PDA

View Full Version : Have You Ever Been Put Off a Ride Before It Started?



Pages : [1] 2

mowsluver
11-05-2010, 06:45 PM
I don't know if this is odd or not but we were going on the Golden Zephyr in CA and my 3 1/2 year old grandaughter was sitting with her face towards her mom, sort of hiding. She does this when she gets on rides. It's not that she's scared, it's just what she does. The Matterhorn has been her favorite ride since she was tall enough to go on it!
Anyway, the CM operating the ride went over and kept asking her if she was sure she wanted to ride. Being a shy little girl, she wouldn't answer. My daughter explained that she does this on every ride but the CM made them get off!
She stated" that they do not let kids go on rides that they don't want to go on".
Has this ever happened to anyone?

TRON
11-06-2010, 08:02 AM
I would think that would be up to the parent or guardian to decide what is too scary for the child, not a CM. I could understand if it was a safety issue but it does not sound that way from what you said.
Personally I would have made a complaint to DCA’s version of City Hall about the CM.

mowsluver
11-06-2010, 02:36 PM
No she was not scared. That is just how she starts on EVERY ride. Even the ones in Fantasyland. She has been on Splash and Matterhorn and will get off, say how scary it was and then ask to go again!
She puts her face into her mom's side (or mine) until the ride starts.
I didn't want to make an issue of it but my daughter was ticked off. She said that she would never make her child go on something if she didn't want to! And she did try to explain to the CM.
Oh well, there's always next time!

Mouseketeer1955
11-06-2010, 07:58 PM
I'm not aware of any policy that says a CM shall assess a child's demeanor and remove the child if they appear scared. You should have reported them.

Michael24
11-07-2010, 01:10 AM
Sounds like the Cast Member was just playing it safe. She probably couldn't have been sure either way and decided it was better to be safe than sorry. No harm no foul.

jcruise86
11-07-2010, 03:51 AM
Sounds like the Cast Member was just playing it safe. She probably couldn't have been sure either way and decided it was better to be safe than sorry. No harm no foul.
I'm with Michael24 on this.

If she wasn't capable of saying, "Yes, I want to go on this." you should resign yourself to Pooh, Playhouse Disney, Dumbo, the Flick's Fun Fair rides and other attractions listed on the free & excellent pamphlet with suggestions about the rides little kids like most that the Disneyland resort makes & distributes in the baby care centers in Disneyland and DCA. Though the Golden Zephyr is so tame it might be on this list.

More bad news: your shy granddaughter might develop new fears about rides as innocent as Gadget's Go Coaster and The Tiki Room when she is four and five, and--even though you are the fun grandpa--you should watch for and respect her fears and not rationalize that "she will then want to go on again" after its over.

Three and a half and on Splash Mountain and the Matterhorn?
Some kids that age love those rides, but having seen a family from hell drag a small, seriously upset, screaming boy into the Haunted Mansion, I'm glad that this employee is being perhaps overprotective of the little kids. (Maybe this cast member should be transferred to the HM. :))

But (hypocrite warning!) I'm like you too--I talked my reluctant daughter on to Jumpin' Jellyfish and a CM like yours could have stopped her, but it has been one of her favorite rides ever since. And she was a little apprehensive about seeing World of Color and Fantasmic before those shows and then absolutely loved them.

But I'm glad you didn't complain about this CM, by the way. Hey, next time videotape this happening, then post th evideo on Mouseplanet and let us decide! (Just kidding about the video!)

TRON
11-07-2010, 08:27 AM
I'm with Michael24 on this.

If she wasn't capable of saying, "Yes, I want to go on this." you should resign yourself to Pooh, Playhouse Disney, Dumbo, the Flick's Fun Fair rides and other attractions listed on the free & excellent pamphlet with suggestions about the rides little kids like most that the Disneyland resort makes & distributes in the baby care centers in Disneyland and DCA. Though the Golden Zephyr is so tame it might be on this list.

More bad news: your shy granddaughter might develop new fears about rides as innocent as Gadget's Go Coaster and The Tiki Room when she is four and five, and--even though you are the fun grandpa--you should watch for and respect her fears and not rationalize that "she will then want to go on again" after its over.

