Ever felt this way?

[canada]

For the past 2 months I havent been to an amusement park and I live only 15 miles away from one. (la ronde) Thing is.. I dont feel like going anymore. Before these 2 months I was addicted and when I say addicted I mean thats what I use to talk/think/dream about all day. I dont know if its the particular park that I'm bored of.. or just coasters and parks in general. I was planning to visit SFGADV and SFNE this october (I've never been to those parks) but now the idea doesnt seem as exciting as once was. I miss getting up in the morning so excited that I was going to ride coasters all day and have so much fun!!

 

Is this normal?

[Wes]

Possibly. How old are you? I used to be obsessed with coasters from 14-18, then I suddenly lost interest for a few years.

[canada]

Possibly. How old are you? I used to be obsessed with coasters from 14-18, then I suddenly lost interest for a few years.

 

I'm 17... how did you get your interest back?

[Homer]

It seems to die down in intervals, so to say, like a roller coaster.

 

I used to be obsessed with them from when I first got RCT (11) until I was 13 or so. The interest then died down and suddenly when I was 14, I signed up on a coaster forum and look at me now, I'm still somewhat obsessed.

 

Maybe I have become more of a general poster, but roller coasters remain one of my top interests.

 

Anyways, advice? Take a break, for instance, I didn't buy a BGT pass this year (or in 2003) because I was tired of the park after going there about 5 times or so each year.

[Hercules]

There was a point in time at the end of last season that my interest really started to die down. I think I would equate that to personal problems though (not saying that you have personal problems or anything). I don't know. There are just times in life that other things become more important and interest is lost in things. If you really like to do the amusement park thing, then it will come back. If this continues, then go out and find something else that you love and just move on from it. I'm sure you will get it back. I know that I did.

[Wes]

I'm 17... how did you get your interest back?

 

I got a job working for a large theme park destination.

 

Honestly, I'm still not as into it as I once was, which is a good thing. I care very little about credit counts, or following construction really closely, or even doing much travelling to ride coasters (the mid-west trip next year will be my first trip solely to ride coasters...and I'm going on it more to hang out with cool people than worry about ERT on a spinning wild mouse or whatever).

 

It's good to develop other hobbies.

[CKY Lunatic]

I feel the same way...but that might be just because SFEG is my home park . But I still like coasters, I'm planning a midwest trip of my own with a few friends next year just for coasters. So I think it's just the park that I'm sick of.

[shesaidboom]

As others have said, hobbies tend to come and go. I used to love going to parks, mostly just my home park, when I was younger. I wasn't very into coasters in terms of knowing things about them beyond "WEEEE THIS IS FUN!" I stopped going for several years and got back into it a few years ago when Jer wanted to go on a trip to Cedar Point and I thought it would be fun. Take a break from it if it doesn't excite you. If you miss it, it's not like you can't get back into it.

 

If you have easy access to parks and can go on a trip at the drop of a hat that could be it too. I know that for Jer and I part of the excitement is planning trips out nearly a year in advance and counting down 30592230439024 days until we get to go.

[weeow]

Happened recently to me. Only lasted about two and a half weeks. Then I really got in to TPR and I'm crazy about coasters once again.

[YoshiFan]

I think it happens with any interest. A few years ago I used to be obsessed with DDR, playing almost everyday (at home), going onto DDR message boards, downloading videos from tournaments, wishing I was at the arcade becuase it was more fun to play at the arcade then at home etc. After a while I got bored with it. I still play a couple of times a month but I'm not interested in it as much anymore. The new arcade mix got me interested in the game a little more.

 

I think the same thing will eventually happen to the way I feel about coasters (which is now what I think about all day and wishing I was at a park right now rather than sitting at the computer)

[weeow]

I used to be obsessed with making NL coasters but now I'm not so much. I just now felt a desire to make one but it wasn't like it used to be.

[redfoot12]

It definitely comes in waves in terms of my interest. I loved roller coasters when I was about 6-8. Then I kind of lost interest until I was about 12 when I got my first season pass to KD. If there had been an internet back then I would have obssessed about Anaconda opening in 1991. Working at KD killed my interest for a while but I really got into things again when I was about 22-25. Then there was a period of time where I didn't go to a theme park until this year. Now I'm almost as obssessed as when I was 14.

[jynx242]

I agree with everyone about the "obsession" ebbing and flowing. When I was a pre-teen, I was crazy about amusement parks (not just coasters.) I lost interest for a few years, then got my first job at SFoG and got crazy about parks/coasters again. After a couple of years - lost interest again until my mid 20's then I was crazy about them again. Then life happened, and I moved 4 hours away from any park and they fell out of my life for a while.

 

Now I'm in my 30's and I love them again. I am hoping to go on the Midwest Trip which will be my first "Coaster Trip."

 

When I say that I lost interest, I do not mean that I stopped liking coasters, just that other things became more important at the time.

 

Don't worry - everyone "burns out" every once in a while with almost any hobby/obsession.

 

david

[jamesdillaman]

As I've developed more "responsibility" I have less and less time and money to induldge my theme park fetish ( ) but, I get pleasure from going to just a few parks per year, concentrating on going to a park I've never been to, or haven't been to for many years, instead of spending money on a season pass for my local park. You may want to try it, as if you add up the money it costs you to visit your home park, say, 10 times, you can probably take a small trip to a relatively close nighboring theme park, and go with a few friends if you have to split a hotel room. You'll probably be surprised at what a great time you'll have. Quality over Quantity is what I believe in, even though many people here are hung up on quantity (how many times you ride one coaster in a visit, how many credits you have, etc.). You'll find what's good for you.

