Awkward Rides?

[cfc]

On 11/2/2020 at 3:31 PM, ScreaminNewEngland said:

I'm shocked nobody mentioned Dudley Doo-Right yet.  That ride is not only really awkward when you rub your legs up against some strangers thigh but its also impossible to get in and out of.  

Exactly. The lapbars they added to the logs are both awkward and uncomfortable.

[Canobie Coaster]

Most people touched on the big ones for me, but another underrated one is on the 4-across B&M loopers when you don't have much arm/elbow space so you're often grazing arms with the person next to you.

[Garet]

Sometimes single rider lines can put you in an awkward position when the person next to you is an enthusiast and wants to strike up a conversation on the lift-hill about how many times they've rode it before, how many times have you rode it before, it's nothing to be scared of, did you know there's a bigger/loopier coaster at another park etc.... and then you get the post ride interview on the brake run...

[KBrylczyk]

Radiator Springs Racers.  Hear me out.

Normally it's a perfectly fine ride with randos because it starts immediately (no lift hill) and holds everyone's attention the entire time.  That being said, the 3-and-3 seating can lead to an odd man out situation for groups, usually the fourth sitting in the back with a group of two or two singles.  My wife and I were assigned a car just like this many times, but there was one time, hoo boy, where I got the honor of sitting next to a very disgruntled father who had his wife and children in the front.  Apparently this guy figured the second row was enough distance that he could trash talk his family and whine about how awful and expensive Disney is for the entire ride.  I guess being another 30-something guy made him think I was a shoulder to cry (read - bitch) on.  The entire ride I was doing the awkward dead-eyed smile while he droned on and on, his wife looking back constantly to give him death stares, his kids having the time of their lives, and him just equating his current predicament to being an inmate on Riker's.

Other than that I love the ride!

[TEDodd]

Sometimes single rider lines can put you in an awkward position when the person next to you is an enthusiast and wants to strike up a conversation on the lift-hill ...

Or just tell them you aren't interest and don't want to talk. 90% of the time they shut up.

Then again I usually end up in conversations about the group (generally girls) ahead/behind of us and how silly they are reacting. We both have a good laugh at their expense.

[dkepler]

On 11/4/2020 at 6:28 PM, Garet said:

Sometimes single rider lines can put you in an awkward position when the person next to you is an enthusiast and wants to strike up a conversation on the lift-hill about how many times they've rode it before, how many times have you rode it before, it's nothing to be scared of, did you know there's a bigger/loopier coaster at another park etc.... and then you get the post ride interview on the brake run...

So somebody in the single rider line should not talk to anyone at all?  What is the best etiquette?  Make conversation or no conversation?

[thrillseeker4552]

As a 21-year-old who considers themselves a "mild enthusiast" (at least in person) and often uses single rider lines, it's not that complicated...

Be friendly, say hello. Maybe ask if they've ridden this ride before. Casual conversation. You don't need to ramble about all the coasters you've ridden and parks you've been to, nor do you need to be silent and cold. Do people not know how to interact anymore? lol

[dkepler]

3 minutes ago, thrillseeker4552 said:

As a 21-year-old who considers themselves a "mild enthusiast" (at least in person) and often uses single rider lines, it's not that complicated...

Be friendly, say hello. Maybe ask if they've ridden this ride before. Casual conversation. You don't need to ramble about all the coasters you've ridden and parks you've been to, nor do you need to be silent and cold. Do people not know how to interact anymore? lol

Of course, but the previous post made it sound like people are annoyed as hell when the person in the single rider line makes conversation at all...

[boldikus]

On 11/5/2020 at 11:28 AM, TEDodd said:

Or just tell them you aren't interest and don't want to talk. 90% of the time they shut up.

Imagine sitting next to someone on a roller coaster of all places and saying to them "I'm not interested and don't want to talk".

Also, if an enthusiast plops down next to you or strikes up a conversation in line and begins blathering on like an enthusiast tends to do and you don't use that opportunity to troll the f*ck out of them is your goal to even have fun at a park? I mean, when opportunity strikes...

[Garet]

My post wasn't supposed to be 100% serious and I also didn't say any conversation. I was pretty specific. Like real life it comes down to the situation and when, where, who etc..

If Boldikus was put next to me on TTD and strikes up a conversation in the station and I tell him I'm also into coasters and he brings up Kingda Ka then yeah after the ride maybe I'd talk some nerdy shit about El Toro and T Express over a beer. If however he just starts blathering facts at me or screaming to me even on the launch and 420ft drop about how good it is to have clam-shell restraints vs over the head restraints and less rattling then I'm getting out of there as soon as I can.

[TEDodd]

Imagine sitting next to someone on a roller coaster of all places and saying to them "I'm not interested and don't want to talk".

we'll, that's after they start being annoying, not out of the gate.

