Stupid Guest Tricks

I agree that with time you'll get used to dealing with the SGs issues at Soarin.
You're doing great :)

Hang in there! Don't let the SGs get to you. :)

When I worked at Knott's, I wanted to get transferred from Camp Snoopy to the Calico Railroad. But if you think there were tons of SGs in Camp Poopy, as it was also known, they were worse on CRR. Like teenage boys who think it's hilarious to trip the conductor while she's making her prestart safety walk, people who think they can climb over the fences, people who think that since they're cheerleaders they can unlock the turnstile and open the gate just as the train is coming into the station, and especially people who think--and I use that term very loosely--that if they rough up a train conductor it's a notch on their belt, or something. (I still think I should've taken my sister's employer--an attorney--up on the offer to go after those idiots instead of letting the park take care of it.)

I said all that to say this: there are times when your dream job can be a nightmare. But it's up to you to turn it back into a dream, or let the nightmare continue.

felinefan wrote:especially people who think--and I use that term very loosely--that if they rough up a train conductor it's a notch on their belt, or something. (I still think I should've taken my sister's employer--an attorney--up on the offer to go after those idiots instead of letting the park take care of it.)

It is jackasses like that who make me wish that sometimes the trains are not steam powered, but electric, with the dreaded third rail...

Soarin's a rough ride. Parents have made that height stick into such a big deal for kids, I've seen lots of them that are too scared to stand under it, because if they're not tall enough, the parents grab them and say things like, "Well now we can't go because you're too short!!!" I want to hit those people. I can't imagine talking to my kid like that.

Soarin' is so busy, you just can't hem and haw. Don't give them too many options. A lot of my friends would get spit on and flipped off simply for saying how long the wait time is, and I never did, but I was always very confident in what I was saying. Don't get into the habit of saying things like, "Well, it says 90 minutes, but I was just back there and I think it's shorter than that." Trust me... you don't want to be wrong. And also, there's more to measuring the wait time than just how many people are in Stand-by, so it's very very hard to make an accurate guess.

And you did just the right thing with the scared child. If she's too scared, her mom shouldn't make her go. And don't worry about holding the flight to talk to the girl. I'd rather make sure all my guests were comfortable and safe for the flight than shave three seconds of my flight time. Just sayin'.

And yeah, I'd head everyone was on long shifts... I really wish I were down there! Hang in there, and drink lots of water! And be thankful for every tower shift you get, so you can sit down and breathe! :-)

Euterpe wrote:Soarin's a rough ride. Parents have made that height stick into such a big deal for kids, I've seen lots of them that are too scared to stand under it, because if they're not tall enough, the parents grab them and say things like, "Well now we can't go because you're too short!!!" I want to hit those people. I can't imagine talking to my kid like that.

Have the same issues at Everest. I haven't been statused there for a few months but we always placed the child's safety and well being first. If the child was crying and terrified we would not let them ride, no matter what the parent or guardian said. The child's and other guests safety was our primary concern.

This is a universal (pardon the pun) issue no matter where you go, and especially where there are height restrictions placed for guest safety. There are some parents who are more interested in their own enjoyment than their childs safety.

I agree with most of what all of you say, but unless you have children of your own, you have to understand that even a parent with the patience of a saint is bound to snap in the hot weather. Couple that with the fact that parents today can't and won't use spanking as an authoritative measure means that kids are learning to get away with murder: against the best wishes of their parents. "Helicopter parenting". Not sure where you guys got that term (this is the first place I've heard it) is totally apt even though parents nowadays tend to like to think of themselves as "buddies" to their kids. I use the term "helicopter parenting" all the time now and parents around me are beginning to understand and accept that the notion is fact. For example, when I was 5 my parents dumped me out of the back door and me and my friends were left to go and do whatever. Our parents said "no further than the park" and we stuck to those rules until we outgrew them. My older kids - at 8 and 6 - are not allowed anywhere without a chaperone and they aren't allowed to cross the street.

Now, we can call that definitely "helicopter parenting" but the fact is that both my wife and I knew of at least one kid who had been hit by a car and killed when we were young. Nobody in our entire circle of friends knows of anybody in our kids' generation that has been killed by a car (even though there are more cars and the road today and they drive just as fast and dangerously as they always have). So, are we trading off independence and freedom for our children for perceived safety?

The advice to be authoritative and stick to the rules is an excellent one.

One of the things I most admired about WDW was the sense that everything was controlled and in control. Children don't need to be given options and choices when they are young. They respond very well to being directed and told what to do. WDW is an ultimate expression of that. You never really want to be let into the secret that it's just a place run by people, you want to believe that it's a better part of the planet.

Just one last thing to bolster my argument about authoritative voice and attitude towards children (and even parents): we were at a double birthday party full of 6 and 8 year old kids last year (both sexes) and the mother in charge as well as the attendants at the kid fun park were incapable of wrangling the children. They were sweet, they cajoled, they suggested, they ran around from kid to kid trying to put out fires but nothing worked; the children were demons and their demonic energy fuelled each other. My brother took the reins: he addressed ALL of the kids as one in a booming (but not mean) voice, issuing commands for lining up, being quiet, the whole nine. Lo and behold, the party became a controlled, organized success (and the kids still had a great time). I guess the point is: if you let children sense softness, they will walk all over you! ;)

thomaskr wrote: "Helicopter parenting". Not sure where you guys got that term (this is the first place I've heard it) is totally apt even though parents nowadays tend to like to think of themselves as "buddies" to their kids. I use the term "helicopter parenting" all the time now and parents around me are beginning to understand and accept that the notion is fact.

;)

The term came from parents "hovering" around their kids continously! "Protecting" them from all sorts real world things so they they can do as they want.

Since we dont have that many hover craft, they (the people of the world) used the term helicopter.

I have actually had some of these parents contact me on behalf of their "children" over a grade they had received in my class. Very strange, considering that I teach a graduate course.

GRUMPY PIRATE wrote:The term came from parents "hovering" around their kids continously! "Protecting" them from all sorts real world things so they they can do as they want.

Oh, I knew that (whenever parents don't understand the term, I hold my hand up flat and say "you know -- 'hovering'". They definitely get it then.

It's a GREAT term.

Wow, that is really time to push the little birdie out of the nest! (In reference to Grumpy Pirates graduate class kids!)