From Raymond Sydowski on August 30, 2010 at 3:38 PM
And this why experience and forethought matters at an attraction.

From Rod Whitenack on August 30, 2010 at 3:49 PM
I've got a question for you about cutting off lines that seems like it might be the third most uncomfortable job of the day. How do you handle cutting off lines at the end of the night when a popular ride is getting ready to shut down? I've seen some bad arguments go down when that happens, when people have run all the way across the park to try to ride something at the last minute but end up just a little late and the line has been cut off. I know you have to account for all the people currently in line and how long it will take to get them all through. I also know the employees have been running the ride all day and want to go home at some point. What's the best strategy for making the most people happy?

From Robert Niles on August 30, 2010 at 4:01 PM
Disney's policy was that if you were in line when the park closed, you got to ride (or watch).

We tried to time it so that the last show of the night would start at closing time, so that we didn't have to run an additional show for folks who arrived after the last show started, but before the park closed.

That usually meant an extra-long break after the next-to-last show. A few times, the theater operator screwed that up, and forgot to place a hold on the show. In that case, we usually just let people arriving just before closing to go straight into the theater to see the show in progress, in the hopes that they wouldn't demand a full show after the park closed. (Once, a family did demand that - so we had to call park control to allow us to start a new show five minutes after park closed. They did, and the family saw their show - and the theater operator got reprimanded for screwing up the timing, since security had to stay late in the area to clear the guests.)

In practice, the final show of the night was almost never filled. Only once did I see a full show at Bear Band at closing, forcing us to run a second show after the park had closed. That was on the old cast member Christmas party night, back when (a) those existed and (b) Bear Band ran the Country Bear Jamboree Christmas show, which, naturally, all the Christmas party-goers wanted to see.

From Anthony Murphy on August 30, 2010 at 6:55 PM
I think this proves the point of Cast Members over employees at some places like Six Flags. I was "spotlighted" at the last time at SFGA and half of my party got to go on!

I bet Fantasmic has gotta be brutal to stop the line!

From Raymond Sydowski on August 30, 2010 at 8:54 PM
Ah, I miss closing Everest at night. On those rare times of the year DAK closes after dark, it was something special. The park would clear out once dusk hits, so we'd have people in small groups riding and re-riding until they couldn't see straight. They'd be laughing and having a ball the entire time.

From 212.240.35.34 on September 1, 2010 at 9:22 AM
Sometimes its good to the the party who doesn't make it to the show which is about the load though as then you are first for the next one, often meaning front row seats as opposed to cramming in way at the back. Every cloud has a silver lining....and your on holiday so its time to relax anyway!