Do you actually have FUN at amusement parks?

*This is not a post about whether you like coasters or not.

Everyone here loves coasters. The actual experience riding a coaster is actually fun. But I have a question for you. Do you always have fun at parks?

Whenever I go to parks, I always feel stressed to ride as many coasters as possible and just rush the entire day. Although the rides are fun, a lot of times I'm just rushing and it sorta ruins the experience. Not to mention being outside all day when its 110% humidity and 90 degrees. To tell you the truth I don't always have fun. Getting up early, driving to the park, waiting in line, its not always fun.

Do you consider going on coaster trips a "vacation"? Because I feel more like its a hobby or an extreme interest. Vacations are supposed to be relaxing but at parks I'm not always relaxed. Its just one thing after another and waiting in lines all day long. I'm starting to want to go on a cruise where its a little less stressful.

How about you?

I used to feel the way you do, but I've learned to keep things in perspective.

I no longer feel the need to get a ton of rides on each coaster or rush around like a maniac.

I'm much more satisfied to stroll around at my leisure and take things as they come.

This is the first season where I've had both Cedar Fair and SF season passes and its the first time I've had a relaxing day at a park in a long time. When I took my coaster vacation, no I didn't relax, in fact it barely felt like a vacation, although I had so much fun I can't describe it (even by myself). But, recently, I've been going to SFWoA or CP just for a few hours and I've been having a very relaxing time. I just wander around, take some pictures, ride what I feel in the mood for. When its just me with my pass, or me and my girlfriend with our passes, its not a rush to make sure that someone who paid their $42 feels like they got their money's worth, which was what kept things insane before. I don't really prefer one over the other, but I do enjoy having a balance of adrenaline rush days and relaxing do-nothing days.

------------------
Formerly PittDesigner (graduating soon!)
Lifelong fan of all Impulses!
--Brett

I enjoy parks but sometime many visits to the same park get a little old. I can still have great fun with the right company even at parks ive been too a thousand times and on rides I've ridden several thousand times.

I take a coaster trip every year to visit places I havent been and ride rides and coasters that I have never ridden, Usually the surprises come where you least expect them like a TWISTER ride at Williams Grove or a great Haunted House at Knoebels or Indiana Beach.

Sometimes there are letdowns. Sometimes people hype a coaster as being great and you either catch it on a bad day or it was never as good in your opinion as it is bragged up to be.

Chuck, who with his brother and other friends manages to have a great time at parks several times a season. In reality there is no more diverse group of people with a common interest to meet and have fun with. At a park all the B.S and arguments you see on the boards is left at the entrance.

/c

------------------
Charles Nungester.
It's official Lesourdsville Lake is closed for 2003

Since I live close enough to my homepark... whenever I visit, I'm not in any rush to ride all the rides & attractions. We usually just hit what we feel like.

A few times, we'll just take our sweet time, spend about a half hour or so back at my car a couple times (using the hatchback trunk as sort of a 'break' area since I bring food instead of buy), and just overall try to milk it out so we're not bored by the end of the day.

If I'm at other parks I don't visit too often, we will rush from ride-to-ride, but I find no stress in it at all...
It gets excersise... how much walking? At least 5 miles I'd have to say, in a typical trip, if not more.
You got sometimes 12hrs... that's plenty of time. Most rides are under an hour wait, only a select few are more. While in line... you knew what you were getting into, so it's not stressing.

I'd say the only time that it's stressful is when you're so close to the ride, and it breaks down... and you gotta decide whether to wait it out, or leave the line and hit other rides.

Otherwise, I always have fun at a park... no matter who Im with, no matter the situation. It's just a fun place to go.

In the past I used get excited before I go, then once I get there there is this pressure to get on all the good coasters, then by half day I am ready to go home. Now I'm *wiser* and I learn to pace myself. I go on less crowded days, and I try to find a hotel nearby where I can rest when I start to get tired. The weather issue I dont really have to deal with anymore. In Cali 100% humidity is unheard of. It gets hot, but compared to other states it is very bearable. So I guess I am learning to have fun.

------------------
Song for the month - " I got the Magic Stick"

I enjoy "rushing" a park every now and then, and getting on everything. It sure doesn't seem like work to me, I love every minute of it. My wife, however, tires easily. We will relax at the homeparks.

The only thing that limits my fun in when coasters are closed when I visit for one day only. I know it's par for the course, but I always feel a tad jipped when something is closed.

------------------
SCREAM with me... in 2003!

---

Ride of Steel said:
*This is not a post about whether you like coasters or not.

