pre-made cut-through areas like the ones on WWC and FD. I do wait until there's no one in sight walking from the entrance at Rivertown, because it would be rude to knowingly get in front of someone just joining the line. I also have jumped from FD's exit to SoB's entrance at the tunnel when there was no one coming. I've even gone from the exit (where they have shelves for loose articles) directly to the station on FoF, but only after asking and receiving permission from the ride ops (this was back when I worked there and they all knew me anyway).

However, I WILL speak my mind to others trying to purposely jump me. There were two tweenie boys that tried to jump in front of me and my husband on Gemini - in the area where you have to walk around a wood divider before the stairs, they went under when we went around. I said "excuse me, but we were in front of you." They gave me a dirty look but got behind us again. They ended up 1 train ahead of us anyway because we waited for front seat and they took an open spot in the middle, but I wasn't about to let them pull that crap. I'm not afraid of a physical altercation - if they're stupid enough to start it, then they're stupid enough to deserve being kicked out of the park and/or put in jail for assault.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

However, I WILL speak my mind to others trying to purposely jump me. There were two tweenie boys that tried to jump in front of me and my husband on Gemini - in the area where you have to walk around a wood divider before the stairs, they went under when we went around. I said "excuse me, but we were in front of you." They gave me a dirty look but got behind us again. They ended up 1 train ahead of us anyway because we waited for front seat and they took an open spot in the middle, but I wasn't about to let them pull that crap. I'm not afraid of a physical altercation - if they're stupid enough to start it, then they're stupid enough to deserve being kicked out of the park and/or put in jail for assault.

I knew there was a reason I liked you.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'll use pre-made cut-through areas like the ones on WWC and FD. I do wait until there's no one in sight walking from the entrance at Rivertown, because it would be rude to knowingly get in front of someone just joining the line. I also have jumped from FD's exit to SoB's entrance at the tunnel when there was no one coming. I've even gone from the exit (where they have shelves for loose articles) directly to the station on FoF, but only after asking and receiving permission from the ride ops (this was back when I worked there and they all knew me anyway).

However, I WILL speak my mind to others trying to purposely jump me. There were two tweenie boys that tried to jump in front of me and my husband on Gemini - in the area where you have to walk around a wood divider before the stairs, they went under when we went around. I said "excuse me, but we were in front of you." They gave me a dirty look but got behind us again. They ended up 1 train ahead of us anyway because we waited for front seat and they took an open spot in the middle, but I wasn't about to let them pull that crap. I'm not afraid of a physical altercation - if they're stupid enough to start it, then they're stupid enough to deserve being kicked out of the park and/or put in jail for assault.

Too right. I agree that if two "tweenie" boys want to tangle with me, I'll dance. However, when I'm looking at 5-6, 17-18 year olds, my tune changes quite a bit.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Too right. I agree that if two "tweenie" boys want to tangle with me, I'll dance. However, when I'm looking at 5-6, 17-18 year olds, my tune changes quite a bit.

Boys that age are full of bluff and bluster, but pretty much harmless. Besides, how fast do you think security/ride ops/other patrons would be all over the scene? The one assault I witness when I worked at Kings Island (between two middle aged mothers!) was broken up very quickly and the woman who started it went to jail. The victim, who was pushed by the other woman, didn't even get hurt.

That was one of my first days working there ... talk about an interesting start to a job! I ended up giving statements to Park Police and Warren County sheriffs before the end of my shift and my manager let me go home early.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

That was then, this is now. I do NOT recommend confrontation with other park guests. It can end very badly. The guests you encounter could even possibly not be locals, but real toughs from a very urban, more violent area.

Terpy - I used to live on the "bad side of Elvis Presley" (as some of my husband's cop friends referred to it), and delivered pizza in an area known as "Hickory Hood" because of the high crime rate, in Memphis TN which is one of the murder capitals of the US. Unarmed thugs in Kings Island don't scare me in the slightest. And to be honest, any time you DO hear about a confrontation in a park (which are very unlikely to start - you're more likely to get in a fight during rush hour traffic), it's by the least likely suspects ... remember that incident at WDW a little while back when two mothers got into it? It was a middle-aged mother that started the confrontation I witnessed, which was over a remark by the victim on how the other woman was treating her child.

