Keysersoze Posted May 9, 2015 Share Posted May 9, 2015 Hey all, First let me say I been a platinum pass holder for almost 10 years now. I really love Banshee and the fact that on almost any given night you can almost walk on the ride. I don't get it, do seven inversions scare the public that bad? I think it's one of the best rides if not the best ride in the park. I also really do love how Kings Island lets the line for the front row extend much farther then the station was design for(bad design if you ask me, they should of know most would go for the front on a inverted coaster). I have never seen any other park do that and I hope that continues for that is real guest hospitality. With that said, last night I saw the ride operators do something different that I didn't care for. One hour before the park close, they started doing this thing they referred to "power hour" where if there was only 4 people standing in the front row line the operator controlling the crowd wouldn't let anyone else go to the front. The operator even told one guest it was because they were trying to get 50 cycles in the last hour. Really? I sure wish the operators on "Shake Rattle and Roll" felt that way! I can see that if it was closer to closing time but this was a hour before close and it only took about 10 minutes to go threw the whole line anyway. I thought the whole thing was a bit ridiculous and I wasn't pleased. In all the years of doing coasters I never complained to the park, if I ever went to customer service it was always to complement someone. Last night I went to complain! 10 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Interpreter Posted May 9, 2015 Share Posted May 9, 2015 All it's going to take, God forbid, is an accident during power hour for this ridiculous practice to end. Parks exist to amuse the public safely and thereby profit, not to rush them around, inconvenience them and **** them off in the name of Beat The Clock. 16 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silver2005 Posted May 9, 2015 Share Posted May 9, 2015 I hate how the Banshee crew treats guests during power hours. They are rude, they breath down your neck (at times, literally), and lack any semblance of empathy. Banshee crew- quit trying to hit capacity numbers all the time! Maybe KI can take a few of Banshee's crew and put them on Diamondback... 12 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Interpreter Posted May 9, 2015 Share Posted May 9, 2015 NO! I do not want one of those rushing tyrants jamming the restraint forcefully and painfully into my crotch. Or worse, not adequately checking a restraint, and a tiny guest exits the coaster prematurely. 14 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jsus Posted May 9, 2015 Share Posted May 9, 2015 And then there's my experience from last weekend (don't know if it was a "power hour", though). Sat down, started to pull down the OTSR, realized I forgot to affix my strap to my sunglasses. Got the strap out and started to secure the sunglasses. Op came around, shoved down the OTSR the rest of the way and fastened the seat belt. Cleared the train, while my glasses were in my hand. Had to put them on just outside the station. Really? 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Interpreter Posted May 9, 2015 Share Posted May 9, 2015 In some contexts some can and will see slamming as a matter for the courts. Terp...just sayin' 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oldiesmann Posted May 9, 2015 Share Posted May 9, 2015 And then there's my experience from last weekend (don't know if it was a "power hour", though). Sat down, started to pull down the OTSR, realized I forgot to affix my strap to my sunglasses. Got the strap out and started to secure the sunglasses. Op came around, shoved down the OTSR the rest of the way and fastened the seat belt. Cleared the train, while my glasses were in my hand. Had to put them on just outside the station. Really? I hope you stopped by Guest Services to complain after that. Safety is (or at least should be) the most important thing in terms of running an amusement park, so something like that should definitely be brought to the attention of the higher-ups. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miythandria Posted May 9, 2015 Share Posted May 9, 2015 I'm not sure I like the idea of rushing people through. It seems like that is a good set-up for a serious accident. Just run the ride normally. Not everyone will get the front seat, but that is the risk one takes if one gets in a long "front seat" line during the last 15 minutes. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oldiesmann Posted May 9, 2015 Share Posted May 9, 2015 The big problem here is that somewhere in management, someone is seeing the manufacturer's stated capacity, and is wondering why on earth the actual numbers are so different. They're not happy with the results and there's a push from them that continues down the chain to the ride ops to do whatever they can to increase capacity. The "50 trains in an hour" example mentioned above is clear proof of this. RCDB lists Banshee's capacity at 1650 riders per hour. If you somehow manage to get 50 full Banshee trains out in an hour (meaning no more than 72 seconds between launches), that would put you at 1600 riders in an hour - still not as high as the stated capacity, but a lot better than say 1500 riders an hour. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jsus Posted May 9, 2015 Share Posted May 9, 2015 Not everyone will get the front seat, but that is the risk one takes if one gets in a long "front seat" line during the last 15 minutes. The end of the night is a different case from the rest of the operating day. If there's room in the front row line, and people want to wait there (so long as it's not the majority of riders), let them. At the end of the day, at least at Cedar Point, they'll announce that they're only running X more trains and advice guests to fill in empty rows. That gets people moved quickly and nobody complains. Like you said, that's the risk you take waiting for front row at the end of the night. Some crews can hustle without giving the appearance of rushing too much. At least a couple times waiting for the back row, Millennium Force ride ops have been standing to the side, holding the seat belt, ready to start checking. Doesn't seem too impatient to me, just like they want to get us out quickly. Everyone can appreciate that. 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DiamondAceExpress Posted May 9, 2015 Share Posted May 9, 2015 I lucked out last weekend, getting front row on Banshee on the last train and it happened to include the last couple minutes of the fireworks. 12 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Interpreter Posted May 9, 2015 Share Posted May 9, 2015 And that, my friends, is the way it should be. Best Day Ever. 9 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shark6495 Posted May 10, 2015 Share Posted May 10, 2015 I'll never forget the empty train ride on Vortex right as fireworks went off. It was ... Amazing, beautiful, weird, serene, 8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silver2005 Posted May 10, 2015 Share Posted May 10, 2015 This talk is the reason I have a beef with the Diamondback crew. There is no consistency throughout the park in terms of ride crews. Why is Diamondback (a B&M with near the capacity of Banshee and has the luxury of a MCBR to help trains dispatch quicker) lucky to hit half of its capacity per hour while Banshee is, at the very least and with no MCBR, on par? Will we see Diamondback-esque line movement with Banshee when KI gets their next coaster? Vortex has also started to be that way in the last few years, they triple stack a lot as well, never an issue under Paramount. Its like running coasters with 3 trains is a lost art at Kings Island. 10 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marth555 Posted May 10, 2015 Share Posted May 10, 2015 I noticed three trains in the station multiple times today on Banshee and Diamondback Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rhyano Posted May 10, 2015 Share Posted May 10, 2015 Noticed last week, multiple trains stacked up on the break run Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dalefan Posted May 10, 2015 Share Posted May 10, 2015 Hey all, First let me say I been a platinum pass holder for almost 10 years now. I really love Banshee and the fact that on almost any given night you can almost walk on the ride. I don't get it, do seven inversions scare the public that bad? I think it's one of the best rides if not the best ride in the park. I also really do love how Kings Island lets the line for the front row extend much farther then the station was design for(bad design if you ask me, they should of know most would go for the front on a inverted coaster). I have never seen any other park do that and I hope that continues for that is real guest hospitality. With that said, last night I saw the ride operators do something different that I didn't care for. One hour before the park close, they started doing this thing they referred to "power hour" where if there was only 4 people standing in the front row line the operator controlling the crowd wouldn't let anyone else go to the front. The operator even told one guest it was because they were trying to get 50 cycles in the last hour. Really? I sure wish the operators on "Shake Rattle and Roll" felt that way! I can see that if it was closer to closing time but this was a hour before close and it only took about 10 minutes to go threw the whole line anyway. I thought the whole thing was a bit ridiculous and I wasn't pleased. In all the years of doing coasters I never complained to the park, if I ever went to customer service it was always to complement someone. Last night I went to complain! The staff can't be rude to guests at all for any reason. It doesn't matter what is going on. They will quit doing the power hour thing if enough people say something about it, or someone gets hurt. 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tr0y Posted May 10, 2015 Share Posted May 10, 2015 The pour hour is trying to get everyone through and have the crews finished and clocked out as soon as possible. It seems as KI or possibly Cedar Fair are becoming real penny pincher's with employees. What I noticed last week proves a point having people who were not hired as ride ops doing ride ops ( KI police and Life guard ). Yes both work for KI but their job titles and most likely training are not the same, which too me seems unsafe. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
