Matt N
CF Legend
Hi guys. Ride operations are a very important element of theme parks; how they are influences how much the ride queues move, and they can indirectly influence the sort of experience guests have. There are arguably two main things you can prioritise when operating rides, and they are efficiency and interaction.
Different parks will prioritise a different one of these things.
A famous example of a park that prioritises efficiency is Europa Park. The sole objective of the staff on these ride platforms is to get you on and off the rides as quickly as possible, and the airgates and restraints are opened as soon as is safely possible, the staff run down the platforms checking restraints with great urgency, and there is a general sense of pace about their operations; the staff at Europa do not mess around, and not a second is wasted!
However, an occasional criticism I’ve heard of Europa Park is that the park is too cold in atmosphere due to the ride staff being so efficient and not focused on interaction, and that the experience feels impersonal, like you’re a mere cog in the machine rather than a valued guest.
In order to combat this, some theme parks focus more on interaction in their ride operations; these parks don’t mind sacrificing a few pph for the sake of making guests feel valued and providing a more personal experience when operating rides. They might chat to their guests as they check restraints, or play games with riders before they send the train; for instance, I know that a common one in some parks is something along the lines of “Let’s make some noise! I’m not sending this train until you all scream as loud as possible!”. One example I can think of of this is the Happy Valley theme parks in China, where the ride staff apparently do a little dance with riders before opening the airgates on any of their roller coasters.
So with this in mind, I’d be keen to know; do you personally value efficiency or interaction more within ride operations? Do you not mind a less personal experience if queues move and things flow like a well oiled machine? Or do you not mind sacrificing a few pph for a more personal experience?
I don’t know how popular this will be, but personally, I would always come down in favour of efficiency. I personally had no issue with the staff at Europa Park; they were perfectly pleasant, and they kept the queues moving like I’ve never seen anywhere else! And now I’m becoming more interested in ride throughputs and operations, I personally find a fast moving queue caused by good ride operations a genuinely beautiful thing to watch! In my mind, I don’t really care about much else as long as the ride operations are functional and keep the queue moving, which is always the case at parks focused on efficiency. If I’m on and off the ride quickly and operations are good, I’m happy.
And to be honest, some attempts at additional interaction within ride operations, although well intended, often make me feel more uncomfortable than happy. Although that could be because I’m an introvert who sometimes struggles with smalltalk and doesn’t really enjoy forced participation…
But what are your thoughts? Do you prefer for efficiency or interaction to be prioritised within ride operations?
Different parks will prioritise a different one of these things.
A famous example of a park that prioritises efficiency is Europa Park. The sole objective of the staff on these ride platforms is to get you on and off the rides as quickly as possible, and the airgates and restraints are opened as soon as is safely possible, the staff run down the platforms checking restraints with great urgency, and there is a general sense of pace about their operations; the staff at Europa do not mess around, and not a second is wasted!
However, an occasional criticism I’ve heard of Europa Park is that the park is too cold in atmosphere due to the ride staff being so efficient and not focused on interaction, and that the experience feels impersonal, like you’re a mere cog in the machine rather than a valued guest.
In order to combat this, some theme parks focus more on interaction in their ride operations; these parks don’t mind sacrificing a few pph for the sake of making guests feel valued and providing a more personal experience when operating rides. They might chat to their guests as they check restraints, or play games with riders before they send the train; for instance, I know that a common one in some parks is something along the lines of “Let’s make some noise! I’m not sending this train until you all scream as loud as possible!”. One example I can think of of this is the Happy Valley theme parks in China, where the ride staff apparently do a little dance with riders before opening the airgates on any of their roller coasters.
So with this in mind, I’d be keen to know; do you personally value efficiency or interaction more within ride operations? Do you not mind a less personal experience if queues move and things flow like a well oiled machine? Or do you not mind sacrificing a few pph for a more personal experience?
I don’t know how popular this will be, but personally, I would always come down in favour of efficiency. I personally had no issue with the staff at Europa Park; they were perfectly pleasant, and they kept the queues moving like I’ve never seen anywhere else! And now I’m becoming more interested in ride throughputs and operations, I personally find a fast moving queue caused by good ride operations a genuinely beautiful thing to watch! In my mind, I don’t really care about much else as long as the ride operations are functional and keep the queue moving, which is always the case at parks focused on efficiency. If I’m on and off the ride quickly and operations are good, I’m happy.
And to be honest, some attempts at additional interaction within ride operations, although well intended, often make me feel more uncomfortable than happy. Although that could be because I’m an introvert who sometimes struggles with smalltalk and doesn’t really enjoy forced participation…
But what are your thoughts? Do you prefer for efficiency or interaction to be prioritised within ride operations?
