PDA

View Full Version : do they speed up any rides on crowded days?



Pages : [1] 2

Midway Mel
05-28-2012, 05:48 PM
I just had a bit of a debate with my room-mate who now believes space mountain and snow white were faster than normal when he went this weekend. He asked a CM and was told that they do speedup certain rides when the park is crowded. I have now googled it and have found several interesting debates about it but definitely nothing concrete.

Any thoughts?

bumblebeeonarose
05-28-2012, 08:05 PM
When it is less busy, they do not run as many vehicles. Our last visit they were only running one side of Screamin', with a total of 2 trains. I'm pretty sure they have 5 trains. Many of the rides can be changed like this. HM, Ariel, and Buzz cannot beacuse the number of cars is static. As is Dumbo and the Rockets. The TOT has 3 shafts, each with an upper and lower elevator. They were only running two shafts when we last visited. I think that they must not have had enough staffing, because the line was 50 minutes without a FP. Although the number of cars doesn't change on HM, they do have two elevators that they can run. They often only run one.

They can't really speed up Space Mountain. Rollercoasters are designed using physics. Once you go up the lift hills, the car is propelled forward. If the ride seemed faster, there was probably just a lot of weight compared to a previous trip.
I do know that Little Mermaid and HM can be slowed and sped (and stopped) depending on needs for the handicapped, and/or slow entrances or exits.
I don't really think they speed up the rides though. But they do have a lot of control with the number of stations and vehicles used, and that affects wait time.

Ferb
05-29-2012, 11:25 AM
When it is less busy, they do not run as many vehicles.

In addition to this they can speed up or slow down the loading processes. On the busy days it helps keep the lines moving and attraction running at max capacity.

Rides themselves run the same speed.

Midway Mel
05-29-2012, 11:29 AM
Some of the debates online about speeding up roller coaster (gravity) type rides is that they can decrease the amount of braking. Kinda makes sense but at the same time it raises questions about safety. I know sometimes when I ride SM my eyes tear up a bit and sometimes they don't but I don't think it's because the speed changes. It's more likely just me.

oregontraveler
05-29-2012, 11:56 AM
Since Space is indoors, perhaps the perception of speed is the key. I have heard that some coasters feel a little sluggish in the morning, but are quicker in the evening after they have made several runs.

houseofmouse
05-29-2012, 11:56 AM
My eyes sometimes tear on SM too. Usually because at times it is much much colder in there than other times. I have heard that as the track gets run over again and again the track glazes and can propel the cars faster. Who knows though.

iceman559
05-29-2012, 02:27 PM
I guarantee you they would not speed up the actual ride itself. These rides are so precisely timed, that speeding it up would likely slow it down as it would drastically increase the likelihood of an e-stop. As others have said, however, they will increase the number of ride vehicles running, and with the speedup in the boarding process (I think Space Mountain is like 20 seconds disembark/embark time at max capacity), it would make it seem like the ride itself is going quicker since they have to get you out of the station quicker to avoid an e-stop.

It's the same at rides like Small World and Pirates. You'll often see during busier times, boats are backing up much more. That's not because they speed up the ride itself, but because they have more vehicles out. However, you'll also notice during these times that they will often be ushering you on and off quicker to get the boats dispatched quicker.

One thing you could do to seal it definitively is to do an experiment. Bring a stopwatch with you and time the ride itself. However, be sure to time the ACTUAL ride time. For instance, on Space, make sure you time from when you are dispatched around that first turn after the station (to the first lift hill) to the brake zone right after the camera. That way, you won't be including any boarding times which are what will vary depending on the crowd level and what capacity they are running at. Then, time how long each car spends at the station from the time it stops and the lap bars go up to the time when it is dispatched. I'm sure you'll see that the average ride times will stay the same (they will always differ slightly due to physics), but the load times will decrease significantly on average. If the load time decreases, that translates to an increase in hourly capacity (which you could easily verify by setting your stopwatch for a minute or two and counting how many cars arrive at and leave the station in that period of time).

candles71
05-29-2012, 02:49 PM
With Space Mountain the whole weight (ie the whole train can only weigh x amount or they pull it) issue is because of the trains going too fast between the brake stations, so I do not see them able to actually increase the speed of the ride. Without the same problems.
Any of the other coasters are also going to depend on weight in the train, rather than an actual way to speed up the train.

iceman559
05-29-2012, 05:32 PM
With Space Mountain the whole weight (ie the whole train can only weigh x amount or they pull it) issue is because of the trains going too fast between the brake stations, so I do not see them able to actually increase the speed of the ride. Without the same problems.
Any of the other coasters are also going to depend on weight in the train, rather than an actual way to speed up the train.

Precisely. For a ride like Space Mountain, the brake zones really aren't that far apart. If you start speeding the vehicles up, two things happen: 1) you create a different ride and 2) you lower the maximum amount of vehicles that can be on the track safely. So you're creating a different ride during crowded times vs. lighter times without actually being able to increase capacity really. The best way to increase capacity is keep the ride at the speed it's designed for and simply increase the amount of vehicles on the track (which the control system is designed to handle).

If you start decreasing the amount of braking at each section, that means the speed between the top of the first lift hill will be normal speed, the next section will be slightly faster than normal, the next section even faster than normal, and so on. So, you'd wind up with a non-linear speed increase along the track. Sure, you could set the braking such that the speed is a linear increase in sections 2-x, but then what's the point of speeding it up at all since you're still limited by the speed in the first section (the train has to clear the first brake section before the next train is able to clear the lifthill). So, you speed up the ride and all you do is limit the maximum amount of vehicles you can have on the track at any point in time to avoid a backup at the end of the ride before the station.

