I just got an offer to do a shop at an amusement park. It is right by my house so it is ideal. But I was curious, has anyone done these before? I've never shopped for them and the reports sound really complicated. All in all you need to get a LOT of information. I've only been MSing for a couple months now, so I wanted to get some opinions. Thanks in advance

Hmm, if I did it I would have a dvr to help make notations and maybe a camera, come on its an amusement park there have to be tons of cameras lol. I wish I could find a shop for the zoo by my mom. I love that zoo but wow, not going without work ha ha.

I did it without a DVR as mine doesn't work properly. I had to discreetly take notes, which was a bit of a pain. I took photos of all the people at the rides to help with my memory. Not a one caught me or looked my way.

If this is for Amusement Advantage, the reports are long, but you're also getting quite a bit for it. They break up the report in sections, which can make it easier to get through and save or a bigger pain, depends on personal preference. What I don't like is the separate box for the no answers where you must explain all the no answers. Then the next box for general comments, you can't repeat anything you just wrote above. Well, sometimes the information overlaps so that can be a pain.

Still, for the reimbursement value, I'd do it again next year. We upgraded our tickets to season passes. It was just about the cost of a one day pass so it's not a bad deal. I'd be happy to play in the water all day.

I've done these shops. The reports are long and detailed. You should only take this if you want to spend the day at the amusement park anyway. You should be prepared to spend quite a bit of money for which you will not be reimbursed. I find the tickets that they send to be a terrific discount if we are already planning on going.

I don't have any amusement parks close enough to warrant signing with them All are at least 90 miles away. Couldn't do it.

Thanks everyone. The more I read the description the more I think I will wait until next summer. By then I will be more experienced. It sure would be nice for all those free tickets though!

I don't think I could stand 6-8 hours in an amusement park. LOL I thought about it for a minute or two and asked hubby if he thought our 5 year old granddaughter would like it. He said yes, she would, but you wouldn't. We're only 15 minutes away from Knotts.

I would love all that time in the park. I used to have season passes when I was a kid. Our amusement park (Dorney Park) also has a water park included. It's great fun. I just feel like it might be easy to forget the real purpose of the visit!

I have done several different assignments for the amusement park company and found the difficulty to really vary a lot. My first was on an extremely crowded day and I found it difficult to find all the places I had to rate as I could not find some of them through the crowds. I prefer the ones where you do not need to do an "experience cart" as they are unpredictable and move around from place to place and time to time. I did a zoo once and their requirement to arrive by noon was absolutely necessary. I arrived before noon but by the time I waited in line for over a half hour in the heat to buy tickets it was almost noon. Many of the exhibits closed down by two and the zoo was huge. I ended up walking miles and miles to get from place to place and cover all the requirements. But aside from the fact that it takes a long time to visit all the required places and the report takes a while to fill out it is not difficult. YOU do need to be very organized.
Was it worth it? I would do it again but not during a crowded time of the year.

Brisscoe, it's SO easy to let time slip away at an amusement park, even when you're trying to pay attention to everything. I don't know if I'd do an amusment park JUST for the day tickets. I feel like that was the "work" and future visits with my upgraded season passes will be for fun. I also know that the parks near me (Darien Lake and Fantasy Island) rarely have long lines or crowds. Sometimes I wonder how they stay in business. I guess it's a steady stream of guests.

sandyf Wrote:
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> I prefer the ones
> where you do not need to do an "experience cart"
> as they are unpredictable and move around from
> place to place and time to time.

What is an experience cart? Is that the golf cart for people who need assistance?

I did a zoo once
> and their requirement to arrive by noon was
> absolutely necessary. ... But aside from the fact that it
> takes a long time to visit all the required places
> and the report takes a while to fill out it is not
> difficult. YOU do need to be very organized.

I did the zoo one with a nice bonus. I know the zoo well. I've had season passes and used to take my youngest for visits since he loves the animals. Even knowing where everything is, it was still tough to get to it all in time and we arrived at 1 p.m., with the scheduler's approval. That gave us four and a half hours to book it around. I think it's the fastest we ever enjoyed the zoo. LOL Then I forgot to use my receipt to upgrade to season passes for the entire family. It would've been only $30 extra for a family of five. Darn it!

