Overrated Parks

[Cyrbuzz]

I even went there on a weekday and still had 3+ hour wait times.

[DoinItForTheFame]

I'm going to add Busch Gardens Tampa to my list of overrated parks. Not sure why everyone thinks it's the better of the two Busch Gardens, but IMO BGW is by far the more superior park.

[Physical]

Carowinds

 

Ever since Fury, people obsess over this place as Cedar Point South when in fact they have the worst line up of any 10+ coaster park in the United States and the park itself, while nice, really hasn't changed that much. All they did was add one very good stand out coaster and destroy their classic wooden coaster (which was still in the top 4 of the park in my opinion) and destroy their quaint entrance with a bland treeless expanse (the one saving grace being the interaction with Fury).

 

Don't get me wrong, Carowinds is a nice park and I have enjoyed every visit, but it certainly isn't Cedar Point South at the moment and it certainly isn't a two day park. You are better off spending one day there and one day at SFOG who has a significantly better line up overall or Dollywood which provides a far superior experience with a smaller but high quality coaster line up.

 

I still do love Carowinds ...it's just overrated.

 

I couldn't agree more. My buddy and I planned a 3 day theme park trip where we hit KD and Carowinds. After spending half a day at carowinds, and riding everything there, we decided to lap Fury the rest of the day, and head back to KD super early in the morning. We planned on spending the majority of our time at Carowinds. I want to say we came on a bad day, but the rides just weren't worth 2 days, and the abysmal operations we experienced (except Fury, that crew was incredible!) made it a pretty easy decision.

[Rill'o'beily]

I don't understand actually how anyone can have a good time at a park where you have to queue more than an hour for rides...

[bigcwd2000]

The last time I was there Magnum was still top dog of the park and even then the waits were unbelievable.

 

You may want to try and plan a trip back to Cedar Point. They have added some fantastic rides to their lineup since Magnum. If you make plans in advance to attend Cedar Point at times when the crowds are light (week before Memorial Day, first few weeks in June, and week before Labor Day) you should have no problem riding all of the coasters in a day. However I think you need at least two days at Cedar Point to fully enjoy everything. Also, if you can budget the extra money for Fast Lane you can easily do all of the coasters (with many re-rides) and more flat rides with minimal waits all day.

[coasterbill]

I'm going to add Busch Gardens Tampa to my list of overrated parks. Not sure why everyone thinks it's the better of the two Busch Gardens, but IMO BGW is by far the more superior park.

 

I adore this park. The coaster selection is amazing, but we also love animals which helps a lot. If I weren't such a big fan of them I might have a different opinion of the park.

 

I don't understand actually how anyone can have a good time at a park where you have to queue more than an hour for rides...

 

Because some people are fun and don't think it's the end of the world standing in a line and talking with the people in your group and taking in the park atmosphere. Sure I'd rather there were no lines but a day at a park with long lines is better than a day at work (unless you're at La Ronde). Plus if they bother you that much or it's not your home park just get a skip the line pass...

[Rill'o'beily]

Because some people are fun and don't think it's the end of the world standing in a line and talking with the people in your group and taking in the park atmosphere. Sure I'd rather there were no lines but a day at a park with long lines is better than a day at work (unless you're at La Ronde). Plus if they bother you that much or it's not your home park just get a skip the line pass...

 

I'd get it if it weren't for the fact that if you wait an hour for each ride, how many rides can you actually do during one day, and if it weren't for the fact that all the parks where it bothers are parks that have cattlepen queues with no theming. And besides, an hour long conversation is a *looong* conversation. The point being that it kind of breaks the immersion. (but most places where this is a problem don't have immersion in the first place, sooo)

[coasterbill]

Then get a skip-the-line pass.

 

Look, generally speaking you're not going to wait an hour for every ride. Take Cedar Point for example. If you go without a Fastlane and some rides have hour waits, it's not like it's going to be hour wait after hour wait all day long. You learn what rides you can mix in if you don't feel like standing in line and that breaks things up.

 

For example, we usually go for 3 days on Labor Day weekend. One day we may get Fastlane. On the other days we take it slow, ride a bunch during early entry with short lines, hang out in the back until it gets busy and then when the lines get that long you mix in a few 5-15 minute waits to break things up (Gemeni, Power Tower, Magnum, Skyhawk, Mean Streak, Iron Dragon, Windseeker... stuff like that). Then a few hours later you go to the front of the park and enjoy short waits for Raptor and Gatekeeper. (Seriously... Gemeni, Skyhawk and Power Tower are your best friends. Best... Friends....)

