Funny Ride Ops

While a lot of theme park employees seem to be doing their jobs just to get them done, there are some times where I've encountered ones that have a lot of fun and be entertaining while doing their job, and it makes the waiting a bit more enjoyable. Feel free to share when this has happened to you.

When I was at Valleyfair back in October, the Renegade crew was hilarious. They were running one train, and while it was out running the course, they would sing along to whatever song was playing in the station and dance to it. They would also spruce up the station spiel...

-(As train enters station) "The next song on our playlist is called 'Welcome Back Riders'."
-(As riders disembark) "As you exit the ride, wave hello to our oncoming riders."
-(Dispatching) "Clear, scanning... #allclear. Sit up right, hold on tight, and enjoy your ride on Renegade. YEEEEE-HAW!"

They said a lot more funny stuff, but I can't remember it all. I wish there were more ride ops that would act like that.

[Paradox]

Like all of the Six Flags ops go "Ooooooh" when they dispatch.

Annoying af

Cedar Point always has great ones, got a few good ones from my trip a few years ago!

Corkscrew:
(after a rollback on TTD) "Did you know that Top Thrill Dragster has more rollbacks than Wal-mart?"
"Sit back and enjoy your thrilling 2 mile-an-hour departure from the station!"

Raptor:
"Thank you for riding the Raptor, the best ride at Cedar Point! Except for Millennium Force. And Magnum. And Top Thr- oh forget it."

Iron Dragon:
"Welcome riders to the tallest, fastest, and wildest Iron Dragon you will ride all day. We are going to flip you upside-down not once, not twice, but zero times!"

I only heard of this last one, I wish I was there! This is one of my favs:
Iron Dragon: "Clear! Launching in 3...2...1....... *air releases*"

[TTD03]

Cedar Point is home to the best ones.

One TTD op always said yeah buddy after everything, and another employee said,
Top Thrill Dragster is going to hold you in with a $720 lapbar and $120 seatbelt, that is $840 holding you into this 120 MPH machine. Feel like enough money is being put into your safety? I think so!

That was a great day.

[Dirk_Ermen]

Hmmm... Seen plenty of cool and funny rides ops.
First thing that pops to my mind was the set of employees at Lightning Racer. Both tracks have 2 operator panels and thus 2 employees. They were constantly trying to win, like cheating on the countdown by dispatching earlier than the other one. Gave some pretty funny situations throughout the station in general. Luckily it was walk-on that day. Not sure if it would be just as funny when your waiting 15+ minutes in the same noise.

Other funny and good stuff was one of the employees at Goliath in Walibi Holland. When he was there, he build a party in the station. Pumping up everyone and high five-ing everyone while sending the train out of the station. Too bad he left last year, luckily some of the operators took over some of his treats.

The last thing was more funny because it was so insanely crazy. On quiet days at El Toro in Freizeitpark Plohn, the ride ops are crazy enough to dispatch a train and then jump on it so they ride along. Seen it happening twice in both visits so far. From the last visit was with a group of coasterfans. And yet they do it again while our ERS (Exclusive Ride Session):

695 and 696 should say enough

[TTD03]

WAIT WHAT!
THEY RIDE WITH NO LAPBBAR OR SEATBELT!
ARE YOU KIDDING ME! HOW DO THEY NOT DIE!

Oh...oh...just...no...like...why................

I would always have fun when I was on operator. Then one day my asshole Assistant Manager told us to stop doing everything. But apparently, a man who If i remember correctly is now The President of the park, was there one night with his family when all of us were still having fun, playing jokes, getting everyone pumped, was there as a guest with his family. He pulled us aside later and told us he loved our enthusiasm and how much fun we brought.

^nice story

[mkingy]

What the hell Dirk! That's crazy - not a chance you'd get that past a HSE in the UK!

why Obama why cant you let the usa do that like dirks picture

[Coasterkidmwm]

TTD03 wrote:

WAIT WHAT!
THEY RIDE WITH NO LAPBBAR OR SEATBELT!
ARE YOU KIDDING ME! HOW DO THEY NOT DIE!

It's a GCI. They have no air like I've been saying for years.

[Metazoanhaddock]

Coasterkidmwm wrote:

TTD03 wrote:

WAIT WHAT!
THEY RIDE WITH NO LAPBBAR OR SEATBELT!
ARE YOU KIDDING ME! HOW DO THEY NOT DIE!

It's a GCI. They have no air like I've been saying for years.

classic

[TTD03]

Yea but I would still be terrified.
As a ride op, you better know that ride so well to do that.

I have to share this (It came up in conversation last night).

Story one-
Back in 2009, when That's what she said jokes were something everyone did, we had a great crew on maXair. I was the ATL and had just finished cleaning up a guest illness (built a strong stomach that year haha). We're required to cycle twice afterwards, so we check our seats and dispatch. maXair is famous for dumping the nasty puke water as it spins, so we always make an announcement to move. One of my quiet crew members, in controls, announces "If you're standing by the bush, you're going to get wet!" Quickly my TL, at Unload and doesn't realize his wireless is on says, "That's what she said"... Not kidding, the entire queue and some of the midway was laughing.

