4. Close down the building

When the last guest has departed, the closing staff finishes closing down the attraction. The remaining ride vehicles are placed in their designated positions for the evening, which could be different than you would imagine. For example, at Kongfrontation, some trams were parked along the loading platform. For others, the tram driver would switch into manual tram operation and carefully lower the vehicle to the building floor, right in the middle of a show scene. It was always great fun to climb out of a tram and stare up at one of the 30-foot tall animatronic monkeys from ground level!

Other duties typically involve calling the control tower with the guest count for the last hour, gathering supplies such as headsets and manuals and returning them to their designated storage spots, turning off special effects, and cleaning various areas of the attraction as needed. Depending on the attraction, these duties can be quite fluid, and they are frequently assigned to the next person who happens to walk past a team leader.

5. Perform any additional duties as assigned and clock out on time

At the end of each day, someone has to take all found items to the park’s central Lost and Found. On a semi-regular basis, which can vary widely by attraction, deep cleaning is scheduled for part or all of each attraction. Sometimes a guest has an issue arise right at closing, such as needing an escort to First Aid or trying to find a lost child.

These and other duties are not part of the average ride operator’s daily routine, but can be assigned by a supervisor or team leader on an as-needed basis. To ensure that anything that might arise can be properly handled, the closing team usually leaves together rather than one at a time. Exceptions sometimes arise for minors, whose work hours are strictly controlled by law, but those over age 18, as well as minors who are not bumping against an hour limit, are usually expected to leave as part of the group.

Clocking out on time is an essential task, as employees can get in trouble for not doing so. Yet it is hard to predict exactly how long closing procedures will take. In general, employees are expected to be aware of their work hours each week, and to alert a team leader if they are at risk for going into overtime. Otherwise, supervisors and team leaders generally work together to make sure no one is in trouble for doing what needs to be done at night. In return, employees are expected to clock out as soon as possible after their last tasks are complete.