That being said, I'm not implying you should go out of your way to make an issue, but I'm not going to let someone push me around when I paid the same amount of money they did to enjoy the park. Line jumping is against park rules for a reason, and I will most definitely alert security if I catch someone at it or they refuse to get behind me when I point it out to them. I also do not let people cut in front of me by saying "my group is up there" - I told someone in the line for Millennium Force that if that was the case, their group could come join them at the back of the line, since that's the rules. I won't alert security in the case of the boys at Gemini, because they listened and got behind me without making an issue. I wouldn't be surprised if they got kicked out later on because they also pushed and shoved their way through the crowd at the station and I'm betting thought nothing of line jumping someone else that may not have been as forgiving as I was.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

about 3/4 of the way back through, there is an opening with vending machines, benches, where the exit and entrance to the ride are joined.

As we were walking back, a group of kids crossed that section right in front of us and ran on up the path.

- that's because when the ride is really short they allow people to do that. Instead of walking all the way around. On days that ride is slow they do open it and they can close it if need be. Unless I'm horribly mistaken but it's worked that way for quite a while now. In the summer, they keep that gate shut. (though I haven't been in the summer in a while, I'm sure that ride gets busy then)

Was I wrong in stopping them at the point I did?

--It's one of those little tidbits they don't tell you. You were wrong in that they were not jumping line. They were however getting in front of you. Which is cutting. They should have been polite... and if they were clearly cutting people off then yea. But I doubt they meant to do that. You also did say they ran, which they shouldn't have been doing. And people running past me in line bugs the crap out of me. So it's not really either. Just remember that they are allowed to do it (when the gate is open), and so are you! = ) That is of course assuming that nobody is obviously walking in that direction. If your not sure, ask the operators and they can let you know for certain. But it has never caused a major problem before to my knowledge. I'm sure if you just explained that you wanted a turn to ride and they could just get behind you, they probably would have still obliged.

Is it really not a line until somebody is stopped in front of you?

--Actually, it is a line wherever they start the line. At least logic would dictate such I hope. (so forgive if I'm horribly wrong about that) In this case they loop it so instead of allowing riders to stay on, they have to at least walk around but not all the way. Thus giving maximum ride time on WWC. I know I have rode it like 20 times that way when it was colder out or slow and nobody complained about it ever. So by all means, you should enjoy that while we have the chance. I know I don't like walking all the way around for another go, unless I have to. Which I do. = P

Or is the entire queue a "no passing zone" from the time you enter it? Even though it is very wide to be a queue.

--After you enter the queue normally nobody should be passing you. That is the confusing bit about WWC. Cause they open up that section. I was confused at first but, the ride operators knew because we asked right after the first time we rode because we wanted to ride again. I'd say that they assume people are polite enough to let others whom haven't rode get on next.

I remember when it first opened, you were lucky to get under the entry sign before the line formed.

--It still gets that way sometimes in the summer, well not as bad... but still a looong line. Worth it if you got some extra time on your trip and need to cool off.

--Most of all, don't worry, be happy! = )

That was then, this is now. I do NOT recommend confrontation with other park guests. It can end very badly. The guests you encounter could even possibly not be locals, but real toughs from a very urban, more violent area.

I feel indifferent about your statement. Forgive me for I'm sure you didn't mean to come across as offensive but you did to me. Because some of us aren't locals. And happen to be rather nice people from urban areas, that we moved to after living on a farm and in the Appalachian mountains. Whom detest violence. No, I'm not trying to troll you or flame you, I'm just saying. It came across as very stereotypical and I didn't like it. Not to mention that Kings Island is the most popular theme park in the United States (or at least was for a while there). So at least we know if it isn't, it's pretty up there. So yea, your gonna get a mix of people. No need to get bent out of shape thinking someone is going to mug you over a ride. And if they were to do that you could avoid it and have them removed and/or arrested. That is what security is for. And metal detectors.

Gee, I have never heard of KI being that rough. Though I'm glad for the metal detectors. And if someone is giving you a hard time like that, avoid them and tell a security officer. Besides, I doubt you'll see them again.

However you are right Interpreter, some guys won't be as understanding as those kids. Honestly if it's some punk kid just grab a ride operator. No need to get yourself into a tiff over it.