princesskirstyn Posted May 10, 2015 Share Posted May 10, 2015 Power Hour makes me so angry. It's just dangerous and people usually slip by. When I was on a crew at CP we had power hours quite often, until one day a small guest slipped by... Least to say, people involved were disciplined correctly and power hours were no more. They're SO dangerous Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Magenta Lizard Posted May 10, 2015 Share Posted May 10, 2015 I want to know what the deal is with stapling this year. Last year, I don't think it happened to me more than once or twice in dozens of park visits. Friday, I got stapled three times, on three different rides (DT, AE, and Delirium) within the same half hour. The worst was Delirium because as I was sitting there losing circulation in my legs all I could think of was the moment before the ride begins when the restraints tighten more. Fortunately (?) when there is already resistance apparently they don't tighten further. There is no reason to use one's entire weight and/or strength to set restraints, especially when the restraints are clicked enough to lock already. Pushing until some resistance is met is plenty. The young man on AE who stapled me apparently is chronic about it because when I rode again, I switched sides, but the woman sitting on his side behind me got stapled by him instead. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Interpreter Posted May 10, 2015 Share Posted May 10, 2015 princesskirstyn: Welcome to KIC! 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
princesskirstyn Posted May 10, 2015 Share Posted May 10, 2015 Some ride hosts are weird about it, some of them do it just to laugh at guests when they make them uncomfortable. (Sad but true). Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Interpreter Posted May 10, 2015 Share Posted May 10, 2015 The latter should be fired. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
princesskirstyn Posted May 10, 2015 Share Posted May 10, 2015 You'd be surprised with what ride hosts get away with. Most management you have to realize aren't in their end careers (and if they are they don't take it seriously) so some of them could really care less. Don't get me wrong though, I have seen people fired for things of the sort. I also saw a girl get fired for leaving restraints "too lose", I think it just depends. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jsus Posted May 10, 2015 Share Posted May 10, 2015 If they "could really care less", that means they do care. At least a little. As "Weird Al" informed me. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Interpreter Posted May 10, 2015 Share Posted May 10, 2015 If they could care less, then they do care some. Congratulations. You've been Terped. Already. Terp, often imitated, never duplicated. 8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DontWantToWait42mar0 Posted May 10, 2015 Share Posted May 10, 2015 I like the power hours. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jsus Posted May 10, 2015 Share Posted May 10, 2015 I also like when ride ops dispatch trains with loose articles in riders' hands because they're oblivious, more concerned with getting trains out as quick as possible. Safety is job one? Maybe at Ford Motor Company but not at Cedar Fair parks during "power hours". 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
benny1388 Posted May 10, 2015 Share Posted May 10, 2015 We saw this in practice both on Friday evening and Sunday afternoon (it was the same crew, or many of them same crew). On Friday evening they were cycling trains in under 20 seconds. While that is impressive, and does greatly reduce wait time, it also (potentially) reduces rider safety as something may get missed in the rush, and they were not allowing us to pick seats. I could understand if there was a long wait and they just needed to fill trains to get people through the line, but it was 15-20 minutes. To me, this is an abuse of the 'preferred seating not guaranteed' sign they have posted just so the crew can cycle trains faster for no real apparent reason to the guests. This actually makes me want to ride it less. I'm assuming (literally, pure conjecture) there is some recognition, maybe just bragging rights, among ride operators for how many they can cycle per hour etc. That's all fine and good, but as park employees their primary concerns should be guest/rider safety and guest/rider enjoyment. If you cycle 10 less trains per hour, but have happier riders - you win, even if you're not outperforming other rides. 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tr0y Posted May 10, 2015 Share Posted May 10, 2015 I also like when ride ops dispatch trains with loose articles in riders' hands because they're oblivious, more concerned with getting trains out as quick as possible. Safety is job one? Maybe at Ford Motor Company but not at Cedar Fair parks during "power hours". Ford Motor Company? You mean General Motors. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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