Theme parks

[AudieMurphy]

this past week Sea World here in San Antonio had a veterans special that veterans (active and past service) and up to 3 family member could get in free. So I went ahead and jumped through the hoops to download free tickets.. It ended up the wife took our daughter and friend. I bailed out. various reasons. but anyway I stayed home in A/C and quiet time. After they came home I got the usual rundown. $45 dollars parking, yes Seriously! and long lines,crowds beyond capacity.....they got on 2 rides. told me the wait times were almost unbearable because of the heat. Oh well at least it was free.....to get in... the kids were happy. I remember years ago when we lived in Florida my wife had an idea to go to Disney land for New Years eve......NEVER AGAIN!!! Im talking elbow to elbow and shoe sole to shoe sole Im not exagerating....These theme parks do have patrons counters in the entrance...shouldnt they for safety sake LIMIT the amount of people in? It seems not. I ask myself what would happen in an emergency situation? God forbid.....thats my rant

 

[Erich]

Golly. Who could have seen that coming?

 

[sjmjax]

Theme Parks use to be a lot of fun.

Did many of the Orlando based parks “back in the day”.
But, the all quickly became too crowded and too expensive.

Favorite memories were “appreciation nights”. Park would close then reopen for a specific group “appreciation” evening.

At the time my in laws were both law enforcement. We got their passes. In just a few hours we rode almost every attraction in the park. Favorites more than once.

Those were the days. Couldn’t pay me to visit one now.

Interesting (to me) side note. A salesman that regularly called on our shop sold & represented several machine tool manufacturers.
He owned a sizable track of land outside Orlando. Mostly for deer & bird hunting at the time.
One day approached by an investment group that wanted to buy his land. Made a generous offer that he accepted.
He retired and bought a Beechcraft Bonanza.
His land a few years later became part of Disney World.

 

[quikdraw67]

I went to Disney World in 1974. It was magical. I still remember it over 50 years later.
Hershey Park a few times in high school in the early-mid 80's. Fun times!
Now, Fuh-getabboutit.

 

[ZGrand]

When I was a kid, my father worked for Coca-Cola at their HQ in Atlanta. Every year for a number of years they would rent out Six Flags Over Georgia for a night. All employees and family got in free. No lines for anything -- you could just keep riding the same ride more than once if you wanted. I guess it got too expensive, as they stopped doing it. But it was fun while it lasted!

 

[fiasconva]

Never could see standing in line for 45 minutes to ride a 2 minute ride.

 

[kev74]

When we would go to amusement parks, I'd take off of work on a Wednesday to go. Lines were much better.

 

[Greyman50]

Used to take the kids to Kings Dominion in Va. back in 80s, not so bad. Have no reason or desire to go to Any these days. Grandkids are 20s-30s and no sign of great grandkids.....

 

[Rpg]

In the late ‘70s I had a business meeting in Anaheim. I took my granddaughter and my father so they could go to Disney land While I was in my meeting, my father and my granddaughter went to Disney land. The next morning we were talking about where they should go. At the time, Knots Berry Farm was the other amusement park in the area. My granddaughter announced in no uncertain terms that she didn’t want to go to a Berry Farm. She wanted to go back to Disney land. So back we went.

She stuck with her decision the third day (the last one of mt meeting). So she and my father spent 3 entire days with the Mouse. The 4th day of the trip I was free and insisted we go to the marine attraction. The last day granddaughter insisted on returning to Disney land. She’d have gone back but we had to return to Denver.

 

[AudieMurphy]

that reminds me...back in the day. I used to go to Lenape Park in south east Pa. where they had a shooting gallery. I remember the rifles were .22 winchesters pump the older style. Man I'd burn them targets up. spent most of my time at the shooting gallery. Hershey park had a shooting gallery also. I think they used clay bullets so they wouldnt riccochet.

 

[Denverd0n]

Lived in Orlando for quite a few years -- theme park central. Here's a tip: the slowest time of the year at Disney World is the period between Thanksgiving and Christmas. It will still be crowded, and the lines will still be long, but just a bit less so than most of the year.

