upstop Posted May 12, 2015 Share Posted May 12, 2015 What the heck is the point in rushing through a Power Hour? Are they trying to reach a daily required cycle or something....God forbid someone get injured...im sure the park would appreciate their star rollercoaster closed for months pending an investigation. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
benny1388 Posted May 12, 2015 Share Posted May 12, 2015 I'm more curious if this is the ride operators taking it upon themselves to be 'star performers' or if it's pressure from above. Regardless, I plan to express my unhappiness about it to guest services (is that the correct place to go?) over the practice next time I witness it. edit: I noticed there's a 'contact us' section of the mobile app. I may just use that if I feel the need to lodge a complaint. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stylez Posted May 12, 2015 Share Posted May 12, 2015 Guest services would be my thought, if you are unhappy with anything in the park. I did this once with a very very rude ride operator on AE and went to guest services. I told them of my problem and they did not write a single thing down, the person's name or what my complaint was about. When I asked them to take my name and number to have a supervisor call me about this, they told me that was not necessary. I had very little confidence anything was ever said to the employee, maybe they just let me vent. They were all very, very nice as I shared my complaint, and I felt heard. Being this is a potential safety issue, that might be different. I suspect they are doing this to get people through, not to make some sort of quota. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Interpreter Posted May 12, 2015 Share Posted May 12, 2015 Disrespectful and rude I can deal with. Unsafe, on the other hand... 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
benny1388 Posted May 12, 2015 Share Posted May 12, 2015 While I often do deal with it, I often stop visiting (and spending money) where I'm repeatedly treated this disrespectfully and rudely. I know the revenue lost from my four gold passes would be a drop in the ocean, but it's my drop and I get to decide to to keep it or let it be a part of the ocean. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Italian Job 2005 Posted May 12, 2015 Share Posted May 12, 2015 Disrespectful and rude I can deal with. Unsafe, on the other hand... Some people will feel unsafe if they have a rude of disrespectful ride operator, even though the two are technically separate ideas. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jsus Posted May 12, 2015 Share Posted May 12, 2015 If a ride op has little/no respect for guests, who is to say that he/she would have any more respect for following safe operating procedures? 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sssulliv Posted May 12, 2015 Share Posted May 12, 2015 I was there Sunday (5/10) and was denied permission to wait for the front car even though there was no one waiting for the front car. I was told "we can't let people wait for the front". I was so baffled because the line was only 15 minutes at that point. Also on Sunday (on another ride later in the day) the lady next to me had a wallet with a strap looped around her belt, dangling in front of her. They wouldn't secure the restraint with that there and told her she had to put it in her pocket. She had to remove her belt, replace her belt, hand the wallet off to her friend, who had to get up and put it in his pocket. They had to release the restraints 2 separate times to accomplish this. I was really surprised that they waited for all that rather than make her exit the ride and start all over again, this time properly prepared. I also had a wallet with a strap that I was carrying over my shoulder and the person at the ride entrance made me remove it and stuff it in my pocket before I even got in line. They missed this other lady apparently. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Interpreter Posted May 12, 2015 Share Posted May 12, 2015 Welcome to KIC! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
benny1388 Posted May 12, 2015 Share Posted May 12, 2015 I was there Sunday (5/10) and was denied permission to wait for the front car even though there was no one waiting for the front car. I was told "we can't let people wait for the front". I was so baffled because the line was only 15 minutes at that point. Also on Sunday (on another ride later in the day) the lady next to me had a wallet with a strap looped around her belt, dangling in front of her. They wouldn't secure the restraint with that there and told her she had to put it in her pocket. She had to remove her belt, replace her belt, hand the wallet off to her friend, who had to get up and put it in his pocket. They had to release the restraints 2 separate times to accomplish this. I was really surprised that they waited for all that rather than make her exit the ride and start all over again, this time properly prepared. I also had a wallet with a strap that I was carrying over my shoulder and the person at the ride entrance made me remove it and stuff it in my pocket before I even got in line. They missed this other lady apparently. I know people say folks from the park read these forums...I really hope they're reading this and understand the frustrations of their guests/customers. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sssulliv Posted May 12, 2015 Share Posted May 12, 2015 Welcome to KIC! Thanks! I am basically obsessed with Banshee. lol. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jcgoble3 Posted May 12, 2015 Share Posted May 12, 2015 Are they trying to reach a daily required cycle or something If so, heaven forbid an accident. Lawyers would have a field day with that. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silver2005 Posted May 12, 2015 Share Posted May 12, 2015 I've been comparing Banshee's station with other B&M inverted coaster stations, and there is plenty of room to put in a rail for a front line queue. With the way the station is run to accommodate Fast Lane, it wouldn't lead to major congestion issues. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
upstop Posted May 15, 2015 Share Posted May 15, 2015 Btw....last Saturday, the trains were stacking and Fastlaners were not held back even for a second. I watched more than 50 Fastlaners walk the steps and go straight to a lane. So that blows the whole concept that they are "fed into the line" right out if the water. In fact when I got to the platform, rows 5 and 6 were blocked by orange cones and I believe they were reserved for Fastlane. The attendant was filling from the back forwards with only Fastlane and using 5 and 6 as overflow. The main line was only 3 queues and around. an hour long. My suggestion - add a tiered ticket. A cheaper than Fastlane one trip per ride ticket, and then double the price of the unlimited Fastlane. Then move the Fastlane exit further back in line where an attendant can feed them into the mainline as they arrive, maybe at the bottom of the stairs. This places some limits but there would be more options and sales of Fastlane and should keep the lines moving. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarketingExpress Posted May 15, 2015 Share Posted May 15, 2015 I'm more curious if this is the ride operators taking it upon themselves to be 'star performers' or if it's pressure from above. Regardless, I plan to express my unhappiness about it to guest services (is that the correct place to go?) over the practice next time I witness it. edit: I noticed there's a 'contact us' section of the mobile app. I may just use that if I feel the need to lodge a complaint. Typically ride crews arrange power hours themselves...there is no pressure from management that a crew is required to have a power hour. Typically, you can find these occuring the last hour or two before the park closes. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
benny1388 Posted May 15, 2015 Share Posted May 15, 2015 ^ I get that it's potentially an effort to make sure everybody gets one last ride (maybe two) in before closing (or even if the wait is very long) and I'm actually fine with that. I feel like I'm repeating myself from earlier posts, but what I'm not ok with is not being given the option to wait longer for front row when the total wait is ~15min and having my group of separated and forced onto different trains because of some arbitrary goal to turn around a train within a certain time. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BB1 Posted September 15, 2015 Share Posted September 15, 2015 Some good information here folks , as policies are policies, No matter what time of year. I would suggest to bring this up to guest services as they would have more information about the park's operations than we would. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BeeastFarmer Posted September 15, 2015 Share Posted September 15, 2015 I would estimate 96% of ride operators I have witnessed have been nice, efficient, and concerned with the #kibestday experience. I too, experienced "power hour" on Banshee recently. I didn't see any thing I would call unsafe, and being of a larger stature, the ride ops were quick, but did not staple me into the seat. I kind of liked the intensity of the dispatch: "Ladies and gentlemen, when the gate opens, we have 30 seconds to dispatch this train! Take your seat quickly, just drop your shoes where you sit," etc. And then the countdown was cool too. I could see how it would be annoying if you were marathoning or if you go to the park daily, but I thought it was refreshing to see quick work and a sense of urgency. I thought to myself, if they could set goals like this on Diamondback, the station train would depart when the ride train hit the MCBR each time and the 20-30 minute wait for Diamondback would shrink even more! (Don't mess with my The Beast; I rarely see any stack here and the ride ops are incredible. Plus, with the way they do the station ques now, I don't mind hanging out in the station for a few minutes, especially on hot days with the fan running.) 