Three and a half and on Splash Mountain and the Matterhorn?
Some kids that age love those rides, but having seen a family from hell drag a small, seriously upset, screaming boy into the Haunted Mansion, I'm glad that this employee is being perhaps overprotective of the little kids. (Maybe this cast member should be transferred to the HM. :))

But (hypocrite warning!) I'm like you too--I talked my reluctant daughter on to Jumpin' Jellyfish and a CM like yours could have stopped her, but it has been one of her favorite rides ever since. And she was a little apprehensive about seeing World of Color and Fantasmic before those shows and then absolutely loved them.

WOW that was bunch of psycho babble garbage I just read……….sorry Jcruise86 I mean no disrespect to you;)

First of all it is not like they are trying to get the child on California Screaming, it was the Golden Zephyr for crying out loud. I think most if not all dark rides would be a little scarier visually than this one. However I will concede that it gives the illusion that you’re flying over water and about 1 story up can be intimidating to some people of all ages, but so does Dumbo. Once again it is the Golden Zephyr which is as about as exciting as a park bench.:)

Second the child’s own mother was with her on the ride……..I would like to think that the mother knows what is best for their own kid rather than some CM. It is not like she is beating her, she is taking her on the Golden Zephyr, another words the park bench that fly’s.:) Plus that fact that the grandparent (mowsluver) mentioned that the daughter is “shy and she always sits with her face towards her mom, sort of hiding”.

Third you admitted to be a hypocrite with your own daughter and your reluctant daughter taking her on the Jumping Jellyfish, which is now one of her favorites………sounds like a few other attractions/shows she was reluctant as well but you still took her on or to see them because you feel you know what is best for your own child. I imagine your daughter is healthy and fine and not seeking any kind of therapy because of your actions/parenting decisions. Would you really have been happy if a CM stepped in and said sorry you guys can't ride that attraction or watch that show because your daughter looks to be reluctant?

The CM should not interfere and eject children from and attraction when they are with their parents or guardian unless they are kick and screaming or crying.

I do applaud the CM for being concerned for the child’s well fare, that seems to be rare these days however the child was not upset but just shy and with her mother, no reason to have them get off the attraction.

Once again I do stand behind if the child is crying and/or kicking and screaming that CM is well within his/her rights to ask them politely to exit the attraction. You do not need to be a parent to know in those instances the child does not want to ride that attraction.


Personally from the time we took my son to DLR before he was even 1yrs old we were taking him on POC, HM, Dumbo and all the Fantasyland attractions. POC was his 1st favorite ride until the age of 3 when HM became his #1 ride and Matterhorn #2 for him. Every time we go on HM when we are in the lobby area, before you get on the elevator, He wants to be picked up and says he scared........but he loves the ride????!:confused: I think for him it is his version of a horror movie.:D
My wife and I have taken him on Splash and BTM but he has expressed to us he does not like those yet, too scary. So we do not attempt to drag him on those but we do ask every time we are if he would like to ride them.

Sometimes you need to just test the waters with your own kids to see what they are capable of handling. But as the parent you will know when that time is…..not a CM (a stranger) who is probably just out of High School and his parent skills may only consist of a brother or sister or a book they read.

cstephens
11-07-2010, 08:34 AM
If the child was screaming loudly and physically resisting getting on a ride, I think the CMs would have grounds to ask them to get off, partly for safety, partly for the comfort of other guests. But just "hiding" against a parent is no reason for the CM to intervene. It's possible the child was scared, but being able to ride without looking might have been the first step to liking the ride. Next time, the child, having already been on and knowing nothing bad happened to them, might agree to peek a little, and then the time after that, they're willing to look and fully enjoy the ride.

Or maybe the child was hiding against a parent for no real reason other than that's what the child wanted to do. It happens.