Everyone here loves coasters. The actual experience riding a coaster is actually fun. But I have a question for you. Do you always have fun at parks?

Whenever I go to parks, I always feel stressed to ride as many coasters as possible and just rush the entire day. Although the rides are fun, a lot of times I'm just rushing and it sorta ruins the experience. Not to mention being outside all day when its 110% humidity and 90 degrees. To tell you the truth I don't always have fun. Getting up early, driving to the park, waiting in line, its not always fun.

Do you consider going on coaster trips a "vacation"? Because I feel more like its a hobby or an extreme interest. Vacations are supposed to be relaxing but at parks I'm not always relaxed. Its just one thing after another and waiting in lines all day long. I'm starting to want to go on a cruise where its a little less stressful.

How about you?

---

Good, thought-provoking post. Sometimes it does feel more like work, especially when you fly somewhere and you're moving on from park to park every day. It's definitely fun, but sometimes far from relaxing. A major key to enjoying your coaster trips also is planning to attend the parks when they are the least crowded. I always shoot for either May/June or September; July or August can just be too much in terms of crowds and heat. It also helps to hit big parks during the week and smaller parks on the weekends.

I think it's also important to balance your coaster vacations with more relaxing stuff like camping, trips to just laze around, or cruising. I've done three cruises and I would definitely recommend one as a stress-free endeavor.

------------------
Mike Miller - Con-Quest 2003 pictures now available at http://photos.yahoo.com/bassistist

Go to any park like Knoebel's or HW and I dare you to try to not have fun. You just can't seem to rush in places like that. Same is true to a lesser extent in a place like Kennywood.

------------------
Be polite and ignore the idiots. - rollergator
"It's not a Toomer" - Arnold Schwartzenkoph
"Those who know don't talk and those who talk don't know." -Jeff

Bass is into 'cruising?' Maybe there's more to this Paul Ruben pool party thing than I thought!

*** This post was edited by chris 7/11/2003 2:11:34 PM ***

---

chris said:
Bass is into 'cruising?' Maybe there's more to this Paul Ruben pool party thing than I thought!

---

Jackass! ;-)

------------------
Mike Miller - Con-Quest 2003 pictures now available at http://photos.yahoo.com/bassistist

What your describing when you say you get stressed at parks is how I feel when I go to most themer's. Try going to a small park where you have all day to take the park in at YOUR leisure. As nice as theme parks are, they are overwhelming to try to do injust one day. When you rush through a park to try and get your money's worth is very stressful. Like you, I go to parks to relieve stress not to get aggrivated and feel under the gun all day. Theme parks are nice on days when there are no crowds because then the line part of the equation factors out.

Three years ago I took a trip out to California for the first time to hit all the big parks. We started in San Diego on Saturday with Mission Beach and ended the trip the following weekend at Santa Cruz. This trip was in early June and the whole plan was to avoid the bigger parks on weekends. Monday was Knott's, Tuesday was Disney, Wednesday was Magic Mountain, Thursday was Marine World, and Friday/Saturday was Santa Cruz.

The whole trip worked pretty well and the park I was most concerned with crowds was Magic Mountain. It was soo hot that day (over 100 degrees),but the park was empty. The worse crowds were at Disney on Tuesday, but I really enjoyed that place more than the Magic Kingdom. The rides are MUCH better.

Anyway we had time to even sqeeze in Adventure City on Sunday night after leaving San Diego. The only park we didn't hit was PGA because of time constraints and none of us wanted to ride the Fizzly. So my point is we started strong at a more relaxing traditional park for the atmosphere, and finished in style at Santa Cruz for almost two full days.

If you can, plan you trips so that you can spend quality time in smaller parks that have plenty of charm and atmosphere at the beginning and end of your trip so you have a chance to just relax end enjoy yourself...enjoying the park. Not the other way around. That's the best way I know to relieve stress on these journeys.

It's rare that I go to a park anymore and have a blast all day long. There's always something - whether it's the lines, the heat, idiots, the people I'm with annoying me or being in foul moods, closed rides, fatigue, headache, nausea, etc., etc., - that gets in the way of a good time.

That's why I only go to 2-3 parks a year at the most anymore. I love riding coasters, but to be perfectly honest, I'm just as happy to stay home and play video games, or sit home on a Friday night with my wife reading and talking or doing crossword puzzles, or whatever. It doesn't take much to "thrill" me anymore.

Den (27-year-old fogie ;))

------------------
A day is a drop of water in the ocean of eternity. A week is seven drops.

