Funny questions asked by guests

segerken · Post by **segerken** » Fri Aug 05, 2005 7:23 pm

Steven asked in another thread about funny questions that people have been asked by guests. So, I thought it would be interesting in starting a new thread on this topic.

One time a guest asked me if the parade was out in the parking lot. I gave a polite answer, but I really wanted to say, “Yes, everybody must go through the exit and get their hand stamp. Then after the parade they must come back in through the exit one at a time and get their hand stamp checked.”

During the second season just before the Title Wave opened for the first time, a guest asked a co-worker of mine if the Title Wave was left over parts from the building of the TOC (Turn of the Century).

At one point I new someone in guest services and he told me about one complaint that he got. On the Columbia, one of the outer rows (I don’t remember if it on the lower or on the upper level) doesn’t go up and down. The guest wanted the money she paid for admission back because her horse did not go up and down. I always wonder how he dealt with that complaint with a straight face.

Are there any other funny questions/complaints out there?

JW65 · Post by **JW65** » Fri Aug 05, 2005 10:24 pm

This may not be a "funny" question, but I would bet the ride ops got a lot of people wanting to let their "short" kids ride on attractions that had minimum height requirements. Maybe it was the kid who was trying to be more convincing than his or her parents. People say the darndest things!

Santa Cruisin · Post by **Santa Cruisin** » Sat Aug 06, 2005 8:58 am

Parents trying to get their kids that didn't meet height requirements on rides was fairly common when I was a ride operator at SCBB (70's). I'd explain to them that our insurance policy mandated the height requirement and with good reason. If the parent was really persistant I'd follow up with "You wouldn't want your kid to get hurt would you? Some promised they wouldn't sue the park if their kid got hurt.

Most kids after being told they couldn't ride were ready to move on. It was usually the parents that pushed the issue. Still the majority of parents I encountered had no problems with the height restrictions.

SFGAmLover · Post by **SFGAmLover** » Sat Aug 06, 2005 10:27 am

On the topic of height requirements...

I've also noticed, as S C said above, that often it's the parents who do the pushing and not the kids.

Another thing I've noticed is that when a ride operator tells a child/parent that the child is not tall enough to ride, guests waiting in front of the gates will sometimes boo and hiss in disapproval... as if the operators are being mean tyrants. Don't they realize that the rules are there for a reason? If they truly cared about the children, they would look out for their safety first.

... and don't even get me started on parents who encourage their children to line jump... grrrr.

tasod · Post by **tasod** » Sun Nov 27, 2005 12:41 am

I still can't get over the tons of guests that ask the price of an item when the sticker was very evident.
Many times they would shove a mug (or fill in your favorite souvenir) in your face and say "how much is this?" I would ever so gently roll it over and read the price on the bottom for them. Smile and hand it back.

Many times at the souvenir bin they would reach for another item and ask again for the new item... and again the price tag was pretty obvious...

The two most "common" questions were (are?)
- What time is it?
- Where is the nearest bathroom?

BrianPlencner · Post by **BrianPlencner** » Sun Nov 27, 2005 7:13 am

Along the lines of height requirements, I have a story to tell. This actually happened in Gurnee, but it does fit in with this thread...

I forget the exact seasons, but at one point in time, the mininum height requirement for the Eagle was 42 inches. Then one year, the park changed the height requirement to be what it is today (which, I think is 48 inches).

The problem was, the park really did not explain that to well. For example, there were a lot of cases early in the season where kids were told they were to short to ride, and the parent would say back that their kid was tall enough last year to ride. A lot of times, parents tried to use that as leverage to get on the ride, but in this case, it really was true.

Take a kid who is 44 inches tall...the one year, they were over the mininum height requirement by 2 inches, so on they go. The next year, the kid may have grew an inch, so is now 45 inches tall. But, that same kid cannot ride, because the height requirement is now 48 inches (3 inches to short).

There were many a times that year that the guests did get very loud in the station for eagle, as their kids were now to short to ride. In one case, I did jump in an tell the employee (and the very upset guest) that the park had changed the height requirement from 42 inches to 48 inches. The problem was, a lot of the employee's did not work at the ride last year, and did not know that it used to be 42 inches.

While I myself had no issue with the change, and I know the park did it for safety reasons, I think that better communication by the park to its employee's and maybe the guests was in order.

