Annoying stuff that happens in theme parks- The List

[I Like Theme Parks.]

I have a terrible story about the champion of all height requirement morons. Last year some of my friends brought me to a local family entertainment center that's about 10 minutes away from me called the Funplex (there's a spinning mouse, an SBF Visa Twist N' Swing 360 and some family rides, so it's actually pretty big for a FEC). We were getting on the outdoor Tilt-A-Whirl (there's an identical model that's in the indoor section too, yeah it's weird) and there was a mom behind us SCREAMING at the ride operator to let her daughter on the ride even though she was way too short. The operator told her that she was too short, and the mom kept yelling that she was 30 inches so she should be allowed. The operator explained that she had to be 46 inches, but the bitch wouldn't listen. She kept making the same statement for around 3 minutes about her daughter being 30 inches tall, and we were all boarded onto the ride and she was still complaining at that point.

[IdahoKat]

I heard there was a super rare Pokemon right under Raptor.

 

Well... maybe right under Raptor is not the best place... but have you heard about the fire-type Pokemon that appear in places a bit safer and not fenced off?

[SixFlagsAstroworld]

I have a terrible story about the champion of all height requirement morons. Last year some of my friends brought me to a local family entertainment center that's about 10 minutes away from me called the Funplex (there's a spinning mouse, an SBF Visa Twist N' Swing 360 and some family rides, so it's actually pretty big for a FEC). We were getting on the outdoor Tilt-A-Whirl (there's an identical model that's in the indoor section too, yeah it's weird) and there was a mom behind us SCREAMING at the ride operator to let her daughter on the ride even though she was way too short. The operator told her that she was too short, and the mom kept yelling that she was 30 inches so she should be allowed. The operator explained that she had to be 46 inches, but the bitch wouldn't listen. She kept making the same statement for around 3 minutes about her daughter being 30 inches tall, and we were all boarded onto the ride and she was still complaining at that point.

 

 

I really hate it when stuff like that happens. If you spent lots of money to go to and get in a theme park to find out that your kid is not tall enough, YOUR FAULT! Maybe they should check the internet beforehand instead of yelling/bribing an operator.

[michaellynn4]

I have a terrible story about the champion of all height requirement morons. Last year some of my friends brought me to a local family entertainment center that's about 10 minutes away from me called the Funplex (there's a spinning mouse, an SBF Visa Twist N' Swing 360 and some family rides, so it's actually pretty big for a FEC). We were getting on the outdoor Tilt-A-Whirl (there's an identical model that's in the indoor section too, yeah it's weird) and there was a mom behind us SCREAMING at the ride operator to let her daughter on the ride even though she was way too short. The operator told her that she was too short, and the mom kept yelling that she was 30 inches so she should be allowed. The operator explained that she had to be 46 inches, but the bitch wouldn't listen. She kept making the same statement for around 3 minutes about her daughter being 30 inches tall, and we were all boarded onto the ride and she was still complaining at that point.

 

This doesn't surprise me one bit. The only downside to the Funplex is the sketchy clientele that place gets.

[storms555]

I have a terrible story about the champion of all height requirement morons. Last year some of my friends brought me to a local family entertainment center that's about 10 minutes away from me called the Funplex (there's a spinning mouse, an SBF Visa Twist N' Swing 360 and some family rides, so it's actually pretty big for a FEC). We were getting on the outdoor Tilt-A-Whirl (there's an identical model that's in the indoor section too, yeah it's weird) and there was a mom behind us SCREAMING at the ride operator to let her daughter on the ride even though she was way too short. The operator told her that she was too short, and the mom kept yelling that she was 30 inches so she should be allowed. The operator explained that she had to be 46 inches, but the bitch wouldn't listen. She kept making the same statement for around 3 minutes about her daughter being 30 inches tall, and we were all boarded onto the ride and she was still complaining at that point.

 

This doesn't surprise me one bit. The only downside to the Funplex is the sketchy clientele that place gets.

I looked that place up. It looks neat. I wish I had a family fun center like that by me. Real rides and waterslides! The ones by me have just have mainly dumb kiddie rides...then again i go to family fun centers for the arcade games but real rides and waterslides would be a VERY awesome added bonus! I wish Old Chicago didnt close before i was born....when Great America closes down and the fairs/carnivals are gone it would be awesome to get your ride fix during the winter!

[scottiemon]

Old Chicago is a sad story really. Interesting read if you want to look it up. My first coaster with loops was "The Chicago Loop" which now lives at Canobie. It really was a fun park!

