Line Cutting

[Amadaes]

I was at a water park recently and the family ahead of me sent their kids off to ride another ride with a shorter line while they waited. When the kids returned and got back into line my wife complained to the attendant and the family went to the back of the line. the main reason dor the complaint is that the whole family would have taken up two runs fo the slide so it is not like the wait stayed the same.

The family acknoleged that this was rong and told the kids that they were "going to do the right thing and move to the back." However The father stayed to yell at us for saying anything and said that it was all because we dont have kids or we would have know why they did what they did.

I am of the opinion that just having kids does not give you the right to break the rules like that and I would like to say that if I had kids I would teach them that if they wanted to ride the ride they would have to wait in line like everyone else.

I have gotten very mixed responsed to how we handled this and wanted to see what you all thought.

[HYHYBT]

Like you have to have kids to know why people would want to let them cut in line? So, nobody who doesn't actually have their own children remembers what it was like to be one or is capable of observing their behavior?

There are times when you have to either experience something for yourself or take the word of those who have to understand what's going on. This isn't one.

On the other hand, it would seem awfully petty to make the same complaint if one member of a group ahead of you left to use the bathroom and the others saved them a place, and I cannot quite define where the dividing line is or why.

[Amadaes]

Well for one thing getting out of line to go to the bathroom is not against the rules of the park and also tends to take less time.

And for this if you can just leave the line to ride something else why have a line at all.

And I remember when I was a kid. I had to stand in line with my sisters if we wanted to do something. I remember getting bored but at most I would wander off close to the line.

All of the other families in line that we could see kept their kids with them and they looked like they ranged from around 6 to 13 or so.

[Andrew B]

That argument falls apart when most parks that I know of have posted rules that state that you can't do that.

[Lace Neil Singer]

The logical thing to do would be to go to the loo before you get in line. To my mind, cutting a line is not allowed, simples. You wait your bloody turn cuz everyone is wanting to go first, but they choose to wait so you wait.

Like during the week of panic when the government told people that there was going to be a petrol shortage, and we had queues of cars stretching all down the road. This woman drove in thru the back cuz she thought she didn't have to wait in the queue, cuz she was special. Cuz she cut the line, we didn't authorise her pump and told her to join the queue. It wasn't fair to the queue to let her get her way.

[s_stabeler]

it really depends on how long the line is. If the line is long enough that almost everyone will need the loo at some point, then it should be allowed for people to leave the line to go to the loo and then cut back in.

[Lace Neil Singer]

People would abuse that priviledge. You'd get whole groups of people leaving the line to go and kick back for a while, maybe even grab a snack, then strolling to the front of the queue.

It may sound harsh, but rules about cutting have to be inforced so that people don't try that one on. The longest line I was ever in was at Alton Towers for the newly opened Nemesis ride (yeah, some time ago!) and it was two hours long. There were signs clearly stating this, and everyone in my group hit the loos before we joined the queue, and didn't take drinks along cuz we had the sense to realise that we were going to be standing in line a long time. XD We saw a few people leave the line, probably cuz they needed the loo, but no-one let them back in.