 

-James Dillaman

[SharkTums]

I definitely went through a period where I didn't want to go to parks, didn't really care what was going on, etc. Especially with the American parks. I think even now I feel very 'done' with most parks in the US. They just seem really annoying, not building stuff I'm into, and the clientele are getting worse and worse. Then Robb and I started travelling more internationally and it kind of woke me up again, and now I can deal with travelling to parks in the US, but I live to travel overseas!

 

I don't mean that to sound obnoxious or anything, but I'm definitely just 'tired' of all these parks!

[haux]

I think it's a good thing. Taking some time off is good. Don't become like me. I'm an old man who can't get enough of any park that's within close distance of me. I visited Six Flags Elitch Gardens maybe nine or 10 times this season, and that park isn't good! But I did it because I'm completely insane!

 

I haven't gone through that phase yet, but I don't know what it's like to interact with humans. You're in good shape.

[pvcoasterguy]

It doesn't show any signs of dying down for me. However, I am relatively isolated from parks in my area (the closest are 3 hours away).

 

I think that those who have a season pass to a park and live really close burn out a lot easier than those not in that situation--their hobby is right there, and it's so easy just to go. That may make your coaster riding frenzy go down a little, because it's so easy, and pehaps it's "been there, done that" for you.

 

Just some thoughts on the matter.

[Meteornotes]

I think if you obsess over anything, you'll eventually burn yourself out on it. I have a bunch of different things I enjoy doing, and only one of them is parks/coasters. I think if I went to a park every weekend, I'd get tired of it pretty quickly, so I don't. I've found that taking a couple of trips a year keeps me interested.

 

I also have to agree with Elissa, that I find the parks outside of the US to be a lot more fun and a lot easier to visit. Most US parks are overrun with the most horrible forms of humanity possible, and I find that I just do not have any desire to deal with people like this on what is supposed to be my "fun" time any more. After visiting places like Europa Park, Blackpool and Liseberg, I find my desire to pay a visit to my closest Six Flags Hellpit to be just about zero, and I don't see that changing any time soon, since I think we all know the odds of SF getting their act together and improving their customer service skills to a WalMart level are, um, not good...

 

dt

[downunder]

I don't live anywhere near any coaster park (with the exception of a park with a solitary wild mouse), the nearest one is over 1000km away, and the west coast of the US is 10000km away, so I have enforced layoffs, which isn't a bad thing because when I go to the US I binge on coasters til I'm sick of them.

 

Out of all the coasters I have been on (130 so far), SROS at New England, and El Toro are the only two coasters I haven't gotten bored of after 6 rides or more. After about six months at home, the desire to ride comes back again, and I start planning the next trip.

 

At the end of the day I want to ride the best coasters and other ride experiences, the rest is not that important to me but I'll ride them if I'm at the park.

[the sound]

For the past 2 months I havent been to an amusement park

 

So?

 

Until just last week i had't been to an amuesment park for an entire year!

 

It may also have somethiing to do with the fact your sick of La Ronde, and don't find it interesting because you go there all the time (Well used to) Go to a park you havn't been to before, or for a while. That may solve it.

[niiicolaaah]

When I was about 10 and found out I was going to Cedar Point, I started looking up coaster stuff on the internet. Then I went to CP again two years later. After that, I kind of lost interest in coasters. I remember I used to read the Thrillride rumours cause they were just ridiculous, but other than that I didn't really keep up with it much. There was a span in high school/college where I didn't go to an amusement park for maybe 2 or 3 years. I started checking RCDB and Coasterbuzz somewhere in college, just checking out what new coasters were being built and seeing if stuff was coming to SFDL or PCW (it never was. ) Then I found TPR...

 

And then this year I added 80 something credits.....

 

So you never know what's gonna happen I guess!

[coasterdude5]

I go through the "winter coaster depression". For me it usually starts in November, and goes until March when we go to Orlando. It's ok, because I can get into other things, but I know it's only temporary. I hope I never lose interest for coasters, but I don't really think I can control it.

[map2]

I'm going through that phase right now. When I was 6 to about 11 or 12, I was obsessed with roller coasters. I would look up information and memorize facts about coasters. If someone was having a converstion about voasters, I would jump right in. I wanted everyone to know that I was obsessed with roller coasters. But then around 7th grade, I went to middle school. I stopped looking up information and facts about coasters. I did not tell anyone about my intrest in coasters. I still like getting on coasters, but I just don't care what is going on. To me its like nothing new has appeared on the theme park scene in a while in the US. Sure you have different coasters being built, but its the same idea recycled into something similar as the last one. When Tatsu was announced, I was not excited and in fact bored and could care less because it was a B&M flying coaster that 4 other coasters like it. However, I was excited about Goliath because it was the first hypercoaster in my home park, but that was it. I want something new that is the first of its kind that is a world record breaker, other than that, I could care less about whats new.

[jamesdillaman]

^ Don't worry, you're just getting into girls (or boys, not that there's anything wrong with that). The coaster obsession will come back once you realize that everyone you will date will either be crazy or evil.

 

-James "Hopefully my fiancé won't read this " Dillaman

[map2]

^Yeah, that could be it.

I don't want to tell my date that I'm obsessed with roller coasters, she'll think I'm crazy or nerdy. I don't know, maybe its because I've grown out of making everyone know that I'm obsessed with coasters. I can't imgine myself 15 years from now going on coaster chat rooms instead of talking to my wife and kids. To me looking up news o about coasters is boring because it is the same thing. There has been no new concept out in a long time. I'm especially getting tired of Intamin. If I hear about another rocket coaster I'm going to scream. I guess thats one of the reasons why I'm not that intrested in coasters anymore.