[coasterlvr]

for me, it's hands down line jumping. since SFMM is my home park, i've just gotten used to it. they are so short staffed, even if they cared to enforce it, they'd miss most of it anyway.

 

so while annoying, i just laugh at it now when it happens.

[DoinItForTheFame]

I think for me the most annoying thing that can, and will ever happen in a theme park is. . .

 

BASKETBALLS!!

 

Like seriously, who the eff thought it was a good idea to give people basketballs for them to dribble around the park all damn day?? It never fails that someone will "lose" control of their basketball and it goes flying across the midway as they chase it down running into people, cutting people off, darting around you, just being plain obnoxious. . . Ugh! Just thinking about them annoys me.

[rolercstrluvr]

I think for me the most annoying thing that can, and will ever happen in a theme park is. . .

 

BASKETBALLS!!

 

Like seriously, who the eff thought it was a good idea to give people basketballs for them to dribble around the park all damn day?? It never fails that someone will "lose" control of their basketball and it goes flying across the midway as they chase it down running into people, cutting people off, darting around you, just being plain obnoxious. . . Ugh! Just thinking about them annoys me.

 

I second this, I was at CGA the other day waiting in line for cornstalkers and a kid lost control of it and nearly hit my gf in the face. I just turned around and said,"watch what you're doing with that f*#%ing thing." I was half tempted to catch it and just buck it over at grizzly.

[Angle O. Descent]

Too many people. I truly believe that parks would be far less annoying if everybody would simply stay at home. That's not asking for too much is it?

[Nrthwnd]

^^ Playland (PNE) finally got rid of their "basketball area" a year ago, so that a couple of flat rides could go there.

 

Back then, it was a total waste of space, within the park itself, that served no purpose, other than being there for

the PNE, when more arcade games were installed and one or two very cheesy (and not well cared for) fun houses.

[bullsnike]

Absolutely 1 thing that sends me over the edge - Single Rider Line Abuse.

 

What do people not @#$%ing understand that groups of 4, 6, 20 ARE NOT SINGLE RIDERS!!!!

 

Rant over

[Nrthwnd]

^ That happened to me at the Radiator Springs Racers in DL. Last day I was there, I was in the Single Riders Line, right behind what appeared to me to be a family of three: a father, and two children, one a young girl and the other a younger boy. And it wasn't until they were literally being separated, that the kids had no idea this is where their father was taking them. They had no concept of this line, and yet he just took them into it without explaining.

 

The Good News, is that after a quick few minutes of their freaking out at being separated from - each - other, they settled down, got into their separate cars and all, I guess, went okay.

 

Still, what a thing for a parent to do to their kids! Shameful and not worthy of being called a "parent."

[ejot]

Entirely different viewpoint here on this one. The situation Nrthwnd describes ^ is of course unfortunate and would be heartbreaking to see. Let's just consider riders who understand how the line works.

 

The point of a single rider line is to increase ride throughput by placing riders who are fully willing to fully forgo both seat preference and grouping preference—something generally expected by most visitors—in seats that would otherwise be empty.

 

Twenty people who just so happen to know each other—but who each understand and agree to ride under those conditions—ALL have the right to utilize a single rider line (in perfect succession, if they please). Rides would run at higher capacity if more people in groups who understood this conditional opportunity used it.

 

Ranting against this use of the single-ride line is a wish against the overall efficiency of the ride, an effect in which everyone shares a small individual benefit. Instead you wish everyone else to forego that small, divided benefit and lump it singly onto you in the form of a shorter SRL. It is an immaculately self-entitled POV.

 

Just my couple shillings.

[Schrecken]

There was one major irritant I noticed this summer at the handful of parks that I visited that really got my goat - roving packs of kids in school or church groups. Now I have no problem at all with school children taking a trip to a park (after all, if it weren't for kids there probably wouldn't be many parks at all), but what really gripes me is why in the heck do they have to behave like the stampeding herd of gallimimus dinosaurs in Jurassic Park? "Uh-Oh - they're flocking this way!!!" There's nothing like walking along in a park and you have this huge group of 20-30+ young people wandering towards you (or perhaps you are behind them), filling up the entire breadth of whatever pathway you are on. It's generally not too difficult to dodge couples and families (unless the pathway is really narrow, which generally isn't the case) but a wandering tightly packed but expansive herd of teens, not so much.

It's like running into a herd of cows in the middle of a country road....

