Menu
What's new
By:
Filters

Do you have any theme park guilty pleasures?

emoo said:
Watching station floors move:
  • Turn table loading platforms - staring in a way that makes the turntable appear still, but the bridge over the top is going round it
  • Floorless Roller coasters - watching the retractable floor disappear and re-appear
  • To a lesser extent the slight lowering floor on inverted coasters but that's a bit old hat now.
Click to expand...
Totally this for me - the other one is watching the mechanism that lifts up / moves down the seats in flying coasters. I could just watch the mechanism of Galactica all day.

Other guilty pleasures - bumping into a character at Disney. I don't mean queueing up for an hour to meet them (although Gaston is totally worth queuing for! He's hilarious). I mean turning a corner and, boom, there's Mary Poppins. Bonus guilty pleasure points here if its the ugly sisters - they are brilliant!

Speciality ice creams - "So this is just a normal raspberry ice cream, but because of this white chocolate character it'll look amazing on my instagram. Sure, take my 7 dollars"

Running in the completely different direction to the crowd at rope drop. You come into a part of the park with pretty much just you in it, and its like a little secret world

Any cool in/out of park transportation. The cable cars or funicular at Ocean World Hong Kong. The monorail at Disney World. etc.
 
VonRolland said:
Guilty Pleasure's as follows:
*Zierer Tivoli's - Fantastic family coasters that usually have stupidly long trains and have a very distinct rumble, always a fun ride.
Click to expand...
Absolutely, when it comes to roller coasters I love me some Tivoli's. Haha, I even used Uber, for the first time, just to ride the one in Bangkok ♡
 
I
emoo said:
Drinking fancy alcohol when I could be riding, truly savouring the visit. Also adds the extra edge when re-riding.

Watching station floors move:
  • Turn table loading platforms - staring in a way that makes the turntable appear still, but the bridge over the top is going round it
  • Floorless Roller coasters - watching the retractable floor disappear and re-appear
  • To a lesser extent the slight lowering floor on inverted coasters but that's a bit old hat now.
Using my legs to pull down the restraint on B&M hyper coasters, then sitting slightly forwards to get a bit of room. The entire ride experience could be done hands free were it not for a little clam-shell bongo action once in a while. Plus I don't want to look like a tit with my hands up all the way on a long lift hill. If you do this I'm sure you pull it off no problem and is your own pleasure.

Getting a bit of a jog on only a few foot steps away from an employee who asked me nicely not to run after rope drop.

Single rider queue.

On lift hills with a view, seeing how far I can turn around to take it all in.

Watching and listening to the mechanisms on all flyers.

Switch Tracks.

Atmospheric lighting.

Having a quick nap on a train or dark ride I am familiar with such as Pirates. Doesn't happen intentionally but park days and long trips take its toll. Getting out of the heat & into a relaxing comfort zone makes its a better option than going back to the hotel for a bit so I wouldn't fight it for too long. Just go round a couple more times!
Click to expand...

I had a lovely sleep on Universe of Energy. Just after the dinos so it actually massively enhanced my experience.
 
Fleetwood_Mack said:
Infusion at BPB. I really do enjoy it a lot and the intensity always catches me off guard.

Never had a rough ride on it. No idea what you wimps have been moaning about for years. It's not exactly smooth as glass but the way enthusiasts go on I was expecting something absolutely horrific, and it's always been fine. Maybe next time it'll finally try and murder me to death, who knows.

Grand National however I'm happy to avoid. It took a good hour for my spine to sink back into place after my last ride. People kept using me as a coat rack. That death jolt at the bottom of the first drop, oh my.
Click to expand...

If Infusion had vest restraints it would be fine but getting boxed around the ears by the hard plastic ones is not fun.
 
If a ride is tracked in any way, I will probably enjoy it. Could be the crappiest dark ride of all time, a **** log flume, or an incredibley intense rollercoaster. I don't mind. As soon as I'm sitting in a vehicle which is taking me on a real-life journey, I'm in my happy place.
 
Goudirix, Typoon, Tornado and err... Tornado are the first to come into my head.

Things people say are too rough, but are insane and intense enough to cancel it out :)
 
Space Mountain at WDW. Probably got me into coasters when I was 10 so it has real nostalgic value but I still enjoy it so much that it hovers around the middle of my top 10. Love the one at Disneyland too.

Come to think of it, most of my favorite coasters are general public favorites and not as many enthusiast staples. But then again, there's a reason the MCU and Star Wars universe are so much more lucrative than stuff by Stanley Kubrick or even David Fincher.
 
Doing every ride I can. Even the kiddie little rides. Someone mentioned doing all the little rides at Europa like the Venetian Gondola thing, we actually really enjoy those rides and are part of what make a park a more complete experience. Something Alton and Thorpe lack.
I also love the Thorpe flats, someone mentioned Quantum and I completely agree, Flying Carpets are literal airtime machines and so easily overlooked. If Merlin want to introduce some cheaper investments for the post-rona world, get some more flats back for Alton. A Flying Carpet, Frisbee and modern Top Spin would be transformative.