When I moved to Orlando in 1982, if friends came for a visit I would take them to Disney World myself (they always wanted to go for at least one day). After doing that 2-3 times I quit. After that I would just say, "Here are the car keys, it's down south on I-4, you can't miss it. I'll see you later tonight." Haven't been back since I think about 1985 or '86.

 

[BC38]

I haven't been to a theme park or amusement park in close to 20 years. We took our boys to Disneyland when they were 5 & 9 years old. The 5 year old is 23 now. I swore back then that I would never go to another one again. The crowds, the wait times, the PRICES! No thanks.
When I was a high school kid living in the suburbs of St. Louis, we used to buy season passes for Six Flags over Mid America. It was only 25 miles away. My buddies and I went so much every summer that by July or so, we had ridden all the rides and seen all the shows so many times that we just went to hang out and try to meet girls.

 

[lihpster]

Theme parks are kinda scarce in my area. Growing up we had two. Oaks Park had a roller skating rink, a small roller coaster and maybe 5-10 other rides. We also had the Enchanted Forest, a fairytale themed park with about the same number of amenities. I was never big on rides, so theme parks were never something I wanted to do.

 

[pharmer]

I have lived 20 miles from the "Mouse" for almost 47 years. Built EPCOT 1980-86, my son born in '89, so we went hundreds of times. It used to be fun, affordable (well, mostly free) and crowded around holidays. Last time we went (maybe 8 years ago) it was like a cattle drive, folks were unhappy, waits were impossible. The average family of 4 spends $1400 a day now for parking ($50/day), admit and food. I have 6 free passes for when my grandkids are old enough to remember it and that will be my last time. Disney Co has killed Walt Disney's dreams along with any "magic" that they had. Universal is slightly better as is Sea World but I haven't been to either in 15 years. Theme parks are money vortexes. Joe

 

[Daniel R.]

I’ve never lived more than an hour’s drive from Hersheypark. Haven’t been there since the late 80s.

The entirety of my adult life I’ve tried to avoid crowds, fly-fishing and grouse hunting being my two main passions. Even those things have gotten hard to avoid the masses here on the east coast…. Particularly fly-fishing since the COVID fiasco.

 

[Mule Packer]

Disney Co has killed Walt Disney's dreams along with any "magic" that they had.

Pharmer hit the "nail on the head." I'm afraid Walt Disney is rolling over in his grave over the way the Disney Corp. is running things. As a result of some of their actions and statements, I probably won't be sending any money their way. Unfortunately, Mickey is no longer the little guy we once knew and loved.

 

[pawngal]

My oldest sister lived about 15 minutes from Disneyland, Mom and I visited her every couple of years. So I went to Disneyland twice as a kid. I believe the first time was the year it opened, 1955. I took both of my kids once. and just my youngest once and that was 35 years ago. I only remember longlines that last time. My favorite ride that trip was Space Mountain (I like coasters!) Valley Fair in Minneapolis about 40 years ago. Silver Dollar City in MO about 50 years ago before it was an amusement park.
We have a nice amusement park here in the Okoboji area, including the Legend roller coaster built in 1927. One of the few original wooden coasters still in operation.
https://www.aceonline.org/page/legend

 

[TX-Dennis]

I tend to get extreme nausea on rides - especially the ones that have any amount of backwards high speed movement. Thus, theme parks are a no go for me. I did take my son several times when he was smaller, but rode very few rides with him as I didn't want to ruin his fun by throwing up everywhere for hours on end.

I very nearly threw up in a plane once. Normal flying - even in rough weather - doesn't bother me, but the old Southwest planes used to have a couple of seats that faced each other. Our group decided to sit there once, and I sat in a backward facing seat. The flight was pretty rough, and I came VERY close to needing the barf bag.

 

[Bekeart]

"Disneyland truly is the ultimate happy place!"
Not for the customer, but for the owners.

