As you can see, there is quite a bit of distance in between each ride. The Starfish and the Thriller Bees are the closest together, but the map does not do the distance justice as the rides are still 500 ft away. What this meant for us as "leads" is that breaks were not so easy. Part of the problem was that a part of our staff could only stay inside, while the other people, who may or may not know how to operate all the rides in the area, had to rotate among the outside rides... which sucks a lot. Many times we had people upset because they spent the entire day outside, which, I know, is not fair. But most of the time there was nothing we could do. For instance, if two employees had to stay inside at MBT, that meant the only time someone else could go in for a while was for breaks, which would only be a hour out of the day.
I tried very hard to remain neutral and give everyone a fair work experience, and I think everyone knew that. I never heard any complaints about how I ran the area, which is good. For instance, I would open MBT at 11:30, stay until 12, and start outside breaks. The person who was outside the longest would go inside to do the two breaks. I would, most of the time, stay outside for the entirety of the breaks, stopping once at each ride for at least 30 minutes. Then, once all the breaks were done, I'd go take mine in the break room at MBT. If time allowed, I'd see if there were any training that needed to be done, or take care of small things, and then go back outside and do more breaks. Once again, the person who had spent more time outside than anyone would rotate inside, and then breaks would be done at about 7 or 7:30. I'd high tail it up to MBT, get a quick bite to eat, and send someone home before 8. MBT's line was closed at 8:00, and we would get out of there at about 8:30.
Here is a schedule of the rides we operated:
It was difficult at times, but it was so much fun. I would gladly do anything to relive that summer.
Now, the rides.
Mission Bermuda Triangle was this large, indoor building that had 4 motion simulator pods. The ride was themed to a submarine dive to the Bermuda Triangle, thus the name. You can learn more on my MBT tribute page, which has an enormous amount of info on this ride. It required two employees at all times, and the height requirement is at least 36 inches, but between 36 and 42, you need a responsible adult 16 years or older to ride.
Starcastle is a children's carousel built by Vekoma. The ride was installed in used condition from Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom. This piece of shit was one of the worst rides to work in the whole park. Why? Well, there was no operator both, just a podium you would stand at. Second, it was for kids 54" and under only, meaning no adults or kids over that mark could ride, which was a pain in the ass to explain to everyone. Thirdly, many parents expected you, as the operator, to put the kid on the ride, which we had to do a lot. Not only that, but many parents would not pay attention whatsoever, and you would be left babysitting with no praise for a good job, only admonishment if something went wrong. The ride it's self consists of 6 animals, and 4 balloons for kids to ride on.
The Thriller Bees is a moderate family attraction which consists of large Bees for up to 3 passengers. The main flaw, here, is the height requirement. While we always enforced it, the ride does not permit children under 42" inches to ride, which is bullshit in my opinion. Also this ride has a mind of it's own! While all the other rides in the park have some sort of presence indicator, a device that tells the ride whether the operator is all the control panel, this ride didn't. On more than one occasion very bad situations have come of this, including employees nearly "bee-ing" struck by the ride in motion. If you do it right, there won't "bee" a problem for the operator, but some people mess up and create dangerous scenarios.
Starfish Ah, the good old starfish, the best flat ride at the park. Riders must be 42" inches or taller to ride, and there must be 2 riders per seat at all times. I love this ride. It's surprisingly wicked, and I like the contact you have with the guests in this ride. You have complete control over the loading process, and kids love to ride it, which brings a smile to my face. And the ride is 2:45 seconds long, so you can just relax for a few moments in between each ride.
