Lifeguarding vs Ride Host

I will answer this kids question, if anyone would like to argue/debate me then go ahead, im answering his question and nothing more...my answer will be biased based on the fact I have never life guarded..although i do know people who have and some of them want to be in rides next year and some of them want to continue being a life guard...

As a ride host you get more of an interaction...and as a base rate you get the opportunity to move to different rides and to cross train..Some people say the same ride gets boring but i'd rather work on the same ride everyday then stare at a pool all day because atleast your constantly moving (atleast on Raptor). I do know someone who was a lifeguard last year and while she didn't mind it, she doesnt know if she can do another summer of it because it got boring not being able to talk to people.

It was mentioned that in rides you are mainly stuck on the same ride all season but as a life guard you get to go rotate to different slides/pools...really, how are different pools and slides different from each other? You do the same thing at all of them, stare at the water, its no different from checking seats all day at different load/unload positions...like i said im not here to debate or argue, but I would just like to know how, let's say, checking unload and then checking load, is different from being at pool A then rotating to pool B, or sending a person down slide A then rotation to do the same thing at slide B..There are lots of different ride positions, and .its not just coasters that have different jobs, sure checking seats is checking seats but you get crowd positions, controls, entrance (for some rides), speil positions, exit positions, gate house positions,aome ride locations have secondary positions (Antiques is part of Wave Swinger, Raptor is now part of Carrousel, you got ride triangles, turnpikes/calypso, cads/ cedar downs, corkscrew/himmelaya, monster/witches wheel) it seems like there is more of a variety in rides...

Anyway, like I said, I would be biased, I enjoy my ride's and working them, I say ride host all the way (for the full experience)..

I would have to agree with John on what he said and I will add that which ever one you end up doing they both can be boring if you allow yourself to get bored. So I say have fun with whatever you choose and make the most of it.

99er said:

RaceRinger said: I did one day of "lifeguarding" in Soak City and wanted to drown myself.

To be fair, what you and Ralph did was not Lifeguarding. You stood at the top of a slide and dispatched rafts/riders.

Yes, but it's still a duty that Soak City guards have to do. Unless things have changed and now they just force all Challenge Park employees to do tops because they can't hire enough guards. But that's another discussion for another day. ;)

I did both, both have their ups and downs. It can get boring as a ride host just like a lifeguard. And just because you apply for ride host doesn't mean you will be on a big ride or coaster. I had fun being a lifeguard, compared to when I was a ride op to doing lifeguarding, I think the employees in Soak City are more outgoing and are quicker to help you with something, while as being a ride op I can remember the team leaders treating me like crap because I scored higher then them on the test they gave during training week. Just ask yourself, would you rather wear a sweet hat all summer and be by the water, or answer the question, "what time does the 10 o'clock laser show start?" I know I'll get hated on too for putting down the ride op spot but, it's my opinion....and the best position in the park is Screamster anyways so you should make sure you apply for that when the time comes around too...just saying.

I've worked both in Soak City and in Cedar Point itself (as a server), so I figured I'd share my experiences and perspective:

The main differences I've noticed between lifeguarding and rides are the size of the crews, opportunities for promotions, and adjustment to various weather conditions.

Lifeguarding crews in Soak City tend to run from 30 to 35 people during the peak of the season, with the beach crew being a little bit smaller. Crews in rides tend to be smaller, unless you are on a crew that handles a cluster of several smaller attractions as opposed to one that sticks to a single larger ride.

In Soak City itself, there are three crews with approximately 100 lifeguards in the whole park. Each crew handles a third of Soak City: one deals with everything east of the Magnum, one deals with almost everything west of the Magnum, and the third deals with the wave pool, Eerie Falls, and some of the resort pools. You get to rotate between different lifeguard stations, which gives you the opportunity to work on slides, the rivers, and the kids' areas.

From what I heard from friends, you get to rotate between attractions if you are on a crew that handles a cluster of smaller rides. You can also request to switch crews both in rides and Soak City if it doesn't work out.

