Stupid Guest Tricks

When will people learn that the height requirement is a SAFETY guideline and MUST be followed! Ok. So, I was standing in the single riders line for Rockin' Roller Coaster at Disney's Hollywood Studios. There is a father with his two kids. One kid is definitely tall enough, the other was too short to ride. The cast member could easily slide his hand over her head and under the measuring post. Here's where the SG moment comes in....

" Why can't she ride?"

"She is not tall enough. See?"

"Oh, but she is close enough!"

"I'm sorry, sir. She cannot ride. She needs to be this tall in order to SAFELY ride this coaster."

"But she's been on every other ride here!"

At this point, he is getting very loud and angry at the cast member. I stepped in, being a former Coaster operator at another park, and explained to the man that it is a safety reason. Coaster designers set height restrictions for a reason. Your child is under the "safe zone" and could get hurt on the ride (or even worse, fall out) as it is not specifically designed for people her height.

He still doesn't get it and said that she will be fine and he will hold on to her. At this point, a supervisor is there and escorts him and his children out since he was holding up the ride (sort of) and such.....

People will never learn because it is about their enjoyment of the parks and has nothing to do with their kids. I bet that he than blamed his daughter for ruining his vacation because she was too short to ride a roller coaster. I say good for that supervisor who stuck by the height requirement because I am sure there are some who would let it slide because they don't really care.

I got the excuse of, "But my kid has ridden this a thousand times without a problem!" when I worked at Knott's. Even worse, "The other ride operators let my child ride!" And yes, I would tell them about how the height requiremments are set, etc.. Waste of breath most of the time. I should've pulled the "child endangerment" card. :mad:

felinefan wrote:"The other ride operators let my child ride!"

When the "other" operators run this attraction then she can ride. Until then... :D:

Lasolimu wrote:I say good for that supervisor who stuck by the height requirement because I am sure there are some who would let it slide because they don't really care.

Yes, BRAVO for that supervisor with a spine!

Lasolimu wrote:People will never learn because it is about their enjoyment of the parks and has nothing to do with their kids. I bet that he than blamed his daughter for ruining his vacation because she was too short to ride a roller coaster. I say good for that supervisor who stuck by the height requirement because I am sure there are some who would let it slide because they don't really care.

Actually CMs have to follow the height rules to the letter. I believe they could be in very big trouble even firing them as they are breaching security measures.

When I worked a coaster, I stuck by the height requirements. We actually had a pvc pipe which was the correct height that we used to measure kids. The only bad thing about it is people can claim that it's too high. Although most of the time, it's a little too short. haha. But their child still doesn't make it. I am a mean person when it comes to enforcing the rules. And yes, I've pulled the child endangerment card quite a few times. Really hits the parents hard, but then again, they need the reality check. I also pull the, I'm not here to keep him from riding, I'm here to make sure he is safe when riding. I would love for him to ride, but I can't cause he doesn't make the height requirement, card.

My favorite excuse was, "But he rides all the rides at Disney!"

Failure to follow height requirements could result in a safety reprimand or termination. I had no problems arguing with guests over this.
"I'm sorry she is not quite tall enough"
"But she went on test track!"
"Well she's not tall enough here, so I say no"

Never forget that safety is first. Courtesy is second.

But do your best to be courteous at all times. ;)

At the theme park I worked at, safety was their #1 concern. If you fail to follow the safety guidelines for the rides, it calls for immediate termination and, depending on the nature of the incident and ride, banned from the park. A little harsh, but we never had a major issue. Only one where I thought we checked all the lap bars on one of the coasters... Everyone gave a thumbs up (our ready to dispatch signal) so I dispatch the train. Next thing I know, someone e-stops the ride and I notice a couple lap bars are still up..... oops.... Only time I got written up for something. I always double check everything I do now. Even loading guests on the monorails. I will keep a gate open so the train cannot leave until I double check myself to see that there is no one in between the gates and the monorail train. :) Safety is my number 1 concern.

Ugh. Why don't people care about their kids' safety? Is riding some ride really more important then their kids being safe?