Efteling: General Discussion

[NuttySquirrel]

I experienced a breakdown on Voltron in late December one year, just outside of the turntable, and was sat on the ride for 30 minutes. Have to say it wasn't comfortable. Because of Voltron's strict rules about loose items I didn't have a hat, scarf or gloves on my person - fine for a 2 minute ride, less so for 30 minutes sat motionless on a chilly night. There weren't any foil blankets offered though perhaps if it had been a few degrees colder there would have been. I don't think it's a reason not to operate coasters in winter, but there do need to be extra protocols for taking care of guests during a breakdown and an understanding that they might not be appropriately dressed for the situation.

 

[GooseOnTheLoose]

In the rain, evacuations are more tricky because of slippery surfaces, and reduced visibility. Should we therefore stop running coasters in the rain?

In the dark, visibility is reduced, even with lighting in place, should we stop running coasters at night?

During heatwaves, people getting stuck on rides can cause various heat related health problems. Do we therefore start closing coasters when the temperature gets to a certain point?

Dependent on the extremity of the weather conditions, yes and we already do for all of these examples.

 

[Poisson]

Dependent on the extremity of the weather conditions, yes and we already do for all of these examples.

Some places do. Others absolutely will not and will carry on operating regardless, especially PPR places.

 

[Bowser]

I think it will very much depend on just how cold it is. They will only pay staff to keep it running all night if there’s a very real chance that it’ll remain too cold for it to run the next day.

For example, I think it’s likely that Baron has the minimum operating temperature of 5C like most other B&Ms, yet keeping the cars running all night means that the track is warm enough for it to keep running the next day even if the temperatures are set to be below 5 all day.

I would guess that Baron has a lower baseline operating temperature than 5C. It's been well below that for the past few weeks both day and night so i'd be surprised if they have been running it 24/7 for weeks on end.

Black Mamba at Phantasialand is another B&M that commonly operates in lower temperatures and they certainly aren't running the coasters all night there.

Five centigrade is a very mild temperature for rides and parks that rely on operating during the winter months.

Even Mandrill at Chessington has been running on lower temperatures than 5C.

 

[pluk]

I kind of disagree with this. There are lots of conditions which make evacuations more tricky. As long as the staff are diligent, it is manageable.

In the rain, evacuations are more tricky because of slippery surfaces, and reduced visibility. Should we therefore stop running coasters in the rain?

In the dark, visibility is reduced, even with lighting in place, should we stop running coasters at night?

During heatwaves, people getting stuck on rides can cause various heat related health problems. Do we therefore start closing coasters when the temperature gets to a certain point?

It’s all about managing that risk. The staff will I’m sure have plans in place to mitigate the risk and specific evacuation plans for cold weather.

Just one example - I got stuck on Slammer once on a cold day, and the staff were extremely attentive, helping each guest out one by one and giving out free hot drinks and silver blankets.

All weather related risks and probabilities aren't equal though. It's easy to give water and something for shade when it's hot. It's close to impossible to give heat when it's cold. Wet weather is never going to help an evacuation, but it's incomparable to ice and freezing temps, which can also quickly lead to cognative impairment.
And it's ride specific, low level (or easily accessible high level) flats won't present anything like the same risks.

Im not suggesting everything should shut in the cold! But what they are doing here seems to push that boundary when we all know how long a dive coaster can take to evac from the top: it is well within the timeframe for fatal hypothermia to develop at sub zero temps.

 

[NuttySquirrel]

It's easy to give water and something for shade when it's hot. It's close to impossible to give heat when it's cold.

I have to say I disagree here. It's actually not hard to keep people warm - extra layers, foil blankets, hand/body warmers, hot drinks - all of which are easy to provide assuming you can reach them.

On the other hand, if it's 40 degrees and you have people stuck on a ride in full sun a cold drink and a parasol is going to do very little if someone starts suffering the effects of hyperthermia. You need to get them off the ride into a cool environment asap and administer proper medical attention. Heatstroke is no joke.

 

[Skyscraper]

I have to say I disagree here. It's actually not hard to keep people warm - extra layers, foil blankets, hand/body warmers, hot drinks - all of which are easy to provide assuming you can reach them.

On the other hand, if it's 40 degrees and you have people stuck on a ride in full sun a cold drink and a parasol is going to do very little if someone starts suffering the effects of hyperthermia. You need to get them off the ride into a cool environment asap and administer proper medical attention. Heatstroke is no joke.

I second this, that's why I'd much rather be too cold than too warm!

 

[flyingguitar]

I have to say I disagree here. It's actually not hard to keep people warm - extra layers, foil blankets, hand/body warmers, hot drinks - all of which are easy to provide assuming you can reach them.

On the other hand, if it's 40 degrees and you have people stuck on a ride in full sun a cold drink and a parasol is going to do very little if someone starts suffering the effects of hyperthermia. You need to get them off the ride into a cool environment asap and administer proper medical attention. Heatstroke is no joke.

I would counter this, You have to remember the restraints on some rides, and the distance between riders it may be relitivly easy in theory to give people blankets, however if the are over the shoulder restraints then that makes it very difficult to have a blanket on and not let in cold drafts, add to that the no loose items policy may mean people don't bring gloves, hats, etc on the ride.

In hot whether there are a lot of options, you could get some fans, water bottles, umbrellas, etc where as in cold weather you could try a blanket or warm clothing, but depending on the restraints this could be difficult to put on, and perhaps a heater but heaters often need a lot of power (compared to fan) often being powered by the wall due to their power requirements making it difficult to get power in the often remote locations of the blocks.

That also only addresses one issue, the hypothermia, if it is warm the stairs won't be slippery, handrails get harder to hold, snow covering up obsticals, etc

 

[pluk]

I have to say I disagree here. It's actually not hard to keep people warm - extra layers, foil blankets, hand/body warmers, hot drinks - all of which are easy to provide assuming you can reach them.

On the other hand, if it's 40 degrees and you have people stuck on a ride in full sun a cold drink and a parasol is going to do very little if someone starts suffering the effects of hyperthermia. You need to get them off the ride into a cool environment asap and administer proper medical attention. Heatstroke is no joke.

Yes, there's certainly some truth in that I suppose, although I don't think people who haven't been exposed to prolonged extreme cold, or dealt with the results quite understand how quickly It'll hurt you. At work I've lost a couple of people through cold exposure, none through heat that I can think of.