There are more opportunities for promotions in the park simply due to the fact that the blue tag (team lead) to red/green tag (general worker) ratio in the park is smaller. This just relates to crew size.

Soak City and rides handle weather conditions differently as well. Many rides will close down in the rain or high winds, whereas Soak City stays in full operation unless thunder, lightning, or weather-related hazards on another level are present. If it is pouring, you may still be guarding whereas a ride may be shut down and you may be doing other duties.

I can't really say which is better, I would be biased in favor of Soak City due to my length of experience although I enjoyed serving in the park as well too. When you apply you can indicate your top three choices of assignments as well as three assignments you really don't want to do. Either way, I'm sure you'll end up with a memorable job you'll like.

Well I think at either job you still have to deal with the stupid questions (ie. "what time is the 10 o clock laser light show?") and people who just don't understand things. For me, rides was rewarding, because I was in such close contact with my crew all day that we bonded really quickly. We partied on platform and outside of work =) Also, some guests were fun to talk to and really made my day and I have to agree with Kari, spieling is fun. I think either position you get, the entire experience will be made by the people you work around, not what you do.

RaceRinger said:
As far as what I'd rather do, I'd rather work at RipCord. Nothing beats Skycoaster work, but I'm terribly biased after doing it for 3 years. .

+1 for Skycoasters! Despite only spending 2 days ever operating coasters, Skycoasters are just more interesting and less repetitive than working a regular coaster or other ride, in my opinion.

Zeek said:
the best position in the park is Screamster anyways so you should make sure you apply for that when the time comes around too...just saying.

Couldn't agree more!

Lifeguards get sweet hats. They can wear sandals to work. They can go swimming whenever they want. They're the only employees that aren't absolutely guaranteed a permanent farmer's tan (seriously, I haven't worked there since 2008 and I still have tan lines).

That being said, working at the top of the slide was one of the worst days I ever had working at CP. The only day that was worse was the day I was a sweep.

^It's easy to say it was the worst day ever when you are use to sitting in an air conditioned office for 3/4 of your shift at your normal job;)

JBLovesSharks said:
oh also wanted to touch on the guest interaction part. as a ride op i was often yelled at and screamed at (usually their kids were too short for the ride) or were tried get around when people trying to cut the queue. Very little time to talk to people other than 'keep up and keep your fast passes out' etc. I really did not enjoy talking to people while working on that ride because it was so popular and mostly all people want to do is complain.

I know I'm repeating other people, but face time with the guests depends on what ride you work. That's one of the things I like about Monster/Witches Wheel--compared to the coasters you get a lot of chances to chat, if chatting's your thing.

Now is it true that I do get a ton of static because Witches Wheel has a taller height requirement than TTD? Yes. But it's also true that interacting with unhappy guests is NOT the end of the world. If you stay calm and help them out as best you can, chances are it will not get to the screaming level. Maybe some higher traffic ride vets will contradict me here (I've only got crosstrains on Dragster and Corkscrew to speak for other than MWW) but in my whole summer I only got genuinely SCREAMED at twice that I remember. And trust me, I asked a LOT of under-54-inch-tall kids to leave the queue.

And for the record, I am JUST stating my own experience here, with absolutely no intentions to pick on ANYBODY else for ANYTHING they've said. So please nobody be insulted if you don't agree...

JBLovesSharks said:

oh im sure it's different everywhere. :) i was just putting in my experience on like one of, if not the top ride at WDW... parents stuff their kids shoes with tissue to try and make them taller. they bring signed letters from doctors claiming they are of height when they are obviously not.

Haha trust me, you and me have both been there. For me it was always the worst when the kid cries. Even if the parents are perfectly understanding when you tell them their child can't ride, it's still tough to see a teary-eyed little girl have to walk away from a ride she had her heart set on, no matter how many options she has. I'm sure you know what I'm talking about.

Tissues I've seen, doctors notes not yet but you never know. Then there's the simple but classic kid-stands-on-tiptoes-and-hopes-you-don't-notice.

Hmm...now I seem to have digressed on JB's digression. I'll make it relevant by answering a question I just noticed on the post before your last.

No fast passes. :)