The owners expect clients with open wallets.
1) Charged for Parking
2) Charged for Admission
3) Pay more for Lighting Lane Lines
4) Food Prices

you can pay extra to use expedited Lightning Lane lines.

You will not get to meet Ali Baba and the forty . .

Bekeart

 

[eveled]

A friend and mentor always said. “There’s too many people now”. First time I heard him say it was in the 1980’s. It’s gotten steadily worse.

He wasn’t an amusement park type guy, he was mostly talking about boat ramps and hunting spots!

He’s dead now, but I still hear him saying it.

 

[NYlakesider]

Years back we took the kids to many of the theme parks. Once that stage was over have found no reason to go back.

 

[THE PILGRIM]

Just like a lot of things, I’m so glad I went when I did!
Vegas, Disneyland, Disney World, Six Flags over Texas, etc.
That back then Bigtime Water Skiing place in Florida.
And that local Water Skiing Show, Indiana Beach, Monticello, Indiana.

 

[simmomo]

Visited The Magic Kingdom in mid-seventies during a two week road trip through Florida with my wife. Even then, long lines, very crowded and hot. Can still hear the "it's a small, small world" ear worm. Did not really enjoy. High light of the total road trip was Ft. Lauderdale and an unplanned stop at a very high end auto dealership (Ferraris, Lambos, Alfas, etc.) on Federal Ave. Treated us like we were actually going to buy something and offered to let us drive a couple of "previously owned" models in the showroom. Visited Busch Gardens in Williamsburg several years later while we lived in Virginia. At that time was more of a park and we enjoyed the experience. Have never been to another theme park and have no desire to do so.

 

[desi2358]

that reminds me...back in the day. I used to go to Lenape Park in south east Pa. where they had a shooting gallery. I remember the rifles were .22 winchesters pump the older style. Man I'd burn them targets up. spent most of my time at the shooting gallery. Hershey park had a shooting gallery also. I think they used clay bullets so they wouldnt riccochet.

I loved those shooting galleries when I was a kid, there were even ones that traveled around to the fairs. The ones with real guns started fading away years ago but some of the ones using BB guns (full auto ones!) still show up now and then. Really hard to shoot out the center of those little paper targets the BB ones used to win a prize. The ammo companies used to make special loads for the shooting galleries using an early type of frangible bullet, basically metal powder and glue, that would shatter into dust on the target plates or the backstop. I used to have several boxes of them in my ammo collection, had names like Krumble-Ball, Splatter-Less and Kant-Splash.

As to theme parks in general, they were fun when I was young, still okay when we used to take our kids to them but the allure faded away. Last time we went to one it was too crowded, too expensive and simply not much fun. Grandkids like the county fair so we still go that but more to see their 4H stuff than anything else.

 

[Hilldweller]

Our family moved from Ohio to SoCal in ‘62 to a little town called Los Alamitos where developers were building housing tracts for the engineers and other employees of the aerospace/defense industry. My dad worked was an engineer for Rockwell.
I was 6 1/2 at the time. Came to find out that Disneyland, that I’d never heard of, was just a 20 minute drive. Folks took me and my two sisters to Disneyland on my 7th birthday. (The first of many visits to the park).
For me, as a 7 year old, it was absolutely amazing. The scary Matterhorn ride, the vomit inducing tea cups, the overhead gondola ride, and some of my favs like the shooting booths in Western World the used Winchester .22 gallery guns, the haunted house, the jungle ride where the “captain” always shot a hippo with his pistol, the kiddy cars with real gas engines (if I remember correctly), the monorail for a quick ride around the park, and more.
Back then we drove down a road named Katella that took us almost straight there; but then we were driving through the beet fields (not housing tracts) to get there.
Parking was close, lines were relatively short, and tickets were affordable. Enough so that we went at least twice a year.
The other option was Knott’s Berry Farm that had fewer rides (back then) and relied more on their sales of Boysenberry jam, pies, and fried chicken dinners. It was okay but not any competition with Disneyland.