Hi angie, i had experience carts in both the Aquarium and in the zoo when I did them. They . are mobile carts that they roll out and seem to be staffed by volunteers some of whom are high school kids. They do one thing only...it might be a small table in the aquarium where they are just in a hallway and someone is there to speak about sharks teeth and let the kids/adults touch one. In the zoo there were a few where an adult speaks about some aspect of the type of animal around there...but they fold up and go away and you cannot pinpoint exactly wehre they will be so if it is a cold winter day or late int he day they may have gone home...or they may be crowded, or I have run into very enthusiastic volunteers who are often seniors and experts on the subject at hand and are so happy to have an ear to stop by at their cart that it is hard to walk away without the entire 20 minute demonstration. It is interesting but time consuming if you are there to do a job...i cannot just walk away from these people...but perhaps you can Angie...especially if it is the woman who had your baby. lol
I do not think you will find these in amusement private park type places. tehy seem to be in government sponsored places...I ahve never done these jobs for tickets. (at the nat history museum I came away with a salt lamp from the gift shop she always wanted and told me was a great deal at $15) a pencil form another and got in for a 2/1 price due to my npr donor discount. So I came out ahead by a few bucks but generally if you are not careful around this town you will end up spending all the payment. When I did the aquarium I was running around back and forth so much I had no time to enjoy the place and was burned out by the time I finished finding it all. Like you said, it is a job and use it if you can for either leftover cash if you have a discount admission or to have your friends/family enjoy it cheap while you work or for an upgrade...but as a pure job, not really worth it. I will go back in slow winter months with my 2 for 1 coupon someday. AlwaysAngie Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Brisscoe, it's SO easy to let time slip away at an
> amusement park, even when you're trying to pay
> attention to everything. I don't know if I'd do an
> amusment park JUST for the day tickets. I feel
> like that was the "work" and future visits with my
> upgraded season passes will be for fun. I also
> know that the parks near me (Darien Lake and
> Fantasy Island) rarely have long lines or crowds.
> Sometimes I wonder how they stay in business. I
> guess it's a steady stream of guests.
>
> sandyf Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > I prefer the ones
> > where you do not need to do an "experience
> cart"
> > as they are unpredictable and move around from
> > place to place and time to time.
>
> What is an experience cart? Is that the golf cart
> for people who need assistance?
>
> I did a zoo once
> > and their requirement to arrive by noon was
> > absolutely necessary. ... But aside from the
> fact that it
> > takes a long time to visit all the required
> places
> > and the report takes a while to fill out it is
> not
> > difficult. YOU do need to be very organized.
>
> I did the zoo one with a nice bonus. I know the
> zoo well. I've had season passes and used to take
> my youngest for visits since he loves the animals.
> Even knowing where everything is, it was still
> tough to get to it all in time and we arrived at 1
> p.m., with the scheduler's approval. That gave us
> four and a half hours to book it around. I think
> it's the fastest we ever enjoyed the zoo. LOL Then
> I forgot to use my receipt to upgrade to season
> passes for the entire family. It would've been
> only $30 extra for a family of five. Darn it!

Okay, now I know what you're talking about. I was thinking motorized carts The zoo has them. I haven't done the museum of science and haven't been to our aquarium in years. They are definitely a lot of work!

My lone amusement park assignment was for King's Island, but the MSC wasn't Amusement Advantage. I held out for 2 tickets, as opposed to the single ducat that was offered, received $10 for parking, a $20 fee and an allotment of $80 to visit 4 food spots, which I thought would certainly be sufficient; was I ever wrong! My last trip to a park had been in the late 60s and I soon discovered "times had changed." I completed the requirements in under 2 hrs. and the remainder of the day was in the water area.The report wasn't difficult and I would've returned, but they refused the additional admission in subsequent yrs.