But sure, have fun with them if you can 8)

I've never really had the issue in question...
Maybe I'm the annoying person?

Hell, I'd be happy to be at a park that has/utilized the single rider line in a reasonable way.

[abovethesink]

Man, reading through this thread was an eye opener for me. I have been in all these situations, but I have never cared and often end up having fun with strangers that I never see or hear from again after. I don't know why I would be bothered by physically bumping into someone or making small talk. I am glad I read this because now I can be conscious that other people might be feeling uncomfortable.

[prozach626]

On 11/15/2020 at 5:45 PM, abovethesink said:

often end up having fun with strangers that I never see or hear from again after.

I miss those days.

[dkepler]

On 11/3/2020 at 6:38 PM, Garet said:

^ A lot of people enjoy water rides but aren't interested in getting wet, my son is one of them. Or others want to be splashed but not soaked. If the point of water rides was just to get wet then there wouldn't be all those ponchos up for sale. Korea's new flume has a windscreen and their rapids have covers on them.

 

 

Although this looks so weird to see, I can admit that being drenched in what is essentially filthy "lake water" is not exactly fun.  But sometimes getting drenched is part of the experience and part of the fun.  The trash bag looking things look so stupid.

[Nrthwnd]

When we did the TPR 2006 UK Tour, it took us to Lightwater Valley park, with a rather unique and totally questionable "shoot-the-chute" ride called TOAD HOLE. You entered the queue in a very VERY low ceiling tunnel, and up to "the boat" which was already on a tilt toward the outdoor slide. Into a very murky green lake. VERY murky. After a bit of a "pre-show" (audial), we were shot down this freeky tunnel and then right into the lake!

The first shot here is the one I took, during the tour. The second shot, I am actually in the boat! At the end of that dark green railing, I am the grey haired guy in the white t-shirt. And thanks to Westcoaster.net for the photo.

Actually, in relation to it being an "awkward ride," this one would be more in the "questionable ride" category.

P.S. And with The Ultimate coaster, and the (then) underground indoor Wild Rat mad mouse coaster.... they had 3 kinds of 'awkward' rides. Come to think of it, the food was kind of 'awkward,' too.  Nothing memorable.

Here it comes! Into the awkward lake of green. And the queue entry

is to the right of it, there. Did I say low ceiling?

Us being pulled back to the dock. It rocked quite a bit too, I remember. We could not wait to "disembark."

[DoinItForTheFame]

On 11/2/2020 at 2:31 PM, ScreaminNewEngland said:

I'm shocked nobody mentioned Dudley Doo-Right yet.  That ride is not only really awkward when you rub your legs up against some strangers thigh but its also impossible to get in and out of.  

But it’s such a great flume.... and I’ve never rubbed up against a stranger.

[coneyislandchris]

One of the more awkward things that no one here has touched on yet are Halloween haunts. Don't get me wrong, I love a good haunted house. But a lot of these walkthroughs at the major parks have become very slow moving conga lines, and then you have the people that either overreact to every little thing in the place or try to prove how manly they are by getting in scare actors' faces and threatening to hit them.

[coasterbill]

On 11/3/2020 at 8:10 PM, boldikus said:

The first time Brit and I went to Universal it was like 50 degrees. I obviously wanted to ride the flume (Ripsaw falls) and Jurassic Park River Adventure but knew that those big splash boat rides often got you soaked so I bought a poncho for that because I wanted to check out the cool animatronic dinosaurs but didn’t want to get soaked. I wore it on that and then didn’t wear it on the log flume since those usually don’t get you nearly as wet.

Anyone who’s been on those rides should realize by now how badly we fucked that up.

[RAWKIN_coaster38]

3 hours ago, coneyislandchris said:

One of the more awkward things that no one here has touched on yet are Halloween haunts. Don't get me wrong, I love a good haunted house. But a lot of these walkthroughs at the major parks have become very slow moving conga lines, and then you have the people that either overreact to every little thing in the place or try to prove how manly they are by getting in scare actors' faces and threatening to hit them.

I've had strangers literally tell me they were going to grab onto me if they got scared during the haunt.  I remember one time these teenage girls I had just met five minutes prior grabbed onto me and held on for the entire haunt. It was awkward but I felt kinda bad for them.

The most awkward haunts are the ones like Total Darkness at Six Flags and Blackout at Kings Island where you get grouped in with strangers and have to hold onto a rope while you navigate in the dark. You have no choice but to stay huddled pretty close together and usually end up brushing/bumping into the person in front of or behind you.

[KBrylczyk]

1 hour ago, RAWKIN_coaster38 said:

I've had strangers literally tell me they were going to grab onto me if they got scared during the haunt.  I remember one time these teenage girls I had just met five minutes prior grabbed onto me and held on for the entire haunt. It was awkward but I felt kinda bad for them.

