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jcruise86
02-26-2007, 02:13 PM
Normally I'm a calm man, but the last time I went on Small World the ride concluded with a ten-minute wait to get off the boats while the music became increasingly annoying!

Why does Small World conclude with a traffic jam while the always wonderful Pirates of the C. get its guests right off?

When I worked there (as a Jungle Cruise Guide--pause for sighs from the women and the gay men),1. (footnote) the more relaxed West side of the park was the place to work and POTC was a coveted gig.

Are the employees simply better than Small World's? Has the Small World music lowered their IQs or wills to live?

!. (footnote!) Now that women work on the JC, it is possible that straight men and lesbians are now stalking guides.

Andrew
02-26-2007, 02:22 PM
What is a SigAlert? Answer here (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sig_Alert).

jcruise86
02-26-2007, 02:31 PM
I don't know what it stands for--and I'd bet I misspelled it, bit a CIG alert is when traffic on an L.A. freeway has stopped. In the morning our traffic reports are as prominent as our weather reports.

The roads of the west side of L.A. have recently reached full capacity and (as L.A. Times writer Steve Lopez has been covering) they no longer move at rush hour.

Marina del Rey has long had some of the worst traffic in the city, and a bunch of idiots (well, they are!) are building high-rises there which will increase the traffic. The funny part is that many of these west-siders are really rich! Bwah, ha, ha, ha!
(This will no longer be funny when I am rich and move there.)

Bytebear
02-26-2007, 02:36 PM
The simple answer is that there are two loading docks on Small world, and the switchback causes delays. All other Small World versions have only one loading dock. Also, Pirates backs up just as far, but you just don't notice because you have more to see, and no annoying music.

Park Freak
02-26-2007, 02:36 PM
(This will no longer be funny when I am rich and move there.)
LOL :D

jcruise86
02-26-2007, 02:38 PM
The simple answer is that there are two loading docks on Small world, and the switchback causes delays. All other Small World versions have only one loading dock.
But when my captivity took place only one was working! ! !

Bytebear
02-26-2007, 02:46 PM
Are you sure it wasn't perceieved time? I mean, I bet if you timed your wait for Pirates and Small world, they would be the same. It's the torture of the song that makes it seem longer.

Malcon10t
02-26-2007, 03:09 PM
If they were only running one side, it could be you got stuck waiting on the wheelchair boats. They generally off load on the right and it takes longer to unload and reload.

To me, it always seems like both IASW and POTC back up about the same. The biggest difference is in POTC you are usually stuck below the lift and there is more to see and less mind numbing music.

jcruise86
02-26-2007, 03:14 PM
Are you sure it wasn't perceieved time? I mean, I bet if you timed your wait for Pirates and Small world, they would be the same. It's the torture of the song that makes it seem longer.
It's possible, but I did start screaming and throwing my shoes at the dolls that were announcing the time near the clock. So it MUST have been over six minutes.

jcruise86
02-26-2007, 03:16 PM
. . . .To me, it always seems like both IASW and POTC back up about the same. The biggest difference is in POTC you are usually stuck below the lift and there is more to see and less mind numbing music.
Maybe they could have something entertaining while you're waiting. Any ideas, anyone?

Bytebear
02-26-2007, 03:29 PM
Maybe you could take a cue from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Spinning sparklers, burning dolls.

samsma
02-26-2007, 03:35 PM
Now that would be entertaining. I'd wait in a boat jam so see that!

tod
02-26-2007, 05:19 PM
What is a SigAlert? Answer here (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sig_Alert).

I can't believe that the entire Wikipedia article doesn't explain what a SigAlert is. Leave it to Snopes (http://www.snopes.com/autos/hazards/sigalert.asp) to define it:

An unplanned lane closure of 30 minutes or more.

--t

tod
02-26-2007, 05:20 PM
Maybe you could take a cue from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Spinning sparklers, burning dolls.

Oh, b(r)other. Don't we get enough of that garbage in the annual Haunted Mansion Goth Weirdo Makeover?

--t

Andrew
02-26-2007, 05:42 PM
I can't believe that the entire Wikipedia article doesn't explain what a SigAlert is.
First line of the article:

A Sig Alert is defined by the California Highway Patrol as "any unplanned event that causes the closing of one lane of traffic for 30 minutes or more, as opposed to a planned event like road construction, which is planned separately."

tod
02-26-2007, 06:00 PM
First line of the article:

A Sig Alert is defined by the California Highway Patrol as "any unplanned event that causes the closing of one lane of traffic for 30 minutes or more, as opposed to a planned event like road construction, which is planned separately."

I can't believe I missed that, :eek: but I usually skip over the intro and jump right into the main article.

--t

shna
02-26-2007, 06:33 PM
There were a couple of ducks for me to watch yesterday -- guess that kept me entertained during the wait. While we were in line, though, the ride stopped for a couple of minutes. I'm sure someone inside wound up losing his/her sanity.

stan4d_steph
02-26-2007, 07:16 PM
You could always just not ride.

jcruise86
02-26-2007, 08:04 PM
You could always just not ride.
WHAT?!
Please explain.
:confused:

jcruise86
02-26-2007, 08:08 PM
Oh, b(r)other. Don't we get enough of that garbage in the annual Haunted Mansion Goth Weirdo Makeover?
--t
Are you calling melting doll heads "garbage"?!

tod
02-26-2007, 08:55 PM
Are you calling melting doll heads "garbage"?!

Yes. In order not to hijack the thread, I will not elaborate.

--t

Leash81
02-26-2007, 09:31 PM
I actually managed to turn a back up on Small World into nap time. I just gave in to the horrid music and it just became like white noise so I took a little nap until we got moving again.

Leofoenget
02-27-2007, 12:00 AM
Normally I'm a calm man, but the last time I went on Small World the ride concluded with a ten-minute wait to get off the boats while the music became increasingly annoying!

Why does Small World conclude with a traffic jam while the always wonderful Pirates of the C. get its guests right off?

When I worked there (as a Jungle Cruise Guide--pause for sighs from the women and the gay men),1. (footnote) the more relaxed West side of the park was the place to work and POTC was a coveted gig.

Are the employees simply better than Small World's? Has the Small World music lowered their IQs or wills to live?

!. (footnote!) Now that women work on the JC, it is possible that straight men and lesbians are now stalking guides.


You back up on Pirates. Seems like everytime i'm there, we stop at the last Jack Sparrow shot and sit there waiting to go up the ramp. I don't care I enjoy it makes the ride last longer, unless I have to pee....

Vegitabeta
02-27-2007, 03:12 AM
The POTC in DLP is the worst I've seen for this back-up thing. They have way too many boats running at one time, and so you are sitting in the treasure room at the end for a very long time before you go round the corner and eventually get off. It happened every time I rode too. IASW isn't good for this either...although, the ducks did come over and started staring at everyone in the boat:)

Animalia
02-27-2007, 06:15 AM
...although, the ducks did come over and started staring at everyone in the boat:)

(shudders) Whoo. Creepy. If they start talking to the guests... (shudders again) whoo.

;)