I'm no longer a coaster enthusiast.

Haven't I been saying this for weeks now? :)

I am not a coaster enthusiast so much as I am a park
goer. I love riding roller-coasters as much as the next
guy, but if a park is run poorly, has terrible operations,
poor coasters, or is a constant source of frustration
for guests, chances are I'm not gonna be in any hurry
to return, regardless of how much I like (or dislike) their
coaster.

Consequently I tend to favor visiting traditional parks,
primarily because the park experience is so much more
pleasant. Prices are more reasonable, lines tend to be
shorter, park policies are not as restrictive, and the
attitude of both employees and guests tends to be
more relaxed. There's a lack of hassle involved in
traditional parks, and I tend to look for that quality
a lot whenever I choose which parks to visit. *** This post was edited by RobCoasting on 7/23/2001. ***

I agree with you Rob. More and more I'm getting tired of standing in long lines in hot, unshaded sun and dealing with rude park guests. I love rollercoasters, but they don't have to be 300ft or 100mph to thrill me. My favorite place is SCBB and the Giant Dipper!
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The trolls shall remain under the bridge, hidden, and without food to grow.

Word! ;)

D---have you been too Indiana Beach? I'll be going there next week; and from what I've seen, it seems a lot like SCBB. Now if only SCBB would plunk down a few million for a new CCI... ;)

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Yeeee Haaawwww! *** This post was edited by janfrederick on 7/23/2001. ***

Indiana Beach is one place I hope to get to one day. From what I have heard, it's a great place and Cornball Express gives coasters twice it's size a run for their money!
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The trolls shall remain under the bridge, hidden, and without food to grow.

You guys wont be disappointed with Indiana Beach! Make sure to try everything, a lot of things are very unique...Den of Lost Theives, Big Flush, Water Swing, Galaxie, and Tig'rr are just a few of the rides that are some what unique. Of course there's Cornball Express too, which you must sit in the back first or the ride will be spoiled! Also, don't miss the Water Thrill show that I described above :)

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Thank you for not feeding the trolls and enjoy the rest of your day, here at CoasterBuzz.com. CLEAR!

Perhaps the day will come when parks realize that a little creativity goes a long way. Then again, you'd probably need to be a "park" enthusiast to realize that a park was being creative.

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Yeeee Haaawwww!

I'd suspect the general public picks up on things, but the average parkgoer just can't articulate it the way a park enthusiast might.

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slithernoggin said:
"I'd suspect the general public picks up on things, but the average parkgoer just can't articulate it the way a park enthusiast might."

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Geeze... another hit against the "GP". No, I don't suspect that they can "articulate" it the way a "park enthusiast" might... after all, are their under-developed brains even capable of forming multi sylable words? Or is that why there is all that gum stuck on walls, trees, or what ever at parks... because the "GP" must take it out of their mouth if they wish to walk somewhere (something about walking and chewing gum at the same time). [That was extreme sarcasm]

Am I just getting more and more touchy, or has the "attitude" of coaster and park "enthusiasts" turned very sour toward the "GP" here late? Face it people, if it were not for the "GP", the parks would not be there... certainly the "handful" (when compared to the entire population) of park "enthusiasts" could not keep them open.

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"I wasn't always this cynical, but then I started kindergarden..." *** This post was edited by SLFAKE on 7/24/2001. ***

I go for coasters. I try not to eat much there, too expensive. Flat rides you can go on at any park. I usually don't notice much of the other stuff, like bad employees. Just give me a good collection of coasters and I'm happy.

Lately I have been hitting parks left and right and wind up only experiencing the coasters and one or two unique flat rides.

It has been a long time since I actually sat back and enjoyed an entire park all day long.
I feel bad for that, seeing that there are soooo many fantastic little parks out there.

I did spend a decent amount of time doing many of the rides at Knoebels and Hershey, but even those days were spent mostly on the coasters.....

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SLFAKE said:

Am I just getting more and more touchy, or has the "attitude" of coaster and park "enthusiasts" turned very sour toward the "GP" here late? Face it people, if it were not for the "GP", the parks would not be there... certainly the "handful" (when compared to the entire population) of park "enthusiasts" could not keep them open.

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Personally I don't see how we are that much different. Just because we go more and post on here, that doesn't put us in a totally different category then someone else. They're there to have fun and so are we. And if you think about it 95% of the time the park sees us as "GP". Everytime I come on here it's "GP is so stupid" and "GP sucks". I think everyone that goes to a park should have fun. SLFAKE is right, if it weren't for what we call "GP" we wouldn't have these big steel and wooden monsters.

As far as the total park experience goes there are lots of other things I enjoy other then coasters. People(hoochie)watching, flat rides,water rides,and in some cases food.

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Good luck in philly j.r.

SFLake---wow. I'm astounded by your response, because it in no way reflects how I feel. s has it right in his post, we're all there for the same thing, general public and enthusiasts alike.

All that I meant was, well, let's say Joe Public and Joe Enthusiast go to a park on the same day. Joe Public might leave thinking, wow, that new ride was really cool, and Joe Enthusiast might leave saying, wow, I really liked the way they integrated the new ride into the existing theme area. Both comments are equally valid. Because Joe Enthusiast has a larger vocabulary at his disposal doesn't mean that he's better or superior to Joe Public. I don't think that way. I'm sorry if that wasn't clear in my post. *** This post was edited by slithernoggin on 7/24/2001. ***

Clear as glass, couldn't have said it better myself. :)

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Cedar Point rocks!
Visits this season:7

Well, I've never really considered myself any type of "enthusiast". I dont have a room in my house dedicated to souviners. I do not collect patches, pins, magnets, etc. And I certainly dont feel the need to "pad" my coaster track record with every Jeepers kiddie coaster I can find (Yes, I actually heard an "enthusiast" say that he took a day specifically to do this!)

I love rollercoasters period. I love riding them, reading about them and of course the engineer in me likes them for the wonderful machines they are. They are often the reason that I will go to a park.

However, I like to take in everything a park has to offer. While I may not necessarily ride anything other than coasters, I do note the different things they have. I'm also always on the look out for dark rides (especially of the non-3D variety). I think more people are like this than just it all about the coasters (baby...)

Oh and for the record, I consider myself an informed member of the general public (I'm just trying to infiltrate the so-called "enthusiast" world).
lata,
jeremy
--who notes that he is STILL NOT partial to 'traditional' parks

Well i only like coasters because well the rest of the park is horrible! There is usually gum everywhere the food is horrible, and i've already been on most of the flat rides

All I was trying to say, without knocking the GP (which I am part of), was that creativity might go unnoticed by folks who haven't experienced other parks. They might simply consider something normal when in fact it's unique.

I agree that folks know the GP (which I am part of) a little too often sometimes. People know a good thing when they experience it though. Otherwise, we wouldn't be experiencing the current boom in amusement park expansion.

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Yeeee Haaawwww!