 

Plus the only rides in that park where the queue really bothers me are Dragster and Gatekeeper. Dragster because it's a cattle pen and Gatekeeper because they only put shade canopies in the part of the queue that are never ever full and otherwise you have to stand in the sun.

 

Even at parks like Great Adventure you break things up with rides like Bizarro, Skull Mountain and Batman. You don't just stand in long lines all day unless you're a glutton for punishment.

 

It's not like I enjoy lines but if you go to a park and can't have a good time because the lines are long then there's something wrong with you.

Edited August 12, 2016 by coasterbill

[DirkFunk]

Because some people are fun and don't think it's the end of the world standing in a line and talking with the people in your group and taking in the park atmosphere. Sure I'd rather there were no lines but a day at a park with long lines is better than a day at work (unless you're at La Ronde). Plus if they bother you that much or it's not your home park just get a skip the line pass...

 

I'd get it if it weren't for the fact that if you wait an hour for each ride, how many rides can you actually do during one day, and if it weren't for the fact that all the parks where it bothers are parks that have cattlepen queues with no theming. And besides, an hour long conversation is a *looong* conversation. The point being that it kind of breaks the immersion. (but most places where this is a problem don't have immersion in the first place, sooo)

 

So for everyone out there, not just my man Rill over here - when you talk about immersion, do you ever actually think "Wow, I'm in a gem mine with the Seven Dwarves"? Like does that ever happen for real?

[The Geek Mojo]

Indiana Beach...That place was a shit hole.

[Henry M]

Indiana Beach...That place was a poo-poo hole.

Great review! To be fair I don't think it is overrated because I have never heard someone raving about how good ANY of the rides are.

[Rill'o'beily]

So for everyone out there, not just my man Rill over here - when you talk about immersion, do you ever actually think "Wow, I'm in a gem mine with the Seven Dwarves"? Like does that ever happen for real?

 

No, but more like getting into the ambience and stuff. If you go to a nice small town and get comfortable in a café and then suddenly a protest group rolls by yelling loudly, it's gonna break the mood. I mean it in that kind of a way of immersino. When the theming is good enough you don't feel like you're in a field in the middle of nowherre

[Philrad71]

Indiana Beach overrated? In terms of what? Being an amusement park?

 

I see people complaining about how ghetto and run down IB is on here all the time (despite the fact that I actually liked the park), so where do you get that it's 'overrated'? Did you find IB listed as one of the top parks in the world on an MSN or CNN click bait 'Top 50 Amusement Parks' list or something?

 

And to the person bitching about CP being overrated because of long lines...WTF? I guess that you just don't "get" the meaning of this thread?

 

People need to clearly understand that you either try not to go to CP on a weekend, or if you do...budget for a a God-damned Fast Lane Plus! You can click on any page of the CP thread and just about on every page (mostly during the summer season), someone will ask if it's going to be busy on the weekend that they are going. And every time, one of the senior members or frequent CP visitors will reply with an emphatic: YES, YES, YES!!!!!

 

If you go on a weekend in June, July or August, don't get a FastLane Plus, stand in line for rides for three hours and then simply come on here to complain about how the park is overrated, you sir....are an idiot - plain and simple.

 

It's one thing to say that you didn't like the park because you just didn't care for the ride collection, didn't like the ambience, or were somewhat disappointed in the coasters. At least that makes sense...but to say CP is overrated because of crowd sizes during your visit? I don't get it.

 

Wow, Robb is right...this place is really starting to turn south with a bunch of know-it-all, theme park "teenage engineers" and Idiocracy wannabes.

 

Yikes. I need a drink and it's only 4:15 (goes to grab beer) .

[chickenbowl]

Disney's Hollywood Studios.

I know it's not highly rated to begin with, but that's still too high. That park is frankly not enjoyable for more than 2 hours. I can absolutely see why they have both Toy Story and Star Wars planned for this park... There's barely anything to do as it is. I constantly heard "Not as good as other Disney parks, but still amazing"... I disagree completely with that.

 

Here's an sttraction breakdown:

ToT= Awesome

Rockin'= Pretty good!

Star Tours II= Good, but not unique

Midway Mania= Good but not unique

Backlot tour= Gone (It was terrible)

Great Movie Ride= Truly awful

Indie Stunt show= Kinda cool except for all the "The audience is directing a movie!" crap

Lights Motors Action= ^ Same as above.

Didn't bother waiting for fantasmic or whatever nighttime show

 

It's just such a weak park... I felt like I wasted my time even being there only 5 hours.

[MisterP]

In terms of rides, Epcot is pretty overrated.