Very rarely do I not spend the whole day at a park. I can't say I'm in a constant state of 'bliss' but I have fun. Some of my best moments coastering have been at night so there's no way I would miss that. :)

------------------
Kevin Stone
NoLimits Roller Coaster Simulator
http://www.nolimitscoaster.de

Wait til' you all have children!
The stress of "how many coasters can I hit today" becomes "please don't throw a tantrum in line," and "are there other kiddy rides here too?." It can actually be more stressful when we separate for a bit and then I try to hit as many coasters that I can in two hours. All in all though I do things like the shows and more flats now so I guess I am having more fun at the parks.

*** This post was edited by ThrillGuy 7/11/2003 2:45:50 PM ***

I have to agree with you, Ride Of Steel, and say that 99% of the time I do rush myself to get onto as many rides as possible. I always want to get on everything and pretty much run from ride to ride only to find yet another line to wait in! But, I consider trips to parks to be a vacation from my parents, but not all vacations are relaxing. I think these "vacations" to amusement parks are mostly for the adrenaline rush that most of us crave.

------------------
~~My eyes have just been opened to the world of hyper coasters and I CAN'T get enough of them!!!

---

Ride of Steel said:

Vacations are supposed to be relaxing

---

Who told you that lie?

I've never been one to associate vacation with relaxing. I like to actually *do* stuff on vacations. When I want to relax, I take the day off and play Madden or Crash Bash or sleep. When actually on a 'trip' I like to do things that cannot be done at home.

That being said, I generally have fun at parks, especially when I have good company. I cannot say that I *always* have fun, but that can be said about any lesiure activity, there will be times when you're just having a bad day.

As for the 'pacing' issues, I cant remember the last time I felt *pressured* to try and squeeze everything in. More often than not, I struggle with trying to justify staying at a park for an extended time. Frequently, I run out of things I *want* to do far before I run out of time to do them. And if I *do* miss out on something, that is just incentive for a return visit at another time. Offhand, I can only think of one park, SFMM, where time pressure *might* be a concern. For some, CP, SFGAdv, MK, Disneyland and SFGAm would make the list, but since I've already been to those places, it's okay to skip somethings that are now "old hat".

lata, jeremy

------------------
My current favorite home video game!

The only time I don't have fun is when I'm with someone who complains the entire day.

Personally, I don't feel I have to ride every coaster or ride. I like to take my time, check out the nuances of a park. If it's a park I've never been to before, I plan to spend a couple days so I can take my time. If I don't get everything in, or miss something, as 2Hostyl says, I will go back again someday. (Although I must say I'm glad I opted to wait 2 hours for a ride on Deja Vu at SFGAm last year).

The most fun I have at parks is when I'm with friends and we are less concerned with getting everything in and more concerned with simply having a good time.

One trip this year that really stands out is when I met Nasai and Peabody at CP. Although we rode every coaster that day (except for Dragster which was down), I don't think any of us felt rushed or stressed. It was a good time with good people.
------------------
I'd rather die living than live like I'm dead
http://www.webtechnik.com/ebony/CPLady.htm

I agree with Bass, chris, 2Hostyl, and CPLady...no need to add anything to what they've said.

mOOSH

------------------
A random Mooshter's Dawntionary listing: Circumvent [n.] The opening in the front of boxer shorts.

I will also agree, like Moosh(though it's still all about me!), but Here is my personal way to have a stress free day at a park. Like Pitt, er, I mean Impulse-ive, When I go to a park alot and have time, I relax, take in the park, and don't rush to do everything(this is esp. true of PCar). I always try to go to a park on a weekday to avoid larger crowds, and like hitting parks on overcast(even semi-sprinkling)days. When I visit a Park for the first time, and I know I won't be back for a long time, if ever, I try to hit the coasters, and if there are any major thrill rides I can't get any where I normally go, them too. But if a ride is down, I'm not stressed and bummed, I just forget about it and go have fun.

As for relaxing, I do relax when we go to the beach, every morning while I'm at the beach. But any other time, I'm either at a small seaside Park(that's why I love Myrtle, they have 2, plus other types of parks), shopping, doing other attractions, eating, and then at nite, Clubbing and drinking with friends. Relaxing is something I do mostly at home, but If I'm in a relaxed atmosphere(i.e., the beach, a laid back bar/club/resturaunt, etc.), then I have no problem just sitting back and relaxing with a Long Island Iced Tea, or Sex on the Beach(which is better when you're actually at the beach!;))

------------------
Beaver, The other White meat.