Seize the day and immediately scream at them (once they grab you) like you're one of the actors.  60% of the time they'll hit the deck.

[Nrthwnd]

^ I did that, actually unintentionally, in one of Playland's Haunt Houses a couple of years back. There were three guys ahead of me, I kept catching up to them, and then started acting like I was stalking them. Just stopping and staring at them, no other moves. It freeked them out totally. So much so, I figured they ran thru the House faster than they expected to. LOL! And at the exit, after we'd all come out of it, they realized that I wasn't part of the scare staff at all, and we all had a good laugh about it. A fun experience, that started out awkwardly.....for them, hee hee.

[BRTeller]

On 12/17/2020 at 9:10 PM, Nrthwnd said:

When we did the TPR 2006 UK Tour, it took us to Lightwater Valley park, with a rather unique and totally questionable "shoot-the-chute" ride called TOAD HOLE. You entered the queue in a very VERY low ceiling tunnel, and up to "the boat" which was already on a tilt toward the outdoor slide. Into a very murky green lake. VERY murky. After a bit of a "pre-show" (audial), we were shot down this freeky tunnel and then right into the lake!

The first shot here is the one I took, during the tour. The second shot, I am actually in the boat! At the end of that dark green railing, I am the grey haired guy in the white t-shirt. And thanks to Westcoaster.net for the photo.

Actually, in relation to it being an "awkward ride," this one would be more in the "questionable ride" category.

P.S. And with The Ultimate coaster, and the (then) underground indoor Wild Rat mad mouse coaster.... they had 3 kinds of 'awkward' rides. Come to think of it, the food was kind of 'awkward,' too.  Nothing memorable.

Here it comes! Into the awkward lake of green. And the queue entry

is to the right of it, there. Did I say low ceiling?

Us being pulled back to the dock. It rocked quite a bit too, I remember. We could not wait to "disembark."

Did this pull the boat back up on a winch in reverse?

There was a similar ride I rode years ago on a school day trip to a little backwoods amusement park (Either in Maryland or Virginia) that was a private event type of place for larger gatherings.

Anyways, this ride looked very similar to this one but without the tunnel. Except this one was a bit steeper/longer shoot, you would start from the top and it would shoot you into the Potomac river. The winch would then pull you backwards up the shoot and it would drop you again. The motor was rigged to some kind of old tractor. Definitely the sketchiest thing I've ever been on in terms of rides. It made every shoot the shoot ride, even the one with the little jump look so mild in comparison.

Not sure if the place still exists, it was probably 15 years ago or so now. They also had a swing ride that you'd put a harness on and it would swing you in a circle from the harness. Then the more usual things such as ziplines and kayaking.

Curious if anyone here has been to the place, I've tried a few times to find info on it but haven't been able too.

[Nrthwnd]

^ Yes, there was a rope at the back end of the boat, to pull it back up into the tunnel.

You can make the rope out a bit, in that first photo I posted, cresting the water.

Was going to mention it earlier, but forgot to.

[CaptainUnknown]

On 12/18/2020 at 12:15 PM, RAWKIN_coaster38 said:

On 12/18/2020 at 9:06 AM, coneyislandchris said:

One of the more awkward things that no one here has touched on yet are Halloween haunts. Don't get me wrong, I love a good haunted house. But a lot of these walkthroughs at the major parks have become very slow moving conga lines, and then you have the people that either overreact to every little thing in the place or try to prove how manly they are by getting in scare actors' faces and threatening to hit them.

I've had strangers literally tell me they were going to grab onto me if they got scared during the haunt.  I remember one time these teenage girls I had just met five minutes prior grabbed onto me and held on for the entire haunt. It was awkward but I felt kinda bad for them.

Conga lines suck for the actors, too. You can't always scare everyone in a conga line. They absolutely drain the energy of the actors.

I've worked a contact haunt so one of the things I like to do is grab onto the back of someone's shirt like that and pretend I'm a part of the group. One time, I got between a husband and wife--the wife was in front so I grabbed onto the back of her shirt and she grabbed onto the front of mine. I let go of her shirt and let her lead me on for a little while. I was considering seeing how far she would take me before realizing, but since I didn't want to leave my scene, I whispered in her ear, "Can I have my shirt back, please?"

[dkepler]

On 12/18/2020 at 9:06 AM, coneyislandchris said:

One of the more awkward things that no one here has touched on yet are Halloween haunts. Don't get me wrong, I love a good haunted house. But a lot of these walkthroughs at the major parks have become very slow moving conga lines, and then you have the people that either overreact to every little thing in the place or try to prove how manly they are by getting in scare actors' faces and threatening to hit them.

I'd much rather have somebody overreacting and having fun with the experience than have somebody intentionally being lame by ruining the experience for the guests and employees...