Originally Posted By gadzuux >> ... triggering an e-stop since the boat will be travelling slower than the computer expects it to. << Huh. Recently I wrote something in another thread about how easy it is to stop these boats dead in the water just by reaching out and grabbing hold of the side of the trough. I also said it's immediately followed by an announcement about keeping your hands and arms inside the boat. But I didn't realize there's a computer tracking the speed of the boats. Or that it could cause an e-stop. Is that true throughout the ride, or just at the bottom of the drops?
Originally Posted By avromark And to expand on DJ7K's idea, when was the computer monitoring system installed roughly?
Originally Posted By tiggertoo <<The main reason is because the draught of the boat and the depth of the water before the drops aren't very much different.>> I always thought when you reached the section before the drops, a mechanism actually pulled the boat into the free fall zone. <<can tilt the boat enough in the front that if there are enough waves, the boat can scratch the bottom>> Ahh…yes. I didn’t think about the waves…or even the current of the flume. If there is any slight forward pitch in the boat the current and waves would push the rear even higher. Good catch. <<But I didn't realize there's a computer tracking the speed of the boats.>> That *is* interesting because when I was a teenager (many moons ago), I was a mischievous young lad and would sit in the rear and actually hold press against the rocks to slow the boat down to near stopped. Sometimes I would back up seven or eight boats. I used to do the same is Small World but to an even greater extent. But I only got the “hands in the boat†spiel once after which I never did it again but the ride never once e-stopped. Is this new PirateJohn?
Originally Posted By tiggertoo <<Is this new PirateJohn?>> I should be more specific. Did they install this system after 1992-93?
Originally Posted By PirateJohn >>But I didn't realize there's a computer tracking the speed of the boats. Or that it could cause an e-stop. Is that true throughout the ride, or just at the bottom of the drops? I think it's just the top of the drops. I actually ended up triggering one myself. A boat was stuck at the top of the drop and I had to run out to the drop to push it over (not uncommon). Apparently I pushed a bit too hard -- when I returned to the tower to put the key back, the CM in the tower was restarting the ride. The lead chuckled and told me that I had broken down the ride because I had made the boat slip on the belt. I guess I don't know my own strength!
Originally Posted By PirateJohn >>I always thought when you reached the section before the drops, a mechanism actually pulled the boat into the free fall zone. Nope. You're free floating right up until you're at the very last moment. Then there's a small belt -- called a catapult -- that makes sure you make it over.
Originally Posted By PirateJohn >>I should be more specific. Did they install this system after 1992-93? Don't know. The trackers are not throughout the whole ride, either. Mostly they're at the top of the drops. But considering all they're doing right now, everything I've said in this thread may be obsolete, too...
Originally Posted By wonderingalice <---------Wonders if anyone's ever ridden Pirates in a bateaux facing backward... Hmmmmmmmmmmm... Hee hee hee hee... Could be fun!
Originally Posted By JAYDOE I'm curious, all the talk of long lines on the opening day, do you suspect it will be like this for a long time?? To get on POTC takes no time at all usually, so I wondered if now we will be waiting in much longer lines.
Originally Posted By PirateJohn >>I'm curious, all the talk of long lines on the opening day, do you suspect it will be like this for a long time?? To get on POTC takes no time at all usually, so I wondered if now we will be waiting in much longer lines. I expect when Fantasmic is nigh, the lines will shrink. Otherwise, I'm curious how GC will work out with the Pirates extended queue cutting into the Fantasmic walkway.
Originally Posted By Westsider This is an interesting thread with the CM's from 15 years ago weighing in on the capacity issue. If we pulled a 2200 hour on a busy day now, the Lead would be up in the office explaining to the manager why they got such a lousy count. 2500 is the lowest number you should be getting per hour, and there had better be a few hours of at least 2700 or your Lead shifts will be coming to an end. If you can get consecutive hours of 2800 or more, then you'll be getting plenty of Lead shifts for the rest of the summer and management will be very happy. The boats were last replaced in the late 80's, so I don't know what would account for the increase in counts from 1993 to 2006. On busy days, we do seat parties of two with other parties of two. And we stage and load wheelchair guests very carefully so they don't take too much time boarding and hold up the line. We'll have a permanent wheelchair stager when Pirates reopens in a few weeks, just to keep the wheelchairs in check and keep the line moving for everyone else.
