Phil,

Have you ever been to Linnamäki on a sunny Saturday afternoon in July?

The lines are long there too, and not only in the beer line.

I’ve been to Universal Studios and the waiting lines were awful. I guess that we’re not used to such big parks in here but still. Maybe those gigantic US theme parks just ain’t gigantic enough for all the people wanting to get in. I mean there are a lot more tourists there and there is still a lot more your own citizens. We have like Linnanmäki.

Do Great Adventure in New Jersey on a weekday in May. No waiting and no getting pissed off.

I would probably never go to a park where they had a extra fee to cut others in line. The fees to get in are criminal as they are. (No, that’s not right. This is capitalism. They can choose to charge what they want.)

Clearly the demand is there for the high prices did not seem to keep the lines down. Yet another example of why there are so much poor people in America. Too many people wasting $70 on park tickets.

Peter, #1: True. Linnanmäki during “high season” is pure hell for both customers and employees. It is mainly a pure capacity problem, though. It is the premier tourist attraction in the Helsinki area and too many people just want to come to in to a very limited area at the same time. I guess the park management has not figured out a good way to channel people to use it during times of higher available capacity – though with everyone wanting a vacation at the same timespan there is only so much they can do.

You are getting old, that’s the reason.

Think about when you were a kid, dreaming of tomorrow’s picnic to a theme park. Sometimes you will lose your lust about sex when you are older.. Life is like that. It’s not the problem of Finland or being used to it.

Disneyland in California has a “no additional cost” solution, called FastPass, in which you use your admission ticket to reserve a time on a ride. For example, at 9:30 you go to the ride, get a FastPass which can be used between 11:40 and 12:40, come back at the assigned time, and wait in a much shorter line.

However, you can’t get a new FastPass until after your old FastPass has expired.

A smart way might be to award Express Passes according to frequency of visit.

Theme parks, amusement parks, carnivals and all that stuff “suck?”

You just learned this?

I could’ve told you that for only 50 bucks. Or for free, even.

Just visit on a rainy day.

Phil, since you’re from Maryland on this side of the pond, doesn’t it remind you of the wonderful (saying in jest) traffic jams around Baltimore and DC? I’ve seen enough of them as a truck driver. No matter how many times we go through certain cities and come to expect them, they’re still no fun.

It also reminds me of when parents go to buy their children Christmas presents, especially the ones that the kids gotta have but don’t really need. Sure, it’s capitalism at work (which I don’t mind), but it is a pain in the neck waiting in line when all you have is one thing to buy (which I do mind).

I’d rather enjoy my time in central Virginia out near the Blue Ridge mountains with a good book in my living room.

Waiting in lines sucks, but Finns are used to it too. I laugh at the times I’ve waited in line 20 minutes to get into a club in Helsinki only to get in and realize the fucking thing is practically empty. It’s a stupid game and completely poseur, but it’s popular.

At least when you’re at an amusement park the line is there for an actual reason.

Phil, since you’re from Maryland on this side of the pond, doesn’t it remind you of the wonderful (saying in jest) traffic jams around Baltimore and DC?

Two things I definitely don’t miss about Maryland: I-695 and I-495.

No. 12, So true.

Once the doormen in a downtown club held everyone in line outside of the club in a pouring rainstorm (and everyone got absolutely soaked in line) and only allowed us all to enter after the time they started to charge admission fees for entering.

Of course, once the people in line with their soaked clothing came in, they discovered that the place was absolutely empty.

The delay in letting us in was just a ploy to make a few extra Euros on admission charges.

To add insult to injury, the f….ing doormen had their hands out for a tip when we left. And gave us dirty looks when we didn’t tip them.

I never went back to that place ever.

Universal or Disney don’t care about the Proletariat D:

“Two things I definitely don’t miss about Maryland: I-695 and I-495.”

Tell me about it! It’s best to go through them late night/early morning well before 5am. Otherwise, it’s a lost cause. Atlanta’s getting to be that way. It won’t be long until it becomes a nightmare like Balto and DC.

I’ve been sent through NYC on the George Washington Bridge. Sometimes, I’ve been able to avoid that and take the Tappan Zee/Governor Malcolm Wilson Bridge.

Getting back to the topic at hand, if I know there are going to be long lines somewhere, I’ll get up super early or shop way late at night when no one else is around. Get in, get done, get out, go home.

So… the libertarian encounters a market driven solution to waiting-in-line and it results in “this nonsense is enough to make me boycott theme parks forever”.

What’s the problem? If you want to skip the line then you pay more. Don’t want to pay more – wait in the line. YOU get to make the choice.

Are you saying you’d rather have everyone wait in the same line Phil? That seems mighty socialist of you. Too much time in the sun?

Another odd thing about this blog entry; what’s up with Phil having to leave Finland and go to America to learn about queues?

There are plenty of queues here.

I was just at Disney World in Florida in February 07. They have Fast Pass & it didn’t cost extra. Hmmm…

You could have paid for a ticket upgrade and go right to the front of the line. Also, did you know Universal has a food plan for like $20 you may eat all day.