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rhyano Posted September 16, 2015 Share Posted September 16, 2015 I would estimate 96% of ride operators I have witnessed have been nice, efficient, and concerned with the #kibestday experience. I too, experienced "power hour" on Banshee recently. I didn't see any thing I would call unsafe, and being of a larger stature, the ride ops were quick, but did not staple me into the seat. I kind of liked the intensity of the dispatch: "Ladies and gentlemen, when the gate opens, we have 30 seconds to dispatch this train! Take your seat quickly, just drop your shoes where you sit," etc. And then the countdown was cool too. I could see how it would be annoying if you were marathoning or if you go to the park daily, but I thought it was refreshing to see quick work and a sense of urgency. I thought to myself, if they could set goals like this on Diamondback, the station train would depart when the ride train hit the MCBR each time and the 20-30 minute wait for Diamondback would shrink even more! (Don't mess with my The Beast; I rarely see any stack here and the ride ops are incredible. Plus, with the way they do the station ques now, I don't mind hanging out in the station for a few minutes, especially on hot days with the fan running.) agreed with everything on this list, i have imagined what this would be like on Diamondback, the waits would go a lot faster than they are, instead of the stacking they normally get 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
calakapepe Posted September 16, 2015 Share Posted September 16, 2015 Also wanna add that when Diamondback is going through power hour, they might send the trains too frequently and cause it to pause at the MCBR. Which basically makes the last part of the ride have no airtime and kills the fun by making you stop completely. . Similar to another KI coaster. Keep it Rollin. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pagoda Gift Shop Posted September 16, 2015 Share Posted September 16, 2015 Wouldn't it be more likely to have a train pause on the lift for the MCBR to clear instead? The day the crew is having that problem is a good day. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
calakapepe Posted September 16, 2015 Share Posted September 16, 2015 I don't know which is more likely, just which one would happen frequently over the years of end of the night operation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RollerNut Posted September 16, 2015 Share Posted September 16, 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! Cedar Point South....err....Carowinds does this all day every day on Fury and Intimidator. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Captain Nemo Posted September 22, 2015 Share Posted September 22, 2015 While the park does look at this website, this is not the parks guest services. My recommendation for everyone is to let your opinion be heard about your feelings of this practice at the parks guest services. As a former worker of Beast in 2008 and Diamondback in 2009, I will admit our crew did partake in 'Power Hour'. The thing was my supervisors then always pushed on us that Power hour was not just about capacity, but to go up and beyond our regular just checking of restraints. Some of you may remember "Cowboy Wednesdays" on The Beast in '08. This is just an example of how we did power hours. In 2005 when I worked Tomb Raider, our power hour included what we called tomb raider trivia in which we asked park based questions and gave out prizes for correct answers. I will say that as a worker of both paramount and Cedar Fair I must admit that Cedar Fair pushes more of the crew to hit high capacity numbers, even on the Diamonback crew in 2009 they had us (batteling) the behemoth crew to have better numbers. The managers also would promise us things like free snacks and pizza parties if we hit high numbers. I am all for high capacity numbers but as I have grown I have also grown a deep understanding for safety, something I when I was 17-21 working at the park did not completely understand. This goes for many young park workers, it takes a wise man to understand the concept that they are not working just a coaster but a machine that can potentially harm and hurt someone if mishandled. Thats my two cents of the subject, had to tell my story. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
benny1388 Posted September 22, 2015 Share Posted September 22, 2015 My concern with the power hours isn't restricted to potential safety concerns (I'm not disregarding them, at all). To me, the way guests (key word right there) get treated during these power hours is like cattle. We get herded through the line as quickly and orderly as possible for the sake of turning around a train with the only consideration for the guests' happiness and enjoyment is that they get to ride the coaster they're in line for. Maybe that guest wants to sit up front and is willing to wait a few extra cycles, maybe they want to sit in the last row, maybe they have a newer rider with them who wants to sit in the middle of the train. I've seen all of these rider requests fall on deaf ears as the operators direct riders to specific stalls. My only guess is they can't be bothered to allow it because it will impact their numbers every so slightly. Frankly, if I thought they were doing it for nothing more than free pizza and Cokes, I'd pay to have some delivered to the station so we can avoid the power hour nonsense. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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