Story Two- Not an op story but a funny story
It's OSU day at Cedar Point in 2013 and all of us at Gatekeeper have been at the ride since 5am. We were cycling and figuring out the queues minutes before the park opened. That year was when I was in Live E and I was just helping out at Gatekeeper for May. So I was a veteran-ed supervisor and put in a roving spot to help everyone out. I was standing on the exit stairs and watch a water dummy lid flew off on the bunny hill. At this point, the entire crew stopped checking the train and watch as the dummy emptied its water all over everyone outside the gate. I'm not sure if you realize how big they the dummies are (250lbs/30 gallons) but it came back empty. Great way to open a new ride!

Is there a video of that 2nd story?

^I wish there was because especially if people were waiting for the park to open

[mkingy]

Cedar Point no doubt ensured that none of that footage has seen the light of day haha

^just like Disney with secret stuff

[Coasterkidmwm]

Man you can really mess with people at a park:

1. "Bye Felicias" is not allowed on the mic as you dispatch a train, and having your nametag say you're "Felicia" from "Basic, Ohio" is also not okay.
2 No Mr. Drugged out juggalo you cannot jump in the Mantis lagoon to cool off. It is full of snakes I wouldn't recommend it. That was a fun call to security.
3. My 911 calls for someone passing out in line on a hot day degraded into "some fat dumbass didn't drink water again. Can you send a scooter?"
4. At least once a week an employee would have a meltdown on a guest because they aren't standing. I'm amazed we never had any guest complaints.
5. "No it doesn't go upsidedown" was my answer for anyone who asked me if the ride has loops while I was standing under a 100ft dive loop.
6. Nobody feels bad for you when you lose your phone, because we have to pick it up at the end of the day and you were told not to have it out.
7. Heard about someone on Gemini who was too fat to ride refuse to leave his seat until they sent the ride on its way, so the ride crew called security. The gentleman saw security and nudged himself out of the lapbar to try and leave the station, which is exactly why they wouldn't let his bloated ass leave.

Story 1:
Some fatasses in "Don't Tread on Me" shirts were waiting in line for the front, and whenever people got on the train as it was dispatching they'd say "IS THAT BOLT SUPPOSED TO BE LOOSE LIKE THAT?!" really loud to freak them out, which got really annoying after a couple cycles because many people take that seriously. So when they boarded I stood behind their row and gave the harness unlock hand signal for their row, and after their harnesses popped up I looked at them all puzzled and pushed them back down again. I repeated this twice and the last time I said "they haven't done that ever. Oh well". Then we cleared the train and sent it on it's way while the fatties looked absolutely terrified.

Story 2:
A fat person (seeing a trend here?) who barely fit after I smashed the harness on to his gut (and he of course exhaled all over my face during the process) informed me that he didn't "wait all of this time in line to have to stand up" (he waiting 30 minutes tops) and was refusing to stand. Myself and another employee yanked up really hard on the seatbelt and made him stand. He threw up when the train came back and blamed it on us.

Releasing the button that allows seats to unlock when some douche is jumping around and at the peak of their jump causes them to land without their feet touching the ground and it is HILARIOUS. I most definitely never ever did that.

People with mental handicaps are easier to work than people from Flint or a trailer trash area.

I'm a bad person.

my favorite story so far!

Coasterkidmwm wrote:

Story 1:
Some fatasses in "Don't Tread on Me" shirts were waiting in line for the front, and whenever people got on the train as it was dispatching they'd say "IS THAT BOLT SUPPOSED TO BE LOOSE LIKE THAT?!" really loud to freak them out, which got really annoying after a couple cycles because many people take that seriously. So when they boarded I stood behind their row and gave the harness unlock hand signal for their row, and after their harnesses popped up I looked at them all puzzled and pushed them back down again. I repeated this twice and the last time I said "they haven't done that ever. Oh well". Then we cleared the train and sent it on it's way while the fatties looked absolutely terrified.

[Dirk_Ermen]

Coasterkidmwm wrote:

I'm a bad person.

No you're not. Those idiots deserved it.

[Paradox]

Coasterkidmwm wrote:

"No it doesn't go upsidedown" was my answer for anyone who asked me if the ride has loops while I was standing under a 100ft dive loop.

Yes

TTD03 wrote:

WAIT WHAT!
THEY RIDE WITH NO LAPBBAR OR SEATBELT!
ARE YOU KIDDING ME! HOW DO THEY NOT DIE!

Exactly what I'm thinking.

[Coasterkidmwm]

VF15 wrote:

TTD03 wrote:

WAIT WHAT!
THEY RIDE WITH NO LAPBBAR OR SEATBELT!
ARE YOU KIDDING ME! HOW DO THEY NOT DIE!

Exactly what I'm thinking.

It's a GCI....so no air.