 

Granted, this isn't something the parks can really do anything about (not if they want those paying customers), but rather is simply inconsiderate (and ignorant- they probably don't realize the impediments they are causing) behavior on the part of the leaders of these groups. I have no idea whether they are required to stick together like that or the kids just prefer to hang with the group, but it would be nice if the group leader had them walk together in a single or double file line rather than in a sprawling, disorganized mass.

[IdahoKat]

I few a things I find annoying....

 

• GUM - DON'T SPIT GUM ON GROUND! NASTY!!!!! Or leave it on seats, restraints, etc. It's germy, gross, and I don't want it on the bottom of my shoe anymore than others want on theirs. Spitting in pathways also nasty. If someone is going to spit, at least don't do it where others walk. I understand protein spills can happen. I can eat a huge lunch, then ride anything without getting sick, but I realize not everyone is like that. Someones gum or saliva should never make contact with me or my clothing, etc.

• The basketballs. I hate em!

• People who fail to use deodorant. When you're only (barely) 5 feet tall like me, unfortunately, that's something I'm prone to noticing if someone fails to use it. Obviously it's usually teenagers, but I know I appreciate it when people remember to try and not stink.

• Parks that are inefficient with loading trains. (Perhaps it's because I'm spoiled with amazing efficiency of operations at Cedar Point).

 

• Stupid people who get themselves killed by climbing into an area clearly marked as no entry (ie fence hoppers to retrieve a phone, hat, etc). If people would just realize there are sweeps at night, and it's not worth risking their life (plus said ride then becomes closed to rule obeying riders during investigation time to determine the deceased lacked the capacity to think on a fateful time. Thankfully those extreme incidents are rare, it's sad for the loved ones who lost them due to stupidity. Also, I'm sure any riders on a train that strikes a fence jumper have so much potential for PTSD, psychological damage, etc., all as the result of said stupid act by another. I personally have never been at a park when an incident happened, just make me sad and annoyed that a rare idiot gets themselves maimed, then puts a black eye on the park/manufacturer/etc. that isn't deserved in the first place. Sorry this last one became more of a rant about a rare few who lack the ability to have common sense.

[storms555]

^ yea i hate when people stink! and its not just arm pits...i was behind someone, a teen girl(thought they cared about hygiene and appearance) no less who smelled like she didnt wash her butt in two weeks! yuck! feel bad for the person who has to get that seat after her....

[VF15]

Ride ops that wait until everyone leaves the exit platform before opening the gates. Unless there's a policy that requires them to do this, it does nothing but waste time.

[Nrthwnd]

^ It happens with a lot of coasters and flat rides I've ridden. It's a form of protocol, so that no one sneaks in,

and they still have control over letting new riders in. I consider this one of the less annoying things that happens

in a theme park.

[VF15]

^

I should've specified that I was mainly talking about roller coasters, my bad. I completely understand why most flat rides need to hold the gates (since many of them are run by only one operator).

[Nrthwnd]

^ I know you were specifically posting about coasters. But I still stand by my previous post that it`s just part of the set up with it,

and that's the way the ride ops are trained, with that scenario included as part of running the coaster. No big deal.

[eugjackson]

The most annoying thing IMO, is failure to fill seats on coasters with 4 across seating, especially win their is a pretty good line. You will see often multiple rows of 2 of 4 seats empty and occasionally 3 of 4 empty. When I'm in the line for my row on a coaster I look to see where I can fill in seats. I will just ask people to skip ahead if I see a potential empty seat(s). Very few rides, especially at SF, have operators looking to fill seats. I look for how people are grouped with their party to find spots. This results in a lot of saved time and thus extra rides over the course of a day. Also, moves the line along for others waiting.

[prozach626]

When someone does the walk of shame and tries to make up for it by arguing with the ride operator at the exit gates. Let's blame safety standards for a lifetime of poor eating habits. It's just a way of deflecting their own embarrassment. For the people who take the walk of shame and don't act like pricks, I feel bad for them.

[Pirate]

When rides don't have test seats and when people don't use them if they're there.

 

People won't know how the seats and restraints feel like and they might take the walk of shame because they didn't use the test seat and see if they fit.

[fraroc]

I think the most annoying thing that happened to me personally is when the dispatch takes longer because people decided to fight over where they want to sit. This was a conversation that I literally heard on line for Talon at Dorney when I went a few weeks ago with my aunt, uncle and cousin...

 

Girl 1: THATS MY SEAT!

Girl 2: Just sit in that seat!

Girl 1: No, I want to sit there!

Girl 2: Well I'm sitting here!

Girl 1: Oh my GOD get out of my seaaaattt!!!

 

Finally, a ride op had to scold them and she ended up having to sit in that other seat anyway.