Your Worst SDC experience

marolinesdad · January 18, 2009, 10:16:14 AM

Hey KBCraig.. I am a correctional officer also.. any way...

I think the most upsetting that happened to me was that I was waiting in line at the Big Skillet with my 3 and 5 year old girls and they were getting bouncy.. My 3 year old bumped into a woman and I told the lady I was sorry that she had done that. She told me if I would leave my brats at home things like this would not happen. I again told her I was sorry and she was rude again. I was about to say something but just then the SDC Employee that was taking orders told the woman if she had a problem with children SDC was not a good place for her to be. She puffed up and stomped away. I think that is the only time I have really ever had someone be rude at the park.

haytater · January 18, 2009, 11:49:38 AM

I think I would also include this in my "Best SDC experience". I appreciate the SDC employee standing up for you.

marolinesdad · January 18, 2009, 02:23:37 PM

SDC employees are always there to help in any way they can. That is a big difference between this and other parks.

themeparkguy · January 18, 2009, 03:00:45 PM

They are always at the top of their game but having been to disneyland this last christmas- they were equally good if not better.

History Buff · February 28, 2010, 01:19:03 PM

I think for lots of kids FitH is their worst experience at SDC. Our preacher tells this story, and used it once again this morning.

Sometime before his daughter started kindergarten, he took her on Fire-in-the-Hole. Like most, she ended the ride in tears. Later she told him that when she gets to Heaven, she's going to ask God WHY He made Fire-in-the-Hole.

rubedugans · March 01, 2010, 10:54:27 AM

Worst for me as a kid was the runaway sawblade in the Flooded Mine (yes pre shootout) I would wait in fear until that point...then joyfully watch for the canary, then worry that the canary had died, were we next? Yes these things entered the mind of a child, but for me it still makes the ride memorable!

StaceySue · March 01, 2010, 06:25:22 PM

Quote from: rubedugans on March 01, 2010, 10:54:27 AM
Worst for me as a kid was the runaway sawblade in the Flooded Mine (yes pre shootout) I would wait in fear until that point...then joyfully watch for the canary, then worry that the canary had died, were we next? Yes these things entered the mind of a child, but for me it still makes the ride memorable!

You know, that saw blade used to scare me, too. It used to be much more dramatic. Now, If you're not careful, you just might miss it altogether.

Copper · March 01, 2010, 07:36:42 PM

Yes, the lights used to go off as the saw blade fell towards you on the FM. For some reason the Waterboggan used to scare me. Something about rushing through an enclosed tube and getting wet.

History Buff · March 02, 2010, 07:00:27 AM

Quote from: Copper on March 01, 2010, 07:36:42 PM
For some reason the Waterboggan used to scare me. Something about rushing through an enclosed tube and getting wet.

That first drop is even scarier now!

rubedugans · March 02, 2010, 08:04:54 AM

Junior · March 02, 2010, 08:43:42 AM

In fall of '79, I had a little kid come to the float trip, kicking, screaming, crying, and in complete terror. He was afraid the ride was all going to be dark and scary like the flooded mine. I was alone on the dispatch stand that afternoon, all other employees were gone on breaks. This kid was giving such a fight, his parents were having trouble getting him on the boat. The line was starting to back up. What was I going to do? I began a long, drawn out speech directed at the kid. I told him I was a bona fide river rat, on the mighty James River. I told him the river was magical. It was the eighth wonder of the world...the only river that ran in a complete circle! I showed him the hillbilly hat I was wearing, and I told him it was my magic hat, the hat that protected me from anything and everything. I asked him if he would wear the hat while he rode in the boat. I promised it would keep him safe, and that he would be able to get through the whirlpool, he could go through the cave, and pass the water geysers, and nothing would happen to him, in fact, he would have a good time with his family, and since he wore the magic hat, he'd be protecting them, too. The kid was wide eyed, but stopped crying, I handed the hat to him, and his dad put it on his head. I asked the kid if he was ready to go and have fun, and he nodded he was. With that, I dispached the boat...and as it went off the dock, the fifty or so people waiting to board burst out in massive applause and laughter. Seven minutes later the kid came back around, safe and sound. He had a big ole smile on his face, and his parents said he had a good time on the ride. The look on that kids face when he got off the boat and bounded down the path on to his next adventure at SDC has lasted with me for over thirty years, now. Sometimes the guests gave me more pleasure than I could give back to them. That kid would have to be near 40 years old now. Hey kid, if you're reading this...thanks for the memories! You really made MY day!

jeffthephotog · March 02, 2010, 09:57:09 AM

stlphotogal · March 09, 2010, 09:54:43 AM

Quote from: rubedugans on March 01, 2010, 10:54:27 AM
Worst for me as a kid was the runaway sawblade in the Flooded Mine (yes pre shootout) I would wait in fear until that point...then joyfully watch for the canary, then worry that the canary had died, were we next? Yes these things entered the mind of a child, but for me it still makes the ride memorable!

LOL, Rube - it STILL makes me nervous when riding on the outside!!!

bthomas · March 09, 2010, 10:27:00 AM

My worst experience happens every time I go to SDC...its having to LEAVE.

mhguy77 · April 16, 2010, 09:35:26 PM

We were on the Buzz Saw Falls lift hill almost to the top when the ride broke.
It was 100 degrees, there was a woman behind me with a little boy 7? , behind her some others. The " Fix it" guys climbed all the way to the top to tell us they were going to have it fixed in 10 min they were sorry and everything was fine it was a computer glitch, 2 cars in 1 zone. At this point the woman told the guys that her son was upset and wanted down, the boy then started crying. Maintenance said they were several stories above the ground, it would be fixed right away and they really didnt think it was safe to get out that high up. At this point the woman started swearing like a sailor, I mean it was really bad, I was embarrassed and i can swear with the best of them ( and often do) but not like this in public with others around. The guys tried to tell her that it was much safer to stay put but she would have none of this, her son wanted OUT. They carried a large metal contraption to the top so they wouldn't fall as they got out of the car at the angle we were at. They started to walk down the hill and I had another ride op come up to the car and I commented " Man that was ridiculous" She needs to be taken back to the stable she escaped from talking to those guys like that. My buddy sitting next to me kept telling me to shut up but hey everyone in the car was there the whole time.
We got to the bottom of the hill after it started and I realised that the man sitting behind the empty seat was her husband, lord he was embarrassed, I felt bad for him but you know what. HE should have told her to clam up and deal with it.
On the way out I found the manager and applauded the workers she swore at and how professional they were in this bad situation.
I always try to pat people on the back that often go unoticed. I have never seen such bad behavior.
LOL funny now that I think of sitting in that car with sweat pouring down my back berating this woman's poor behaviour while her husband sat ashamed behind the empty seat.
Oh well......
Its a great story to tell.