seats?

Isn't it more like assigned trains than assigned seats. Every time I rode last season I was able to pick whatever seat I wanted from what was open or hadn't been filled in yet.

The MF platform is way too small to fit large ammounts of people on it (well, narrow at least). If we ever had to shut down and unload a train, two train loads of people would nearly completely fill the whole thing. And yes, it makes our lives easier as ride hosts in some ways, but my crew last summer also got many threats and we attempted to do it in the nicest way possible. I know it doesn't seem fair to some people... but look to the back... a lot of people forget that that line is even back there because it kind of blends in . I personally think that is the scariest seat...

I was'nt a true fan of the assigned seating thing, because it was'nt till my 13th ride till I got the front seat. I think they should let that little section of queue line fill up for a seat, then close it off till the next load gets on.

-------------
We bought a lifetime supply of pudding? How wasted were we last night?!
*Dude, Where's my car?*

When I first heard about the assigned seating, I thought that it was unfair, and that I would not get a chance to ride it in the front. But after experiencing the system first-hand, I love it. Like whats already been said, nobody is gonna want to fill the back seats instead of waiting for the front. If they changed the policy to the normal, "you-can-wait-for-the-front" policy, I would get pretty upset when the wait time for MF rises about an hour. So I say keep the assigned seating system. I know its not completely fair, but hey, life is not fair.

I like the seating policy too. You can easily end up being able to pick any spot on the whole train. I also like the emptiness on the platform while your waiting for the next train to come in, and there isn't enough room in the station for many people to wait at all.


Try looking up the first hill while your going down, its very hard to do but cool.

The assigned seating didnt bother me at all...
after Media Day I had over 40 rides in. Despite that I hadnt gotten the front yet.
Thanks to knowing someone Hooper and I got escorted to the front sometime in late June.
On July 12th my b/f and I simply lucked out and got the front
On August 10th my daughter and I lucked out and got the front (she almost chickened out too!)
In September thanks to knowing someone my b/f and I got escorted to the front again
In the last part of the season you could wait on the front car
unfortunitely I was on the OTHER side of the park working on Raptor instead of playing on MF-so never got the opportunity to just simply wait for front. But I wouldnt have waited anyway honestly.
JMHO
-------------
Welcome back Raptor riders-how was your flight??

When we let the front seat queue line fill up and then closed it off, we had people get mad when they wanted to wait for the front and we told them it was closed off. A perfect example was Coastermania when we let people wait for certain seats. We did have to close off the front seat line when it got too long. People were so mean that day and kept asking why we let those people wait for the front and not them. Assigned seating is just a fair way to go. I know some people didn't like it but the platform does get crowded when there are only 2 trainloads of people on it. It also makes the line faster because all the seats get filled so we are running at full capacity, instead of trains running only half full. It makes a huge difference....

In general alot of people that attend Coastermania are not CP season pass holders/CP freaks or what ever else you want to call us. They are out of towners who travel park to park to attend the parks "special" coaster enthusiasts "offerings" (like I will ever see the $$ to beable to do this in my lifetime-Im still shocked how financially I did the CP thing 19x
last season!) If you had any "mean" encounters
by people who didnt like/understand the no front car waiting policy-
I would certainly hope it came from one of them.
(working on Raptor I know that courtesy and respect for the most part is more OUR job to THEM and certainly NOT the gp's job towards US)

Jo
2000 Raptor Crew
-------------
Welcome back Raptor riders-how was your flight??

Also, there have been MANY instances I've seen where the first people to get into the station don't choose the front seat. Plus, like I said, most of the GP doesn't know about 5-1, so that is easy to get if you can't get the front. As for the back, it seems to fill up before 5-1 most of the time, but I haven't done it yet so I can't really comment. After hearing what happened on Coastermania and AAA day, I see that the system is indeed the best for now.

Didn't Mean Streak have assigned seating it's first year???

Idora Wildcat

I liked ths system.. All season.. of course nothing was better that the MM days. Granted they let people wait for front and back, but 99.9% of the time, after cutting through the special access gate, I just got back on the same train. I sometimes got in 2 or 3 rides by the time the people were waiting for the front.

Keep the system.. Just not the TTR..

-------------
MF 2000 - 269 laps

I felt over the 5 waits in line last season, that it was the fair way to go. I enjoyed trying to count in my head how many people were ahead of me and figuring out where I'm going to sit, front, or whereever. I never got the front seat, but I did get the second row of the front car. Next year, I will get the front seat...even if its just once the whole year. Keep the system.

-------------
Mike McCormack
Millennium Force: 5
Raptor: 8
Magnum XL-200: 1
Lifetime Coaster Count: 36

Has ANYONE successfully counted 32 people in front of them AND somehow arrranged themselves correctly in order to get the front seat?

-------------
Times I have "Gone Full Force" on MF: 9

Chris G.
-Representin' Motown

Well, I did see that there were only 4 spots left when we were at the turn style, and asked if the group of 4 behind us wanted to go ahead of us. They did, and that's 1 of the 2 ways I got up front last season. 2 out of 9 isn't bad. :)

As some have said before, the MF station should be ran similarly to Raptor's station. When the queue for the front seat has filled, no one else may enter the line. This way we would all have about the same chance at scoring the front as we did with the assigned seating. More importantly, however, if the front is not available we'll be able to pick any other seat on the train. Because the platform is rather narrow the total number of people allowed on the platform at a given time could be limited (3 trainloads perhaps???). All of this would still allow for a nicely organized station and minimum waiting times. And of course people would be less peeved about basically being "funneled" into a seat.

Not to correct you or anything but I know for a fact we NEVER "closed" the front seat line on Raptor-the last 6 weeks I worked there anyway. I DREADED/HATED/COULD NOT STAND the crowd control position (on top of the stairs on the platform)
soley because the front car line would drive me NUTS. Honestly there were times people would NOT accept "the line is too long already" they honestly started wrapping around the last pole towards the back of the train anyway. That issue happened more during the crowded Saturdays-
then we have where the ONLY riders were waiting for the front car
yes we ran several Raptor trains with just 4-8 riders. So again we have a dilemma.
I would rather see the assigned seating then to have those ride ops have to tolerate what we had/have to with Raptor. My personal opinion is that 2nd "waiting" section for the front seat on Raptor needs to go away. Once the 1st section full-you MUST pick another seat. But that would make just too much sense wouldnt it??

Jo
2000 Raptor Crew

-------------
Welcome back Raptor riders-how was your flight??

There's the issue that you are being paid to put up with what the paying guest is asking for.

As long as no one else is complaining about the lines being blocked, I fail to see how dispatching a 4-8 person train hurts you, except maybe in the intra-CP throughput pissing contests.

Don't worry, Magnum's not dispatching *that* quickly...

well, a 4-8 person train means you will be waiting much longer to ride- then people will be even more mad. And no, we are not paid to put up with some of the things we do- you would be surprised how awful people can be when they don't get their way over the smallest things ( I am not saying most people are like this- most of the guests are fine)

Well said MFMelissa#3!!!
I dont think anyone can really truly say ANYTHING about guests and how SOME of them act until you are an employee for ONE day and see for yourself.
I did not intend my comment on the front line to turn into a guest rights vs employees opinions thread! Bill-people WERE complaining when the front line car was wrapped clear down to the last car-when people got to the platform they had NO clue what was up or where to go. It is MY job as an employee to be sure the PLATFORM IS NOT BLOCKED but guests INSISTING they wait on the front car DESPITE the line being BEYOND FULL causes a BLOCKED PLATFORM. So what you're saying is despite it being MY job to keep the platform CLEAR since CP paid me I should put up with it because it is what a paying guest asks for? What about the guests who COMPLAINED about the BLOCKED PLATFORM that didnt want the front car??? They paid too!
I adored most of the guests honestly but you have NO clue how nasty people can get over some really dumb (line being long) and uncontrollable (rain)
stuff!

Welcome back Raptor riders-how was your flight??

As much as I want to ride in the front seat, I do think the assigned seat policy is the best way to keep the loading station less crowded.

-------------
MF Count: 11 *** This post was edited by Nick G. on 2/2/2001. ***