Up_Up_and_Away Posted April 4, 2009 Author Report Share Posted April 4, 2009 I just called the park and they said nitro and toro DID NOT valley, but are down due to high winds. I asked if Ka would be open then due to winds, but she said its open but will close at moments notice for gusts over a certain speed. As for TDK, I forgot to ask. Toro did valley before opening and TDK went down while we were on line. Ka and Nitro were both closed quite early on; I can't say whether or not they were even open at all. We do NOT encourage members to call the park for trivial reasons. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Master Posted April 4, 2009 Report Share Posted April 4, 2009 I figured with the high winds today alot of rides would be closed. There's always sunday which is supposed to have much nicer weather. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Up_Up_and_Away Posted April 4, 2009 Author Report Share Posted April 4, 2009 GACoaster & I were on the first cycle of the carousel for 2009, and the figures look BEAUTIFUL! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
southview2 Posted April 4, 2009 Report Share Posted April 4, 2009 Toro did valley before opening and TDK went down while we were on line. Ka and Nitro were both closed quite early on; I can't say whether or not they were even open at all. We do NOT encourage members to call the park for trivial reasons. I dont just call the park in general. I work there and know people whos cell phone numbers I have, I have a friend in rides thats a supervisor and I called him on his cell, it was a private phone call to his phone, not land lined. But I see what you are saying, I was just saying I called a cell, not the actual parks line. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CycloneMan Posted April 5, 2009 Report Share Posted April 5, 2009 ^Dude...Nitro vallied. THere's no denying it, people watched it. It was the last train testing, while people were waiting. After the hammerhead, it went up the hill...and came back down! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
southview2 Posted April 5, 2009 Report Share Posted April 5, 2009 (edited) ^Dude...Nitro vallied. THere's no denying it, people watched it. It was the last train testing, while people were waiting. After the hammerhead, it went up the hill...and came back down! Please tell me anywhere in my reply to up up and away that I argued nitro DIDNT valley, Oh, wait, I didnt. I simply was saying I called a private phone and not the park like he said, because I agree we shouldnt call the park for trivial questions, but its no problem to call a friend. No where in my reply did I mention nitro. That was my first post and he clarified that it did actually valley so that was that, I didnt argue. But, sounds like opening day sucked. I still cant wait for next weekend and week! I get to work! =]]]] Edited April 5, 2009 by southview2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike13 Posted April 5, 2009 Report Share Posted April 5, 2009 (edited) Dude it didn't suck,yes some complained that the rides they wanted to ride wern't open but today will be a much better day without those crazy winds that got up to 50 MPH yesterday,not alot can operate in that.They tried really hard to open what they could and that's why they opened log flume even though it was freezing lol.Also yestersay I saw alot of employees putting a smile on a guests face and that's all that matters this year. Edited April 5, 2009 by Mike13 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Up_Up_and_Away Posted April 5, 2009 Author Report Share Posted April 5, 2009 Seriously, everyone was SO friendly yesterday and the park looked great... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CycloneMan Posted April 5, 2009 Report Share Posted April 5, 2009 Did you guys have a Six Flags day? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Up_Up_and_Away Posted April 5, 2009 Author Report Share Posted April 5, 2009 I almost had to sew a seventh flag! You? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CycloneMan Posted April 5, 2009 Report Share Posted April 5, 2009 Well....I had a Great Adventure! Okay, when I walked through the main gate they said, "Have a Great Adventure!" and I was like, "Wow, thanks!" and through out the say they were like, "Are you having a Six Flags day?" and I thought to myself, "How do they know I don't have any money..." lol. It's cute, but I think "Are you having a Great Adventure?" is sooooo much better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pashacar Posted April 5, 2009 Report Share Posted April 5, 2009 Yesterday was the epitome of "a Six Flags day." There were 5 employees in the M&M store making sure everything ran smoothly, but only one dude working the Teacups, and m platform was misaligned so the ride was more like the Jackhammer-cups. There were four employees in the new Johnny Rockets, but none of them knew how to work the cash register. There were 8 employees on the RMT platform, but none of them did anything about the camera that the guy in front of me was blatantly holding out to film the ride. There was a woman in BoTW who scowled at me when I asked for an extra piece of tomato on my $9 hamburger. There was a supervisor at Skull Mountain who was still showing the attendant how to use the Q-bot. And, in what I thought to be the most insulting thing of all, there were three people standing at the entrance of Nitro at 4:00 to tell me that it was closed for the day, "because of wind." "That means it will reopen later if the wind dies down then?" I asked. One attendant responded, "That's what everyone keeps saying! But no, it is down for the entire day . . . because of wind." As I shook my head and walked away, he called out, "Have a Six Flags day!" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GAcoaster Posted April 5, 2009 Report Share Posted April 5, 2009 Unfortunately there are always growing pains opening weekend and especially on opening day. Last year was the same way, and things definitely improved as the employees got to know the routine and the bugs get worked out on getting the staffing levels right. Things even improved a lot between yesterday and today. The weather just didn't cooperate yesterday, which is the nature of early April weather. That's why some parks wait until May to open. I personally will put up with a bad day with the park open to get an extra good day or two between now and May. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pashacar Posted April 5, 2009 Report Share Posted April 5, 2009 (edited) I see exactly what you mean, but what I don't get is this: the park has been open for 30+ years, and this management team has been in charge for 4, with many of them having been around far longer. How do they not know certain things about running a park by now? Why did the attendant working Skull Mountain not know how to use the Q-bot? Why did the employees in Johnny Rockets not know how to use their cash registers? Why was the locker attendant outside El Toro texting on his cell phone? How are things like this not part of training??? And from a stockholder's perspective, why did RT have 5 attendants on its platform, B:TR 6, and RMT 8? I understand how it might take time to figure out staffing levels for new rides and attractions, but these rides have been there for so long and things like this should be obvious by now. There were certain other things that were also absurd given the 5 months they've had since closing for 2008. Every credit card machine I tried to use was down except for one. Every vending machine I tried to use was turned off, again except for one. Every cell phone charging kiosk I tried didn't work, except for one, and when I used it, it ended up not even charging my phone. The ticket counting machine in Studio 28 didn't work. The employees running games didn't know of the season pass deals even though there were banners posted on their booths. The glass on Temple of the Tiger was disgracefully dirty and covered with graffiti etched in. The Big Wheel was unable to open in the morning (before the wind came). The Mr. Six Dance Contest was a mess in the middle of the path rather than in the stage area where it was supposed to happen. El Toro was running only one train. Good for them for getting the new M&M's store ready and all, but how can they overlook basic things like this? That's what I don't get; where's the sense of the park management knowing what they're doing? Most of them have been at this for decades, so how could they let yesterday end up being such a horrible mess? Edited April 5, 2009 by pashacar Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GAcoaster Posted April 5, 2009 Report Share Posted April 5, 2009 The additional staffing on the coaster platforms I would have to guess was training since they didn't get a lot of time for rides training last week with the weather. That combined with the staffs from the rides closed for wind meant an abundance of people, many of whom are brand new and have never worked any ride before, let alone a ride they weren't assigned to. The locker people are not park employees, they are contractors. I believe the Johnny Rockets people are also contractors. While they work at the park and for the park, they are not paid by the park, and aren't always held ot the same standards as other park workers. That's not an excuse, but in some of these cases it's not directly in the park's control. Big Wheel was closed for wind. The Mr. Six dance contest was the first time they've done it...it takes doing it once to realize there are logistical problems and it needed to move. The ToT glass needs to be replaced and that costs thousands of dollars the park doesn't have, and the dirt is on the inside from the tigers. I ran into the same problem with employees not knowing about the SP deals, but it was their first day and they still were learning. El Toro was running only one train because of the wind. It either had to be one train operation or closed, and one train is certainly better than closed. All the vending machines, chargers, ticket machines, etc take some time to get setup, and will be up and running soon. Lack of staff before the season starts means everything is not ready, but when the crowds are as small as they are for opening weekend, not everything is needed either. They prioritize and sometimes have to put things off a week or two to get the higher priority things running. If the crew that does the electronics has to get ticketing/season pass selling equipment up and running and getting vending machines running, which do you think would be the higher priority? All of your points are completely valid, but it was opening day and this is what happens every year on opening day. It's never perfect and things were better today, and by next weekend most if not all of those problems will be distant memories. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Up_Up_and_Away Posted April 5, 2009 Author Report Share Posted April 5, 2009 The Mr. Six dance contest was the first time they've done it...it takes doing it once to realize there are logistical problems and it needed to move. Not unlike moving the aWAKEning to the big wheel or realigning parts of GITP; the addition of real guests can change EVERYTHING, no matter how great things look on paper or seem in "rehearsal." Patience! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pashacar Posted April 5, 2009 Report Share Posted April 5, 2009 (edited) The additional staffing on the coaster platforms I would have to guess was training since they didn't get a lot of time for rides training last week with the weather. That combined with the staffs from the rides closed for wind meant an abundance of people, many of whom are brand new and have never worked any ride before, let alone a ride they weren't assigned to. The locker people are not park employees, they are contractors. I believe the Johnny Rockets people are also contractors. While they work at the park and for the park, they are not paid by the park, and aren't always held ot the same standards as other park workers. That's not an excuse, but in some of these cases it's not directly in the park's control. Big Wheel was closed for wind. The Mr. Six dance contest was the first time they've done it...it takes doing it once to realize there are logistical problems and it needed to move. The ToT glass needs to be replaced and that costs thousands of dollars the park doesn't have, and the dirt is on the inside from the tigers. I ran into the same problem with employees not knowing about the SP deals, but it was their first day and they still were learning. El Toro was running only one train because of the wind. It either had to be one train operation or closed, and one train is certainly better than closed. All the vending machines, chargers, ticket machines, etc take some time to get setup, and will be up and running soon. Lack of staff before the season starts means everything is not ready, but when the crowds are as small as they are for opening weekend, not everything is needed either. They prioritize and sometimes have to put things off a week or two to get the higher priority things running. If the crew that does the electronics has to get ticketing/season pass selling equipment up and running and getting vending machines running, which do you think would be the higher priority? All of your points are completely valid, but it was opening day and this is what happens every year on opening day. It's never perfect and things were better today, and by next weekend most if not all of those problems will be distant memories. It seems like either there's a serious lack of preparedness and professionalism at the park or, more likely, corporate isn't giving them enough budget to have an effective training period. I completely understand that there are hiccups, and I forgive the park for most of them, but I think there were a few too many yesterday to go completely unnoticed. On a nicer note, everything about my Safari experience was wonderful, especially seeing the lion cubs, so kudos to them on that. EDIT: Did anyone notice the decals on the turnstiles? I thought those were pretty cool. Edited April 5, 2009 by pashacar Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GAcoaster Posted April 5, 2009 Report Share Posted April 5, 2009 Yeah...that was definitely "Six Flags!" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pashacar Posted April 5, 2009 Report Share Posted April 5, 2009 Also that guy Alex who was with Mr. Six all day was great - super enthusiastic. Does anybody know the first song they played in the dance contest? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike13 Posted April 6, 2009 Report Share Posted April 6, 2009 It seems like either there's a serious lack of preparedness and professionalism at the park or, more likely, corporate isn't giving them enough budget to have an effective training period. I completely understand that there are hiccups, and I forgive the park for most of them, but I think there were a few too many yesterday to go completely unnoticed. On a nicer note, everything about my Safari experience was wonderful, especially seeing the lion cubs, so kudos to them on that. EDIT: Did anyone notice the decals on the turnstiles? I thought those were pretty cool. Believe me Rides do alot of training not sure about other departments.I was there for training 4 out of 5 days this school week,then the Saturday and Sunday before Monday.So Rides does plenty of training,most of us work really hard and stay after what were supposed to work and clean and do things for the next day of operations,so I don't know what else you want,we try our best to make a guests day and be as nice as possible to every single guest we meet.So I don't know what else you want from us,I understand the rides down are annoying but nothing anyone can do about it,so I apologize for a bad day at the park,and visit in May or June if you can and we will be in full swing of things and used to our jobs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pashacar Posted April 6, 2009 Report Share Posted April 6, 2009 Don't fret; it's nothing to do with individual employees, I just feel like on a large (i.e. managerial) level the park was not as prepared as they should have been. All the rides employees I dealt with were friendly, and I understand that on an individual level you guys each work hard and diligently. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonlee Posted April 12, 2009 Report Share Posted April 12, 2009 one thing i never understood. When a ride breaks down, they know what the problem is right? and they know how to fix it and approximately how long it will take to fix it right? so why not say how long it will take to fix the ride instead of standing in line for half an hour then finding out the ride won't reopen (kingda ka) lol.. that only happened to me once cuz i learned my lesson, but it was very annoying and everytime i'm in line for a coaster and it breaks down i say this to my friends..also, is there any reason not to run a ride a full capacity? i find this problem at every theme park. i can see rides that have 2 stations that theres a staffing issue with that. but most coasters have 1 station so theres no need for additional people. why wait until the line is out the queue to put more trains on the track? 1 more thing... the guy that looks like DJ from rosanne whos in the booth on el toro.. last year he was very rude.. this guy couldnt fit on the ride and he said "there is a test seat at the entrance, use it" so everytime i see him i say "hey the jerk"s workin today" hahaha.. i'm glad they fixed the bridge behind el toro and added poles so noone can drive over it again Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Up_Up_and_Away Posted April 12, 2009 Author Report Share Posted April 12, 2009 How could they instantaneously know what the problem is? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JetsDevs4Lyf Posted April 12, 2009 Report Share Posted April 12, 2009 It would be much worse to promise a bunch of guests the ride is reopening from the beginning, and then have to close it for the day after they all stand there based on that promise. Much better to give poeple the option to leave the line at that moment and then possibly ocme back later on. In terms of the test sead and employee issue, I can't say that I've experienced that but an employee who is rude like that is usually an isolated incident or person. Plus if a ride op were to say something snide like that to me, whether I should have used the test seat or not, you better believe I would have their name and my complaint would be filed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CablesEric Posted April 12, 2009 Report Share Posted April 12, 2009 one thing i never understood. When a ride breaks down, they know what the problem is right? and they know how to fix it and approximately how long it will take to fix it right? so why not say how long it will take to fix the ride instead of standing in line for half an hour then finding out the ride won't reopen (kingda ka) lol.. that only happened to me once cuz i learned my lesson, but it was very annoying and everytime i'm in line for a coaster and it breaks down i say this to my friends.. I am replying with my experience in troubleshooting Mechanical systems in buildings, but I'm positive the principal is the same for a roller coaster, after all, it is only a large machine! When a sophisticated computer controlled piece of machinery 'Breaks down' the only thing that is instantly known is what fault or error occurred. I imagine that a lot of the times the errors are the result of a computer glitch which can be reset. (Got to love how Bill Gates has ingrained us to just except glitches). If it cannot be reset, then the cause of the error must be determined. It is not instantly known what caused the error, it takes time to troubleshoot to determine what caused the fault to occur. Once the underlying issue is determined then the repair can begin. To troubleshoot by 'Replace that part and see if it works' is time consuming, costly, and quite frankly embarrassing for service people, because they will be back to fix it again very soon. Roller Coasters are unthinking and uncaring machines which are quite dangerous, I don't mind the time it takes to fix the ride so it is safe. I'll go on another and come back later. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.