The same would be magnified for rides with larger brake zones since the next zone has to be clear before a train is allowed to enter it. So, for a ride like Thunder Mountain, you'll likely have to take an entire train off to speed up the ride even a little bit, which would mean taking 40+ people off in favor of maybe an average of 5-10+ by speeding up the ride.

danyoung
05-31-2012, 04:45 PM
Since Space is indoors, perhaps the perception of speed is the key. I have heard that some coasters feel a little sluggish in the morning, but are quicker in the evening after they have made several runs.

According to a WDW SM ride engineer on a Disney show a few years ago, the speed of the vehicles is greatest when the system is warmer (like in the afternoon) and if the vehicle is fully loaded. But these are factors of temp and weight, not of park crowd size.

ChrisGlass
05-31-2012, 05:00 PM
Heavier people make the ride go faster. Or just more people.

But it's cute hearing people point out things that changed that never have.

carolinakid
06-01-2012, 05:28 AM
I guess obesity DOES have its advantages in some situations!

fishgal
06-02-2012, 07:28 PM
Most rides have a locked in time that doesn't change regardless of the park attendence. Ride operators can effect how many people they can handle per hour as mentioned above by changing the number ride vehicles in play at a given time. Some rides though are more subjective with regards to duration such as the Jungle Cruise, which depending on the skipper can very in length. Although there is a "standard" time that the attraction should take some skippers run longer than others.

In general however the ride length is not tampered with or generally even accessible to the ride operator except when they need to stop the ride. So while a ride like jungle cruise may very slightly in duration independent of attendence numbers a ride like space mountain will never vary in duration regardless of attendance numbers.

Angie2009
06-02-2012, 08:42 PM
I brought a stopwatch my last few visits. SM and IASW both took exactly 18% less time on a touring plans "busy" day (9) vs a non-busy (4) day.

LOL

bennette
06-02-2012, 09:52 PM
I'm pretty sure on busy days, they skip the loop on Space Mountain to save time.

;)

iceman559
06-02-2012, 10:02 PM
I brought a stopwatch my last few visits. SM and IASW both took exactly 18% less time on a touring plans "busy" day (9) vs a non-busy (4) day.

Is that counting load/unload times or strictly ride time?

danyoung
06-03-2012, 04:30 AM
So while a ride like jungle cruise may very slightly in duration independent of attendence numbers a ride like space mountain will never vary in duration regardless of attendance numbers.

Most of your post was correct, but this as written just isn't true. It's already been established that Space Mountain will indeed vary in speed, depending on temperature and weight (a warmer track and a heavier vehicle will result in a faster ride). But again, this doesn't change based on park crowds or the wishes of the operating cast members.

iceman559
06-03-2012, 10:24 AM
Most of your post was correct, but this as written just isn't true. It's already been established that Space Mountain will indeed vary in speed, depending on temperature and weight (a warmer track and a heavier vehicle will result in a faster ride). But again, this doesn't change based on park crowds or the wishes of the operating cast members.

The ONLY reason the ride may be faster on crowded days is if they start loading rockets heavier. A rocket with four people will go slower than a rocket with eight, assuming the average weight of each rider is the same.

Malcon10t
06-03-2012, 10:51 AM
I brought a stopwatch my last few visits. SM and IASW both took exactly 18% less time on a touring plans "busy" day (9) vs a non-busy (4) day.

LOLSo, basically you are saying the ride is 30 seconds shorter on a busy day? That could cause some major issues in braking zones if the ride was to change from its normal 2 minutes and 45 seconds to 2 mins and 15 seconds.

danyoung
06-03-2012, 11:11 AM
The ONLY reason the ride may be faster on crowded days is if they start loading rockets heavier.

I watched a program on TV a few years ago that featured a Space Mountain engineer - not a standard operational CM but a real track engineer. He's the one that stated that temps do figure in, so I'm choosing to believe what he had to say.

Malcon10t
06-03-2012, 11:15 AM
I watched a program on TV a few years ago that featured a Space Mountain engineer - not a standard operational CM but a real track engineer. He's the one that stated that temps do figure in, so I'm choosing to believe what he had to say.OK, can you clarify this for me? My question comes because the building is air conditioned. I don't think the track temps change dramatically.

adriennek
06-03-2012, 11:28 AM
The ONLY reason the ride may be faster on crowded days is if they start loading rockets heavier. A rocket with four people will go slower than a rocket with eight, assuming the average weight of each rider is the same.

Which is exactly what happens on busier days - slower days they'll be more likely to let single riders or odd numbered riders on without filling the empty seats - or with even an empty row here or there.

3Princesses1Prince
06-03-2012, 12:21 PM
OK, can you clarify this for me? My question comes because the building is air conditioned. I don't think the track temps change dramatically.

My guess: the A/C can't cool the track as fast as the friction caused by the ride vehicle traveling on it can warm it up. It'll counter act it some, but the track will continue to get warmer throughout the day as trains continue to travel on it.

fishgal
06-03-2012, 12:26 PM
As a point of clarification, my response was geared at the original posters question, which was do they (Cast Members) speed up the rides on high attendance days. :)

Malcon10t
06-03-2012, 01:38 PM
My guess: the A/C can't cool the track as fast as the friction caused by the ride vehicle traveling on it can warm it up. It'll counter act it some, but the track will continue to get warmer throughout the day as trains continue to travel on it.Realistically, it can only heat up to a certain point. At that point, it will remain at that value through out the day with the same number of trains, running across them at the same interval. And it won't matter if it is July 15 or dec 22nd, the temp will remain about the same. The same basic number of trains are running. Remember, if the park is slow, they simply dispatch the trains empty.