The CM was out of line. There is no verbal consent required for a child to ride. Many young kids are shy about talking to strangers, especially one that's badgering them with questions.

jcruise86
11-07-2010, 08:38 AM
WOW that was bunch of psycho babble garbage I just read……….sorry Jcruise86 I mean no disrespect to you;). . . Third you admitted to be a hypocrite with your own daughter and your reluctant daughter taking her on the Jumping Jellyfish, which is now one of her favorites………I imagine your daughter is healthy and fine and not seeking any kind of therapy because of your actions/parenting decisions. Would you really have been happy if a CM stepped in and said sorry you guys can't ride that attraction or watch that show because your daughter looks to be reluctant?. . . if the child is crying and/or kicking and screaming that CM is well within his/her rights to ask them politely to exit the attraction. . .
Good post, Tron!

trypticon
11-07-2010, 09:15 AM
I don't see what the big deal is. It's n ot like the Golden Zephyre has a long line, and that they wasted preciouse minutes in the park waiting to get onto it that could have gone to doing anything else in the park, like walking around behind Grizzly River Run.

My boy is the same way, actually. He hides his face into my side when he's nervous about rides. He does it fairly often, too, and gets shy when I ask him if it's too scary for him. I've had to remove ourselves from lines several times because he just breaks down into a shy state and won't move with the line. Heck, he's missed entire rides by staring into my armpit rather than looking around at the scenery, and on those instances, it would have been a welcome suggestion from a cast member to not go on it, since the rides he does this on are usually a longer wait than Golden Zephyre (which he was also too scared to ride in October, by the way).

So, having experienced this with my own boy, I don't see a problem with what the Cast Member suggested. He or she was just looking out for the welfare of the child, so that she may experience the entertainment value of the park.

And also, reading through this thread, it's almost like the MousePlanet mafia, where anything that seems slightly questionable needs to be reported to park management, and where no cast member can be comfortable with their position. If this ride had an extremely long wait, I could see why there would be some hurt feelings over it, but Golden Zephyre is usually a walk on when I've visited the park, and given that, I see no reason to be put out over it at all. It's not like it's a one of a kind attraction between the two parks, either.

MadasaHatter
11-07-2010, 09:40 AM
Very well said Trypticon. I couldn't agree with you more.

mowsluver
11-07-2010, 03:29 PM
Thanks for all the feedback. I see positive in all the posts, even those that did not agree with me! :fez:

To me it was a small issue and would not have complained about it. We did enough complaining among ourselves to make us happy I guess...

After they were off the ride, my grandaughter was not the happiest camper in the park and a 'white shirt' noticed that she was not happy. He was great! He came over and tried to talk to her (her face was turned fully back to hide in the stroller). He even tried to give her one of his pins! But she is going through a very shy stage and just hid her face, wouldn't say anything.

Then we headed over to DL to go on the Matterhorn! She has loved that ride since she was tall enough to go on it.

tmptink
11-07-2010, 03:49 PM
I have never had this happen to me. I don't think it is right for the CM to ask the child and parent to get off the ride unless it was the way the child or parent was sitting or the child was screaming. I understand why the OP's daughter was upset. It was because of the embarrassment of having to get off a ride knowing that her child was not scared and was told to her face that she was a bad parent for "forcing" her daughter on the ride. (I know that is not what the CM said but I know that is how I would have taken it.) Also, I would be upset if I was working my child up to get ready to ride a ride even though she was scared and then be asked to get off. I have always told my dd to try a ride once and if she does not like it she does not have to go again. If kids have to hide their face to ride a ride then I think it should be ok unless it is a safety issue. (I hide my face when I go on Mouholland Maddness ride but my dd loves it.)

TRON
11-07-2010, 06:10 PM
I think the point is that the little girl was with her mother and the CM made a good choice in questioning however a bad choice in asking them to exit the ride. The parent’s discretion over rules the CM when they are not acting like they are in fear for their life by going on the attraction. Also the mother explained to the CM that she is just shy, once again no reason for the CM to ask them to leave the attraction.

IllusionOfLife
11-07-2010, 08:19 PM
I think the point is that the little girl was with her mother and the CM made a good choice in questioning however a bad choice in asking them to exit the ride. The parent’s discretion over rules the CM when they are not acting like they are in fear for their life by going on the attraction. Also the mother explained to the CM that she is just shy, once again no reason for the CM to ask them to leave the attraction.