Shaggy · Post by **Shaggy** » Sun May 07, 2006 11:40 pm

I've seen the change of hight happen also. In fact they changed a kids ride last year.. or was it in 2004.. anyways they changed it in mid season. It was a little strange. My daughter was tall enough to ride at the start of the season, but by mid summer they had changed it and she was no longer tall enough. Now being a former rides op I didn't pitch a fit, but asked, when did they change the height req.. they said a few week before. I then turned to my wife.. also a former rides op.. and said man I've seen changes before, but not during a season before..

dpxtreme · Post by **dpxtreme** » Sat May 13, 2006 5:58 pm

This was pretty funny went I went to PGA last season. My friend and I were on Invertigo facing these two little kids that were about 50 inches, and you have to be 54 inches to ride. The ride-ops did not check their height before they rode. After the ride was over, the ride-op said something so stupid I couldn't help but feel stupid for him. He said to the two little kids after the ride, "You're not tall enough to ride." What a loser. Did he not just realize the the little kids just got off the ride.

SantaClara82to87 · Post by **SantaClara82to87** » Wed Jun 14, 2006 2:39 pm

One of the ones that I remember is that people would comment about, that alot of people working at the park had the same last name "Lead"

If you were a lead, you would have lead on your nametag next to your name.

Brian

PGA ROCKS · Post by **PGA ROCKS** » Sat Jun 16, 2007 9:38 pm

On the subject of height requirements, Cedar Fair did something I thought was really stupid.

Before C.F. took over the park, and Orbit was running, the height requirement was 44 inches. Then this year when they reopened Orbit after its season closed, the height was changed to 54 inches. In my opinion, that was dumb because the ride was made to accomodate children that are 44. For me, fifty four just sounds rediculous.

scott murphy · Post by **scott murphy** » Mon Jul 09, 2007 3:12 pm

This isn't either a question or a complaint - except on my part - but occasionally people would come up and read my name tag and then call me Scott led - as in the element. They thought they had just come up with the worlds funniest one liner. Too many nerds in the valley I guess.

Just one of the hazards of being a lead

daniel · Post by **daniel** » Wed Jul 23, 2008 7:13 pm

I was working firefall and this girl who was probably 15 or 16 passed me in front of the ride when i was doing greeter, and anyone who has been there knows the greeter sits by the huge FIREFALL sign by the little lake thing where the fire is, she comes up to me and asks (standing right in frnt of the sign) what ride it is, i just pointed at the big sign lol

PGA ROCKS · Post by **PGA ROCKS** » Thu Jul 24, 2008 8:26 am

Oh, I could fill up a book with the wierd things that guests ask me. At Invertigo, people have asked if the ride goes upside down. I politely tell them yes, but I really want to say, "Just LOOK at the ride for a few seconds and you'll figure it out." Also when I'm working at Berserker (formerly called Yukon Yahoo, now in County Fair), some guests will complain because the ride doesn't go backwards. I usually say, "I think you're confused with the ride at Santa Cruz (Tsunami). That ride goes backwards, not this one."

Don't get me started on the issues parents have with height requirements. At Whitewater Falls, they changed the height requirement from 44 inches to ride alone and 40 inches to ride with a responsible person, to 46 inches minimum. Now, I get lots of complaints from parents saying, "Last year they let him on!" Then I still have to turn them away, and explain that they changed it. I also think that some of the employees may not check height correctly, or just not check at all, which really makes things hard for the people who do their jobs right.

missedthemarriotera · Post by **missedthemarriotera** » Mon Oct 06, 2008 7:54 pm

eirlier this year (in gurnee) ... i was waiting for my other friends to finish riding revalution when i got off raging bull, i got to the exit, one of my friends who road bull with me took my pic by the sign with the bull that read 'raging bull' and she took the pic... a second later this teenage girl came up to me and asked me.... 'do you know where raging bull is' and i just looked up at the sign, smiled, and walked away.... i think that its kinda hard to not see that sign when your 3 feet infront of it... lol

Demonlover13 · Post by **Demonlover13** » Tue Feb 03, 2009 6:34 pm

This isn't a question but last year in the park, I got a lot of "Six Flags decided to tear down the other batman and put in the dark knight." I felt like saying, take a good look and you'll see it's still there....