 

World Showcase is awesome for walking around, eating, and drinking. But its not much in terms of much attractions.

 

Future World has some stuff, but while Test Track is awesome, and Spaceship Earth & Living with the Land are cool IMO, the rest of the attractions are pretty meh. Soarin is fun, but its a one-trick pony. Ditto Mission: Space.

 

I still really like Epcot for all it has to offer, and I know it's intent isn't all about thrills and audio-animatronics, but if you are there for one day to go on a bunch of awesome rides (which many people are), it's limited.

 

I think it was better when it had more stuff like Horizons and World of Motion. Although know I am far from the first person to opine about that....

[DILinator]

People need to clearly understand that you either try not to go to CP on a weekend in June, July, and August

 

Fixed that for you! (I know that's what you were saying, anyway...)

 

There's a reason I haven't been to CP since Memorial Day... Going to CP in the Summer months, if it can be at all avoided, is preferable. And if you do go then, DON'T go on the weekend!

 

I have been to CP this year on a day where literally every ride was a walk on, except Valravn and Maverick, and I waited a grand total of less than an hour for four Valravn rides that day. It can be done, you just need to know when to do it...

 

As for Indiana Beach... I almost think it's gotten to the point where people dog on it so much, that if anything, it's underrated! Cornball Express is currently a Top 5 wooden coaster for me, and the park was very unique and pleasant (at least when I went there.) I feel saying IB is overrated is almost like saying Michigan's Adventure is overrated!

[GCI Wooden]

As for Indiana Beach... I almost think it's gotten to the point where people dog on it so much, that if anything, it's underrated! Cornball Express is currently a Top 5 wooden coaster for me, and the park was very unique and pleasant (at least when I went there.) I feel saying IB is overrated is almost like saying Michigan's Adventure is overrated!

I feel the same way. I went to the park last year knowing basically nothing about it except that it had Steel Hawg, Cornball, and one heck of a drop tower, and was pleasantly surprised with the rest of the park. I really don't know why people complain about this place, none of the wooden coasters beat me up, they have a crazy intense Schwarzkopf that is somehow built on top of a restaurant, and it's reasonably priced.

 

Maybe my opinion was impacted by the fact that no one was there when I went, but I really enjoyed the place.

[bert425]

in terms of waiting in queue -- we simply plan multiple day trips to the parks we expect to be crowded.

 

we just did 3+ days at BGT, and yes, there were lines (made even worse by weather shutting everything down every afternoon). .but we just queued up and made friends, and yes, had coversations (shocking, I know) with the other folks around us in line.

 

we met some VERY cool people and had a hell of a good time.

 

and BGT is actually UNDERRATED, I'd say. Folks that just go for the rides, and not the animals, or the topiaries/landscaping and/or some of the shows, are really missing out on the charm of the park.

 

I preferred BGW, if I had to choose which park is more beautiful, but I loved them both.

[MisterP]

To say that Indiana Beach is overrated is quite the theme park nerd thing to say, considering 99% of America has no idea it exists.

 

It's a hidden gem. A throwback. In the middle of freaking Indiana, for chrissakes.

 

That place is one of a kind and pretty freaking awesome.

 

Oh, and Cornball Express still kicks ass...and Hoosier Hurricane is pretty fun as well...and the Lost Coaster, Den of Lost Thieves, and the walkthrough haunted house are all a ton of fun. Steel Hawg and the other two small coasters are fun as well. And the swings over the lake are so great.

 

Plus, a beach and a mini-water park. And cabins that are a stone's throw from the boardwalk.

 

Plus, some pretty good (inexpensive) food options and some throwback arcades and the like.

 

So great.

 

"Underrated" is the optimum word. Overrated? Only for the most jaded theme park geek.....

[GCI Wooden]

Plus, some pretty good (inexpensive) food options and some throwback arcades and the like.

Oh, and I somehow forgot about FASCINATION! For like 50 cents, you get to play that incredibly awesome (And extremely addictave) game. Seriously, Fascination is amazing.

[MisterP]

Plus, some pretty good (inexpensive) food options and some throwback arcades and the like.

Oh, and I somehow forgot about FASCINATION! For like 50 cents, you get to play that incredibly awesome (And extremely addictave) game. Seriously, Fascination is amazing.

 

Man, my 8-year old son and I LOVED playing Fascination together. Awesome is the exact correct word for it. Such a fantastic bonding experience.

 

We spent two days there this past June and didn't want to leave.

 

And it was personally my third time there. The first two I went with my wife who loves IB (2003 and 2007), before my son was born.

 

It's still so freaking great. And so awesome for kids....