Originally Posted By juicer Wow... 2800 and hour - Is that with 1 greeter - 2 loaders - 2 unloaders and one dispatch (also one on a break)?
Originally Posted By karlg A comment on "ride capacity theory" between IASW and Pirates. The limit on capacity on IASW seems to be "unload limited" more than the capacity of each boat. If they can't unload faster, then they just stact up at the end of the attraction (seems to have particularly been a problem at the end of IASW. The next issue is the boat spacing throughout the attraction. I'm not doubting the numbers, but It would seem that it is more than the number of rows in each boat affecting the capacity. I thought I remember reading (I think it was in "Theme Park Adventure" POTC Edition) that the added rows in the boats when they put the WDW IASW boats in Pirates (that is where the longer boats came from originally) it did not increase the capacity that much but it did cause a lot of problems with the drops (splash and derailing). This would also make me wonder about the capacity of IASW at WDW and Disneyland's POC. I would think that during IASW Holiday (at least when it first opens each year) that IASW has more people wanting to go onto it than Pirates. Karl
Originally Posted By imadisneygal I'm perfectly willing to accept that my recollection of capacity is just plain wrong. I never worked the attraction, nor did I ever claim to have worked it. I was simply trying to recall some numbers I thought I remembered correctly. By all means, even I defer to the CM's who actually work the attraction...
Originally Posted By Dabob2 FWIW, I think I remember a former PeopleMover CM saying that the PM had the highest theorhetical capacity of any attraction in the park. Don't know if that's true (and you rarely saw each pod full with four people each, even when it was new), but the number he gave was astounding in terms of capacity.
Originally Posted By trekkeruss That wouldn't suprprise me about the PM, considering the continuous loading. I am still waiting for someone to weigh in on the DLRR.
Originally Posted By juicer imadisneygal, your numbers you mentioned were numbers that I (a former Pirates cast member from years past) knew to be correct - That's why I asked if the staffing was like how it was when I worked that attraction - If they increased the number of CM's they may be able to get those higher numbers - I remember our leads almost yelling at us when we were on load to hurry up and group faster - I don't know if anyone knows this but when you are working unload there is a lantern that flashes blue and green (or is it blue and red?) anyways...when the guests are loaded and seated - Each unload CM presses a button under the exit railing - When both buttons are pressed - I think a green light turns on above the load dock where the next round of guests are waiting to board - When that green light comes on that lets the dispatch CM know that the unload CM's are sure that they can dispatch the boat - Then..if they are timeing it right a blue light comes on telling the unload and dispatch that in order to maintain a high hourly the boats need to be dispatched now - So as a unload and dispatch CM's it can get kind of frantic if we are not keeping up with the blue light signal - And if we are keeping up with that signal we used to be doing 2200-2500 an hour - (I hope this all makes sence)
Originally Posted By PirateJohn Sounds like more or less the same procedure we have now. Maybe we're just better than you. (just kidding, of course)
Originally Posted By SuperDry POTC at TDL has essentially the same track layout as at DL, except that unload is done at a separate station immediately before the rise back up to ground level (guests go up a speedramp after unloading to get back to ground level, much like at the Haunted Mansion). I wonder how much this increases hourly capacity since guests can start loading immediately as the boats come to a halt at the load platform. It would not surprise me if this was why this design change was made.
Originally Posted By Westsider I think the missing link here is that we no longer dispatch from the Tower. Basically the Front Unload person is the dispatcher, once they've gotten the enable and green light from Rear Unload. The Tower CM just sits and watches the cameras and monitors the ride system boards. The new control tower they've just built has wooden blinds installed almost all the way around, so that it's almost impossible to see the loading area anymore. Part of this is because the several dozen new video screens that monitor the 38 different cameras now installed in the ride put off a lot more light than the old 12 camera setup ever did. But it's also an admission that we will likely never dispatch from the Tower position ever again, so why bother with a good view of the loading area? We also staff a dedicated Wheelhair Stager position on days of moderate crowds or greater. In the past, Rear Unload also had to do the duties of the current Wheelchair Stager position, and it would slow down dispatches. When we return to service on the 26th, for the summer we'll have two Wheelchair Stager CM's, plus a dedicated extended GC/Queue crew of at least three or four CM's. I expect that by Labor Day we'll go back to the regular sized crews for Pirates, except for really busy times like Christmas or Easter break.