I'm with TRON on this one. On one hand, it is the responsible thing to do for a cast member to ask if the child has any worries before the ride begins, but if the child is not visibly (or audibly) terrified by the ride, that's up to the parents discretion. There's a difference between fear and nervousness, my best friend (an adult) has been on Tower of Terror loads of times, and she is not afraid of it in the slightest, but the build up, and the atmosphere makes her nervous of it every time, without fail. Showing some signs of nervousness is no reason to ask a guest to leave the attraction.

In this case I think the cast member made a bad call with good intentions; I know she was just trying to help, but in this case there was absolutely no reason to remove them from the attraction.

soccerlady16
11-07-2010, 09:45 PM
I think some of the time parents drag their kicking screaming kids on rides is because they r prob a day guest and paid loads of$ $ to get in. Its the PARENTS that want to ride, and obviously they can't leave the kid outside. Maybe CMs can offer child swap pass,to save the poor kids

GrumpyGoofyGuy
11-08-2010, 08:58 AM
Just a thought-Since none of us other than the OP was present for this incident, Maybe the CM noticed or sensed something that influenced their decision to remove the little girl from the ride?

shna
11-08-2010, 09:26 AM
Just a thought-Since none of us other than the OP was present for this incident, Maybe the CM noticed or sensed something that influenced their decision to remove the little girl from the ride?

Perhaps the CM had a similar situation earlier in the shift with a face-hiding child who turned out to be horrified & screaming. I'm guessing we'll never know for sure.

lauramaynot
11-08-2010, 04:04 PM
I see both sides on this. From the CM's point of view that would be difficult because I am sure so many kids don't even realize they are scared until the ride gets going and then what? they can't just stop the ride. It does kinda ruin the experiance when there is a crying child on a ride and I am sure that the CM was just trying to do a good job, but as a parent I understand the other side as well and would be ticked if someone told me how to parent which is how that request would probably come across at least in that instant. My more hesitant children at the start of some rides ended up the ones who loved it and wanted to ride again. While I certainly wouldn't want to damage them emotionally in anyway, I do think that sometimes they do need to learn to take chances and it is a big lesson that some things are not as scary as they seem and that there are some things that are 'fun scary'.

cookie7762
11-08-2010, 10:35 PM
At the age of 19 (I'm a super super chicken) I hid my face in my Dad's arm the first 5 times I rode Indie... I'm sure glad I wasn't asked to exit then! Each time I rode I would open my eyes for a new part of the ride until i was fully comfortable with the whole thing, now I love it!

When I was a child, my parents drug me on the Haunted Mansion even though I was TERRIFIED. I didn't kick and scream, but I was very apparently unhappy to be going on the ride. To this day I thank my mom for being so persistent in exposing me to the things I would have missed out on had I got my way. I always had the options of closing my eyes and plugging my ears, and if I really hated it, I never had to go on it again, but she wanted me to try it, because I might like it... and I did like it, so good call mom!

Parents are the ones who are aloud to make those judgement calls for their kids. They know their child best and can better anticipate their reaction than a CM. I think someone over stepped their boundaries on this one.

kidrericha
11-09-2010, 09:38 AM
That's enough! Alright, nobody get's to ride the zephyr, happy now?!

jcruise86
11-09-2010, 11:00 AM
That's enough! Alright, nobody get's to ride the zephyr, happy now?!

:eek: Waaaaaaaaaaaaaa! :crying:

jcruise86
11-09-2010, 11:04 AM
At the age of 19 (I'm a super super chicken). . . When I was a child, my parents drug me on the Haunted Mansion even though I was TERRIFIED. . .
Maybe their dragging you on it before you were ready made you a "super super chicken" at 19. Maybe not. :) And did you mean to write that they "drugged" you!? :p

MidwayManiac
11-12-2010, 05:17 PM
A CM on the ferris wheel told a lady w/ a frightened screaming child in front of us "Sorry we can't let your child ride if he's hysterical and scared."

The lady did two snaps and a neckroll which seemed to intimidate the CM just enough to permit them to proceed.

TRON
11-13-2010, 07:44 PM
A CM on the ferris wheel told a lady w/ a frightened screaming child in front of us "Sorry we can't let your child ride if he's hysterical and scared."

The lady did two snaps and a neckroll which seemed to intimidate the CM just enough to permit them to proceed.

Nice parenting skills. :eyeroll: