Roaring Rapids Complaint

[Ilovthevu']

Even though summer is turning into fall, and many people might choose not to ride this ride due to it being cold outside or closures, I would like to bring up the boat procedure in the station. I can't understand why a person has to be with the boat at all times in the station.

When everyones seat belts are buckled, the person should move to an incoming boat, and thus speed up the line. For the last time I was there, there was only one person actually loading and unloading the boats, and of course they had to stay with the boat. In my opinion, it doesn't make sense.

If SFGAm is truely scared that people will unbuckle the seatbelts, this will not help later in the ride. There's no one watching in the waterfalls, in the tunnel, or past the tunnel. So, I can't really by that excuse.

So, what are your thoughts? By the way, make sure you don't unbuckle your seatbelts on this ride. When my seatbelt was BUCKLED, I almost felt like I was going to fall out. This was last year. Now, I make sure I hold onto the silver cyclinder thing on the raft.

[Andrew]

It's most likely a safety procedure that they have to follow.

[Shockwavegirl]

I used to work Roaring Rapids the first year I worked at SFGAm. It is a saftey procedure because people as a group are morons. They will take off the seatbelt as soon as the attendant leaves, therefore an attendant is ALWAYS watching EVERY raft along the ride. Look closely the next time you go, there are cameras EVERYWHERE along the ride's path, there is also an attendant midway through the ride, you know the one that shoots you with the water cannon, they aren't there just to soak you, they are there to monitor the ride. When the ride is fully staffed w/ all 14 rafts allowed on the ride there is actually an attendant that just watches the camera monitors, all other times the person at the control panel watches them. So remember when you are on that ride, you are never really ever alone.

As for your opinion that it would speed up the line, that isn't necessarily true either, even when the line is long and I waited for my raft to leave the station, I still ended up backward walking along the turntable waiting for the next raft to enter the station.

[Andrew]

Exactly the thing only goes at a certain speed, if someone is standing there or not, it's not going to make the waiting time change at all.

[Trailblazer Tony]

Still, why can't they have one person by the boat that is loading at the time and one near where the boats leave the station doing a seat belt check. It would work the same.

[twixmix0303]

Honestly, why does it really matter?

Anyways, I'm sure (or at least I hope) that the thumbs up they give isn't just for fun (as some of the GP thinks and they give one too). It indicates that it is all clear. They are signaling to the operator. This way, the operator knows for sure that someone has checked that boat, or he or she will temporarily stop the turntable. Also, if there is no attendant there, a guest that changes his or her mind at the last second may attempt to leave but the operator may not notice from so high up in the little booth.

[Shockwavegirl]

Well on Rapids, the hand signals mean as such

TIME OUT (hands forming letter 't'): Stop the turntable
Used when not everyone is correctly in their seat after you pass the post with the yellow line on it, so that problem can be corrected before leaving the station

Pointing finger spinning: Restart the turntable
Used when the raft is clear for leaving

Cut throat : Ride Stop
Used when the ride needs to be stopped because of a jam of more than 4 rafts at the bottom of the lift that won't sort out to enter lift, rafts then are directed to the resevoir that has the floating docks. Or a passenger falls out of raft into water afer passing the tunnel (these are the morons of which I spoke of earlier who take off their seatbelt and run around the raft avoiding WATER, on a water ride)

And it's been years so I forgot what the sign for E stop was (I never used it)

[FreghtFestFreak3]

Its safety, if you dont like it then dont ride the ride, problem solved.

[Shockwavegirl]

When everyones seat belts are buckled, the person should move to an incoming boat, and thus speed up the line. For the last time I was there, there was only one person actually loading and unloading the boats, and of course they had to stay with the boat. In my opinion, it doesn't make sense.

Out of curiosity when was the last time you were there? The lowest amount of rafts that they put on the ride is 4, and usually that is only when it gets colder. When I worked there, (although it was 8 years ago and the park was owned by Time Warner at the time, so it may have changed), when there was 4 rafts on there were 2 ops working the turntable, they did double duty at the line bringing people to the raft and loading while the other did loading/unloading duties. So then there was never a time when there was only one op on the turntable. So you have sparked my curiosity on how much has changed since I worked there.

[Ilovthevu']

This was two weeks ago. There was only one person on the turntable. There was another person right before you go down the stairs. It's staffing.

[Shockwavegirl]

^then there where 2 poeple on the turntable, but they just weren't doing it the way it was supposed to be done when I worked there. Still can't leave the raft though, too many dummies who do dumb things ruin it for the rest of us.