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Ride Availability/Operations 2022-24

Ethan said:
Bear in mind as I was entering the building 20 mins prior I could see empty seats on the trains so this op hadn’t sent anyone up the stairs that whole time.
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If you're in a position to be third in the single rider queue, able to queue jump with this couple, and you saw empty seats as the cars were going around the track, just before you entered the building, then the reason the op hadn't sent anyone from the Single Rider Queue up the stairs previously is because there can't have been anyone waiting in the single rider queue.
Ethan said:
I don’t think there was any entitlement intended in that couples actions I think it was just a decision made due to the very poor management from that op
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Of course there's entitlement. "I should have ridden this ride by now, that op doesn't know what he's doing" is entitlement.

I'm sorry Ethan, I just don't buy your story and don't think that this event happened. Let's perhaps park it there and agree to disagree?
 
GooseOnTheLoose said:
I'm sorry Ethan, I just don't buy your story and don't think that this event happened. Let's perhaps park it there and agree to disagree?
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Bit of an odd thing to say but if it makes you happy. Why would I make up a story just for the sake of it. It’s not exactly unbelievable is it so not sure why you’d even say that. People join single queue, op is busy checking other queues and not paying attention to the empty stairs on the left when there are single riders waiting in correction block. Couple walk up stairs while op is preoccupied. I’m not twisting anything with that nor condoning what they did I’m just saying I understand their frustration
 
Admittedly, I was held at the bottom for a good few minutes yesterday, but I would say that this was warranted. The whole time I was in the SRQ, there was seemingly a healthy influx of single riders in the station that nearly went back to the stairs. I did not personally see any empty seats on the ride yesterday.

The new queue layout has arguably “ruined” the SRQ in terms of its ability to allow you to get on the ride quickly, but I understand why they’ve done it. It allows single riders to use the baggage hold, which speeds up dispatches in the station. They have to stagger the number of single riders that use the baggage hold, or else it gets overwhelmed.

I do think the system of being held at the bottom as a single rider works better for single riders on Saw at Thorpe Park, from my experience (they seem to let single riders through a bit more often on there), but I fully understand why Alton Towers have made the change they have on Smiler. It did still benefit me, as well, as I still waited 20 minutes less than the advertised queue time!
 
Ethan said:
Bit of an odd thing to say but if it makes you happy. Why would I make up a story just for the sake of it. It’s not exactly unbelievable is it so not sure why you’d even say that.
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Possibly because you thought you'd get a positive response. Lots of people exaggerate stories or embellish details when retelling an anecdote. Some even pretend to be water fowl.
Ethan said:
People join single queue, op is busy checking other queues and not paying attention to the empty stairs on the left when there are single riders waiting in correction block.
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None of you thought to ask the merge point operator, or talk to them about it, before queue jumping?
Ethan said:
I’m not twisting anything with that nor condoning what they did I’m just saying I understand their frustration
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You are condoning it, because you did it too. You thought it was acceptable behaviour, if it happened.
 
GooseOnTheLoose said:
You are condoning it, because you did it too. You thought it was acceptable behaviour, if it happened.
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Well as a single rider I was put in a row with a group of 3 so I was only filling the gap so technically I didn’t queue jump. As a single rider you’re always going to be put with a group of 3 so it doesn’t really matter what side of the stairs you’re on. I’m not condoning them because they did queue jump as there was 2 of them not 1
 
Ethan said:
Well as a single rider I was put in a row with a group of 3 so I was only filling the gap so technically I didn’t queue jump. As a single rider you’re always going to be put with a group of 3 so it doesn’t really matter what side of the stairs you’re on. I’m not condoning them because they did queue jump as there was 2 of them not 1
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"The couple in front of me starting punching the queue merge op in the face, so I followed their lead and also punched him the face too, but I don't condone their actions, or support them, because there were two of them and only one of me."

The irony of this conversation is clearly lost on you too, considering that you asked why the single rider queue layout had been changed... In an attempt to prevent the sort of entitled queue jumping that you did.
 
Boothy said:
No need to get outraged by a made up story to be fair
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The irony of me being called entitled when people are claiming that my experience can’t exist and must be made up. Your lie detector clearly faulty. What perfect world do you live in where you think these things don’t happen. Yes I have seen it happen more than once this season so it comes as no surprise to me but evidently does to you
 
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Christ didn’t expect this topic to be handbags at dawn 🤣

In contrast I was let out of the single rider queue in about a minute on both times I’ve been on it this year. I’ll agree though, I don’t think one members staff managing all the queues is effective at all. I’d have kept the single rider queue the same as previous
 
As I understand it the current SRQ set up is the same as it was between 2013 and 2017 before SRQs were scrapped across the park.

As long as there are never any times when there are people waiting in the SRQ downstairs, but the SRQ in the station is empty then no one is waiting any longer than than the way it was set up 2019-2023.
 
There's no need to be throwing accusations at other people, or questioning whether a story is made up or not. So please can we return to some sensible discussion about ride availability and operations.

Thank you.
 
Agree with some of the comments re Smilers single rider.

Most of the time I've been on this year, the batching host has struggled to manage the 4 queues. On a couple of occasions this year, I've seen the main queue on the stairs empty and they've loaded trains full of single riders which is just ridiculous (I wasn't complaining at it meant I got on a lot quicker 🤣)

It definitely worked a lot better in previous years in my experience with it going through the fire exit as it was 1 less queue the host had to manage, and meant they didn't have to open and close that gate.

Even if it means single riders have bags in the station, if the station host load them first (so they're on the end next to the baggage hold) it really wouldn't slow down ops.
 
I wonder why Alton's been having ride issues all season...
Is it sods law due to everything else going on? Or just a load of issues with rides, deciding now is the best time to mess up when a new director is put in?
 
AT86 said:
Surely by definition SRQ will always be the last one to batch? Since it is to fill gaps from the main queue.
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Yeah of course, but say if theres a 3 in the main queue, the host can put the single rider in the correct row and then the 3 so that the single rider is on the end closest to the baggage boxes in the station.

I just think the odd single rider having a bag in the station outweighs the issues with a host having to deal with 4 queues at the merge point, but thats just my opinion.
 
Call_um said:
Yeah of course, but say if theres a 3 in the main queue, the host can put the single rider in the correct row and then the 3 so that the single rider is on the end closest to the baggage boxes in the station.

I just think the odd single rider having a bag in the station outweighs the issues with a host having to deal with 4 queues at the merge point, but thats just my opinion.
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Completely agree with this. Surely Smilers single queue staying around since it came back after Covid is a good sign that they might be considering bringing it back on other rides at some point. I see no reason why it couldn’t be on Oblivion Nemesis and Galactica. Just find a place to put the queue and boom less people in the main queue
 
Ethan said:
Completely agree with this. Surely Smilers single queue staying around since it came back after Covid is a good sign that they might be considering bringing it back on other rides at some point. I see no reason why it couldn’t be on Oblivion Nemesis and Galactica. Just find a place to put the queue and boom less people in the main queue
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The issue is, though, that on some rides, you'd have to put a Single Rider Queue at the exit, which would lower the throughput and negate all the good that comes from less people being in the main queue. You'd definitely have to do this on Nemesis, and it wouldn't work at all on Galactica unless you sent all odd-numbered groups to one station. I don't even know that it would be possible or beneficial on any ride other than Smiler anymore, what with the reconfiguration of the likes of RAP queues to service increased RAP demand on many rides.
 
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