Finally, Thorpe's Colossus. I genuinely believe new trains could be transformative, but I still love it. I am genuinely upset over the concreting over of the water features however.
 
Agreed, Alton did well with the Rapids and Mine Train here.
Europa's Flume and Mine train do the same, along with arguably the park's second best walk-through attraction (I love the Russian workshop, personally).
Phantasialand has Colorado Adventure's wrap-around Tikal, and obviously Taron/Raik.

Don't get me started on Icon.
 
Explaining the difference between good ops and bad ops like what stacking is etc. to my non-nerdy friends so that by the end of the day they're giving me a detailed synopsis of how this 1 attendant was the entire reason for a long queue.

Also I just really enjoy visiting parks with people who aren't into them on the level that we as enthusiasts are. Gives you fresh perspective every time and makes you enjoy the day for what it is a lot more rather than marching round, scrutinising everything.
 
Last edited:
toofpikk said:
Explaining the difference between good ops and bad ops to my non-nerdy friends so that by the end of the day they're giving me a detailed synopsis of how this 1 attendant was the entire reason for a long queue.
Click to expand...
Oooo, or doing the rider count for the row queues in your head quickly to make sure your party aligns on the same train, and your friends being convinced you are an omnipotent sorcerer.
 
Sorry to revive this thread after a few months dormant, but I just thought of two other ones, and interestingly, both are roller coasters by Mack:
  • Avalanche at Blackpool Pleasure Beach: I know this Mack bobsled coaster might be a bit basic by modern standards, but I must admit that I personally find it far too much fun! I love the way that it keeps building up pace as it goes on (it’s surprisingly pretty fast by the end!), it has a surprising amount of airtime for a ride of its type and scale, including a pretty forceful pop at the end, and on the whole, it’s just very simple, but very fun! On the whole, I feel like I like Avalanche a lot more than I should; it’s my 2nd favourite coaster in Blackpool behind only Icon, and only narrowly misses my top 20 (to be exact, it’s my #21)!
  • Slinky Dog Dash at Disney’s Hollywood Studios: On to something a bit newer now, Slinky Dog Dash is a family launch coaster from Mack Rides, and I must admit that I was very, very pleasantly surprised with Slinky; I went in with very low expectations following some slightly subdued initial reviews and POVs that didn’t exactly do it much justice, but I must admit that I found it a huge amount of fun! I must admit that in spite of there being 1 or 2 dead spots on the ride (I’m thinking of the bits after the two launches where it barely makes it over), the ride is surprisingly quick and dynamic for a ride of its size, with some very fun pops of airtime and some surprisingly nippy transitions! In typical Mack fashion, the ride is also very smooth and rerideable, with only a slight bit of rattle in portions that didn’t detract from the experience whatsoever. I feel like I shouldn’t like Slinky anywhere near as much as I do, given that with the theming and toys littered around, it almost feels as though it’s aimed more at younger kids, but I must admit that the ride I had on it was very fun, and the whole thing really put a smile on my face! As with Avalanche, it also only narrowly misses my top 20 (it currently sits at my #24 spot); I really feel like it shouldn’t, but I found it very fun!
 
Serena said:
I love a neglected rapids ride. One with minimal waves and all the effects turned off. Bonus points for a dark mouldy tunnel that hasn't been cleaned in years. A crapids, if you will. They provide a prime oppotunity for a classic enthusiast behaviour: moaning about rides not being as good as they used to be!
Click to expand...

Not quite a rapids ride but I think it holds the same sentiment as mentioned above - Tutuki Splash at PortAventura.

From the abandoned effects to the notorious chewing gum tunnel; the ride is a wonder.

Not to mention it’s setting in Polynesia which is one of my fave theme park areas.
 
Soft spots for Octopus, Paratrooper, Round-up, and Snappers. Gold Rusher at SFMM, and Verbolten at BGW. Old school fun houses. Funnel Cake!!

Paying 8.50 for a 1.00 coke. Staying on property. Sometimes using the whole day to lounge around in Max A/C in the on site property. Leg burn from walking. Perfect execution of Fast Pass(es). Crowded day, super hot, etc.

Controversial, and shouldn't be funny but it is - but me and my kids giggle when watching the walk of shame on winged coasters.
 
Speaking of BPPB, I went when Revolution was still themed to Irn-Bru (for whatever reason) and I thought it was awesome. Tacky color scheme and all. Mostly since Irn-Bru does not exist in the US so I had no clue what it was, and the serious-sounding narrator reciting the moto before you get launched made it sound so cool.

Of course, now I roll my eyes at Six Flags slapping frito knockoffs/Twix ads on their roller coasters. Go figure.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top