Hope I didn't come across as too brash.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Gee, I have never heard of KI being that rough. Though I'm glad for the metal detectors. And if someone is giving you a hard time like that, avoid them and tell a security officer. Besides, I doubt you'll see them again.

I don't think it's necessarily that KI is that rough, but more a statement of how the world in general has gotten. Crime has gotten to places that it was absent before, and while KI is still a fairly safe haven, it's true that anything could happen anywhere. However, SFOG, which is in Atlanta in a very crime-ridden area (don't stay in any of the hotels on the next exit!!), there are no metal detectors. My husband was very surprised by this, because even Libertyland, the tiny park in Memphis, had metal detectors before it closed. Cedar Point also has no metal detectors. I don't honestly remember if WDW did or not, because we didn't enter through the main gate at Epcot, we went through the employee entrance for DiveQuest. Either way, I'm not concerned about a confrontation in a ride line. If it were to happen, the parks are crawling with security and other employees, as well as armed park police, that would diffuse the situation immediately, but the best course of action is to be polite and if you aren't comfortable with the confrontation, to alert a park employee to the situation. I'm not a person to sneak about behind someone's back, so I'm more likely to walk up to them and tell them my problem with them, but that's just me, not everyone, and it's perfectly ok to handle the situation however you are comfortable with. I just hope that something is done, because too many people just turn a blind eye to it and let it happen, and the people doing the illegal action continue to do so because they get away with it.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

What Terpy is trying to say is that in the big cities, crime rate is higher, and those who grow up on "the street" are tougher and can potentially be more physical than the person who grew up on "the street" of, oh lets say, Mason, Ohio. Thats all Terpy was trying to say.

Oh and a word on those cut throughs:

Those cut throughs are for maintenance and ride operators to quickly get from the exit to the entrance on long paths. For example, lets say that something is wrong with a light in the queue of WWC. The path that leads to the entrance the quickest is behind tower 2, and leads to the exit line. So the cut through can then be utilized to make it to the light you are fixing quicker than going to the station, then all the way down.

And coming from a ride op's experience with the FD cut through: We tried to put as many people on the ride as possible to help with our capacity numbers. So when it came down to that cut through, it just meant that our numbers were higher than if they had to walk all the way back to the front of the entrance, so we didn't care. Is this, I guess, the "Moral" thing to do? Probably not.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks for clearing that up. I was a bit confused by it. That is why I pointed it out though and I hope Terpy isn't offended, I rather like his responses and contributions here. Don't get me wrong at all. That's just how a city kid might see that.

It's sad we even would consider such a thing though and regardless if it's line cutting or cussing another guest... someone should say something about so everyone else won't have to deal with it. That I think we can all agree on.

I just try to avoid confronting people I don't know... because as Terp did make a valid point, you never know. City or no. There are plenty of rough folks from smaller towns. But you see what I'm getting at here.

I especially avoid saying something directly if they are kids. An angry parent can be worse than a roughian. (I know I didn't spell that right)

Maybe they forget to close it or maybe some days they just let it slide. I'll have to be extra nice. If you see me in line, I'm the guy waiting patiently for you to file in if your not already wet. (Though I doubt opening day will merit a WWC ride if it's still really cold)

That's awful that some parks would allow such things. I'm all about everyone enjoying themselves. Just not at the expense of other people. I suppose that's what we are really all trying to say.

On a side note. It's freezing here... I wouldn't even think of WWC right now.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The one time I recall this was when I was at Carowinds in line for "Nighthawk" and a bunch of people got out of line and ran out the exit and then a few minutes later came back and remind you we'd been in line already for almost 90 minutes and we were close to getting on and I stopped them and said that you weren't allowed to line-jump and to go to the back of the line. My aunt smacked me for saying that and she told them to go ahead and I watched them and they got back in a random place, not even where they were. It ****ed me off!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

In longer lines, the ones that have the vending machines, if someone stops to buy a pop or candy bar, I have no problem letting them back with their party. Technically that is line jumping, but I always figure their party could've been jerks and stood there holding everyone up.

I got a couple chances to speak up this past season, but for the most part I saw very little line jumping. Perhaps I was just fortunate??

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

 Share

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...